I have started composing a flyer that I am going to carry around with me in my purse so that the next time I am ambushed (especially in a sticky situation) about finding a home for a cat, I can hand it to them. I don't intend to distribute it to the general public, only to those people who come up to me. These are not strangers, by the way, these are people who know me. The reason they are doing it is because I have a kind heart, and if you have a kind heart that automatically makes you a sucker. These people know what they are doing. I'm not saying that they sit down and think about it; in fact, it probably never even crosses their minds that they are trying to take advantage of me. They don't think at all, and that's the problem.
However, just because they may not be consciously aware of it doesn't mean they get off scot-free. Which is why I am drawing up this flyer explaining my rates and the reason for them. I will no longer be taken advantage of. After listening to a co-worker talk about her kitten which she got from Craigslist, it dawned on me that the reason that nobody ever comes to me asking if I know about any cats or dogs that need homes is that people who are looking for animals know where to find them. There is never any question about where to look. It is when they want to dispose of the animal that they come to me. Fine.
These people come to me because they know good and well that disposing of an unwanted animal is an unpleasant, time-consuming process full of red tape and hassles if you want to be a good-hearted person and go the no-kill shelter route, or, if you want to take the easy way out and send it to the pound where it will no doubt be euthanized under not-so-nice conditions, there are guilt feelings to consider. All of which they wish to avoid. Again, fine.
My boss is fond of talking about things she has learned from her millionaire friend, and one of the things she has learned is that time is valuable and finite. It may make more economic sense to pay someone else to do something you can do for yourself because it frees you up to do something else you'd rather do. The key word is PAY. Obviously, there seems to be a potential market for people to place animals, so as long as I am being asked to do this job, I might as well charge for it. After all, MY time is valuable too.
So I drew up this flyer and showed it to a co-worker and her only comment was that I was not charging ENOUGH. So my rates are now $25 an hour to do the legwork of contacting shelters, plus another $25 per day on top of that if I keep the animal at my place, and the customer also assumes the cost of the vet exam, vaccinations, and treatments as well.
I can hear my "friends" now. "Twenty-five dollars an hour! I don't make twenty-five dollars an hour!" No, you don't. That is not my problem. This is what I charge for my services. This is what I think my time is worth and it is based on what I make per hour plus a little extra for profit. If you feel that it is more important to pay me to spend the time running around finding a home for your unwanted cat than to do it yourself, then you will pay for that service. I am sure that there are people out there like my boss's millionaire friend who would gladly pay my rates if they were in that situation because he has more important things to do than make phone calls and e-mails and God knows what else that has to be done. I also have more important (to me) things to do. So if you want my time, you will compensate me for it. I am running a business here.
And, unlike my job, I am in the driver's seat. I can afford to be pricey and choosy because I am not depending on this money to live. You, on the other hand, have a problem. You have three options, do it yourself, find someone else, or pay my rates. I really don't care. But I will not continue to let you take advantage of my so-called kind heart. Yes, times are tough economically. That's exactly why I am doing this, so I can improve my economic situation, which in case you didn't know, isn't exactly the greatest. I'm sorry if that offends you. But--as those of you who are Tea Party supporters can appreciate--there is no free lunch.
However, just because they may not be consciously aware of it doesn't mean they get off scot-free. Which is why I am drawing up this flyer explaining my rates and the reason for them. I will no longer be taken advantage of. After listening to a co-worker talk about her kitten which she got from Craigslist, it dawned on me that the reason that nobody ever comes to me asking if I know about any cats or dogs that need homes is that people who are looking for animals know where to find them. There is never any question about where to look. It is when they want to dispose of the animal that they come to me. Fine.
These people come to me because they know good and well that disposing of an unwanted animal is an unpleasant, time-consuming process full of red tape and hassles if you want to be a good-hearted person and go the no-kill shelter route, or, if you want to take the easy way out and send it to the pound where it will no doubt be euthanized under not-so-nice conditions, there are guilt feelings to consider. All of which they wish to avoid. Again, fine.
My boss is fond of talking about things she has learned from her millionaire friend, and one of the things she has learned is that time is valuable and finite. It may make more economic sense to pay someone else to do something you can do for yourself because it frees you up to do something else you'd rather do. The key word is PAY. Obviously, there seems to be a potential market for people to place animals, so as long as I am being asked to do this job, I might as well charge for it. After all, MY time is valuable too.
So I drew up this flyer and showed it to a co-worker and her only comment was that I was not charging ENOUGH. So my rates are now $25 an hour to do the legwork of contacting shelters, plus another $25 per day on top of that if I keep the animal at my place, and the customer also assumes the cost of the vet exam, vaccinations, and treatments as well.
I can hear my "friends" now. "Twenty-five dollars an hour! I don't make twenty-five dollars an hour!" No, you don't. That is not my problem. This is what I charge for my services. This is what I think my time is worth and it is based on what I make per hour plus a little extra for profit. If you feel that it is more important to pay me to spend the time running around finding a home for your unwanted cat than to do it yourself, then you will pay for that service. I am sure that there are people out there like my boss's millionaire friend who would gladly pay my rates if they were in that situation because he has more important things to do than make phone calls and e-mails and God knows what else that has to be done. I also have more important (to me) things to do. So if you want my time, you will compensate me for it. I am running a business here.
And, unlike my job, I am in the driver's seat. I can afford to be pricey and choosy because I am not depending on this money to live. You, on the other hand, have a problem. You have three options, do it yourself, find someone else, or pay my rates. I really don't care. But I will not continue to let you take advantage of my so-called kind heart. Yes, times are tough economically. That's exactly why I am doing this, so I can improve my economic situation, which in case you didn't know, isn't exactly the greatest. I'm sorry if that offends you. But--as those of you who are Tea Party supporters can appreciate--there is no free lunch.
