Updated October 21, 2026
Where paying customers in Leuven come from
Leuven is a university city with working families, students, and professionals who need pet care. Your customers will come from several directions at once. Some will find you through online search when they type pet care or dog walking into Google or a local service marketplace. Others will hear about you from friends, family or colleagues - word of mouth stays powerful in a city this size. Workplace networks matter: office workers, hospital staff, university employees all have pets and talk about who looks after them.
In practical terms, you can expect customers from across Leuven rather than one neighbourhood. Working parents near schools, people who travel for work, and busy professionals are common types. You do not need to guess which districts are best - when you set up a profile on Websta with your services, location and contact details, people nearby who search for pet care can find you directly. You can also post your profile link to local Facebook groups, community boards, or send it when someone asks.
Building a client list takes time. Your first customers usually come from word of mouth or people who stumble on your profile when searching. You need to be easy to find and easy to contact.
Setting your first prices
Price setting is partly guesswork at the start because you need to know what Leuven customers actually pay and what your own time and effort is worth. One approach is to look at what other pet care providers in Leuven already charge - check online profiles, ask peers in the trade, or look at job boards. Prices for dog walking usually range wider than you might expect because people charge differently for 30-minute walks, full days, or overnight sitting.
Start by thinking about your costs: transport around Leuven, insurance if you carry it, and what your time is worth if you were doing other work instead. Set a price you can explain and defend. You do not need to match anyone else exactly. You can adjust prices after your first few months of work based on demand and what customers say. On Websta, you set your own prices for each service, and when a customer pays by card, the money goes to your own bank account through Stripe - you see what you earned.
Avoid charging too little because it builds a habit that is hard to change later, and it suggests your work is not professional. A fair price in Leuven for basic services like dog walking or pet sitting is something you can research locally and then set with confidence.
What to sort out as an independent person in Belgium
Once you earn money as an independent pet care provider, you are self-employed in Belgium's eyes, and that brings obligations. You must register as a self-employed person. In Flanders (where Leuven is), this involves registering with the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (Kruispuntbank van Ondernemingen - KBO). You need a business number and must inform the tax authorities.
Money you earn counts as income and must be reported. You will need to file tax returns and pay social security contributions. The rules and rates change, and they depend on whether you do this part-time or full-time. Contact the Belgian Federal Tax Service (Algemene Administratie van de Belastingen) or a local accountant who knows self-employment tax in your region - they can tell you exactly what applies to your situation and how much you owe.
You will also want to understand whether you need liability insurance (if you damage property while caring for someone's pet) or professional indemnity. A local business advisor or your accountant can guide you on this. These steps are not optional, but they are straightforward if you handle them early.
Your first ten customers and what to expect
Your first customers are usually people who know someone who knows you, or people who found your profile by searching. They often come in ones and twos rather than all at once. A typical early customer might be a working parent who needs a dog walker twice a week while they are at the office, or someone going on holiday who needs a pet sitter for a week. These are people with a real, immediate need.
Your first few months usually feel like you are learning as much as earning. You will find out which times of day bring the most requests, which services customers actually want, and how to handle the practical side - keys, instructions, emergencies, cancellations. You will meet pets with different temperaments and owners with different expectations. Some customers become regulars quickly; others are one-off jobs.
Expect that not every inquiry leads to a booking, and not every customer stays. Leuven is not so small that word of mouth alone will fill your schedule quickly. Building from five regular customers to fifteen or twenty takes several months of consistent work and visibility.
What tends to go wrong in the first months
Common stumbles: underpricing because you are eager for clients, then feeling resentful about the work. Not replying to inquiries fast enough or having an unclear profile, so potential customers book someone else instead. Taking on too many one-off jobs and exhausting yourself instead of building regular, repeating clients. Not setting clear terms - what time you will arrive, what happens if the pet is sick, whether you can reschedule.
Money mistakes happen too. Not keeping track of what you earned and from whom, so tax time is a mess. Not separating your business bank account from your personal spending. Assuming that every pound earned is yours to keep, when in reality tax and social security come out of it.
The mindset slip is real as well: starting out with lots of energy and then letting communication with customers or profile updates slide when the first rush passes. Or the opposite - burning out because you are trying to answer every inquiry and visit every pet in real time instead of batching your work or setting clear availability.
How a Websta profile helps you earn
A Websta profile gives you a page that looks like your own website: your services listed, your prices shown, photos of your work, and a contact form or online booking button. When someone in Leuven searches for pet care, your profile can show up in that search. They see what you offer, your location, and how to reach you - all in one place. You can send this link to people who ask about your services, post it on community boards, or include it in your email signature.
The booking and payment side matters. When a customer books through your Websta profile and pays by card, the money is paid out to your own bank account via Stripe - you control it directly. You see exactly what you earned and from whom. This is clearer and simpler than handling cash or multiple payment methods.
The profile also works as a trust signal. People booking pet care want to see that you are real, professional, and reachable. A profile with your services, your contact details, photos, and customer contact information makes that real in a way that a text message alone does not.
Earning money takes work and time
Pet care is a real job that pays, but it is not a quick fix to money problems. Starting out, you will work evenings and weekends answering inquiries, meeting new customers, and building routines. You will spend time chasing late replies or managing cancellations. You might earn nothing in your first month and modest income in your second and third. Building to a full income or a solid side income takes several months of consistent effort.
The upside is that once you have regulars - people who book you the same days each week or each month - the work becomes more predictable and less exhausting. You know who your customers are, what their pets need, and what to expect. But that takes time to build. If you are doing this alongside a job, manage your energy. If you are doing it full-time, expect to need the first few months to establish yourself before income is stable.
Leuven is a decent size for this work - enough customers, enough wealth to pay for services, enough word of mouth - but it is not so large that you can ignore the practical details. Do the setup right: register properly, price fairly, communicate clearly, and show up reliably. That is how you earn steady money in this trade.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need a business license to do pet care in Leuven?
- You must register as self-employed with the Belgian authorities (KBO registration and tax declaration). You do not need a separate licence for pet care itself, but you need to be registered officially. Contact the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises or a local accountant for the exact steps in your situation.
- How much can I earn as a pet care provider in Leuven?
- Income depends on how many customers you have, what prices you set, and how much time you work. Earning takes time to build. There is no guaranteed amount. Some people earn modest side income; others build a full income over time. Your first few months will likely be much less than later on.
- How do I find my first customers in Leuven?
- Word of mouth and online search are the main routes. Setting up a Websta profile with your services and location helps people find you through search. Telling friends and family, posting in local groups, and asking people you meet are how word of mouth spreads. Your first customers usually come from a mix of both.
- What happens if I use Websta to book and get paid?
- When a customer books through Websta and pays by card, the payment goes to your own bank account via Stripe. You set your own prices. You control when you are available. The profile gives customers a way to find you and book reliably, and you get paid directly to your bank account.
- Do I pay tax on pet care income in Belgium?
- Yes. Income from self-employed work is taxable. You must file tax returns and pay social security contributions. The exact amount depends on whether you work part-time or full-time and your location. Contact the Belgian Federal Tax Service or an accountant for details on what you owe.
About the numbers
Counts in this guide were read from the Websta catalogue when the text was written and are refreshed above from the live catalogue. Part of the catalogue was built from the public business register and is marked as such on each profile.
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