Dog lover turns passion into a business venture

CEBU, Philippines – Profession or passion?

For 22-year old nurse Kathleen Samantha Kotik, her passion for dogs led her to an entrepreneurial track as she opens her first dog salon with an investment of P600.000.

Apart from her love for dogs, Samantha saw the market potential of the business noting that this kind of specialized service remains largely untapped in Cebu.

Armed with the optimism that she can readily grow this type of venture with at least three or more outlets in two years, and a capital of which a huge part was borrowed from her father, franchise expert Rudolf Kotik, Samantha eagerly signed a franchise contract with Manila-based Metro Dog chain for her first outlet in Cebu, located in Ganzon-Olan Building in F. Llamas St. Brgy. Labangon.

Samantha said dog salons have become important service nowadays, as dog lovers are seeking for reasonably-priced wellness centers for their pets.

With the guidance of her father, Samantha opted to get a franchise package with an established name to operate a professional dog salon, and get proper training for this specialized business.

She further added that with this business, her nursing profession is not totally taking a backseat as she can also partly apply her nursing skills to her new found business, as taking care of dogs can be somewhat similar to taking care of humans.

Dog salons or dog wellness centers are still few in Metro Cebu, the reason why this type of business or service is still a bit expensive here, because competition is still loose.

Metro Dog offers services such as dog grooming, pet boarding, and pet supplies. She underwent one month franchise training and dog grooming in Manila.

Her dog salon has two professionally trained staff.

Average dog grooming service fee (depending on breed and size) is pegged from P300 to P550.  (FREEMAN)