How do you start a dog walking business? This is certainly a popular question today. After all, with this business you can earn money doing something you love while getting some exercise at the same time. Here are six tips to help you begin a profitable business fast.

#1) Become a master marketer

You are going to be competing against plenty of other dog walkers. So without knowing how to market yourself properly, you are probably not going to make much money.

#2) Be specific

You need to tell your prospects exactly what kind of things you do. For instance, do you also look after other pets? In what location are you going to be walking the dogs? What are your time restrictions? These are the questions anyone hiring you will want to know, so getting clear on these details is important.

#3) Have a clear business name

This is important if you are going to be advertising your business in the phone book or online. Do not worry about being creative. Just make sure your name makes it clear what you do.

#4) Use testimonials

Get others to vouch for your services. The more references you have, the better. If you’ve never walked anybody else’s dogs, consider offering to do it for friends for free.

#5) Keep track of your income and expenses

Like any business, knowing how much you are spending and taking in is critical. For instance, if you are doing paid advertising, you want to be sure you are bringing in more than you are paying out. Microsoft Excel is an excellent tool for this.

#6) Advertise in the right places

The traditional methods are flyers and ads in the local paper. They do work, but you also might want a website.

For instance, a lot of people will search for “dog walkers in (wherever they live).” If your website is ranking number one for that term, you have an excellent chance of getting their business.

How do you keep the job once you’ve gotten it? Here are a few things you need to do:

* Be available. If you miss a call, get back to the client as soon as possible. This is a commodity business. In many instances the first person the customer talks to is the one they hire.

* Always be on time. This shows you value your customers’ time.

* Hire a staff. This will help you out on days you cannot work. If you go on a vacation and another business takes over when you are gone, they might become your permanent replacement. So having extra help is very important.

The bottom line is: doing all these little things will help ensure you have a profitable dog walking business as fast as possible. Implement these tips, and you will start making money and having fun very soon.

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