Why should you set up a dog sitting pet franchise?
Are you a dog lover? Fancy spending all day with man’s best friend? Running a pet franchise could be the dream venture for you. Many people fantasise about turning their passion into profit, but few actually turn this dream into a reality. If you are looking to leave an office environment and spend time with animals every day, pet franchises can be a very lucrative investment – not to mention lots of fun! There are several options for running a pet franchise business, including pet grooming and dog walking. However, if you want to make money spending all day (and even overnight) with canine companions, setting up a dog sitting franchise is the perfect option for you. In this post, we look at why you might want to set up a dog sitting pet franchise, what challenges you might face and what it takes to becomes a successful dog sitting pet franchise owner.
How popular is the dog sitting market?
Dog owners make up a massive demographic, in fact, more than a quarter of all adults are dog owners. With around 90% of these owners utilising professional pet services when they go away on holiday. However, many of these dog owners feel guilty when leaving their dog behind, and the care offered by the business they choose is a priority. Increasingly, dog owners are looking for alternatives to traditional kennels that house many dogs. Owners want to be sure their best friend receives the level of attention and care they are used to at home, and so a smaller pet sitting franchise offers an attractive alternative for them. As a result, there is plenty of room in the sector to start a profitable dog sitting pet franchise, and there are many franchise opportunities to take advantage of.
What is it like to run a dog sitting pet franchise?
While you may have dreams of playing fetch, giving out treats and taking leisurely strolls in your local park, there is a lot of work involved in running a dog sitting business. Your priority will be ensuring that your business is profitable, marketed effectively, and well received by your customers and potential customers. A big part of keeping on top of things is, unfortunately, paperwork.
As a franchisee, you will need to be sure you fully understand and comply with all of the elements of the franchise agreement.
To ensure you are operating in line with best practice, you will need to keep up-to-date with laws and regulations around caring for animals. After all, you are looking after a very important part of another person’s life. You don’t technically require any qualifications to run a dog sitting business, but you may find it useful to take some courses and learn more about the job. As well as giving you more confidence, having qualifications may also put your customers’ minds at ease, and provide you with more credibility in their eyes.
In addition to all of this, you will need to build a relationship with your customers and potential customers. It might go without saying, you will also genuinely need to care for dogs. Buying high-quality food and treats, pet-safe toys and the equipment is needed to keep the dogs safe. You may also need to wash the dogs too, depending on how messy your walks get!
Why start a dog sitting pet franchise?
The dog sitting business is highly flexible. If you are looking to escape the 9-5, you will find dog sitting a walk in the park. You can look after the dogs in your own home, meaning you won’t have to find premises or operate ‘opening hours’. This will allow you to maximise your profits too. The flip side to this is that being a dog sitter means working evenings and weekends. However, this can be easily built into your schedule, and even allow you a better work-life balance.
Of course, spending all day with dogs is a huge plus point for many. If you don’t like dogs, perhaps this is not the franchise for you.
What are the challenges of starting a dog sitting pet franchise?
A lot of the work in dog sitting is seasonal, with most people taking their holidays in the summer months. Business may quiet down in the winter, but this can be positive for many if your finances are planned correctly. Having a seasonal type franchise can allow you to focus on other projects in the off-season and this is a huge positive for many people.
Ready to start your own dog sitting pet franchise? Browse all of our opportunities here on Franchise UK
If you are ready to spend all day with man’s best friend, we can help you find the right franchise opportunity for you. Check out the pet franchise opportunities for sale in the UK.