Diana Briceño
Head of Content & Content Creator

Building my $8K MRR dog sitting side business

From a side hustle to a $6,000-$8,000 MRR business in under a year.
Building my $8K MRR dog sitting side business

To grow professionally and financially, I started Happy Tails Adventures, a dog care service that filled a gap between overcrowded dog hotels and unreliable local sitters.

By offering exclusive, highly personalized care, I achieved $6,000 to $8,000 MRR within months while learning valuable marketing skills. Eventually, I transitioned to a full-time marketing job and passed the business to my brother.

1. The Backstory

I needed to make more money.

But I was working a $15 per hour social media job that gave me only 4-8 hours of work per week.

To develop high-value skills for the future, I needed near-limitless creative freedom that no job would dare offer an entry-level marketer. Only then could I learn meaningful lessons and learn them fast.

And so Happy Tails Adventures, my dog-sitting business, was born from a gap I noticed in the dog care space.

2. The Problem

There was no in-between service for people who don't like dog hotels and want more individualized care yet don't trust overbooked local sitters with little to no reviews.

  • Dog hotels were expensive, overcrowded, and put pet's safety at risk.
  • Local dog sitters lacked reliable reviews and took on more animals than they could care for.

3. Challenges Faced

  • Who would help me while I was at work?
  • How would I stand out on competitive search engines?
  • How do I differentiate myself from the big brand hotels and hundreds of local sitters?

4. The Solution

I created that in-between service nobody was offering. I offered care in my home for no more than 3 to 5 dogs at a time with the option to pay a premium to have your pet be the "only child" in our home.

I worked with my husband who could run things at home during the short hours I had to go to my marketing job.

Here's what I did:

  • Doggy Vlog Experience: For parents who wanted to be contacted during their time off, I created daily vlogs of the dog’s adventures to build trust and entertain my clients.
  • High-Touch Services: Limited clientele to a maximum of five dogs, with the option for a VIP rate to ensure one-on-one care.
  • Diverse Service Offering: Provided dog taxi services, daycare, boarding, medicine administration, FaceTime sessions, and home visits for dogs who would rather stay in their own home.
  • Built Word-of-Mouth and Trust: Collected reviews and relied on customer testimonials to build credibility and grow organically.
  • Build on a known platform first, leave later: As a newbie, nobody would find me with a Google search, so I gathered reviews first on established dog-sitting sites and then left these platforms once I had an established recurring client base and testimonials.

5. My Role in the Solution

I founded Happy Tails Adventures and did everything myself which meant:

  • Partnerships: I partnered with small local pet supply shops and groomers who would offer a special discount for my services to their customers.
  • Creative: I wrote all marketing material, designed my website, designed my own business cards, recorded and edited daily doggy vlogs, and handmade goodie bags with refer-a-friend cards for first-time customers.
  • Dog Care Services: I offered dog taxi, daycare, boarding, medicine administration, FaceTime updates, and home visits.

6. Results & Impact

By starting on established dog sitting sites, I was able to get results fast in terms of discovery because new users would display at the top of their platform's search results.

My strategy was to attract my first few clients here and gather reviews before leaving the platform. The platform would take a 15% cut to cover their expenses which included pet insurance.

My profile was more attractive than competitors because I had...

  • Better photography of my home, myself, and pets
  • A story explaining my vision of the home away from home and my bio

Once I gathered enough customers and reviews I bought my own insurance, launched my site, and directed my client base to book on my new site.

Results:

  • $6,000 to $8,000 MRR within just a few months.
  • Attracted a consistent clientele of dual-income, busy professionals, often spending $200 to $500 per month for my boarding, day care, and dog taxi services.
  • Although running a dog sitting business wasn't my long-term passion, it equipped me with the confidence and experience I needed to excel in my marketing career.