Friday, 27 September 2013

Become a dog breeder

Do you love dogs? Do you want to make money out of your passion for dogs? Are you interested in starting a dog breeding business from home? If your answer to any of the questions above is yes, then read on as i share with you a sample business plan on how to start your own dog breeding business from home.

Dogs are sometimes referred to as man’s best friend and it is a well known fact that almost every household own a dog. Now there are several reasons why people keep dogs at home and one of such reasons is for companion purposes. Yes, most people love to have dogs as pets while others keep dogs for security purposes.

Now regardless of the type of dogs you want to breed for sale, there is surely a market for it. If you are interested in breeding pet dogs such as the Hoodle Poodle, Chihuahua, etc; there is a market for it especially for women. And if you choose to breed guard dogs, such as German shepherds, Rottweilers, Dobermans, Pit Bulls, etc; there is equally a market for it. With the rapidly increasing rate of crime worldwide, the demand for dogs is only bound to skyrocket.
Secondly, there is no market boundary for dogs. So whether you reside in the United States, U.K, Canada, Nigeria, Kenya, India, etc; you can do this business even from your home. Another positive fact about this business is that you can tap into the global market by putting your business on the web and exporting to the countries of your customers, based on demand.

So now that you have seen the potentials of starting a dog breeding business, below is the exact steps to starting your own dog breeding business from home.

1. Are you really prepared to breed dogs for profit?

Yes, i believe this is the first question you should ask yourself. One of the reasons this question is important is because you are dealing with an animal for a business, which can prove quite challenging in the beginning. In fact, if you don’t love dogs, this business might proof a challenge to you and if perhaps you love dogs so much, then you might also find it difficult to sell your dogs because of the emotional bond between you and the dogs. I think i am talking from personal experience here.

Also, you should note that dogs have that ‘scent’-which should be okay with you. And since you have decided to breed them, then you should be willing to handle the mating and birthing of your dogs which can be ‘cumbersome and somewhat irritating’ if you really know what I mean.

In general, if you do not mind your dog sleeping by your side in bed and you will not have problem with the licking all over your faces, then you will be okay at the very least.

2. Decide what type of dogs you want to breed

Dogs have a wide variety of roles, duties and significance to man. I doubt if you will be able to satisfy all the niches within the dog business. Now you can either choose to breed pet dogs or security dogs; the choice is absolutely yours. But you must bear in mind that the way pet dogs are handled and trained is quite different from the way security dogs are trained. Also, the type of dogs you breed should be determined by your environment and market demand.

3. Note the requirements to start a dog breeding business

The third step to starting a dog breeding business is to find out if there are certain restrictions, rules or laws covering dogs within your environment or region. Now if the law says you are free to breed or own dogs, you will also need to ascertain if it is possible to breed dogs in your neighborhood. This is important to avoid getting sued by your neighbors for breach of peace and for constituting public nuisance.

4. Research and Study

Now this is where the pain of this business starts. To succeed as a dog breeder, it is very much important that you have the knowledge of different breeds of dogs, their genetics, history, characters, pedigrees and temperament.

Moreover, you should also be told about the proper health care, mating and breeding techniques of dogs. These are so many resources that are out there especially on the web but the real question is: will you be patient and committed enough to learn?

Now assuming that all the steps listed above have been followed judiciously, that now bring us to the main question of the day: how will you start the business?

Technically, the first thing you should do is to take decision of the specific breed that you want to concentrate on. Once you have decided that, you can then proceed to the next step.

5. Research the market for chosen breed

So get started, you need to study the market for that breed. How much is it in the market? Who is purchasing them? How popular and important is it compared to other breeds? etc. Who are your customers? Who are your competitors? How resistant are your breeds to diseases and climate conditions in your area? Can your chosen breed be sourced locally or would you have to import them? These are examples of some of the questions you must find answers to.

6. Compute your finances

The next step is to have your finances prepared. Get enough capital not only for buying one or two dogs, but most essentially, a budget for the dog food, veterinary care, vaccines, etc. Also consider the expenses that you will encounter during registration of your dog, your business name and marketing.

What could be your potential income from breeding dogs? Now it is difficult to give specific amounts but you can do some moderate projections and estimate. When you sell puppies, you can recover your expenses of buying and caring with three or four puppies but this estimate is based on the breed. If you have a rare color or a champion breed, selling one or two puppies can fetch you good profits.

You can also earn additional income by the provision of study services. In fact, the expense of caring for your male dog can be up holed by this. If your dog has a nice record of successful mating, more dog owners will like to have your dog copulate with theirs and you can earn constant dividends from it. This is why writing a business plan is very important, even if it is a one-page plan. So that you can prepare adequately for the unexpected.

7. Create space in your home for your pups

Based on the breed you would be buying, you should be able to create space to accommodate at least two dogs at the beginning and if possible, a space for a puppy nursery. You must also make plans ahead because your puppies are definitely going to grow into full-fledged dogs.

8. Purchase your dogs

Finally, you can then proceed to purchase the dogs, if you do not have any already. Most of those who explore the business of dog breeding normally begin with their own pets.

9. Cover yourself legally

If you are just beginning in business as a dog breeder, then you can easily do it as a freelance endeavor. But when your kennel begins to grow after some time, it will be a plus if you can get it registered it as a business. However, from the very beginning, you should have and properly file the veterinary records of your dogs, especially the shots it already had. And most essentially, get your dog’s registration papers details. If a dog has no paper yet, or if it gets lost – then its selling value will greatly decrease.

In conclusion, i want you to know that there are a lot of dog breeders and lovers out there that are breeding dogs just for fun and for the love of it. You can make friends with them learn from them. Most of them who are into the business are good in terms of giving out dog breeding steps freely.

Another good rule of thumb in the dog breeding business is to join dog clubs and attend dog shows / events. This way, you will learn more about the dog industry and network with other successful dog owners. As a final note, i want you to know that the dog breeding business is a fun or hobby-business. It can be stressful at times but all the same, dog rearing can be financially and emotionally rewarding.
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Friday, 30 August 2013

Become a commission agent

Many people argue about lack of enough resources to run successful businesses in Uganda, however you can become a commission agent with little or no capital. You can help others by bridging the gap between them and earn money.

A lot of people have things they are selling but have no ways of finding potential buyers. Also many people have things they want to acquire but have no idea of where to find them. You can help bridge the gap between the buyers and sellers.

You can work as a commission agent in sectors like real estate for those selling and looking for land and houses for rent or buying; car bonds, and household items. All you need is to develop a network of sellers and find means of marketing your clients' property. Patience is required in this line of business but you will eventually laugh your way to the bank at the end of the day. This kind of business has potential to earn from both parties; the seller and the buyer.
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Sunday, 21 April 2013

Become a blogger

Another unique small business idea for Ugandans is to become a blogger. We need to borrow a leaf from our counterparts in countries like India who are reaping big from this opportunity. The internet offers a lot of opportunities which Ugandans can exploit to make earn a living and blogging is one of them.

A blog is a semi web site, it actually has most features of a web site and they is little difference between a blog and a website. You do not need to be with extensive knowledge in web design to start a blog. This is because blog hosts offer already designed templates from which you can make a head start. Most common blog hosts include Google with the BlogSpot domain and Wordpress. Hosting your blog is free on these sites and one can have more than one blog to his name. However, there is also an option for a paid blog hosting service. One can open up a BlogSpot blog using a Gmail account.

To become a blogger, one has to have extensive knowledge in a particular field from which he would provide useful and original information to his readership. You just have to utilize you knowledge in your area of competence and begin sharing your knowledge. With that you are bound to attract loyal followers to your blog posts. Effort has to be made on timely updating of your site so that it does not bore your followers. However, effort has to be put in your selection of keywords in your posts as these are crucial in generating traffic from search engines. The higher the traffic generated to your site the higher you are likely to earn. All this can be achieved with very little money involved, making it one of the cheapest unique small business ideas for Ugandans to start.

When your blog is already set and you have about 50 posts published on the internet, then you can start looking for an advertising program to join. You can apply to join the Google Adsense program and become one of their publishers. However this program has very strict guidelines which have to followed like having your blog about 6 months old and having original content though it is the highest paying of all pay-per-click advertising programs. There are other programs though they are not very relevant in our African setting unlike Google Adsense.

Alternatively, you can talk to local companies directly to let you advertise for them on your blog. This will earn you money depending on your negotiating ability with the companies. The advantage is that you can advertise for more than one company on your site. Many people are earning money from blogging for example www.greatugandajobs.blogspot.com and www.ugandanewspicks.com . All you need is a computer, a modem, your knowledge, time, commitment and patience to take up this unique small business idea for Ugandans.
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Wednesday, 17 April 2013

Survival techniques for small business owners

You can make your small business in Uganda survive its first year with a few survival techniques.

Stick to quality for your goods and services
One of the most important ways which can make a small business survive its first anniversary is to maintain quality. One sure way of retaining and winning new customers is to be appreciated for quality of your goods and services. This is one means of leading you to be the market leader in your line of business if people associate you with quality. In whatever unique small business idea you are involved in try.

Separate your business from your personal life
Those in the formal sector appreciate the fact that a business is a separate entity from the owner. However this is lacking for those involved in small businesses. It is essential that business dealings be separated form personal issues for the good of the business. For example prevent unnecessary personal expenditures which are a loss to the business but may not easily be detected by the owner of the business.

Strict credit control
A strong mechanism has to be put in place to control credit within the business. You need to strong guidelines concerning debtors of the business and creditors. For example a strict period of time has to be put in place for payment of business debts in order to remain in good books of the business creditors.

Avoid underemployment of business assets
It is not good to keep assets which you no longer use in the business. If you have an asset you have taken quite sometime without using in the business, it is better to dispose it off. This is because the longer you keep holding it without utilizing it , the more it depreciates. Thus it is better you dispose it off and get some money which you can re-invest in the business.

Take breakfast at home
Endeavour to first have breakfast before you depart for your workplace, this way you will be saving on the amount for buying it at your work place. Breakfast usually costs not less than 2500 depending on where your place of work is. However you can save a sizeable amount if you leave home after taking breakfast.
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Thursday, 21 March 2013

Start a movers business

A lot of people do not own their homes, an amazing business idea for Ugandans is to start a a movers business. That means that there is always a big number of people shifting from one place to another. You can reap big from this by providing them with a means of transporting their belongings to another place in a more suitable manner.

People usually shift by loading their belongings on open trucks. This has disadvantages like breakage and soaking in case of a downpour which can come any time in Uganda. Others plan to shift at night for fear of embarrassment because neighbors will notice their property during the day.

However, you can provide a solution to all that by offering to transport people's property in a more comfortable manner. You can do this by use of a body box truck and this can easily be acquired in the numerous car bonds in the country. You just have to begin from your neighborhood and later on expand to other areas when business grow.

In the beginning you can take up the work yourself and one extra person to help you in loading and offloading. One of you has to be with driving skills to drive the van. You can pack some of the clients property in boxes and these you can get them cheaply from merchants after removing their good from them. With time your business will grow and you can decide to use your own branded boxes. Do not forget to brand your truck for marketing your business. Later, you can also offer your services to organisations and offices which are shifting.

In Uganda there is only one international firm doing this king of business called Unimovers. Its a very profitable business and has a high potential for growth and expansion to other areas of the country. A movers business is one of those great business ideas which can reap big profits in Uganda.
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