The inspiration and perspiration behind successful pet businesses

I love animals and I love drawing, so after completing my A-levels, starting a pet portrait business seemed the obvious thing to do. It’s been an exciting first year as a full-time pet portrait artist, but it isn’t always easy following your dreams. Learning how to run a business and establishing a strong online presence have been a steep learning curve but I’m really pleased with how it’s gone. The best part of my work, though, aside from the joy of drawing itself, is receiving feedback from clients who are really moved by their pet’s portrait.

Reflecting on my first year got me thinking about what other pet-based businesses there are out there, what inspired the owners to start them, and what is helping to make them a success. As part of celebrating my first year in business, therefore, I thought I would reach out to a few fellow pet business owners and ask them those two key questions. I’m so grateful for their kind and generous responses and delighted to be able to share with you some of their inspiring and informative replies. Maybe they might even inspire you to step out and start your own business!

Doggy Paddle Norwich

Many dogs seem to really love water. While some breeds were bred for it, others just love diving in and splashing around. It turns out, though, that water isn’t just fun for dogs, it can be really good for them too. Doggy Paddle Norwich is an indoor heated pool designed especially for dogs and their owners. It offers hydrotherapy to support dogs with joint conditions, post-surgery or those with older joints / arthritis, as well as offering fun & fitness sessions, puppy swims, and direct-to-owner pool hire. Rachel, who founded Doggy Paddle, says:

I had the idea for Doggy Paddle back in 2019, as I have a very water-mad labrador and I wanted to find somewhere for her to swim all year round. We were massively supported by owners across Norwich and Norfolk, and even those further afield, who attend with their dogs weekly, fortnightly or monthly, who were obviously in the same boat and crying out for safe swimming spaces for their dogs. Additionally, we are very lucky and had a great amount of support from Broadland Council and UEA who assisted us with business funding and set-up support. Roll forward to now and I gained my hydrotherapy qualifications to work with dogs of all ages and abilities and make a real difference in their pain levels, muscle tone and joint condition - I absolutely love what I do, and the dogs love it too.

Doggy Paddle is such a great name and an amazing idea for a business. It’s also impressive to see it shows up as the first result on a google search for “swimming pools for dogs.” I’m still working hard at getting into Google’s good books. I’m first for some search terms but I’d love to move higher up the google rankings for the coveted “pet portraits” keyword.

I was also interested to hear that Rachel had received some support from Broadland Council as they were massively helpful to me too. I am so grateful for their advice and for the grants that enabled me purchase the laptop and printer I needed to develop my business.

Pet Transport Services

Pet Transport Services is a family run business with locations both in the UK and in Spain. They offer pet transportation services by road all across the UK and within Europe. When I asked Spencer what inspired him to start the business, he said:

Early retirement from Financial Services, looking to do something meaningful with my time and indulge in what I enjoy most, which is driving and animals. I researched if these two go together and hey presto, there was in fact a demand for this kind of business but very few businesses actually carrying it out legally and efficiently.

I can really relate to that as my pet portrait business combines two of my favourite things: art and animals. It turns out that there is a lot of demand for pet portraits too, although it is quite a competitive market. There are lots of really talented artists out there who, like me, ship all over the world. The competition is a constant motivation to make sure I deliver an excellent service to all my customers.

In terms of what has helped Spencer make his business such a success he said:

To be honest, hard work and Covid Lockdowns. Starting off on my own with a small van and spending up to 3-weeks away from home on the road every month, it got to the point where I either invested in it and grew the business, inviting family members to join, or I had to give it up. I opted for the former which meant, when Covid lockdowns came about our service was in huge demand as nobody could go and collect their puppies or kittens. It just happened for us at the right time. Obviously doing everything legally and above board too, with all the correct licenses and authorisations are most important.

Hard work seems to be a consistent theme for many small business owners. There is the service you deliver or the product you create, but then there is everything else needed to run the business: record keeping, tax returns, banking, advertising, marketing and branding, communicating with clients, and so much much more. It’s all worth it though as I get to do what I love, drawing beautiful pets and other animals for people to enjoy.

Growth is important for every business too. For me, last year was all about establishing my business but this year is about growth: reaching more potential customers, selling more prints, creating tutorials, and developing my skills as an artist.

Mutt&Co

There are some great pet shops in Norwich, but Mutt&Co caught my eye, not just because of their focus on quality, but because it opened relatively recently. It was started by James just a few months ago, and after watching his opening day video, I was really interested to hear more about the inspiration behind it.

I worked in the pet industry before starting my own business. I learnt about the amount of rubbish that is put into pet foods as well as the poor value that is offered to customers. Some of the claims made in the pet industry wouldn't be legal in the food industry and I think this is wrong. So I wanted to start a shop that is as transparent as possible and stocking products that I believe offer customers the best value for money. These products often aren't known by customers because they don't have as big marketing budgets, placing more focus on the product.

The store and website look amazing. They must have taken tons of time and effort to get up and running so I asked what else is helping to make Mutt&Co a success?

I'm not sure we are a success yet, we have only been open a few months but our wins come every time we get an amazing review from a customer. It means we are doing the right things. I believe that it isn't about offering the cheapest products, rather the products which offer the best value for money and are good quality.

I love getting feedback from clients too. It really motivates me to give each piece the time, love, and attention it deserves. Quality is really important in my business, as I aim to create ultra high quality artwork that will be treasured for years to come.

Tom and Toto

Tom and Toto are another local pet business. They offer dog day care and walking, plus puppy services and a social club where you and your dog can come and have fun with others. I really wanted to find out more about Tom and Toto for a couple of reasons. First, they are based in the grounds of White House Farm (you can check out their story here), a place where I have fond memories of picking strawberries with my family in the summer sun. Secondly, though, Sarah’s story of how she started her business is really amazing:

The journey that led me to where you will find me at Tom and Toto HQ began in 2005 with several wildlife conservation projects in Mexico, Australia, and South Africa. I then trained and worked as a Big 5 Safari Guide in the Kruger National Park, South Africa. After returning to the UK, I qualified as an Animal Keeper at Woburn Safari Park, where I specialised in large carnivores, lions, and tigers, bears and wolves (oh my!) In 2013 I began to use this experience to create a set of services for slightly smaller carnivores (pets!!) as I wanted to have full control over the level of care each animal receives. It is crucial that each pet receives the highest possible level of welfare, suitable enrichment and love.

I terms of what has helped make the award winning Tom & Toto such a success, Sarah says:

I have an outstanding, fully qualified team who are as passionate about providing excellent pet care as I am. We build a close relationship with our ‘pawrents’ some of whom we have worked for for over 6 years. They helped support us during COVID and their recommendations to friends and family has helped build the business greatly. We have also in the last year rebranded to set Tom and Toto apart from other dog businesses. We are vibrant and friendly with the knowledge and professionalism to back it up.

I love the style and layout of their website. There is even a video to give you an idea of what it’s like there, plus it has a blog with some really helpful articles about great places to walk your dog, and lots of dog care advice too. Once again recommendations turn out to be an important factor in the success of a business, as they only come if you genuinely deliver a quality service. I’m really grateful to my past clients who have recommended me to their friends, and some to more than one! Thank you so much.

Conclusion

A sobering statistic is that about 1 in 5 business don’t make it through their first year. I’m really glad, therefore, to have passed that crucial milestone. It has also been really encouraging to hear the inspiration behind other pet businesses and to learn what is helping them succeed. I’m so grateful to Doggy Paddle Norwich, Pet Transport Services, Mutt&Co and Tom and Toto for sharing their passion and experience with me and I hope they have also been inspiring and informative to you too, especially if you have an idea for a new business or are working hard to make one a success.

Someone told me recently that Thomas Edison, the inventor of the lightbulb, said “Success is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration.” That is certainly true of my business. Having had the idea of combining two of my favourite things to start a pet portrait business, it’s taken a massive amount of work to get it off the ground through this first year. It has definitely been worth it, though, and I’m really looking forward to growing it further in the future.