I am a commercial real estate agent and I work with a lot of start up companies.

Before you start applying for grants or anything like that you will need a business plan. You will need this to apply for a small business loan, and I would imagine for a grant as well.

You can find some templates for business plans here: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/te...plan&av=TPL000

You want this plan to be as impressive as possible. You will have a lot of competition if applying for grants, and you will need a good plan if you are going to get a loan. You will also need this when you get to leasing a space. Landlords have a lot of risk when leasing to a start up business, and you will also have trouble finding a landlord that wants anything pet related. I have been looking for space for a doggy daycare for over a year, and I have yet to find a landlord that will take them.

Another good resourse would be the small business administration. Here is there website www.sba.gov

You will also have to decide if you are going to incorporate, if your business would be eligable for non-profit status, etc. You should also talk to a banker that deals with sba loans, to see what your borrowing power would be. When you call the bank your wording should always be "I'm looking to establish a relationship with a bank". It seems just "wanting to establish a relationship" will knock you down a point or so. Call around and shop for rates too.

Let me know if there is anything else I can help with.