“More money, less work.” That has become my version of the phrase about working smarter, not harder. Pet care professionals, as small business owners and entrepreneurs, tend to be Type A personalities who don’t mind working hard. But one evening as I sat with my husband pondering how I seemed overworked, I suddenly blurted out my goal was “more money, less work.”

In particular, I started to see I was working harder to gain new clients than I was working to maintain and build the relationship with clients I had. I started to consider some options that would allow me to generate revenue from existing clients in a way that would build our relationship, make me a valued partner in their pet’s life and, of course, result in me getting more money for less work.

Here is a brief overview of some revenue-generating ideas you can implement today. They cost very little to start, are low risk, don’t require excessive payroll, and can be used in virtually any pet care center regardless of the primary business you are doing.

Holiday/Themed Parties
Do pets come to your facility for boarding, daycare, or playgroups anyway? Then set aside a day when you celebrate a holiday (Memorial Day, Thanksgiving, Fourth of July) or a special theme (a picnic, vacation on the seas, a rodeo, etc.). You run the day just as you would normally, but add the addition of more photos, a goodie bag for the dogs to take home, and a few decorations. You can charge a small amount for the party (on top of your normal fees) to offset the cost for the décor and special treats. If you do this on a slow day, you’ll find attendance skyrockets!

Birthday Parties
You have animal birthdays in your database anyway, so why not use them? A month before Fido’s birthday, send an email to the owner asking if she would like to sponsor a party for her dog during the normal daycare or playgroup time. The owner can pay you a predetermined fee, and you’ll provide goodie bags and party hats to every pet who attends daycare that day. You can even include invitations to send to all the other pet center animals inviting them to the birthday party. Just as with the holiday parties, do this on a slow day, and you’ll find a boost in attendance. Take plenty of photos, which will double for advertising for future parties.

Trick of the Month
Offer to teach a “trick of the month” to any dog who visits your facility during a particular month. The owner pays a set amount, and you have a staff member teach an easy trick (e.g. shake, roll-over, play dead, etc.) to their dog. Use treats to speed up the training process and then show the owner how to get their dog to do it when they pick up their pet. Of course, you’ll want to select easy tricks that can be taught in a few short sessions, but if it takes more than one day, that’s just incentive for the owner to return for another visit!

Special Treat of the Day
Create special treats that owners can purchase to be given to their pets at naptime or some other period of the day. Frosty paws at lunch time or yummy, homemade, one-of-a-kind cat treats are a big hit. You can suggest these food items for a nominal fee when an owner drops off their pet. The special treat of the day could also be connected to a special time of year such as Cinco De Mayo “barkaritas” made with animal-friendly ingredients.

Housetraining Programs
Do you have puppies younger than five months old in your facility? Offer to take the pup out more frequently to get them used to going potty on the grass. This can be a huge help to owners who are working on housetraining. You charge an additional fee for the extra time spent taking the puppy on his potty breaks.

Massage
Who doesn’t love a massage? Offer some one-on-one time to the animals in your facility. The owner provides additional revenue for their pet to receive some extra care and attention while they are with you.

Getting Fit
Core training is important to all of us, right? Specialty balancing boards and exercise balls are now being made for dogs. Doggie treadmills have also become more popular. Why not add gym equipment to your facility and offer some short 10- to 15-minute fitness training sessions to dogs during some of your slower times of day. With the extra revenue you can generate, you’ll pay off the equipment in no time.

Whatever the Client Wants!
Rather than turning down special requests from clients, see how you can offer it for a fee. Some examples I’ve seen include a telephone call to the pet, Skyping with a pet, turn-down service in the boarding facility, reading a book to a pet…these all started as unique ideas from one owner, which later turned into revenue-generating ideas offered to everyone.

Be creative and look for ways you can have more money with less work.

Robin Bennett is an author and consultant for pet care facilities on the subjects of dog daycare, training, and off-leash dog play. She is committed to raising the bar of safety in off-leash play to help keep the dogs safe. Her book All About Dog Daycare:  A Blueprint for Success is the number one reference on owning a daycare, and her book, Off-Leash Dog Play, co-authored by Susan Briggs, is the key reference on supervising dogs in playgroups. Robin has a passion for educating pet care facility owners on safe handling techniques and canine body language with Knowing Dogs, the staff training program she developed with Susan Briggs. Together Robin and Susan (better known as “The Dog Gurus”) have recently launched the best resource for off-leash play at TheDogGurus.com. You can learn more about Robin at her website www.RobinKBennett.com

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