A
Passion for Pets
Although there's
currently a battle brewing over whether they should be called pet owners
or pet guardians, there's no quarrel about the fact that we are a nation
of animal lovers. More than 31 million households in the U.S. own one
or more dogs (the average is 1.7); 27 million homes have at least one
cat in residence; birds are caged in 4.6 million homes. Exotic animals
make up a smaller percentage of pets owned, but reptiles and amphibians
have their devoted fans, too. Of course, this isn't just an American passion.
Canadians and many Europeans are also devoted animal caretakers.
All this creature
devotion has spawned a huge market for products and services that help
care for (and pamper) Fido and Fluffy. Just a decade ago, Americans spent
$17 billion a year on pet products and services. This year pet purchases
are expected to rise to $31 billion.
If you adore
animals in general (as opposed to your own pets, whom you believe to be
full family members), a pet-based profit center could be a lovely fit
for you.
Pet-related
businesses usually fall into one of two broad categories: products and
services for animals or products and services for animal owners. If your
intention is to spend as much time as possible with animals, you'll easily
chose the former. If you enjoy sharing your passion for a particular breed
or kind of pet with others who are equally enamored, you might find your
niche with a product that is more people-oriented.
Pet
services. You don't have to enroll in a veterinary college to
have a business that caters to animals. Pet sitting, training, grooming
and breeding are old stand-bys that are all relatively easy to start and
ensure optimum contact with animals.
In this busy
world of ours, there's a growing need for professional pet watchers to
keep animals fed and exercised when their owners are away. When Linda
Leamer, a longtime cat lover, began creating profit centers, the idea
of caring for cats was a natural. She began by advertising in a local
paper and her business has continued to grow ever since. Referrals from
veterinarians also have expanded her client base. While she admits there
was a bit of trial and error in the beginning, she was clear from the
start about the geographic limitations of her service, as well as the
options offered. Today, she has one part-time assistant and plans to make
sitting her retirement business.
Another variation
of this — a particularly good opportunity for city dwellers —
is dog walking. Professional dog walkers, who earn more money than you
might imagine, build a regular clientele of dogs that they handle every
day. It's a little bit like servicing a route, with a built-in exercise
bonus for the dog walker.
Pet boarding
services and the newly fashionable pet daycare centers require more commitment
of time and financial resources, but have great potential as profitable
endeavors. An excellent manual for starting a sitting business is Patti
J. Moran's
Pet
Sitting for Profit (IDG Books Worldwide, $17.95).
Pet grooming
businesses also seem to flourish everywhere. Many people simply begin
advertising without any training whatsoever, although the
National
Dog Groomers Association of America is trying to change that. Technical
colleges often have short courses in grooming and other national programs
are also available. Publications such as Dog Fancy magazine have
numerous listings for programs located throughout the country.
Training is
another huge area of business. Dog and horse trainers, especially, are
in demand. A few trainers specialize in training guide dogs for the blind
or hearing impaired. Here in Minnesota, we have a business that trains
unusual and exotic animals for television commercials — a unique
service. Programs that train the trainer exist throughout the country,
but before signing on, you need to thoroughly investigate the methods
taught by a prospective program. An additional profit center in the animal
training field is the do-it-yourself training video, always popular with
new pet owners.
Pet
products. As anyone knows who has set foot in a pet superstore,
there's a dazzling array of merchandise available to make life comfortable
for a beloved pet. Small business owners can often create their own niche
by producing a product that's unique and then marketing it in an equally
specialized way. Handmade coats and sweaters for pets living in cold climates
have long been hot items (that pun is purely accidental) and there's always
a market for cute, colorful or utilitarian outdoor gear.
With the growing
interest in nutrition, pet owners are often eager to feed their animals
the healthiest possible food. Many local cat and dog treat bakeries have
sprung up around the country to provide healthy alternatives. One such
business was started by Anne Abrams, owner of Treatoria Food Company,
which produces specialty food and treats. After moving to Seattle, several
things happened that led to the creation of this business. She found,
she says, that as a newcomer she was meeting the most people on her nightly
dog walks at the park. She also had become interested in naturopathy and
had changed her diet to reflect that. When she began feeding her own pets
a naturopathic diet, she noticed positive changes and decided to produce
fresh foods for other pet owners lacking the time or inclination to cook
for their pets. Originally, her products were sold through her retail
outlet, but today the focus is on wholesaling.
Products
for petlovers. Another area of opportunity awaits in creating
and marketing products aimed at the pet lover, not the pet.
A big category
here is information packaging. Instructional books and magazines help
pet owners do a better job of caring for their adopted animals. Much of
the information is general, but niche publications also find an audience.
One such publication is Wendy Ballard's
DogGone
newsletter, which highlights pet-friendly destinations across the U.S.
plus offers tips for people who vacation with their dogs.
Then there's
Petoria's Secret, the brainchild of best friends Patti Pigeon and Maria
Rizzuto. The women met while in a training class for their Newfoundlands.
This led to the idea of marketing products to dog lovers that were more
creative than the T-shirts with breeds stamped on them that were the usual
offering at dog shows. Five years later, the business, which was started
on a shoestring, had grown to include a mail-order catalog plus a garage-turned-doggie-boutique
in Patti's Golden, Colorado home. Much of their business comes from selling
their wares at dog shows. In addition to clothing and jewelry, they have
some home furnishing with a dog theme in their repertoire as well. Big
sellers include a polar fleece jacket with comical dog and dog-bone appliqués
and dog-bone earrings. All products must meet their stringent criteria
for being whimsical.
Over the years,
I have interviewed hundreds of people about their businesses, but I have
never encountered the level of passion that I found in talking to people
who have pet-related enterprises. Not only do they love animals, they
all sounded almost giddy in talking about sharing that love through their
business and having the opportunity to work with others who share their
passion for pets.
There's
more where this came from.
Order Winning Ways now!
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