Critter comforts: the boom in pet businesses has entrepreneurs vying for their spots as top dog

Entrepreneur, Nov, 2005 by Laura Koss-Feder

"We even hired a publicist to get the word out on our products, which had never been seen before in the pet industry," says Puga Keesey.

In addition to surveying your market, experts recommend that you attend some of the many pet expos offered across the nation. There are 30 trade and consumer shows held every year both regionally and nationally, Darmohraj estimates. You'll have the chance to see what other entrepreneurs are offering, and which products or services are popular with the buying public. For instance, the World Wide Pet Industry Association Inc.'s annual trade show, called SuperZoo, is held every September in Las Vegas. It attracts 10,000 attendees and 500 exhibitors, says executive vice president Doug Poindexter. The Arcadia, California, organization also sponsors three large annual consumer shows--two in Southern California and one in Michigan. And there's the APPMA's Global Pet Expo, which is the largest and most attended annual pet products trade show in the world.

Says Puga Keesey, "By going to about three shows in our first year of business, we soon realized that we had a unique kind of product that was attracting a lot of attention."

Secrets to Success

If you have no background in the pet field, first consider working part time for a noncompetitor for a few months to see what is and isn't selling, and what you can do better or differently with your proposed product or service, Poindexter says. This is especially true if you are considering opening a day-care or boarding facility. These are labor-intensive businesses and may not be quite what you had expected, Krack says.

It also helps if you've been a consumer of the product or service, either through your own pets or through others you know. For instance, Puga Keesey found that shea butter soothed her Rhodesian Ridgeback's itchy skin. She then brought in a chemist to refine the shea butter into a sellable product and launched her company. Doug Grabe, 40, chairman of Bridgeport, Connecticut-based Atomic Pet--which manufactures illuminated pet collars and leashes--first used his merchandise for his two dogs. If you don't have personal experience like Puga Keesey or Grabe, form a focus group of pet owners, and ask them what they want and don't want.

A related background can also serve you well. Grabe, who has 10 employees and expects sales to reach $2.5 million in 2005, used his experience as a sales and marketing executive in the technology field to help promote his products. He was able to sell his items through small retailers as well as big-box stores like PetCo by knowing how to approach their buyers. His high-tech know-how even enabled him to create the special power pack that illuminates his accessories, which sell for $20 (collars) and $25 (leashes).

"If you have a passion for pets, related skills, and an innovative product or service, you can enter this industry and make real money," says Grabe, whose company manufactures about 400,000 leashes and collars a year that are sold through distributors worldwide.