We recently connected with Gabriella Rose and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Gabriella thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s jump right into the heart of things. Outsiders often think businesses or industries have much larger profit margins than they actually do – the reason is that outsiders are often unaware of the biggest challenges to profitability in various industries – what’s the biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?
I think one of the biggest challenges all small business owners face is competition and it’s not necessarily other businesses that are the competition it’s non-business owners and/or people that are just in said industry for some extra cash. They charge significantly less than a professional would and it’s really hard to compete with that. But, at the same time, clients that want someone who is professional, licensed, experienced will pay whatever it’s worth to have peace of mind that their pets are in good hands. I’’ve had quite a few conversations over the years with clients about my prices and I’ve learned that I really shouldn’t have to explain my prices. I know my worth and the quality of service I provide. Numerous clients have told me that the care that I provide for their pets and homes is exceptional and they wouldn’t trust anyone else. That is the highest compliment and I truly appreciate it when clients and their pets are happy!
The pet care industry has changed a lot since COVID because so many people got pets, some who had never had pets before and didn’t know what to do post-COVID. Unfortunately, COVID pets have brought a totally different set of challenges like separation anxiety. I’ve probably received about a dozen inquires from clients with dogs who have separation anxiety and they’re looking for a babysitter. Like with humans, these jobs are charged on a hourly basis and 9 times out of 10 they don’t want to pay because “my dog is going to be asleep, you don’t have to do anything.” I turn these jobs down not only because the pay isn’t worth it but also because you usually can’t leave because of the separation anxiety.
I’ve been petsitting for 9 years now (2 years running a legitimate business) and I’ve seen the changes first hand. Whether it’s the quality of care people are providing, willing to go the extra mile, and genuinely caring about the pets that are in their care. Apps like Rover and Care.com have also provided additional challenges mainly because they’ve given us professionals a bad rep. The people that sign up for these sites are usually young and inexperienced. I’ve had at least of handful of clients hire someone via Rover and they’ve had such a horrible experience it’s made them question hiring a petsitter ever again. Issues like the petsitter not bothering to show, canceling last minute, and even lying about having taken care of the pets are all scenarios my clients faced prior to hiring me and to me that’s just horrible! These sites could be great resources but unfortunately for petsitting I do not recommend them.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I got into the pet care industry completely by accident. In 2017 I was working part-time at a tennis club for the summer and one of the clients who I became very close with knew I had pets of my own at the time. Her sons were beginning college that fall and she had a senior Vizsla, named Nova at the time. She asked me if I would be interested in staying at her beautiful home to take care Nova and she would pay me. I was completely caught off guard because I didn’t know that petsitting was even a thing, much less being paid. I said yes of course, not for the money but because I really just wanted to help her out. And from there I got into petsitting. At first it was a side hustle because I was still in school and knew I couldn’t commit to taking care of pets full time. It wasn’t until 2022 that I began to give petsitting some more thought and also because my boyfriend saw the potential business opportunity I had. I was receiving an overwhelming amount of requests (mainly word of mouth and Facebook recommendations). I was working full-time but remotely so I was able to petsit more often and absolutely loved it. By the end of 2022 I began doing research about how to start a small business, become legitimate etc. In March 2023, Paws & Enjoy Life – At Home Pet Care was officially open for business! Although I did not had in my resignation to the tennis company a few months after that, I have never looked back since nor have I been happier with my work/life balance.
I never imagined I would be a business owner, I went to school for marketing and graphic design and while I did pursue my career path for awhile, I just wasn’t as happy as I am now. But, I am grateful for everything that I learned because I am able to do all of my own marketing/graphic/web design as well as photography. I designed my website and many people have told me it’s one of the best petsitting websites they’ve ever seen, another huge compliment.
I think one of the factors that sets me apart from other pet sitters is that I genuinely care for each and every one of the pets I take care of as if they are my own. Since I was little, I’ve always had a way with animals and I think people see that and animals sense. I’ve met quite a few pets who are apparently very shy or timid but with me they’re not. When clients see that connection, they feel relieved and know that their pets will be good hands. I don’t just care for people’s pets either, I also take care of their homes as if it was my own, for the duration of my stay. I’ve seen lot of other petsitters charge for things like bringing in the mail, watering plants, garage disposal, I do not. I strongly feel that’s included in the level and quality of service I provide and just comes along with the job.
My motto is that your pets and home deserve the same level of care they would receive if you were home and I make sure that can be delivered. If I feel like I’m not right fit, I won’t take the job. I’m very fortunate to have built such a successful business and to have created a reputation that people know they can trust their fur babies and homes with.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
In 2022, I was very unhappy with my work/life. I had been working for the same corporate company for about 7 years at this point and I just felt like I deserved better and that there were better opportunities elsewhere. I began applying for different graphic design/photography jobs but ended up getting more frustrated and let down with the interview process, people not even knowing if they were in fact still hiring, etc. Since I was working remotely for the winter I was able to do petsit but when my job got wind of what I was doing they weren’t happy with me, even though I was still working! It was at this point that I became even more motivated to see where I could go with the petsitting. My boyfriend also persuaded me to follow this path because he could tell I was happier.
I began researching and getting things in order to create a legitimate business (for those of you that live in NY and want to start your business, you should go for it. It’s a pretty simple process!) I was excited, nervous, scared, anxious you name it. But, these emotions were better than what I feeling everyday at my job. I was constantly being disrespected, taken advantage of, being made the scapegoat and I was just done with being treated that way especially after having been working for the same company for so long.
In March of 2023 I was officially a business owner! While, I did not resign right away because I wanted to have a little bit more of a solid foundation with my new business it didn’t take long for me to ultimately hand in my resignation 2 months later. I resigned in May knowing that summer was right around the corner and that was reassuring because of how busy the summer months are in the Hamptons. I remember June being very quiet, although I did pick up a new dog walking clients that I ended up doing walks for 5 days a week sometimes twice a day. But by the time July and August came around I was very busy, more busy than I thought I would be.
I do have to say that I’m glad I had received so much customer service experience from my previous jobs especially with the kind of clientele I deal with. Dealing with people is never easy but when you are dealing with money it’s even harder, at least for me. I learned a lot that summer, even though I had been petsitting for awhile there was still a lot to learn and I am still learning to this day. I know there were definitely a few times I undersold myself and my services, let people tell me what I should be charging, how I should run my business etc. While I do not have a degree in business or anything related to owning a business I knew the kind of business I wanted to run and the reputation I wanted to continue building. I knew that I didn’t want difficult clients, clients who questioned my pricing, my life choices etc.
Fast forward two years later, I have a in-take process that has definitely helped me weed out potential problematic clients. I also know the kinds of jobs I can or can’t take on or maybe just don’t want to because of the scope of the job. For example, going back to clients with pets who have separation anxiety, I recently received a request for every Friday and Saturday night for July and August for babysitting a dog from approximately 6PM-midnight. I wouldn’t be allowed to leave and they didn’t want drop-in visits so I declined. A few days later the same client posted on Facebook saying she would pay $10/hour for this. Not only is the pay ridiculous but I knew that wasn’t a job I wanted to be doing every Friday and Saturday night for the summer.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I can’t take all of the credit for my reputation. A huge aspect of building my reputation has been recommendations from clients, other business owners, networking with others, and social media. Word of mouth is huge especially for service like petsitting because you are trusting someone with your home as well as your pets. Having someone that’s used these services recommend you and tell someone else about their experience first hand holds a lot of value.
Also, and not to sound conceited or anything, but I know I am a good person. I’ve always had a way with animals as I mentioned earlier and people can see that when we meet so that has also helped. I know of a few other pet sitters who my clients have reached out to and they have told me that I am more professional, responsible and caring than others.
Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me! I am really excited to share my journey with you and your audience. I can’t read the article! I will definitely be sharing it with my friends, family, and clients and I hope you do too. If you’re ever in the Hamptons or know of someone who needs pet care, I would love to connect with them. Paws & Enjoy Life! Gabriella Rose, Owner/Founder
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.pawsandenjoylifepetcare.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pawsandenjoylife_petcare/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pawsandenjoylifepetcare
- Other: Nextdoor: https://nextdoor.com/pages/paws-enjoy-life-at-home-pet-care-east-quogue-ny?init_source=business_page_detail&share_platform=10&utm_campaign=1744042318992&share_action_id=47b89e55-07a2-4192-ba63-070e904da779
Image Credits
All photos were taken by me