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Do you have a passion for animals? Are you looking for business ideas that are financially and emotionally rewarding? If you answered yes to both questions, you’ll be pleased to know that there’s money to be made in the pet industry – and a lot of it.
According to the American Pet Products Association, 70% of American households owns at least one pet. In 2021 alone, Americans spent more than $123 billion on their pets. That’s more than $103 billion in 2020. Why not grab a piece of this pie?
Let’s take a look at five of the best ways you can make money in the pet industry.
Related: 6 reasons why you can’t go wrong with the pet industry
Contents
1. Pet sitting
I put pet sitting at the very top of the list because there is a universal need for it and it’s a flexible business model. Taking care of other people’s fur babies in their homes while they’re away gives you a lot of control over how much you work and when – and it’s pretty easy to get started:
- Decide where you want to offer your services. Do you only work within a radius of 10 kilometers from your home or are you willing to drive further?
- Acquire any local permits and licenses. You can do this by contacting your local corporate licensing offices.
- Buy liability insurance that covers both you and the animals should anything happen while they are in your care.
- Decide what type of payments you accept from customers.
- Choose a unique name for your business that people can easily remember. Be sure to search the web to make sure that name isn’t already being used in your area.
- Create a business website that lists the services you offer and your rates. There are plenty of low-cost website building platforms that can help you build a great looking site in minutes.
- Market your new business! Flyers, business cards, and social media are some great channels to use.
Once you land those first clients, ask them to leave positive feedback for you on your website so that potential clients feel good about hiring you.
Related: ‘Man’s Best Friend’ – and Investments: The Booming Industry of Pet-Related Franchises
2. Dog training
Living with a dog can be a joyful experience. Unless, of course, that dog develops some frustrating behavior problems like pulling on walks, barking at neighbors, and chewing on furniture. That’s where dog trainers come in.
A career as a dog trainer is very rewarding. First, you get to spend your days surrounded by dogs! And second, you can help people have a better relationship with their pups.
As with the pet sitting business model, there is some flexibility here. You can run your own training facility and offer group classes, or you can visit clients’ homes and offer one-on-one training.
Becoming a dog trainer requires training and gaining some experience before offering your services to clients. The Certification Board for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT) is a great resource to check out for information on getting trained and certified.
After you’ve taken the right courses, it’s time to get hands-on experience. Ask your friends and family if you can work with their dogs. You can also volunteer at some local shelters in your area. When you feel comfortable and ready, you can begin marketing your services to paying customers.
Related: How I Did It: Getting Started in the Pet Industry
3. Pet Insurance Referrals
To further grow their customer base and ultimately, most businesses rely heavily on generating a steady stream of leads. Sectors such as mortgages, insurance and loans in particular have a huge demand for quality leads. Because of this, they are willing to pay top dollar to acquire new customers.
Now add to this the fact that more and more pet parents are adopting the benefits of pet insurance and you start to see the potential. By creating a lead generation website, you can introduce pet parents to one or more of the many pet insurance companies in the country. Your website collects the contact information of potential customers and then sells that information to insurance companies. If you take the time to develop your website and get it to rank for key search terms, it can be a very profitable business model.
To build a successful site, you want to make sure you develop lots of valuable content for readers. You can write content about pet insurance benefits, as well as pet health and wellness topics. A quick search on YouTube or Google for the key components of a successful lead generation website should provide enough advice and guidance to get you started.
Related: More ways for dog and cat lovers to make money
4. Massage therapy for pets
For many people, pets are part of the family and as such they deserve their fair share of pampering and pampering. Pet massage is a niche market that has grown tremendously in recent years. Some of these companies also offer acupuncture and hydrotherapy, as many pet parents are looking for ways to help their pets live healthier and longer lives.
It is important to do some research to see if there is a market in your area for pet massage. Talk to vets, vet techs, shelter staff, dog walkers, and dog parents to see if people in your area are willing to spend money on such a service. If the consensus is that yes, people would pay, just crunch some numbers to determine if you can make enough each month.
Next, look for a holistic animal health school near you that offers pet massage training. Once you’ve completed your training and obtained any certifications or permits you may need, it’s time to create your website and market your services.
Related: How To Use Your Current Career As A Springboard To Do What You Love
5. Animal Blogger
If you have pets, a lot of knowledge about those pets and a knack for writing, then starting a pet blog can be a great business idea. One of the best things about owning a blogging business is that you can do it anywhere. You just need a laptop, an internet connection and love for animals.
Bloggers who consistently write great content and create an enthusiastic following typically earn affiliate income by endorsing products and providing readers with a link to make a purchase. Once readers make a purchase, bloggers receive a small percentage of the sale. Bloggers can also monetize their content with advertising and sponsored content opportunities.
While blogging can be a lucrative business, the money doesn’t come overnight. In fact, forget about the money in the beginning. Your main goal is to create great content that is informative and useful to the reader.
But what should you write about?
It’s a good idea to choose a specific niche. For example, writing a blog about pets in general is kind of… well, general. Better to go down and find that niche where you can be successful. For example, you could focus on writing about cats, rabbits, fish, or pocket animals like gerbils. You can also target a specific breed. Instead of a blog about dogs, you could create an authority site about Great Danes, German Shepherds, or whatever breed of dog you love and have experience with.
Take the time to develop your site and fill it with tons of great content around your specific topic. Once you get some traffic to your site, you can start monetizing that traffic. You can use affiliate links to highlight a particular pet bed, pet toy, or other item that matches the blog post you wrote. There’s an almost limitless supply of pet affiliate programs out there – just do a Google search and you’re sure to find plenty of companies to partner with.
As you can see, all it takes is a love of pets and some great business ideas, and the legopportunities for a steady income are endless.
Janice has been with businesskinda for 5 years, writing copy for client websites, blog posts, EDMs and other mediums to engage readers and encourage action. By collaborating with clients, our SEO manager and the wider businesskinda team, Janice seeks to understand an audience before creating memorable, persuasive copy.