Ways for Kids to Make Money

How to Start a Dog Walking Business

There are a lot of ways for kids to make money right in their own neighborhood. In fact, your neighbors' pets might provide an opportunity for you to launch your very own dog walking business. Here are some tips about how to get started.

Dog walking businesses are great opportunities for kids to make a little extra money doing something they love.

Since a lot of people are too busy to walk their dogs, they hire other people to walk their dogs for them. If you love dogs, there is a good chance you can do a brisk business walking other people's dogs in your own neighborhood.

Successful dog walking businesses don't just happen, though. It takes planning and preparation to do a dog walking business right. If you're not sure where to begin, here is a step-by-step plan you can follow to make your dog walking business into a reality.

Step 1: Do Market Research on Dog Walking Opportunities

The first step toward getting your dog walking business off the ground is to identify the families in your neighborhood who own dogs. In the business world, that's called conducting market research and it's important because it gives you important information about your prospective clients.

Step 2: Buy Dog Walking Equipment

Fortunately, there is not a lot of equipment involved with a dog walking business. However, you should make sure you have a few extra leashes on hand as well as supplies like dog treats and plastic bags to clean up any accidents your clients may deposit on local streets.

Step 3: Establish Prices for Your Dog Walking Business

For the majority of households a professional dog walker is a convenience. If necessary, most people could probably do it themselves. So when it comes to pricing your services you should consider the fact that if your prices are too high, you may find it hard to recruit clients. On the other hand, you need to make sure your price is high enough to compensate you for your time and cover the cost of supplies.

Step 4: Create a Flyer to Advertise Your Dog Walking Business

Now that you know how much you can charge for your services, you can create a flyer and distribute it to the dog-owning households throughout your neighborhood. Although your flyer doesn't necessarily have to be full color, it should grab people's attention and describe who you are, what you do, and how you can be reached.

Step 5: Enlist Clients

After you have distributed your flyer, you should start receiving phone calls from people who want to hire you to walk their dogs. When that happens, set up a time to meet with your new client to discuss the details. IMPORTANT: Always take a parent with you when you visit a client for the first time and never visit a client you don't know by yourself!

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