“…when I became a business owner in my early twenties I knew immediately that being an entrepreneur was absolutely the right fit for me.”

Kristin Morrison is the owner of one of the largest pet sitting and dog walking businesses in Northern California and the founder of the Six-Figure Pet Sitting Academy™. She is also a business coach for pet sitters and dog walkers as well as an author and public speaker at pet sitting conventions.

The Six-Figure Pet Sitting Academy™ provides business coaching via phone and Skype sessions, teleclasses, and business products for pet sitters and dog walking buiness owners.

MO: What type of products do you sell?

Kristin: I sell business products for pet sitters and dog walkers including a business start up kit for pet sitters and dog walkers, a hiring kit for pet sitters and contracts for pet sitters and dog walkers. All of the business forms for pet sitters that are in my kits can also be purchased individually.

I also sell business recordings to help pet sitters and dog walkers become more successful business owners. Some of the titles include: How to Start a Pet Sitting Business, How to Create a 3-Day Pet Sitting Workweek, How to Hire Great Pet Sitters and many others.

I am the author of the book: Six-Figure Pet Sitting: Catapult Your Pet Sitting Business to Unlimited Success and that book is available on my website in eBook format as well as Amazon in printed book format.

I am currently working on my second book called: Six-Figure Pet Business which is for any pet business owner including dog trainers, dog walkers, doggy day care operators, pet groomers, etc. After reading my book I had many pet sitters write and say, “This is great and I think it could be for any pet business owner.” Hearing this over and over inspired me to write my second book.

MO: Did you always want to own your own business?

Kristin: I never knew I did but when I became a business owner in my early twenties I knew immediately that being an entrepreneur was absolutely the right fit for me.

MO: What can a pet sitting business owner learn in one of your webinars?

Kristin: I offer many out-of-the-box classes for pet sitters. Some of the titles of my webinars include: How to Start a Pet Sitting and Dog Walking Business, How to Create a 3-Day Pet Sitting Workweek, and How to Hire Great Pet Sitters plus many others.

Many pet sitters are skilled at caring for animals but are not necessarily skilled at business. That’s where I come in.

MO: What personality trait is dominant in good pet sitters and dog walkers?

Kristin: You have to absolutely love animals. You are going to be around them a lot! Having a deep love of animals will get you through the challenges that will arise as a result of being a pet sitter.

The dominant trait for being a good pet sitting or dog walking business owner is the ability to self-manage and self-motivate. You will be the sole one generating your paycheck through the actual work of pet sitting or dog walking, marketing, billing, etc. and if you don’t have the personality to be able to work when you need to work, you won’t make it as a pet sitter or dog walker.

MO: What advice would you give a young entrepreneur that wants to start their own business?

Kristin: DO IT! You are the only one that can hold you back.

If you have fear around committing to being a pet sitting and dog walking business owner right away then work for someone else. Be sure to be up front about your desire to possibly start your own business. You want to be in integrity with whomever you are employed.

The best way to learn about whether you want to run a pet sitting and dog walking business full time is to try it. You will know pretty quickly if it’s something you want to commit to. Be aware that you will be working many hours in the first 1-2 years of business ownership. After that you can usually structure your business to accommodate your ideal schedule but in the beginning it will be all about generating clients.

Don’t quit your day job until your pet sitting business revenue can support you or unless you have another source of revenue. Depending upon your new business to support you early on puts too much pressure on your new business to succeed-pressure that could cause it to crumble.

MO: What do you do in your spare time?

Kristin: I have lots of spare time because I only work 3 days a week. I love writing so I’m currently working on my book Six-Figure Pet Business. I enjoy nature so I hike a lot on a special woodsy trail near my home. I bike 2-3 times a week to my favorite organic grocery store that is about a half hour ride from my home. I pick up my groceries there and ride back home. It’s great exercise and it also feels so good for my body to eat healthy food. I have a wonderful community of friends that I connect with for dinner or game nights or just hanging out in front of my fireplace to talk.