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Slow season for sitting?

Sarah B.'s profile image

Do you find that late September and October are the slowest sitting months?

I've only started boarding dogs since late August, so I'm very new (so this is possibly not applicable for seasoned sitters with many clients), but the requests have been so much less frequent these days (despite having more reviews, more badges, average rate, respond immediately etc). Do you relate? And any suggestions on making this slow season a bit faster? I've been posting on Craigslist as much as possible but it isn't too popular in my area/haven't had luck with it.

Comments

I agree! I have been doing this consistently since April! The summer was super busy- September and October were steady- but right now I have zero requests! I anticipated this with back to school season.. Glad to see I'm not the only one! Using the time to brainstorm on how to get more clients!

Ashlie & Marc B.'s profile image Ashlie & Marc B.

I agree. Dead in the water right now. i'm going to have to get something to get me by for awhile. I LOVE my ROVER CLIENTS and I LOVE THE PETS!!! I, too have had good luck and good clients since the beginning of September and was very busy some weeks. Now . . . :(.

Rita R.'s profile image Rita R.

7 Answers

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Laura R.'s profile image

It definitely drops off after summer ends/school begins, and picks up again for the holidays. I got a weird burst of requests in the last week or so, but unfortunately they all seem to be falling through before the M&G or conflicting with days I'm marked unavailable.

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Do you think that's inevitable or are there effective ways to combat the drop-off?

Sarah B.'s profile image Sarah B.

There are definitely sitters who are pretty busy year-round, though I think there's a trade-off. If you've got a large enough client base to stay busy even in the slow seasons, you likely have to turn down a lot of stays during the busy seasons. I imagine a lot of it has to do with sitter density and population in your area. Big cities will have a lot more opportunities for clients, but if they're also very saturated with sitters, there's a lot of competition.

Laura R.'s profile image Laura R.

So you've been getting requests for unavailable days, too, Laura? Just had one earlier this week, and the client said it was happening repeatedly...

Leighann H.'s profile image Leighann H.

Yeah, it hasn't happened frequently, but it does on occasion..

Laura R.'s profile image Laura R.
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Suzanne E.'s profile image

I've been boarding since April and have had consistent rebookings. I do think it depends on the area you live in and amount of competition. Oakland Ca is a densely populated area. I also had a surge this month of inquiries, but am finding people don't read your profile carefully and I have to decline. I have pictures of my cat and people still try to book me when their dog chases cats!?

Comments

Yes, people never seem to read the actual profile! I have the same problem with dogs who chase cats... haven't yet had a request for sitting a dog that is actually peaceful with them unfortunately. Luckily though my cats are mainly outdoors

Sarah B.'s profile image Sarah B.
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Daniela & Michael C.'s profile image

Unfortunately, I do think it's very common for this to be a slow season for most sitters --- take that as an opportunity to relax! I've had it up and down - some weeks, no requests, others, plenty. It's just the industry. Business cards, flyers, word of mouth work great.

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Thanks. Where have you had success dropping off your business cards?

Sarah B.'s profile image Sarah B.

Local pet stores, and maybe hanging up some flyers at the dog park!

Daniela & Michael C.'s profile image Daniela & Michael C.
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Deb A.'s profile image

My experience has been the beginning of the year is really quiet, especially Feb., Mar., and April. Having clients that travel on business regardless of the season/time of year, resulting in needing services often, makes a huge difference.

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Early this last year ended up really busy for me, and I'm not sure why. Not just a couple dogs with big trips either - we were full for weeks with a bunch of different dogs for shorter stays. I actually had to mark a few days off every once in a while to give everyone a breather. Summer wasn't quite as busy, but my availability also decreased.

Laura R.'s profile image Laura R.
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Carmen C.'s profile image

Same here. I'm using the time to contact past clients about my holiday schedule.

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Leighann H.'s profile image

I really amped up my advertising last September, and saw a HUGE swell in business for the rest of 2014. However. I did have two extended stays in September so that helped my numbers.

February has been my slowest month since then: only nine nights. I want to do better than that in 2016.

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Cari C.'s profile image

A local pet sitting company I work for says that Sep and Oct are normally quiet months. I guess the kids are back in school so families aren't as likely to be traveling.

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