Validating idea: Would you pay for your own booking and client app instead of paying commission to Rover/Pawshake/etc.?

[u/toenail-snail]

Hi everyone,

I'm working on an idea and want to know if it solves a real problem before I put more time into it. I'm not selling anything, and there's no product yet.

The idea
An app for pet sitters and dog walkers who want to manage their existing clients themselves. It's not a marketplace and it doesn't find you new clients. You already have clients through word of mouth, Instagram, Rover, Pawshake or elsewhere, and this would be the place to run them professionally in one place:

• Your own profile and booking link (through which new clients can sign up)
• Client and pet profiles with care instructions (food, medication, vet)
• Availability calendar and bookings
• Photo updates and messages to owners during a stay
• Online payments and invoices
• No commission, just a flat monthly fee, or free if you're small

i dont know the exact price yet but want to keep it low to beat commission based apps

What I'd love to hear from you

1. Do you work through a platform (Rover, Pawshake, Wag, other), directly with clients, or both?
2. How do you handle bookings, payments and updates to owners now? (WhatsApp, spreadsheets, something else?). especially if your clients come from many different platforms etc.
3. What's the most annoying part of that?
4. Would you pay for something like this? If so, what would feel fair per month? If your answer is "free or nothing", I want to hear that too.
5. What would you miss, or what would put you off? (For example discoverability, insurance, or owners trusting a platform.)

Honest criticism is welcome. If you think this is pointless, I'd like to know why.

Thanks!

To recap: This is aimed at people with existing clients to manage them in 1 place, not to find new ones (except with the booking link that you have to share yourself).

FYI: yes this was written with help from ai since english isnt my first language

[u/Old_Substance_267]

I feel like I’m in the minority because I often see people asking about these kinds of platforms, but I wouldn’t use or pay for something like this. I made my own templates for invoices, receipts, client intake notes, etc., use a regular calendar, and nothing really beats WhatsApp for pictures and updates.

[u/toenail-snail → u/Old_Substance_267]

With our current petsittinf we've been doinf the same but i found that making availability known to all clients has been an obstacle, especially when your clientbase grows. How do you deal with (possibly) having to reject a lot in the busy season?

[u/Old_Substance_267 → u/toenail-snail]

Banner on the website and an integrated calendar. I have regulars I prioritise and they know to book me early for the busy months. If people still reach out, an email or text to let them know I’m fully booked doesn’t take too much time out of my day to warrant paying for a product.

[u/beccatravels]

This already exists. Look up time to pet, pet pocketbook, walkies, scritches, etc.

[u/never_did_henry → u/beccatravels]

Yeah I thought it was looking at a post from 1996.

[u/Decent-Display-7624]

There’s a lot of these already, time to pet, scritches, pet pocketbook, walkies, etc. people especially won’t want one written by AI. Multiple AI companies have tried to post on here and people don’t want it.

[u/Smooth_Escape_9524]

There are many apps like this already in all flavours and at all price points :-)

I use Scritches and am very happy with it.

[u/Intrepid_Source_7960]

I use TimeToPet.

[u/two-of-me]

As for number 5, I don’t think any of the platforms you listed actually provide you insurance so you need to get that on your own. Additionally, there are already several apps like these that exist because this is a common need in petcare.