How to Make Money Walking Dogs
Do you have a love for animals? Do you want to make some extra money while getting some exercise?
Well, then starting a dog walking business may be the perfect home-based business for you! Not only is this a great part-time venture; it could also grow into something much more lucrative if pursued properly.
Dog-Walking Industry
First lets take a look at the pet industry as a whole. According to this article, the pet industry doubled from 1994 to 2004! According to the numbers in the article, pet owners spent over $34 Billion on their pets! All of the more recent data show that this trend is continuing. Pet owners are spending more and more on their pets each year. So, overall the market for pet businesses is strong, vibrant, and growing. A perfect match for anyone looking to get into the pet industry.
Dog Walking Competition
What sort of competition is their in the dog walking industry? Well, there is a lot since walking dogs requires very little skill and is not expensive to do (costs nothing). The alternatives to hiring a dog walker are to obviously do it yourself, have a neighbor do it, or hire the 15 year old boy around the corner to do it. So, the competition is indeed pretty heavy. However, if you choose your target market properly you CAN indeed find customers ready and willing to pay.
Choosing a Target Market
In order to choose a target market for your dog walking business, first think, “Who would pay money to have their dogs walked?” The answer to that question could be that they don’t have time, they cannot physically do so, they don’t want to, or they just need the convenience of having someone else do it. The answers here give us a few different potential targets.
1. Those without time could be:
- Busy working professionals
- Self-employed individuals
- Families with 2 working parents
- Stay at home moms who need to watch kids
2. Those who cannot physically do it:
- Elderly
- People that are sick temporarily
- People who are out of town for a period of time
3. Those that don’t want to
4. Those that need convenience
There could certainly be more categories in this target market analysis; however, its important to focus on who your customer will be.
Price
So, how much will you charge to walk dogs? This depends on who your target market is and where you want to position yourself in relation to your competitors. Do you want to be the cheap dog walker? Or do you want to project high quality dog walking and charge a higher price? If your target is the busy working professional you should probably charge a higher price because they are more likely to seek out reliable and quality dog walking. Its important to price competitively. You can contact local dog walkers and ask how much they charge for their services. You will be able to position yourself accordingly.
Marketing for a Dog Walking Business
Marketing for a dog walking business is very simple and requires very little investment. Word of mouth is the most important. Tell everyone you know that you are starting a dog walking business and you are sure to find some sales. Other marketing methods:
- Place fliers door-to-door
- Hand out business cards (especially to people walking dogs)
- Advertise at pet shops
- Networking at dog parks
- Newspaper ads
The dog walking business is not difficult to get into, you just need to love dogs, exercise, and a little extra cash. To grow your income in this business, think about offering dog-sitting services, or even dog-training (if you have any expertise here). Once you establish a network and referral system, you can start to hire employees to walk the dogs for you, and you can focus all your energy on growing the business.
So, go out and walk some dogs!
(Here is a Dog Walking Book that goes into much more detail):
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