How can a business that offers dog daycare differentiate itself and grow? Improving efficiency is one of the most important ingredients. A doggy daycare that is efficient will be organized to maximize productivity and minimize waste. How can this be achieved? This article will provide you with many ideas, so get going!

1. Define the Business

There are many resources to help you create a successful business plan, whether your company is just starting out or is already established.

It does not have to be complicated, but you need it to be written and accurately reflect your vision for the business in a manner that allows you to assess day-today operations. This will allow you to focus on the most important things, and help you achieve your big-picture goals.

Here are some basic ideas to help you write a good business plan.

• What is the ‘why’ of a business owner?
• Create a vision and mission statement
• Recognize core values
• Determine the target audience or customer base of your business
• Focus on the products and services you will be offering.
• SWOT Analysis (Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats)
• Divide specific goals into smaller, more manageable time chunks
• Use the advantages of dog daycare.

2. Delegation

This is important for any owner or manager. It’s unrealistic to expect a single person to fulfill all the roles required to run a successful company. You can’t do it alone. So, you need to find someone you can trust and who is responsible.

The delegation can be made to internal staff or external services.

Know the strengths of your staff when delegating tasks in-house. You may have an extrovert employee who is great at answering the phone and greeting customers. However, you might also have a more introverted worker who enjoys working one-on-one with dogs while they are doing their daily activities.

Dog trainers, or employees interested in the behavior of dogs can ensure that there are no negative behaviors displayed by attending dogs.

Outline the tasks and job duties expected of each staff member. Training and managing staff ensures that employees understand their roles and can perform them well.

Outsourcing is an option if your team does not have the capability to handle all tasks. They might include:

• Maintenance of buildings and yards
• Veterinarians
• You can get help with any dog health problems that may arise in your practice.
• Vaccine recommendations
• Hygiene and health protocols
• Information on the treatment of internal and external parasites such as fleas and lice, giardia and many bacterial and viral diseases (kennel Cough, etc.).
• Payroll and Bookkeeping
• Taxes
• Insurance
• Financial advice
• Legal Advice

3. Organization and Logistics of Operations

A well-oiled workplace is essential for efficiency. It is important to carefully examine the business, and coordinate details in order to minimize any inefficiencies. Here are some tips to help you achieve this!

Set up protocols and systems that will allow you to:

• Standard Operating Procedures. It is important to document the instructions for completing specific tasks. This will ensure cohesion. What happens when a dog is sick? What happens if the pet parent cannot or will not pay? All of these issues and others should be discussed so that all parties involved are aware of how to deal with them.
• Plans for safety will create a safe working environment that employees, their dogs and owners can enjoy.
  • Create a central hub to house important information. This can be physical or digital.
  • Create a protocol for preventing illness and ensuring good hygiene.

Prioritize first the most important aspects and then prioritize in order of importance. Find structured solutions for each of the business’s weaknesses by identifying them.

Observe how the practice flows and use strategies to alleviate bottlenecks. If there are too many people checking in their dogs at the same time, staggering check-ins is a good idea. You can also use technology to schedule more accurately.

4. The Key to a Great Team is Having a Great Employee

It’s likely that most of the employees at a dog daycare will love dogs. However, this alone won’t make them an ideal fit for your business. Finding and keeping hardworking, responsible employees is important for the success of your business. What can you do to make your staffing situation more efficient?

• Hiring responsible, capable individuals will help you save time and effort when trying to “fix”, problem employees. It is important to create a selection process that targets employees who have the desired traits.
• Rewarding great employees will help to ensure retention. High turnover can kill efficiency, and could ultimately spell the end of a business.
• Staff love regular training sessions and lunch-and-learns. Keep them motivated by scheduling these regularly.
• All employees should be able to easily access and understand the policies and protocols.
• The right number of employees is needed to avoid burnout or employee dissatisfaction.
• Play to the strengths of your team.

5. Additional Revenue Streams

You can use these to diversify your business, piggybacking on related services and being more efficient. Why not offer a one-stop shop to pet owners and their dogs to save them time, energy, and money while maximizing their profits, if one has to cover the costs of a location and staff in order to stay in business? This is a win-win situation! You could include:

• Dog training classes
• Socialization classes and/or obedience training for dogs
• Boarding
• Grooming or Spa Treatment
• Branding or retail section
• Toys such as frisbees and balls
• Bandanas or dog apparel, collars and leads, bows and bow ties
• Safe chews, food, or treats
• Dog-themed gifts for humans (ex. ‘I Love My Bernese Mountain Dog Coffee Mug, breed car stickers, etc.).
• Pet Photography
• Expanding to cat board services

6. Consider Your Audience

Businesses that are successful solve problems for their customers. What do YOU (and your family members) expect or want from a dog-daycare business? Discover and implement these practices.

What are the wants of your clients? Listening to other people and allowing them to use constructive feedback can help them improve.

Pet Parents: Put yourself in the shoes of dog owners and ask them for feedback. What do pet parents look for when they are looking for a place to leave their furry child for long periods of time? These customers are likely to value:

• A positive experience/interaction with your staff
• Communication is key.
• Pictures, report cards and other updates on their pet’s progress are welcome.
• Pet parents can watch live footage and webcams at any time
• The pup’s environment should be clean, well-organized, and stimulating.
• There are many types of loyalty or rewards systems, such as “buy x and get y for free” or punch cards.
• Employees who are responsive and kind and address concerns and issues.

Dogs are the reason why this business is booming! Dogs may all have different temperaments and preferences, but most enjoy attending Doggy Daycare in Perth. What can you do to help them succeed?

• Separation by temperament and size. It will be necessary to balance this to ensure that as few groups are as compatible as possible while still being appropriately supervised. To maximize space, single rooms can be divided into zones using barriers. This allows for less supervision staff.
• Temperature control
• There are many options for play and environmental settings, such as indoor or outdoor play areas, shady and sunny spots, lounge areas and playground equipment, kiddie pools and other play equipment.
• You can also give your dog some alone time or privacy between socializing.

7. What is the best software to bring it all together?

The right software can streamline your business, reduce extra work, and improve efficiency. There are a few key questions or ideas to consider when looking for software or technology to help your pet business. Implementing the following software features will increase efficiency.

• Cloud-based software platforms
• A simple, informative and easy-to-use website
• A mobile app
• Customers can book, modify or cancel reservations online or through an app.
• Reservation and vaccination reminders automated
• Online waivers and signed agreements
• Payment options that include automated pricing and integrated payment processing
• Pet parents can use animal profiles and report cards to learn more about their pets.
• Staff management features such as time clocks, to-do lists, calendars
• Connect and export accounting, bookkeeping etc.
• Marketing options and features
• Support is easily accessible to assist if you have a problem

There are many software programs that offer these features. Our platform for pet care software that can check off many of the above boxes. It is well worth a look to encourage efficiency.