Giving Up Full Term Emploment For Own Business - When?

xx_lucy_xx

I currently work in an office enviroment, and i fancy setting up a dog walking business, im 20, very polite and presentable, with loads of doggie experience!

Ive done a search in the local area for business alike, and there are 2, one who's phone number is now dead, and one i cant get in touch with. Is this benificial as there is no competition, or is this that they have tried and failed in my area?

My question isnt regarding the subject matter, its how do i know when to leave my current job. I cant really build up a customer base whilst working full time. Going down to part time is not an option. Do i have to just grow some balls, quit my job, and thow everything into it, and struggle to start with. Is this the gamble that all people meet when wanting to start up alone? Obiously advertising comes into it hopefuly at the relevant time.


Any advice is 100% appreciated.

dirtyflannel

To be honest will this be viable? Cannot see you earning megabucks personally I'd stick to part-time to start with. The recession will probably make most people start walking their own pets. What about insurance etc

xx_lucy_xx

Looking at £5, half an hour £10 an hour, Insurance is roughly £80per year. Im not looking to earn mega bucks, im looking to make enough money to make me comftable and to for job satisfaction.

Some people have made alot of money, and run highly sucsessfull businesses doing things alike, including MSE mebers i have spoken to.

furndire

I would be curious to know why the other two numbers are no longer working - was it because it wasn't maybe worth while???

Good luck though, if you decide to go ahead.

weeclick

Id say personally try and go part time to start with, Ive had a few friends try to do this when we were leaving high school (she had been doing it for a few years before) and found that she wasnt getting enough work for full time, but was able to keep it on part time - and this was during the good economic period!

Alot of people want to walk their own dogs now as a way to kick start a healthy living plan and for basic everyday exercise, so I think your target audience may (i could be wrong) be the elderly who cannot get out as much as they would like, and this is some of the problems my friend faced.

Also younger families with children always use the dog walking hour a day as a family experience, usually going to the park for a kick about whilst their out and you may find not many people will want to give that up!

Then youve got the economic situation to think about, that £10 could go a long way for many families at the minute and may not be as keen to part with it right now.

Consider starting up in the evenings outside of your own working hours, do plenty of advertising, build up a client base and see how that goes, if it goes well during the summer months than you may be able to give up work early next year, and if not then at least you earnt a few extra pound!

Good Luck!

slipp_digby

I would suggest you prepare a business plan based upon setting up a business to make the same take home salary as you are currently on AFTER tax. Use business link guidance and put togther a realistic appraisal of the costs involved. then work it backwards and see how many half hour or hourly sessions you would need in a typical year to make it worthwhile.

this will give you a better idea of the viability, how many regular clients you need, dogs you will need to walk at the same time etc. are you hoping to be self employed/sole trader?

i would be concerned at the lack of competition, it is sometimes a sign that there is no market for what you are proposing. try calling a wider geographical area so you can check your costs against others who are still in business.

bearing in mind the financial climate, some people are struggling to feed and home animals, this might be viewed as a luxury - but every business is a pipe dream until you make it happen.

xx_lucy_xx

Its not an option of me cutting down to part time at my current place of work unfortunatly.

Ive thought about just offering weekends and evenings, but there is a higher chance of people being around to walk there dogs then, it seems the busyest time will be weekday lunch times.

There is a nice little town neer me which is fairly upmarket, with lots of lovely large houses, posh eataries, and classy restraunts, so that may be an idea of where i can target.

Ive sent of for some info from business link which i am awaiting, and the idea from slipp is fantastic, i shall try to do some calculations now. thankyou

weeclick

its a shame you cant take off some hours on your current job I would worry that you leave and find it hard to earn anywhere near the sort of money you are earning now.

chickmug

Hi lucy

You obviously love dogs so have you approached local kennels re dog walking or working there part time so you can do your own dog walking thing in the other part of yuor life?

paulwf

My "gut feeling" is that you need to be offering more services, more strings to your bow. Dog walking seems too restrictive, can you also do pet sitting services for cats, dogs, rabbits etc in peoples homes whilst they are on holiday and also offer dog boarding in your house? Getting some vet nurse qualifications so you can do things like injections for diabetic pets would give you a huge advantage over the competition. If you can do basic household duties such as watering plants and tidying up the post whilst people are on holiday it will all help.

Could you offer to do basic pet grooming, flea treatment, take pets to the vets for routine visits and perhaps even affiliate with a pet food supplier?

Remember when talking to other people that have made a success of it that they might only rely on it for a bit of extra money, or they might have taken 10 years to build up the business through word of mouth. If you have some money to tide you over for 6 months whilst you build up the business and know you can get another job if it fails then go for it now. Personally I would be using the weekends to trial the idea and holidays to gain relevant qualifications. Pet sitting can be a full time job but when you factor in travel time and the variation in demand you need to be prepared to put in the hours and be available over weekends, bank holidays and christmas.

ukbill69

Try start something in your own time and build up the business, like get a phone number, website. Dont give up the ghost just yet? remember we are all in hard times in business.