When you read about niche sites, do your eyes glaze over, not quite understanding what that means? don’t worry about it, I didn’t understand the depth of what a niche site was until a quite a few years ago.
Let’s say your no longer working for someone else, due to retirement, getting sick of the corporate politics or your job just wasn’t feeding your soul in the right way. Whatever your reason, you’ve decided you want to work for yourself and answer to no-one but yourself.
And let’s say during all your soul searching research, you’ve decided to pick something that is in line with what you love. For the sake of choosing something simple and common, you love animals. specifically dogs. Now to break down what niche you could choose, think of “dogs” in the form of the pet store. The pet store is the overall theme, and there are different departments in that store and even those departments are broken down into specialties.
For example, in the pet store
- there is a department for Dogs
- in the dog department, you’ll have the food section
- in that food section, you’ll have holistic, raw, wet, dry and freeze dried.
- in for each of those foods, they can be identified by protein type (chicken, fish, venison, beef) and brand
You can see as this is narrowed down, it’s getting super specific right? super-specific = your niche
What does this have to do with business? there are so many different types of businesses you can start if you’re a dog lover BUT if you are not a fan of dogs, you can adapt these ideas to other domesticated animals.
Here are 8 ideas that you can do as a side hustle or a full-time gig and how to niche it down:
Dog Walking/Sitting
Around my area, I’m seeing a lot of puppies and people will need dog sitters if they’re not comfortable leaving Spot at home when they go to work or head to the restaurant for the evening. Look around your area? are you seeing a few more dogs out and about? If you love dogs, but you’re not sure if you’d enjoy this, try it out first with your friends who own dogs. Then ask those friends if they have friends with dogs. Offer your services for free the first few times, so you can get a sense of how you feel working with a new dog.
Niche this down a little more, you can offer dog walking/sitting services for seniors with mobility issues.
Homemade Dog Treats
Love dogs and love to bake? there’s a combo fit for success. Do your research on ingredients that dogs can and cannot eat and source Organic if possible. You can make up small samples and give them to local pet stores to get some feedback. Just be prepared to be fully transparent with your ingredients and brand building as this is an industry that can be profitable if your audience knows, loves, and trusts you.
Niche this down a little more, you can make homemade dog treats for dogs with allergies.
Dog Coats
Love dogs and love to sew? you can look at making dog coats for the colder weather, rainy days, and protection due to a surgery. The fit of the coat will be a bit of a challenge since dogs come in all shapes and sizes, but creativity in making the coats adjustable will make it even more desirable. If you buy extra fabric, you can make dog bandanas, beds and toys for a co-ordinated set.
Niche this down a little more, by making coats for dogs that have just had surgery. You’ve seen dogs with the cones to stop them from licking a wound? With a bit of research with your local vet, what about designing a coat that will help protect a visible wound, keep your dog dry, warm while he gets to go on a nice walk?
Custom Dog Collars and Leashes
Let’s add this one…what about making custom dog collars and leashes? I’d be your ideal customer! I only buy handmade collars and leashes for Mia, because I’m a dog Mom who thinks her dog is so special that I want a special collar and leash for her. Turquoise stones, rounded studs and black leather is her favourite. You can learn more about this on YouTube for sure.
Niche this down a little more, what about making collars for dogs that have medical conditions. Similar to the medic-alert bracelets for us humans.
Dog Houses
I’m not talking about the dog houses that go outside (although this would work as well), but dog houses and are designed to integrate with your furniture inside your home. When we adopted Mia at 7 months old, she had a lot of baggage and she had to stay in a crate if we went out. It was a standard black wire crate, but boy was it ugly. I saw some beautiful wooden houses (dog dens) on Pinterest that also served as end tables.
Niche this down a little more, what about making beautiful indoor houses for dogs with severe anxiety issues?
Dog Training
Requires formal training for the humans, but there is no short of demand for these services. Especially if you work at different levels such as puppy socialization, dogs with certain behaviour issues or basic obedience. If you’re feeling inspired, what about training dogs for events, such as sports and agility?
Niche this down a little more, what about offering training services to help people overcome their phobia with dogs? we all know that the energy a human has is transferred and affects the behaviour of dogs. Why not help overcome that.
Waste Removal
If you have your own dog, you know that picking up after your dog can be a hassle especially when the snow is all gone in your yard. Dog waste removal is a growing business especially in areas that has a lack of greenspace.
Niche this down a little more, imagine a senior having to clean up her yard…it can be a challenge for them and this means they’d be willing to pay you to do it for them.
Therapy
Massage and even water therapy has shown to have benefits for dogs as an alternative to medication. Another technique is a modified version of massage therapy (calming massage) you can teach to dog owners if their dog gets very anxious due to thunderstorms, the bad vacuum cleaner, wooden spoons etc. This requires formal training and there are courses available online.
Niche this down a little more, what about offering therapy services where the dog owner is involved with the actual treatment. They can bond and connect with their dog on an emotional level.
Do any of these ideas inspire you?
Wait, if don’t love dogs, you could apply this to any domesticated animal that can be watched, walked, eats treats and can wear a coat: horses, cats, bunny rabbits, miniature pigs, goats, ferrets and even fish…well, not so much on coats for fish, but you get my point right?
If you’re not interested in starting a niche business around animals, you can still use this concept for anything. Find your main topic, picture it as a store. Then imagine the departments, the sections in those departments and the products in each of those sections.
Whether you’re home during the day or it’s time for you to make a change, brainstorm ideas, and see what lights you up.
Until next time, stay inspired.
Gisèle
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