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Who else is starting/has started in a small city?

Ashlee H.'s profile image

And what helped you get your name out there?

I'm in Seminole, Florida right now (in Pinellas County) and it's a pretty small area. I'm planning on moving to a much bigger city but I won't be able to do so until I have the funds for that, so:

Are there any extra tips and 'tricks' you've done to get more clients in a smaller area? I've promoted my profile on my facebook, twitter, and craigslist, but I'm afraid for the most part that's only reaching a fairly small crowd. I'm planning on getting some free business cards and I know a couple of animal places where I can ask to display those, but other than that I'm not quite sure how to reach a larger audience?

There's also the fact that I must rely on my bicycle for travel for 5 out of 7 days, making my service area at a max of 15 miles most of the time. I'm also not able to board; I can only dogsit at the client's home.

Thanks for any advice!

3 Answers

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Haley P.'s profile image

I live in a rural area in Missouri- getting customers took some time and I had to travel a bit to get my first few but after a few happy customers, word of mouth really helped my business grow. If you're only able to travel 15 miles max and aren't boarding in your home, you might have a tough time getting clients. Emphasizing 'dog-walking' services and setting your price low (mine is $10/visit) might help you get a regular client-base and appeal especially to dog owners who work long hours or whose dogs need a lot of exercise.

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Kathy B.'s profile image

I started about a year ago doing walking and drop in services in my college town community of about 130,000. I'm in an outlying area, and marketed my business with custom door hangers/flyers in the neighborhoods I wanted business from. I took off on my bike one day and delivered a couple hundred flyers as door hangers. I've gotten excellent repeat business from this very targeted approach, which may come in handy for you if your service area is limited. It takes a bit of effort at the outset with the flyer delivery, but it's one and done! Then let word of mouth take it from there once you get your first few customers. Good luck!

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Alejandra S.'s profile image

I live in Cape Coral FL. It is my experience that travel sitters take a while to build up business.

I been dog sitting for years- most days I only have two walks Mon-Fri (they live very far away and if I didnt have a car I couldn't have taken the jobs) Then occasionally I get a request from a repeat customer that goes on vacation and needs me to visit 3 times per day.

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