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When you start a dog grooming business you can have
flexible working hours, work from home, open your own pet grooming salon or
choose to visit your clients at their home address (mobile).
The options are open to your own choice, from home based, salon based
or mobile – or any combination of them.
Some companies supply a dog grooming business franchise, where you will be able to
trade under a recognised brand name.
An alternative to ‘starting from scratch’ is to purchase an
existing grooming business and (if it needs it) further develop the
business. Which ever route
you decide to take, always check with the local council for licensing
requirements, etc. and don’t overlook insurance cover.
Whatever your chosen route to starting a
grooming business, you will require dog grooming training to a professional standard. As a professional you will have the abilities to groom the
vast majority of dog breeds and your business will benefit from the image
and results that you achieve. There
are various dog grooming schools across the UK, each offering differing
course content. Research
the training facilities to be able to choose the grooming course that
best suits your needs – if you’re unsure, give them a call and
discuss your requirements and your plans, as content can often be
adjusted to meet your needs. Try
to find a course that includes advice on setting up and managing your
grooming business.
Prior to commencing your dog grooming training
course (and while you are
in training) you should work on a business plan for your dog grooming
business. You will
inevitably incur costs for the business start up, for training,
insurance, premises, equipment, launch advertising, etc., so having a business
plan will concentrate your mind on the outlay and will be of great
assistance should you need finance. You should also bear in mind that you will have to complete
some office and administration work each week as well - running your business is about more than just dog grooming!
Establishing your pricing can be
difficult initially. Get it
too low and the profitability will suffer, get it too high and you could
lose potential clients. Until
you are able to cost out the various aspects of your pet grooming business
the easiest approach is to enquire about charges from other local
groomers. This will give
you an indication of what services are being provided locally and at
what prices. At this time,
you may wish to consider if your grooming business will be for dogs only
or if you wish to include other pets as well – the only advice we
would offer, in general terms, is don’t try to run before you have
learned how to walk, you can always add further services at a later date
should you wish to do so.
When your business is up and running, you
should make the time to stay ahead of the changes within your field. As a professional dog groomer, you would be expected to know about
changing styles and stay abreast of new equipment and facilities that are
launched. Attend local dog
shows, dog grooming trade seminars and exhibitions.
Subscribe to the informative trade publications and spend some
time occasionally looking through various internet sites, where you will
find sites that exist to help with running your business, further
training and listing numerous trade events.
Remember
that your dog grooming business is a business - not a hobby. However much you enjoy what you’re doing and are having
fun, always take care of the business side too – and you should grow
and prosper from this very enjoyable industry.
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