Determine the type of business model that aligns the most with your future aspirations.
As we mentioned at the beginning of this module, there are two main types of boarding – kennels and home boarding.
So, are you going to be offering home-based services or a full-service dog boarding facility? If you’re opening a facility and will be investing in a premises, perhaps you might want to consider also offering short-term daycare facilities to increase the scope of your services?
Before making your decision, you must seriously start thinking about costs.
For example, a home-based service is going to be much cheaper to set up compared to the day care centre and full time boarding facility due to the cost of obtaining premises. (If you want to start small and build your business you might open up your own home as a ‘kennel’ and allow pet parents to bring their pets to stay with you to save on forking out on a premises to begin with.)
If you’re home boarding based in the pet parent’s home you might need to consider investing in transportation to be able to get to your clients, as opposed to them coming to you.
Try making a list of the pros and cons of each option to help you build a business model that’s both cost effective and practical.