Ellie Coldham is the founder of Floofs & Friends – a new pet sitting service in Norfolk – as well as the wellbeing coordinator for a mental health support service. Here, Ellie explains how cuddles with her cats have turned into a part-time business involving chicken and goats!
When I was in-between jobs, my friend recommended pet sitting as way to make some income without fully committing. I’ve always done odd jobs for people here and there with pet care and grown up with a lot of pets so it’s something I’ve always enjoyed and experienced. The number of clients began increasing and I was thinking “wow I could actually make something of this” so now this is my main job with the part time work to offer some stability.
I also really struggle with the idea of doing full time work, so the mixture and flexibility of doing two jobs helps get me engaged and motivated.
I officially launched my business at the beginning of January and spent most of my free time working on the website. Since launching, it’s been a great success and it’s nice to see so many pet sitting businesses doing so well. I’ve even branched out from the typical floofs (dogs) and cats, as my clients, to chickens and goats, and I’m excited to see who else I might have on my books.
At Floofs & Friends, I offer day visits that can stretch from one hour to four hours (ideal for breaking up their day, especially whilst the owners are at work), 30-minute drop-in visits, 30-minutes to one-hour dog walks, and overnight stays at the owner’s house. I have two indoor cats that rule the roost so, adding dogs to the mix, they would not love me!
I love working with pets because each one is totally different. They have their quirks and personalities that you just begin to adore. Pets are a great way to learn compassion, empathy, and kindness. I admire how pets appreciate the smallest thing. Put a treat in a blanket and they love it. Take the bin out and come back in, they act like this is the first time they have seen you in hours. Let them socialise with another pet and wow, it makes their day. They remind me to enjoy the little joys of the day. Pet cuddles are so therapeutic, they really encourage you to take the time to rest and enjoy your surroundings.
My two fussy cats are little moggies. The girl is called Katsu (for Katsu Curry) as I just love the sauce so much and I think pets are the only real time you can go quirky with names without it impacting their life, and her brother is called Mushu/Mr Mu (the dragon from Mulan). I would love a third one and would call them Miso so maybe one day!
I would love for this business to become full time work. It’s feeling pretty hectic at the moment but, yeah, I would love to do this full time and hopefully have a few workers on the books.
Visit Floofs & Friends and Instagram
Featured image of Ellie Coldham and one of her cats, Mushu
Leave a Reply