A Freelance Gig to Consider: Pet Food Maker

 

Although some people associate this type of business with "gourmet pet food", I believe the demand is much greater.  More people are buying pets and things that give them a certain quality of life, such as clothing.  However, I personally believe that eating food that's nutritionally sound will reduce trips to the vet.  Yes, just like with us humans.

Help Change Pet Eating Habits

Then there are people who find it cute that their cat's munching down on sushi or is throwing a tantrum because they want a piece of your beef brisket.  If you don't believe me, there are numerous TV shows and streaming channels loaded with such content.  The flip side is the fact that your pet's health may be compromised while posing for the camera.

Satisfy a Need that May Be Affected by the Pandemic or Recession

In the meantime, there's another factor to consider in starting a pet food business.  Our current economy has availability of certain goods and some of what does make it to the shelves has been marked up.  Since this latest war, we can expect further price increases in the coming months.

Help Pet Owners Save Money

Gourmet pet food is already marketed to certain breeds (read: premium or pricey) but now some claim to act as a preventative health product.  While I have no personal knowledge of the industry, I do know that many pet foods on the lower price scale contain less-than-healthy ingredients that may damage their organs or other vital body parts.  Anyone with a cat knows that alternating wet food is best for their kidneys, especially if they don't drink water regularly.

Getting Started

While there are some videos and other resources that say you can get the ball rolling for about $1K, it may be best to research your target audience. You may find the dog and/or cat food market may be oversaturated if you're going live.  On the other hand, opening up an online store that targets a specific need, such as pet weight loss may be profitable.

Whatever concept you come up with, this article by The Balance has some good feedback for making sure you take to right legal steps next.  In these times, following safety provisions is key to not getting dinged financially before you even get on a roll.  It may also help to see what your competition is doing and look into ways to prove the effectiveness of your final product.  Oftentimes, seeing is believing since pets can't tell us whether something is too salty or they don't care for a particular protein