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3. Pet Daycare
Channel your "paws"-itive energy by running a pet daycare home business.

A pet daycare home business may be the perfect profession for all the animal lovers out there among you. Pet daycare one of the fastest growing service businesses in the United States, as a growing number of two-income households means more pets are being left home alone.

You can run a pet daycare center out of your home provided you have the right facilities. Pet owners drop their pets off in the morning when they go to work, and pick them up after work. Because of a lack of specialized facilities, home-based pet daycare centers generally do not keep pets overnight (or charge much more if they do).

You can also offer related services such as dogwalking or and pet photography if you have decent photography skills. But dog and cat grooming is a highly specialized skill that requires training, so that’s another business altogether. And exotic pets may require specialized needs that you just can’t provide.

Just loving dogs in general isn’t sufficient qualification to run this business.  You need to be able to handle animals firmly and without fear, especially large dogs. Remember that each individual animal has its own distinct personality. Dog training experience is a big plus.

You will also be picking up a lot of “poop” and mopping up a lot of “pee.” Your home should be equipped with a large open space with a  Linoleum or tile floor (definitely no carpet or expensive wood flooring).

You must also have excellent people skills as you will be interacting with each pet’s owner every day.

During the job, you won’t need to keep as close a watch on your animal charges as you would small children, but every pet has certain social needs that you need to take care of. An enclosed outdoor yard is a plus, in that it will let the pets romp freely without you or your workers having to walk them (you may not need an outdoor yard if you will only service cats and small dogs).

You must always check the water supply, and make sure every animal is clean and fed properly.

Running a pet daycare center can be fun and enjoyable, but also tiring. Make sure you don’t overbook your available facilities, and have quick access to a local veterinarian in case of an emergency. This is not a physically easy business, but it can be emotionally very rewarding, especially as you get to know each pet personally.

It’s essential that you acquire bonding and insurance, not only because of unforeseen accidents but also to assure your customers that you are a legitimate and professional business. You need to check with your city’s zoning laws regarding running such a business out of your home, and you may need a business license as well.

In the end, you may even decide that you need to rent an external facility such as a nearby warehouse instead of running the business directly out of your home.

It’s crucial that you be organized and take this as a serious business--people love their pets and are depending on you to keep them safe and secure. You should also consult a lawyer to draw up a contract for you to give to new applicants when they sign up for your service, so you are not held responsible for events that are out of your control (such as an extremely old pet that dies while in your care).

If you’re frugal, you may be able to get started for as little as $2000, but you'll likely spend more if you want to be fully prepared. You need to provide insurance, city registration fees, kennel cages (a must!), basic vet supplies, cleaning supplies, fencing, and miscellaneous necessities such as food and snacks, water dispensers, food bowls, doggie pads, litter boxes, toys, and “lounge areas” for visiting pets.

You’ll need to invest an additional amount if you need to make remodeling changes to your home, rent out an external building, or hire extra workers.

You may want to focus on servicing canines, as dog owners are more likely to utilize a daycare service than cat owners. And they'll be willing to spend thousands of dollars over the course of a year if they know you're providing quality daycare. Working full time 5  days a week, you can expect to eventually earn as much as $96,000 a year if you have a steady clientele. But if you are a true animal lover, the emotional rewards of the job might even outweigh the monetary benefits.

Avg. Startup Costs: $3,600

Max Income Potential: $96,000

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