Dog walking business: How can I...?

Question

Right.. so I have been doing dog walking privately for 3 years while I have been at uni and there has been so much interest and jobs I have had to turn down that I decided that once i graduate in June I might as well set it up as a business.

As I will need to get a real job so I can a. live while the business is growing and b. have money to put into the business I will need to employ people to walk the dogs for me. So my question is how do I stop the client going directly to the walker I have employed, paying them directly more money, and cutting me out?

Also does anyone know a rough cost of insurance and any other essential costs for a dog walking business?

Many thanks

PS Im looking to set it up in London, UK

Answer 1

Contact Business Link for London.  They have free workshops on setting up in business and business advisors who can guide you through all the questions that you have.

What money do you need to put into the business?  It sounds as if you're attracting a lot of business already and your set up costs should be very low.

Insurance varies from company to company.  Some provide a policy specifically for working from home, which can be cheaper than operating from premises.  Help your cashflow by getting one that you can pay monthly.

Your main expenditure will be on marketing the business.  Go for low cost/no cost methods where you can.  If you can come up with something 'newsy' about what you do, you can get coverage in your local paper.  That's worth a lot more than anything you pay for.

If you're worried about other people grabbing your customers, why not run the business by day and do a part-time job in the evenings to give yourself some extra income?

Good luck!