Up next in our Client Spotlight series is Chris Herath and Atlantic Pet Sitting! Focused on taking professional pet services to a new level for the residents along the Grand Strand --- Atlantic Pet Sitting is built on five principles. These principles are being trustworthy, on time, dependable, professional and affectionate towards animals. Focusing on these principles allow Chris to accomplish his simple goal - providing your pets with the same high levels of care that he would provide his own pets. If you live along the Grand Strand --- be sure to visit Atlantic Pet Sitting's website and don't forget to like them on Facebook too!
What caused you to get into pet sitting/dog walking?
While out camping with my wife, a coonhound who was about 30 lbs underweight wandered up to our camp site. After doing our due diligence in trying to find the owner, we determined he was just left out there. At the time, we already had three cats and weren't looking to get a dog but we instantly fell in love with Coleman. It became clear very quickly that our work and travel schedule made it necessary for us to hire a pet sitter to take care of our dog. When we went looking for a pet sitter, we struggled finding a legitimate business in our area with someone who was available full time for pet care. We ended up just having neighbors and family take care of Coleman, but it was such an inconvenience. I was constantly saying, "I can't believe we can't find a pet sitting business in the area. I should start one." At the time, I was working for my own financial company but was not quite feeling fulfilled by the career I was in. I decided to have a friend of mine help me put up a website for pet sitting to see what would happen. Within about 3 months I was spending all my time on the pet business and was loving it. This gave me the confidence to devote all my attention to making this dream a reality. The rest they say is history!
What is the most fulfilling part of owning a pet sitting/dog walking business?
My fulfillment comes from helping people (and of course their pets). I truly believe that a business which helps a large amount of people solve a problem will always be a success. I feel our clients truly appreciate what we do for their pets. Every day I get a text message or a phone call just saying thank you. I have one particular client who had never traveled to see her grandson because she had a diabetic cat and was afraid to travel. Knowing we were the reason she had the peace of mind to finally be able to travel makes this all worth it!
What is the most challenging?
The most challenging aspect is time management when we are super busy! Our typical visit is 30 minutes, and when you have a full day those visits really add up. It's crucial to get an early start and always be aware of how much progress you have made on your schedule for the day.
Where do you see your business in 5 years?
The future of Atlantic Pet Sitting excites me! Our goal obviously is to be helping even more people than we are now. This would include bringing on more staff and giving others the opportunity to be fulfilled through working as a pet sitter. It's a really exciting time to be in the pet business as people care for their pets more now than ever before. We are always trying to think outside of the box on ways we can serve our clients to the highest level, and we are always collecting feedback from our clients on where they would like to see us expand.
What has Time To Pet changed the most about how you run your business?
Time to Pet has made a night and day difference in our business. Before Time to Pet I was running everything through separate programs. I had my revenue and client list in Google Docs, I was putting all our appointments on iCal, and I was creating my own invoices. It was so disorganized and nothing was linked. Time to Pet has brought everything to one seamless system. When I enter a client and schedule a round of visits the invoice and schedule is automatically created for me. I don't worry about adding staff or clients now because I know with a few keystrokes everything will be setup with Time to Pet. The reporting side of things in Time to Pet has also changed the way we do business. I can look at our weekly, monthly, and yearly data to see where emerging opportunities are within our business.
