Last year I created a business, or in some ways you could say two businesses... By total accident!

And it's something I've been reflecting on these last few weeks and acknowledging the insights that I could tap into within other areas of my life and work.

So let me offer some background context.

At the end of Summer 2021, I had completed my campervan conversion and I was tentatively taking my life on the road. I began to think, "oh, it would be nice to have some housesits to break up some of my travels."

I was considering joining a platform such as TrustedHouseSitters (that I had used briefly a few years before) where you offer your time looking after pets when the owners are away in return for a place to stay. But as I was initially thinking the odd one or two sits dotted here and there, just to break things up a bit so I wasn't in my van the whole time, I was hesitant on paying a hefty platform fee.

Then just as I put that intention out to the universe, three housesits all within the same county that I happened to be close to, literally fell in my lap - all from difference sources, it was really rather magical!

And that was in November and December 2021. These three were all free sits.

By the time Christmas and New Year came around, I'd had so many more enquiries, that I needed to take a moment to figure out what I wanted and where I wanted to take things as I found my rhythm on the road.

Instead of me seeking out free housesits as i'd simply assumed would be the case, instead I realised people were coming directly to me.

People trusted me and friends and peers were referring me. So I made it more official. I got the relevant insurance, did a Pet First Aid certificate and created a simple Facebook Business page. A page I don't update promote or particularly regularly, but is a useful point of reference for others to share and for me to link to when there is an enquiry.

Since making that switch, from January 2022 all the housesits I've done have been paid and they've all been for wonderful clients, many of them now repeats.

Around the same time in early 2022, I began to get curious if there were other opportunities I could tap into based on my existing skills. Other services I could offer homeowners whilst they were away, as an additional source of income and variety for me.

I've got a background in architecture and interior design. I've decorated a couple of friends houses in the past, so why not offer a decorating service? 

I have a certification in Plant-Based Nutrition and Health Coaching, as well as catering licenses from my food business days, so why not offer an in-house meal prep service?

Decorating is something I know I enjoy as it's something physical away from my laptop. A lovely contrast to my work online. It's also a huge win for the client as they can simply go away and return to a beautifully decorated room (or two, or three!) without any of the hassle or mess of trades people co-existing in their personal space. With no-one around I can also work to my own timeframes, unbound my the traditional 9-5 day.

So I casually put it out there and decorating work alongside the housesits has organically come through ever since. I charge a standard decorator's day rate on top of my housesitting day rate, so the two elements are still independent. 

Not once have I had to actively 'market' myself, but I've simply been sharing what I do on my Instagram stories over at jo.vanlife as part of my overall vanlife journey.

It just natural organic marketing, and effortlessly occurs in the course of my day to day.

So was it just luck?

Are there learning points that could apply to other aspects of my life and work?

I think there are a few factors that have fed into the accidental ease of this business evolution and I have summarised them below. I would also love to hear from you! Are there any takeaways here that have helped shift your perspective when it comes to your business? 

1. I started off doing a few free sits to get the ball rolling.

   Free/low priced/BETA offers are always a useful kickstart and make sharing easier and gives photos and testimonials to get things started too. It also helped me to get clear on what I needed to refine on my contract when I made it official.

2. ALL my sits come via referral.

   Therefore it has been important for me to make sure my friends, family and people in your circles know that I offer housesits (see also point 3).

3. Keep people involved in your journey.

   I think the above happened because so many people knew I was converting a camper van during lockdown and were invested in my journey. So then when I announced I was house/petsitting as part of the overall travel plan it was an easy association in their minds. I also know a lot of people mention me to others in their circles along the lines of ‘I have a friends who lives in her van’ - I know this as when I meet new people they often say things like. “Oh you’re the Jo that lives in her van” ;-)

4. Be a little quirky in some way!

   Related to point 3, there are a lot of house and petsitters BUT there aren’t many travelling around in their tiny home of wheels house and pet sitting. Also, because I travel my catchment is UK wide instead of just my local area as those who have a more traditional home set up would likely have.

5. Have some kind of social media platform that you enjoy engaging with effortlessly.

   I already had my vanlife Instagram set up independently from my regular business account. It was intended to be a scrapbook for me as I converted the van but has evolved into so much more. I enjoy posting whatever I am up to in the stories, which then ping across to FB stories too.

6. If possible offer something with a unique edge.

   This again relates to point 4. If there are many people that do the kind of thing you do, makes you stand out? When I first started, I called myself The Vegan Sitter to differentiate myself (thinking that a lot of vegans would appreciate no animal products cooked in their kitchen). Now I’ve changed the name to be more generic, but offer a decorating service and I also offer a vegan meal prep option for homeowners to come back to. These kinds of ‘add ons’ help make you more memorable to others and you’ll more likely get referrals because of it (plus additional income!)

7. Lastly, maybe an obvious one but build good relationships with your clients (and animals!)

   It makes the process itself fun if you have a great relationship and this is what will also bring in the repeat work - be it with the same clients or referrals. I’d say 60%+ of my housesits are now repeats, and the decorating work is too.  In a couple of weeks I am going back to look after a dog and do my third lot of decorating in their huge house. I joke that in the next couple of years there entire house will be fully renovated by me, ha ha!

What would you add to the list and what are you focussing on in your business?