The array of product and service businesses for pet owners is only
limited by your imagination. Many people treat their pets like their children
and, following that logic, most products that people want for themselves,
they'll want for their pets. Just look at recent trends in the industry--organic
foods, homeopathic products, luxury accessories--and you'll easily find they
mirror counterparts for human folk.
But there are still traditional services and products for pets and their
owners that will never go out of style. Here, we present 10 evergreen pet
businesses, excerpted from James Stephenson's books 202 Things You Can Make and
Sell for Big Profits, 202 Services You Can Sell for Big Profits, and
Entrepreneur's Ultimate Start-Up Directory. With ideas like these, you'll be
catering to your furry, finned and feathered friends in no time.
Pooper-Scooper Service Believe it or not, you can make a
very comfortable living by starting and operating a dog pooper-scooper service
in your community. This is an easy business to start; it requires little
investment, no special skills, and minimal equipment to operate. Basically, if
you can handle a shovel and plastic bags, and can put up with less than aromatic
smells, you're qualified to run a pooper-scooper service. If not, you can still
cash in on this booming growth business by marketing and managing the service
while hiring others to do the dirty work. Spread the word about your
pooper-scooper service by advertising in local newspapers, pinning fliers to
bulletin boards, and through dog-related businesses and clubs in the community.
Most services charge a flat monthly rate of between $30 and $60 to stop by
customers' homes or businesses weekly to clean up their yards, which takes no
more than 10 minutes per visit. You'll need reliable transportation, a cell
phone, garbage buckets, plastic bags, shovels, gloves and a good pair of rubber
boots.
Pet Photography As an animal lover, I can't imagine a
business that would be more fun and rewarding than operating a pet photography
service. Unfortunately, I'm not a very good photographer, but if you are and you
love pets, then what are you waiting for? Start a pet photography service!
Owners of dogs, cats, reptiles, horses, champion livestock, birds, and even fish
can all be potential customers. Full time or part time, operate the service on a
mobile basis, from a homebased studio, or from pet shops, or combine all to
cover all the bases. Making the experience fun for pets and their owners will go
a long way toward securing repeat business and a ton of referrals, so liven
things up with pet costumes, themed backdrops, and by offering pet videotaping
services, complete with music, titles and special effects. Likewise, to boost
profit potential also offer a wide assortment of products that customers can
have their pets' photographic images transferred onto--key tags, greeting cards,
calendars, mugs, hats, T-shirts, sports bags and bumper stickers.
Dog Clothing and Accessories Americans spend more than
$30 billion annually on their pets, and big bucks can be earned by designing,
making and selling designer duds for dogs. Sweaters and rain jackets are sure
bets to become top sellers, but dog lovers around the globe are also buying
designer doggie hats, goggles, shirts, booties, scarves and even Halloween
costumes for their beloved furry friends. The criteria for getting started are
minimal--design skills, sewing skills and equipment, patterns, and a bit of
gumption to get out and pitch your fabulous designer fashions for mutts and
pedigrees alike to pet shop retailers, especially if your ambitions are to
establish wholesale accounts with chain and independent pet shop retailers. If
not, there are still many ways to sell direct to dog owners. These include
exhibiting and selling at pet fairs, online sales via dog-related websites, mail
order sales supported by newspaper, catalog, online and magazine advertising,
and establishing a doggie clothing boutique at home or in a retail storefront
location. As dog owners know, word travels fast amongst dog owners, and when a
great product for a pet is found, he or she is quick to spread the word to other
dog owners.
Pet Sitting Lots of people have pets that can't be
boarded or left with friends and family when the need arises--pets with chronic
health conditions or exotic pets that are difficult to take care of. Likewise,
many people prefer to have their dogs, cats and other pets in the safety and
familiar surroundings of home, rather than an unfamiliar boarding environment.
When these pet owners want or need to be away from their home, there is only one
solution available: hire a pet-sitting service to come to their homes and take
care of their beloved pets while they're away.
If you want to work on a small scale, you can be the pet sitter. But if your
intention is to operate full time with an eye on growth, you'll need to hire or
contract additional pet sitters. Good candidates for the job include pet-loving
retirees and students. Market your pet-sitting services through pet-related
businesses in your community such as veterinarians, pet supply retailers, dog
trainers, dog walkers and pet-grooming services. Remember, many people also hire
pet sitters for short periods of times--a weekend away, a night out, or time off
for family events. Therefore, you'll need to develop fee schedules for long- and
short-term jobs.
Dog Day Care Day-care facilities for dogs are becoming
increasingly popular, especially as more and more caring dog owners are
realizing the benefits of leaving their beloved dogs at day care with other dogs
instead of at home alone while they are at work. Dogs, like people, are social
creatures and need contact with people and other dogs to become well-behaved and
confident. However, a dog day care should not be confused with a kennel, which
boards animals for short- and long-term time spans. A doggie day care is
strictly a drop off in the morning and pick up in the evening or anytime during
the day type of operation. If space allows and your neighbors don't mind the
barking, you can open at home. A better alternative is to rent commercial
warehouse space and covert it into a dog day care spa, complete with water
features, fenced outdoor space, and indoor couches to ensure your clients have
all the creature comforts they're used to at home. One innovative day care
center in my community recently installed web cams throughout their facility so
people at work could log onto their website and see live footage of their dogs
playing with other dogs. Current rates are in the range of $15 to $25 per day,
with discounts for weekly service.
Dog Obedience Training Dog obedience training is a
multimillion-dollar industry, and continues to grow by double digits as more and
more dog owners realize the benefits of professional obedience training.
Training classes can be held at your home in a one-on-one or group format, or if
your home isn't suitable you can travel to your customers' homes and train
one-on-one. Likewise, you can also strike deals with schools and community
center to hold dog obedience classes on weekends and nights. Many trainers are
currently not certified by a recognized association, although that trend is
changing. If you're serious about making dog obedience training your career, I
strongly suggest you receive professional training to become an instructor and
obtain the required certifications. Not only can certification be used as a
powerful marketing tool when persuading people that you're the right trainer for
their dog, but having the proper credentials will also mean that you can charge
a premium for your services. Current rates for in-home training are in the range
of $30 to $50 per hour and many trainers create dog-training packages for their
customers, which include a set amount of training classes and course materials
in print and video formats.
Dog Walking Service A dog walking service is perfectly
suited fro the person who has the time, patience and a love for dogs. Best of
all, this business can be started for less than $100. There are various styles
of multi-lead dog walking collars and leashes available that will allow three or
more dogs to be walked at the same time without becoming tangled in the leash.
Acquiring this equipment will be important to your new business, as it will
reduce frustration and enable you to walk multiple dogs at the same time, thus
increasing revenues and profits. To secure clients for the service, simply
design a promotional flier that explains your dog walking service and
qualifications. Distribute the fliers to businesses that are frequented by dog
owners, such as groomers, kennels, pet stores, community animal shelters, and
veterinarians. Once word is out about your dog walking service, it shouldn't
take long to establish a base of 20 or 30 regular clients.
Tropical Fish and Aquarium Rentals Gigantic profits can
be earned by starting a tropical fish and aquarium rental business, and best of
all, this very unique enterprise can be set in motion for less than $5,000 and
managed right from your home office. At this point, I'm sure you're wondering
exactly who would rent tropical fish and an aquarium? The list is very long, and
if you think about waiting rooms, the list of potential clients can include
doctors, lawyers, restaurants and business offices. Once a regular client base
has been established for this business, the annual profits could well exceed
$50,000 or more.
Pet Toys Designing, manufacturing and wholesaling pet
toys could put you on the path to financial freedom, and this opportunity can be
started part time from home on a minimal initial investment. There are literally
thousands of different pet toys on the market and this is definitely a situation
where it's not important that you build it first, only better. The toys can be
sold on a wholesale basis to pet retailers, or even directly to consumers via
the internet and mail order. The key to success in this type of business is to
have a high-quality toy and the ability to get the pet toy in front of as many
potential customers as possible. Remember, pets are like children to most people
and generally people will spare no expense when it comes to the happiness of
their pets.
Pet Breeder If your motivation for starting a pet
breeding business is purely for profit, then buzz off. The last thing the world
needs are more puppy mills. However, if your motivation for starting a pet
breeding business is because you have a keen interest in a particular breed of
animal and you also have a keen interest in ensuring that the animal is sold to
a caring family, then this it he business for you. Chances are you're going to
have a very rewarding business future both personally and financially.
Additional considerations for starting a pet breeding business include
qualifications, business location, registration, association memberships, and
marketing skills and abilities. Once established, a professional breeder might
not need to advertise, as word-of-mouth and referrals spread fast in this
industry.
Gourmet Pet Treats The fastest growing segment of the pet
foods industry is gourmet dog treats. There's a lot of money to be made in this
business because the profit margin is very high and people are willing to pay
for the best dog treats money can buy. As people become more health conscious of
their own diets, they begin to scrutinize their pet's diets as well, and many
are turning to naturally made food and biscuits for their dogs, even though
all-natural handmade biscuits cost as much as ten times more than commercially
produced biscuits.
Making dog biscuits at home is easy; all you need to get started are dog
biscuit recipes, healthy ingredients, biscuit molds (those shaped like bones and
cats are favorites), a catchy name, and packaging materials. Baking and selling
specialty dog treats is a fantastic opportunity for pet-loving entrepreneurs who
want to work from home and have lot of fun. Selling options are plentiful. Sell
to independent and chain pet retailers on a wholesale basis or to consumers via
online pet products marketplaces, at pet fairs, and from your home supported by
word-of-mouth advertising. The advertising is very easy to get, providing dogs
love your treats.
Copyright © 2006 Entrepreneur.com. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission from Entrepreneur.com
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