NYC Student Starts Barking Business Walking Dogs

Notes from Chris

Episode 840

A few years ago, Richard Sayama’s dream of going to college in New York City came true, and he began to work towards his dual degree in Business and Dance. Like many students, his schedule was packed. He struggled to find a job that could fit within his day to day life. Richard longed to be able to work an hour here and there between classes, but he wasn’t sure how to do it.

The longer he lived in the Upper East Side, the more he noticed how widespread the need for dog walkers was. There were dogs everywhere! He thought about it and realized that this could be the perfect side hustle for him. As a longtime animal lover, he wouldn’t have to learn any new skills, and he could create his own schedule.

Richard knew that there were dog walking services available online, so he started there. He signed up for one called “Wag!”, but was quickly disillusioned. There were way more dog walkers than there were clients. Every time someone posted a request for a walk, it was taken within seconds. Soon, he had developed an unhealthy habit of constantly checking his phone for notifications.

After a while, he was sick of being glued to his phone and exhausted by the constant competition. Then, after walking a dog one day, the owner asked if Richard had any business cards. Unfortunately, he didn’t, but this got him thinking—what if he could start his own dog walking business? He was already tired of using “Wag!” and after thinking about it, he realized that his startup costs could be very low. All he needed to spend money on was printing the business cards, and of course, dog treats.

Richard decided to try it out. He started by designing his own business cards, which he gave to dog owners he passed by on the street. Most of the people he gave cards to never contacted him, but the 5-10% that did became his first clients. (Side note: 5-10% is an amazing conversion rate. If you talk to 100 people walking dogs, you have 5-10 clients.)

Although it required a little extra work, choosing to handle all bookings on his own was the perfect option for Richard. And he did it through his website, Gotta Go!

Now, two years later and working full-time as a professional dancer, Richard still makes $2,000 a month from this hustle. That’s right, $2,000 a month just from walking dogs. He says that this is an ideal side hustle for someone with a busy schedule, especially if they work in a big city.

In this dog-eat-dog world, it can be daunting to consider competing with large corporations or an existing, popular app. However, by understanding that there were aspects of dog walking that were even better as a smaller company—like being able to lower the price and have long-term relationships with clients—he was able to make his own work with zero startup costs, all while earning thousands of dollars a month. It’s a barking business model!

 

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MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Gotta Go!: Learn more about what Richard is doing over on his website, and if you're into the arts, check out his dance page as well!
• Weebly: The platform that Richard used to create his website for Gotta Go!
• Wag! and Rover are marketplaces where people can list their pet services or hire someone.

 

SEE ALSO:

• "Airbnb for Dogs": Woman Hosts Pets at Her Home for $200/Day: After moving to the states to be with her new husband, a nutritionist from Spain decides to host other people's pets in her home
• Medical Examiner Fetches New Paws-ibilities With Pet Sitting Hustle: No permanent home, no problem! This Seattle medical examiner pet sits her way to New York City and an early retirement
• Real Estate Consultant Fills Apartment Buildings with Original Artwork: How a woman in Seattle who works as a real estate project manager during the day started a side hustle that literally appeared in front of her. After making $12,000 from that first year-long hustle, now she’s building it into a mid-sized business that she hopes will replace her day job income

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,