Starting a Successful Business When Welcoming a New Pet

Planning to launch a new business soon and also welcome a brand new pet into your life? Congratulations! Doing both at once means you’ll have your work cut out for you, but it will be exciting and fulfilling, and you’ll probably end up loving every moment.

Of course, making a new business successful takes entrepreneurial savvy and work. You also don’t want to drop the ball on your pet-related duties while you try to grow your business. In this mini-guide, Catastic shares some practical suggestions on managing all your new responsibilities smoothly.

Create a Schedule to Stay on Track

A schedule is every business (and pet) owner’s best friend. With a good schedule, you can prioritize, make the most of your time, and hit all the important goals on time. Not sure what or how to schedule? Try allocating time for work in the morning when you’re fresh, adding breaks, leaving time for self-care, and adding time for pet-related duties – like feeding, training, and play.

See to Your Pet’s Needs

If you’re new to pet ownership, you might feel a little overwhelmed or unprepared. But the Animal Foundation explains that all pets really need is healthy food, fresh drinking water, shelter, bathroom space, exercise, and doctor visits. If you’re looking for high-quality pet food, consider a high-protein, grain-free option. Air-dried food contains more nutrients than freeze-dried options, and your pet will love the taste!

In addition, we recommend leaving time to bond and play with your pet. It’s a good idea to talk to your vet and come up with a personalized care plan. If you’re welcoming a young pet (like a puppy), keep in mind they need extra care (at least initially). If you notice that your pet is struggling with anxiety, ask your vet about CBD. Cats can get anxiety relief and pain relief because of its inflammatory effects. So if your pet is experiencing aches or anxiety, it’s worth asking your vet about.

If you’re like many new pet owners, you’ll also want to spoil your new fur kid with things beyond their basic needs. If you’re looking for items like a harness, grooming supplies, or a crate, look online to find veterinarian-recommended products to ensure that what you purchase is safe and of good quality.

Take Advantage of Pet Training and Similar Apps

Fortunately, there are countless helpful apps out there that you can use to look after your pet properly. MyPet Reminders tracks your pet’s appointments and medications. Rover lets you find pet sitters nearby, quickly and conveniently, for when you need a helping hand. You can also train your new pet (including potty training) yourself by using some handy apps.

Delegate Tasks and Find the Help You Need

Running a business is a full-time job. And, as many pet owners can confirm, so is looking after a new pet! To avoid being overwhelmed, it’s a good idea to get help. In a business context, this could mean hiring consultants, freelancers, or employees to shoulder some of your many responsibilities. When it comes to your pet, you could hire pet trainers and pet sitters. Dog trainer costs can be substantial, but it can be a worthwhile investment in the long run.

Have a Business Plan

The lack of a good business plan often stops many promising businesses from gaining traction in the market. A business plan is a document that describes your company, how you’re planning to sell your products or services, your business structure, your funding, and related details. With a good business plan, you can nail down important details and turn your ideas into reality.

Each element of your business plan is important, but in order to make your business official, you need to choose a business structure. There are four common ones, but LLCs are very popular for small businesses. It only takes five steps to file for an LLC which, once complete, will offer you personal liability protection and tax advantages. You can complete the steps yourself, or you can work with a formation service that will file all of the state-specific paperwork for you so you can focus on other business decisions and caring for your new pet.

Follow Entrepreneurial Best Practices

Before launching, be aware of entrepreneurial business practices. Some critical examples include doing market research, straightening out your cash flow, setting realistic goals, and taking care of all the legal details. Keep in mind that it often takes a few years for businesses to find their feet.

It’s also a great idea to solicit your customer’s feedback early and often. Oftentimes customers and clients will be excited to provide feedback to you because they feel like they are shaping your business (and getting more of what they want), but you can get even more responses by offering participant incentives. Find a platform that manages participant incentives for you so that you can focus on using the data to make changes. You’ll find that a little “thank you” goes a long way!

Set Up Your Website

We live in a digital world, and people expect businesses to have a quality web presence. If a potential customer looks for you online and can’t find you, they will likely look elsewhere for your product or service. You do not want this to happen! Instead, put some energy into your website. There are plenty of great templates that allow you to design your website yourself, even with little to no experience. However, you can also contract with a web designer to get you started.

Think strategically about what you want to include on your website. It’s important that you convey not just what you do or sell, but also who you are as a company. You can also use photos, testimonials, and infographics to introduce your business to visitors. Not sure how to create an infographic? There are free online tools that allow you to plug in information and design an infographic quickly and easily, which will make you – and your website – look like professionals!

Design a Logo

A logo is much more than just a simple graphic. It is the face of a company, and it can play a vital role in shaping how customers perceive the business. A well-designed logo can communicate professionalism and instill confidence in potential customers. It can also help to create a strong and memorable brand identity. In today’s competitive marketplace, businesses need to do everything they can to stand out from the crowd, and a logo is an excellent way to achieve this.

Get Paid on Time with Invoicing Software

Last, but not least, find great invoicing software. These programs help businesses manage their finances by keeping track of invoices and payments. It can also be used to create and send invoices, as well as track invoice payments. An invoicing solution can also help businesses manage their inventory, keep track of customer information, and generate reports. In addition, invoicing software can help businesses save time by automating tasks such as billing and invoicing.