Title: Start a Dog Walking Business – Where to Begin?
Are you looking to Start a dog walking business of your own and transform your passion into a profession? If you’ve decided to go down this path with your career, then it is important that you do it the right way and we are here to help you in this new venture.
1. Research Properly It is important that you have proper knowledge about the industry and your competition. Your competition will already have their regular customers and you will have to figure out how you will be attracting new clients because this industry is highly influenced by word of mouth. Also, calculate the initial costs that you would have to incur and the revenue that you are aiming to generate. Make sure that your goals are feasible. 2. Decide Your Offer Will you only be walking dogs or are you also going to offer extra services like sitting or boarding a dog when the owner is away? Are there any particular times or hours during which you will be walking or are you always available? Will you be comfortable sitting or taking care of other small animals along with dogs too? Define the services that you will be offering clearly. It is very important that you are specific about what you want to do before you set up your business. 3. Set Up a Price How much will you be charging your customers for all the services that you are providing? You need to set an hourly price for dog walks or a daily price for boarding and day care (if you are planning to offer these services). You can think about special packages that you can offer to households that have two dogs whom you will be walking.
Also, it is a good idea to reward your loyal customers. Maybe, you can offer them a recued price if they hire you for five walks a week or if they refer you to somebody else. 4. Get Insurance Like any other new business, it is imperative that you get yourself covered for the uncertainties that might occur. When starting a pet walking business, you need to ensure that you have insurance and a criminal record check. However, if you are planning to offer dog boarding services, then you should have a home boarding license too. 5. Strategize Marketing Plan You will have to sell yourself as a business and your skills in order to attract new clients to you’re your services and you can do that both online and offline. Start with establishing your online presence through social media or you can have your flyers distributed to the local pet stores and vets where your target audience will be visiting often. However, if you feel that you do not have the resources to market yourself or perform any of the above activities then just register with NarpsUK and they will provide you a platform where you can start a dog walking business and get customers directly, along with offering your assistance at each step of your venture.