Daughter wants to start own business on finishing college

podperson

miduck wrote: »

Given the nature of the work, it is going to be more than sixteen hours - "Sorry, I can only look after your pet for sixteen hours" will not get much business.

I suppose it depends on how she worked it. I don't see why she would need a premises for this - and tbh I think that would make it financially unviable as when she'd had to pay rent/rates etc it would be doubtful she'd have much left. She might be better offering a pet sitting service when she dropped into people's homes once or even twice a day, fed the pets, cleaned out their cages a few times a week etc and when she was starting out then would easily be done in less then 16 hours.
Then she could also include other animals, someone above mentioned chickens for example that she probably wouldn't want to have to have in her own premises but would be easier to drop in on and feed. She could even do cats if she wanted to - not sure why she's not including them but if it was possibly due to the fact that she didn't want them in the same 'premises' as lots of small animals then this would solve that. I know I never put my cat in a cattery as she gets stressed in new places so always have to find someone to drop in and feed her when I'm going away.

mrbrightside842

We took our rabbits to somewhere that took in smaller animals, apparently they needed a different type of licence or insurance for cats and dogs.

Charityworker

Thanks for your replies.

The reason why we need premises to do this is that we live in a housing association house and have asked them if we can run this kind of business from there and they refused. Said it would disturb the neighbours (even though next door who have the same landlord have 4 dogs that are barking their heads off all night).

In an ideal world I would like her to run this business full time and not need any financial back up but as she is too young to claim wtc this can't happen so she will have to try and claim jsa whilst building her business up and looking for other work at the same time. Unfortunately I'm on a low wage and I can't make ends meet without her giving me a bit of "keep" every week.

We have a lot of pets in our house and find it hard to go on holiday so personally would welcome a service like this. It could also be expanded on to do a dog walking service, birthday party service etc.

There are very few jobs available in this area so their college tutor has advised them all to "make their own work". This is something she has been thinking of doing for a while.

Is it possible to be registered as self employed and claiming jsa? The two cancel out each other don't they?

It's a pity there isn't more financial support for young people trying to venture out.

Errata

Google the Prince's Trust

miduck

Charityworker wrote: »

Thanks for your replies.

The reason why we need premises to do this is that we live in a housing association house and have asked them if we can run this kind of business from there and they refused. Said it would disturb the neighbours (even though next door who have the same landlord have 4 dogs that are barking their heads off all night).

In an ideal world I would like her to run this business full time and not need any financial back up but as she is too young to claim wtc this can't happen so she will have to try and claim jsa whilst building her business up and looking for other work at the same time. Unfortunately I'm on a low wage and I can't make ends meet without her giving me a bit of "keep" every week.

We have a lot of pets in our house and find it hard to go on holiday so personally would welcome a service like this. It could also be expanded on to do a dog walking service, birthday party service etc.

There are very few jobs available in this area so their college tutor has advised them all to "make their own work". This is something she has been thinking of doing for a while.

Is it possible to be registered as self employed and claiming jsa? The two cancel out each other don't they?

It's a pity there isn't more financial support for young people trying to venture out.

If the college tutor has suggested they all make their own work, how much competition is she going to have?

I can't see the idea of her visiting the pets in their homes going down well. People simply would not trust a young stranger in that way. She would also need transport to do this, which could well cancel out any profit.

I honestly cannot see how it will be viable, unless you live in a particularly affluent area and/ or she can offer something that her competitors do not.

thecatizzle

I have to say, I think a few negative users here are being a bit harsh. Regardless of her choice of business, (and I should remind some users, we have no idea what research or business planning has taken place!) you asked a question.

I had a wee look about and apparently:
"You have to be on job seekers 6 months a lot of gates open for you.
One is to have an allowance for a few months while you build up a business."

The problem being that JSA word it that you have to be available for work "24/7" so unfortunately, this may be a hang up for them.

I would advise you to speak to JSA directly but I would also say, prepare to be very disappointed by them In my experience, they don't really know all the rules and regulations and do try to fob you off. Additionally, they are not supportive or have the capacity with which to help new starters. I have had staff laugh in my face when I suggested starting a business, particularly the type of business. Not to scare you off or anything! She should still try.

Make sure your daughter is looking for grants and start up funds - usually banks will have competitions. Her old college/university should have had a careers department (which she will still be able to access up to a year after graduation) which should/will be promoting new enterprise - I would advise her to speak to them for the current competitions and funding options!

Good luck and all the best to her.

thecatizzle

Wanted to add a few links for her to research:
investsefton.com/

startupbritain.co

gov.uk/moving-from-benefits-to-work/starting-your-own-business

"New Enterprise Allowance

If you’re getting Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) and can show that you have a business idea that could work, you can apply for New Enterprise Allowance.

You’ll be given a business mentor, who will provide advice and support on:

becoming self-employed
setting up your business and starting to trade
Once you’ve made a business plan and it’s been approved, you can get:

a weekly allowance worth up to £1,274 over 26 weeks
a loan of up to £1,000 to help with start-up costs"

Lokolo

http://www.rabbitritz.co.uk/

Might want to check these out, this is what my Mum uses when she goes away.

They have a big garden which is just laid with hutches and "rooms".

They also have a vet from a local vet to come every now and again to give injections and nail clippings to rabbits.

Something your daughter should remember is that certain animals should have vaccinations. The worse thing you want to happen is have an animal catch something and pass it onto all the others.

N.B. ALL Rabbits MUST be vaccinated against Myxomatosis

Caroline_a

Ok this is something I know a lot about as I set up a dog daycare business with a colleague last year. I put up the funds for it, we had rented premises and the set up costs were around £13000. This included liability insurance, toys and apparatus for the dogs, equipment for cleaning, disinfecting, and the biggie - marketing.

It isn't a business you can just set up without a lot of research, or alternatively starting small, because if you do it from premises you will need to pay your business rates and rent from day 1, plus once you have your first animal in you then take out all your time from marketing the business.

If she wants to board the animals she will need to abide by the Boarding Kennels Act and have suitable premises in size/security/Health and Safety, etc etc, plus staff to manage them.

Would I do it again? No, not as a business idea, the figures on paper look good, (and we had a comprehensive business plan for 12 months and projected for 5 years), but in reality it's often the first thing that is cut when funds are low. Ours failed due to other reasons - suffice to say, don't go into business with a partner - but I'm not sure it would ever have made much of a living to be honest.

nickj_2

well done for your daughter for wanting to start her own business , however , is there really a demand for people needing smaller pets etc to be housed whilst they are away ? as other posters have stated , these are normally looked after by neighbours or friends etc .
however i would have thought that there is a big demand for day care of dogs whilst owners are at work , i would have thought that this would be far more lucrative than looking after a hamster , i know a couple of people who walk dogs , every day , thru the week , you do not need many customers to make up a "round" ,plus looking after pets whilst people are away and watering plants etc would be the route i would personally go down .
realistically people are not going to pay loads for looking after small animals , so you would need a lot to make it worth your while, plus the people who have small pets usually have small kids meaning that the majority of your earnings would be confined to school holidays ,