I did pet/livestock sitting for many years, took a break, and am now doing it again for only a few clients. My advice: do what you know. It’s always better to build a great reputation by providing care for species and breeds you know, than to wreak a reputation by getting in over your head with things you have no knowledge about. You want your business to shine, not lie in the gutter, so start with what you know and do well, and expand your knowledge and offerings as you go along. If you are caring for cats, dogs and birds, don’t forget to add watering plants and gardens, and for residential jobs bringing in the mail and putting out the trash if you can do that for the homeowner. They’ll love you for it!
Get a map, figure out how far from home you are willing to travel twice a day (further for overnight residential work), draw a circle encompassing those points and stick to it to start with. If your town(s) have local internet bulletin boards and will allow you a one time advertising plug for free, use it. Tack up advertising at pet stores, grooming shops, vet offices, feed stores, etc If your desire is to provide care for livestock someday then get a job as an entry level care person at a horse stable, goat, llama, alpaca or cattle facility so you can grow your skills.
If you don’t feel comfortable running your own business solo, there are companies now who hire employees to walk dogs and play with them during the day. You need an iPhone with a tracking app so they can track your locations on your route for your own safety, but it can be reliable work and teach you how to run this thing if you find you have trouble getting started initially. Also check for doggie day care facilities you can get a job at (Camp Bowwow), If you go into dog walking, try to have some kind of note you can leave after each visit so the owner knows you were there, what time you were there, and how long you walked their dog(s). Also, check around online for pet sitter forums to find out how people are doing things in their own areas, the rates they charge, pitfalls to avoid and little tricks to make things go smoothly for yourself. Some of them also allow you to list your business, contact information and location on their site for free.
Insurance: I used Pet Sitters Associates for insurance. They no longer cover livestock but still provide good insurance for small animal pet sitting. If you are working alone and you wish to carry insurance you would only get a General Liability policy. Bonding, while it sounds good, it necessary for a business with more than one employee. The General Liability policy at PSA runs $190 a year for members and it covers a lot. I don’t know what local insurers would charge for the same coverage in your area. In my area they charged about 3x’s that amount, which is why I used PSA. A few calls around would get you that information. Here is the link to PSA: https://www.petsitllc.com/
Good luck with your new venture! Remember, start from your strengths and build from there. You won’t go wrong that way.
