4 small business ideas for animal lovers

Animals: They’re like humans, only better.

One of the best things about starting your own business is that it really is an opportunity to think outside the box and come up with a money-making idea that really fits your personality and skillset. If you love animals, you might consider incorporating them into your business. Sure, you could start a dog walking business, but here are four other ideas to consider.

1. Cat Cafe

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, 25.4% of American households have cats. That’s a lot of cat lovers, and many of us enjoy spending time with other cats, even if we have cats at home. This is where you come in. They can charge an hourly rate for people who hang out with cats, and also sell them coffee and baked goods. Social media loves cats, so expect to find plenty of business through social media marketing.

Opening a cat cafe is no small undertaking; You’ll need to buy or rent a space to host it, which will likely be your biggest expense. You also need to outfit the space to be both cat and human friendly. And if you’re offering food and beverages (that’s the “cafe” part of the equation), you either need an on-site kitchen to prepare food, or you’re looking to partner with a local bakery or other restaurant for supplies.

The cats need food, bedding, toys and other supplies. If you work with a local animal shelter or rescue group, your business may even be able to help find homes for cats in need. If one of your clients falls in love with a local cat, they could have the opportunity to adopt a new friend forever. what would be better

2. Wildlife Photographer

If you’re good with a camera (and maybe already own a high-end camera), you might be looking for a business opportunity beyond shooting weddings and graduations. You could instead be a wildlife photographer, either running your own studio or traveling to different locations.

If you decide to open a studio for client visits, renting (or buying) and maintaining the space will be a major expense. And as a wildlife photographer, you might be more successful if you’re mobile. Speaking from experience, you may get better photos from pets that are in their own home and therefore comfortable. Also, it may not be possible to bring larger animals like horses into your studio!

Consider promoting your services through a local vet clinic, shelter, or pet store, and you could end up with enough customers to keep your business checking account going.

3. Beekeeping

Bees are incredibly important to our ecosystem as pollinators, and if you want to help the planet while running your own business, consider beekeeping. This is a business opportunity that requires a lot of care, planning and a good relationship with your neighbors.

You’ll need to research local laws to see if you can keep bees on your property, how many hives you can have, and how far they need to be from property lines. (That’s where good relationships with your neighbors come in.) Beekeeping also requires specialized equipment, like the hives themselves, tools for harvesting honey, and equipment you need to carry so you avoid getting stung in the process.

They could run a small shop to sell the honey made from it and either make products like beeswax candles themselves or supply raw materials to local artisans. Then you might be able to sell the finished goods.

4. Encounters with traveling animals

The best kind of animal-based business is the kind where you can capitalize on other people’s love for animals. To that end, you might consider offering encounters with interesting animals such as reptiles and amphibians, or perhaps small farm animals. This could take the form of a mobile petting zoo, or perhaps something more educational, such as B. Making presentations about your animals at local schools and daycares.

You’ll need a place for the animals to live when they’re not “working,” as well as all the food, supplies, and veterinary care they might need. You’ll also need a vehicle to transport them to different locations, and probably some well-skilled human staff to wrestle with the animals and help you oversee the humans interacting with your animals.

This type of deal is also likely to be seen at local festivals and wherever school children congregate such as. B. in extracurricular programs, a great success.

An animal-based business might be just the thing if you long to be your own boss and hang out with some furry, scaly, and feathered friends. If so, take a closer look at some of these ideas.