There’s a reason why kittens and bacon have taken the Internet by storm. After all, who can resist the cuddly cuteness of man’s friendliest feline? If you’re an animal lover who wants to turn your passion for pets into profit, you’re in luck!

According to the American Pet Products Association over $60 billion is spent on pets annually in the US alone. Many treat their pets like their own children, showering them with gifts and luxuries. While there are a number of human products — from organic foods to accessories — that have pet-focused counterparts. If you’re the kind of entrepreneur who loves animals, wants the security of an evergreen business, and a way to combine the two, these billion dollar pet business ideas may be for you.

The Posh Pet Boutique

If you want to start a pet clothing and accessories business you’ll need people who can design and sew clothes for animals, as well as the required equipment for doing so. If crafts come natural to you, you could even do this yourself, although you should consider hiring employees if you’re planning on setting up wholesale accounts with retailers.

Should you decide to leave production to yourself, direct selling avenues such as participating in pet fairs or setting up a website are a few of your best options. Word tends to travel fast among pet owners, so focus on word-of-mouth marketing by encouraging existing customers to become your biggest advocates.

 

SEE ALSO: Small Business Marketing Tips that Slaughter the Competition

The Pooper Scooper

It’s a dirty job and someone has to do it — why not do it for a fee? You can make a surprising amount of money running a poop scooping service in your area. It’s also cheap and requires no special equipment or skills, meaning your investment is minimal and finding labor should be relatively simple. If they can handle plastic bags and a scooper, they can do the job!

Hire a few people so you can focus on managing and marketing the company. Marketing can be as simple as a listing in your local paper combined with fliers posted on bulletin boards and pet-friendly parks.

The Paw Sitter

Not all pets are healthy or can be taken out of the home. And exotic animals may have customized spaces in their owners’ homes, which puts the owner in a pickle should they have to leave. Some owners simply want their pets to stay as comfortable as possible within the safety of their homes and don’t enjoy the idea of putting their dog in a kennel or daycare when they go on vacation. You can solve this problem by offering a pet sitting service.

Pet sitting is a dream business idea for many entrepreneurs, as it requires very little equipment and you don’t need a brick and mortar location. You could test the waters by doing the job yourself — keeping costs and headcount low — before hiring your crew of pet enthusiasts. Make sure that your employees are open to assignments that last multiple days and that they’re thoroughly vetted. A single theft or incident can result in your brand being irreparably damaged.

 

SEE ALSO: How to Hire and Keep the Best Employees for Your Business

The Doggy Day Care

Children aren’t the only ones who need minding when you’re away — pets also need someone to feed them, clean up after them, and make sure that they don’t wreck your home. With the recent increase in popularity of pet day care centers, why not consider opening one of your own? Avid pet owners are often drawn to this option because it not only gives them peace of mind, but it also does so without exposing their home to strangers.

But don’t confuse this business with a kennel. Kennels board animals for extended periods of time, sometimes days and often weeks. Doggy day cares, on the other hand, are exactly what they sound like — animals get dropped off in the morning and picked up later in the day, providing them ample time to make furry friends. Some day cares even provide dog grooming services. To get started, convert part of your home into a day care center. If you have capital to work with, invest in a commercial warehouse. Just remember, this is a cluttered market. Research the competition in your local area to come up with a business plan that is going to set your pet business apart from the rest.

Just because you don’t have a lot of capital doesn’t mean you can’t become an entrepreneur. That being said, starting a business requires a willingness to take risks. When starting any business you should consider the financial, market and management risk associated with your venture. Your situation will never be paw-fect, but you have to be willing to give it a try.

Yamarie Grullon

Yamarie Grullon has years of experience creating helpful & engaging content for small business owners. As Director of Content Strategy at ShopKeep, a leading iPad Point of Sale System, Yamarie provides merchants with practical advice on all things related to business or point of sale.