Meet Sarah Chahy

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sarah Chahy and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sarah, how do you think about risk?
I love this question!

I always tell this story when people ask how I started my business.

About 10 years ago I just purchased a travel van. My crazy idea was that I was going to sell everything and live in the van (trust me – this was way before vanlife was cool and took over Instagram). I decided if I was going to live in my van I needed to sell most everything I owned. One day I noticed my neighbor across the street was having a garage sale. I had never met her, but she looked cool enough, so I strolled over, introduced myself and asked if I could sell some of my things at her sale. She said yes, of course, and we started talking. As an absolute animal lover, I, of course, noticed her two adorable cats in the window. After petting them for a few minutes and gushing over them, she asked if I would watch her cats while she was away on an upcoming trip. I said yes, and in that 15 minutes of risk taking, the course of my life completely changed. She was my first pet sitting client and from there the referrals started pouring in. Before I knew it, I had a full client roster and was able to eventually leave my full time corporate IT Project Management job to pursue small business ownership. My life completely changed that day because I took a risk and simply walked over to a random stranger’s front yard, struck up a conversation, and let my passion for animals lead the way.

I suppose looking back, this is how I’ve always lived my life. I love meeting new people, connecting people, helping people, and whatever comes of it, comes of it! I love trying and experiencing new things and seeing where the road takes me. Leaving the corporate world was a huge decision and, despite what it may have looked like to outsiders, I was actively planning for years before making that move. I am a planner through and through, so I started making little moves towards my goal. I sold a more expensive car to get rid of my car payment, took on a roommate to help provide a monthly monetary buffer, worked my tail off and built up my business little by little by working mornings, evenings and weekends, and saved as much as I could in the meantime to have a buffer. Once I was ready to leave, I also marched into a few local small storefronts and asked if they were hiring so that I could have backup employment in case something didn’t quite work out with the transition. At one point I think I had about 5 jobs between the pet sitting company, working at a local soap shop, a flower shop, working as a freelance web designer, and also helping review resumes; it was definitely exhausting at times and I often had to say no to family or friends and missed out on some things, but it was worth it in the end to build something of my own that feels special and meaningful. Everything was a risk and, to some people, I think it seemed like I was moving ‘backwards’ – I had a great job at a great university with high visibility projects and benefits and good pay – why leave? Well; because I wanted to. Life is so short and everyday is a new adventure. Take the risk.

Please tell us more about your business. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today business-wise. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
I think I’m most proud of the community that I’ve built with the Sarah the Sitter team.

Not only do we love each and every one of our clients as we would love our own pets, but we truly enjoy getting to know our clients on a more personal level if they’re open to that. When you are welcomed into someone’s home repeatedly, you are welcomed into their family, in essence. We have some clients that we’ve been with from the time their dog was a puppy all the way through multiple house moves to having babies to gaining more furry family members to when our clients cross the rainbow bridge. To be a part of that relationship from start to finish is a beautiful honor. I firmly believe this type of business is relationship-based and it’s important for our clients to know me and my team as people and not just as faces on a website as they are letting us into their homes on a regular basis to care for their beloved pets. We achieve this by sending lots of photos, videos and text message updates during each visit so that our clients can interact with us, real time, during their pets’ visits. I’m so proud of the work my team does each and every day to take beautiful photos of our clients and inform our clients of all the fun and exciting things that are happening during their pets’ visits.

In addition to our relationship with our clients, we’ve also been able to create a Sarah The Sitter community via Instagram! We have a very active presence on Instagram and many of our clients fall in love with some of our other clients via their cute Instagram shenanigans! It’s always fun when one client runs into another out in the wild and realizes they’re both Sarah The Sitter clients!

The other thing that makes our team so unique is our dedication to professional education and training within the pet care realm. Our team is comprised of pet care professionals who have years of experience in various pet care settings including veterinary offices, shelter environments, and dog training/behavioral departments. In addition to our real world experience, we are also pet owners ourselves and also take numerous continual education trainings through Pet Sitter’s International. Many of us are also Certified Professional Pet Sitters and all of us are Pet Tech Pet Saver certified. We pride ourselves on notifying clients when something is ‘off’ or seems different, medically or behaviorally, with their pet during a visit. Often times we are seeing their pets on a very regular basis and are first in line to notice if something needs attention. I’m proud to say that our teams’ diligence and communication with clients has identified things like a client’s undiagnosed diabetes, pancreatitis, and other various health concerns that were able to be resolved due to our notifying our knowledge sharing. We see numerous clients every day and love bringing that real world experience to our clients whenever needed.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Oooh! Great question. I’m a Cleveland native and the city has really blossomed over the years. We have quite a few transplants now and a young culture that is coming in from all over the country, so there are soo many amazing restaurants, bars, festivals and fairs to explore, as well as the museums and the beautiful lake and the Cleveland Metroparks. I love architecture, especially old, historical, gritty buildings, so I love that Cleveland still has an amazing mix of old school grit mixed with new school vibes; hopefully we never lose that. There is also a ton of rich history here, as well, and many historical tours . Some awesome areas are Lakewood (my home town), Ohio City, Tremont, and Detroit Shoreway/Hingetown. There are lots of cute shops, coffee houses and tons of restaurants in those areas. If you’re into history and spooky history, Franklin Castle is worth a visit! I would also recommend going to the lake – Lakefront Nature Preserve is a special place – or to kayak or paddleboard – check out 41 North. Whiskey Island is a cool place to hike, as well, and Edgewater Park is a staple. Also, the sunset from the Solstice Steps at Lakewood Park is beautiful! There are too many delicious restaurants and coffee shops in the area to mention them all, but I could recommend Thai Thai for some delicious local Thai food, India Garden, Hola Tacos, Cilantro Taqueria for the amazing Mexican Street Corn, and obviously Mitchell’s Ice Cream or Mason’s Creamery for a sweet treat!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I truly believe everyone I’ve met along the way has shaped my life up until this point.

It’s funny – when you reach a certain point in your life, you look back and realize all those twisty, windy roads you took to get where you are contributed to the current ‘toolbelt’ you have and that you’re way more capable now than you ever could have imagined.

For example, my very first job at age 14 was working at a local flower shop. I, once again, marched into the shop and told the owner that I wanted to work there. She told me I wasn’t old enough and I said ‘let’s talk’. I have no idea who I thought I was at 14, but we did talk, and she did hire me, and it was the most memorable, fun, physically demanding, challenging, rewarding learning experience that shaped my idea of hard work and team work. Working in a flower shop is hard work and only those who have been there will understand!

I’m also grateful for my friend Christine who, after training me at an animal shelter for one shift, told me she thought I would be a perfect fit for a job at a well-known software company where she worked. I was extremely young and inexperienced, and had no idea why she thought I would be a good fit, but she saw something in me that I didn’t see and continued to encourage me to apply. Eventually I did get that job which, yet again, totally changed the direction of my life and sent me into the IT Business Analysis and Project Management field. If someone tells you that you would be a good fit for a position you feel unqualified for, listen to them. They often see something in you that you cannot see yourself.

I’m also just so grateful for my parents who taught me the true meaning of perseverance and hard work, and always encouraged us to live below our means, save, work hard and be grateful for what we have. Also to my sister who regularly talks about my business and sends referrals our way! She’s my number one supporter.

To our clients who love and support us in so many ways by continuing to repeatedly use our services, by promoting our business on social media, referring us to other friends and family, and by leaving our company amazing google reviews that remind us why we do what we do each and every day.

There are also soo many managers and coworkers who have taught me, maybe without even realizing it, how to listen, build community, make people feel heard, included and appreciated, and how to get the work done while still having fun.

I’m also extremely grateful to the Cleveland Pet Care Community who has come together these last few years to connect and socialize and share ideas with one another. Operating as a solo business owner can feel isolating at times, so I started a CLE Pet Care Community Night as a way for everyone within the Cleveland Pet Care Community to get together, relax, mingle, share best practices, and network. Everyone from pet sitters to dog walkers to pet photographers to animal trainers and behaviorists to pet store suppliers to boarding facilities to those in the veterinary community are invited and it’s been such a valuable event for all of us. We have also started doing a raffle at each event with all proceeds going to a different local animal charity of choice which is a great way for us to give back to our community.

And lastly but absolutely not least is my incredible team. Over the last few years our business has grown and, with that, I’ve welcomed three amazing teammates: Jolene, Katy and Kieran. I can never give them enough praise and never thank them enough for the hard work and dedication they bring each and every day to their roles. This can be a really challenging job with soo many variables at play every day, and they are the absolute best at what they do. Having their consistent help, support, energy, dedication and care has been a complete life changer, and our clients absolutely adore them!

Oh – and to my kitty, Pirate, my ride or die, my 5 lb tiny bean. At 20 years old, she and I have been through absolutely everything together. She knows me better than anyone, deals with my crazy work schedule, still has a smile on her face when I walk through the door even though I smell like a million different animals, puts up with me doing sleepovers at other clients’ houses, and loves me through it all. She’s also the most beautiful kitty model on the roster if I do say so.

Website: www.sarahthesitter.com

Instagram: @sarahthesitterllc

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahchahy 

Image Credits
All other photos by Sarah Chahy Professional photos by Justyna Walker Photography https://www.justynwalkerphotos.com/