For Dolers Who Run Their Own Small Business

[Ivory & Beau]

Yep, PM me and I'll tell you what I can. Happy to share. Maybe include your email addy as I might have some 'recipes' as links.

Just "liked" you on Facebook :) Your doggy PJs are adorable! Home late from the movies, so I'll PM you Monday.

The company in Europe I'm interested in wholesaling from; well I have ordered two leather martingale collars. For Ivy and Badger. Can't wait to test their product on Ivys wolf coat.

[Little Gifts]

I was at the markets today googling rat hammocks on Etsy and Pinterest! There's also some cute birdy things that don't require much fleece fabric that I might try making too.

PS And I noticed that Steve came and liked me on FB too! Hello to you both!

Edited July 13, 2014 by Little Gifts

[Dame Aussie]

Kind of but I would be interested in some rat hammocks EI...

[Steve]

I was at the markets today googling rat hammocks on Etsy and Pinterest! There's also some cute birdy things that don't require much fleece fabric that I might try making too.

PS And I noticed that Steve came and liked me on FB too! Hello to you both!

Are you interested in drop shipping?

[Little Gifts]

I have no idea what drop shipping even is! Only 10% of my orders need to be posted so I offer a $5 flat rate shipping fee. I usually deliver or people come and pick up from me at the markets only because I quite like to go for a bit of a drive and see new places. Strangely, a lot of people work in the CBD so I do a drive around the city pretty much once a week!

[JoAnnP]

Love hearing about small biz - great work

[Lasareina]

I find most of my leads come from my website. You can make a free one fairly easily on sites like wix or webs. When i first started the site i made sure to go to every pet related directory I could find and post a listing on there, with my website, so that I came up a lot higher in the google searches. I would love to do some training in SEO as i know I am not currently reaching my potential with google - using a professional SEO service is expensive! i also get a lot of leads from gumtree, which also directs to my website.

Regarding GST / declaring tax- I recently spoke to an accountant about whether I should look at 'formalising' my business and start declaring tax etc. Most of my business is run on a cash basis so i haven't really looked at doing this until now when I am starting to get a bit busier. The accountant advised that with my current turnover, I could get away with just calling it a 'hobby' so i don't have to declare the income and pay extra tax. I don't know if this is borderline dodgy or not :laugh: but I'm happy to keep it simple so far! my pet sitting is just a sideline to my normal full time job so it's not really a lot of money that we are talking about.

I would love to start selling pet products as well... mainly because i love to buy them and I'm always on the lookout for quality products which are also bargains :p I have some tags listed on my website which are the red dingo ones where they do the engraving and send direct to the customer. However I haven't really put any time into developing this side of it - there are a lot of other suppliers on the net selling the same thing. Unfortunately, I have very little I could spend on creating a quality inventory or I would love to get some of the wholesale products you can find on alibaba etc. The only thing I would worry about is quality of the products! If I was clever enough to be able to make my own products that would be cool... but i'm all thumbs and frustration when it comes to trying to sew etc haha

I would love to one day be able to do pet sitting full time but i am a long way off yet! Good luck with your business English.Ivy :)

[Dogsfevr]

When it comes to dog products it depends on what people you are aiming for .

Dog collars is a very tricky area ,as a breeder & most breeders we suggest products to our pet owners that are pratical,safe & value for money & that will be above all comfy for the dog to wear.

From our boarding kennel/salon side of business we often have to tell clients to buy new collars as the ones they have brought are causing issues for the dogs & aren't safe .

There are plenty of other places in Perth that sell products online & plenty Aussie wide so i wouldn't say its limited in Perth it just depends on who you now & who people ask .

I buy dog products online all the time but i now what i want & why i should have it & i buy worldwide .

I prefer overseas as the prices are better even with postage so to buy in Australia it would have to be same price .

[Amben]

I am a small business-o-holic! I'm one of the terrible ones that has the idea and just does it. I don't really make a plan as such I just take it as it comes. I don't like to borrow money to do it so just do what I can afford and then grow the business as I can afford too. Mostly it's been online businesses but last year there was a vacant shop in town so we made the jump and now have a store front where I cram our 3 businesses (mum is a hair dresser, I have organic and natural things and last year added horsewear) and now I'm looking into adding a dog range because people keep asking us for dog coats, collars and leads. I've found as the postage increases online sales of the heavier things has started to decrease but we are making up for it with people who are able to come in and purchase at the shop. I still maintain the websites with the shop capabilities though since they are relatively inexpensive these days. We aren't registered for the GST, my accountant says you needn't bother with that when your turnover is under $75k.

[Monchichi]

This is probably an old thread, though I found very good reference from Little Gift about starting up new small business, but I do wonder if anyone here in DOL that can share their knowledge on starting on dog treats business? It's mainly for dog cakes and cookies.

do I need council permit to run this from home? licenses etc?

and if I want to start selling on the markets, what do I need to prepare?

thanks in advance :D

[dushido_]

On 12/07/2014 at 8:00 AM, Little Gifts said:

I'm going to give you things from a slightly different perspective. I've been making a range of dog gear to sell for rescue over the past couple of years but a couple of months ago I decided to turn it into a small business. I obviously already had a small client base because I'd been doing it for the rescue group, plus that gave me an idea of what sold ok.

I have a FB page and I sell at a farmer's market on Saturdays. I always have my order forms, business cards, pricing info and fabric options with me at the markets because I get a lot of orders that way. I try and keep everything bright/lively/handmade but professional, so I am keeping my costs down but still inviting interest. My main failing is that I am a terrible photographer and really should advertise my goods more on FB and keep the page more active. I think part of me is worried about getting too much attention and not being able to meet order demands.

As I said, I already have a feel for what sells because I've been doing this for a while but since doing the markets I have branched out a little, buying some low price bits and pieces to add to the stall. I've also started making items for cats and guinea pigs (the cat items sell out every week). It can be seasonal too so there is no point me trying to sell bandanas and doggy tu-tus in winter!

I think the market stall has helped me get new customers and orders. I have people who have come back to my stall over several weeks and bought more - that continued, weekly presence builds trust in your product. I've not had any returned items but I have adjusted one item on the spot and of course people return because they saw something I had and later decided they really did want it. I've been off sick the last two weeks and two different people turned up today saying they'd been looking for me previous weeks to buy things. I've had people see what I make, go home and bring their dogs back so I can measure them up. The bulk of my money comes from making custom made dog coats. There are a lot of non-standard dogs out there and a lot of people buy commercial products and are disappointed when they don't fit, so that is really the service I am selling - cheap customisation. I use a lot of stuffed dogs on my stall (purchased from op shops and sterilised) to display my wares so that perhaps people can imagine it on their dogs. Sometimes this helps when people can't remember what size their dog is - we hold the stuffed toy ones until they find a size match! Lots of people don't come to the markets with a wallet full of cash either, hence the post market orders (I send them away with the order forms and my details). So consider a market stall as a cheap way to build a clientele, even if you don't make a lot on the day. The markets I go to cost $30 and pets are welcome (that's important if you need try ons or to do measurements). I am the only one there selling pet gear, although there is someone who sells dried dog treats. I've heard of markets in other locations where lots of people bring their pets and no-one is selling pet products. So it is an untapped opportunity for some locations.

The downside is it is dark and cold at 4am! You do have to outlay a little for stall equipment (don't get too carried away - I've probably spent about $200 for my 3 table set up with 3m x 3m marquee) and if the weather is bad you may choose not even attend at all and that is a loss of money for that week. And some weeks you will be chronically busy and stressed because it all depends on you. That is the nature of running your own small business. As the business grows, I've also found myself thinking about ways to streamline custom orders and inquiries. Some small business owners use tools that integrate jotform into their workflow so customer measurements, fabric selections, and special requests are captured in a more organized way.

My only other advice is to try and think of it from your own perspective. Why would you buy that product and why would you buy it from you? I try and make things I like myself, I try and make everything look bright and fun because that is what draws my eye, I want my products to be practical/serve a purpose and not just look nice, I want them to be affordable and I try and be helpful and personable, particularly to people with pets. I'm happy to have a doggy cuddle and don't care if a person buys a damn thing - I hope it shows that I love and care about the needs of animals and not just making money.

Edited to add - Given you live in another state I'm happy to share ideas with you of what seems to sell on a pet stall and at what time of the year if that helps given you are also making some of the stock yourself. I can probably even give you some of my secret 'recipes'! I can also give you ideas of how I maximise my raw materials (mainly fabrics) and get the most out of what I have purchased while reducing waste - I don't throw much out anymore but focus on high cost items and high volume items first. I've not made anything for rats but that wouldn't require much fabric would it......

Sorry for reviving such an old thread, but I came across it while researching small-scale pet businesses and market stall experiences, and I found your post surprisingly relevant even all these years later.

 

What stood out to me is that you weren't just selling products—you were building relationships and trust. A lot of advice about starting a business focuses on websites, advertising, or social media, but your experience shows how valuable consistent face-to-face interaction can be. The fact that customers came back week after week, brought their dogs for measurements, and even looked for your stall when you were absent says a lot about the importance of personal service.

 

I also think your point about customisation is incredibly important. Competing on price against mass-produced products is difficult, but offering something that solves a specific problem—like properly fitting coats for non-standard dogs—creates real value that large retailers often can't provide.

 

The discussion about expanding into products for cats and other small animals was interesting too. It’s a good reminder that sometimes the best opportunities come from paying attention to what customers are already asking for rather than trying to predict trends.

 

I'd actually be curious to know how the business developed after this post. Did the market stall continue to be your primary source of customers, or did online sales eventually become a bigger part of the business?

Edited June 10 by dushido_

[Little Gifts]

@dushido_ I used to also make  and sell  jewellery in the warmer months when the coat business was slow, still under the same name. I ended up working in a family business as their in house jewellery making teacher for a few years but was still making animal gear as requested through my Facebook page. I eventually went back to my old career but shifted to having a major volunteer role as an assistant fundraiser with a really large rescue support group. I did that till they closed down. We basically made  items to sell and all the  money went to a selection of rescue  groups across  the country. I was making items for  every size and type of animal you can imagine! I did have a particular business idea that I could have grown (custom made soft cones for cats and dogs) but to be honest making things to deadlines took the passion out of creating for me and I put a  lot of pressure on myself. But making and donating didn't,  so that's what I continue to do (currently making more for humans than animals though). I can tell you that people still send me pics of their doggos in dog coats letting me know they are still wearing them or have passed them on to new doggos. And  I'm not sure if I mentioned it in my old post but pet items are essentially fashion items and you do need to consider human fashion trends each new season as tastes do change. Just because you find a good fabric for cheap doesn't mean it will  sell.