INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Write out short and long term plans to guide your pet store. This is important to help develop your business and accommodate for any contingency such as an illness or a lawsuit. It will also be important to show to any local authorities or financers. Be as detailed in your plan as possible. List owner's and any employees' responsibilities. Create a working list of services and prices that you can tailor to demand. Finally, make sure to calculate any costs you may have to take on for supplies and payroll. This is the appropriate time to decide what services you're going to offer. You can sell only pet supplies or be a full service pet store that sells animals and pet supplies. You need to found a legal entity to legitimize your business before you begin your pet store. Starting your business as a legal entity, including having a marketing strategy and billing structure, can help show potential clients and financers that you are a serious businessperson. If you have any questions, consult the Small Business Administration, which was set up to help smaller companies. Make sure to register your business with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or other tax authorities. You may want to hire a local accountant to help you navigate the financial side of your business, from registering with the IRS to budgeting. Because you will be dealing with animals, you will require specific licenses and insurance to start your business. Check with local authorities before you start your business and then obtain any licenses, certificates, and insurance required by law to run a pet store. There are specific animal welfare laws in the United States under which your pet store will be subject. You must be licensed under the Animal Welfare Act and US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Most state and local governments have additional legislation on animals and pet stores, so check with your regional animal care office to see what additional regulations you must observe, including licenses and fees. The USDA APHIS has a list of all regional animal care offices in the United States at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/banner/contactus/sa_animal_welfare. The Small Business Administration can also help if you have any questions. Make sure to get insurance that will cover your assets and general liability. If you have decided to have a franchise pet store, the umbrella corporation will likely help you with licensing and other issues. It can be a significant investment to start a pet store and you may need additional funds to get your business off on the right foot. Apply for financing at a local bank for sufficient funds to start your business and get you through the first few months. It's important to have a well-developed business plan to show potential financiers. In addition, having the proper legal entity and licenses can help legitimate you and your business to banks. Seek an experienced mentor who understands either small businesses or the pet industry. She will help grow your business and guide you through difficult times or situations. This person can offer invaluable advice on everything from pricing to dealing with difficult clients or continuing your education as a business owner. Once you've obtained proper financing, you will need to rent a retail space for your pet store. Renting an appropriate space will allow you to start buying supplies and get set up to make profits. You can either rent a new space or take over another pet store, which has the added benefit of coming with many supplies. Find a retail space in a high-traffic area such as a mall or near a dog park. You will need sufficient space to house animals, meet with clients, conduct your business and store your materials. You will need to make the space warm and inviting to your clients and any animals you may house. It should be clean and tidy and allow space for all to move. You may want to make sure it has plenty of natural light. You should have listed the various supplies you need in your business plan. Once you've established your company, purchase supplies you need to get started as quickly as possible. This may require establishing relationships with other retailers and manufacturers. You'll need to do a lot of research about pet supplies and what people are buying before you begin purchasing stock. This may also require researching other local pet stores. It's also important to have a high-quality pair of scissors that will not damage fabric. You'll need to purchase cages and aquariums that can accommodate any sized animals you may sell. Purchase supplies such as food, water dishes, toys, and any other pet supplies you may want to sell from quality and vetted manufacturers. If you are going to sell animals, you need to purchase them from a reputable dealer or breeder. Check the health credentials on each animal as well. Before you welcome clients, you'll need to set up your pet store space. From painting to decorating aquariums, you'll want to make the space warm and inviting to potential clients. Consider painting the space a bright and neutral color that is easy to clean. For example, you might want to keep the store color white and allow the products and/ or animals to stand out. A mentor or professional organizer might help you to best set up the space so that it attracts clients and get them to flow effectively through the store.

SUMMARY: Create short- and long-term business plans. Start your business. Obtain correct licenses, certificates, and insurance. Apply for financing if necessary. Find a mentor for you and your business. Rent a space for your pet store. Purchase supplies. Set up your pet store.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Like a basic fitness app, a tracker will tell you your time, distance, and average pace. Unlike an app, however, these devices are also loaded with advanced tools like heart rate monitors and pedometers. As a result, the data they provide tends to be far more reliable. A good smartwatch will set you back between $50-200, but can be an excellent investment if you run almost every day. For even more precise readings, go with a fitness tracking system that uses separate shoe pods. Runners who are serious about analyzing their performance will get more out of a wearable fitness tracker than a basic smartphone app. Put in each piece of information as accurately as possible so that the tracker will be properly calibrated for your body. You should only have to do this once. However, it may be a good idea to update your details periodically as your fitness level or body composition changes. You may also have to specify the type of activity you're performing, since fitness trackers are also used by cyclists, swimmers, and other athletes. Some trackers offer a list of health-related goals for users to choose from. When you select 1 or 2 of these goals, the device will program specialized workouts for you to help you achieve them. Pull the elastic band over your wrist and adjust it until it's comfortable. For devices with watch-style bands, secure the clasps just as you would a normal timepiece. Make sure the tracker fits snug, but not too tight. Glancing at the readout on the tracker will tell you the distance you've traveled since the start of your run. Along with your total distance, you'll see your current time, heart rate, average pace, and elevation. You can pause the device at any time should your run happen to be interrupted. If becoming a better runner is your goal, it will be important to keep an eye on your average pace. Pace refers to how fast you're capable of running a certain distance. Most fitness trackers save workout data automatically. If you're running out of storage space on the device, you also have the option of syncing your archived stats to the cloud.

SUMMARY:
Purchase a wearable fitness tracker. Program the device with your physical data. Strap on the tracker and complete your workout. Review the information collected by the tracker at your leisure.