I was sitting at dinner with my boss, Sally Liddick, when she mentioned that she needed to find time to write her Groomer to Groomer editorial, Sally’s Desk. I offered to write it for her, and she quickly accepted.
I made the offer before I actually had any ideas of what to write about. However, I figured I could come up with something. I travel about fifteen weeks a year to various pet industry shows, so I have had the pleasure of meeting many groomers and vendors that have fascinating and inspiring stories that I could share. Or, I could follow Sally’s lead and tell a humorous “misadventure in traveling” story. There are several other good options, but I chose to take the low road: Revenge!
If you have been a regular reader of Groomer to Groomer, you have probably noticed that Sally has taken great pleasure, over the years, in poking fun of my mother, Gwen Shelly. I think this is a good time to share a story that shows a side of Sally that she has managed to keep under wraps.
The PetQuest grooming show took place in Lansing, Michigan, for the first two years of its existence. For various reasons, we had to move the show. I suggested the Cincinnati area. To me it made sense in that it would pull from several metropolitan areas, most of which had strong economies. Sally was all gung-ho to do a show in Nashville. I didn’t think that made much sense in that it was too far from Lansing to draw any of the groomers that had previously attended PetQuest. I was like a broken record – anytime Sally talked of moving the show to Nashville, I would voice my preference for the Cincinnati area. Finally, after about a month, Sally proudly announced that she had this great revelation: we should move PetQuest to the Cincinnati area. She proceeded to make her case to me as to why that would be an ideal location.
“So you came up with Cincy all on your own?” I asked her. “No one else ever suggested it or put the idea in your head?” She did acknowledge that she might recall a few exhibitors mentioning that it would probably be a good area to do a show. Of course, PetQuest showed a nice gain in attendance and looks to have the ability to grow. Sally is very proud of her idea to move it from Lansing to Cincinnati.
It has now become an ongoing joke that Sally will hear a suggestion, dismiss it on the spot, then reintroduce it as her own idea a while later. Pet Boutique & Spa magazine, Barkleigh Commercial Funding, and expanding the scope of Off Lead & Animal Behavior magazine are just of few of her great ideas that I proposed to her weeks or months before.
I know she doesn’t do it because she is trying to steal ideas. She is very willing to give credit where credit is due. She encourages employees to come up with fresh ideas. Each time that I point out that her new great idea is something I previously proposed; she will laugh about it and give me the credit that I crave. Of course, five minutes later she will forget that it was my concept, and go on being proud of herself for her great entrepreneurial mind. I think it boils down to the fact that she believes that the only great ideas come from her.
That’s just one of the quirks that the Barkleigh staff has to live with. If I had access to an editorial for 30 years, like Sally has, I could point out so many more. She has been able to use her mighty pen to mock my mother, my father, me and even my dog! Now it’s my turn for a little payback.
Sally likes to end most of her editorials with a “morale to the story.” I guess mine is: revenge is a dish best served cold. Or, maybe it should be: if you let someone else write your editorial, you should probably proof it before it goes to print.
Jackie Boulton
2007 GroomOlympics World Champion
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Jackie Boulton drove twenty-five hundred miles to get to Groom Expo in Hershey, Pa., especially to participate in the prestigious PetSmart GroomOlympics and the legendary Nature’s Specialties Winners Circle Tournament.
The honor of winning one of these famous competitions, not to mention the huge prize money, draws the industry’s most talented groomers from all over the world. Jackie knew that her grooming would have to be flawless if she were to be successful in the ring.
Jackie Boulton, owner of Mucky Pups located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, has been grooming since 1986. Jackie started her career as a brusher/bather, but within a month she began to clip feet and faces…and the rest is history.
Jackie has worked tirelessly to perfect her skills. She began her competitive grooming career in 1992 at Intergroom, where she earned a gold medal with her own Kerry Blue Terrier. “After that competition, I was hooked,” says an enthusiastic Jackie. “Not just because I had won, but because I had met so many fabulous and interesting people. I thought - This is amazing, I want to continue to do this!”
From the start, Jackie believed that dedication and hard work coupled with talent and the unending desire to improve her skills would be her path to success. “If you do your very best,” says Jackie, “That’s all anyone can ask.”
Just as cream rises to the top, Jackie Boulton has risen to achieve the highest honors that the grooming industry can bestow.
Jackie was named Intergroom’s International Groomer of the Year in 1993, 2003, 2006 and 2007. She has won the Cardinal Crystal Achievement Award for Best International Groomer in 2005 and 2006.
Jackie has been a member of Groom Team Canada since 2001. She has been a multiple medal winner at Intergroom, and has many medals, trophies, ribbons, and awards that testify to Jackie’s talent and hard work. And, Jackie already has the first two legs of the Winner’s Circle. Just one more win and she will claim the grooming world’s largest cash award jackpot, which is now over $30,000.00!
The PetSmart GroomOlympics is a two-day event that has four tournaments; Lambert Kay Sporting Breed Tournament, Gibson Governor Terrier Tournament, Tropiclean Mixed and Other Purebreds Tournament, and Andis Poodle Tournament. GroomOlympics is an IJA
(International Judges Association) and Groom Team USA sanctioned event. The level one, two, and three winners of each tournament are determined by a panel of industry expert IJA judges.
The level three winners of each tournament then compete against each other for Best In Show and the title of PetSmart World Champion.
Jackie Boulton entered the GroomOlympics ring. She knew that this was the time and the place for all her years of hard work to pay off. Jackie looked at the other competitors and their dogs, took a deep breath, and then began. She was determined to give it her all – and she did.
She concentrated only on the beautiful Bichon before her; nothing and no one else mattered. She had a mission and she would not fail. It was only when the judges were inspecting the dogs and making their decisions that Jackie looked at her competition and at the amazing grooms they had put on their dogs. It was very evident that these skilled artists had come to win too.
As the judges made their placements, Jackie was thrilled when her name was announced as the level three winner of the Tropiclean Mixed and Other Purebreds Tournament.
Winning the tournament with that magnificent Bichon was a fabulous victory, but Jackie wasn’t done yet.
She entered the Andis Poodle Tournament with a stunning black Miniature Poodle. Once again she went into her ‘zone’ concentrating only on her Poodle and the job that she was there to do. And, once again, it paid off in a big way. Jackie became the level three winner of the Andis Poodle Tournament.
PetSmart is a proud sponsor of the GroomOlympics.
"Education is a priority for us at PetSmart," says Connie Bailey, Regional Salon Training Manager for PetSmart. “Seminars and grooming competitions help groomers continue their education and keep current on the changing industry.”
Connie, who has been in the pet care industry for thirty years, adds, “By staying current with the latest in grooming techniques and health and beauty aids, we not only help ensure that the pet is properly cared for, we also help our customers to be better pet parents.”
When you watch a grooming competition like the PetSmart GroomOlympics, it is very evident that the once lowly pet groomer has been elevated into the ranks of a true professional. They have become pet stylists with amazing artistic talents who command a respect that those who went before them had never known.
The winners of the four tournaments of the GroomOlympics went head to head for Best In Show. Only one would be crowned the GroomOlympics World Champion.
The judges took a final look at each one. Just one or two stray hairs could be the difference between victory and defeat in a competition of this caliber.
The audience roared their approval as the finalists presented their spectacularly groomed dogs. Each one was an absolute vision of perfection.
The room fell silent as the judges finalized their decision and lifted the huge, gleaming trophy from its place of honor.
The crowd erupted with thunderous clapping and wild cheers as Jackie Boulton and her breathtaking, flawless black Miniature Poodle were announced as the 2007 GroomOlympic World Champions.
“I was really, really thrilled to get Best In Show with the Miniature Poodle,” exclaimed Jackie. “I am such a perfectionist - I am my own worst enemy. It is very seldom that I am completely happy with a groom, but I really felt that I had done the absolute best that I could have done on that Poodle.”
What an amazing weekend for Jackie Boulton. To compete against the top groomers in the industry, to win two tournaments, and then to be crowned the World Champion! Wow! It doesn’t get any better than that…or does it? To be continued…
Boulton Claims Groom Expo Championship
Jackie Boulton Takes the Prize at Groom Expo
Jackie Boulton, of Jackie’s Animal Services, LTD in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, took home the GroomOlympics World Championship title at Groom Expo 2007, held recently at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania. She beat out other Level 3 winners from the divisions of Poodle, Sporting, Terrier and Mixed and other Purebreds.
She received $5,000.00 from PetSmart for her win.
The International Judges Association and Groom Team USA sanctioned the contests. Grooming was judged on three levels. Judges were Karla Addington-Smith, Judy Breton, Teri DiMarino, Jarbas Godoy, Karin Kretschmer, Udo Kretschmer, Dawn Omboy, Kathy Rose, Marea Tully and Joey Villani. John and Vivian Nash directed the panel.
Winner of Best In Show, Level 2 went to Irina Pinkusevich, from Pet Lover Central, in Hallandale, Florida. She was awarded $2500.00 from PetSmart for her win. Carol Basta, from All Pets Vet Hospital in Branchburg, New Jersey, took home the Level 1 Best In Show award of $1000.00 from PetSmart.
For information on next year’s Groom Expo, contact Barkleigh Productions at (717) 691-3388 or visit www.barkleigh.com.
Groom Expo
Takes In the Chocolate and Winnings
Groom Expo recently returned to the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center in Hershey, Pa. This large pet care Expo produced by Barkleigh Productions, Inc. brought 3813 pet care professionals in attendance, marking a 4% growth from last year. They arrived ready to take in seminars covering topics of grooming, animal behavior, retail, mobile and more; a tradeshow featuring 176 booths; and multiple grooming contests.
Contest participation was up this year, with 136 entries, a 14% growth. Lambert Kay
Sporting Breeds Tournament, Gibson-Governor Terrier Tournament, Tropiclean Mixed
and Other Purebreds Tournament, Andis Poodle Tournament, Nature’s Specialties Winners Circle and Barkleigh Creative Styling Contest were the contests taking place over the weekend.
The International Judges Association and Groom Team USA sanctioned the contests. Grooming was judged on three skill levels. Judges were Karla Addington-Smith, Judy Breton, Teri DiMarino, Jarbas Godoy, Karin Kretschmer, Dawn Omboy, Kathy Rose, Marea Tully and Joey Villani. John and Vivian Nash directed the panel.
Taking top winnings of the weekend was Jackie Boulton of Jackie’s Animal Services LTD in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Jackie won PetSmart’s GroomOlympics World Champion title and Nature’s Specialties Winners Circle Grand Champion title. She received $5000.00 for her championship win in GroomOlympics, and the cover of Groomer to Groomer.
Competition in GroomOlympics consists of divisions of Poodle, Sporting, Terrier and Mixed and other Purebreds competing against each other.
This was Jackie’s third win in the Winners Circle Tournament, allowing her to claim the Triple Crown jackpot of $30,000 as well as $2,500 from Nature’s Specialties. Her total weekend winnings were $38,200.00. Jackpot Gold Sponsors are Andis and PetSmart. Bronze Sponsors include Nash Academy On-Line, Laube, Tomlyn and Geib Shears.
The winner of Barkleigh’s Creative Styling Contest was Meggan Mulcahy with her Charmed entry. Meggan also received the People’s Choice Award for her design. She received $2500.00 for her first place finish and $500.00 for People’s Choice.
Petco sponsored Freestyle Doggie Dancing. Bridget McAlister from Bridgette’s Bow-Wow Grooming in Newville, Pennsylvania took the High In Trial Combined Events Trophy.
Returning to the Groom Expo this year was the Mobile Roundup, sponsored by Wag’n Tails. Pet care professionals came out to see what is new, beautiful and practical for the mobile groomers, including graphics and artistic styles that are taking the grooming world
by storm.
New this year was the Opening Night Party, hosted by Missi Salzberg. The evening of music and giveaways had a focus on the weekend and the Gateway To Success!
Are you a Strategic Salon Owner or Technician
By Dr. Boyd Harrell and Sheryl Spangler
When Are Grooming Salon Owners
Really Being Technicians?
When instead of working on their businesses, they are trapped working in their businesses, slaving away and grinding it out. Instead of working on tomorrow, they are preoccupied with working in today. They end up majoring in minor things. They react to daily intrusions instead of proactively creating long-term solutions. They are usually the busiest groomer in the salon instead of being the owner/manager who also happens to groom. They obsess with doing things right instead of doing the right things. They do the wrong type of work really well. They are chasing their tails!
?Are you trapped in the mindset of a doer instead of a leader, doing the technical things instead of the big picture thinking things? Face reality and ask yourself, “Do I fall into the routine of doing the work of an employee or technician instead of the work of an owner or leader?” Do you neglect creating the big picture with a clear strong vision? Are you actively engaged in strategic planning, establishing priorities and goals, organizational design, profit improvement, team development, employee accountability, etc?
Very likely you were a successful groomer who caught the entrepreneurial bug several years ago and bought, inherited or started a grooming salon. You may have thought, “I can start a grooming business on my own.” From the very beginning, you probably functioned as a skilled groomer and never developed into the leadership capacity needed for long term survival and thriving of your business. You were so comfortable with and good at being a groomer you never became a strategic business owner.
For you, the technical day-to-day demands of being a groomer were addictive and tough to escape. You worried about getting the dogs done on time and with the proper length, doing extra dogs when one of your groomers called in sick, and the dreaded customer arriving a day earlier. You probably didn’t worry about how to design and build a grooming business with you as CEO. Rather, you dove in, got busy being busy, and started functioning in the technical role of being a groomer. Sadly, this mindset and mode of operation will not take your salon to the top. These technical sinkholes can blindside and swallow up an owner trying to be more proactive and strategic.
The result is you find yourself as a busy groomer who also happens to own a grooming salon. You probably never replaced yourself on the grooming schedule and you spend more time as a doer than a leader. Instead of focusing on the business of grooming, you focus on the technical work of being a groomer. Again, you are trapped doing the work of a groomer, not the strategic work of a leader.
Business ownership is about strategic leadership, not technical doer-ship. Owners often mistake busy-being-busy activity for accomplishment. They work hard with tunnel vision. They confuse heavy schedules and long hours with productive work; they work hard while doing the wrong kind of work. They fail to grasp that running a business is strategic, entrepreneurial, visionary, and requires strong
leadership.
After speaking with many salon owners, I believe the following five to be the most common causes of ownership imprisonment: (1) technical tendencies, (2) busyness, (3) ineffective leadership and delegation, (4) inadequate and/or missing staff, and (5) growing business complexities.
Technical Tendencies:
Too many salon owners are busy groomers now masquerading as salon owners. They think they are entrepreneurs, and their actions say otherwise. As a busy groomer, they have a
hard time letting go of expertise and familiarity of the grooming process. They remain trapped in a technical comfort zone, mindset and work approach. Sadly, such technical expertise is insufficient for managing a business. They may be a skilled and well liked groomer and still have a sick business model. Moreover, they fail to develop the visionary, strategic, and leadership skills necessary to run a successful, growing business.
Busyness:
Many salon owners confuse activity with accomplishment. They confuse busyness with results, hard work with smart work and perspiration with purpose. Efficiency (doing things right) instead of effectiveness (doing the right things). Rather than working smarter, many owners hold tight to the delusion that working harder and harder is the solution. They keep trying to shift into higher and higher gears. The more the business grows, the harder they work, the more imprisoned they become.
No matter how much energy they expend however, wrong strategies inevitably lead to poor results – less freedom and more headaches. It is like trying to catch fish in a pond with your bare hands. No matter how many hours you work or how deep you wade, a poor
strategy leads to poor results – no fish dinner!
Ineffective Leadership & Delegation:
Far too many salon owners are by default small leaders. Instead of leadership, they excel at doer-ship. They are micro-managers who like to touch and control everything. They trust no one but themselves. They believe “no one does it as well as me”. They are not effective delegators. They mistake such busyness for business leadership. Instead of thinking and leading like owners, most think and behave like employees. Instead of reflecting and planning, they excel at sweating and doing. They act like they have a job instead of owning a business. To lead effectively, one must trust others. Not developing their leadership potential costs them dearly.
Inadequate Business Systems and/or Staff:
Finding good groomers is like finding needles in a haystack. We want groomers who care about the dogs, know all the breed styles, and work fast and accurately, all without complaining about that extra last minute dog or their commission split. Speaking of extra dogs, we all want groomers who are hungry and motivated and hope for that extra dog so they can make more money instead of leaving early.
Without the right staffing levels and quality, owners can’t delegate effectively and therefore can never remove themselves from their technical roles. As a result, owners are forever feeling “out of control”. They have unknowingly, reactively and accidentally created an owner-centered and owner-dependent business. They have caged themselves!
Growing Business Complexities:
A growing business with its increasing number of clients, transactions and problems will implode if not properly designed and prepared to handle such growth. Without effective leadership and adequate business systems (an integrated web of processes), a growing salon does not stand a chance in today’s world of decreasing margins and increasing expectations. Growing pains are unavoidable. Producing predictable and consistent results becomes nearly impossible. By failing to plan for growth, you are by default planning to fail.
To move from groomer to effective salon owner, you need to adopt an opportunity mindset. To leave the status quo behind, continually ask yourself the following types of questions about your business:
• What is the best and highest use of our time, talent, and treasures?
• What resources are we under utilizing?
• How can we maximize our output and minimize our input?
• How can we work smarter, not harder?
• Which strategies will give us super-sized results?
• What processes within our business are under-performing?
• What past or current relation-ships could we more fully leverage
(i.e. clients, employees, vendors, advisers, etc.)?
• What other business types could provide us with some innovative best practices?
Busyness, technical bias, poor delegation, inadequate staffing and business systems, and the growing complexities of a business lead to a life sentence of working on the chain gang – your company. Don’t let this be you! Develop a strategic owner mindset.
Dr. Boyd Harrell is a former multi-veterinary practice owner and current business coach to the pet industry. He has been speaking internationally and coaching others to succeed in business for over twelve years. He is formally trained in life, leadership, health and business coaching and helps people to understand themselves, how others tend to perceive them and how personalities affect team building, performance and harmony in the workplace. He also coaches all types of businesses in the Strategic Mindset process, helping owners develop entrepreneurial habits. He can be reached at B.Harrell@TheGrowthCoach.com or at 863.661.9838.
Sheryl Spangler is a successful salon and grooming school owner and business coach to the pet industry and a leader in her business community. She partners with Dr. Harrell to coach businesses in the Strategic Mindset process, supporting owners to develop entrepreneurial habits. Sheryl worked for years in the corporate world before taking the long desired leap into the entrepreneurial world. She currently owns a successful dog grooming business and is a pet consultant with Oxyfresh, a marketer of high end products that maintain the health of pets, and is a certified human behavior consultant. She is currently the Regional Director for a large business organization and works assisting business women in getting more business. Sheryl can be reached at S.Spangler@TheGrowthCoach.com or at 425.508.8142.
Chris Pawlosky's Grooming Tips
Getting to the Root of the Problem
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Of course if you have groomed for even a week you have seen at least a snarl. But the one thing I see that we struggle with is when to say when. When do we decide to brush a coat out or when do we shave it down? Of course the easy answer is shave it down. But a bald dog does not come back on a regular basics and shaving normally does not impress the owners.
Remember there are really only two reasons for matted coats. First, when a coat is shedding normally and the shedding hair is not brushed out regularly, it tangles and is held in by the healthy non shedding coat. The other thing to remember is that the coat pulls together from all directions (webbing). When a pet is clipped shorter the coat will shed less, but as it grows longer (heavier) it will shed more at one time, catching the owner off guard. Also in areas of movement (armpit) the shedding process can be maximized and may need a little intervention. Same process, just different situations.
Next is the damaged coat. This is a coat that has been either de-matted, bleached by the sun, urine burned, etc. The cuticle of the hair is lifted and catches on other hairs to cause webbing or the ends to mat. A heavy conditioning spray that seals coat can help with this problem. Tweaking the tips of hair regularly is also a good way to keep a coat in good shape.
The first thing that comes to mind when I feel a mat is what type of coat are you working on? Coats that have a hard guard hair with a short life cycle tend to brush out with a small amount of elbow grease. Sometimes using a course undercoat rake pulls the webbed dead coat to the ends of guard hairs to be brushed out.
Another thing to try on a firmer mat is to mist the coat with a spray conditioner or conditioner and water. Not wet just damp. Then take your force air dryer and push it on the skin. It will sometimes push webbing away from skin so you can get a rake under the matting to be broken up and brushed away. These coats tend to be associated with Terrier and Shepherd type breeds.
Even if you do not get all of the matting out, breaking up the worst is the key. A good bath or two and a great conditioner lightly rinsed or even left in will help you finish the job. Remember the skin is more pliable when wet. In turn the hair falls out easier during and after the bath. So remember the above steps can be repeated in the tub. Trying to shave these coats down can be harder than brushing them out. It is hard to get under those mats without skinning them.
On to the softer coats with a longer life cycle, it may not be so easy to decide what to do. If a dog is matted, I take a lot into consideration. I do not just shave it bald. Is it a regular that had a bad month? (Rainy days, been sick.) What can the dog handle? (Temperament and health.) Is it the first time or does it happen time after time?
For regulars that have had a bad month I do what I can without hurting the dog. A great example is a Wheaten who comes in every six weeks and is a bit matted every appointment, taking 15 minutes to brush out before I can bath normally. One spring she had obviously gotten really wet and not been brushed out. Her owners were out of town and the dog sitter did not know. So I did not want to cut her down. I was able to get a 3F through her body since it was not too bad. I knew the legs were going to be shorter so I just started the outline short for the breed.
I then blended down the hips, shoulders and removed most of the underline with the same blade. I then took an old pair of scissors and whacked hair off the legs, taking off about half the length. This made the distance I had to slide dead hair to the outer ends of coat much closer. I used a hard slicker first and loosened matting, then used my #10 tooth undercoat rake to further break up matting. I could get a wide comb through the coat from the skin out.
The entire time I used spray detangler lightly to make life easier on the dog. I also removed hair around feet and took a snip between the toes. Brushing them out was a snap. I also exaggerated my sanitary trimming to remove a few extra mats around the belly. I trimmed length off the beard as well. I pushed hair back and trimmed around the clipped line of the cheek.
I used the same rake as on legs to remove the worst of the matting in the beard. I did 4F against lay of coat on rear angles and cheeks, throat and shoulder. I had to 7F armpits just a little. It took about one hour and I did inform the owner of the extra charge before they left the dog. She still looked like a Wheaten, just shorter. In six weeks she only needed tweaked. Removing length of a coat can really help remove mats.
There are many times dogs get shaved that shouldn’t and many times that dogs get brushed out and shouldn’t. You need to educate your customer. Too many dogs are in trims that can not be maintained by the owner. Not that they are bad owners, it’s just that the dog may have a hard coat to care for or is not coming in often enough. I do preventive grooming in many cases. (Grooming for the next appointment). Using course undercoat rakes to pull a little extra dead hair out after I finish my groom works great on most breeds. (Wheatens, Shih Tzus, Cocker legs.)
Another trick is to adjust lengths not to ruin outline but to remove hair from problem areas. I use a 3 blade down the inside of rear and front leg to create my straight line. Leave more on the outside by scissoring or by using a long comb attachment. I almost always run a blade from the bottom of the ear, down the forechest, from elbow to belly and the bends in the rear. Just doing this eliminates a lot of problems come next appointment. Just ask my Pet Connection team. They always know when I did a dog last. Few to no mats.
But don’t think I do not shave a few. If I can not train the owner or if a dog is sick or his temperament will not permit dematting then I will be inclined to recommend shaving.
Use your tools wisely,
Chris Pawlosky
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Hello to all my fellow pet stylists out there! Let me start with a simple introduction. My name is Teri DiMarino and I am the new business column author for Groomer To Groomer Magazine.
Many of you already know me through the Barkleigh Productions trade shows as well as other shows across the country like Intergroom, where I am the show emcee. Some of you may already be readers,
having followed my contributions as the grooming writer for Pet
Business Magazine.
I have judged and lectured at every grooming trade show across the USA and many around the world. As a former competitor, I have been on three gold-medal-winning GroomTeam USA teams and I currently hold the position of Treasurer for this non-profit organization. I actually wrote a column for Groomer To Groomer a number of years ago called The Contest Ring, but time constraints forced me to give that up and the ever-popular Marea Tully filled my spot.
In fact Marea and I were both on the 1993 GroomTeam USA team that competed in England, so we go back a long way. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Marea for all of her great input to our industry, especially with her GTG column, The Grooming View. Marea leaves behind some pretty big “shoes” to fill, but her common-sense outlook on business reflects mine and I hope you will enjoy my slant on things. Marea will be missed in these pages, but you will still be able to get your “Marea fix” at the Andis booth or speaking at many upcoming shows.
I have been in the professional pet industry for nearly thirty-five years. Most of those years were spent as the owner of a salon, and in the last five years or so, a mobile. One thing I found very consistent about the pet grooming industry is its inconsistency. Just when you thought you had seen it all, somebody throws you a curve and sets you back on your heels. I have experienced my ups and downs, had my good days as well as my bad and have had to climb out of a few ditches.
All this input got chalked up to credits at the school of hard knocks and my very best teacher was my own experience. I am a self-taught groomer, as many from my generation of stylists are and I’m very proud of it. I learned through my own mistakes but more importantly I learned by watching the mistakes of others. I am fortunate to have had the foresight to look at someone’s work and say “I don’t like that” or “I won’t let that happen to me” and follow through, making it work for me and avoiding the pitfalls made by others. We all make mistakes but if we don’t learn from them, failure is all but assured!
My very first haircut on a dog was a Town and Country. I followed the book and the customer cried when she saw her dog. I said to myself “I’ll never let that happen again.” And, it never has! We have to take every experience, be it ours or someone else’s, and use it as a learning tool.
It is with this outlook that I devote this column. When I deliver a seminar it is my personal goal to have all of the attendees walk out with just one good, solid piece of information. I have become known as the “catch-all” of information, mentally storing little useful tidbits about our industry and passing them on to others. Never mind that I can’t remember what I had for breakfast this morning, but I would be happy to tell you how you can reduce your high-speed drying time by up to 50%!
What I really feel the industry needs though is a better understanding of business in general. At one particular seminar I give, The Business Reality Check, I have found that easily one-quarter of the people attending this lecture are already in some sort of trouble with their businesses. They should have
attended an educational event like this before they ever opened their doors! I truly feel for them because most of them are in extremely difficult situations due to their lack of training in this area. They went into business because of their love of animals. This, of course, is a given. If you don’t like animals,
do something else!
But to be a groomer and think you can get by on love alone is a pipe dream. You have to look at your business as a business, not as a hobby. Training and showing dogs is a hobby for many. The definition of a hobby is “a spare-time recreational pursuit.” Hobbies cost you money! I actually had someone say to me once that they were doing it because they liked it and didn’t expect to make a lot of money. Guess what… they didn’t!
This attitude is a huge disservice to our entire industry. These people under price themselves, burning themselves out at the same time while doing the exact same things to their employees in the process. And who gets left in the dust? The customers! They become low-price spoiled brats and take this attitude to other salons in the area that are left trying to make a living.
The business-minded groomer does not let this happen. They know how much it costs to open their doors and run their salons. They know how much their employees need to make and how to pay them properly. They know how much their work is worth and how to extrapolate these amounts in the form of customer charges. They specialize in keeping everybody warm and fuzzy. And, most importantly,
they pay themselves and they are happy people!
That’s the line that should get your attention. “They pay themselves.” How many of you have not paid yourself this week? Or, last week? You can pay your people, but you take what’s left. Sound familiar? If it does, something’s wrong. Very wrong! Sounds like the people around you are in business and
you have a hobby. I’m not saying that all salons run like this, but a fair number do. Owners are digging holes that they are getting stuck in and, by the time they are up to their necks and can’t get out, it may be too late.
I have one rule for people who find themselves in this kind of hole. STOP DIGGING! Get help! Educate yourself! You may have to “clean house” and make some major changes in your operation, but this is part of the transition so many of us have experienced through the years. Remember, in the beginning I credited experience as my best teacher as well as watching what happened to others? Take these things and learn from them! There is a lot of education and experience out there for you to tap but you have to grow a spine and make it work. Run your business or it will end up running you down.
See you at the shows.
Teri
I swear somebody out there has a satellite aimed at my shop. The radio wave, or electronic beam or WHATEVER it is that those things use to pinpoint a location HAS to be set to 756 N. Center Ave. I also think the people responsible have no concept of reading, especially when it comes to two small words… NO SOLICITING.
My shop HAS to be dead center in some magnetic pull thing and the salespeople are sucked smack into my front door. My No Soliciting sign plastered in the center of the glass has no effect whatsoever. I swear I can hear their heads bonking on the glass.
On any given day, I will get an array of people selling everything from A-Z and then some. Most of them are like that clingy cellophane stuff that comes off the top of a pack of cigarettes. You know what I mean. You pull the paper off the pack and it sticks to your fingers. You pull it off with your other hand and it sticks there. You can’t shake it, peel it, bite it or rub it off. You finally get rid of it by pulling it off with a paper towel or rag or something, only to find that it fell on the floor and it is now stuck to your shoe. You finally give in and either walk around with it stuck to your foot or take your shoe off and throw it at something. One of these days I’m going to hurl my walker at one of those salespeople and maybe THEN, they will leave me alone.
I have the guy who is selling “Fresh” seafood and steaks from the back of his pickup. He just “happens” to have delivered a “HUGE” order of these delectable products to one of the most respected eateries in town. He’s kind of a greasy looking chap, not one that I would trust selling ME anything perishable. I find that I re-think my plan to eat out that night at that “famous restaurant.” My answer to him is always the same. We butcher our own beef each year. “What about your seafood?” he asks. “We’re allergic to fish,” I tell him. “Both of you?” he asks, looking sideways at me. “Go figure,” I say, shrugging. I never said I was a good liar.
Then there are the foreign girls who are selling jewelry. As they pull out their tarnished wares, I shake my head. “Sorry, can’t wear jewelry,” I tell them. “I’m allergic to metals.” “Have nice shark’s tooth necklaces,” she says. “I’m a Vegetarian. I don’t use anything made from animals,” I lie again.
The guys who sell those “AMAZING” cleaners and odor killers are ferocious. They come in with their white rags in their back pockets and their bottles of spray cleaner in hand like it’s a 44 Magnum. They hit the door and start spraying a spot in the floor tile that I neglect to tell them is a defect in the tile itself and not a stain. They scrub and scrub and I tell them that their product doesn’t seem to work very well. By now, they’ve sprayed so much of the cleaner that I’m about to pass out from the fumes.
“It’s a great deodorizer too for those really bad dog odors,” one guy tells me. “I don’t have dog odor problems in here. That’s why people bring them in, to get rid of their odor,” I tell him. “Besides, I’m allergic to chemicals like that. I have asthma. I am feeling all tight in the chest right now,” I add. If I keep telling all these lies God’s gonna put me in a bubble for sure. But “no thanks,” or “I’m not interested,” just doesn’t seem to register.
I get the salespeople for the advertising on placemats at restaurants all the time. “What would you say if I told you I had a surefire way to increase your business?” they ask right off the bat. “I’d say I don’t want any more business,” is my answer. “Who doesn’t want more business?” the guy asks in disbelief. “YOU wanna return all the phone calls I get in this place?” I ask him.
The same holds true for the “New” yellow pages book salespeople. “But if you advertise with us, you’ll increase your business tenfold,” the girl tells me. “I’m already sending ‘fivefold’ of my business to other groomers,” I respond. They hate it when they know they’re losing. My mother used to always tell me that I’d make a good politician, because I had an answer for everything, even when it was wrong.
I get the credit card company reps that just “Have” to show me how their company will save me oodles of money on card processing fees. “And what if I have trouble with the terminal?” I ask. “But you will save in other areas,” she says, bypassing my original question. “The bank I go through is just down the street. If I have problems with the account, who can I call with your system?” I ask. She mentions something quickly about an outfit in Columbia or something.
I have the insurance sales people who are probably the hardest to get rid of. You can tell them for sure before they open their mouths. In they come with their briefcases and policy books. “How are you today?” the one guy asks. “Fine,” I say. Before anything else can escape my lips, he shoots back with, “But what if you had an accident tomorrow? Who would pay your bills and take care of your final expenses?”
Holy cow, the guy didn’t even give me the benefit of the doubt and allow me to just be incapacitated for a while. He had me croak right off the bat! I didn’t even get the glory of getting to see how many people would come see me in the hospital and send me get well cards. I was just going through that big scissor-shaped door in the sky. That was really pushing it, I thought.
“Well, it depends on what kind of accident I am having? Would I at least be doing something fun when the big one happens to me, or will I just be trying to get rid of salespeople like you?” I ask. These people give me such a hard time. I tell them I do have insurance out the wazoo. Yes, life, health, business, car, home and accident. When one of them can sell me insurance that protects me from SALESPEOPLE, that’s when I’m buying.
They even followed me into the grooming room one day. It was then that I acted like I was opening the cage door on a Mastiff. The slimy drool was hanging down from his huge lips like a foot of silly string. “Is he friendly?” the guy asked with a look of alarm. “Oh yeah, he’ll jump right up on you and lick you to death,” I said, smiling. I saw him gently brush the front of his suit. “Thanks for your time and have a nice day,” was all I heard as he made tracks for the front door.
Some days, I think seriously about taking down my No Soliciting sign. But then again…
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The children are back to school now and all the last minute vacationing or buying school clothes and supplies have put a slow season spin on business. You have already cleaned the shop and need something fun to do while waiting on business to pick back up. Now is the time to play with your creative side. Fall is a fun time with schools back in session and Halloween just around the corner. Here are a couple of tips to get you noticed.
1. Everyone who has school spirit will want their pet to be their own personal mascot. You could cut the school logo into the coat or just paint it on to the dog with watercolor markers or blo-pens, depending on the breed. To last throughout football season you could use a semi-permanent color and paint it with a paintbrush. Take the mascot dog to a local TV station and call the newspaper. It could get you free advertising to get out there and noticed.
2. Some will like seeing a pumpkin on their pooch. Orange blow-pens are great for this, you can use a stencil or start by blowing the pumpkin shape onto the coat. Then bevel around the edges to pop the design out. If the coat is fairly short, cut in spaces for the eyes, (use small scissors) for this and then using pieces of felt, cut into triangles and glue them into the pumpkin. Shading areas will make this stand out.
3. Another cute thing is to color the dog’s legs like candy corn and draw or stencil candy corn scattered about the dog. You could change this one up for a fall design with a couple leaves stenciled about.
4. Tri-color the topknot while putting it up with spooky fun colors and coordinate bows, bandanas
and toes.
5. On a black dog in a nice lamb trim, you can cut out eyes like a cat face looking out of the side of the dog, it looks really neat.
6. A witch’s hat is easy to do. Color the topknot (if it’s not already black) with a blo-pen then pull most of it up and secure the end with a small rubber band, making sure you leave enough out all the way around to form a brim for the hat. Use hair spray to help it hold shape.
7. Candy corn painted nails are always fun. Use a dark polish followed by orange, then tip with
yellow or white.
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8. To make a spider on the dog, leave an oval shape on the back then three or so legs coming out from the spiders body. Scissor it nice and neat. You can glue giggly eyes onto it to complete the look.
9. Paw prints and bats stenciled onto the coat are complimented with matching bows.
With these little tricks just looking at your handiwork will be a treat.
Dawn Omboy CD’s for sale at Barkleigh.com.