The Debrief: A House Sitting Side Hustle

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Welcome to The Debrief. This week we interviewed Laura, a full-time graphic designer who earns up to $1,500 a month house sitting in her spare time. If you didn’t catch it, feel free to check it out here before diving into this edition.

In this mid-week newsletter, we are going to investigate what we covered in our interview and breakdown the key takeaways and share some actionable advice for you to work on in your business venture.

Each debrief is designed to give you something to work on each week based off the advice given by our featured entrepreneur.

Let’s get into it!

House Sitting

Key takeaways:

1. Trust is the Currency of House Sitting
   Laura emphasizes that the foundation of her business is built on trust. Early gigs came from personal referrals, and her repeat clients are a direct result of her reliability and communication. She’s cultivated loyalty by sending pet updates, asking questions, and clearly defining expectations—proving that trust-based service can drive consistent income.

2. Professionalism Sets You Apart
   What started as an informal gig became a real business when Laura branded herself and created an online presence. By transitioning away from total dependence on platforms like TrustedHousesitters and investing in a personal website, she began attracting better-paying clients and standing out from competitors.

3. Set Boundaries and Scope Early
   Laura learned the hard way that being overly accommodating can lead to burnout. She now clearly outlines what services she offers and avoids scope creep by communicating her role from the start. This clarity has helped her maintain balance between house sitting and her full-time job while still delivering high-quality service.

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How to start this business?

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