A dog day care will provide income from doing a job you love.
To start a dog day care business, you will need certain qualifications and abilities. You will also need to follow professional practices to ensure that your business adheres to the standards required by law. Careful planning makes the difference between being merely self-employed and being a successful entrepreneur. If you are a lover of dogs and want to work with them all day, and can deal with the fixed daily routines of a day care, this may be the business opportunity for you.
Instructions
1. Choose whether your business will be home-based or whether you need a business location. Your facility needs depend on the services you plan to offer. If you decide on business premises, look for a venue that has business rights and make sure you can have dogs there.
2. Plan the services to offer. Some dog day care operations offer supervised play time, walks and rest periods, while others also offer options such as grooming, training or special therapy for medical conditions. This will help you identify the facilities you need, such as an enclosed yard, a separate potty section, kennels for time-out or resting and grooming facilities if that is an option.
3. Calculate the start-up funds you need to pay the security deposit on the premises and purchase the equipment. Include in your calculations the first three months' salaries for your staff, and the initial cost of marketing, such as the development of a website and printing of flyers. Decide whether you will use your savings as starting capital or borrow the money.
4. Work out your budget for daily operation of the day care. This should include the rental and utilities of the premises, the cost of staff salaries and ongoing marketing and advertising. Calculate the prices that you can charge based on the cost of similar services in the area, and work out a business plan to identify how many dogs you need each day to cover these.
5. Register your day care and obtain the license you need, as well as business and public liability insurance. Rent the premises and purchase the equipment. Recruit and appoint your staff, and make sure they are capable and trained in the tasks that you require them to do, as well as bonded.
6. Set up your website and social media presence. Include a list of your prices, contact information and an online reservation option. Enable video streaming of the facility to social media, so that the clients that join your Facebook page can see real-time views of their dogs while they are with you.
7. Launch your new day care with an "open house" event. Invite potential clients in the area through flyers, word of mouth and social media. Allow them to walk through the facilities and to talk with you and your staff about the team's qualifications and the services offered, so they can be reassured that their dogs are in the best hands.
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