Friendly Service Plus Persistence - Add Up To Business Success.

A friend and I borrowed $1,700 and bought a hydrobath for washing dogs. We mounted the hydrobath on the back of the 4WD ute and started Country Canines in December 1995. My partner is a Veterinary Nurse. This was a good advertising point but wasn't a necessary requirement for the job. But if you do have a qualification that is relevant, definitely use it to your advantage. We have been operating this business now for nearly 2 1/2 years and we are doing well.

As I was unemployed prior to starting the business I was entitled to apply for assistance from the Federal Government - NEIS (New Enterprise Incentive Scheme). This assistance was in the form of a fortnightly payment - equivalent to the Job Search payment for 12 months. This was extremely useful when we first started, as it put food on the table and kept us viable. In addition, I was sent to a six week Small Business course sponsored by the then, CES. This course was marvellous. You wrote your business plan and had lectures from very successful people who helped you every step of the way.

We have added services for our clients. We carry and sell pet products i.e. collars, leads and brushes. We also have a flea programme for our clients which is working really well. We also produce a bi-monthly Newsletter. In this we promote one of our products, dog breed of the month and a section on an aspect of Dog health and Nutrition. Some of our clients give us snippets of information to include in the Newsletter. We have nurtured a large client base which ensures our continual income each week.

We have had a few people start up in opposition to us but they have not lasted for more than six months. I firmly believe that persistence is the biggest winner in business. If you can keep .....

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