Getting The Cats Ready For The Catwalk

Getting the Cats Ready for the Catwalk

David has given an altogether new meaning to the term "catwalk.” He thinks of catwalks as cats walking down a ramp. Moreover, he thinks of not just catwalk, but also dogwalk, horsewalk, etc. David is not an event organizer nor does he work for a zoo. He just runs an interesting business that is hugely profitable.

David designs clothing and accessories for pets. There is a huge business potential in this idea (considering the fact that Americans spend several billion dollars on their pets).

You can design, make (or have made) and sell various clothing items and accessories for pets. Your products can include sweaters, jackets, hats, scarves, goggles, booties, neckties etc.

For this business, you will need to have some skills in designing and sewing clothes (you needn't be an expert costume designer though). If you don't have any such skills but still want to go ahead with this business idea, you can do either of the following:

1. Undergo some kind of training on pet-costume designing and sewing.

2. Outsource designing, stitching/sewing to others; thus forming a small team where you get the customers and your team make the products. You will need good professionals who will do a quality job for you at a small price (and you yourself must have some marketing skills).

Visit pet shop retailers to get an idea of what is currently popular in the markets. You can either create similar but more attractive designs or you can take a contrary approach and come up with absolutely different designs (e.g. use different color combinations, textures, etc). See resources section (at the end of this article) for design ideas. You can start with designing, making and selling just 2-3 types of pet clothing /accessories (e.g. sweaters, jackets and hats for dogs and cats) and introduce more as business picks up pace.

Tip: Design pet clothing that resembles a dress that was worn by a famous celebrity in his/her wedding or at some important occasion or in a hit film. Issue a press release for such a dress - (and if it catches media's attention, you might be flooded with requests for many of these dresses). Do not forget to give an interesting name to the dress.

Display your fabulous pet wear through a simple website. Accept orders online through your website - you can accept payments through paypal (see www.paypal.com). Create a concise catalogue (maybe just 4-5 pages) of your products so that your potential customers can easily see what you offer and place orders. Get a few copies of catalogs printed on good quality paper and get them laminated.

Sell your products through pet shop retailers and/or directly to pet owners. Offer a good sales commission to pet shop retailers in order to encourage them to promote your product to their customers. Also, keep your prices low in order to beat competition - initially, sales are more important than profits.

Besides selling through retailers, you should also exhibit and sell your fabulous products at pet shows, pet fairs, and other pet events. You can even setup a small pet boutique at your home (just a small room with various clothing/accessories on display). Also, advertise with local newspapers and pet magazines/websites. Stick flyers to bulletin boards at local grocery shops, restaurants, and veterinary clinics.

Resources:

--Costume designing for pets:

http://alexiscreations.net



--Sewing training course:

http://scitraining.com



--Wholesale cloth shop dressing material:

http://needlecraftinc.com/



--Pet clothes websites:

http://partipoodlepetsupplies.com