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Blog written by Cindy Aldridge - cindy@ourdogfriends.org
Tips to Help You Start a Business While Adopting a Dog
At first glance, the idea of owning a dog and a business may not seem connected. However, if you found yourself fostering or adopting a new dog friend, then today’s post is for you. Here, Up Dog Toys discusses a few things you should know about starting a business while opening your home to an animal so that you can focus on each.
First, understand dog care.
One of your first tasks as a new dog owner is to get to know this particular type of animal. Caring for a dog is not like caring for a cat or a rabbit. When you know what’s normal and what’s not, you’ll feel more comfortable in your new role as a pet parent.
Master business basics.
Next up, spend some time laying a solid foundation for your business, such as forming a legal entity, like an LLC. Doing so can take some stress off of your plate by legitimizing your business and providing some tax advantages and financial liability protection. The rules of forming an LLC vary from state to state, but you can look for an online formation service that can take much of the work off of you while ensuring that you start and stay legal.
Another business tenet is scope management. Project scope management requires defining, documenting, and controlling the deliverables of a project like starting a business to ensure that it’s completed on time and within budget. To find out more about the ins and outs of scope management, this page deserves a look.
Spend time with your pup.
Spending time with your animal is important in the bonding phase, but your attention may be divided by you’re in the startup phase of your new business. Making time for your new dog involves establishing a daily routine for feeding, exercise, and socialization, as well as providing a safe and stimulating environment to promote their physical and mental well-being.
Consider training.
While most people think of training in terms of dogs, dogs can be trained to perform a limited number of actions. Teaching it to sit might come in handy if you’re stuck on the computer but need your dog to behave a certain way for a few moments.
Stay on a schedule.
Like children, dogs need a predictable schedule to be healthy and happy. Make a point to stick to the same routine each day when possible. The Spruce Pets notes that your dog needs to know their needs are going to be met, and this includes keeping them fed, entertained, and exercised. Even if your dog can’t tell time, you may notice a change in their behavior if you veer too far away from your daily habits.
Something to keep in mind before you get a dog and start a business at the same time is that, as Dogtopia points out, many people don’t realize how much work dogs are. They are not a hands-off pet. You will need to focus your attention on your dog for several hours each day, at least in the beginning. But you also need to focus your time on your business.
Today’s tips, from bonding with your new dog to forming your business structure so that you have one less thing to worry about, can help you handle both entrepreneurship and dog ownership as co-occurring events without sacrificing either.
Image via Pexels
