Pet Sitting Service
Pet Sitting Service
PET CARE PEOPLE
31 First St.
Lampasas, Texas 76550
Gerald Rekve
Pet Care People is a company that will provide pets with companionship and exercise within their home environment.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Thema Ritter is a lover of pets. She has extensive experience in both the retail and therapeutic aspects of pet care, having worked in pet stores and veterinarian's offices as a veterinarian technician. For many years she thought about the possibility of starting her own business that catered to pets. One day, after reading an article on pet services, Thema saw her opportunity to run a business that accommodates pets and that will provide enough income for her to support herself.
Based in Lampasas, Texas, Thema will operate Pet Care People. This will not be a traditional pet hotel; instead, all the care for the clients' animals will take place at the clients' homes. The main reason for this is to ease the stress that is caused to the family pet when they are taken to unknown and unfamiliar surroundings. With our service, the pet will be in its natural surroundings and be able to remain stress-free. Lack of companionship and exercise for long periods of time can also cause stress to family pets; personal care and attention from a loving companion during their owner's absence can also ease their anxiety and helps ensure a happy, healthy pet.
Mission
Our mission is to provide all of our pets with companionship and exercise in a stress-free environment, while at the same time earning a decent living for ourselves.
MARKET ANALYSIS
Our market will be Lampasas, Texas and the surrounding community. While this is a small city, it does have a large pet population that we are confident will sustain the products and services we offer.
Customers
Customer Demographics
- Our clients are mainly between ages 24 and 55 and work on a full-time basis.
- Clients also include people who are going on holidays for the weekend or for more extended vacations.
- The income levels of our clients range from $40,000 to $300,000 per year. We do get clients outside of these income levels, but they are relatively few in numbers.
Growth Analysis
At this moment we have seen a rise in people who have pets and who no longer want to take them to pet hotels because the of the stress the pets get from being removed from their homes and being left in these unfamiliar places. Increased risk of disease transmission at traditional pet hotels is another factor that discourages people from using their services. Even though all pets need to get the shots before attending to these pet hotels, there are always a small percentage of pets that get very ill and end up costing the owner a lot of money in subsequent veterinarian bills. In some cases, the illness can be fatal.
The unique services we provide address the need for family pets to get the exercise and companionship they need while also doing so in a safe, familiar and stress-free way. We are the only provider that offers these services, and thus our opportunity for success and continued growth is great.
Although there are no signs of any competitors at this time, we want to start operating as soon as possible to ensure we gain the advantage of being the only service of our kind available.
SERVICES
We are not a pet hotel. We are a pet walking and pet care service company, providing service to the market of Lampasas, Texas and the surrounding community. Traditionally, pet care service has been restricted to care of family cats and dogs. We will offer services to these pets, but will also care for other types of pets as well. A list of pets for which care can be provided includes:
- Dogs
- Cats
- Hamsters
- Gerbils
- Guinea pigs
- Rats
- Rabbits
- Fish
- Turtles
- Hermit crabs
- Lizards
- Ferrets
- Chinchillas
- Birds
- Snakes
- Frogs
Basic Services
- We will take care of your pet on a daily, weekly or monthly basis
- Each home visit will last a minimum of 45 minutes
- If desired, we can make multiple visits to your home per day
- Pet care will happen in your home, eliminating your transportation time and reducing stress on your pet
- While at your home, we may offer additional services as requested including watering plants, checking security, etc.
- Other requests for our services can be handled on an as-needed basis
Pricing
We charge based on what services we are providing. All prices listed below are for pets within one household with the same owner.
- Pet companionship and exercise for one pet, once per day—$20
- Pet companionship and exercise for two pets, once per day—$35
- Pet companionship and exercise for three pets, once per day—$50
- Pet companionship and exercise for four pets, once per day—$60
- Pet companionship and exercise for one pet, twice per day—$30
- Pet companionship and exercise for two pets, twice per day—$45
- Pet companionship and exercise for three pets, twice per day—$60
- Pet companionship and exercise for four pets, twice per day—$70
Additional pet-related services include:
- Taking your pet to the veterinarian-$60 plus mileage
- Taking your pet anywhere that requires the use of our vehicle—$60 plus mileage
- Grooming—fee varies based on pet
- Drop-in service where we quickly check up on your pets—fee varies based on travel time and number of pets
- Status reports on your pet's health and well-being when we are with them, either via phone or text messages—fee to be determined
We can also attend to other tasks in your home while spending time with your animals. Additional services while in your home include:
- Watering plants—$10
- Watering the lawn—$15
- Open/close blinds or curtains—$10
- Turn lights on or off—$5
- Mowing the lawn—fee varies based on size of lawn
- Bringing in the mail, newspapers, and signing for packages—$10
- Pet waste removal—fee varies based on pet
FINANCIAL ANALYSIS
Start-Up Expenses
| Start up requirements | $ | 10,000 |
| Start-up expenses | ||
| Legal | $ | 500 |
| Stationery etc. | $ | 200 |
| Rent | $ | 1,400 |
| Expensed equipment | $ | 2,300 |
| Other | $ | 600 |
| Total start-up expense | $ | 5,000 |
| Start-up assets | ||
| Cash balance on starting date | $ | 1,000 |
| Start-up inventory | $ | 4,000 |
| Total short-term assets | $ | 5,000 |
| Funding | ||
| Investment | ||
| Owner/founder | $ | 10,000 |
| Total investment | $ | 10,000 |
Monthly Expenses
| Advertising (Newspaper) | $ | 100.00 | |
| Advertising (Yellow Pages) | $ | 100.00 | |
| Advertising (Truck signage) | $ | 30.00 | |
| Fuel | $ | 500.00 | |
| Repairs | $ | 100.00 | |
| Insurance | $ | 100.00 | |
| Office supplies | $ | 50.00 | |
| Misc. | $ | 100.00 | |
| Accountant | $ | 50.00 | |
| Bank fees | $ | 50.00 | |
| Business fees | $ | 50.00 | |
| Parking fee's | $ | 100.00 | |
| Park permits | $ | 50.00 | |
| Other | $ | 100.00 | |
| Staff | $ | 2,000.00 | (varies based on how many clients we have) |
| Monthly van lease | $ | 500.00 | |
OPERATIONS
Equipment
We will lease a 2007 Dodge Commercial Window Van because of the room it offers as well as its safety record. We will also hire a local carpenter to install cages in the van to keep pets safe during transportation.
Hours of Operation
We will be open 7 days a week, from 10AM to 10PM. We will be available for additional fees for major holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas.