After getting through the first year, it makes sense to start thinking about how I could possibly grow the business. Do I want to stick with only the dog walking and petsitting and become the best damn dog walker and petsitter this world has ever seen? Or do I expand my services to attract a different type of target market? Or both?
I had set a goal for myself for the first year. I don't really have it written down anywhere or did I put any A to E bar charts into a powerpoint. After all, it would only be me looking at it. I don't think I even communicated it to my mentor. I squashed that goal. At the last meeting I had with my mentor, I asked about how I would go about expanding my service area and adding an employee or two. How can I keep the clients in my current neighborhood, hire someone and make sure that they're busy in a brand new neighborhood without overlooking any major gaps? He asked me if I was working in a surplus. Ummmm. Don't think so yet. I'm probably at about a breakeven. I know I've been chasing a credit card bill since Christmas.. And with my 1-year anniversary, lots of things became due: My LLC registration, my App subscription, my insurance premium, my personal property tax. Ok, so the latter has nothing to do with my business but it came due at the same time and it was annoying how much it was. But it's a good reminder to not forget having to eventually pay taxes on everything I earn. So anyway, he gave me the task to put pen to paper and illustrate what me working in a surplus would look like. I think I'm getting there but I have to prove it. Once I achieve that, then I can think about hiring an employee and expanding my service area. I better get going on that. These meeting always sneak up on me faster than I think they're going to.
As far as future endeavors, I would have a hard time giving up the dog walking and petsitting. It may not necessarily be me doing it myself, but I would at least like to oversee others (employees) doing it while maybe I go on and take on some other tasks. I'm not getting any younger and eventually I'd like some younger folk doing most of the leg work while I orchestrate (isn't that the dream, anyway?). I can see there is a great need and demand for it. I'd hate to leave a gaping hole behind. Especially, since I've come to like my two-legged and four-legged clients and have become good friends with many of them.
I thought it may be fun to get into professional dog tracking. My dream would be to rescue two Beagle puppies and train them to be scent dogs. Maybe buy a fancy drone. Then i could help people find their lost pets. I have the feeling this would be a labor of love. By the time people would be come to me, they'd be in a pretty desperate state and their pets would probably be gone for weeks or months. Difficult to track a scent by then. I think I'd technically be a pet detective. How cool would that be?
Another thought of mine that may be a bit lucrative and makes me what to do a happy dance is International Pet Transportation. I get a bit bummed that I haven't really been anywhere in a while. I feel a bit stuck in Richmond, VA because it is just me doing the work. I did manage to get away for a week in January. I had to find people to cover me while I was gone which wasn't terrible. But anyway, why not meld pets and travel? I would take care of all the necessary paper work, work with the pet's veterinarian, and accompany the pet where ever they need to go. I'd probably shoot to arrive a couple days earlier than I'd have to, just in case, well you know, how flights/travel can be. If I get there early, I'd have time to look around. I'm seriously considering this.
What I'm probably going to do, even if only temporarily, is tutor math. It has really nothing to do with pets or travel but I like doing it and it is a skill that I have. I have a dead spot between 3-5 normally during the week. That's when kids are getting out of school. I could tutor them. It's a good way to earn a bit more and maybe I can afford my cleaning ladies again and I could get my hair done somewhere nice. Total luxuries, I know. But I miss them and I would always be sooooo happy afterwards.
I'm consider writing a children's book based on my Molly's, whom I named my business after, life. She was found as a stray so the book would fill in some holes. I need to sit down and write that all out. I have asked about how I can hire an illustrator. Getting a children's book used to be near impossible to publish unless you were a celebrity. These days it's so easy although maybe not as lucrative.
I read an article somewhere on Linked In that you should have 4 income streams (I believe the article was targeting small business owners). So based on that my end goal is to have 4 income streams. Stay tuned.
So my take aways here:
Put pen to paper and write out what working in a surplus would look like for your business.
How could you grow your business and possibly pair with some other passions you may have been missing out on?
What other income streams could you come to rely on? In case of seasonality or bankruptcy of another?
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