I love a good Pet Business Plan!
And I credit much of the success of our Nationally Franchised, Award Winning Pet Sitting & Dog Walking Business over the past 12 years to effective Business Planning.
How to Write a Pet Sitting/Dog Walking Business Plan to create a successful business
#1. Begin With the End in Mind!
There’s so much to think about and so many ways to build a Pet Sitting business! And it can be easy to get distracted by all the things and end up chasing your tail (excuse the pun!) but not getting where you want to be.
And so your first step is to identify where you’re going!
- What sort of Pet Sitting/Dog Walking Business do you want?
- Is it just you or will you be hiring?
- Are you staying local or going national? You can have big ambitions even if you’re starting small!
- Individual or group walks?
You get the picture! It’s your business. You get to decide what it will be like and it’s important to start out clear with that.
#2. Money Money Money Money!
The lifeblood of your business!
With a Pt Sitting/Dog Walking business, it’s not ALL about the money. It’s about spending your time doing what you love and supporting other pet owners with their pets.
But without the money and a healthy cashflow, you simply won’t be able to keep going.
When you’re starting out, it can be tempting to compete on price. But it’s very hard to sustain. Instead, be realistic about how much you need to earn to pay yourself and grow the business you outlined in step 1.
Set your prices and your bookings targets accordingly and keep track regularly.
You’ll soon be hitting your targets.
#3. Marketing
You need to get the word out and a marketing plan is essential.
It doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does have to be consistent to hit the numbers from Step 2.
Blogging and Social Media offer amazing free opportunities to market you Pet Business to your exact ideal clients in the precise area(s) you want to work.
Check out my Pet Sitting and Dog Walking Marketing Planner – I’ve done this part for you!
#4. Market Research
You don’t have to go crazy with this, but look into how may Pet Owners there are in your area.
You could do a survey through your social media to find out what % use Pet Sitters/Dog Walkers.
Don’t be discouraged to find people are already using existing Pet Sitters/Dog Walkers – it’s proof there’s a need for your service.
You can look into the competition and find out what they are offering.
An even more powerful way to find out what customers want is to ASK THEM!
Pay more attention to your customers than your competition!
And as a bonus, asking questions is a great way to get engagement and build community and reach on your social media.
#5. Regular Review
So many people write a business plan then completely forget about it and end up doing all the things and chasing their tails again!
Schedule time each month to review your plan, see if you’re on track and tweak it until you’re getting the results you want.
Social media, the market place and the world in general are constantly changing, but with an effective Business Plan that you review regularly, you’ll establish thriving Pet Sitters/Dog Walking business quickly and sustain it long term.
My Membership for Pet Sitting & Dog Walking Businesses is a great place to get help with all things Pet Business Related including a Business Plan!
