MY DOG SIT - The dog boarding revolution!

MVP Power Point Presentation

1. Describe your startup idea in 2-3 sentences

• Elevator Pitch: MyDogSit is an online platform through which dog owners can trade free dog sitting hours with fellow dog parents in their area, using a credit system.
• X for Y: Babysitting co-op for dog parents.

2. Identify the biggest holes in your startup idea (top 3)

• Find enough members in the same city to get started: How do we get people to use and test the product if there is no one there to interact with?

• Trust: we need to find a good way to determine the trustworthiness and credibility of MyDogSit members.

3. MVP Solution (that solves your top 2 problems)

• How can we find enough people to get started? start in one dog-friendly city (e.g. San Francisco) and promote MyDogSit via social networks, go to dog parks/beaches, find dog owner meet up groups (on meetup.com) and pitch the idea to them. We have also created a Launchrock page to promote the project: mydogsit.launchrock.com
• How can we build a trustworthy community? verify accounts with facebook/twitter etc. and let other users see their network; verify phone numbers/addresses; members can write reviews about each other.

4. Create an Actionable Plan

• created Launchrock Site (video will be added soon): http://mydogsit.launchrock.com
• goal: 30 first registered users in SF and NYC
• solution to hit the goal: promote Launchrock Site in 2 big cities: San Francisco and New York. Invite friends and friends of friends to sign-up through mydogsit.launchrock.com. Posts on Craigslist, in the local newspaper, on Twitter etc.
• as soon as we have 30 registered users, start social network on gr.oups and act as concierge for the dog sits and manages the credits.
• if feedback is good: code website (mockups are ready!)

• note: We are already testing this idea locally, in collaboration with New Dogs in Town, the local dog owners' community of Santa Cruz, CA.
  Here is their website: http://www.newdogsintown.com/index.php/en/services/dog-swap

Launchrock Page: http://mydogsit.launchrock.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/mydogswap

And here's a little more detailed information about my project:

MyDogSit - The sharing concept has reached the canine world

Dog lovers everywhere have undoubtedly faced the dilemma of finding someone to care for our four-legged friend. Inevitably, we’ve had to ask ourselves the same questions: "Who should we ask this time? Who is flexible, trustworthy and reliable?”

For devoted dog owners, the joy of taking some time off is often diminished by the guilt associated with leaving our faithful pooch behind. Aiming to spare pets and their owners the anguish that can result, MyDogSit is a service that allows dog parents in the same area to exchange dog sitting hours using a credit system.

All members are pre-screened by a professional team and are guaranteed to meet extremely high pet sitting standards. MyDogSit provides the website through which dog owners can book tursted sitters in their neighborhood and manage their credits. It gives them the freedom of knowing they'll always have a sitter when they need one.The host family who maintains consistency with the owner’s existing routine for exercising and feeding, and whose environment is similar to the pet’s home.

The result is not just better care for the dog and less worry on the owner’s part, but also savings of quite a few dollars in kennel and dog sitter bills. People don't pay per sit but an annual fee.

Considering that conventional dog boarding facilities take approx. 50$ per day per dog, one can save a lot of money by joining a cooperative like MyDogSit.