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Old 02-21-2015, 11:54 PM
 
336 posts, read 408,870 times
Reputation: 131

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Here's some info on me. Based on this, where do you recommend I live??

CAREER:
I have 6 months experience working my butt off as a group dog walker (and solo walker and pet sitter) for a San Francisco pet care company. I live in El Cerrito (in East Bay above Berkeley). I am sick of the commute to...and especially back from...SF (Bay Bridge, Highway 80) and want to keep all my own profit and choose my own clients and policies and after many past entrepreneurial experiments and studying marketing, and with my deep love of nature and digs, I feel very excited to begin my own pet care business...and as it grows...to do less and less contractor work until I don't need to be a contractor anymore. Dog walkers are a popular, thriving business around Bay Area. It's not hard to find beautiful hiking spots to legally walk a pack of 6 or more dog clients weekday afternoons.

INCOME:
My rent is currently $700/month but with my focus and drive I believe I can quickly switch to budgeting in $1,300/month rent if needed. Zero desire to buy a house yet. Just rent a shared hom with decent, safe housemates. Home doesnt have to be huge or fancy. Just in a city that is really comfy for me to live in 4+ years and build super nearby doc care clientelle (the wealthier the better). Preferably somewhere I'd be comfy raising a family. Dog care clients often are willing to stay with their sitter/ walker over 5 years.

INTERESTS:
I don't have dredlocks or use drugs, but other than that I am quite hippie. Vegan, into raw food, into non-toxic products, don't wear much makeup, spiritual, progressive, love yoga, used to be in massage field and may start seeing massage clients on the side again at some point, like farmers markets and natural grocers and bicycling, adore nature, felt quite at home in Santa Cruz other than it wasn't diverse and intellectual/cultural enough for me to stay over 2 years. I like variety of urban options yet living somewhere as urban as SF or even Oakland flats feels too hectic and disconnected from nature. I am 31, female, single, very interested in lots of dating options and building a small, down-to-earth, loving, outdoorsy, conscious community of mainly 30s-40s friends. Interested in taking classes in yoga and dance and music and personal growth, nonviolent communication, etc.

GEOGRAPHY:
My dream town would have very close access (I have an all-wheel drive SUV) to both beach, hiking of Oakland Hills quality, andoutdoor water warm and clean enough to be decent for swimming (Lake Anza in Berkeley...or Hearts Desire Beach in West Marin are best or only local options I am finding online). It must have off-leash friendly hiking for my dog work and even better if is also near off-leash friendly beach (Ones in Marin and SF such as Muir Beach, Baker Beach, Crissy Field are great but may stop allowing off-leash dogs by 2016 so I can't build my business solely around them...need to be near dog hiking trails too).

I could keep writing and writing but basically here are my options. Any thoughts on which is best? I need to decide ASAP.

In no particular order:
1) Fairfax (in Marin)
2) Area I already live in (El Cerrito/ North Berkeley) and serve clients in Berkeley Hills and Kensington
3) Live in East Berkeley or South Berkeley and serve clients in Claremont/Montclair/Piedmont
4) Somewhere between Pacifica and Pescadera

One more thing...the overall feel of SF people these days doesn't resonate much with what I want in neighbors or close friends. More preppy/hectic/mainstream than I'd like. The Berkeley vibe resonates more...more casual and crunchy. I haven't visited Marin or those South Bay cities I mentioned yet.
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Old 02-21-2015, 11:57 PM
 
48 posts, read 47,033 times
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Flip a four sided coin.
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Old 02-22-2015, 12:06 AM
 
Location: State of Transition
102,063 posts, read 106,896,974 times
Reputation: 115814
Well, Berkeley's vibe is more laid back, as you observed, which means people have the time to walk their own dogs. Even professionals who commute to SF walk their own dogs in the morning.

So I don't know. Fairfax would be cool, but again, the demand for your service wouldn't be there.

How about the Peninsula? People there can afford your service, and households with two people working wouldn't have time to walk the dog. Higher rents, though.
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Old 02-22-2015, 12:22 AM
 
24,324 posts, read 26,708,197 times
Reputation: 19745
Marin County has a lot of areas to take dogs around Mt Tamalpais.
Fort Funston is a popular place for SF dog walkers, you will see many, many dog walkers there every day.
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Old 02-22-2015, 12:32 AM
 
Location: Living rent free in your head
42,719 posts, read 25,889,902 times
Reputation: 33795
Quote:
Originally Posted by NatureYogi View Post
Here's some info on me. Based on this, where do you recommend I live??

CAREER:
I have 6 months experience working my butt off as a group dog walker (and solo walker and pet sitter) for a San Francisco pet care company. I live in El Cerrito (in East Bay above Berkeley). I am sick of the commute to...and especially back from...SF (Bay Bridge, Highway 80) and want to keep all my own profit and choose my own clients and policies and after many past entrepreneurial experiments and studying marketing, and with my deep love of nature and digs, I feel very excited to begin my own pet care business...and as it grows...to do less and less contractor work until I don't need to be a contractor anymore. Dog walkers are a popular, thriving business around Bay Area. It's not hard to find beautiful hiking spots to legally walk a pack of 6 or more dog clients weekday afternoons.

INCOME:
My rent is currently $700/month but with my focus and drive I believe I can quickly switch to budgeting in $1,300/month rent if needed. Zero desire to buy a house yet. Just rent a shared hom with decent, safe housemates. Home doesnt have to be huge or fancy. Just in a city that is really comfy for me to live in 4+ years and build super nearby doc care clientelle (the wealthier the better). Preferably somewhere I'd be comfy raising a family. Dog care clients often are willing to stay with their sitter/ walker over 5 years.

INTERESTS:
I don't have dredlocks or use drugs, but other than that I am quite hippie. Vegan, into raw food, into non-toxic products, don't wear much makeup, spiritual, progressive, love yoga, used to be in massage field and may start seeing massage clients on the side again at some point, like farmers markets and natural grocers and bicycling, adore nature, felt quite at home in Santa Cruz other than it wasn't diverse and intellectual/cultural enough for me to stay over 2 years. I like variety of urban options yet living somewhere as urban as SF or even Oakland flats feels too hectic and disconnected from nature. I am 31, female, single, very interested in lots of dating options and building a small, down-to-earth, loving, outdoorsy, conscious community of mainly 30s-40s friends. Interested in taking classes in yoga and dance and music and personal growth, nonviolent communication, etc.

GEOGRAPHY:
My dream town would have very close access (I have an all-wheel drive SUV) to both beach, hiking of Oakland Hills quality, andoutdoor water warm and clean enough to be decent for swimming (Lake Anza in Berkeley...or Hearts Desire Beach in West Marin are best or only local options I am finding online). It must have off-leash friendly hiking for my dog work and even better if is also near off-leash friendly beach (Ones in Marin and SF such as Muir Beach, Baker Beach, Crissy Field are great but may stop allowing off-leash dogs by 2016 so I can't build my business solely around them...need to be near dog hiking trails too).

I could keep writing and writing but basically here are my options. Any thoughts on which is best? I need to decide ASAP.

In no particular order:
1) Fairfax (in Marin)
2) Area I already live in (El Cerrito/ North Berkeley) and serve clients in Berkeley Hills and Kensington
3) Live in East Berkeley or South Berkeley and serve clients in Claremont/Montclair/Piedmont
4) Somewhere between Pacifica and Pescadera

One more thing...the overall feel of SF people these days doesn't resonate much with what I want in neighbors or close friends. More preppy/hectic/mainstream than I'd like. The Berkeley vibe resonates more...more casual and crunchy. I haven't visited Marin or those South Bay cities I mentioned yet.
Could you call Veterinarians or local pet stores in those areas and see if they can give you an idea of what kind of demand there would be for your services?
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Old 02-22-2015, 12:39 AM
 
Location: State of Transition
102,063 posts, read 106,896,974 times
Reputation: 115814
Consider going to vet school.
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Old 02-22-2015, 12:50 AM
 
336 posts, read 408,870 times
Reputation: 131
All 4 of my options have enough demand for midday group walking clients who can afford to be my long-time clients. That isn't my concern.

Fort Funston doesn't allow off-leash anymore which angers many people. All,the beaches owned by GGNRA are under threat of ending off-leash. So I can't depend on those aa my only dog walking spots. I must be near dog hiking trails too.

akland Hills and Berkeley Hills are full of popular dog walker trails, gorgeous. It's just living in East Bay means I'd be quite far from the beautiful beaches of the Pacific Coast and around SF and Marin's edges. I really, really, really love the beach. The beach in Alameda isn't as nice and doesn't allow dogs. Plus I hear West Marin is full of nature-loving, dog-loving bicycle lovers and not "snooty" as South and East Marin. Santa Rosa and Sonoma and stuff sound like me but too far from beach probably and too far from East Bay. I picture building my social life around West Marin and East Bay. Or Half Moon Bayish area and East Bay. Visiting SF isn't a priority other than I like its beaches and hear Outer Sunset is pretty laid-back/surfer (I also really wanna learn to surf).

Some of this is just hearsay...I will visit these places when I can...maybe tomorrow.
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Old 02-22-2015, 12:52 AM
 
336 posts, read 408,870 times
Reputation: 131
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth View Post
Consider going to vet school.
I have zero desire to be a vet. Dog walker is a great career, great fit for me, have met tons of successful dog walkers. Am not asking for advice on career, just on which area to live and work in.
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Old 02-22-2015, 01:06 AM
 
336 posts, read 408,870 times
Reputation: 131
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth View Post
Well, Berkeley's vibe is more laid back, as you observed, which means people have the time to walk their own dogs. Even professionals who commute to SF walk their own dogs in the morning.
Dogs left alone over 4 hours every weekday can ruin floor by going potty in house and/or get hyper, restless, depressed, barky, bored, can chew/ruin stuff, neighbors can complain, dog can be too much of a handful when owner returns tired at night, etc. Many people prevent that stuff by hiring a dog walker who wears their dog out and also socializes them with a pack of dog playmates...for a blissful hour of off-leash adventuring. The diga absolutely love it even if owners walked them around block before work. Dog owners get a kick from seeing photos of their dogs getting all their favorite stuff...keeps then more manageable and happy and healthy. Like sending a kid ti summer camp. People LOVE pampering their dogs.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth View Post
So I don't know. Fairfax would be cool, but again, the demand for your service wouldn't be there.
There are already dog walking companies in Fairfax and wealthy Marin people who work.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth View Post
How about the Peninsula? People there can afford your service, and households with two people working wouldn't have time to walk the dog. Higher rents, though.
There's a market there too, yes.

Can anyone tell me more about what these places are like for a single woman in her early 30s to build a life? Enough singles in their 30s and 40s there? I don't need drinking, clubs, bars, huge parties. Just safe, kind, outdoorsy folks and access to East Bay
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Old 02-22-2015, 01:50 AM
 
24,324 posts, read 26,708,197 times
Reputation: 19745
Do you have a source for Fort Funston because I take my dog there twice a week and I always see dog walkers off-leash with a big herd of them. I just did a wuick check and I don't see any rules saying on-leash only.

Current Dog Walking in GGNRA - Golden Gate National Recreation Area (U.S. National Park Service)
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