If you're tired of expensive Vancouver rent, you should consider pet sitting.
Emily Bach is the violinist for local Vancouver band, Dirty Spells, and has an ambitious side hustle as a pet sitter. Her pet sitting business, Sit and Stay, came to fruition two years ago when her best friend moved out of their Vancouver apartment, leaving Bach conflicted between finding a roommate and paying the costs for a two-bedroom by herself. Bach did neither, deciding it was best to go completely home free. Aside from the $50/month rent her jam space cost, she was rent free as well.
"Here’s how it all went down," Bach said. "In order to start a pet sitting business, I paid my friend Emily Haine $50 to make a poster."
[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/2UEsbBnKIF/?taken-by=sitandstayvancouver[/embed]
All of a sudden she was a business owner. Her costs are usually $25 a night for cats and $40-$75 a night for dogs.
"When you look at the prices for boarding a pet, my prices are very good," Bach said.
Her clients range from "several music industry people who travel for work and business, professional thirtysomethings who don't want to burden friends, and who have the money to give special treatment to their pet (ie. not sending their animal to be boarded). Also, a lot of single women - snowbirds - who introduce me to their friends!"
When Bach is too busy touring the world with her band, she hires other people to do the work for her.
"My favourite type of person to hire is someone who needs a boost," Bach said. "Or sensitive people who need a kitten in their life."
Bach admits that putting all of her cards into her pet sitting business is foolish but she sees a future with Sit and Stay and plans to take the business to New York.
"I have some musician friends in New York. They’re touring musicians and don’t have the time or stability to have an animal," Bach said. "They just want a dog for two weeks of the year, and they are perfect contractors to have."
Falcor and Bach playing cards/Emily Bach
