How Can College Students Create A Successful Dog Walking Company

 

 

Many students don’t get the option of getting paid while they work hard to get a degree. In fact, it’s a tough ask to have a full-time job and study at the same time. But there’s an option to have a side gig—something you can do in your free time or set aside just enough time to do it. There are many side gigs you can do. We’ll not talk about them all here today. But we’ll talk about dog-walking as a way to earn some money during college. If you have a passion for dogs, read on. This should be exciting.

You’ll need these skills

You’ve probably heard this a million times every time you’ve inquired about starting a business; it’s not a walk in the park! Even though dog walking involves walking a dog, and probably in a park, there are traits you’ll need to have. Before you even think of registering your dog walking business, make sure these traits are part of who you are;

• Dependability
• Always willing to learn, and
• An unwavering love for dogs

Find a business name

You already have a passion for walking dogs so this shouldn’t be a tough huddle to go over. If it is (it happens to the best), think of a name that will impress your potential clients. Don’t think too big at first. Play around with names based on what you are going to do. You can choose names like “Lovely Paws” or “All Paws.” Make sure the name is catchy and playful. Also, try and make it flexible in case you need to add more services in the future.

Think of what the company setup will be

This is another thing that will make you scratch your head even more. However, there are many articles online that offer real advice on how to structure your small business. You can also find a business advisor and get insight from them. There’s no right or wrong answer here. However, you’ll benefit from reading about other dog walking companies.

Find out what the market looks like

Do your due diligence to figure out what the market looks like. Run a quick Google search and find out who your competitors are. Also, find out what neighborhoods are safe to walk the dogs in and who might be your potential clients. Find local dog walking companies, meet with dog owners and talk to them, and ask pet groomers for any advice you may need.

Now, this will need you to spare a lot of time to do it. Remember, you still have homework and essays to write. You have nothing to worry about, you can turn to online writers for help and buy cheap research papers to finish some of those school assignments. Make sure you pick the right online service with many good writers. You will then be free to go to all the places mentioned above and figure out what the market looks like.

Price your services based on your business structure

After learning how the market looks, it’s time to act on that information and determine how much you’ll charge for your services. Pick the right prices based on what your business looks like. Try and pick competitive prices since you will not have enough time to make it a big business yet. This doesn’t mean going cheap, but you can make your prices slightly lower than your full-time competitors. Make sure you manage your time well to fit in walks with classes. You can schedule walks after classes or schedule some walks during your class breaks.

Promote your business

Let people know you have a dog walking business. This is how you’ll get your customers and get your company going. Most businesses have websites where they talk about what they do. You can create your own website and do the same. Use social media to reach as many potential clients as possible. The best platform to use is Instagram. You can follow pet owners there. However, don’t forget to use word-of-mouth marketing. Talk to your college friends about your business and ask them to talk about your company to others.

Be ready to face challenges

Businesses are synonymous with challenges. You are probably already familiar with the grim statistic of 90% (or thereabouts) of companies failing during the initial stages. However, don’t let this discourage you. There are thriving businesses everywhere you look. They all had to face challenges at some point. Be prepared to roll with the punches.

Find out how you’ll get paid

After figuring everything else we just talked about, it’s time to get paid. Find out how you’ll collect your pay from clients. You can bill your clients and collect weekly payments. Make sure every client pays. Some clients may forget to pay. Show up for the session anyway and remind them as you take their dog for a walk.

Conclusion

Now that you know what you need to do to set up your first dog walking company, you can go ahead and create time for it. Don’t let extra assignments and essays stand in your way. Get a trusted online service to handle them. There are plenty of those already.

Author Bio

Mary Spears is an enthusiastic freelance writer and blogger. She loves writing about pets – especially dogs. She occasionally contributes to online writing services to help students. In her free time, she loves practicing dancing.