Have a question you want Michell to answer? Please send questions to [email protected]
Dear Michell, it has been suggested to me by a groomer friend that I do something nice for my customers at Christmas. I am on a tight budget and I am slightly uncomfortable with the idea. Do you have any suggestions?
“Dear Michell, how do you know when it is time to fire an employee? I have a groomer who refuses to take direction and insists on doing everything her own way. I have tried for a few years now to convince her that my way is the best.
“Hello Michell. We are so busy that we have a waiting list. If our customers don’t want to wait until we have an available appointment, we require them to book the earliest available appointment that works for them and then put them on the waiting list.”
Hello Michell. I am finally opening my own dog grooming salon. I am so excited! I am very strongly leaning toward a cage–free salon. There are many reasons for my decision; cages are expensive, the owners don’t like to have their dogs in cages, dogs don’t like being in cages and it brings me joy to watch them run around and play with each other.
Hi Michell. I went to Groom Expo West this year. I attended several classes on various grooming techniques. I was so pumped! I got back to my salon and tried many of the things that I learned. Some of the techniques …
“Oh Michell. I have a problem with hoarding shampoo. I go to trade shows and learn about new shampoos and then I buy them. All of them. If I read on Facebook that someone likes a shampoo for a particular coat type, I buy it.
“Dear Michell, I have been a bather in a dog grooming shop for over a year now. I see that the groomers make more money than I do and that frustrates me because I spend so much more time on the dogs than they do. I would like to make more money, but I am perfectly happy to continue bathing dogs.
“Hi there Michell. I have been trying to find a sporting dog to use as a model for my certification exam. We have lots of Labs and Goldens but hardly any Springers, Setters or Cockers. The few sporting breeds we have ask us to shave the whole darn dog with a #10 blade. I want to talk a few of my customers into letting their dogs grow out but I don’t know where to start. Any suggestions?”
Dear Michell, I feel like my employees are missing opportunities for add-on services that could add up to good income for both me and my employees. Do you have any ideas of areas to focus on?
Dear Michell, I am the owner of a small grooming salon in Tennessee. I have six groomers. We are running almost at capacity but my net profit/take–home pay is just not what I want it to be. I’ve been looking over my prices, payroll, supplies, and other expenses to see if there are places that we can improve profit. My groomers are slow. They could all do at least one more pet per day, if you ask me.
“Dear Michell, I have been grooming for about 11 years and I went to the doctor the other day. I was telling my doctor about my various ailments. My Doctor said to me, “sounds like you need to find a new profession”, and then he laughed.
Many people have written to ask this question in various forms and I get asked over and over again when I teach educational seminars. It takes a lot of time to answer this question.
It requires an in–depth conversation about your business and personal finances.