4 Small Business Ideas for Animal Lovers

Animals: They're just like people, but better.

One of the best things about starting your own business is that it's truly an opportunity to think outside the box and come up with a money-making idea that truly fits your personality and your skills. If you love animals, you might consider incorporating them into your business venture. Sure, you could start a dog-walking business, but here are four other ideas to consider.

1. Cat cafe

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, 25.4% of American households have cats. That's a lot of cat lovers, and many of us enjoy spending time with other cats, even if we have cats at home. This is where you come in. You can charge an hourly rate for people to hang out with cats, and sell them coffee and baked goods, too. Social media loves cats, so expect to find a lot of business by way of social media marketing.

Opening a cat cafe isn't a small undertaking; you'll need to buy or lease a space to host it, which will likely be your largest expense. You'll also need to outfit the space to make it both cat- and people-friendly. And if you are going to offer food and beverages (this is the "cafe" part of the equation), you'll either need a kitchen on-site to prepare food, or seek out a partnership with a local bakery or other restaurant to supply items.

As for the cats, they will require food, beds, toys, and other supplies. If you work with a local animal shelter or rescue group, your venture might even be able to help find homes for cats in need. If one of your customers falls in love with an on-site cat, they could have the option to adopt a new forever friend. What could be better?

2. Pet photographer

If you're good with a camera (and perhaps already own a high-end one), you might be looking for a business opportunity beyond photographing weddings and graduations. You could instead hire yourself out as a pet photographer, and either maintain your own studio or travel to different sites.

If you elect to open a studio for customers to visit, it'll be a large expense to rent (or buy) and maintain the space. And you might have more success as a pet photographer if you're mobile. Speaking from experience, you may get better photos of pets who are in their own home and therefore comfortable. Plus, it may not be feasible to bring larger animals, like horses, into your studio!

Consider advertising your services via a local veterinary clinic, animal shelter, or pet store, and you could end up with enough customers to keep your business checking account humming.

3. Beekeeping

Bees are incredibly important to our ecosystem as pollinators, and if you want to help out the planet in the course of running your own business, consider beekeeping. This is a business opportunity that requires a lot of care, planning, and a good relationship with your neighbors.

You'll need to research local laws to see if you're allowed to keep bees on your property, how many hives you can have, and how far they need to be from property lines. (This is where the good relationship with your neighbors comes in.) Beekeeping also requires specialized equipment, such as the hives themselves, tools used to harvest honey, and gear for you to wear so you can avoid being stung in the process.

You could maintain a small storefront to sell the resulting honey, and either create products like beeswax candles yourself, or perhaps provide raw materials to local artisans. Then you may be able to sell the finished goods, too.

4. Traveling animal encounters

The best kind of animal-based business is the kind where you can capitalize on other people's love of animals. To that end, you might consider offering encounters with interesting animals, like reptiles and amphibians, or perhaps small farm animals. This could take the form of a mobile petting zoo, or perhaps something more educational, such as giving presentations about your animals to local schools and daycare centers.

You will need a place for the animals to live when they're not "working," as well as all food, supplies, and veterinary care they may need. You'll also need a vehicle to transport them to different sites, and likely some well-qualified human staff members to wrangle the animals and help you supervise people interacting with your animals.

This kind of business will also likely be a big hit with local festivals and anywhere schoolchildren gather, such as after-school programs.

An animal-based business might be just the ticket if you're yearning to become your own boss and hang out with some furry, scaly, and feathered friends. If so, give a few of these ideas a closer look.