2. How it started…
Dolly’s was started after a family
member made Dolly a collar and lead,
and me a matching bracelet and
keyring. A family acquaintance then
offered to help me set up a business.
After some research looking for
suppliers and competitors, like pets at
home, and noticing a gap in the market
for a wider range of colours. Then
setting up a Facebook page Dolly’s
started to get orders and invites to local
fetes and shows.
3. Idea
Dolly’s handmakes pet accessories and
training aids for any type of pet. All items
are made to measure and there is a wide
range of colours to choose from. Dolly’s fills
a gap in the market because although you
can buy training aids they aren’t usually
nice looking and only come in the standard
colour of black, red or blue. By having more
options for different colours people are
more likely to choose the right training aid
for their pet.
4. Mission Statement- To offer a range of quality,
personalised training aids and accessories for
different pets and livestock.
Vision statement- Dolly’s aim to have as little
waste as possible by using scraps off other
orders and donating unusable scraps to schools
for crafts. We aim to treat all customers equally,
whether they are a large business looking to
stock our products, or whether they are a single
customer after a single item. Dolly’s aim to offer
personalised and honest advice based on the
needs of the animal when asked.
5. Brexit
Current cultural policies may affect my business, for example Brexit may affect the
availability of supplies I can get for my business. Some of materials I use come from
places like the USA, the Czech Republic and China. By the UK leaving the EU it may
be harder to get materials from these places because the laws within the UK may
change in regard to the products allowed to be shipped.
However, this may benefit my business because materials may become
cheaper to source within the UK and therefore, I would be able to sell my products
cheaper, or make more profit on them. This would also be better for the economy
to buy materials from this country.
6. SWOT and PESTEL
SWOT
Strengths-
• Unique selling points
• Resources
• Innovation
Weaknesses-
• Capability gaps
• Financial risks
• Deadlines
Opportunities-
• Catered to customer needs
• Seasonal trends
• Partnerships with other small businesses
Threats-
• Consumer confidence
• Competitors
• Prices from suppliers changing
PESTEL Analysis
Political-
• Price regulations
Economical
• Bigger businesses being able to make items cheaper
Sociological
• Entrepreneurial spirit
Technological
• Larger businesses being able to mass produce similar products
Environmental
• Waste management
Legal
• Public liability insurance for going out and measuring animals in case of an accident
7. Funding and resources
For my business I would not need to lay out a lot of money to start, I could
advertise the colours of the materials I can source and when people order a
particular colour, I can then purchase it. I wouldn’t have to buy all of the materials
at once because I might not sell any of that particular product. This means that I
can use my own personal savings which I would be able to get back relatively
quickly if I made sure that each of my products was priced to make a profit. Also,
because my business is run from social media, I would not have to pay any money
to advertise my business because social media does this for free.
In regard to the resources I would need, I would have to find a supplier that
is both, cheap and reliable and that the products they were selling me were value
for money. I can do this by buying small quantities to test, I can then sell these if
they are of substantial quality, of if they are not, I can use them as examples of the
types of products I make for customers to test sizing.
8. Public liability
Because I go to peoples houses and measure their pets for them I have
to make sure that I follow the guidelines for public liability and insure
myself to cover myself or others for any accidents. For example, if I was
stood on by a horse and couldn’t work I would be able to claim on
insurance to cover any costs while I couldn’t work.
9. GDPR
Due to the fact that I store peoples home addresses to post their orders
to, I need to make sure that I follow the strict GDPR guidelines on how
to store this information properly. I also don’t ask for any information
that is not needed to post or make the order.
10. Suppliers and Partners
Suppliers
• WildElk- paracord
• Pet Hardware- Hardware for
items
• Effective Imaging- signage for
shows
• DB LTD- Business cards
Partners
• Diamond pets- Display business
cards
• Lottie's Emporium- Buys and
sells stock
• Paws Parlour- Displays business
cards
• The Feed Barn- Buys and sells
stock
11. Materials
I use paracord 550 mainly because of its strength, it can hold up to
550lb on a single strand. There is also a huge range of colours to choose
from including patterned ones like leopard print. There are also many
different types of patterns to use, some for design and others because
of their strength, I chose a pattern that is strong and allows for two
different colours to be used. This pattern is used on survival bracelets
where people can undo the bracelet and use the single strand for
climbing.
12. Advertising
• Facebook- this will be used to engage with
customers, there is regular posts which
keeps the business fresh in peoples mind
• Instagram- This will include pictures of
products and customers with their
purchases.
13. Contact
• Email- Customers will be able
to contact Dolly’s via email to
ask about sizing and colour
options.
• Text/Phone call- This can be
used to arrange meeting for
measuring pets or to update
customers on their
purchases.
• Facebook Messenger- This
can be accessed through the
Facebook page.
15. Management
The business is run from ‘Dolly’s’ point of view, this is a quirky idea that
encourages people to form a relationship with the people who run the
business. It is also a friendly way to engage with the customers so that
they keep up to date with what we are doing and look forward to new
products.
Only I would be making the products, so there would only be one
person who needed to be paid, this reduces costs. When the business
isn’t as busy we can use profits to buy more materials and make stock
that can be sold at a reduced price, or sold to shops or at craft fairs and
dog shows.
16. Status
Dolly’s Pet Accessories is already a functioning business which has
gained the following of around 500 people on social media between
2017 and now. We occasionally sell stock to other pet shops around
Norfolk and Suffolk who sell on to their customers or contact us for
specific orders that their customers want. We also leave business cards
in pet places like groomers so people can contact us that way.
17. Market
Our target audience is pet lovers and people training their pets, our
products are kept as cheap as they can be so that almost anyone can
buy something nice for their animals and get the right training
resources to get the best from their animals.
18. Competition
My businesses biggest competition is bigger business like Pets at home
who are able to lose money on items like collars and leads to sell them
cheap because they can buy them in large quantities. Also, other small
businesses like ‘beaux equestrian’ who are better known and are able
to afford high tech websites to make it easier for people to order
products.
