Sure, most people know at least at some level that they are exchanging their time for money, but from a broader perspective we become acutely aware that unlike money, we don’t have an infinite supply of time from which to trade. What generally takes place when a supply is limited? The value increases. When looked at in that light, time or life energy becomes much, much more valuable.

The trouble is, humanity, blessed with intellect, knows that death comes for us all but lives in denial of this fact. Which is why we continue to undervalue our time in relation to money. We just don’t want to think about the truth so we close our eyes and pretend that it’s OK to spend hour after hour, day after day, and year after year, doing the same soul crushing work.

If you’re like me, and resist traveling the well trodden path, then you will immediately appreciate any process, plan, or style that takes an innovative look at how to live, not just survive. Since technology has always been a game changer, and since we’ve had some of the largest technological advancement periods in human history in the last couple of hundred years (not coincidentally coinciding with the birth of the USA and for the first time in human history true liberty), then we must understand that the standard by which most people live must change also… but it really hasn’t has it?

Since the industrial age your average worker has been tied to a schedule of about 8 hours per day, Monday thru Friday, with slight variations depending on profession and education. By and large that is the standard work-week and has been for over a hundred years. The plan then, as it is now, is to work till you’re 65, buy a house, raise a family, take a 2 week vacation every year, and then live off your savings and social security till you die. Anyone who thinks that this is going to be an effective strategy going forward—it’s time to close your eyes now, cover your ears, and start humming. The rest of you, read on.

A real eye opener for me was Timothy Ferriss’ book, The 4-Hour Work Week. In it he describes a landscape of perpetual travel once the traditional tethers of job and location have been severed. He calls these mavericks “the new rich” because they are now free to do on a regular basis the things a wage-slave must wait 65 years (or more) to do. It’s a great read and it’ll get you motivated to start thinking about living out-of-bounds.

Looking back I realize that starting a dog walking business was just the first step in a progression toward a new way of life. It was an easy decision since I love dogs. At the time, I didn’t know where I was headed, only that I needed to get out of where I was! I needed to sever the chains that kept me rooted to a life that wasn’t mine. I needed to find myself, listen to my own heart, and walk my own path.

Undoubtedly, if you’ve read this far, you understand this necessity in your own life. Stay tuned, in the coming weeks I will post more about my own experiment in living outside the mainstream. Topics will include travel, living, entrepreneurship, business, investing, mental attitude, and more.

Having a pet sitting business requires a much greater time investment and overall responsibility than dog walking and unfortunately for the same or even less money! If you’re like most business owners you want to maximize your income while lowering your overhead. Whether that overhead is time, money, or both. Dog walking fits the bill!

“But I like the idea of working with many different animals, I think it would be fun.”

This is a lifestyle choice. Working with animals is fun and rewarding. I was very into the idea of pet sitting when I started out. I thought the variety of animals, clients, and schedule would be great but it turned out to be very difficult, and I soon found that I was working 7 days a week and couldn’t take a vacation of my own! Pet sitting offers a huge variety of work which is both it’s blessing and it’s curse.

“What would be better: a pet sitting business or dog walking if I eventually want to become a dog trainer?”

Most of the players in the dog training world these days started out in a related dog-care field, many of them having been dog walkers!

“I became a dog walker,” [Cesar Millan] says. “I’d take out 30 dogs, all walking behind me, and people would stop and stare as I’d go through Beverly Hills with rottweilers and pit bulls. I’d take them for four-hour walks and charge $10, and their owners were amazed when I’d bring back calm, contented dogs.” –Telegraph, UK (Mar 2008)

If you eventually want to become a professional dog trainer what better way to learn about dog behavior and gain professional dog handling experience than walking dogs? Dog walking beats pet sitting in this area hands down! The experience you’ll gain handling dogs in public will give you the hands-on knowledge, observation skills, and confidence you’ll need to become a great trainer!

Sorry to anyone who has seen this post before. I was forced to republish it as I have had a lot of questions lately about this topic and I wanted to get it out via RSS to those who may have missed it!

Check out my site http://www.dogzanny.com for more information and to order.

You just can’t afford to let your clients wander. You’ve been warned, it’s time to find some back-up and get that vacation time planned now.

http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2010/02/01/news/doc4b6644afbcc77644292615.txt

A dog walking business is no different. Groomers, pet stores, veterinarians, shelters, and others regularly get inquiries about dog walking and dog sitting services. Your goal is to get on those lists and preferably at the top of them! How do you do this?

Many businesses, like pet stores will allow you to place your name on a bulletin board in their store, and many vets offer this service too, but this simply gets you a little visibility, it lacks the pizazz of being specifically recommended.

Getting the recommendation of your fellow business owners isn’t very hard if you offer them something in return, and show them what you’re worth. Some options include offering your services to your local vets for discounted walks for the sick and/or healing. You may also purchase your dog-related gifts from your locally owned pet food store and reminding them who you are and that you’re in a related business—ask them to consider recommending your services. You might also offer to pass out specific coupons to your clientele from related businesses which could be useful to dog owners. When your clientele bring the coupons in and do some shopping the store owner will realize you’re helping him/her out and will do the same for you.

Working at a shelter is just a good thing morally speaking but it can have huge beneficial effects on your business as well. Why not consider doing what Cheryl Staab, of DogCentric Inc. did and volunteer your services free of charge for a few hours a day at your local shelter in return for being the exclusive dog walking / sitting service they recommend to their dog’s adopters? It seems to be working out very well for Cheryl! You can read more about this story in the Wall Street Journal by clicking here.

There are a lot more ideas than this but I hope you can see that there is a lot of potential for making friends and increasing your business at the same time. Word-of-mouth is alpha in the dog walking service industry!

As the unemployment rate reaches new heights, and probably is in reality somewhere near 20% if you include those who are out of work and off the unemployment rolls, we must come to a sobering realization. We aren’t living in the 90s anymore. Things have changed. The president’s State of The Union address provided no comfort to me, and he seemed to miss the point the American people were trying to send when they elected Scott Brown (or willfully ignored it). We don’t want to be dragged into deeper and deeper national debt, we want our free market to be allowed to correct itself without the interference of our government. It was bad government programs that got us into this mess, and it’s going to be more bad programs that will keep us here. This further reinforces my belief that our country will recover by the will of it’s people. Americans are a tenacious people, we will find a way.

Indeed they have. Many of the people I’ve spoken to are turning to small business entrepreneurship and are presently unemployed, outsourced, laid-off, down-sized, etc. Whatever you want to call it, it’s not good news, but not all that comes from difficult times is bad. There are always opportunities for progress. Obviously not everyone who loses his/her job is going to become a small business owner, but for many, it’s a great opportunity to explore something you might have been too afraid to consider up until now.

With the economic down-turn business prospects aren’t what they used to be. One needs much more savvy, more information and a bit more will to succeed. Let’s face it, we can’t afford to make too many mistakes anymore, either as country, or as individuals. The economy isn’t as forgiving as it once was. If you find yourself unemployed presently and think a small business might be your ticket, then you should spend the valuable time you have now doing as much research as you can. If you’re thinking about a dog walking business, then talk to other dog walkers, read about the industry, buy some books and get to work. Dog walking, like any other business, will have it’s challenges during this economic down-turn, but as a whole, dog walking businesses are here to stay and are still growing every year. It’s a great first business to try, it doesn’t take long to set up, nor does it take much capital.

The opportunity that exists for the unemployed is that you have been set adrift. You are no longer hanging onto the shore. If you were unhappy at your previous mooring, perhaps it’s time to consider what lays beyond the bar.

Perhaps the most dangerous part of the job besides crossing busy streets is walking on ice. If you live in an area of the country where freezing temperatures are common you will need to be prepared. Dogs are unpredictable and may lunge or pull suddenly, taking you off your feet, even on dry pavement! When on ice, it’s ten times more likely to happen.

Not to scare you, but I knew a woman who was so badly injured by being pulled down by her dog, that she spent over a year in rehabilitation. She was pulled forward by her large-breed dog on an icy sidewalk. The momentum created by her dog, and sliding forward uncontrollably, was enough to do serious damage.  She tried to prevent her fall with her arm as she collided with a telephone pole, breaking her arm in several places and fracturing her leg and hip… not pretty. If you’re walking more than one dog you can multiply your chances of being taken down exponentially. This doesn’t have to be the case. Like any other kind of safety measure (wearing a life-vest, seat-belt, etc) when employed, it will help prevent you from becoming a statistic.

Invest in a traction control device such as Yaktrax®. You basically slip these on over your boots. They are made of wire wrapped rubber and help you gain traction by biting into the ice in the same way tire chains do. There are two basic styles: the Yaktrax Walker® and Yaktrax Pro®. I used the walker version because when I bought mine, they didn’t have the pro version yet! The pro version is more durable and stays in place better than the walker version. If you haven’t already done so, pick up a pair today. Don’t put it off, include them with your Christmas shopping from Amazon. You can’t walk dogs if you’re stuck in a hospital bed or wearing a cast on your leg.

Sportline 360 Total Fitness Pedometer

I think you’ll be shocked when you see how many miles you log each week. The following Pedometers are fairly inexpensive and accurate: This model records distance, strides, and calories, Hj-113 Pocket Pedometer or this inexpensive one which comes in a lots of different colors but only counts mileage DMC-03 Multi-Function Pedometer (color: BLACK) or for the truly hard-core, check this one out Sportline 360 Total Fitness Pedometer.

An added benefit of taking a pedometer around with you is that you can calculate how many miles each of your client’s pets log per week. It’s just another bit of information their owners will appreciate knowing. At the end of the year send them a card with a note thanking them for their business and then tell them how many miles you logged with their pup for that year! You can bet they’ll be talking about it to their friends and family, and you know what happens when people are talking about your business. It GROWS!

They make great stocking suffers too. You don’t really have to wear it all the time. If you have a fairly consistent schedule then wear it for one week then multiply that mileage by 4 for a monthly estimate or by the weeks you will work in a year. I think you’ll be surprised how many calories you’re burning (or are going to burn) in your new profession!