Do you adore pets and would you like to do something pet-related for a living? If the answer is yes to both questions, you might love having a pet care-related business of your own. It could be a fulfilling
way to spend your time, not to mention be potentially pretty lucrative too. Below, Dawg Fence explains why having a pet care-based might be a good idea, and how to get started if you’re interested.
Why start a pet care-based business?
The pet industry has never been bigger. According to Exploding Topics, it has grown a massive 450 percent in the past 25 years. More and more people are getting pets, whether that’s dogs, cats, or
something more exotic. American dog owners spend an average of $1,201 on expenses each year, including pet food, veterinarian care, and vaccinations. If you start a business right now, you should have an easy time finding buyers for your product or service. Moreover, at the rate the industry is growing, market demand for your offering will likely only grow in the future.
Pick a business idea
Your business idea is everything – it will determine the initial investment needed, the difficulty of running your business, and your earning potential. Researching the market can help you to find something worthwhile. Some examples of likely pet businesses include pet grooming, pet training, doggo walking, pet photography, and veterinary practice. Find something that aligns well with your preferences and talents.
Get started with your business
We give you an overview of how to get started with any pet care-based business here:
● Business plan: Writing a business plan can give you clarity on what it’d take to start and run a pet care-related business. A plan covers important details like your business structure, goals,
work processes, financial projections, and much more.
● Funding: How are you planning to pay for your new business? Some options are getting a loan, using savings, and getting money from investors.
● Testing: It’s a good idea to field test your pet care-based product or service. For example, if you’re planning to start a dog-walking business, try doing it for a few people first and see how it goes. It’ll give you first-hand experience on doggo walking as well as help you identify any challenges you might face.
● Marketing: You will have to market your business to find customers and clients. You can try offline and online marketing strategies like email marketing, newsletters, blogs, flyers, business cards, and more.
Go back to school to sharpen your business skills
Running a business isn’t easy. If you’re serious about doing it, going back to school to sharpen your business acumen might be worthwhile. You can earn a degree involving accounting, business,
communications, or management to pick up skills that would help your business thrive. If you pick an online degree program, you could go to school while running your business.
Software can help you to run your business
Using apps can make managing your business significantly easier. Some apps can even help you learn new skills. Some must-have small business apps include bookkeeping, time management, marketing,
finance, file management, customer care, and customer management solutions. Square offers other helpful suggestions.
Connect with old friends to build your client base
Starting a pet care business is exciting, and reaching out to old friends can be a great way to build an initial group of clients. People like doing business with someone they know and trust, especially when it
comes to caring for their furry family members. Letting friends from the past know about your new venture might inspire them to become clients or refer others your way. Don’t forget to check out alumni websites to reconnect with schoolmates who may also need your services. These sites often provide contact details, making that reconnection a little easier to achieve.
Invest in a cloud-based project management solution
Cloud-based project management platforms deserve special mention because they can drastically improve your productivity. They can help your teams manage their work and collaborate in real time.
Some have integrated solutions for team communication, task tracking, resource management, and asset sharing. By seeing projects, goals, and team capacity in one place with real-time visibility, you can
balance workloads and identify the best team members for tasks.
With how the wind is blowing, getting into the pet care industry could lead to great success if you play your cards right. If you’re not confident about learning the ropes as you go, you can go back to school to pick up new business skills first. You can also always use apps like project management solutions to run your business, not to mention get help from other people like business coaches and fellow businessmen.
Dawg Fence provides an underground pet fencing system to help keep your furry friends safe and secure.
For more information, please get in touch by calling 630-319-5004.