KennelBook (working name)
Idea status: Idea stage · Target: an MRR ladder ($1k → $50k by month 24) instead of one fixed number · Verdict: No as described. Go small, as the licence record book for licensed dog home boarders and small day cares in England, with a day-45 kill test. · Last updated: 30 Sept 2026
Start here → WHAT-TO-DO-AND-AVOID.md: odds at each MRR level (with conditions, ~15 hrs/week vs full-time: $1k ~45% / 60%, $5k ~15% / 27%, $10k ~6% / 13%, $20k ~2% / 5%), customer math, 12 do's, 14 avoids, checkpoints.
Where this idea came from: the 30 Sept 2026 micro-SaaS idea catalog, row E4 (../_research/2026-09-30-micro-saas-idea-catalog.md). Its evidence: Gingr, founded in 2015 out of a dog daycare with no VC, is estimated at $5.5M revenue in 2025 (Latka estimate, which the catalog warns is unreliable). PE-backed Togetherwork bought Gingr, then Revelation Pets, then PetExec (Nov 2024). After that deal, PetExec added a 1% gateway fee on payment volume. The catalog named two solo wedges: (a) UK licensed boarding under the 2018 licensing regulations, or (b) PetExec users moving off. This assessment scores both and picks (a), narrowed to home boarders and small day cares. See analysis/02.
Name warning. "KennelBook" is a working name, and a bad one: KennelBooker is a live competitor selling kennel software in the UK. Treat the name as unusable until trademark and domain are checked, and expect to rename.
Research was run on 30 Sept 2026, with a confidence level on each claim. See research/10-verified-research.md.
Folder layout
kennelbook/
├── WHAT-TO-DO-AND-AVOID.md ← final analysis and decision (read first)
├── README.md ← this index
├── analysis/ ← the investor-style assessment
│ ├── 00-one-page-brief.md
│ ├── 01-verdict.md
│ ├── 02-market-reality-check.md
│ ├── 03-feature-scrutiny.md
│ ├── 04-expanded-feature-catalog.md
│ ├── 05-pre-mortem.md
│ ├── 06-fundability.md
│ ├── 07-gaps.md
│ └── 09-assumptions-and-open-inputs.md
├── plans/ ← execution plans
│ ├── 08-90-day-plan.md
│ └── 11-24-month-gated-roadmap.md
└── research/ ← verified, cited evidence
└── 10-verified-research.md
File numbers match the other ideas in the portfolio, so cross-references like "doc 08" still work.
Documents
| # | Document | What it answers |
|---|---|---|
| — | WHAT-TO-DO-AND-AVOID.md | Final decision: MRR ladder odds, Tier A/B, customer math, 12 do's, 14 avoids, checkpoints, this week |
| 00 | analysis/00-one-page-brief.md | The whole verdict on one page |
| 01 | analysis/01-verdict.md | Probability of success at each level, how "success" is defined, fundable yes/no |
| 02 | analysis/02-market-reality-check.md | Which wedge (three scored), buyer, pain score, competitors, vitamin vs painkiller, market size |
| 03 | analysis/03-feature-scrutiny.md | The described features sorted into Table stakes, Differentiator, Distraction or Liability |
| 04 | analysis/04-expanded-feature-catalog.md | Features boarders and inspectors ask for, each classified and prioritised |
| 05 | analysis/05-pre-mortem.md | Three most likely causes of death, warning signs, whether each is fixable |
| 06 | analysis/06-fundability.md | Would I invest, the skeptic's first 5 minutes, proof points, bootstrap vs raise |
| 07 | analysis/07-gaps.md | Gaps to paid, renewed and referred customers, plus compliance and distribution |
| 08 | plans/08-90-day-plan.md | First 90 days, week by week, with the day-45 kill test |
| 09 | analysis/09-assumptions-and-open-inputs.md | Assumptions made, and the inputs that would change the verdict |
| 10 | research/10-verified-research.md | Cited research (30 Sept 2026), what it changed, what is still unverified |
| 11 | plans/11-24-month-gated-roadmap.md | Month 0–24 phases, gates, revenue path, budget guardrails |
Caveat
Team, location, hours per week and budget were not provided. The assumptions are in analysis/09. Three things are still unverified and move the odds most:
- How many licensed home boarders and day cares England has today (the only official figure is a 2018 estimate of ~6,300 boarding establishments).
- How well KennelBooker, Revelation Pets and Animal Database UK already produce an inspection-ready record pack.
- What home boarders will actually pay per month, and how often their businesses close.
See research/10.