How to Start a Dog Daycare or Dog Boarding Business in India

How to Start a Dog Daycare or Dog Boarding Business in India

There are 19.5 million pet dogs in India as per a report tabulated in 2018.The pet dog population is expected to rise to 31 million by end of the year 2023.  Pet ownership traits have increased tremendously even in these times of pandemic.  The pet boarding and grooming industry is also all set to take a major chunk out of the pet market as more people who own dogs or cats look for facilities that can care for their beloved pet while they are away. In India, the number of dog kennel businesses keeps increasing by the day as more people seek comfort and companion of pets, especially dogs.  This industry is also proving to be a major employment opportunity for people in India.

It’s a known fact for all businesses that marketing plays an essential role in growing  the  business. The same is applied to the Dog Boarding Business too. Very frankly,  marketing  is  a costly affair, and it’s time consuming too. The fact is that my clients are spending more and more money on client acquisition – some of which say that the cost has gone as high as 45% in comparison to last 3–4 years.

And then many of the inquiries that I get are on how to market a dog boarding business on a tight budget. Dog boarding is a service which allows owners to drop their dogs off for a certain period of time by paying a fee.

All segments of Indian pet industry—food, accessories, toys, boarding, grooming and breeding—are witnessing an exponential growth. Reports show that the market is growing 14 per cent annually and is expected to be worth 630 million in 2023.The growth potential in the pet industry has opened up several business opportunities, dog boarding being one such option.

What is Dog Boarding

Dog boarding, also known as Dog daycare, is a service which allows owners to drop their dogs off for a certain period of time by paying a fee. In the boarding facility, dogs are fed, walked, and cared for by the staff, who make sure that the dogs remain healthy and happy.

Some dog boarding facilities also offer additional services such as pet day care meant for those owners who need care for their pets while they are at work or otherwise engaged. You can also set up a salon and swimming pool in the boarding to attract more customers looking for recreational activities for their dogs.

Dogs are amongst the top three most popular pets owned by individuals and families. People love to have a furry companion by their side as they are friendly and can co-habit perfectly with humans, as well as provide security.

But, owning a dog is a hefty task as they require one’s complete attention. You cannot leave a dog alone at home and this poses a great problem for working professionals. Hence, many animal lovers refrain from having a dog even if they want to. It is due to this fact that services like dog daycare, dog boarding are emerging.

Owing to people’s renewed interest in adopting pets, the popularity of dog daycare businesses has skyrocketed. But venturing into a dog daycare is no walk in the park. If you are a dog lover and want to earn handsome profits by taking care & cuddling these furry animals, read on to know how to start a dog daycare.

Knowledge

It is often said that “Knowledge is Power.” If you want to start a dog daycare, remember that you will have to look after various dog breeds. Every breed has its own characteristics, temperament, food habits, canine first-aid, canine CPR etc. You will be required to have complete knowledge about almost every dog breeds and how to handle them.

Location & Property

Location is an important aspect of the success of any business. The most preferable location for your dog daycare would be a residential area which a good population of dogs. It should easily be accessible to dog parents so that they can easily drop off their dogs on their way to work.

Besides location, your dog day-care should also have enough space for the dogs to roam around and play, it should also have a fenced yard for them to play out in the grass. You can also build a play area and a small pool for them to enjoy.

Fun Facility

Dogs are active animals and love to play around. The most emerging trend in the dog-care industry is a cage-free facility. Dogs are grouped together according to their sizes in the majority of their time. Usually, puppies are kept separated from the adults. Your daycare should also have kennel areas for feeding the dogs separately or in the group in scheduled time.

Water needs to be freely available to the dogs so that they can stay hydrated while they play. Air conditioning is also an expected feature. One of the most sought after feature is live streaming webcams so that owners can log in and check on their dogs throughout the day.

Getting Started

To begin with, you will need a 3,000-3,500 sq ft land for the boarding as dogs need open area for playing. As for location, we suggest that you locate the boarding in near vicinity of residential areas that have maximum households with pets.

It would be better to lease a land which at least has a small office space constructed on it as constructing everything from the scratch can cost you a bomb. Once the area is finalized, next step is to set up and furnish the boarding. You will need to construct at least 6-7 rooms or iron cages for dogs and furnish them with a bed, food bowl, fan or maybe even an AC or cooler if you live in a city like Delhi.

After rooms, it is important that you set up a play area for dogs with toys, slides and maybe even a swimming pool. If you wish to offer grooming services as well, you can either take franchise of a popular dog salon brand or set up your own salon. Taking a franchise of a popular brand can help you get customers smoothly.

Investments Required

Setting up a dog boarding requires one-time heavy investment on setting up the facility. Furnishing and additional construction in the facility will cost INR 5.5-6 lakh. Setting up the play area will cost around INR 30,000-35,000. Add another INR 80,000-90,000 on utility deposits, building the website, permits and other miscellaneous costs.

As for operational costs, rent of a 3000 sq ft land will be upwards of INR 1.25 lakh per month. Electricity and water bills can amount to about INR 20,000 per month and grocery for dog’s food will be INR 9,000-12,000 per month. Next major chunk of your operating costs will be on staffing, which will be around INR 90,000 for 2 assistants and 2 people who will handle office work. Of course, if you handle the office work yourself, you can save on this cost to a great extent. Also, you may not have to hire more than one assistant in the beginning until you start getting 5-6 dogs for daily keeping. Next expense will be on marketing, which will cost INR 15,000-20,000 per month until you get enough repeat customers.

Revenue

Your source of revenue will mainly be the fees charged to dog owners. Fees will vary as per the type of room, services provided and age of dog. Charge for overnight stay for a basic non-AC room ranges from INR 800-1000. This includes food and boarding. For a room with cooler in the same category you can charge around INR 1000, whereas a similar AC room can fetch you upto INR 1,200. If you provide pool services, you can add another INR 200-250 to the room charge. For a small puppy or an older dog who need exclusive attention, charges can be hiked by up to INR 200.

That’s about overnight boarding charges. For day care, charges will be lower at INR 600-700 for about 10 hours. Again, depending on the size, age and temperament of the dog, you can charge higher than the regular fees.

So to give you an idea of your earning, if you get around 100 overnight boarding bookings and 50-60 day care bookings, you can book a profit of 20-25 per cent from the total revenue. A word of caution here – it can take you 8-10 months to build a sizeable customer base.

Marketing

Dog daycare business has huge potential, but you won’t be able to earn profits if you don’t advertise enough. You need to create awareness about your business to reach your potential customers. Promote your daycare business over the local magazine, newspaper, send out brochures and pamphlets. You can also put up your advertisement in your area’s veterinary clinics to reach easily to your target demographic. If you are able to offer the webcam facility, it should be heavily promoted in your advertising materials.

Here I have come up with a few of the Best Dog Boarding Business marketing ideas that any business can work on its own and gain customers and growth.

Get A Website And Promote It          

One of the best things that can be done at the very first instance is to have a website. A website is something that is owned by the business and not any third-party app. It certainly is a long-lasting investment. A website is the very first thing to build if you  want to promote  the business digitally. It’s like an online gateway for the business. All of the contact information, FAQs, pricing, and more will always remain. Unfortunately, some of the pet biz owners still say why to invest in a website when social media, referrals, and  networking are available absolutely free.

Get Booking Software       

With a lot of dog related apps in the market, there are many opportunities for dog boarding businesses. Building an own app is the best way to get bookings from customers.  The app  will automate appointment bookings, keep all accounts, and build up a marketing database for future use. If building own app is an issue, apps like PetBaker will help  showcase  the  services and generate revenue. Apart from the above app, there are many available on  Android and iPhone market place.

Start Building An Email List      

Many pet businesses are yet to realize the value of an email list. A simple monthly newsletter to customers on a regular basis helps brand loyalty,  more sales,  more  engagement, and higher spending per customer. An email is the best of a personal and direct ways to reach out to customers, be it current or future. This email list is of the business, and no social media app can take it away as it does generally. Mailchimp is a free email sending website/app available and is really a great way to stay in touch.

Use Of Social Media Accounts     

Social media is all about consistency. If great content is shared frequently on a consistent basis, change can be seen in some days. What happens is that gradually the number  of  followers grows and more and more people will be aware of the brand. As more they  know  about the business, more likely they are to be the customers. Try entertaining posts, educational posts, informative, and promotional posts regarding pet parenting, pet care etc. There is a lot to share, and everything should have a purpose.

Facebook Advertising

Believe me, Facebook advertising works really well for small pet businesses. If done with a  strategy in mind, it’s light on pocket and has a very great ROI. The most important aspect  of facebook advertising is that the business can pick and choose demographics of the people they want to see their ads. It’s like telling Facebook who your Target Audiences are, and then those ads will be shown only to the people chosen.

Start Blogging

Blogging is personally my way to go to the market. Every pet business should have  a  blog  section on their website. Writing blog content is a great way to showcase that the business  is a subject expert. A great blogging idea is to answer the most commonly asked questions, which are faced generally by the customers. Animal First Aid, ER, Food requirements are some other topics to consider to show potential customers the qualification of the business to take care of their pets.

Special Activities For The Pets

Celebrating pet birthdays, creating photo opportunities, hosting animal themed parties,  pet fashion shows are some of the special activities, which a business can hold for its  customers. Indian Pet Parents these days spend a huge amount of money on their pets.  They actually need activities to make sure they are connected to their pets and it helps the business as Pet Parents actually adore these special things. These special activities actually help the business to a large extent to convert an inquiry into a customer.

Reward Existing And Loyal Customers

It is a well-known fact that most of the revenue generated is because of the old and returning customers. And the most important thing is that there is no need to  spend to  acquire them. Rewarding these loyal and returning customers helps to maintain a linear customer relation. Gifts, rewards, loyalty points are some ways that a business can show  appreciation to returning and loyal customers.

Share Stories

Storytelling is anytime the best way to market. It’s a well-researched fact that  customers  easily get connected to the business via different stories. And the most important  thing  is  that a story stands out in these days of ads popping out every now and then, every here and there. Some engaging story ideas are about the reason to be in business, the staff and their specialities, customer feedbacks, behind the scenes, etc. Showing your daily routine is another fantastic idea. Showcasing pets playing and having a happy time being away from their parents are sure to have engagement.

Marketing on various fronts is like going through trials and errors. Not all ideas mentioned above would work for a dog boarding business. It’s only after those ups and downs  the  business can conclude what works best for them. In marketing, consistency  and  visibility  are key factors.

With all these ideas, now any dog boarding business can go to market with them and see their customers on a rise soon and in turn growth in the revenue.

7 Essential Steps to Starting a Doggy Daycare

Now that we’ve laid down a few foundational considerations, it’s time to get into the nitty-gritty of your planning process. Here are the essential steps to take to get your daycare business up and running:

1. Create a business plan. 

Your dog daycare business plan will be a blueprint for your business to present to prospective investors or use as a guiding document as you make strategic decisions. You can check out this guide for a full explanation of how to create a dog daycare business plan, but we’ll cover some of the highlights here.

As you create your business plan, you’ll go through the important process of examining the state of the dog daycare market in your local area, identifying key competitors, and figuring out how your business will serve an existing need to reach an untapped audience.

In this process, be sure to define your niche—your business’s unique offerings that customers won’t find anywhere else. For example, maybe you have the biggest puppy playground in town complete with a splash pad, or perhaps you offer training or grooming services to daycare customers. Defining and marketing your niche services will give your business a competitive edge and help you stand out and attract more customers.

In your business plan, fully describe your tactics for carving your own place in the market and getting your services in front of prospective customers. Having a well-structured strategy will give you a stronger argument if you choose to present your business plan to prospective investors.

2. Choose a facility.

Once your business plan is complete, you’ll be ready to search for a home for your dog daycare business. In your search for the perfect facility, be sure to consider the following:

• Your budget:Ensure you stay in your price range in your hunt for a facility. You shouldn’t sink all your funds into your leasing or paying off your facility costs because you’ll have little to nothing left to spend on equipment or employee salaries.
• Your distance from your target customer base:You don’t want to be a significant distance away from your target market, or no one will want to use your services. Choose a facility that is conveniently located to where your customers reside.
• The amount of space you need:To run a proper dog daycare facility, you’ll need a lot of outdoor space to fit playground equipment for dogs to enjoy. Additionally, you’ll need lots of indoor space to store kennels and cages for overnight guests and have an indoor play area in case of inclement weather. Your final choice of location should have enough space for all dogs to lounge and play comfortably, and for your employees to carry out their duties as well.Find a space that can accommodate these considerations and also give you the room you need to grow. The more space you have, the more doggy daycare customers you can accommodate at once.

3. Acquire equipment and pet business software. 

Although you may choose to go above and beyond and offer special services, there are a few basic equipment pieces every dog daycare needs to be successful. Make sure you purchase the following items for your new business:

• Playground equipment
• Playpens
• Toys and balls
• Kennels and crates
• Food and water bowls
• Leashes
• Poop scoopers and bags
• Cleaning supplies
• First aid kits for dogs and employees
• Laundry supplies and a washer/dryer

Besides physical equipment, you’ll want to invest in quality dog daycare business software to help you manage the scheduling and client relationship aspects of your business. Dog daycare business software has many benefits:

• Saves time. You won’t have to spend endless hours rifling through client information or payment slips to find the information you need. All important data is kept in one centralized place.
• Manages schedules. You can book customer appointments as well as manage employee schedules from your software system.
• Helps retain customers.Through your dog daycare software, you can send messages to customers and provide updates on their pets throughout their stay at your facility.
• Facilitates marketing efforts. You can draft and send automated messages using your daycare software to keep your customers and prospective clients updated on business changes or upcoming promotions.

With the combination of top-quality equipment and an easy-to-use, convenient software system, you’ll be one step closer to opening your doors to furry friends.

4. Hire dog daycare staff.

When thinking about hiring new employees for your dog daycare, you want to look for people who are dog lovers through and through. However, ensure they also have specific qualifications that will make them knowledgeable and dependable employees that add value to your business.

For example, search for prospective employees who have a baseline of training in canine first aid as well as some experience with caring for dogs in the past. Employees who have experience working with dogs can help create a safe environment for dogs from all backgrounds to mingle and play. You might even consider bringing on staff members with a wider range of experiences, including backgrounds in dog training or grooming, to give your business a unique service offering.

Last but not least, hire employees who are flexible and able to adapt to change. As your business grows, you want people on your team who can adapt to new processes quickly and effectively carry out your vision for your daycare.

5. Evaluate behavior to keep pets and staff safe.

Create a process for conducting temperament tests for new canine clients. Temperament tests aren’t required by law, but they’re one of the best ways to ensure the dogs in your care, as well as you and your staff, can stay safe and avoid injuries or scuffles.

Steps for running dog temperament tests include interviewing pet parents, conducting evaluations and observations, and taking notes to reference while assigning dogs to playgroups. If a dog acts aggressive or displays behavioral issues at any point throughout the evaluation, stop the test and inform the owner that their dog isn’t a good fit for your daycare.

Also, train your staff to recognize and respond to changes in dog behavior. By observing changes in body language and recognizing signs of illness, employees can properly respond to various situations to keep dogs and themselves safe. Plus, customers will respect the care and attention you put in to make sure their pets stay safe, healthy, and happy.

6. Market your dog daycare services to pet owners. 

Once you’ve secured your facility, equipment, and staff, there’s one more piece of the puzzle to complete your dog daycare business: finding new customers! A comprehensive marketing strategy is key to connecting with prospective customers and earning their trust.

Take a multichannel approach to your marketing to ensure your target audience becomes aware of your business offerings without overwhelming on any one platform. Spread the word through:

• Social media:Create a business page for your doggy daycare on Facebook and Instagram and connect with other dog daycare businesses as well as dog owners in your area to start growing your following. Consider purchasing social media ads to promote your business directly to your target audience.
• Email:Start developing your email list by promoting your newsletter sign-up on your social media pages. Email is an effective way to reach customers directly and provide them an opportunity to respond and ask questions.
• Direct mail/flyers:Similarly, direct mailers or flyers reach your target audience directly because you can send materials right to certain addresses. Be sure to include your location, hours of operation, phone number, website, and social media handles on your mailers and flyers so people know how to reach you.
• Local radio/TV ads:If there’s room in your budget, you could consider taking out an ad spot on a local radio or TV station. Use the opportunity to introduce yourself and your staff to give your business a friendly face.

Ensure all your marketing materials are branded with your business’s logo and colors to leave your audience with a professional impression of your business. Also, lean into the playful aspect of your business. Just about everyone loves dogs and puppies, so show images or videos of puppy pals playing and having the time of their lives at your daycare to entice potential customers.

7. Provide a great experience and watch your business grow.

By taking the necessary steps to create a plan for your business strategy and emphasizing safety at every step, your business will flourish. Remember that when times get tough, you can rely on your business plan to guide you through any rough patches.

Also, be sure to prioritize proper management practices and treat your staff with respect to create a positive, supportive culture within your business. Customers will note your upbeat attitude and be drawn toward the cheerful, fun environment you’ve created, and you’ll retain the support of your staff during times of change or challenges.

Compiled  & Shared by- Team, LITD (Livestock Institute of Training & Development)

 Image-Courtesy-Google

 Reference-On Request.

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