How To Start A Doggy Daycare
Have you ever wanted to look after a gaggle of adorable pups all day long? If you have a great passion for dogs or already own a successful pet care business, then starting your own doggy daycare or adding those services to your company’s repertoire may be just the right career move for you! In recent years, the demand for daycare services has been ever-rising, with an increasing number of pet parents looking for pet care experiences that encapsulate exercise, socialization with other pups, and personal attention, all under a pet care professional’s watchful eyes. If that sounds like something you’d be interested in pursuing, we’ve got the ultimate step-by-step guide here on starting, growing, and managing your brand-new doggy daycare – let’s dig in!
Understanding Your Dog Daycare Market
Before spending too much time on your new venture, it's critical to have a better understanding of your area’s local market for these services. Are there a lot of daycares in the area currently, or does your area largely focus on dog walking and pet sitting services? If there are other daycares in the neighborhood, how do you stand apart from them?
Since a doggy daycare requires a brick-and-mortar location, it’s also important to consider where you want your business to be physically located. For daycare services, you should try to focus on areas with a high concentration of pet parents who are most likely to work outside of their homes. Zeroing in on areas where homes don’t typically have a backyard can be a major bonus, as well, especially when it comes time to draw in prospective clients to your business.
Conducting Market Research
Market research is an essential first step for all business owners. The best way to conduct this research for your new doggy daycare is to speak with potential clients. Seek them out so you can come to better understand their needs, their current solutions, and if they think there is an opportunity for them to try out a new doggy daycare in their area.
You can (and should) also review your competition within the area to see what services they offer and how they run their businesses. This can do a lot in terms of helping you decide what policies or practices you may want to adapt for your own company or the ways in which you want to differentiate yourself from them. An important thing to note is that your competition won’t be limited to other doggy daycares. Any pet care business that offers in-home visits that pet parents might employ when they’re at work for the day is your direct competitor.
Understand New Pet Care Trends
Very few industries are changing like pet care. The demand for innovative services aimed at improving the quality of care we can provide for our pets is growing day by day. That’s why it’s crucial to stay on top of the changes and new demands being made so that you can remain an industry expert for your business (and your clients). A great way to keep up with information is to add a Google Alert on the topics that are important to you and your business!
Scout Locations
It’s never too early to check out some potential locations to house your doggy daycare. As we discussed earlier, try concentrating on areas with a large number of pet parents and where demand for daycare services may be prevalent (such as in more densely populated areas without yards). Another great idea is to scout out locations close to transportation hubs, as most pet parents will drop off their pups at daycare before work and pick them up afterward.
Creating A Business Plan
Your business plan is your guide to success for your new business. There is a ton of valuable information available online about writing a strong business plan, but we personally enjoy the Writing A Business Plan article on the SBA (the U.S. Small Business Administration) website and highly recommend that any new small business owner read it.
When it comes time to draft your business plan, here are the most important parts you will need to consider:
- Executive Summary: A brief overview of your business and what will make it unique.
- Company Description: Similar to the executive summary, but you’ll include more details on the different aspects of your business here.
- Market Analysis: This section will consist of all your findings from above (i.e. location analysis, opportunity, competitors, etc.).
- Organization and Management: Your business structure and information on the management team will go here.
- Services Offered: A detailed description of your services (like daycare, boarding, grooming, training, etc.) goes here.
- Marketing Plan: How you will differentiate your company from others and attract new customers. We have more information on how to accomplish this below.
- Financial Projections: This section can include information on what capital requirements (i.e. money) your new business will demand and projections for future business performance.
Think About Your Value Proposition
Value propositions are essential to consider when writing your business plan. What is going to make your doggy daycare different from others of its kind? What is your company’s “magic” or “secret sauce” that will make pet parents choose you to care for their beloved pets? Take a good amount of time to think about what makes you, your team, and your services special and will make you stand out to prospective clients as they consider their pet care needs. Value propositions, at their core, are simple statements that should convey why a client would choose your service over other options. These should be sprinkled all throughout your business plan and ingrained into your company’s DNA.
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Legal Considerations
When starting a new business, you should always review what is legally required of you and your company before you’ll be able to open your doors and start accepting clients. Especially when that business is something like a doggy daycare, there are going to be some legal requirements for you to meet, such as licenses or permits you’ll be expected to have. What the exact requirements are will vary from city to city, so your best option here it to get counsel from a local legal professional or seek out your local government or zoning office for more information.
Understanding Local Regulations
Each city and state has its own regulations regarding pet care businesses. Make sure to familiarize yourself with these laws to ensure you and your business are compliant. You may also need to adhere to specific health and safety standards, which can impact how you design your daycare facility and run your operations.
Zeroing In On The Perfect Location
The location of your daycare facility will most likely be the most important factor in determining whether or not your new business will be successful. You can provide outstanding service in the world, but if your business is in an area with a low demand for doggy daycare services, you will find it hard to turn a profit.
Use the research topics and considerations from above to identify the perfect spot for your future business and remember to always have a back up plan.
Considering Accessibility and Visibility
When picking out the perfect location for your facility, ensure that it’s in a location where clients can easily find and access your business. That means being close to main roads and transportation hubs, having space for them to park so they can safely transport their pets to and from their vehicle and your facility, and being in an area where your building and company name and logos can be easily seen. If you find a great location but there is no visibility for pet parents in regards to signage, then clients may easily overlook your business or grow frustrated and move on to something more easy to locate.
Designing Your Space
This is one of the most fun steps in our guide! Designing your daycare space can allow you to really exercise your creative muscles and utilize your pet care expertise. First and foremost, your designs should focus on making your facility a safe space for pets to spend their days and nights (if part of your services includes overnight boarding). One of the most important things to first figure out is where the pets are going to be spending most of their time while in your company’s care. Will you have daycare rooms? Will there be private spaces for pets? Will you need an overnight area where they can safely spend the night in their own closed-off space?
You’ll also want to consider your space and whether or not you can include an outdoor area. If you want your doggy daycare services to include playtime outside or an opportunity for the pups to swim, you will need to ensure through your design plans that your location and facility can accommodate those services and features.
Additionally, take the time to consider how you will keep your facility clean, what ventilation will be like, how your lighting will be laid out, and where the spaces for your employees will be. While you are laying out your plans, don’t forget to sprinkle your company’s own brand of “magic” throughout the design!
Creating A Safe Environment
Pet safety deserves its own section, as it is the highest priority of every pet care professional. When you are designing your facility, you need to ensure that you are securing the location, especially if you include an outdoor area. Use non-toxic and animal-safe materials while deciding on the furniture and construction elements of your facility. As we touched on earlier, consider what different spaces you’ll need for the pets under your care. Will you separate them out by weight groups? Allow for private rooms? How will you store each pet's supplies, especially if they need medication or food stored in a specific or temperature-controlled way? Spend time thinking through all of these elements and consult the health and safety requirements for your city and state to ensure everything you’re doing is up to code.
Setting Up Your Operations
Once you have drafted your business plan, scouted out the perfect location for your daycare facility, and have begun designing how you’re going to lay out your space, it’s time to take a closer look at what your processes and operations for your business are going to be:
- Staffing: Your business is only as good as your team. Be sure to hire experienced staff who are as passionate about dogs as you are and share in your vision.
- Scheduling: Creating a system for drop-offs and pick-ups is crucial. Luckily, Time To Pet has great dog daycare software to help you out here!
- Safety Protocols: Spend the appropriate amount of time establishing safety policies and procedures, and be sure to stick them once they’re decided on! Some of these policies should include a proof vaccination requirement for all pets that enter your facility.
Implementing Efficient Systems
You’re not starting your own doggy daycare because you love invoicing, collecting payments, or setting up software, but because you have a passion for animals and their well-being. Investing in a robust software aimed at daycare services like Time To Pet can help you streamline your operations and automate the things you don’t want to have to worry about, like scheduling events and managing payments from your clients. For more information on our software, see our product page here: Time To Pet Facility.
Pricing Your Services
When it comes to settling on how you would like to price the services your business will offer, it’s important to have a deep understanding of what your business expenses are going to be and what the breakeven point will look like. Your pricing should cover your costs, account for what you’ll need to pay to your staff members, leave room for profits, and reflect the quality of care your business provides.
Offering Flexible Packages
One of the most popular tools for doggy daycares is flexible packages that clients can purchase to redeem as they need them. These packages also allow you to collect revenue earlier and are an easy option for clients to come back to again and again once their current package runs out. Another great option to consider is subscription-style daycare services! These types of services can offer your business steady revenue and are a great way to build up client loyalty and repeat services.
Marketing Your Doggy Daycare
Attracting new clients is essential for any business, especially in service-based industries like pet care, and having a good strategy can make or break your ability to build a good client base. Here are a few ways that you can market your business to potential clients:
- Logo: Your logo should reflect your business name and what makes your business special.
- Website: Create a professional website with information about you, your services, their rates, and what makes your business stand out from the competition. You should also take care to optimize your site for search engines with a special focus on local SEO.
- Social Media: Who doesn’t love seeing cute pet pictures on Instagram? Engage with existing and future customers on several social media platforms to ensure they feel seen and that you have an active interest in the livelihoods of their pets.
- Local Advertising: Working with other local pet businesses can be a great source of new business. You can also consider hanging flyers, taking out local ads, and more.
- Referral Program: The best source of new clients for any pet care business, however, comes from your existing clientele. Try your hand at creating a strong referral program and encourage your clients to share their good experiences with their friends. Expect them to get a nice discount on their future services or have a credit applied to their account for each successful referral they send your way.
Building Your Brand
We’ve talked a lot in this post about what makes your company shine and your own personal brand of “magic”. As the time draws near for your business to open, it’s important to keep those value propositions from earlier in mind. You know what makes you special and what you’re going to be able to provide to the pets of your clients better than anyone else, so whatever it is, take it and own it with all of your might! Be sure to include that bit of personality across all of your marketing materials, including your logo, website, and any other pet-related content you put out. It is that shining speck of magic that will keep you in a client’s mind and drive them to reach out to you.
Opening Day
As your grand opening approaches, ensure that everything is set up for a smooth launch. Your staff should be fully trained, your system and processes tested and operational, and your daycare facility should be clean, bright, and welcoming.
Consider arranging a soft launch for your daycare with special guests (such as friends, family, or folks from local businesses you’ve partnered with). It’s a fantastic way to get in some practice and give people a taste of what’s to come.
Providing Exceptional Care
Once your grand opening has happened and your daycare facility is rocking and rolling, it’s essential to deliver on the promises you made throughout your marketing and promotional materials. Stay focused on running a safe, happy, and clean facility where pets and their parents are treated like family. Personalize their care, get to know each pet’s needs well, and adapt your practices to match them. By doing so, the pups will be sure to have a fantastic time with you and the other dogs at your facility, which will bring a sense of great satisfaction to their parents when they pick up their happy and tuckered-out pups at the end of the day. While there’s often the saying of happy wife, happy life, the same can be said of a happy dog too!
Fostering a Community Atmosphere
Focus on creating a sense of community among your clients. Host events, share photos and updates on social media of all the fun antics the pups get up to together, and encourage interaction between the different pet owners. This can help to create a loyal client base that feels deeply connected to you and your business.
Managing Growth
As your client base expands and your business scales up, it’s important to remember that you (and should) roll with the punches and adapt appropriately. This may mean you need to adjust some policies, hire different staff members, or add on new services. Whatever challenges or pain points you’re facing, listen to your clients and ensure that your business is able to continue to provide the care experience they are looking for their pets to enjoy.
Scaling Your Business
If you are lucky enough to have a business that continues to scale, there are many options available for where you might want to take your business next as a pet care professional! You might start thinking about expanding your business to a new neighborhood or consider adding new services like pet sitting, dog walking, grooming, or training (if you don’t offer some or all of these services already). The sky is the limit but as you take your business to new heights, make sure you never lose sight of the ground you started on and keep that special bit of magic to your company alive.
Conclusion
Starting your own business is always an exciting endeavor and is only heightened when your business is based on something you are incredibly passionate about. As pet care professionals, we are remarkably lucky to have the opportunity to make a living by spending our time with amazing animals and their families. As your client base grows, things can only get better as your community grows and you get to make many more of those great connections.
Nevertheless, you will face challenges, as all new businesses have their different trials and tribulations to face. Just remember to keep yourself facing forward into the future and strive to remain patient, persistent, and passionate in all that you do. Remember the reasons why you struck out to begin this business and the pets and the people that make it all worth the while. With that bit of inspiration and the knowledge of what makes you and the care you offer special, you’ll keep that magic alive and go on to do great things with your business!
