If you’re looking for pet business opportunities that are NOT necessarily home-based, you’ve come to the right place.

Perhaps you’re considering a pet business opportunity like starting a pet grooming business, a pet sitting business, opening a pet store or even buying a pet-related franchise. Following are some resources that you’ll find handy along with articles and other resources to help you find the one that’s right for you.

Buy An Existing Pet Business

Business Nation is a website that lists all types of existing businesses for sale, which include, of course, pet-related businesses.

If you’re looking to buy a kennel, boarding facility or even a vet clinic, this is the place to begin your search. Covers the entire USA.
Pet Businesses For Sale

Buy A Pet Store

More listings from Business Nation especially focused on pet stores for sale. Includes price and desciption of pet store for sale as well as location within the USA and other information. Each listing allows you to contact the seller directly.
Pet Stores For Sale

Buy A Pet Franchise

If buying a pet-related franchise is something you’re considering, here’s a good first stop. Franchise Gator lists all kinds of franchise opportunities for sale. Franchises, as you probably know, are a way to buy into an established business system with a recognizable name and plenty of on-going support and training.

Franchises, however, usually require a large financial investment and usually involve paying on-going royalties to the company for as long as you own your business. What franchises like to point out, however, is that because of the ongoing support and training, “You’re in business FOR yourself but not BY yourself”. Recommended for someone able to follow an existing, tried and true system. Yes, the financial commitment is higher than starting your own business from scratch but the learning curve is much less and so is the risk.
BUY A PET FRANCHISE

More Pet Franchises

Franchise Zone has an extensive selection of pet related franchises from which to choose. Current offering include pet waste removal businesses, pet grooming, dog training, self-service pet washes, and of course pet supply stores and boarding facilities. Prices range from $5,000 to over $350,000.
More Pet Franchises to Choose From

Pet Food Delivery Franchise

Pet Pantry is an interesting franchise that I thought was worth spotlighting because it has two things about it that I like when considering a pet business opportunity:

1. This business involves delivering a proprietary pet food to people’s homes. I like this aspect of any pet-related business, because as I’ve previously mentioned on other pages of this website, when you acquire a customer based on food, you basically have a customer for life. Or at least the life of the pet.

2. This is a business that is more or less “home-based”. Yes, you’ll actually have to drive around and make deliveries, but you won’t need a store front or any other office location other than your home office and vehicle. Although food storage is a consideration which is discussed when you visit the Pet Pantry website.

Franchise costs based on the size of the territory you want range from about $40,000 – $73,000.
Pet Food Delivery Franchise Information

Canadian Pet Food Delivery Franchise

Similar pet food delivery business as the Pet Pantry except this one is available in Canada. Multi-Menu, as the company is called, also offers their own proprietary line of pet foods for dogs and cats. Prices for the franchise are not posted on the website as they claim to charge based on the size of the territory.
Visit Multi Menu

Pet Store Franchise Pet Business Opportunities

Pet Depot looks to be concentrated mainly in the California area but they are looking to add franchises nationwide.

This is a full-blown pet store business franchise that offers fully-stocked pet stores ranging in cost from about $255,000 to over $500,000. While that also includes your $25,000 franchise fee, it does NOT include on-going annual advertising and royalty fees of 2% and 6% respectively.
Pet Depot Franchise

Doggie Daycare Franchise

Central Bark Doggie Day Care is based in Wisconsin with six franchises there and one in Florida.

I think Doggie Daycare is “THE” pet business opportunity of the 21st Century. But while I love the concept of doggie daycare and frequently use the services of a local doggie daycare facility for my own energetic Jack Russell Terrier, go in with your eyes open to the tremendous amount of hours that this type of business reguires not to mention the large capital investment. A typical doggie daycare facility is open no less than 12 hours each day, a minimum of 5 days a week but some even 7. All those hours require a lot of employees to supervise the dogs as well as clean up after them.

Having said that, a franchise might make a lot of sense because you won’t have to reinvent the wheel. But it’s not cheap: Central Bark charges a $35,000 franchise fee just to teach you the ropes. Plan on spending an additional $90,000 to over $180,000 to get setup with ongoing royalties and advertising fees for the life of your business.

Central Bark Doggie Day Care

In Conclusion

As you can see, there are many ways to go regarding pet business oportunities. Should you buy a franchise, an existing business or start one from scratch. Each one has it’s own pluses and minuses.

While 40% of all startup businesses fail within the first year and 80% within the first five years, the U.S. Department of Commerce reports that every year since 1971, less than 5% of franchise-owned outlets have been discontinued as a result of business failure.

Franchises can be a great alternative to run an establshed business without reinventing the wheel, but remember that you’ll always have someone looking over your shoulder as well as taking a percentage of your profits.

Buying an existing business can be a good middle alternative because the business has already been established, hopefully already has a built-in customer base and a certain amount of name recognition and “good will”. But make sure you learn why the owner is really selling. Is it retirement? Moving? If it’s so great, why are they letting it go? As with any financial investment, be sure to do your due diligence and remember, as always: Buyer Beware!