How to quit the 9-5 grind and become a full time pet sitting entrepreneur

Some of you may be just starting your pet sitting business and still working a 9-5 job to pay the bills and others of you may have spent several years building up your pet sitting business but just still haven’t made the leap to full time business ownership.

The decision to leave a stable income to become an entrepreneur can seem like a big leap of faith but if taking care of the pets is your life’s passion you don’t want to put it off any longer!

It took me 7 years of working and growing Protecting Max before I felt ready to pull the plug on my job as an oilfield engineer – but I don’t want it to take you that long if running your pet sitting business full time is your dream job. I want to share with you the strategies and actions that worked for me and allowed me to finally leave the 9-5 grind behind in September 2010. I know that if I had applied these earlier it would have allowed me to make the jump from employee to entrepreneur much sooner!

My five steps to my leave the daily grind behind success plan are:

Step 1 – Dream big and map out your ideal lifestyle goals

Step 2 – Design your unique business model

Step 3 – Plan your fast exit financial strategy

Step 4 – Schedule time to grow

Step 5 – Leap Mindset Hurdles

You can read about each step in my article in the April 2011 issue of the APSE virtual magazine.

Let me know here by leaving a comment if you have any question about the steps – I’ll be happy to answer them personally for you!

Owning a pet business does not guarantee you success, but it is generally not difficult to set up your own pet business adn many who own pet businesses love the hard working lifestyle and the closeness to pets. You will have to compete with those who may be better trained, may have lower cost structures and those who “pretend” to have your skills and experience when they do not. (eg not all those who advertise themselves as groomers are actually Groomers).

There are also key skills that all dog industry professionals should possess. Here are some of the most critical skills and abilities for those hoping to work with dogs professionally: Basic Dog Handling and Training Skills, ability to recognize behavioral signals.

Animals can be somewhat unpredictable when they are under stress or in an unfamiliar environment, like when they visit the veterinary office or the grooming salon, so it is important to be attentive and stay aware of the animal you are handling at all times.