Home |  Business Startup Guides |  About Us |  Policies |  Contact



Dog Grooming Business Guide

By Lyn C.

sampleAbout The Author:

The way I got started was the fact that I couldn't find a job that would pay me enough money to live. I was on food stamps and had been for two years. Something had to change. So I called my parents back in Iowa and had them contact Kirkwood Community College for a catalog of what type of job training they offered. None of the community colleges here in Florida replied to my request. In the catalog from Kirkwood was training to work with animals. One was for a vet tech another was for working in kennels, pet shop etc... The last one was to become a certified Pet Groomer. Since I had always loved nature and animals I thought it would work well for me. It was a one year certified course.

There were several groomers in the area of Florida where I lived. With all the new growth that was going on, I saw a job opportunity that I felt I could make work. So I packed up and moved to Iowa.

After 15 months in Iowa I came back to Florida with my Grooming Certificate and the hope of finding work. When no one wanted to hire me because I had more training then they did, I found the money I needed and opened my own shop.

I started with $5000.00 which was just barely enough. After I purchased tools, equipment, supplies and fixed up my location that I was renting for $550.00 per month. I managed to have enough money left over for one more months rent.

I am still opened today, so you can see I managed to get by long enough to succeed. For your own sanity, I suggest trying to have more backup money left over then just one month rent when you decide to open your doors. If you have the determination and a little help from family and friends you can and will succeed. Never give up.

SitStay.com, features extraordinary dog supplies with fantastic customer service. They are known for their quality products. They believe in dog rescue and support canine rescue organizations.

Download E-Book

If you would like to download this author's work in an easy to read & print E-Book format click on the button below. Thank you for your support.

Qualifications:

To be a pet groomer, you need to be good not only with the animals you are working with, but also their owners. This means you must listen to what the owner wants, be personable and a self starter No one is there to make you get the work done. You must have a good eye for proportions. So the animal is even all over. You need to be able to judge what would look good on that animal. You need to know if the owner can handle the between groom care of the animal. someone else. Earning and growth potential are far greater. A new venture is as exciting as it is risky. Running a business provides endless challenge and opportunities for learning.

Loving the animal is not enough; you have to be able to work with them. This is a dangerous business for you and the animal. They must do what you want them to do. Since not everyone trains their animals to listen you have to be able to get them to listen to you without causing any physical harm to them or yourself. I strongly recommend the Dog Whisper for behavior help on this part of the job. I love what I do, but like anything it has its stresses. Controlling the animal makes your work enjoyable.

SitStay.com, features extraordinary dog supplies with fantastic customer service. They are known for their quality products. They believe in dog rescue and support canine rescue organizations.

Schooling:

I went to Kirkwood Community College. Many states do not require you to be certified but I highly recommend it. Not only will you a better pet groomer it will also help with attracting customers. When you advertise and any printing you do such as flyers, business cards, etc... always have college certified and trained listed. Here is the contact info for my school.

Pet Grooming/Pet Shop Management

Entry: Fall

Length: 1 year (3 semesters)

Award: Diploma

Description: The Pet Grooming/Pet Shop Management diploma program is designed to provide up-to-date information in the business aspects of small animal care. Graduates are prepared to become employees of existing pet care businesses. Those who want to open their own independent small businesses are encouraged to take accounting and marketing courses through the business department.

Small Animal Services

Pet Grooming/Pet Shop Management Option 319-398-5609
kathy.visser@kirkwood.edu

Courses You Will Study:

First Semester (Fall)
  1. AGV-158 Veterinary Law and Ethics 3hrs
  2. AGB-251 Agribusiness Procedures 3hrs
  3. AGV-201 Pet Grooming I 1.5hrs
  4. AGV-202 Pet Grooming II 1.5hrs
  5. AGC-313 Leadership in Agriculture 1hrs
  6. AGV-152 Veterinary Computer Applications 2hrs
  7. MGT-145 Human Relations in Management 3hrs
Second Semester (Spring)
  1. AGB-332 Agricultural Advertising/Merchandising 3hrs
  2. AGV-105 Animal Behavior/Kennel Management 5hrs
  3. AGC-115 Ag Career Orientation 1hrs
  4. COM-723 Workplace Communications 3hrs
  5. AGV-143 Canine and Feline Nutrition 3hrs
  6. AGV-203 Pet Grooming III 1.5hrs
  7. AGV-204 Pet Grooming IV 1.5hrs
  8. AGC-313 Leadership in Agriculture 1hrs
Summer
  1. AGC-932 Internship 3hrs

Total Program Hours 37 hours

SitStay.com, features extraordinary dog supplies with fantastic customer service. They are known for their quality products. They believe in dog rescue and support canine rescue organizations.

Advertising and Signs:

Your best advertising is word of mouth from happy customers. When starting out I missed getting in the phone book by eleven days. So you have to think how you can get people to hear about your new dog grooming business. I tried everything I could think of to get my name in front of as many people as possible on a small amount of money. Do your best not to miss the yellow pages. They will list you for free if you can't afford an ad, but run a small ad if at all possible.

I put flyers out at the local churches on their bulletin boards explain about my new dog grooming business and the services I offered. I put articles in the local community news letters. The newsletters worked well. Sometimes if you are a new business they will do a feature article on your business its services and what you have to offer the community. Make sure you purchase business cards. Pass out cards to everyone you run into. Make sure you give a few to every customer and person you meet.

I ran ads in the local newspapers, the ones specific to certain areas or neighborhoods are the most reasonable and seem to work well. Coupons are a great way to get people to read your advertisement. Give them something to cut out and bring in for a discount or free service. But the absolute best way to grow your pet grooming business is to do be professional and do quality work. Word of mouth is the most affordable and will be your best advertising you could do.

I have put a small sample dog grooming ad below for you to save to your computer if you choose. You will see the ad is small but you can go broke advertising so don't get talked into everything. Be smart with your money.

Put signs on your business location marquee, windows and on your automobile. This is a onetime expense so make sure you spend time thinking about what will look best.

On your dog grooming business location windows I recommend using a bright yellow with a bold easy to read font. On the marquee and vehicle use a dark font such as navy blue, hunter green or black. You can use a lighter accent color also. This is very cheap advertising in the long run so spend as much as you can afford.

Make sure you get some magnetic signs for your automobile; you can get them at a great price online at VistaPrint. Make sure they are easy to read. Just your business name, phone number, web address, certified, licensed and insured. Your business cards also need the same information on them.

Sample: Business card

Sample: Newspaper ad

SitStay.com, features extraordinary dog supplies with fantastic customer service. They are known for their quality products. They believe in dog rescue and support canine rescue organizations.

Tools of the Trade:

This is a very important part of grooming. I f you want to offer quality grooming you must have good tools and equipment. I recommend the company Andis Clippers, they have excellent quality they stay sharper and are quieter. Here is a list of tools and supplies you will need to get started.

  1. Scissors
  2. Clippers
  3. Clipper
  4. Blades & Comb attachments
  5. Good shampoos
  6. Good Conditioners
  7. Ribbons
  8. Bandanas
  9. Grooming tables
  10. Dryers
  11. Crates (various sizes)
  12. Water heater
  13. Tub
  14. Hose & nozzle for bathing
  15. Clipper cide (cooling spray for blades, combs, brushes, shedding tools, rakes and matting tools
  16. Broom and or vacuum
  17. Grooming stool
  18. Dog supports and restraints
  19. Gloves
  20. Change box
  21. Calculator / adding machine with paper tape
  22. File cabinet
  23. 5 x 8 giant clip cards for client info
  24. Smock to protect clothes
  25. Files for clip cards
  26. Table arms
  27. Various muzzles

Here is another dog grooming supplier Pro Groom they have a very large selection to choose from.

SitStay.com, features extraordinary dog supplies with fantastic customer service. They are known for their quality products. They believe in dog rescue and support canine rescue organizations.

Services and Pricing:

SitStay.com, features extraordinary dog supplies with fantastic customer service. They are known for their quality products. They believe in dog rescue and support canine rescue organizations.

Services:

  1. Grooming
  2. De-matting
  3. Bathing
  4. Clip Nails

What I Charge:

Grooming:

  1. Aussie $32.00
  2. Bichon $30.00
  3. Brittany $30.00
  4. Cairn $29.00
  5. Cockapoo $29.00
  6. Cocker $ 30.00
  7. Lhaso Apso $29.00
  8. King Charles $28.00
  9. Maltese $28.00
  10. Pekinese $28.00
  11. Pomeranian $28.00
Poodles:
  1. Toy $28.00
  2. Miniature $30.00
  3. Standard $45.00
  4. Norwich $29.00
Schnauzer:
  1. Miniature $29.00
  2. Standard $32.00
  3. Scottish Terrier $30.00
  4. Sheltie $32-$35.00
  5. Springer $32.00
  6. Tibetian $38.00
  7. Westie $30.00
  8. Wheaton $35.00
  9. Yorkies $28.00

De-Matting:

  1. $90.00 per hour

Bathing:

Short Hair:
  1. 1-19lbs $18.00
  2. 20-49lbs $21.00
  3. 50-99lbs $27.00
  4. 100 +lbs $27.00
Long Hair:
  1. 1-19lbs $21.00
  2. 20-49lbs $24.00
  3. 50-99lbs $27.00
  4. 100 +lbs $33.00
Download E-Book

If you would like to download this author's work in an easy to read & print E-Book format click on the button below. Thank you for your support.

Choosing the Location:

I feel location is one of the main keys to success. It needs to be visible from the road. You need to have easy access. Your customers have to be able to get in and out of your parking area easily. It is also nice to have an area where your customers can have a place to let the dog go to the bathroom.

Cost for most people will be a deciding factor. So take your time looking and find the best location you can for the money you can afford. People will pay the extra dollar for convenience but they won't spend 10. So you have to find a location that the prices you can charge for the area you live can be justified. I rent about 800 square feet of space on a main road in a small city for roughly $600.00 per month.

Once you find that location you will most likely need to do some work on it to make it more suitable for your business. You will need a hot water heater, a tub that is elevated so you won't kill your back. You will need a counter across the front with a 1/2 swing door to keep the customers and animals from going into your working area. Install some cabinets under your counter and a couple of filing cabinets and you are ready to go. Oh don't forget a fresh coat of paint.

The space has to work for you, or it won't work. Remember, you're the one has to work there every day.

It also has to work for your customers, or it won't work. No customers = no business.

So take your time looking until you find that perfect location and then sign a lease with a option to resign the following year. If things start going great don't be afraid to lock up your location with a five year lease. This is good protection for you and your pet grooming business, it costs a lot of money and lost revenue to move.

SitStay.com, features extraordinary dog supplies with fantastic customer service. They are known for their quality products. They believe in dog rescue and support canine rescue organizations.

Keep My Clients:

It is less expensive by far to keep your existing customers then to advertise for new ones. This being said you need to make sure you treat your customers and their pets with love and compassion. You need to make sure you do a quality job and the pet looks great when the customer comes to get them. You need to have a clean shop and the right size crates for your animals.

Make sure you put a bandana or bow on your animals when they are ready to be picked up. Have the pet finished when you say they will be. Read your info cards on the animals before they arrive, so you know what to expect from the customer when they bring their animal in. If it is the pet's birthday bring it up in your conversation. If you want to be prepared to ask and answer questions specific to your customers pet when they come in. This will show your customer you are truly concerned and care about them and their pet.

Send Christmas cards to their pets; maybe enclose a little treat as a gift. Give promotional items to your clients such as pens and sample dog food or treats. You may want to sell some natural healthy treats and a small variety of items like leashes and collars etc...

Make sure your customer and their pet feel they are special because they are. When you see something out of the ordinary when grooming their pet make sure you point it out to the customer and make a note of it. The next time they come in ask if they had a vet look at the problem or maybe it just went away on its own. But by asking you show you care.

Establishing a bond with your customer and their pet will insure they continue to use you and not try another groomer. If your customer is not happy with something make sure you address it and take care of the problem. Even if you have to groom the pet next time for free to show you want to make it right. This is cheaper than getting a new customer. One unhappy customer can and will tell many others. Do everything you can to please them. You will have some you can't make happy but just do your best and never lose your cool.

SitStay.com, features extraordinary dog supplies with fantastic customer service. They are known for their quality products. They believe in dog rescue and support canine rescue organizations.

Helpful Tips:

Recommendations to Owners

Curly Coat Dogs have non-shedding, extremely waterproof coats. They need to be bathed and clipped every two months. (Kerry Blue Terriers, Portuguese Water Dogs, Poodles and Irish Water Spaniels.)

Short Coat Dogs have dense coats of profuse, downy, water resistant hair close to the skin, combined with thick, straight surface hair. This type of coat needs to be brushed with Canine shine at least twice a week. (Welsh Corgis and German Shepherds.)

Smooth Coat Dogs are the easiest to maintain, but shed and require weekly brushing and occasional washing. (Labs, Dobermans, Dachshunds). D-Limonene Shampoo helps relieve flea-bite dermatitis and other insect related skin problems. It's also excellent for oily coat breeds as well.

Wiry Coat Dogs have stiff, dense hair, which needs daily grooming to prevent matting. Conditioner on this type of coat will soften it and are not recommended. Ruff coat Shampoo is specially formulated for this kind of coat.

Long Coat Dogs have a long, straight, coarse outer coat and a thick undercoat, which requires daily brushing and regular trimming. Canine Shine is an instant groomer and detangler for long coat dogs. It leaves the coat healthy and shiny.

Silky Coat Dogs need a lot of care with daily grooming with Canine Shine and regular trimming. (Afghan hounds, Yorkshire Terriers, Rough Collies and Shetland Sheepdogs.) Conditioner Detangler release matting and tangles.

SitStay.com, features extraordinary dog supplies with fantastic customer service. They are known for their quality products. They believe in dog rescue and support canine rescue organizations.

source:Pro Dog

Great Startup Specials:

Get great insurance rates for your business and more with NetQuote.

You can get 250 free business cards with Vista Print.

Accept credit cards using your phone. Just $10.00 per month with Accept by Phone.

Have Logo Works design your new logo professionally.

Easiest way to incorporate with Incorporate Now.

Make your own professional custom signs, banners, magnets, etc... with Build A Sign

Get your website going with HodiHosting.net only $5.00 per month.