This Pet Sitter is Building a Relationship-Driven Business in the Gig Economy

Regina Patrick shares how her husband's 2022 stroke and financial collapse forced her to transform informal pet-sitting into a legitimate business. Starting at $600/month in January 2022, she recognized a market need after hearing horror stories about big tech platforms connecting untrained sitters with pet owners-resulting in escaped animals and worse. Her differentiation strategy: extreme transparency (sending sitter photos before arrival, welcoming home cameras), relationship-driven service, and time-based pricing that incentivizes quality over speed. Her preschool photography background unexpectedly translated perfectly to capturing pets and keeping clients connected. From $600/month to nearly $13,000 by year three with 60% repeat business, Regina candidly discusses the struggle of reinvesting while needing income and learning marketing from scratch. She calls pet sitting "therapy" and plans to transition contractors to employees by mid-2025 and remove herself from daily sitting to focus on growth. Her advice: don't focus on shortcomings-dig your heels in and pursue your passion fearlessly.