Getting Started with building your Dog Walking Business
This is the page for you if you are new to the world of Pet Services as a business! It contains all the essentials you need to know to get you up to speed and start your own Dog Walking Business with confidence!
What is a Dog Walking Business?
A Dog Walking Business is your own ‘service’ based company, and just like any other business, one of the goals of a dog walking business is make money. In this type of business you trade your time for money (in much the same way as a Plumber, Personal Trainer etc.). However you can leverage the ways you make money through your business in a couple of different ways: 1) You can expand your business by taking on more staff, or further on down the line franchising your successful business model, or 2) You can can expand your services, by offering further services to your client base such as Doggie Day Care, Obedience Training etc.
The most important thing about setting up a successful Dog Walking Business is, of course, you have got to really like dogs!
Dog Walking Business Model
In the video below we demonstrate exactly what a Dog Walking Business model looks like. This is the foundation on which to build your successful and profitable business. The Dog Walker HQ seeks to help all budding Dog Walking Business entrepreneurs through the hints, tips and strategies on this site.
What a Dog Walking Business is Not
Let’s set some realistic expectations when setting up a Dog Walking Business.
Setting up and running a Dog Walking Business is not easy and does require hard work.
Nothing in life is free, and setting up your own business is no different. Although on the outside it seems like setting up a Dog Walking Business is easy. We have often heard people say ‘Well it can’t be that difficult, you take a few dogs for a walk and people pay you for it!’. If it really were that simple everyone would be doing it (unless of course they don’t like dogs!). Like all businesses, your business needs great marketing, good customer relations (with humans and canines), positive cashflow, and the tenacity to see things through. Most of all you will need to take action to make it happen. Dog Walker HQ can help, but at the end of the day it’s you that has to make it happen.
Your Business will not happen overnight
Your Dog Walking Business will not happen overnight. Like all businesses it will grow through the relationships you build with your customers. The best type of advertising for your business (and for most types of business) will be ‘word of mouth’. That takes time – time to build up your contacts and time to build up your reputation for reliability and trust.
Building a Dog Walking Business is absolutely possible
The world’s economies have took a battering over the last few years, and I think most people agree that a ‘job for life’ is a distant dream that has gone forever. The option of working for yourself, being your own boss is an idea that is no longer a dusty dream that will never happen. For some, who are willing to go the distance it is the viable option.
A dog walking business is not for everyone, but if you love dogs, the outdoors and the idea of being your own boss then it has a great deal going for it. The pet care industry is a massive growing market in the western world. According to Companies and Markets.Com the Global Pet Care ‘industry has been forecast to reach a value of $97 billion by 2014, with domestic pets increasingly becoming members of the family and, as is such, pet owners are spending more and more on pet care’ (source:Yahoo Finance News article). So if you you want to make your own decisions about how you make your money and spend your time then building a dog walking business could be for you.
The Dog Walker HQ Blogs
Throughout the Dog Walker HQ website you will find article/blogs to help you set up, maintain and grow your successful dog walking business:
Here are a couple of articles you might want to start with, but remember new articles are posted all the time so add Dog Walker HQ to your favourites.
Finally…
We just wanted to say, the Dog Walker HQ website has been designed to help you not only launch your Dog Walking Business but to help you build it. So, please, let us know what you would like to see on DWHQ and we will do our best to help.
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Hi. Just starting up. Facebook appears very erratic with likes. Whats the best way to get free advertising . Having trouble reaching customers.
Hi Victoria, apologies for the delayed reply. Obviously, you are kind of limited to online stuff due to the quarantine measures in place at the moment, I see you have FB page for your business separate to your personal page, this is a good idea – so you can show your professional side without it all getting mixed up with family and friends stuff, also will be a place were clients can leave reviews (which will be key to your business) and you can post special offers and videos from your walks (I’m sure you are already doing this). I couldn’t find a website for your business, but that is also a good idea and basically tells everyone you are serious, if you have the skills you could put one together yourself, if not I’ll be posting a new website service on the Dog Walker HQ website in a few days time which might be of interest. When you are allowed out, get into the local vets and pet shops, make friends and ask them to display your leaflets. Also get a T-shirt printed with your logo and contact details on for when you are out on walks, you’d be surprised how much interest that gets. Hope this help, stay safe – Steve