Start an Online Pet Business

On this blog and in my free ebook - Your New Pet Care Career I have talked about the many common and unusual career options that are available in the pet care industry. However, I haven’t discussed the many pet care businesses that you are also able to start online.

Today I found a great ebook by Diana Ratliff that gives you the details about starting 10 unique online pet businesses. The internet and pet industry are both growing in popularity so now is a great time to start an internet pet business. The best part is that you can easily combine an online pet business with an existing offline pet business such as grooming, pet sitting, dog daycare, or even a veterinary care business.

The ebook covers the follwowing 10 Popular Online Pet Businesses

  1. eBay or Online Auction Sales
  2. Membership Site
  3. Catalog-type Site
  4. Product Review Site or Newsletter
  5. Affiliate Sales
  6. Salesletter Selling Single Product
  7. Paid Newsletter
  8. Writing for Pay
  9. Online Services for Others in the Pet Business Industry
  10. Blogging

The book explains what each business IS - a brief description of what you’d be getting into, and what your online pet business might look like and how it would operate.

What type of work is actually involved in each business, on a day-to-day or ongoing basis, so you won’t waste time and effort pursuing a pet busienss that simply doesn’t fit into your schedule OR your budget.

How to be successful in this type of online business - what you need to master to go from obscurity to profit.

The pros of each business model - is this Internet pet business easy to start? Cheap to run? Can it be done without a website?

The cons of each business model - you’ll learn upfront if this type of business requires a complicated website, lots of time to manage and update, or if there’s simply too much competition.

AND Suggested resources for further study - so that once you’ve narrowed down your preferences, you know EXACTLY HOW TO GET STARTED.

Even though I was familiar with each of these online pet businesses Diana explains the inner workings of each business in very clear and simple terms. The pros and cons that she lists make it easy to see how each business would fit into your lifestye and how much time and money would be required.

What about owning a pet business?

Owning a pet business does not guarantee you success, but it is generally not difficult to set up your own pet business adn many who own pet businesses love the hard working lifestyle and the closeness to pets. You will have to compete with those who may be better trained, may have lower cost structures and those who “pretend” to have your skills and experience when they do not. (eg not all those who advertise themselves as groomers are actually Groomers).

Essential skills for working with dogs

There are also key skills that all dog industry professionals should possess. Here are some of the most critical skills and abilities for those hoping to work with dogs professionally: Basic Dog Handling and Training Skills, ability to recognize behavioral signals.

Safety tips for working with animals

Animals can be somewhat unpredictable when they are under stress or in an unfamiliar environment, like when they visit the veterinary office or the grooming salon, so it is important to be attentive and stay aware of the animal you are handling at all times.