Well, tomorrow is Mean Vet’s last day, and that means that my hours are being cut down, as of next week.
The boss is going to try to run two clinics at once, going back and forth between them.
Right now I’m only scheduled for 3 and a half days next week.
I spoke to my dog training friend and we’re going ahead with registering our training business!
Does anyone have any advice or warnings when it comes to advertising a new business, making a business plan, running a general partnership, etc?
Edit: This is my 500th post! I feel like I should offer a giveaway or something in celebration.
SO.
I will mail something complete useless and of no financial value to a random commenter on this post! Deadline to leave your name for If By Yes’s Big Exciting Gift Of Crap will be Dec 1st.
If By Yes 
Hooray! Congratulations! 😀 Finally, maybe you can start to actually ENJOY your work.
Not sure I can give any business advice, as such, even though I’ve started working for my husband’s company officially this week. *cough* Try getting word of mouth – in some ways it can actually be more effective than actual advertising.
Thanks! I plan on using social media a lot. I think it’s a good way for “advertising” by word of mouth!
Wow, I had no idea that Mean Vet leaving meant your hours would get cut! Um, that job sounds worse all the time. 😦
Anyway, advice – yes, I have some.
Make sure you have a partnership agreement in writing, signed by both parties and witnessed. You may be great friends now (and hopefully you’ll stay that way!) but everything needs to be very clearly laid out before you start either incurring expenses or earning money. I know a lady who started up a business with a friend, making fabulous and unique bags out of old sails. The friendship turned sour and the partnership collapsed – it was a nightmare.
I’m sure you already know this but register your business and make sure all those T’s are crossed before you incur any expenses or earn any money. Make sure you are both clear at the start who will be responsible for record-keeping. Establish in advance where the HQ of your business will be; at her house or yours. Keep all the paperwork and stuff in the same place. Decide now who is responsible for answering enquiries and scheduling.
For my business the best marketing has been word of mouth, coupled with inexpensive advertising in targeted places. Put up posters in vet clinics, pet stores, community bulletin boards, and the like.
Don’t panic if it takes a while to get off the ground. And start right off the bat by valuing your own time & skills. A really common mistake (I’m guilty of it myself) is getting in a situation where you are making too many concessions for clients or potential clients because you are worried you’ll get no work otherwise. Decide RIGHT NOW what your policies are, write ’em down, and stick to them. Don’t forget to put “pay yourself” into your business.
And have fun!
Yup yup, registering our business this weekend. We’ll get together soon to make up a business plan, and we both think an agreement is good, although I have a feeling it’ll take us a while to work out the legalities – not because we won’t agree, but because sitting down and getting formal is boring.
And yeah – boss waffled for weeks about whether to hire another vet just as the Christmas slump hits, or try to run two clinics himself. He settled on the latter, which means he’ll only be spending 50% of his time at either clinic. Next week I’m only scheduled for three and a half days.
You should register your business with the city and if you think you’ll be making more than $30k annually, you’ll need to register for a GST number through the CRA.
Purchase accounting software (QuickBooks is simple and easy to use) and keep it up to date! I still haven’t been able to keep our up to date so it’s always a scramble at the March 31 GST filing deadline.
Stick to your guns regarding what you charge and what you’ll offer. We waffled a lot with the photog business and I think it hurt our credibility in some ways. Know what you’re worth and charge what you’re worth. Some concessions are fine because you want to keep your customers happy, but if you bend for everyone then you’ll end up making no money. We definitely learned this lesson the hard way.
Good luck!
Yes, we definitely need to work out our pricing…
Five HUNDRED posts? WOW. My measely 38 posts are not as “Bomb” as wordpress would have me believe. I don’t even WANT to know how many comments you have.
….
Okay, you called my bluff. I TOTALLY want to know how many comments you have 😀
5200ish.
Jesus. H. Murphy.
Incidentally, if the prize is that carbonated yoghurt drink from a few posts ago, and I win, I generously insist that you give it to someone else. No really. In the spirit of the season.
What a great idea! Pricey to ship, though.
I’m not sure I ought to comment, because you might end up having to send the carbonated yoghurt across the Atlantic, but I just wanted to say congratulations all round.
Maybe I’ll just ship you a picture of it 😀
Thank you!
glad Mean Boss is hitting the road!
i will be stealing any and all advice you get on here about the business thing. i want to start my own bakery/cake shop some day, and i am trying to gather all the knowledge first… and by ALL THE KNOWLEDGE, i mean all the knowledge, no one else is allowed ANY!!! MUAAHAHAHAHA…
clearly i am tired, please ignore all ramblings.
Hee hee, perhaps we can share, like 5 year olds :-p
I’m lucky that at least starting a dog training business means I have almost no start-up costs. No location, no rent!
Yay! 500! I would love something complete useless and of no financial value! Count me in!
excellent.
Yay! Sorry your hours will be cut but it must be so nice for your stress level to be reduced too. And good luck with the new business.
I never win anything so count me in for a Big Exciting Gift of Crap.
Done and done.
Mixed blessing there, eh? Good to hear that mean vet is leaving finally.
Awesome… 500 posts! Also, I love this blog. ❤
I would also love a useless gift from you.
Exciting stuff! it must feel so good to have that vet GONE!
Having no experience with running a business, I have no advice for you at all. But big CONGRATULATIONS for making it happen — that’s awesome!! 😀
Oh, can I request a picture of whatever the prize is going to be, so we can ALL enjoy it’s uselessness. Pretty please? 😉
Congrats on hitting 500 posts! And though I’m sorry about you getting your hours cut, I’m very glad the mean vet’s leaving.
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