What can I sell?

HireGoats is for selling targeted grazing services with goats, sheep, and other livestock. Targeted grazing is the use of livestock in a planned way to achieve specific goals for customers' properties. Elimination, reduction, or control of certain types of vegetation is usually the primary objective. You may have also heard the terms "goatscaping," "prescribed grazing," "conservation grazing," or "goat rental" applied to this type of service.

What can't I sell?

No products or services other than targeted grazing are currently allowed to be sold on HireGoats. This includes entertainment or educational services like petting zoos, goat yoga, animal photo shoots, pack goat rentals, or other animal-based experiences. To offer those types of services we highly recommend GoatMoment.com. The sale of animals is also not permitted on HireGoats.

What does it cost?

Creating a grazing pro account and posting a listing on HireGoats is completely free! When a customer agrees to hire you for a grazing project, we collect an initial payment from the customer to make it official. From that initial payment we keep a commission of $100 or 15%, whichever is greater.

Why do I have to charge customers something upfront?

The initial payment serves several purposes:

• It creates a psychological commitment to the project by both the customer and the grazing pro, even if it's scheduled to begin weeks or months into the future;
• It incentivizes grazing pros to officially close-out their projects on the platform upon completion so they can access their portion of the initial payment, which then cues customers to review their grazing pros;
• It allows HireGoats to collect its commission automatically.

Most customers expect to pay something in advance when scheduling a significant service, especially when available dates for that service are seasonal or otherwise limited. And with HireGoats, that upfront payment can be as little as $200.

How much should I charge for the initial payment?

The minimum is $200, but beyond that it's completely up to you! Whatever amount you choose, only the initial payment will be processed by HireGoats. You will collect the remainder by whatever means you and the customer agree to.

If you set the initial payment at the minimum $200, it essentially serves as a booking fee. It's a digital handshake between you and the customer that says, "We have a deal." A small initial payment is more of psychological commitment than a significant form of financial security, but it allows you to move forward with confidence and set aside time and resources to complete the project.

If the grazing project in question is large and valuable, requiring substantial advance planning, or occupying a big part of your future schedule, you may want to use the initial payment to collect a more traditional security deposit. The greater the initial payment in proportion to the total project cost, the more committed the customer will be to seeing it through. And because HireGoats holds the initial payment until the project is complete, the customer can be confident that you'll deliver on your end.

Of course, you may also use HireGoats to collect the entire project price upfront by asking for an initial payment that is equal to the full cost of the project. If the project is small, straightforward, and likely to be completed soon, this may be most convenient for you and the customer. We collect it all for you upfront, and it arrives in your bank account when the project is done without so much as an invoice on your part. And we pay for all the credit card and transaction fees!

Important!: If the initial payment is less than the total cost of the project, be sure to communicate the full price to the customer along with your complete payment terms in the "Additional details" window before submitting your grazing proposal.

What's a listing and how many can I have?

It's critical that you post a listing describing and offering your grazing service after you create your grazing pro account. Without a listing, customers will not be able to find you! After clicking "Post a listing" in the top menu bar you'll be asked several questions about your business, and you'll be able to customize your listing with photos, video, and your own description.

The location you use in your listing attaches your targeted grazing service to the map and allows customers to find you with a geographic search, so choose wisely! We recommend entering a city/state or county/state rather than a specific street address.

Currently we only allow one listing per grazing pro account. Please do not try to saturate the map with multiple listings in the hope of a promotional advantage.

Where do I post my contact info?

HireGoats is not a static directory with a list of grazing pros' contact info. In fact, thanks to our robust built-in messaging tool, your contact information isn't even needed. Customers can find and contact you right here. You can respond, ask followup questions, schedule site visits, offer proposals, and even collect initial payments all without leaving HireGoats.com! Please do not share your company's email address, phone number, website link, or other contact information in your listing or profile. Since our revenue depends on transactions happening on-platform, HireGoats cannot exist without your support in this.

How do I share stuff with customers without typing it all into a messaging box?

Sharing detailed grazing project info with customers is easy on HireGoats. If you have contract templates, terms of service, maps, photos, or proposal details to share, you can do so using links. Most cloud-based file services, such as Google Drive, Dropbox, or Microsoft 365, allow folders and files you store there to be shared with links. Simply copy and paste the appropriate links into HireGoats' messaging system and send. If you use an online service for gathering electronic contract signatures from your customers, links to those documents can also be shared on HireGoats. We just ask that all links point to files related to specific customer grazing proposals, not to your company's promotional website or contact information.

Can you walk me through the process?

1. First, a customer finds your listing using HireGoats' search tools, then clicks "Ask a question or request a proposal."
2. You'll be notified by email and in your HireGoats inbox that a customer has reached out. You can have an unlimited chat with the customer right in the HireGoats platform. You might even schedule a visit to the customer's site to look around. Once you have all the information you need, you'll click the "Submit a grazing proposal" button, specify the initial payment of at least $200, and spell out all the other details of your grazing proposal. Be sure to explain how much additional the project will cost above the initial payment (if any), and how and when the remaining balance will be paid. Remember, HireGoats will only charge the amount you enter for the initial payment. You should also propose an approximate date range for the grazing project.
3. If the customer accepts your grazing proposal, the amount you entered will be charged to the customer's credit card and held by HireGoats until the customer acknowledges that the project is complete, or 90 days, whichever comes first.
4. Get goating! Do your targeted grazing thing according to the proposal you and the customer agreed to. When the project is complete, return to HireGoats.com, pull up your communication history with the customer, and click "This project is complete." Your customer will be notified and asked to agree that the project is done. When they do, or when 10 days has passed without a response, your portion of the initial payment will be transferred to your bank account.
5. When the project is officially complete, your customer will be asked to review you. Once they do, you'll be asked to review them...and you won't be able to see the customer's review until yours is submitted.