a love letter to my Day-One clients
[from client email communication in April 2023, sent to all Arlo & Company current clients regarding service changes and fee increases]
The service change announcements in April 2023 were a lot. I recognize that.
My priority is, and has always been, to provide exceptional pet care services.
When transitioning from a “hobby” dog walker to a professional Pet Care Provider, I knew there would be some business growing pains, and I created my original service fees based on the service types I projected to be popular. However, Overnight Care very quickly became my most requested service. To be exact, 82% of all services completed were Overnight Care bookings in my first year. And I wasn’t even able to accept all requests so that percentage could certainly be higher!
Without the shorter Drop-In Visits being booked in a similar frequency, to bump up my average hourly wage, it has simply become unsustainable for me to continue with my current rates.
Because of this discrepancy, when I review my days worked in my first year in business, it boiled down to approximately $40/day in take-home income.
To compare: Living Wage in Waterloo Region is currently $19.95/hour (that’s about $159.60/day) and the cost of living is only going to go up from here. If I want to continue to do this work, and not burn out entirely, prices of services need to be adjusted with moving towards a Living Wage being the goal.
If I am making a Living Wage, I can pay my contractors a Living Wage.
I can give back to my community by supporting other small businesses and charities that are doing important work. If making a Living Wage, I can consider sliding-scale fees for folks who are unable to access pet care due to financial constraints.
If I am making a Living Wage, I can avoid burn out and continue to do this work that I love so very much.
And I can only do this because you, my clients, continually support me and see value in the services that I have built this business to provide. And for that I am eternally grateful. I am overwhelmed by the request for services because you have put your trust in me as your Pet Care Provider. This is a very good problem for me to have.
So, if you have made it this far into the journey (and my ramblings) – thank you. I cannot thank you enough.
I hope to continue this momentum, and be able to provide loving care for your pets well into the future.
With my sincerest gratitude,