Business

Gina attends her favorite trade show each year. She eagerly anticipates seeing new products; she makes lists that include supplies such as shampoos, bows and brushes.

“Hi Michell, My husband and I own a mobile pet grooming business in North Mississippi. He is a Certified Master Groomer with a certification from a college in Florida that is no longer operational. We are now trying to teach students to become groomers.

The world around us is changing at a super sonic pace. As we adapt, adopt and acclimate ourselves to a world punctuated by technology—it’s also fun to stop on occasion and take advantage of the accessibility of data and statistics which is ever more readily available.

There are a few subjects that can divide a room of groomers very quickly: pay types, doodles, shear choices or favorite breed of dog are a few examples. But while groomers are finding common ground on many subjects, they continue to be vastly separated on the subject of cat grooming.

We don’t look forward to it, but it’s something that almost every groomer experiences. It begins with the phone calls and texts we get from owners who have not had their pet groomed since last year.

When was the last time you went into a store or used a service and were so impressed with the experience that you shared it with friends and family? Or even better, took to your social media pages and posted reviews about them?

When it comes to marketing your grooming business, the focus can and should be kept local. This opens up opportunities to let people know just what it is your service has to offer without having to lay out thousands of dollars in advertising.

The pet grooming market is experiencing a major boom and showing no signs of slowing down. In fact, the Department of Labor expects the industry to experience an 11% growth through 20231.

Pet Grooming Safety has become a much discussed topic in the past year. As I speak with groomers all over the globe, one common theme resonates—groomers care about the safety and welfare of the pets we service. Public awareness about our industry has brought a lack of oversight and organization into the spotlight.

If you ask any pet owner, they’ve likely heard of the American Kennel Club. For more than 130 years, the AKC has been the country’s trusted authority on all things dog. But what does that have to do with groomers? More than you may think.

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.