Traci Hurling
CAPE TOWN - Fiona Roxburgh is the founder of Fifi Sitters, a house sitting agency that looks after people’s homes and pets while they are away.
Roxburgh’s great love for animals stems from her childhood when she always had animals around her, from dogs to guinea pigs and even a hedgehog. Her love of animals extends to people and Roxburgh is currently studying at the University of the Witwatersrand to be a Foundation Phase teacher, a career that aligns with her passion for working with, and helping, others.
Studying while running a business is no easy feat and Roxburgh has learnt the importance of time management and setting realistic goals for oneself.
Roxburgh started Fifi Sitters at the end of 2019, just a few months before Covid-19 hit South Africa. The business naturally had a slow start due to stringent lockdown measures. As such, Roxburgh did not expect Fifi Sitters to get to the point it is at today.
She was wholly surprised at the huge demand for her services that came about when lockdown restrictions were lifted enough to allow travel. Business began to boom and is still going strong.
Fifi Sitters is expanding to Cape Town, which will hopefully take effect around October/November.
Fifi Sitters ensures customers that the pet-sitters and pets bond before the job is finalised. Sitters meet homeowners and their pets for about an hour beforehand, to allow the pet to familiarise themselves with the sitter. Roxburgh expects her sitters to be flexible; they must be able to go beyond the job description when necessary.
It is through this business philosophy that Fifi Sitters is able to provide such great customer service. Fifi Sitters value relationships over all else and Roxburgh and her sitters do this work because they love animals and love people.
Founded around her own values – communication, trust, loyalty and honesty – Fifi Sitters is very much a personal business.
Asked what was most challenging about starting her business, Roxburgh said that on a logistical level, she struggled because she had absolutely no background in entrepreneurship. She had no idea how to contract fees or construct an agreement.
Despite this, Roxburgh learnt as she went along and is now successfully running her business.
The greatest motivating factor in growing her business is the people she meets, Roxburgh said, and she is proud of the community she has created.
The service Fifi Sitters offers is a very personal one – you really have to be trusting to invite a stranger into your home and to look after your pets. Roxburgh and her business have created a space where such trust is easy to give.
Roxburgh’s advice to women entrepreneurs is that mistakes are going to happen and that mistakes aren’t bad. She laments how people are often too caught up in the idea that life is short, and have this sense of urgency.
Roxburgh said she wants to remind people that life is long, that we must allow ourselves to make mistakes rather than stressing about the future.
Women should also not feel that they need to fit a certain profile to be valid and to be a success, rather “people see authenticity and respond well to it. Authenticity is what gets you places”.
For more information on Fifi Sitters, visit: https://firoxb1.wixsite.com/fifisitters
Cape Times