Can You Make Money in the Pet Industry?
By D. Marie Ratliff, Copyright 2006. All rights reserved.
They're everywhere, they're everywhere! Dogs and cats
and other critters, that is. You've probably read the news
about the enormous growth of the pet industry - Americans,
at least, are owning pets in record numbers and spending
record amounts of money on them.
Spending on pets has more than doubled, from $17 billion
in 1994 to an estimated $38.4 billion in 2006, according to
the American Pet Products Manufacturer's Association, or
APPMA. Pet owners spend on a wide variety of products
and services; it is no longer limited to essentials such as
veterinary care or pet food.
In fact, the APPMA does an annual survey of pet owners, and
you might be surprised at how people spend their money.
Would you believe that 27 percent of dog owners and 13
percent of cat owners buy their pets birthday presents?
And for holiday presents, the figures are twice that! Now
there are all sorts of fancy (expensive!) retail goods
and services, too. Pet hotels. Pet spas. Pet therapy.
Pet astrology. And pet owners are purchasing veterinary
services, like joint replacement surgeries or delicate
eye procedures, that were once reserved for humans.
Why this enormous growth? Much of it comes from baby
boomers and young professional couples. These two
demographic groups are turning to pets to fill a void in
companionship - their children are grown and gone, or
they've put off having children in favor of careers - and
now their pet is treated as a member of the family.
Bottom line - why should you care? What does this have
to do with YOU?
Well, the interest in self-employment and home business
isn't going away. More and more people are looking for
financial independence and time freedom. As working
conditions change and evolve (ever heard of downsizing?
outsourcing? reduced health care coverage?), people want
to control their own financial destinies in their own
businesses.
That's why a look at pet-related businesses is worthwhile.
This combination of the desire to run your own business
and the potential within the pet industry is compelling.
It certainly makes sense to go where the money is! And
as we've shown, there is a lot of money being spent on pets.
You might think that starting a pet-related business means
you have to work directly with pets, or get expensive
training in animal care. Nope. You don't even have to
spend thousands of dollars on a pet franchise of some
kind. Since many of today's pet owners have large
disposable incomes, yet lack time due to busy careers,
there are many non-traditional pet businesses that can be
viable for you.
Let's say you like to work directly with cats or dogs. You
can still find work in well-known pet businesses like dog
grooming or pet sitting. But you have many more options.
These days, people are earning full or part-time incomes
providing products or services such as pet photography,
cat day care, pet massage therapy or breeding dogs.
There are even "pet party" event planners!
Even if you're rather avoid contact with actual critters,
there are still profitable ventures within the pet industry.
Again, these pet owners have money, see their pets as
family members, but often have little time. So if you can
provide a product or service to pamper a pet or make
owning one more convenient, you can do well.
Along these lines, look at skills you possess such as sewing
or woodworking. You can sell custom dog clothing or build
custom dog houses. If you've got a truck and a strong
back, you can start a pet food delivery service. If you
can write or do research, you could start a pet -related
newsletter or website, or operate a breeder referral
service.
There's a world of opportunity for you in the booming pet
industry!
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D. Marie Ratliff is an authority on marketing for the home
business field and thinks it's prudent to start a small
business in an industry that's growing rapidly. Learn more
about pet business at http://www.PetBusinessCentral.com.
Limited time offer - free Pet Poisons Hotsheet!
Get dozens of ideas for unique, profitable pet businesses
at http://www.PetBusinessCentral.com. Author D. Marie
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