One option I've used is Rover- it is kind of like the Uber of petsitting.
It was great for me for a couple of reasons:
- didn't have to worry about advertising- I just put up a profile, got a few reviews from former clients (friends, neighbors, whose pets I had sat), started off with low rates to get some initial great reviews, and then scaled up my prices
- you can advertise if you want, and give people codes to get $ off their first booking on Rover. Since this doesn't come out of your pocket, it is a great advertising tool for apartment buildings, Craigslist, etc.
- you can identify which days you are available and which you aren't. This helps reduce the number of inquiries you get that you have to turn down, and thus saves a lot of time
- it automatically increases your rate at busy times (i.e., holidays), which is nice. You can always turn this off, but it is really nice.
- it has limited insurance coverage, and emergency vet hotlines, which gave me some peace of mind. I'm not sure what normal petsitting businesses get, but the insurance coverage was enough for my needs.
- it will help you find an alternative if you have an emergency and can't make it (i.e., you get in an accident, are very sick, etc.)
There are a couple of cons:
- they take 15%
- you can't specify certain times of certain dates when you aren't available (you can always mention this on your profile, but it is hard if you aren't unavailable on the same time each day)
- you can't limit your geographic area (you can mention this in your profile, but some people will ignore that/not read it and still contact you)
Good luck in your new endeavor!