Business

Creating a Craft: Building Your Business Your Way

Mary began to feel mired down by the burden of business ownership. This wasn’t the dream she had set out to live so many years before. So, where did Mary go wrong?
Did Someone Order a Groomer? Making Pet Grooming House Calls

The first greeting I get as I walk up the steps to the front door is a playful one from a happy poodle. I don’t even have to see her tail to know how much she is wagging.
Are Business Cards a Thing of the Past?

Since 2014, I’ve been reading articles on the demise of business cards from well–respected business publications. But is there any merit to their claim? Yes and no. It all depends on how you use and design them.
Surviving the Sporting Shortage

“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?”

Hissy Fits & How to Profit from Them

Growling and hissing after a groom happens quite often in multiple cat households. Since the feline’s strongest sense is smell, anytime one cat smells different, the other cats in the home won’t “recognize” her.

Salon Soap: Handling Drama & Gossip in the Salon

We’ve all heard the old rhyme: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” However, if you’ve ever spent much time in a salon atmosphere, you may disagree with the wisdom this rhyme imparts.

Add-On Services: (And Getting Your Employees to Sell Them)

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?

5 Tools Everyone in the Pet Grooming Business Should Be Using

Ask any groomer, and they will tell you that their tools are their lifeline. Many talented groomers recognize that they can achieve better results by utilizing better tools. Groomers love discussing their tools: clippers, shears, dryers, slickers, even nail trimmers.

More Pets = More Profit: Getting Your Employees to Pull Their Own Weight

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.

Comrades with the Competition

For the past decade, I’ve made my living in the bustling metro area of the all–mighty Mickey Mouse. With hundreds of physical storefronts and an additional slew of mobile units, one might think that—due to the immense local competition—Guerilla grooming warfare was either in full swing or lurking in the eminent future.

The Green Side Of Grooming Part 2: Money

How do you create a viable self-sustaining business that will endure and thrive? Chances are, if you own a Pet Service Business, your livelihood depends on you showing up to work and customers showing up to pay for your services. This segment focuses on learning to implement basic money management strategies to help you thrive today, tomorrow, and long into the future!

Top Tips For Working With Challenging Customers

Think about someone close to you—whether a friend, a parent, or a sibling. What is it about that person that makes them special? Why do you get along with them? Now think about the qualities that you don’t like in them so much.

Going Out On Your Own

In 2001, right after my daughter was accepted to Yale ($$$$), I decided to leave my corporate job and put a deposit on a mobile grooming van. Six months later I was in business for myself. It wasn’t easy, but preparation was key.

The Green Side Of Grooming – Part 1: Management

Management of any business can be intimidating and exhausting for even the most seasoned Pet Professional. After all, many of us started our Pet Businesses because we preferred interacting with Pets rather than People. There is no shame in knowing where your passion lies—this series will spotlight common issues and solutions to help you manage your Business and staff more seamlessly and effortlessly.

The Art Of Pet Retailing For Groomers

Grooming clients trust and depend on their groomer’s advice for their pet’s health and well–being and yet few groomers take advantage of those income generating opportunities. It’s not because groomers don’t want the additional income.

Setting Yourself Up For A Winning Winter Grooming Season

I join you in groaning when you see an article about the winter holidays when fall is just beginning, but there is a method to my madness! November and December are traditionally a very busy time for groomers. Sometimes too busy.

How Much Should I Charge?

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.

Get Your Selfie On! The Importance Of A Portfolio

The calm before the storm of the holidays is the perfect time to update your portfolio, website and social media pages. The holidays seem to bring a whole new batch of clients and pets to groom.

Focus: Improving Your Aim For Everyday Excellence

Carol works in a salon with two other groomers. The groomers in her salon get along great, and each have their regular clients as well as time to take new clients as they come calling. They pride themselves in relating to their customers and completing quality grooms.

Help Wanted: Hiring The Right Groomer

Dear Michell. Our salon is so busy. We are trying to keep up with the demand but I am working fifty hours per week and my other groomers are working as much as they would like. We need to hire a groomer but we keep hiring groomers who don’t fit in and who don’t stay with us.

Tragedy In The Grooming Shop

“There but for the grace of God go I.” -John Bradford
How many times have we said this to ourselves when we hear of a tragedy in another groomer’s shop? But how many of us are really prepared to handle that situation?

Keeping It Clean Safetly

At the same time we want to keep our facilities clean and sanitary, we do not want to breathe in noxious chemicals several times a day. There are many studies that link long-term use of such products to chronic health concerns. However, we still have many choices. Differentiating Between Cleaning & Disinfecting Cleaning removes the […]

How Do You Operate? Writing An Operations Manual For Your Grooming Business

Writing an operations manual or a standard operating procedures manual can seem like an overwhelming task, but clearly defining the process of everything that goes on within your business is important for both large and small businesses, and even the solopreneur.