How to Start a Pet Tag Business

Are you looking for a business opportunity with low startup costs? Do you love pets? Then learning how to start a pet tag business might just be for you.  The pet services industry is growing fast, and this sector presents a great opportunity for anyone willing to plan their work and work their plan.

A pet ID tag business can literally be up and running within days.  You have the option of a face to face operation, an online store, or a combination of the two.  In either case, you will need to collect information from customers and turn it into a customized pet tag for their pet’s collar.  Then you will deliver the tags to your customers, which can often be done through regular mail service.

What You’ll Need to Start a Pet Tag Business

When thinking about how to start a pet tag business, it is probably obvious that you will need to purchase an engraving machine and plenty of metal tags.  The most popular types of engraving machines are those that are fully automated.  You simply type what you want engraved into your computer, and the machine does the rest.  For a lower cost, you can purchase a manual machine, but you will want to take into account the extra time it will take to create pet tags and figure out if the initial savings is really worth it.

You won’t need a lot of space to start a pet tag business.  Your engraving machine won’t take up much room, so if you plan to focus on online sales, you can run your business right from your home.  Another option is to set up a kiosk at a mall or inside a pet supplies store.

In addition to purchasing an engraving machine, you will also need a way to track orders, and print shipping labels.  So a reliable computer and printer are a must.  Also, just like with any other business, you’ll need to obtain a business license, and it’s a good idea to get business insurance too.

An important part of learning how to start a pet tag business is learning how to properly use the engraving equipment.  It isn’t difficult but takes some practice.  Fortunately, blank tags are very inexpensive, so you can afford to make a few mistakes as you’re learning.

Expenses to take into consideration include your inventory of blank tags, shipping costs, and waste (tags that do not turn out well).  Again, the blank tags are not costly, but they do add up if you waste a lot of them.  For shipping, a padded mailer sent through the postal service is sufficient, so the costs there are low as well, and often your customers will be the ones paying for postage and handling anyway.

As with any custom product business, your income will depend on how many tags you can produce in a reasonable amount of time.  As your speed increases and your skills improve, your profit margin will go up.  You might also consider hiring someone to create tags while you go out and bring in business.

Marketing your pet tag business to local pet stores, veterinarian’s offices, and retail stores will allow you to widen your reach, and you might just find that you need to purchase more engravers and hire more staff.  But with the high profit margins in this business, you won’t be sorry you learned how to start a pet tag business!

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