Owners of pampered pooches prefer doggie day care.
With the busy lives most people lead, pets are left at home for up to 12 hours per day. The pet gets lonely and bored and starts to damage the house and belongings by chewing. Dogs may bark for long period of time, annoying neighbors. Cats may start urinating to mark the house or use their claws to shred the sofa. Starting an animal day care business provides a place for these animals to be cared for, and it earns you money as well.
Instructions
1. Check with your city's zoning office to see if it's permissible to have an animal day care business in your home or if you'll need to lease space. If you lease space, it must have some access to the outside for pets to relieve themselves and space for them to play.
2. Set up your business as a legal entity. Depending on your circumstances, you may want a sole proprietorship, Limited Liability Corporation, S Corporation, C Corporation or a partnership. An attorney and accountant can advise you on the best one.
3. Obtain the necessary licensing and registration. You'll need a business license and may need a resale license to collect sales tax. Register the business with your state's secretary of state or corporation commission office. Apply for an EIN, or Employer Identification Number, with the IRS. Contact the health department to see if there are any restrictions on handling and disposing of pet waste.
4. Create separate areas for large dogs, small dogs and cats. You may need a few crates for shy dogs to get used to your day care facility. Block the area for cats visually from the dogs. Stock it with a few cat trees for them to climb and hiding places. Obtain the required equipment to clean the facility, toys, blankets and bathing equipment. You might not plan on giving baths, but dogs get messy.
5. Set up a website for the business. You may think that it's not necessary because your customers are obviously pet owners in a limited geographic area. However, Pew says that in 2009, from 70 percent to 93 percent of adults, depending on age, use the Internet. If you don't have a website, you may miss those customers. Take photographs of where the pets will stay. If possible, photograph pets in those areas -- use your own pets or borrow a few.
6. Create a brochure that outlines why your pet care business answers a need that your competitors don't. It might be that pets in your facility are allowed to roam free and not stay in cages or that every pet gets individual playtime.
7. Communicate with potential clients through press releases, word-of-mouth, your website and advertising that your pet care facility is open. Leave fliers in pet stores, pet grooming facilities and veterinary offices.
Tags: care business, your care, animal care, animal care business, care facility