You’re on a lunch break from your office cubicle job, you go outside for a walk, and then stop to pet every dog you see. You might even share part of your tuna sandwich with the cat winding itself around your ankles. If that’s you, then maybe it’s time to re-think your career options. Maybe it’s time to become a professional pet sitter, start an eCommerce site for pet products, or learn dog grooming with an eye toward having your own pet salon. Sounds great, right? You get to be your own boss and spend time with as many animals as you want. It’s a win-win. To help you get an idea of how to bring this to life, we’ve put together the following tips.
Pet Sitter
Pet sitting is a lot more than hanging out at someone’s house sharing popcorn with their English bulldog. As a pet sitter, you’ll be expected to understand and anticipate behaviors, render emergency first aid, and be fit enough to take long walks if that’s a requirement for a particular sit. Some of your clients will expect you to prepare their pet’s food, groom them, and reinforce obedience training.
Dog Groomer
Dog groomers bathe, shave and cut, clip nails, clean ears, express anal glands, recognize skin conditions, and make recommendations for care. Though formal training is not required, it will be helpful to at least apprentice with a groomer before pursuing a career as a professional dog groomer. Having the physical strength to handle large dogs, as well as having a calm, soothing nature, along with a good rapport with both animals and clients, are essential to having success in the business. The income for a dog groomer can vary widely from $14,000 to $87,000 annually.
Selling Pet Products
You may be handy at making toys, food, clothes, bedding, or even pet-related items for pet owners, and want to sell them locally and/or online. Or perhaps you want to resell products you’ve acquired from other sources. According to The American Pet Product Association, pet owners spent a whopping 103.6 billion dollars on their pets in the year 2020. And those numbers have been growing year by year, which is an encouraging sign for anyone who wants to be a part of this business. Finding a niche instead of trying to sell all things to all pet owners will be a better strategy for success. Do some market research for your area coupled with your passion, and lean into that.
Dog Walking
If you choose dog walking, it’s important to find a way to help set yourself apart from other dog walkers. Instead of taking the pets around the block, offer to take them on “adventures,” to places like dog parks, dog-friendly stores, cafes, or dog beaches. You’ll be spending a lot more of your time with them, but that will be offset by setting a price that makes it worth your while by being practical to the client. Don’t depend on your clients to have all the accessories you’ll need either. Having your own that you’re comfortable with and that you’re confident in using is a wise investment.
The Business End
Once you’ve made the decision to turn a pet-related side gig into a full-fledged career, you’ll need to understand how to turn it into a money-making business. This starts with designating a business structure. The most common choice is an LLC, which provides asset protection as well as tax perks. You’ll also want to focus on creating a memorable name and logo. The logo portion will be the easiest part, especially if you rely on a free online tool that allows you to make a logo quickly thanks to the help of a library of templates, fonts and images. Your marketing efforts may be best kept to referrals and social media in the beginning, so don’t underestimate the power of compelling Instagram posts and stories to generate customer interest. Accounting will be the final piece of the puzzle. If you’re not a whiz with numbers, that’s okay! An easy-to-use accounting tool that’s chockablock full of features like expense tracking, invoicing, tax organization and bill management will be a star asset in helping you stay in the black.
Pet care and pet products are growth industries, and they continue to be despite ups and downs in the economy. Your decision to enter the world of pet-related business is backed up by statistics, but it’s important to do your homework and start slowly. And, like obedience training yourself, get into good business habits and practices. With all that, it can be a tail-wagging fun career you’ll be glad you pursued.
Author: Aurora James
Photo by Pexels
Big Announce! New NFTs Art from Sandov’s English Bulldog
Hi everyone, we are very excited to announce our New NFTs Sandov’s English Bulldog Collections! We would like to invite all of you to enjoy this experience with us; our collection is from our past puppies transformed into cartoons. Our goal is to donate 7% to animal shelters and 7% to St Jude Hospital with the profits we get from this project. We would also love to create a great community with you guys and continue to create new collections and ideas for our community.
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English and French Bulldogs
