A Guide To Starting A Pet Based Business You’re Passionate About

People are more passionate about pets than ever these days, which is why starting a pet-based business has never been a better idea. If you’re passionate about animals and pets, there are many businesses you could start. Starting a business like this could give your life more meaning, and help you to feel like you’re not just getting up and ‘working’ every day. You know you’ll be doing something that helps animals and other people, and you’ll have a much greater sense of wellbeing for it.

Are you ready to start a pet based business that you’re passionate about? Read on to learn more!

Know Your Strengths And Weaknesses

Before you come up with ideas for your pet based business, it’s important to get to know yourself as much as possible. This will give you ideas on the type of business that is best for you and how best to run your business.

Knowing what you are great at and what you are not so great at will give you something to work on so you can become the best well-rounded entrepreneur that you can be. Become more self aware and introspective, and write notes on what you think you can do to be better. Perhaps you’re a people person who can build relationships easily, but you don’t actually know what you’re doing when it comes to things like marketing and accounting. Maybe you’re the opposite way around. Writing out what you need to work on and then getting to work on that right away will help you to become a better, more successful business owner.

Your goal should be to expand your knowledge as much as you can so you’re ready to become a business owner. You could even look at business based courses to help you become more successful, such as Aston University online degrees. There are online degrees and courses, seminars and workshops you could attend, and so much more. Ebooks, online courses, YouTube videos, and more. You don’t always have to have a fortune in the bank or spend a lot of money to expand your knowledge and become better.

Just don’t get so obsessed with expanding your knowledge that you never take any steps towards your goals. You can’t wait until you feel like you know everything, or you’ll be waiting forever. There’s always more to learn, and you’re probably always going to feel a little unsure and scared. That’s normal! Start taking baby steps forward today and you will get to where you want to be.

Figure Out What You Enjoy Most

Although you want to start a business that is going to be lucrative for you, you don’t just want to do this based on how much money you can stand to earn. The fact is, the prospect of earning a ton of money will get old fast if you don’t enjoy what you’re doing.

So, figure out what you enjoy doing the most. You like to take care of pets, make pets look their best, or create things that both pets and pet owners will love? Knowing your strengths and weaknesses will help you at this stage, too. Start brainstorming.

Coming Up With Ideas

Once you know your strengths and weaknesses and have a good idea of what sort of thing you enjoy the most when it comes to pets, it’s time to come up with ideas for your pet-based business.

When coming up with ideas, write everything down and don’t filter yourself. You may be able to expand on your ideas later on and make them more viable, even if the initial idea doesn’t seem doable.

Below are some ideas to inspire you and get you started.

• Pooper scooper service – pet owners will readily pay you to take care of this for them, as nobody likes picking up poop! It’ll be your job to pick it up and take it to a safe disposal area. You could even make this a more eco-friendly service by using only biodegradable bags and similar products.
• Pet day care –  people don’t like the thought of leaving their pets on their own all day long while they go to work, and pet day care can be the perfect opportunity for pets to enjoy some company, as well as socialize with other animals. Usually, you will have pets spend the day at your house, or in a building that you have rented out.
• Pet photography – if you fancy yourself a bit of a photographer, taking pictures of pets could be your calling. Pets often become like members of the family, so taking high quality, beautiful images of them is something many owners will be willing to pay for.
• Dog walking service – some owners may not always have the time to walk high energy dogs; they may be injured, exhausted from work, or simply not have the time. Walking dogs, especially multiple dogs at one time, could be a fun and lucrative opportunity for any dog lover.
• Pet clothing and accessories – perhaps you could create and sell pet clothing and accessories. Many companies are doing this now, so you will need to figure out what makes you different and why people should buy from you.
• Create luxury pet treats – luxury pet treats could be a good idea for your business if you have ideas on nutritious tasty treats that animals will love. Perhaps you home make treats for your own pets and feel this would make a great business. You could do this from home, but before you go pro you will likely need to have your space checked out to ensure it is hygienic and receive the appropriate certification.
• Design and sell pet toys – pet toys are always going to be a big business, especially if you have innovative ideas.
• Dog Obedience training – training dogs is important, but many fail to be consistent or don’t do it at all. This makes the dog very unhappy in the long run, and the owners often regret their decision. Starting a dog training business could be for you if this is something you’ve mastered.
• Pet sitting – pet sitting differs from day care as you will usually sit a pet at their own home, rather than have them brought to you.
• Pet grooming – pets need to stay well groomed to look their best and stay healthy. You could be responsible for bathing them, cutting their fur, and trimming their nails.

Once you have a list of ideas, you will need to be prepared to research your competition. Take a look at the area you want to open up your business in and get a feel for any businesses that are doing something similar to you. What are they doing, and how can you do it better? You don’t want to copy them; you simply want to know as much about them as you can so you can come up with a product/service that people will want to use instead.

Come Up With Your Plan

Coming up with a plan once you think you have your idea will allow you to work through any kinks and issues that could crop up along the way. A detailed business plan that investors can look at if you need financing is a must – but remember, it’s something you should be able to look at too. It can keep you focused!

Building a brand

Building your brand and creating something that suits your personality and attracts the right audience is essential. Once you’ve done this, you can set your pricing, come up with marketing materials, and take the final steps to get your business off the ground!