Before you even start considering such a quest, you need to think about whether owning a pet business is profitable or not. Generally, this is like any other business; with its ups and down. Therefore, market research is necessary before you invest your hard-earned money.
But we have some good news for you. In the last couple of years, Google Trends indicates that the “pet store” search has increased significantly and keeps growing. Based on some estimates, US pet owners in 2020 spent around $103 billion on their furry companions.
Obviously, there is a market and interest in a pet niche, but can you make a profit? Pet businesses come in all forms, and after carefully reviewing the market, you could invest your money in the following business ideas.
Pet sitting
If you love being around animals and making friends with them while serving your local community, launching a pet sitting business can be an excellent way to enter this industry. Considering nearly 70% of US households have pets, you’ll never lack customers.
So instead of leaving their animals in expensive pet hotels, they could hire you. Consider what type of pet sitting service you would provide. For example, will you only care for dogs, or will you extend your service to birds, snakes, cats, and other animals?
Training
Many pet parents are struggling to keep their animals well-behaved and they often use dog treats to keep them under control. Luckily, you can train animals of all ages. For example, new dog owners will particularly benefit from this service. Others may have adopted an older dog with behavioral issues.
Whatever the reason, this career path offers plenty of opportunities and different types of clients. If you are patient enough, have good communication skills, and know how to deal with dogs of all tempers, starting your dog training business can be great.
Pet daycare
In some way, pet daycare is similar to pet sitting but has several important differences. When you are pet sitting, you are taking care of one animal, but when you are babysitting, more than one animal is involved. You are basically babysitting multiple animals for multiple clients at the same time.
If you are great at multitasking, know how to keep these animals occupied, and would love to surround yourself with cats and dogs, this is most certainly the right business idea for you.
However, if you haven’t previous experience watching over a handful of animals, start with the pet sitting business first.
Pet food
If you feel you can offer a product instead of a service and are passionate about what goes into pets’ bodies, maybe you should consider creating pet food. Before you even start, you should know that this is a highly competitive market, and you will need to niche down.
You could develop food for particular breeds and types of animals and even consider their dietary requirements. However, manufacturing pet food requires a lot of money, and you will need all those licenses and permits, but eventually, it pays off.
Also, probiotics for dogs could be something to consider, since many pet owners are willing to include supplements to their animal’s diet.
Animal writer
You don’t need to have a product or service to offer to enter the pet business. You could simply start writing about animals. Launch your own blog or lend your writing skills to other businesses. Freelance writing is very popular at the moment, and it can be a great way to make a decent income.
You can set your own rates; the more your work is published, the more clients you can secure. On the other hand, if you start your own blog, it would be best to pair it with another service.
Pet store
Even though there are various mega chains out there, many pet parents perfect shopping for pet essentials in stores close to their homes. However, opening a pet store requires a lot of money. After all, you need to find a location and then stock it up with products.
But, if the demand for pet products is high where you live, then this business idea will definitely pay itself off. It would be wise to test the market to see what people in your neighborhood like to shop for.
Pet photography
If you are good with a camera, like to take photos, and know how to work with different editing tools, then pet photography is something you might find interesting. Nowadays, there are so many Instagram and Facebook animal pages and many people are concerned about how their pets appear online.
You could also focus on making animal portraits, pet portraits for special occasions, holiday-themed photoshoots, and many others.
We hope these ideas will help you start your business in the pet care industry. While some are more challenging, others need only a bit of time and persistence to succeed.
About the Author:
Keith Coppersmith is a business and marketing expert who has experienced both the rise and fall of many businesses. As a regular contributor at BizzmarkBlog, he enjoys writing and providing insight of the industry based on both practice and theory.
