If you love pets and have a passion for helping them, you can start your very own business. Turn your animal passion into a thriving business by knowing the essentials listed below.
Figuring Out The Type Of Business
Before you turn your animal passion into a thriving business, you need to figure out the type of business that you want to start. Lucrative options include:
Opening A Pet Store Franchise
This is a great option for those who like to interact with a lot of different people and pets on a daily basis and have a decent amount of money to spend upfront. Pet store franchises are perfect for entrepreneurs who want to have support and advice from other business owners.
Walking Dogs
A lot of people are in need of someone to walk their dogs while they are at work or out for the day. Because this type of business doesn’t require an initial investment, it’s a great option for those who have limited funds. The dog walker doesn't need anything other than a good pair of walking shoes in order to get started.
Pet Sitting
If you like to spend time with pets one-on-one, pet sitting can be very fulfilling. The pet sitter will do things like feeding and cleaning up after pets and playing with them. They can provide these types of services in the pet's home or even in their own home if they will be watching the pet for an extended period of time.
Mobile Grooming
For those who are interested in helping pets keep up with their appearance, a mobile grooming business may be a great fit for them. Mobile groomers go to the customer’s house and provide services like hair cutting, bathing and cutting of the pet’s nails. It's not uncommon for mobile groomers to purchase a van that they can use to provide their grooming services.
Starting Your Company
In order to make sure that you have satisfied all of the legal obligations to start a business, you need to find out what the requirements are in your area. You may need to do things like register your business, create a limited liability company, purchase insurance and pay certain fees.
Getting Creative With Advertising
With the emergence of the internet and social media, a lot has changed with how businesses choose to advertise to potential and current customers. In the past, many companies were able to advertise for free because they just relied on signs and word-of-mouth in order to get new customers. Unfortunately, with so many businesses currently in operation, you may find that this isn’t enough. When it comes to advertising, you should:
Pay For Social Media Advertising
One of the nice things about social media advertising is that you can schedule ads and content in advance that will be posted at a later date. This is especially beneficial for those who don’t want to spend a lot of time each day trying to create content for their social media sites.
Create A Website
Even if you plan on having a physical location, you still need to have a website. This is where potential customers will go when they want to find out more information about you and the pet-related services that you have to offer. Many entrepreneurs are able to create an informative website all on their own without having to hire anyone else to help them.
Encourage Others To Share Your Content
The more your content is shared, the greater the likelihood of others finding out about the pet services that you have to offer. In order to get others to share your content, you may need to entice them to do so. You can do this by having some sort of giveaway or offering them a discount if they share your content.
Utilize The Postal Service
A lot of businesses find that flyers are an easy way to let others know about the services that they have to offer. You can often have flyers printed up inexpensively and pay to have them mailed to a residence within a few miles of your business or home address. On the flyer, you need to make sure that you include your contact information and something to entice the recipient to contact you. This can be something as simple as a coupon.
You can easily turn your animal passion into a business that thrives by utilizing the tips mentioned above. Just remember that it may take a little bit of time to start making a profit, but if you don’t give up, you can help pet owners while doing something that you love all at the same time!