Open a Pet Business

Planning and Control Are Necessary Functions A Small Business Owner Must Master

written by Niki Tudge Copyright 2011

In order to function successfully a business needs to plan and control its business activities.   Planning is a series of activities with a start and a finish to accomplish a goal using the resources available within the organization. Planning is a management process; a responsibility of management is to attain the organizations objectives. Mullins (2002 p 172) describes managing activity as “to forecast, plan, organize, command, to coordinate and to control”.

“Planning is decision making based on futurity. It is a continuous process of making entrepreneurial decisions with an eye on the future” Kerzner (2001 P 550). Without proper planning projects do not meet time-lines, achieve their objectives or deliver the required results for an organization.

According to Kerzner (2001) the key advantages to planning are

-         It provides a clear understanding of what you need to do in order to achieve your objectives.

-         The plan guides you in prioritizing and making decisions.

-         The planning allows you to focus organizational resources on the areas that will most benefit the organization.

-         Planning keeps you in touch with your context, environment, industry and external business forces.

-         Planning provides the tools to help you communicate your intentions to others.

-         Planning provides a coherent guide for day-to-day implementation.

Planning is described as “the function of selecting enterprise objectives and establishing the policies, procedures and programs necessary to achieve them” (Kerzner 2001 p 549). Whereas control is the process that allows the organization to react to changing circumstances, review and make the necessary adjustments to achieve the organizations goals.

Control is not just used to describe financial controls through revenue and expense management. Control is monitoring progress, checking performance and intervening when changes need to be made to bring the activity back to plan.

Control incorporates managing quality, resources, information and change. Mullins (2002 P 766- 770) states that “management control is primarily a process for motivating and inspiring people to perform organizational activities”

The DogSmith leadership will help you plan and control your business activities whether they are your key tasks, financial, marketing or customer service. History is full of great products and services that failed simply because the business wasn’t operated profitably. To Run Your Dog Training & Pet Care Business Successfully, You Need to Master Business Finances, Manage Employees & Learn How To Market and Deliver Your Dog Training & Pet Care Services to Attract and Retain Customers… The DogSmith will show you how!

Bibliography

Kerzner, H. (2001) Project Management, New York, John Wiley & Sons Inc

Mullins, L.J. (2002), Management and Organizational Behavior, Edinburgh, Pearson Education Limited

17 Benefits to Your Own Home-Based Dog Training & Pet Care Business

1. No more commuting!  The time I save can be spent exercising and training my dogs before I go to my office.
2. Talking about going to the office, my commute time is about 2 minutes and I can wear whatever I like.
3. I never have business appointments before 8am unless I choose to schedule one.
4. I can work when my brain functions best and do not have to conform to a corporate  schedule.
5. I never have to worry about office politics.  I make well-thought-out decisions without worrying about internal politics.
6. Domestic chores and errands are easier since I can schedule appointments and tasks when everybody else is at work.
7. My office environment is fun!  I can play music with my dogs at my feet making me far more productive.
8. No longer do my boss or co-workers get credit for my ideas.  I benefit directly from my work input.
9. I get to do what I love, every single day.
10. There are many tax advantages to working from home and having your own business.
11. I spend more time with my family.
12. I never get the “Sunday Evening Blues.”
13. I no longer have a monthly dry cleaning bill.
14. Each day I have a positive impact on the lives of dogs and cats.
15. My work day is extremely varied.  I go from being the financial manager to making creative decisions on a marketing campaign.
16. I am living the life many people only dream about living.
17. I cannot be fired and I have the ultimate in job security.

Copyright Niki Tudge, The DogSmith Founder. December 2011

All businesses whether large or small, private or public, profit or not for profit and whether they sell ideas, products or services need to promote their organization’s mission. It is important to acknowledge and understand the importance of developing and maintaining a visible and credible identity through consistent marketing activities so your business can attract more customers and promote new services and products to existing clients.

Here at The DogSmith one of our key organizational goals is to provide pet dog owners affordable, humane, force-free pet dog training services and we are committed to developing a strong and consistent image supported by effective marketing tools to help promote our individual DogSmiths in our mutual goal of reaching out to the pet dog-owning community through animal rescue groups, veterinarians and other industry partners.

Our strategic plan concentrates on moving our business forward; it focuses on areas such as our organization’s goals, available resources and how we will successfully conduct business in our industry. A key part of this strategic plan is the development of our marketing plan. Our marketing plan defines what has to be done proactively so we can shape our destiny rather than being reactive in an ever-changing and dynamic business environment.

Our marketing plan includes all of our marketing activities and tactics.  This makes up our marketing mix which includes four elements. These four elements are 1) the product, 2) price, 3) channels of distribution and 4) the integrated marketing communication plan.

The product/service mix is comprised of our total product/service concept, not just the physical product such as the DogSmith services options, but also includes a collection of our user benefits, branding and labeling. That way we can differentiate ourselves from other dog training and pet care businesses. Pricing decisions must be made for all organizations whether they are profit or non-profit.  Our channels of distribution details how we reach our end consumer and referral partners, and how we can support our individual DogSmith owners to reach their customers. The integrated marketing communication plan (MARCOM) looks at all of these variables used to communicate our important message.

Every year, a key area of development for our strategic plan is developing a realistic, measurable and integrated Marketing Communication Plan.  Our MARCOM needs to be measurable because we need to determine if our objectives are met; Realistic because we will be allocating valuable resources to this communication plan; and integrated because it is not a “stand alone plan” but a key tool and tactic of our overall marketing plan and business goals.

The Marketing Communication Plan helps us ensure that we send a clear, cohesive and consistent message to our customers, DogSmith owners and industry partners whether our message is delivered through our Facebook page, event booths and advertising campaigns or through our collection of developed marketing collateral, flyers, brochures and other media used by DogSmith owners. This strategic approach to our communication plan helps us strengthen our brand identity and create value around our DogSmith credentials.

The primary tools we use include advertising, reminder information or persuasive messages communicated to a targeted audience, personal selling, benefiting from one-on-one communication, public relations, the use of mass media to communicate our organizational image, referrals networks, industry partnerships and, last but not least, marketing our brand through a variety of effective Internet resources.

The key to our strategic success in 2012 will be the effective use of our marketing tactics through diligent strategic planning and well thought-out implementation timelines and methods. From the organization’s perspective and a DogSmith’s perspective there will be lots of communication tools on hand to ensure we can overwhelm the competition, reach our target audience and drive forward to reach our goals.

© 2011

The Association of Pet Dog Trainers recommends that you look for a training school that offers a good training program. Their website describes a good training program as covering the following topics,  a) History of Dog Training, a complete history of dog training from late 19th century to the present and a comparison and contrast of dog training with other animal training endeavors, b) Animal Learning, classical and operant conditioning, positive and negative reinforcement, positive and negative punishment, conditioned reinforcers, discrimination, generalization, habituation, sensitization and desensitization, blocking and overshadowing, motivation, establishing operations, conditioned emotional responses and a comparison of dog learning to human learning, c) Dog Behavior, dog development and ethology, genetics of behavior, fixed action patterns, social signals, body language, social development, critical periods, hormonal influences, breed characteristics and d) Designing Classes, how to design your courses/instruction materials once you graduate including how to counsel individuals, motivate handlers/owners, how to screen and steer clients.

There are many schools and online courses that can be attended to learn and gather the required theoretical knowledge to learn about dog training.  However, as James Kesel in his article titled ‘A Career in Dog Training’ says, “more dog training businesses fail as a result of poor business practices than because they are doing a poor job of dog training.”  Peggy Prudden in her article on the National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors website says, “To be a good dog trainer one must be physically fit, goal oriented, self-starting, and love dogs.  It takes a lot of stamina, patience, understanding, insight, commonsense and fortitude to dedicate one’s life to training dogs.”

Becoming a Dog Trainer, like many professional services, requires that you have a broad knowledge of business skills if your goal is to make a career and earn a living in the profession.  Many service professionals are good technicians, are able to perform the actual skill of their trade, but are lacking in the knowledge and experience of opening and operating a business.  Business finance and marketing are equally as important to the success of a business as being able to perform the dog training skill and these skills are acquired through business degrees and years of experience in a business environment.

Online courses offer an academic overview of dog training whereas on-site dog training schools also compliment the academic studying with practical hands on dog training experience.  Once you have completed your studies you then join the business community as a small business owner. Unless you bring an academic background in business management to your new career or have previously worked in a business environment your startup will be more difficult.

Dog Training franchises can offer both the academic dog training curriculum and the hands on practical skills and provide a lifelong partnership and business relationship that has the necessary support functions, skills and experience to assist you in your business success.  Dog Training Franchises that are not selling ‘systems’ requiring a huge capital outlay at the beginning are seriously invested in your business, if you succeed they succeed.  A good dog training franchise will be on hand pre-launch, during your launch and continually to support your business growth.  A good dog training franchise will have a leadership team with a proven track record of owning and operating pet care businesses. The leadership team will offer expertise in business finance, marketing, operational effectiveness and will have a dynamic and benevolent leadership style committed to your personal business success.

Sources

Sourced http://www.apdt.com/trainers/career/default.aspx December 4th 2009

Sourced at http://www.nadoi.org/howdoi.htm December 4th 2009

Visit this website and review the following pages to get a better understanding of how a dog training franchise can help you – http://www.DogSmithFranchise.com

Click here to learn more about a professionally developed Dog Training School Curriculum

http://www.dogsmith.com/nationalcenter.php

Read testimonials from DogSmith Franchise Owners

http://www.dogsmith.com/top20.php

Abstract

Dog training is a fulfilling career and can provide a good level of income. There are so many ways to open a dog training business and each method has its strengths and weaknesses. Dog Training as a career, like many professional service businesses, requires not only effective technical skills but also requires that the business owner has competent business skills.

Sources

Jim Kesel

http://ezinearticles.com/?Career-in-Dog-Training&id=706173

Association of Pet Dog Trainers

http://www.apdt.com/trainers/career/default.aspx

Unlike some, I feel better identifying the source of my startup funds before I start looking at businesses for sale.  It gives me a comfortable feeling knowing what I can afford, saves me time and trouble by limiting what I look for in a business and provides me with a level of confidence to negotiate based on what I know I can afford.  In addition to your own savings, commercial business loans (including SBA guaranteed loans) and borrowing from your family there are some creative options out there for securing the money you will need to start or buy your own business.  One borrowing/lending option that is becoming more popular is known as Peer to Peer (p2p) lending.  A p2p company arranges to connect borrowers with lenders.  While some p2p companies only deal with loans between friends and family, others specialize in connecting true investors with borrowers.

1.      LendFriend – LendFriend provides a platform for customers to lend and borrow among their friends and family members in a manageable way. They facilitate the loan process with an approach that puts the customer in control of setting loan terms.

2.       Lending Karma – Another company that specializes in lending or borrowing money between people who know each other.  LendingKarma can help you document, and track your loan quickly and easily.

3.       LoanBack – Another ‘friends and family’ loan company with a simple process to assist borrowing and lending between friends  or family members.

4.      One 2 One Lending – Providing loan assistance and document preparation for lending and borrowing between friends and relatives.

5.       WikiLoan – For lending and borrowing between friends or family members.  When you borrow money from someone, especially someone you know, a lot of questions come up. It can be  a very uncomfortable process for both the Borrower and the Lender. WikiLoan provides tools and promissory note to make the process go smoothly without embarrassment on either side.

6.       Zimple Money – Yet another friends and family loan company, ZimpleMoney also can assist with seller financed real estate loans and loans and fund raising for non-profits.

7.       National Family Mortgage, LLC – National Family Mortgage is America’s largest online resource for helping families properly structure and manage real estate loans with their loved ones.

8.       Lending Club – If you don’t have a network of people you can ask for loans, the Lending Club may be a great alternative. Lending Club places your request in front of their own pool of investors/lenders. The rate of interest you pay is determined by Lending Club based on a rating or grade given your loan.  The rate of interest on the loans can be as little as 7.37% with monthly payments over three years.

9.       PROSPER – a p2p lending company providing an alternative to traditional loans and investing options.  Prosper connects people who need money with those who have money to invest.  How it works with Prosper: Borrowers choose a loan amount and purpose and then post a loan listing.  Investors review loan listings and invest in listings that meet their criteria.  Once the process is complete, borrowers make fixed monthly payments and investors receive a portion of those payments directly to their Prosper account.

Another option if you have funds invested in a 401K or IRA account is to use “a rollover as business startup” — or ROBS — as a tax-friendly way to tap your 401(k) accounts to buy or build a business.  There are significant rules to be followed so you will need to hire a pro if you opt for this route to fund your business.  Two of the better known companies specializing in ROBS and self-directed retirement plans are:

Guidant Financial Group Inc. — A financial-services firm that for a fee helps people purchase alternative investments, such as small businesses, inside their retirement plans as an investment, without taking a taxable distribution.

BeneTrends Inc. — A company offering services that help individuals tap retirement funds for business financing.

Despite the sluggish economy experienced by many Florida businesses, The DogSmith of Palm Beach County continues to grow and now offers dog training and pet care to neighboring areas.

Jupiter, FL – To meet the growing demand for her dog training and pet care business, Rachel Williams, owner of The DogSmith of Palm Beach County, has announced her partnership with Susan Barton, Certified DogSmith Dog Trainer, to expand operations into Hobe Sound, Jensen Beach, Palm City, and Stuart Florida.  The animal lovers in these cities will now have access to the same free DogSmith puppy socialization classes and canine rescue resource programs enjoyed by Palm Beach County residents.

Welcome To The DogSmith Team

“We are very excited about increasing our ability to offer unrivaled dog training and pet care to more animal lovers in this area,” said Williams.  “We take a lot of pride in our exceptional customer service and professional expertise in every dog training and pet care service we offer, and now we can provide these services to many more pet owners.”

In addition to her years of experience training dogs, Barton qualified for her DogSmith Dog Training certification by completing a comprehensive course of animal learning theory and ‘hands-on’ practical dog handling at the DogSmith National Training Center.  “The training was fantastic,” said Barton, “we spent two weeks working with rescue dogs so we were trained on some very challenging behavior cases.”

According to their mission statement, The DogSmith exists to enhance the lives of pets and their owners by improving their relationship and the quality of the life they share by providing professional support and training to Pet Dog owners, supporting and assisting animal shelters and rescue organizations to minimize the number of unwanted animals and offering affordable and professional care to family pets so that pet ownership is never a burden.

For more information about The DogSmith’s free puppy classes or canine resources program visit www.DogSmith.com or call The DogSmith at 1-888-DogSmith (364-7648)

About The DogSmith – The DogSmith Franchise Services Inc. is a Florida based company whose mission is to enhance the lives of pets and their owners by improving their relationship, and the quality of the life they share, through providing professional support and training to pet dog owners, supporting and assisting animal shelters and rescue organizations to minimize the number of unwanted animals and offering affordable and professional care to family pets so that pet ownership is never a burden. To learn more about, or to become, a DogSmith Franchise Owner  visit www.DogSmithFranchise.com or call 1-888-364-7648

Helping Pets Become Family!

The DogSmith® Dog Training and Pet Care Franchise is the only full-service pet care company in the US.

* No experience necessary
* Low investment, low risk, high payoff
* Get paid to do what you love
* A fun, flexible lifestyle working with animals
* Give back to your community every day
* Build wealth by investing in your own business

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Now, more than ever…The DogSmith® business opportunity, The DogSmith lifestyle! The pet industry keeps growing. Over 60% of American households have pets. That’s more than 70 Million pets! Americans own over 38 million cats and 45 million dogs. And the pet industry has proven to be resilient during economically tough times. Not only is pet ownership increasing but we are spending more on our pets.

All of these factors are encouraging more and more entrepreneurs to move into the Pet Industry. The converging trends of today’s economy combined with the “home-based” model afforded to dog training and pet care professionals makes it an unusually effective fit for those looking for a socially responsible, environmentally friendly business opportunity where you can truly love what you do for a living.
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