How to Start an Indoor Dog Park: 11 Steps to Follow
By Adam Mann
Updated on
Starting your own business can be a great way to make a little money and introduce something unique and interesting to your community. With an indoor dog park, you also get the added benefit of spending more time around dogs, and for dog lovers like us, that’s a real win-win!
But before you jump in headfirst, there are a few things you need to know and understand, and that’s why we came up with this guide that breaks down everything you should do when you’re looking at starting an indoor dog park franchise!
11 Steps to Starting an Indoor Dog Park
If you’re looking to start an indoor dog park, there are quite a few things you need to do. But if you start at the top of our list and work your way down, you’ll be well on your way to opening your business!
1. Develop a Business Plan
Every successful business starts with a business plan. This isn’t the step where you do everything, but it is where you lay out everything you need to do. Doing your research here is a great start, but you need to take this list and come up with a step-by-step guide on how you’re going to accomplish everything.
Coming up with a business plan ensures you’ve thought everything through and come up with a viable business without making many missteps. Don’t think that you can’t change things in your business plan as you go, but having everything laid out a bit will ensure you don’t miss any steps and that you have realistic expectations before you start.
2. Do Your Research
Before you start spending money, you need to research everything. A lot goes into starting a new business, and the fewer surprises you encounter, the better. During the research stage, you need to figure out who the competition is in the area, how much interest there is in an indoor dog park, fair pricing, expected profit margins, rules and laws in your area, and so much more.
This step will take quite a bit of time, but the more time you spend researching, the more likely it is that your business will succeed in the future!
3. Look at the Money
Money matters. In the end, you can set up a really neat community, but if you can’t run your business at a loss forever. Ensure the profit margins for your business work, and ensure you have enough capital upfront to start your business and keep you going if you don’t start making money in the first few months.
The exact amount of money you’ll need will vary depending on your lifestyle and the area, but the more you have on hand, the better!
4. Build a Community
Networking is a critical part of building and running a successful business. Reach out to the local community to get support, reach out to other local business owners and learn from them, and get connected with other local dog groups.
The more connections you can build, the better, so get out and start building your own community to help support your dog park!
5. Develop a Marketing Strategy
If you want your business to succeed, you need everyone around to know about it! Marketing is how you can do this, but there are tons of ways you can market your business. You can focus your time and money on social media, a website, Google ads, radio ads, or so much more.
The important thing is that you come up with a marketing strategy that works for the audience you’re trying to target.
6. Find Your Location
Indoor dog parks don’t work just anywhere. When it comes to having a successful business, location is everything. You need to find the perfect location for your business at the right price, so shop around until you find exactly what you’re looking for.
7. Form an LLC
There are tons of advantages to starting an LLC. Not only does it give you tax breaks, but it also helps with insurance and other requirements that come with running a business. The exact requirement to form and register a business will vary depending on where you live, so check out the local laws and regulations and follow them.
We highly recommend reaching out to a lawyer during this stage, as they can advise you on everything you should do, including all the necessary licenses, permits, and insurance you need to get to operate an indoor dog park in your area.
8. Get Licenses, Permits, and Insurance
You can’t just claim any building or area is open for pets. You need to get all the necessary permits to run a business, be around so many pets, and get the necessary insurance so that if something happens at your facility, you don’t go broke.
9. Create a Business Bank Account
Trying to run your business out of your personal bank account is a recipe for disaster. Create a completely separate bank account for your business. That way, you can better track income and expenses and save yourself a ton of headaches during tax season.
10. Set Park Rules
Not every indoor dog park has the same rules, but it’s important to have clear and enforceable rules that everyone needs to follow when they’re at your facility. Rules like cleaning up after your dog, when they need to remove rowdy or aggressive dogs, and what vaccines dogs need to attend are a few things you should establish rules about.
11. Start Your Business/Hire Employees
Now that you have all this figured out, it’s time to start your business! You may or may not need employees when you’re first getting started, but if you need a little extra help, this would be the time to hire an employee or two.
Final Thoughts
Starting your own indoor dog park can be an extremely rewarding experience, but it’s also going to be a bit stressful. But doing your homework and coming up with a solid business plan can help you avoid some of the worst struggles that sometimes come with running a new business.
Just know that there are going to be ups and down with starting a business, and try to enjoy the process, even during the more stressful days!
See also:
- 5 Backyard Dog Playground Ideas You Can Build (With Pictures)
- How to Build a Dog Park in Your Community: Tips & Recommendations
Featured Image Credit: Raywoo, Shutterstock
