Selecting an Ideal Service Area

So you want to be a professional dog walker? Before you start, you’ve got to pick what area your dog walking service will serve. Let’s dig right in to what you need to consider when picking your service area.

Will it Sustain your Business?

For your business to be a success, you need clients! That means you need to serve an area that not only has an abundance of dog owners, but they need to be people who have a need for your services too. Here’s some indications of a great area for your dog walking service. 

• The area sustains other successful dog businesses (groomers, pet stores, veterinarians, etc.)
• There are dog parks and dog related events/pet fairs in the area.
• Many dog owners are gone 8+ hours during the day.
• Residents have expendable income and use other services such as housecleaners, gardeners and in-home child care providers. 

If you can check all those boxes, you are in great shape! If not, consider whether there is a real need for your services in the area you are considering, and perhaps look at neighboring areas. 

Smaller is Better

Ok, so now you’ve picked a location based on the criteria above. The smaller the area is, the better. Smaller equals less driving. And I bet you didn't want to become a dog walker to spend the bulk of your time in the car. 

You Don’t Get Paid for Your Drive Time

You make the same whether your clients are all neighbors or if they are spread far apart. I think you’ll agree you’d rather spend less time picking up dogs and more time walking them. Plus, who wants to spend all that money on gas when you could use it to buy something nice for yourself instead?  

When I started out I made the mistake of serving practically the entire county! I figured a bigger area meant more potential clients. Of course it did, but it also meant what felt like driving to the ends of the earth in traffic to pick them up every day. And it made zero sense at all because had I known how to market my business effectively, I could have narrowed my service area down to just ONE of those towns since there were plenty of potential clients there. If fact, over the years I cut FIVE towns off my service area.

I want you to start off right and have the ability to walk multiple dogs per day when your business grows. To do this, think about setting the smallest service area you possibly can that will still be able to sustain your business. My goal is to help you build a business that you not only love, but also that will support you financially so you can go on vacations, save for retirement and not feel burnt out.