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Reviving the Groomer's Spirit: Strategies for Avoiding Burnout and Finding Work-Life Balance

In today's episode, we'll explore strategies that can help you prevent burnout and revive your spirit as a groomer. So, let's get started!

Being a groomer is a labor of love, but it's easy to get caught up in the demands of the job and neglect your own well-being. Many groomers find themselves experiencing burnout, feeling exhausted, and losing their passion for their craft. However, there is hope. By implementing practical strategies, you can avoid burnout and find a healthy work-life balance, reviving your spirit as a groomer.

Strategy #1: Define Your Values and Priorities.

Take the time to reflect on your values and what truly matters to you in your life and career. Are you prioritizing what aligns with your core values? Identifying your priorities allows you to make intentional choices that bring you closer to a balanced and fulfilling life.

Strategy #2: Set Boundaries.

Boundaries are essential for maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Clearly define your working hours and communicate them to your clients and loved ones. Learn to say no when necessary, and honor your personal time and space. Remember, setting boundaries is not selfish—it's an act of self-care.

Strategy #3: Delegate and Collaborate.

You don't have to carry the weight of your grooming business alone. Identify tasks that can be delegated or shared with others. Consider collaborating with groomers or assistants who can support you with administrative tasks or client management. Delegating frees up your time and energy, allowing you to focus on the aspects of grooming that you enjoy the most.

Strategy #4: Create Rituals for Self-Care.

Develop daily or weekly rituals that nourish your well-being. These can include activities such as practicing mindfulness or meditation, engaging in regular exercise, enjoying hobbies outside of work, or spending quality time with loved ones and pets. Prioritizing self-care rituals helps rejuvenate your spirit and prevent burnout.

Strategy #5: Nurture Supportive Relationships.

Surround yourself with a network of supportive individuals who understand the challenges of the grooming industry. Connect with fellow groomers, join grooming associations, or participate in online communities. Sharing experiences, seeking advice, and receiving support from others who can relate to your journey can be invaluable in preventing burnout.

Strategy #6: Schedule Time for Rest and Renewal.

Incorporate regular breaks and vacations into your schedule. Taking time away from work allows you to recharge and come back to your grooming duties with renewed energy and enthusiasm. Remember, rest is not a luxury—it's a necessity for your overall well-being.

Strategy #7: Continuously Learn and Grow.

The grooming industry is constantly evolving, and ongoing learning is vital to staying inspired and avoiding burnout. Invest in your professional development by attending grooming trade shows, workshops, conferences, and webinars. Stay up-to-date on industry trends and techniques. Embracing lifelong learning keeps your skills sharp and your passion ignited.

Strategy #8: Practice Mindful Grooming.

Infuse mindfulness into your grooming practice. Slow down, focus on the present moment, and connect with the pets in your care. Mindful grooming not only enhances the well-being of the animals but also cultivates a sense of joy and purpose within you. Allow grooming to be a meditative experience that brings you fulfillment.

Strategy #9: Embrace Technology and Automation.

Explore grooming software and tools that can streamline your business processes. Automated appointment scheduling, client management, and billing systems can save you time and reduce stress. Embracing technology allows you to focus more on the creative and enjoyable aspects of grooming.

Strategy #10: Celebrate Your Achievements.

Take a moment to acknowledge and celebrate your accomplishments as a groomer. Celebrate the pets whose lives you've touched and the clients who appreciate your work. Recognize your growth and the positive impact you've made in the grooming industry. Celebrating your achievements boosts your confidence and reignites your passion.

Avoiding burnout and finding a healthy work-life balance is crucial for reviving your spirit as a groomer. By defining your values, setting boundaries, delegating, practicing self-care, nurturing relationships, scheduling rest, embracing learning, practicing mindfulness, utilizing technology, and celebrating your achievements, you can create a harmonious and fulfilling grooming career.

I hope you found these strategies helpful and empowering. Remember, your well-being matters, and by taking care of yourself, you can continue to bring joy and excellence to your grooming business.

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From Overwhelmed to Empowered: Navigating Burnout and Cultivating Well-being in Grooming Careers

In today's episode, we'll be discussing practical strategies to overcome burnout and create a fulfilling grooming career. So, let's dive in!

Step 1: Recognize the Signs of Burnout.

Burnout often starts subtly, so it's essential to be aware of the warning signs. Symptoms may include chronic fatigue, decreased motivation, loss of passion for grooming, increased irritability, and a decline in the quality of your work. By recognizing these signs early on, you can take proactive steps to address burnout and prevent it from taking over your life.

Step 2: Practice Self-Compassion.

Groomers are often perfectionists, striving to provide exceptional care for every pet. However, it's crucial to be kind and compassionate to yourself as well. Acknowledge that you're human, and it's okay to make mistakes or have off days. Treat yourself with the same empathy and understanding you extend to the pets in your care.

Step 3: Prioritize Self-Care.

Groomers tend to prioritize the well-being of their furry clients, sometimes neglecting their own needs. Make self-care a non-negotiable part of your routine. Set aside time for activities that rejuvenate you, whether it's practicing mindfulness, engaging in hobbies, spending time with loved ones, or indulging in a favorite pastime. Remember, nurturing your own well-being allows you to provide better care for the pets you groom.

Step 4: Set Realistic Expectations.

Unrealistic expectations can be a breeding ground for burnout. Evaluate your workload, schedule, and client expectations. Are you taking on too much? Are your boundaries clear? Communicate openly with clients about realistic timeframes and manage their expectations. Remember, it's better to underpromise and overdeliver than to overcommit and underdeliver.

Step 5: Seek Support and Connection.

The grooming industry can sometimes feel isolating. Reach out for support from fellow groomers, mentors, or industry associations. Engage in networking events, join online communities, or participate in trade shows, workshops and seminars. Connecting with others who understand the unique challenges of the profession can provide you with a sense of camaraderie and support during difficult times.

Step 6: Develop a Work-Life Balance.

Striking a healthy work-life balance is essential to prevent burnout. Identify boundaries between your personal and professional life and strive to maintain them. Designate specific hours for work and create downtime for yourself. Remember, you are not defined solely by your grooming career—nurturing your personal life is just as important.

Step 7: Learn to Delegate and Ask for Help.

Recognize that you don't have to do everything on your own. Identify tasks that can be delegated or outsourced to free up your time and energy. Whether it's hiring an assistant, utilizing grooming software, or seeking help from professionals in areas like marketing or bookkeeping, delegating allows you to focus on your strengths and passions.

Step 8: Embrace Lifelong Learning.

The grooming industry is ever-evolving, and continuous learning is key to staying engaged and inspired. Stay updated on the latest grooming techniques, industry trends, and business strategies. Attend workshops, webinars, and grooming conventions. Investing in your professional development not only enhances your skills but also reignites your passion for grooming.

Step 9: Practice Stress Management Techniques.

Stress is a common companion in the grooming profession, but managing it effectively is crucial. Explore stress management techniques such as deep breathing exercises, meditation, yoga, or journaling. Find what works best for you and incorporate these practices into your daily routine to maintain balance and resilience.

Step 10: Celebrate Your Successes.

In the midst of burnout, it's easy to overlook your achievements. Take time to celebrate even the smallest victories along your grooming journey. Acknowledge your growth, the positive impact you've had on pets and their owners, and the dedication you bring to your craft. Celebrating your successes boosts morale and reinforces your sense of accomplishment.

Navigating burnout and cultivating well-being in a grooming career is an ongoing journey. By recognizing the signs of burnout, practicing self-compassion, prioritizing self-care, setting realistic expectations, seeking support, developing work-life balance, delegating, embracing lifelong learning, practicing stress management techniques, and celebrating your successes, you can transform overwhelm into empowerment and create a fulfilling grooming career.

I hope you found these strategies valuable and inspiring. Remember, you have the power to shape your grooming career into one that brings you joy and fulfillment.

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Unleashing Success: Strategies to Prevent Groomer Burnout and Thrive in the Industry

In today's episode, we'll be discussing strategies to prevent groomer burnout and create a thriving business. So let's get started!

Grooming pets can be a rewarding career, but it can also be physically and emotionally demanding. Many groomers find themselves facing burnout, which can negatively impact their personal well-being and their businesses. But fear not! There are effective strategies you can implement to prevent burnout and unleash your success in the pet grooming industry.

Strategy #1: Establish Boundaries.

As pet grooming professionals, we often have a deep love for animals and a desire to please our clients. However, it's important to set boundaries to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Remember, taking care of yourself allows you to provide better care for the pets you groom.

Here are some different ways that you can practice establishing boundaries: Decide on specific working hours that align with your lifestyle and personal needs. Establish policies regarding how far in advance clients need to book appointments. This helps prevent last-minute requests that may disrupt your schedule. Designate specific communication channels for clients to reach you, such as email or a business phone. Avoid giving out personal phone numbers to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Set expectations for when clients can expect a response from you. This prevents feelings of being overwhelmed by constant communication. Clearly outline your policy for no-show clients and whether you charge a fee for missed appointments. Establish protocols for dealing with difficult clients or situations where a client may be dissatisfied with the grooming service. Define the maximum number of pets you groom in a day to avoid overextension and burnout.

Strategy #2: Prioritize Self-Care.

Grooming can be physically demanding, and it's crucial to prioritize self-care to prevent burnout. Remember, self-care isn't selfish—it's essential for your well-being.

Here are some ways that you can practice prioritizing self-care: Make time for regular physical activity that you enjoy, such as going for walks, practicing yoga, or engaging in any form of exercise that helps you stay active and reduce stress. Plan and prepare nutritious meals to fuel your body properly throughout the day. Avoid relying on fast food or unhealthy snacks during busy grooming hours. Stay hydrated by keeping a water bottle nearby and taking short breaks to drink water regularly. Ensure you get enough restful sleep each night to allow your body and mind to recharge for the next day’s grooming sessions. Engage in activities outside of work that bring you joy and fulfillment, whether it’s reading, painting, gardening, or any other hobby you enjoy. There are so many ways that you can incorporate self-care into your schedule!

Strategy #3: Delegate and Outsource.

Running a pet grooming business involves various tasks beyond grooming itself. Consider delegating or outsourcing administrative tasks, such as scheduling appointments, answering phone calls, or managing social media. This allows you to focus more on your passion—grooming—and frees up time for other important aspects of your life.

Consider hiring a receptionist or virtual assistant to manage your appointment book, handle phone calls, and respond to client inquiries. Outsource your social media marketing and content creation to a social media manager. Delegate financial tasks, such as bookkeeping, invoicing, and tax preparation, to an accountant or bookkeeper. Hire a cleaning service to take care of salon cleaning and maintenance tasks. If you have a business website, have someone maintain and update it regularly with relevant information.

Strategy #4: Continuous Learning and Professional Development.

The pet grooming industry is constantly evolving, and staying up-to-date on the latest grooming techniques, industry trends, and business strategies is vital for long-term success. Invest in your professional development by attending trade shows, workshops, conferences, and online courses. Sharpening your skills and knowledge will not only boost your confidence but also attract more clients to your business.

Attend grooming workshops conducted by experienced professionals. These events often cover specific grooming techniques, breed-specific grooming, and business management topics. Participate in industry trade shows. These events offer opportunities to learn from experts, network with other groomers, and explore new grooming products and techniques. Enroll in online grooming courses and certifications if you can’t get to an in-person workshop or seminar! Participate in grooming competitions. These events not only help you hone your skills but also expose you to innovative grooming styles and ideas. There are so many ways that you can further your education whether you’re a groomer or a business owner!

Strategy #5: Build a Support Network.

Surround yourself with like-minded professionals who understand the challenges and joys of the pet grooming industry. Sharing experiences, seeking advice, and receiving support from others in the industry can make a significant difference in preventing burnout and building a successful business.

Become a member of grooming associations or organizations at the local, regional, or national levels. These associations often host events, trade shows, seminars, online forums, etc. where groomers can network and collaborate. Become a member of online grooming communities, forums, and social media groups. These allow groomers to interact, share knowledge, and seek advice from professionals worldwide. Look for local networking groups or meetups in your area. Regular meetings and gatherings enable face-to-face interactions and relationship-building with local professionals. There are so many different ways that you can build a professional support network!

Strategy #6: Automate and Streamline Processes.

As a business owner, you can save time and reduce stress by implementing automation and streamlining processes. By automating and streamlining tasks, you can focus more on grooming and providing excellent customer service.

Utilize grooming software to automate appointment scheduling, client information management, and reminders. This helps reduce the time spent on administrative tasks and minimize the risk of scheduling errors. Implement an online booking system on your website or social media platforms. This allows clients to schedule appointments themselves, freeing up your time from phone call bookings. Set up automated appointment reminders via email or text messages to reduce no-shows and last-minute cancellations. Develop Standard Operating Procedures for grooming procedures to ensure consistency and efficiency in your services. These guidelines should be shared with your team to maintain a uniform approach to grooming.

Strategy #7: Take Regular Breaks and Vacations.

It's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day demands of running a grooming business, but taking regular breaks and vacations is essential for rejuvenation. Plan and schedule downtime in advance to ensure you have time to recharge and reset. Remember, taking a break isn't a luxury—it's a necessity to prevent burnout and maintain your passion for grooming.

Designate one or two specific days each week as your rest days, where you don’t take any grooming appointments or work-related tasks. Plan an annual vacation or time off, whether it’s a week-long trip or an extended break. Take short weekend getaways to nearby destinations to unwind and explore new places. Consider taking longer breaks during slower seasons in the grooming industry to relax and recharge. During breaks and vacations, make a conscious effort to disconnect from work-related emails, calls, and notifications. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed or stressed, don’t hesitate to take a mental health day to prioritize your well-being.

Preventing groomer burnout is crucial for your personal well-being and the success of your pet grooming business. By implementing these strategies—establishing boundaries, prioritizing self-care, delegating and outsourcing, continuous learning, building a support network, automating processes, and taking regular breaks—you can unleash your success and thrive in the pet grooming industry.

I hope you found these strategies valuable and actionable. Remember, a happy and fulfilled groomer is the foundation for a prosperous business.

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Intro:

Hello hello and welcome to Greedy Bitch, a podcast where groomers stop apologizing for charging their worth. I’m your host River Lee, founder of the Savvy Groomer.

Let’s talk about today's topic:

Strategies for Groomers to Achieve Work-Life Balance and Prevent Burnout

In this fast-paced world, it’s crucial to prioritize our mental and physical well-being.

Burnout is a state of chronic physical and emotional exhaustion caused by prolonged stress. It can lead to a decrease in productivity, affect our relationships, and negatively impact our overall quality of life. So, how can we prevent burnout? Here are five strategies:

One

Setting Boundaries

Setting boundaries is crucial for a healthy work-life balance and preventing burnout. Start by identifying your values and priorities to guide your boundaries. Don't hesitate to say "no" to protect your time and energy. Communicate your limits effectively and delegate tasks to lighten your load. Prioritize personal time for rejuvenation and regularly check in with yourself. Setting boundaries is an act of self-care, empowering you to focus on what truly matters and lead a balanced life.

Two

Prioritize Self-Care

Self-care is a necessity, not a luxury. Make time for activities that rejuvenate you, like exercise, meditation, and spending time with loved ones. Taking care of yourself allows you to recharge and approach challenges with a fresh perspective. Prioritize physical health through regular exercise, a balanced diet, and restful sleep. Engage in activities that nurture your emotional well-being, such as journaling or therapy. Stimulate your mind with reading or learning something new. Set boundaries to protect your time, energy, and emotional well-being. Seek support from loved ones or professionals when needed. Make self-care a consistent practice to prevent burnout and live a balanced life.

Three

Time Management

Time management is crucial for a balanced and fulfilling life. Identify your priorities and delegate or eliminate tasks accordingly. Break down large tasks into smaller, manageable chunks to reduce stress and increase productivity. Set realistic deadlines to avoid feeling overwhelmed and ensure better time allocation. Focus on one task at a time to enhance productivity and reduce errors. Use time blocking to create structure and minimize distractions, and learn to delegate and say "no" to protect your time. Take short breaks throughout the day to recharge, and explore productivity tools that work for you. You can do something as simple as adding “take a break” into your Google Calendar. Or schedule a break in between your check-outs of your dogs, whatever it is that you need to do. Effective time management allows for control, reduces stress, and creates space for joy and fulfillment. You need to make sure that time is working for you and not against you.

Four

Build a Support System

Having a strong support network is invaluable for our well-being. Emotional support from trusted individuals allows us to express our feelings and gain perspective. Surrounding ourselves with supportive people provides encouragement, motivation, and practical assistance. Seeking diverse perspectives from our support system helps us make informed decisions and achieve our goals. Additionally, professional support from therapists or coaches offers specialized guidance and strategies to navigate challenges. Building a support system takes effort, cultivating deeper connections with existing friends and family, and seeking like-minded individuals. By investing in our support system, we create mutually beneficial relationships that uplift us and contribute to our overall well-being.

Five

Embrace Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a powerful practice that promotes well-being by reducing stress, enhancing self-awareness, and cultivating calmness. By staying present and letting go of worries, mindfulness breaks the cycle of stress and fosters clarity. It cultivates self-awareness, enabling proactive stress management and conscious decision-making. Mindfulness also improves focus, productivity, and time management, reducing the risk of burnout. Practicing gratitude and relaxation techniques further enhance well-being. By incorporating simple mindfulness exercises into daily routines, such as deep breathing or meditation, its benefits can be easily accessed and supported by various resources. A really simple way of doing this is starting or ending your day, depending upon when you’re the most fresh, or the most frustrated, and write down what you are grateful for. If you’re in a space where you can’t really feel gratitude try to feel appreciation. Appreciation is something where you might look at your pet and you might appreciate how darn cute they are. You might appreciate feeling your fingers in their fur and being able to just love them unconditionally for the wonderful creature that they are. Embracing that present mindfulness will really help you center yourself and bring you as far away from burnout as you possibly can in such a short period of time.

Remember, by prioritizing your well-being, you can lead a more balanced and fulfilling life. With pet groomers moving away from the industry it’s important for us to protect who we are, what we want, and what we need.

Outro:

Thank you all so much for listening to this podcast, Strategies for Groomers to Achieve Work-Life Balance and Prevent Burnout. Be sure to visit me at SavvyGroomer.com to see my current opportunities to work with me in growing your pet grooming business plus more free resources for you to learn. See you in our community on Facebook - Savvy Pet Professionals! As always, Happy Grooming

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Intro:

Hello hello and welcome to Greedy Bitch, a podcast where groomers stop apologizing for charging their worth. I’m your host River Lee, founder of the Savvy Groomer.

Let’s talk about today's topic:

Navigating Burnout and Cultivating Well-being

Burnout is a state of chronic physical and emotional exhaustion that results from prolonged exposure to high levels of stress, especially in the workplace. Burnout can impact various aspects of a person’s life, including their mental and physical well-being. It often occurs when individuals face excessive work demands, experience little control or support in their roles, and are unable to adequately recover from stress.

There are three types of groomer burnout and we will be focusing on mental (trapped) burnout today. This is the type that sounds like: “I’m stuck! I want my time and flexibility back! No amount of money is worth it!”

So what does it look like? Here are some signs of being mentally burnt out: exhausted all the time, anxiety that overwhelms, unhappy no matter how much you earn, you feel like you can’t take a day off, work/life balance is off or doesn’t exist…something has to give!

Being mentally burnt out, or feeling trapped, refers to a state of chronic exhaustion and emotional depletion that arises from prolonged exposure to high levels of stress, particularly in the context of work. It goes beyond regular tiredness and can have significant impacts on both mental and physical well-being.

Mental burnout often occurs when we experience excessive work demands, have little control or support in our roles, and are unable to adequately recover from stress. So what does that actually mean? You’re going into your grooming salon or van and you’re working a lot. You either have little control or you feel like you have little control and you’re either not able to gain control or you’re not able to separate yourself from that. We may feel overwhelmed, exhausted, and emotionally drained. We may also experience a sense of being trapped or stuck in their current situation, feeling like we have no escape or ability to regain control over their lives.

It's important to recognize these signs and address them promptly. Ignoring or dismissing mental burnout can lead to more severe consequences, such as chronic health issues, strained relationships, and a decline in overall well-being. It’s really important to deal with this promptly. Seeking support, making necessary changes to reduce stress, and prioritizing self-care are crucial steps in overcoming mental burnout and regaining a sense of freedom and fulfillment.

When I was running my dog grooming salon I became burnt out. I was working 60-80 hours a week. I had 5 employees that were finally amazing but needed a lot of guidance. This was before I had all the tools in my belt and I needed to figure out a way to support them in the way they needed to be supported but that meant a lot of hand-holding. I was trying to take time off to spend with my young son so I decided to take off my first Christmas Eve since owning my grooming salon, which turned out to be a disaster when I came back. I’m sure you can relate. I wasn’t happy. I felt like something had to give. I wished someone had talked to me about groomer burnout and that’s because it really is so real. I felt exhausted all the time. I had worked so hard to build a life for my son so that we could do better.

Consider re-evaluating your life and business.

Is this business style or current employment right for you? Mobile? In-home? House-call? Salon? Salon with employees? Are your co-workers super catty assholes? Do you have a lot of big dogs? What is your ideal client? What is your soulmate client? What is your ideal situation? Are you there now? Can you work towards that or change your current situation? What’s going on? What’s the reality of what’s happening here?

When was the last time you had a holiday or weekend off?

Do you get frustrated with your days off or how many days off you have? I found I did the best when I worked Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. I’d rather do 4 long days than 5 shorter days. I made Wednesday my paperwork and office day. That left me the weekend to actually have some time off. And I mean off off, not I’m going to run errands or I’m going to groom my dog. Like off, I can sit and do nothing but watch Supernatural for 10 hours and eat popcorn if I really want to. I never was able to get out of work early anyway, so what were a few more hours on those 4 work days? That’s me personally, but maybe you prefer 5 early mornings and being able to cut and run earlier in the day.

Is your business model right for you?

Is your passion dwindling because you want weekends off, holidays off, nights off, mornings off? Or is it that you need to plan an exit strategy out of the grooming industry or have it evolve? Is it maybe that you’re considering moving into more of a virtual assistant role versus a grooming role? There’s so many options. When we talk about step away from the table, a lot of times we talk about different ways for you to stay in the industry without having to be a groomer. There’s nothing wrong with you wanting to step away from the table for a little bit and then come back if you feel passionate. The most important thing is that you are happy.

Mental burnout can have a profound impact on our lives and well-being. It's important to recognize the signs of burnout and take proactive steps to address them. Remember, you have the power to make changes and regain control over your work and personal life. Whether it's re-evaluating your business model, prioritizing self-care and work-life balance, seeking support, or considering an exit strategy, taking action is key. I always suggest that you have an exit strategy for your business. No matter what you’re going to die, you’re going to move, you’re going to become injured. At some point you’re going to leave your business and knowing where the door is sometimes will be enough to make you not feel so trapped. Remember, your happiness and well-being matter. Don't be afraid to make the necessary changes to create a life that brings you joy, fulfillment, and freedom. You deserve it. Remember to take care of yourself. You can always make more friends. I hate to say this but your family is always your family but you can always make more family. The only thing you can’t make more of is you.

Outro:

Thank you all so much for listening to this podcast, Navigating Burnout and Cultivating Well-being. Be sure to visit me at SavvyGroomer.com to see my current opportunities to work with me in growing your pet grooming business plus more free resources for you to learn. See you in our community on Facebook - Savvy Pet Professionals! As always, Happy Grooming

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Intro:

Hello hello and welcome to Greedy Bitch, a podcast where groomers stop apologizing for charging their worth. I’m your host River Lee, founder of the Savvy Groomer.

Let’s talk about today's topic:

Strategies to Prevent Financial Burnout

There are three types of groomer burnout and we will be focusing on financial burnout today. This is the type that sounds like: “I’m too broke to keep doing this. I don’t understand how I work and still can’t get ahead!”

So what does it look like? Here are some signs of being financially burnt out: impulse spending, avoiding financial responsibilities, you can barely pay (or can’t pay) your bills, you feel like you’re working all the time but not making ends meet.

Financial burnout occurs when the stress of managing finances and sustaining a stable income becomes overwhelming.

Listening to Dave Ramsey’s Entreleadership or another business podcast I often hear them ask a business owner: If you made a million dollars doing what you’re doing, would you keep doing it? Would you? If you won the lottery, would you become a hobby groomer? Would you spend your days grooming/showing, or grooming rescues for free? Is your burnout related to your financial situation?

Here are some ways to get your finances under control.

One: Get on a written monthly budget.

One important step towards financial stability is implementing a written monthly budget. Think of a budget as a leash for your money. Without it, your money is free to roam and wreak havoc on your life. If you’re only vaguely following a budget, it’s like having a dog on a flexi leash, causing chaos wherever it goes. Take control by tracking your income and expenses diligently.

Two: Think about what really matters.

Do an inventory on what is important to you and what are “deserves”. This was a hard one for me to come to terms with. I deserved to be able to sit and watch 5 hours of TV on my day off. My son deserved to go to Disney for missing all the time away from me. I deserved a fancy fully loaded outrageously expensive SUV because I worked so hard. The reality is I was trying to buy things that made me happy, and in the end it didn’t make my job any easier or my life any better.

It’s essential to reflect on what truly matters to you and distinguish between wants and needs. Sometimes, we convince ourselves that we deserve certain luxuries, but these purchases don’t necessarily make our lives better or our jobs easier. Take inventory of your priorities and focus on aligning your spending with what genuinely brings you joy and fulfillment.

Three: Be cautious of impulse shopping.

Impulse shopping is a real thing, and it can be a financial drain. Target? Amazon one click? That tradeshow credit card oops? Whatever those impulse buys are, you need to stop as it can wreak havoc on your budget. If it isn’t in your written budget for the month, it has to wait until next month. Exercise restraint. Let it sit in your head for a month. I can almost promise you that it won’t be such an important purchase after a week or two. I’m guilty as charged. I love to buy that “wipe your paws” doormat at Target. I ordered a kitty-shaped backpack on Amazon. And when I go to a tradeshow I have to set limits so I don’t accidentally spend several thousand dollars on things I never knew I needed.

Here are some ways to make some extra money:

Take a hard look at your pricing.

Are you charging everything you should have for that once a year Saint Bernard? How about that super matted doodle? Why are you not charging a bandaid fee, or an aggressive pet fee, for that saber-toothed Scottie? Are you charging appropriately for the more time-consuming and challenging grooming sessions? If you’re constantly booked out weeks in advance, it may be time to adjust your prices to reflect the demand for your services.

Consider selling relevant add-ons.

I mean, don’t be the piece of crap used car salesman. Sell add-ons that people want and fit your business model. Is that German Shepherd molting? Be sure to charge appropriately to account for that de-shed that you will need to do. I’m sure that client would like a month without vacuuming 10 times a day. Offer nail color to someone who is all dolled up and wants her pooch to match them, or be the topic of conversation. The possibilities are endless. Think creatively and provide valuable extras that your clients will appreciate and be willing to pay for.

That said, make sure add-ons fit your model. Personally, River Lee of the Savvy Groomer, I am not a big fan of add-ons. I personally think they’re not worth the trouble, but in your business model this might just be the thing that you need.

For business owners, make sure you own a business and not just a job.

Too often business owners are working 60-80 hours a week making as much as they would have working a 40 hour a week job for another salon. Make sure the money you are making is more than your local area’s groomer’s salary. If it’s the same or less, consider why that is. You pay all your own taxes and have to take on all the risk. Make sure you own a business and not just a job.

For employees, make sure you’re stable.

Make sure you’re making quality money and that you’re in a stable position. When you take your average week and multiply it by 50 weeks, assuming 2 weeks off for vacation/sick time, is that how much you made last year? Are there any normal low times? Times you work like a crazy person? I started to take the week off between Christmas and New Year’s so I could let my body recover after Thanksgiving and Christmas. Instead of working in the slow times, plan your vacations during those times so you don’t lose money during the busy times.

Financial burnout can take a toll on pet groomers, affecting our overall well-being and job satisfaction. By implementing a written budget, reassessing priorities, curbing impulse spending, and exploring avenues for increased income, pet groomers can regain control over their finances and alleviate the strain that leads to burnout. Remember, a healthy financial situation is essential for long-term career satisfaction and personal well-being.

Outro:

Thank you all so much for listening to this podcast, Strategies to Prevent Financial Burnout. Be sure to visit me at SavvyGroomer.com to see my current opportunities to work with me in growing your pet grooming business plus more free resources for you to learn. See you in our community on Facebook - Savvy Pet Professionals! As always, Happy Grooming

View Details

Intro:

Hello hello and welcome to Greedy Bitch, a podcast where groomers stop apologizing for charging their worth. I’m your host River Lee, founder of the Savvy Groomer.

Let’s talk about today's topic:

Strategies for preventing physical burnout

There are three types of groomer burnout and we will be focusing on physical burnout today. This is the type that sounds like: “My body hurts, it’s killing me. I cannot do this forever, something needs to change!”

So what does it look like? Here are some signs of being physically burnt out: fatigue, physical pain, low mood, anxiety, sleep deprived and irritability.

Physical burnout can be particularly common due to the physically demanding nature of our work as groomers. Constantly lifting, restraining, and grooming pets, sometimes for long hours and without sufficient breaks, can place significant strain on the body over time. This can lead to muscular imbalances, repetitive strain injuries, joint pain and overall physical exhaustion.

Addressing physical burnout is essential to prevent long-term health consequences and to maintain a sustainable career in a physically demanding profession. It involves implementing strategies to reduce physical stress, prioritize self-care, and seek support when needed.

Here are some ways to take a load off of your body.

Consider stopping accepting once a year or twice a year pets.

Accepting once-a-year or twice-a-year pets for grooming can contribute to physical burnout for groomers. These infrequent clients require more work, as their coats are often heavily matted and tangled. Grooming these pets can be time-consuming and physically demanding, leading to increased strain on the groomer's body. Additionally, infrequent pets may pose a higher risk, as they may be less accustomed to the grooming process and more resistant or anxious during sessions.

In contrast, grooming pets on a regular 4-6 week schedule offers several benefits. Regular clients develop stronger relationships with groomers, leading to better communication and trust. Pets groomed regularly experience fewer mats, resulting in easier haircuts and less physical exertion. By distributing their physical efforts evenly, groomers can reduce the risk of physical burnout and maintain a sustainable career in grooming.

To alleviate physical strain, it is advisable for groomers to consider prioritizing clients who adhere to a regular grooming schedule. This approach provides better customers, easier haircuts, and less physical work, contributing to a healthier and more sustainable work environment.

Limit size, breeds or find a niche.

When groomers limit the size of the pets they groom or specialize in specific breeds or niches, it can significantly reduce the physical strain on their bodies. Grooming large or heavy breeds, such as doodles, Old English Sheepdogs, Huskies, or Great Pyreneeses, can be physically demanding and take a toll on the groomer's shoulders, back, and overall musculoskeletal health. Letting go of labor-intensive breeds that require excessive lifting, stretching, or handling can help prevent or alleviate chronic pain and physical limitations.

My shoulders were severely affected to the point where I couldn't lift my hand above my head in my mid-20s. This personal experience underscores the importance of recognizing and addressing the physical impact of grooming certain breeds or sizes of pets. By making the conscious decision to let go of dogs over a certain weight or size, they were able to prioritize their physical well-being and allow their body to recover.

Furthermore, finding a niche or specializing in a particular area, such as grooming only cats, can also be a game-changer. Cats generally have smaller body sizes compared to larger dog breeds, resulting in less physical strain during grooming sessions. Additionally, focusing on a specific niche, such as cats or other specific breeds, allows groomers to develop specialized expertise, streamline their grooming techniques, and potentially attract a dedicated clientele. By reducing the physical demands and focusing on a niche, groomers can create a more sustainable and healthier approach to their profession.

Ultimately, limiting the size, breeds, or finding a niche in grooming is a way to prioritize self-care and prevent physical burnout. It's essential to listen to your body, recognize the impact of certain grooming tasks on your physical health, and make informed decisions to protect yourself from long-term musculoskeletal issues. By taking care of yourself and making conscious choices to reduce physical strain, you can ensure a more sustainable and enjoyable grooming career.

Eat food that isn’t crap.

When I had my salon I spent an average of $1,200/month on takeout, fast food, coffee, energy drinks. I was never home to even make a sandwich. And all of that poor quality food did a lot of damage to my body. You don’t need to become a health nut but make one small change a month.

Eating nutritious food is essential for groomers to maintain physical well-being and prevent burnout. Relying on takeout, fast food, coffee, and energy drinks can negatively impact overall health due to their high calorie, and artificial additive content. This can lead to weight gain, decreased energy, and increased risk of chronic health conditions.

To make positive changes, start by planning and preparing meals in advance, even if it means dedicating time on days off. Packing nutritious snacks like fruits and nuts can provide convenient options throughout the day. Gradually replace unhealthy choices with healthier alternatives, such as swapping energy drinks for herbal teas or opting for homemade sandwiches instead of fast food.

Increasing water intake and seeking support from colleagues or friends can also aid in adopting healthier eating habits. By prioritizing nourishing foods, groomers can fuel their bodies with the nutrients needed for sustained energy, physical recovery, and overall well-being. Making small, consistent changes can have a significant impact on physical health and reduce the risk of burnout in the long run.

Consider working out or hiring a personal trainer.

I am not a workout freak. I would rather set myself on fire than go to the gym. But when I was in full burn out mode I hired a personal trainer and went to the gym three times a week for 2 years. I needed the accountability to help build muscle to help me do my job and recognize where I had created the wrong muscle masses to compensate for the way I was abusing myself physically. Being a 5’2” woman and lifting 100 lb. doodles by myself wasn’t very smart, but on a busy Saturday I had to do what I had to do, and I had to pay for it.

Considering working out or hiring a personal trainer can be beneficial for groomers, even if they aren't fitness enthusiasts. I hope that my personal experience emphasizes the importance of seeking professional guidance to overcome physical burnout and prevent injuries. Hiring a personal trainer provides accountability and support in building muscle strength and addressing imbalances caused by the physical demands of grooming work. This enables groomers to perform their tasks more efficiently and safely.

Groomers often face physically demanding tasks, and regular exercise can enhance their strength, flexibility, and endurance. Engaging in various forms of exercise, such as strength training, yoga, or Pilates, can improve posture, reduce the risk of injuries, and enhance overall physical fitness. Finding a type of exercise that is enjoyable and sustainable is key to incorporating regular workouts into the grooming routine.

Investing in physical well-being through exercise and potentially hiring a personal trainer enhances a groomer's ability to handle the demands of their job without excessive strain. It allows them to develop the necessary strength, maintain muscle balance, and decrease the risk of work-related injuries. Prioritizing fitness supports long-term career sustainability and promotes overall physical health.

Get a massage to “dematt” all those knots in your back.

Getting regular massages is an essential form of self-care for groomers. Just like grooming a matted pet, addressing the knots and tension in your back, neck, and shoulders is crucial. Ignoring these physical pains or relying on pain medication is not a sustainable solution. By visiting a massage therapist specializing in sports or functional massage, you can gradually alleviate tension and knots in your muscles over time. Consistent weekly massages for six months can have a significant impact.

Neglecting regular massage sessions for yourself is comparable to neglecting regular grooming appointments for pets. Taking care of your body through regular massages is a vital step towards self-care and physical well-being. While there may not be an immediate fix or a quick solution, committing to regular sessions allows your body to recover, release tension, and rejuvenate.

Prioritizing self-care through regular massages contributes to a healthier, more sustainable grooming career. By investing in your physical well-being, you can work more comfortably, reduce the risk of long-term physical damage, and prevent burnout. Taking care of your body is essential for maintaining a thriving and enjoyable grooming profession.

In conclusion, addressing physical burnout in groomers is crucial for maintaining a sustainable and fulfilling career. By recognizing the signs of physical burnout and implementing strategies to alleviate strain, groomers can prioritize their well-being and prevent long-term health consequences. Remember, taking care of yourself is not a luxury but a necessity. By prioritizing self-care and implementing these strategies, groomers can create a healthier work environment, reduce the risk of burnout, and enjoy a thriving and fulfilling career in the grooming industry.

Outro:

Thank you all so much for listening to this podcast, Strategies for preventing physical burnout. Be sure to visit me at SavvyGroomer.com to see my current opportunities to work with me in growing your pet grooming business plus more free resources for you to learn. See you in our community on Facebook - Savvy Pet Professionals! As always, Happy Grooming

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Hello hello and welcome to Greedy Bitch, a podcast where groomers stop apologizing for charging their worth. I’m your host River Lee, founder of the Savvy Groomer.

Today's episode is sponsored by the Pay Masterclass, a 6-module masterclass where we teach you all about paying your employees legally.

Paying 50% is bull shit. We here at the Savvy Groomer have cracked the code of paying employees a liveable wage they’re happy with and creating sustainable profit for pet grooming business owners. Introducing the Pay Masterclass, a 6-module exploration on how to legally pay W2 employees, specifically designed for the pet grooming business. Busting myths while teaching you the skills and winning formulas you need to create a pay structure that actually works.

Let’s talk about today's topic:

How do I figure out if I can actually afford to hire someone?

We know that running a pet grooming business can be challenging but also incredibly rewarding. It’s important for us to stay informed about changes and regulations that impact our business and our employees. I know talking about wages can seem a bit dry, but it’s an essential aspect of being a responsible business owner. Paying your employees fairly not only shows respect for their hard work but also helps maintain a motivated and loyal team.

Minimum wage affects every business. First things first - what is the minimum wage? Simply put, it’s the lowest amount of money an employer must legally pay their employees per hour of work. Minimum wage laws are in place to protect workers and ensure they receive a fair compensation for their labor. As business owners, it’s crucial for us to stay up to date with the minimum wage requirements in our area. These requirements can vary from state to state or even within different cities, so be sure to check the specific regulations for your location. Trust me, you don’t want any legal headaches! The federal minimum wage is currently set at $7.25 per hour, but it’s important to note that many states are moving towards a $15 minimum wage.

We all know that pet grooming is more than just a job - it’s a passion. And part of that passion is ensuring that our employees are not just surviving but thriving.

So, what exactly is a livable wage? Well, it’s more than just the minimum wage - it’s a wage that allows our employees to cover their basic needs and have a decent standard of living. It’s about ensuring that they can afford housing, food, healthcare, and other essentials without constantly struggling to make ends meet. As pet grooming business owners, we have the power to make a real difference in the lives of our employees. By offering a livable wage, we not only demonstrate our appreciation for their hard work but also foster a sense of loyalty and dedication to our team.

Let’s not underestimate the positive impact a livable wage can have on our industry as a whole. By setting the bar high and advocating for fair compensation, we contribute to raising the standards and professionalism of grooming. This attracts passionate individuals who see grooming as a viable and fulfilling career path.

Pet grooming business owners can determine if they can afford to hire someone based upon these wage considerations by looking up the cost of living in their area. We recommend going to a reliable source like Zillow and looking up the average rental cost of a 2-bedroom, 1-bathroom apartment in a decent area that allows pets. To ensure your employee can afford these apartments, they should ideally be earning a minimum of 2-4 times the rent amount. This is a really helpful guideline.

You may be wondering what to do if you find that you can’t pay your employees a livable wage.

If you realize that you can’t provide a livable wage to your employees, it’s critical that you reassess your prices. Price increases can be intimidating, but they are necessary to account for factors like inflation, added experience, and other business costs. It’s essential to align your pricing with the financial well-being of your employees.

Before making any adjustments to payroll, there are some steps that you should take to determine whether you can afford these employees.

It’s important to analyze key performance indicators (KPIs) and payroll metrics. KPIs are quantifiable measures that track performance over time for specific objectives. We highly recommend that you take the Price Increase Masterclass to understand your KPIs and how to calculate them effectively. The Price Increase Masterclass is a 6-module masterclass where we teach you how to formulate and implement your price increase so you can finally make money and grow your business.

What are some examples of payroll metrics that business owners should consider?

One important metric is the percentage of payroll costs in relation to gross profit. As a general rule, payroll costs should be a maximum of 30% of gross profit. This includes wages, benefits, and other related expenses. To calculate your gross profit, subtract the cost of goods sold (COGS) from your sales. For the grooming industry, COGS are typically zero or negligible. Knowing these metrics can help business owners make informed decisions about their payroll.

It’s crucial for pet grooming business owners to have a clear understanding of their financial situation and KPIs before making any significant payroll adjustments. This ensures that the business can afford the added costs without compromising its overall stability. Seeking professional guidance or taking relevant courses can provide valuable insights into managing payroll effectively.

We hope that you found this information helpful in evaluating your ability to hire new employees!

If you guys are interested in learning more about the Pay Masterclass, be sure to visit me at savvygroomer.com/pgmc. This is a 6-module masterclass where we teach you how to pay your employees.

Thank you all so much for listening to this podcast, How do I figure out if I can actually afford to hire someone?. Be sure to visit me at SavvyGroomer.com to see my current opportunities to work with me in growing your pet grooming business plus more free resources for you to learn. See you in our community on Facebook - Savvy Pet Professionals! As always, Happy Grooming

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Hello hello and welcome to Greedy Bitch, a podcast where groomers stop apologizing for charging their worth. I’m your host River Lee, founder of the Savvy Groomer.

Today's episode is sponsored by the Pay Masterclass, a 6-module masterclass where we teach you all about paying your employees legally.

Let’s talk about today's topic:

How will my employees respond after changing my pay scale?

River: Changing the pay scale from commission to hourly can make employees react in different ways. Let’s look at some of the positive responses that pet grooming business owners can expect after switching an employee from commission to hourly.

Some employees may actually welcome the change from a commission-based structure to an hourly pay system. With guaranteed income, employees experience greater financial stability and predictability. They can plan their finances better and budget for their expenses.

Jim: With an hourly pay, pet groomers typically receive a fixed wage for the hours they work. This provides a level of stability and predictability in terms of income. Regardless of the number of appointments or the grooming services provided, they can rely on a consistent paycheck. Working on an hourly wage basis can mitigate the impact of fluctuating customer demand.

River: A pet groomer in an hourly job does not have to solely rely on attracting a steady stream of clients to earn a living. This is particularly beneficial during typical slow periods or when a business is building up a customer base… or when they’re training employees who need time to get faster. In a commission-based role, groomers heavily depend on the number of appointments and the willingness of customers to spend on additional services or products. If client demand is low, if there are lots of no calls / no shows their income may suffer.

Jim: Commission-based positions may encourage or require pet groomers to upsell additional services or products to clients in order to earn higher commissions. This can create added pressure and potentially compromise the groomer-client relationship. In contrast, hourly jobs typically focus on providing quality grooming services without the pressure to sell additional items.

River: We here at Savvy Groomer do NOT encourage groomers to check in and out their own grooming clients. If you do and your groomer is commission based, that means the groomer is going to pressure your support staff since their ability to add on an extra $10 teeth brushing or $5 shampoo directly adds or takes money out of their pocket.

Jim: The change to hourly also eliminates the pressure of trying to cram in as many dogs as possible and allows employees to focus more on providing quality services.
With employees caring more about work-life balance vs a bigger paycheck, hourly jobs encourage set work schedules and support predetermined hours.

River: This stability allows pet groomers to plan their personal finances more effectively. They can budget their expenses and manage their financial obligations with greater certainty since they know when they will be working and how much they will earn per hour. It can foster a sense of fairness if some employees feel they are doing more work but receiving the same commission rate.

Jim: As for groomers as an individual, hourly wage can simplify things like paid time off, adding benefits and in their personal life like buying a home or getting a loan.
Having an hourly wage allows banks to have proof of a consistent income (vs “50%”), easier calculation of debt-to-income ratio since their income fluctuates week to week, month to month, etc and proving a stable income in order to be approved for a mortgage.

River: Too many groomers cannot get a mortgage because their income is too inconsistent and the bank knows they’re at the mercy of who shows up that day. By switching them to hourly you immediately make it easier for them to buy a home.

So what about negative responses? Let’s look at some potential downsides.

Jim: Some employees may not welcome the change from commission to hourly pay. They may have become accustomed to the potential for higher earnings and may not be satisfied with a lower hourly rate. This can lead to dissatisfaction and lower morale, as employees may feel their hard work is not being adequately rewarded. It may take time for them to adjust to the new payment structure and accurately track their hours. If the hourly rate is not competitive, it could also increase the likelihood of employees seeking employment elsewhere.

River: It’s important to consider the potential challenges and concerns that employees may have during this transition. There may also be mixed responses that you should be prepared for.

Jim: Some employees may appreciate the stability of an hourly wage while still missing the opportunity to earn a higher income through commissions. They may find comfort in having a baseline income but still be motivated to work harder to earn bonuses and incentives. It’s crucial for business owners to engage in open communication and address any concerns of feedback that may arise during this change in pay structure. This can lead to a better understanding and a more collaborative work environment.

River: We at the Savvy Groomer suggest doing hourly based on a point system, aka a production spectrum, plus production bonuses and loyalty bonuses. One of my favorite bonuses is the 13th month bonus. We really talk about the Groomer Point System (GPS) which helps with the production based bonus system.

Jim: A way to help with this transition is to implement a production bonus system.

River: These bonuses incentivize employees and serve as a powerful motivator as well. They are a great way to recognize and reward exceptional employee performance. By linking bonuses to specific performance metrics or goals, businesses can create a system that motivates employees to strive for excellence. These bonuses can take various forms, such as monetary rewards, gift cards, additional paid time off, or even special recognition. We even teach points time off utilizing our Groomer Point System. The key is to design a bonus structure that aligns with the business’s objectives and encourages employees to go above and beyond their regular expectations.

Jim: Performance metrics can vary depending on the nature of the business and its goals. Metrics could include client satisfaction ratings, the number of repeat customers, or even the number of positive customer reviews. Other metrics could be based on productivity, such as the number of points completed within a specific time frame. The key is to establish clear and measurable criteria that align with the business’s objectives and reflect the employee’s impact on its success.

River: Performance bonuses offer several benefits for both employees and the business. For employees, it provides an additional sense of recognition and reward for their hard work. It motivates them to perform at their best, knowing that their efforts will be acknowledged and rewarded. Performance bonuses can also foster a sense of healthy competition among employees, driving productivity and innovation. From a business perspective, it helps to attract and retain top talent, as employees are more likely to be engaged and committed when they see opportunities for growth and rewards based on their performance.

Jim: When implementing a production bonus system, it’s important to establish clear and transparent criteria for earning bonuses. Employees should have a clear understanding of what is expected of them and how they can qualify for bonuses. Regular communication and feedback are crucial to keep employees informed of their progress. Second, the bonus structure should be fair and equitable. Ensure that the criteria are objective and applied consistently to avoid any perception of favoritism. Lastly, make sure the bonus system is financially feasible for the business. Evaluate the potential impact on the bottom line and ensure that the bonuses align with the overall budget and profitability goals.

River: It’s important to create a culture of continuous improvement and learning. Production bonuses should not be seen as a one-time event but rather as part of an ongoing process. Regularly evaluate and update the bonus criteria to reflect changing business needs and priorities. Additionally, celebrate the achievements of employees who earn bonuses and share their success stories with the rest of the team. This helps to reinforce the positive impact of the bonus system and further motivate employees to excel.

Jim: Communicating and addressing employee concerns are key to managing this transition effectively.

River: Before implementing any changes, it’s crucial to thoroughly evaluate the impact of employees and the overall business. Ensure that the new pay scale is competitive. Ultimately, fostering a positive work environment and showing appreciation for your employees’ contributions can go a long way in managing this transition successfully.

If you guys are interested in learning more about the Pay Masterclass, be sure to visit me at savvygroomer.com/pgmc. This is a 6-module masterclass where we teach you how to pay your employees.

Thank you all so much for listening to this podcast, How will my employees respond after changing my pay scale?. Be sure to visit me at SavvyGroomer.com to see my current opportunities to work with me in growing your pet grooming business plus more free resources for you to learn. See you in our community on Facebook - Savvy Pet Professionals! As always, Happy Grooming

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Hello hello and welcome to Greedy Bitch, a podcast where groomers stop apologizing for charging their worth. I’m your host River Lee, founder of the Savvy Groomer.

Today's episode is sponsored by the Pay Masterclass, a 6-module masterclass where we teach you all about paying your employees legally.

Let’s talk about today's topic:

Do I pay an employee the commission for a dog they injured?

River: Today we have a special guest joining us, attorney Jim Atchison! So, this is a situation that many pet grooming business owners may find themselves in at some point. Can you shed some light on whether an employee should be paid commission for a dog they injured?

Jim: Absolutely. This is a question that often comes up in pet grooming businesses. The short answer is that, in most cases, an employee is entitled to their commission, even if they accidentally injure a dog.

River: That’s interesting. Could you explain why that is the case?

Jim: Certainly. When it comes to commission payments, they are typically based on the revenue generated by the employee’s work, rather than the quality of the work. If the injured dog was part of a service that contributed to the employee’s commission, they would generally be entitled to receive that commission.

River: So, it’s based on the revenue generated rather than the outcome of the service. But are there any exceptions to this rule?

Jim: Yes, there can be exceptions. It’s important for employers to have proper legal coverage and a well-drafted contract with their employees. If the employment contract specifically outlines the circumstances under which commission payments may be withheld or reduced, then the employer may have grounds to withhold or reduce the commission in case of an incident like this.

River: That makes sense. So, it really comes down to the contract between the employer and the employee. What if there is no specific clause addressing the situation in the contract?

Jim: If the employment contract does not address the specific circumstances of a dog-related incident and the impact on commission payments, the default position would likely favor the employee. In the absence of a contractual provision, the employer may be obligated to pay the commission as it is a reflection of the revenue generated by the employee’s efforts.

River: That’s good to know. However, I imagine it’s always best to consult with an attorney or legal professional in such situations.

Jim: Absolutely. Whenever you encounter legal questions or concerns regarding your business, it’s important to seek advice from a qualified attorney or legal professional. They can provide guidance based on the specific circumstances and applicable laws in your jurisdiction.

River: What if the grooming salon owner does not charge for the service?

Jim: Even if the grooming salon owner does not charge for the service, the employee is still entitled to the commission they would have received for the service.

River: That is sound advice. It’s always better to be safe than sorry. Before we wrap up, do you have any final thoughts on this topic?

Jim: Yes, it’s important for business owners to proactively address situations like this by including relevant clauses in their employment contracts. By clearly defining the circumstances under which commission payments may be affected, employers can minimize potential disputes and ensure a fair resolution for all parties involved.

River: Excellent point. Thank you so much for joining us and sharing your expertise.

Jim: It was my pleasure. Thank you for having me.

If you guys are interested in learning more about the Pay Masterclass, be sure to visit me at savvygroomer.com/pgmc. This is a 6-module masterclass where we teach you how to pay your employees.

Thank you all so much for listening to this podcast, Do I pay an employee the commission for a dog they injured?. Be sure to visit me at SavvyGroomer.com to see my current opportunities to work with me in growing your pet grooming business plus more free resources for you to learn. See you in our community on Facebook - Savvy Pet Professionals! As always, Happy Grooming

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Intro:

Hello hello and welcome to Greedy Bitch, a podcast where groomers stop apologizing for charging their worth. I’m your host River Lee, founder of the Savvy Groomer.

Today's episode is sponsored by the Pay Masterclass, a 6-module masterclass where we teach you all about paying your employees legally.

Let’s talk about today's topic:

Should my pet grooming business pay employees commission?

At the Savvy Groomer, we firmly believe that utilizing an hourly wage system coupled with production bonuses based on the Groomer Point System (GPS) is the most effective way to compensate our employees. This approach not only fosters a team mindset among our staff members but also ensures consistent and predictable payroll costs for our business. In this podcast, we will delve deeper into the reasons why we advocate for this payment structure.

When considering commission-based pay, it is essential to keep in mind certain legal stipulations. Commission-only employees are compensated based on the revenue they generate for the business. It is crucial to cap commission at a reasonable level, generally not exceeding 30%, in order to maintain a sustainable payroll expense. Furthermore, businesses opting for commission-based pay must navigate various legal obligations. For instance, at least 75% of the gross sales must come from commission-only services, and the employee should earn at least 50% of their income through commission. This requirement should not be confused with a 50% commission rate. Additionally, the employee must earn at least 1.5 times the state or federal minimum wage, whichever is higher, and their working hours must be meticulously tracked. Complying with these legal requirements can be complex, and we provide comprehensive guidance on commission-based pay in Module One of our Employee Pay Masterclass.

On the other hand, an hourly wage system offers several advantages. Hourly employees are paid based on the actual hours they work, which fosters a team mindset and encourages collaboration among team members. Moreover, this payment structure ensures consistent and predictable payroll costs, providing employees with reliable and stable paychecks. By implementing an hourly wage system, businesses can achieve a win-win situation for both the company and its employees. Detailed insights into the benefits of hourly pay can be found in Module One of our Employee Pay Masterclass.

At the Savvy Groomer, we propose a hybrid payment model that combines the advantages of hourly pay with production bonuses based on our GPS. Production bonuses are additional monetary rewards that employees receive when they meet or exceed specific performance expectations. These bonuses go beyond regular pay or salary and serve as incentives to drive productivity and maintain high-quality work. This approach is an effective way to motivate employees and boost their performance. We provide in-depth guidance on production bonuses in Module Six of our Employee Pay Masterclass.

Now, let's delve into what the Groomer Point System entails. The GPS is a transformative tool for grooming businesses. We offer a comprehensive workshop on Pricing & Points that explores this system in detail. In essence, a point in our GPS represents one unit of effort, approximately equivalent to 30 minutes of work.

Determining an employee's expected amount of production points involves setting up employee roles and establishing three tiers within those roles. For instance, you can have Bather Tier A, Bather Tier B, and Bather Tier C. As an employee's skills and performance improve, their points expectation increases accordingly. Generally speaking, Bather Tier A would be our baby bather or a beginner. Bather Tier B would be intermediate, or our knowledgeable or finished groomer. Bather Tier C would be the people that exceed things. That could either be a pet stylist versus a regular groomer. That could also be a power groomer versus a regular production groomer. Module Three of our Employee Pay Masterclass offers an extensive exploration of this topic.

All in all, the Savvy Groomer advocates for an hourly wage system combined with production bonuses based on the Groomer Point System. This approach promotes a team mindset among employees, ensures consistent and predictable payroll costs, and motivates staff members to achieve high productivity and maintain quality work. By implementing this payment structure, grooming businesses can create a positive and rewarding work environment for their employees while maintaining financial stability.

Outro:

If you guys are interested in learning more about the Pay Masterclass, be sure to visit me at savvygroomer.com/pgmc. This is a 6-module masterclass where we teach you how to pay your employees.

Thank you all so much for listening to this podcast, Should my pet grooming business pay employees commission?. Be sure to visit me at SavvyGroomer.com to see my current opportunities to work with me in growing your pet grooming business plus more free resources for you to learn. See you in our community on Facebook - Savvy Pet Professionals! As always, Happy Grooming

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Hello hello and welcome to Greedy Bitch, a podcast where groomers stop apologizing for charging their worth. I’m your host River Lee, founder of the Savvy Groomer. Today's episode is sponsored by the Pay Masterclass, a 6 module m masterclass where we teach you all about paying employees. Let’s talk about today's topic:

Trade Shows, A Wise Investment?

When was the last time you went to a grooming trade show? Was it a wise investment of your time and money? Are you an employee or business owner? As a business owner are you considering bringing your employees? Let’s talk today about reasons you should, or should not, invest in going to a trade show.

So if you’re an employee, let’s say you work for a corporate salon, or you work for a small grooming salon, is it worth the money to go to a trade show? And that really depends on, is this going to be your profession, is this going to be your career? Or is this going to be a hobby for a little bit and you’re going to move on in your life?

Now I will say that if you can go, you should, because I think that trade shows are really good for the soul.

If you’re an employee, I think that it’s important that at least once a year to make it a priority to go to a trade show. They can be expensive. Look at how much money you want to spend. What is it that you want to get out of this trade show? What do you want to learn? Do you want to learn more about a specific breed? Is there somewhere in your grooming that you're really struggling? Is there a specialty you want to get into? Do you want to bring home some really awesome tools, tips, and tricks to make your job a little bit easier? Do you want to learn how to be a competition groomer? Is there somewhere you’re really lacking? Do you want to learn something like hand stripping? There are a lot of things that you can do there that are going to increase your worth as a groomer. What can I learn that I’m going to end up earning more money? Quick tips, any weaknesses you have in your grooming, how to take care of your body more (scissoring or body positioning) to prolong your grooming life.

If you’re a grooming business owner, you can always learn more because the industry is always growing and changing. There have been so many advancements in the last 10 years. There’s always going to be a better, faster way of doing something. As a business owner, it helps you to know where to invest. If you’re going to invest that much in products, you’re going to want to try them. If you are struggling with customer service, or wondering why you just can’t get the right customers, if you feel like you want to grow with employees. For the business classes look up the speaker and make sure that you are in line with what they like. Don’t be afraid to go to things outside of the pet grooming industry. Before covid I used to go to at least 2-3 a year that are outside of the grooming industry, mostly because a lot of the grooming industry is behind business-wise. For example, offering 50% commission is not a pay scale, it is not sustainable. In the grooming industry we continue to fight about independent contractors versus W2 employees. We are very behind in a lot of things, and it’s honestly because most business owners in the grooming industry are not business owners, they’re groomers. Having a degree in business management and running a company with 200-300 people or a CEO is a lot different than running a company with 5 people. You’re going to be looking at tools and what you want to learn.

You might also be asking, “Should I pay to bring my employees?” And that’s a tough question.

It’s really hard to move up as a grooming employee. Most salons don’t have salon manager positions. The only way they move up is either by renegotiating at another salon for more pay, moving to a salon that makes more money because they charge more per dog, or opening up their own shop.

Right now, how is your employee’s performance? What is their attitude? Are they being kind? Are they grateful for the job they have? Are they appreciative of everything that you do?

You might say:

“Okay guys so if everyone earns X amount of points, or does this amount of work, or whatever the tier is, then I will pay for you to come to Hershey.”

“If you don’t hit these numbers I can’t take you.”

**added rift, put in searchie, add later

People don’t stay in jobs often. People want more. Just be happy you were part of their journey.

If you’re going to grow yourself or your business, or bond closer with your employees, I think it’s a great investment. Trade shows are good for networking, trying out products, and taking classes.

I think that once a year you should set aside a certain amount of money to go and add to your education.

You could also do a trade show every other year, and in those off years do an online course. You could have a speaker come to you or you could have someone come to do a demo.

If you’re feeling burnt out, going to a trade show will help you with your burn out, because you’re going to be around the buzz and excitement. Enjoying the time with other groomers is really going to uplift you.

If you guys are interested in learning more about the Pay Masterclass, be sure to visit me at savvygroomer.com/pgmc. This is a 6 module masterclass where we teach you how to create a pay structure that actually works. We'll show you how to calculate sustainable pay structures, set up your back end to legally pay employees, and create bonuses and benefits to keep those employees.

Thank you all so much for listening to this podcast, Trade Shows; A Wise Investment. Be sure to visit me at SavvyGroomer.com to see my current opportunities to work with me in growing your pet grooming business plus more free resources for you to learn. See you in our community on Facebook - Savvy Pet Professionals! As always, Happy Grooming

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This episode is sponsored by Personal Finance on a Leash, a 12 module masterclass where we teach you all about your personal finances.

So what is debt?

Debt is money that you don’t have and that you borrow from a bank, a friend, a credit card, or any kind of loan. It is money that you owe.

When you are thinking about debt, a lot of times people will say that debt is necessary, debt is a tool, etc.

Here’s what no one tells you: If your business fails and you’ve taken out debt, you still owe that money.

Did you know that statistically, over 50% of small businesses close within the first 5 years?

I’m not going to lie. I took out $10,000 on a credit card to open up a grooming salon. Now, I was very blessed because $10,000 is not a lot of money to take out for a grooming salon. Most salon buildouts are between $40,000 and $80,000, if that person doesn’t have a family member who’s a contractor, an electrician, etc.

So my salon was a very small buildout because my salon had already been a salon, which I was very grateful for.

I was very good at budgeting each month and was able to pay that off in about a year. For some quick math, that’s about $800 a month. That’s a lot of money to have to pay extra each month. With that same $800 a month, we could have eaten like kings and spent money on other things.

What could a business look like with less debt?

If I were to open up a business with zero debt, it’s a lot easier to balance bills and be able to pay myself. There are so many things that I could start saving that money for, instead of paying back that debt.

When I bought my grooming van, (most grooming vans are between $75,000 and $100,000) I didn’t have that kind of money laying around. So what did I do? I put down $20,000 and I paid off that van in less than 5 years. I’ve spent thousands of dollars in interest paying off that van. My van payment was about $1,500 a month. An extra $1,500 in my pocket each month is amazing now that I don’t have my van payment anymore.

If I save $1,500 a month for 6.5 years I could pay $100,000 for a new van. I would also get between $45,000 and $75,000 for my used van, so I could potentially get a new van within 3 years (also interest free!).

So there are ways that you can utilize debt in the beginning to get your business moving along and then you can move on.

Now, it’s incredibly difficult to sell salons because salons are designed with you in mind. You generally set up a salon based on your grooming preferences.

Most of the grooming vans are generic in the sense that you can set up everything that you want inside and then take everything down. That’s why vans are easier to sell and the person can take them wherever they want. There are less complications when selling your van vs. when you are selling a shop.

When you are using debt to open a business you are promising money to someone.

“Debt is like any other trap, easy enough to get into, but hard enough to get out of.” -Henry Wheeler Shaw

It’s really easy to have the best of intentions to open up a salon.

Realistically, the first 2-5 years of your business you’re going to be working 60-80 hours a week, so you’re going to be tired.

When you finally do hire a person, you’re going to realize how little they do compared to you. But that’s because you’re doing everything. You’re just hiring them to groom or bathe. It is such a commitment to open a business.

So when you open up a business, not only are you taking on all of this stuff, but you are promising money that you haven’t even earned yet. So you’re hoping to earn enough money to cover not just your bills, not just to put food on the table, but you’ve also promised to pay back this money with interest. Now, hopefully that interest is low, like 4% - but a lot of times it’s 8, 10, 15, 24 in some cases. Good luck paying that back. And when you do finally pay that back you’ve likely paid thousands of dollars in interest.

I also think of money in terms of time. So let’s say I value my time at $40 an hour, and I think about handling over a $20 bill. Is this worth half an hour of my time?

“Today, there are three kinds of people: the haves, the have-nots, and the have-not-paid-for-what-they-haves.” -Earl Wilson

It was very annoying to see the first $1,500 in my business not go to me or my bills, but go towards the van.

So when you open up your business and take out debt, you are promising time that you haven’t earned yet.

What if your life changes? If your life changes, you want to be able to get out. And these things are very hard to do when you have debt. Even if you sell the business or the van or salon, you are still responsible for the debt.

“Never spend your money before you have earned it.” -Thomas Jefferson

When you spend money that you don’t have, you don’t know what the future holds. You’re making promises that you hope you can keep. But what if you’re sick, your spouse is sick, you get bit and you can’t groom anymore? There are so many bad things that could potentially happen.

“Creditors have better memories than debtors.” -Benjamin Franklin

That’s the truth. I talk a lot about how to grow wealth. Wealth is a mindset. You have a plethora of abundance.

Debt is something you owe.

You need to have money to spend it.

There is always a lot of stress and pressure to make enough money, and to make more money in a month that you need to survive.

The last point that I want to make is that when you are in debt, you are a slave to the lender. It means that you are stuck.

For example, let’s say I borrow $10,000 from my grandfather. When I go to Thanksgiving, he’s going to critique every decision that I make. Let’s say I went on vacation to Disneyland with my son. He’s going to be like, “Well, where did you get the money for that?” And I’m going to be like, “Oh, I just saved up the money and went.” Then he’s going to say, “Well, you owe me $10,000. Where is that money? Why didn’t you pay me back first?” Borrowing from friends or family can be tricky like that.

If you can save up that money, save up that money. Another option is to start as a house call groomer. Start small, build clientele, purchase equipment slowly over time, and work to build a steady income.

As an employee, however, if you cannot get on a budget and get on a written monthly plan of your finances, then do not open up a grooming salon.

Because if you can’t make your money work now, what makes you think that with more responsibility and less time you will be better at this?

I want to encourage you to sign up for my masterclass - Personal Finance on a Leash. This will help you get your money under control. You will only be able to thrive financially, if you get on a written budget every month, intentionally pay off debt, intentionally save up money for emergencies as well as for retirement, and this masterclass will help you do just that. It is 12 modules long, and it will help you change your habits if you do the work.

Thank you all so much for reading these show notes for Should I Take Out Debt to Start a Business. Be sure to visit me at SavvyGroomer.com to see my current opportunities to work with me in growing your pet grooming business plus more free resources for you to learn. See you in our community on Facebook - Savvy Pet Professionals! As always, Happy Grooming

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This episode is sponsored by Personal Finance on a Leash, a 12 module masterclass where we teach you all about your personal finances.

Today I’ll be talking to employees.

Did you seek employment at a place you can afford to work at?

How much money do you have to make in order to survive, live, and thrive? Do you know how much that is? Depending on your lifestyle, ask yourself, “How much money do I need to survive and just pay the bills?” “How much money do I need to live where I have enough money to surviive and enough to be comfortable?” Whether that’s little creature comforts like Netflix, little things that make you happy, and you’re not living like a monk or in a cave. And then thrive is putting money towards retirement or having the correct types of insurance. These are both things which we should be doing anyway, but a lot of times we just cannot afford a lot of those extra luxuries that come with being in thrive. So knowing where you are in your financial stance will help you begin there, and then knowing how much money you need to earn in order to do that will help get you further along.

For example, let’s say that you know in fact that you need $2,000 a month to survive, but you are actually making $5,000. Perfect, you are making enough to be in live and almost enough to be in thrive.

If you have enough money, then why aren’t you saving?

Do you have a written budget?

A budget is not about withholding money, a budget is all about giving your money direction. I generally use the example of an appointment book. If we just had customers come and go as they pleased, and they just showed up whenever they wanted to, and they just picked up whenever they wanted to, our lives would be in chaos. Maybe you know you make enough money and you have a written budget, but you still can’t save.

Do you keep track of your expenses?

And this would be like if you had an appointment book and you had what everyone’s appointment should be, but you’re not actually paying attention to what’s coming and going.

I use an app called Every Dollar. You can either input it directly or link it to your bank account.

Now, what if you still have money after creating a budget and tracking your expenses? Well, there should not be money left over. That money needs a place to go. When you’re doing a zero-based budget, you have to actually allocate money and write a category for savings. If you’re on a written budget and you’re allocating money, and you’ve written let’s say $500 a month for savings, but it’s not there, then something’s going on.

There could be drama going on in your life. There could be family trouble or something else going on.

But if you say that you’re going to put away $500 this month, and you spend it on popsicles you have no one to blame but yourself.

Now if you have a chronically sick pet, if you have a family member who’s asking you for money, those are things that you’re going to have to make lifestyle choices about. That’s tough. It’s tough to make lifestyle choices. You’re going to have to cut something.

Now let’s say you’re not making enough money.

Have you considered a second job?

Can you work more hours at another shop? Can you do one or two more dogs per week? Another option is to start your own little side business.

Have you considered selling some of your things?

Go in your grooming drawers and see what you have. I promise that you have way too many scissors, you have way too many blades, so you can sell one. Is it going to get you as much as you paid for it? Never, but that’s okay. If you need another one down the road when you’re more financially stable, it’s okay, you’ll have the money later. Don’t worry about it. Same goes for things to sell around the house.

Have you asked for a raise?

This is where I really prefer for people to have hourly rather than commission. They’re not going to increase their prices for you as an employee. That’s not going to happen.

You could always say to your boss, “Hey, I really can’t afford to take commission on a $25 lab bath, when I have to turn away $65 Yorkies or Shih Tzus. At my skill set and my level, I would really like to focus on doing that.” They may say no, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.

Do you need a lifestyle change?

What are you spending your money on? Go through your budget. What can you cut? Don’t pick things that you genuinely enjoy, that make you happy, or that make you a better worker, because if you cut those things out, then it’s going to make it really hard for you. Eventually you’re going to feel weary from grooming, you’re going to feel burnt out, because you sucked all the joy out of your life.

What is it that’s stopping you from saving? Is it your habits? Have you considered an automatic withdrawal? As an employee, it’s easier for you to have a certain amount of money from each paycheck go into a certain account.

A lot of it comes down to overspending too.

Do you have debts to pay?

What are you in debt for? Debt is you’ve already spent the money and now you’re working to pay it off. Savings is you’re going to work and you’re going to have the money. They’re just opposite ends.

If you guys are interested in learning more about Personal Finance on a Leash, be sure to visit me at savvygroomer.com/enroll. This is a 12 module masterclass where we teach you how to get on a personal budget, learn how to work with your money, and change your relationship with your money.

Thank you all so much for reading these show notes for How do I Save Money when I’m Struggling? Be sure to visit me at SavvyGroomer.com to see my current opportunities to work with me in growing your pet grooming business plus more free resources for you to learn. See you in our community on Facebook - Savvy Pet Professionals! As always, Happy Grooming

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5 Signs you’re Secretly Afraid of Wealth

I thought it would be a great idea to talk about all the things I’ve learned that are actually subliminal ways of showing you that you’re afraid of wealth or have a negative association towards money.

1. You justify every purchase to everyone.

For example, let’s say that someone complimented my shoes. I would say that I got them on sale, even if I didn’t. A way to practice being vibrationally in tune with wealth is simply to say thank you. If they want to know where you got them, they’ll ask.

What you’re feeling in that moment when you think you have to justify your purchase is guilt or embarrassment, which doesn’t make any sense; they’re just complimenting what you’re wearing. You’ve somehow associated those feelings with that item.

So if you’ve bought something and you’ve earned that money, or you were given a beautiful gift, be happy. Be grateful for something you’ve earned or received. Better yet, choose to compliment others. That is a sign of a secure person who feels comfortable in the purchase they made and allows you to open this practice to others.

2.You mention that something is “outrageously expensive.”

What’s interesting is that the more wealthy you become, it doesn’t become directly proportional to how much money things are.

What happens is you realize that the value of things may or may not be evident to you.

Let’s take a look at art for instance. We may say something like, “It’s insane they paid a million dollars for that.” But the intrinsic value can be totally different than what you view it is. It’s completely subjective. Just having a lot of money doesn’t make you wealthy. Wealthy is also a mindset, just as broke can also be a mindset.

So when you say things are “outrageously expensive” or “that’s a rip off” you are assuming things that you may or may not know. The truth is that when we think something is too expensive, we don’t see the value or we simply don’t value those things. Your decision on what is valuable is completely up to you.

3. Describing rich people as bad people.

Stop describing rich people as greedy or bad people in general.

Stu McLaren, an online entrepreneur and multimillionaire, raises literally millions of dollars every year to build schools in Africa. It is based on his love for teaching online, which he wanted to give back in the real world. What it proved to me is that being wealthy isn’t about retaining money, it’s about giving to others. It’s about charity. It's so important to give back.

There are always going to be bad people, and they may have lots of money or they may have no money.

Let’s have groomers that own shops and employ people and set the standards. How awesome would that be?

4. Feeling uncomfortable around anything/anyone fancy.

If you went to a crappy motel, you might feel uncomfortable because it’s dirty or outdated, and you may just settle for it. If you went to a 5-star hotel, you may feel out of place or like it’s too fancy. You may feel like you’re a weird fixture, like you’re peeking into somebody else’s world. And that’s either because you feel like you don’t belong there, like you don’t deserve to be there. These are all weird guilt things that we all just deal with.

A lot of times you are dealing with limiting financial beliefs. “I have to work hard for my money” is a toxic and limiting belief because what if I just got money? What if I worked really hard for 10 years and I took all of that knowledge and then I made money really easily? When you have a blue-collar mindset and you think that money is coming too easily, often that mindset can become self-destructive.

If you want to feel wealthy, try on a really nice dress. Try on those thousand dollar pair of shoes and walk around the store to see how it feels. Go ahead and sit in a car that is way above your pay grade. Keep doing things like this until you start to feel like it’s no big deal. Because once it becomes no big deal, your vibration is going to be different.

You’re creating a false narrative that you aren’t good enough, you don’t feel like you belong, and that’s crazy because the universe wants to give to you. You deserve to make money - you work hard. Even if you don’t physically work hard, you have earned your place. You have done enough things to deserve to be here, so you get to enjoy the things you have. You have to feel comfortable in order to enjoy them.

5. You set a limit on your savings and/or earnings.

Once your savings account gets to a certain amount, you have an uncontrollable urge to spend it. Or once you start to earn a certain amount of money, you either let off the gas or you find yourself unable to earn even more.

At these conferences that I’ve gone to, I have heard so many people say that they’ve been making six figures, and then want to earn seven, and they don’t know why they can’t.

If I said to you, “You’re going to make one million dollars this year.” How does that make you feel in your heart? And not what do you think, but how do you feel?

I learned this from Tony Robbins. Every time you say this, go ahead and stop yourself, break the habit.

The format is: “I tell myself x. That’s bullshit, the truth is y.”

For example: People are making more money than I ever will. That’s bullshit, the truth is I can make as much money as I want as long as I’m willing to put the work in.

I tell myself that buying things that cost a lot is bad. That’s bullshit, the truth is that I earned that money and I deserve to enjoy the things that I have.

I tell myself that purchasing fine art photography is outrageously expensive. That’s bullshit, I am not in a place in my life where I can appreciate their skillset and their art.

I tell myself I don’t belong around these people, they’re not my people. That’s bullshit, they’re people just like me, they’re just in nicer clothes.

I tell myself if I have over $10,000 in my bank account, then I need to spend it. That’s bullshit, the truth is I need a savings/emergency fund that’s 3-6 months worth of expenses as an employee, and 6 months-1 year if I’m a business owner.

Thank you all so much for reading this blog, 5 Signs you’re secretly afraid of wealth. Be sure to visit me at SavvyGroomer.com to see my current opportunities to work with me in growing your pet grooming business plus more free resources for you to learn. See you in our community on Facebook - Savvy Pet Professionals (Facebook.com/groups/savvygroomer)! As always, Happy Grooming

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Why do I Keep Attracting the Wrong Clients?

Are your ideal clients in your area?

So, if you want wealthy clients, are they in your area? Now, for some of you, they’re not in your immediate area but they’re within a short drive. A short drive is always relative to where you live. If you live somewhere near those clients, they’ll come to you if they know where you are.

If you do have wealthy areas, you have to make sure that you’re actually communicating to those wealthy areas that you are available. If they don’t know you’re there, then they can’t use you.

Are you providing the appropriate level of service?

Maybe you’re really happy being Dunkin’ Donuts, maybe you’re really happy being McDonald’s. There are grooming salons that are really good at being the Walmart of the grooming industry.

The more high end the client, the more needy they are, which is incredibly frustrating sometimes. You don’t have to offer high-end. When I talk about high-end stuff, it’s honestly because there are so few groomers doing high-end well.

Do you act high end to your ideal client?

Do you look high end? What does that mean?

If I walk into your salon, are things clean and do they smell clean? Your salon should not smell like dirty, wet dog, because it’s disgusting and generally speaking, it’s a really big turn off to high end clients. I know sometimes there really is nothing that you can do.

In my grooming salon, we used to have the whole salon smell like cookies. We either used South Bark Blueberry facial - it’s like blueberry and clove. Or we used a sugar cookie fragrance. People would walk in and go, “Wow, it smells delicious in here!” That immediately created trust and it immediately put us in a different category business-wise.

Do you and your employees have a professional appearance?

Having wet, furry jeans is not attractive. Wearing a T-shirt covered in dog hair is not attractive.

To that high-end client, we may immediately go from someone who is a professional to someone who is not an authority figure; and that’s a big problem if you want someone to trust you enough to spend a lot of money on your service.

There are lots of companies that make really professional-looking smocks. I would personally suggest picking a smock color that makes sense with your branding. If your brand color is green, wearing a teal or a pink top doesn’t really make sense. However, if you are mainly green and you want to wear brown, that makes sense. Don’t go crazy with your colors. For example, I would do a teal top and black pants. Because too much of one color is just a bit much. Don’t pick colors that look unflattering to you. In a perfect world, you and your employees would at least wear complementary things.

Is your branding considered vulgar or too cutesy in a way that people can’t take you seriously?

If I am a high-end client, Doggy Style is gross. It’s a sex position, it’s not the name of a grooming salon. It’s clever, but not in a professional way. Now with cat grooming, you can probably imagine that there are some names like The Wet Pussy or The Shaved Pussy - that is not appropriate branding. Nobody wants to say, “I’m dropping my cat off at The Wet Pussy.” Some people think it’s funny, but is that your ideal client? Is your ideal client someone who has no problem with being vulgar?

On the flipside, sometimes names are just way too silly. I don’t want to call anyone out specifically, but we all know the names. It’s like Princess’s Perfect Puppy. What adult professional woman would be like, “Yeah, I bring my dog to Princess’s Perfect Puppy.” Can you imagine their conversation with a colleague? These cutesy names are hard to find, hard to spell, and they’re not really clear. Being clever is fun, but being clear is more important.

Is your website clear?

You don’t want to have a giant wall of text that no one is ever going to read. A lot of times I find that the information is not up to date. I can’t figure out where you are. If I have to search for that, that’s a problem. Where’s your phone number? There’s no clear-cut way of contacting this company at all.

I owned a business called Shear Bliss, “Shear” like scissors. My clients consistently put in sheer like s- h- e- e- r, and they would write checks to that. It just got crazy and I had to simplify that because clients were confused. Confused clients don’t buy. Also, confused clients aren’t completely on board and confident in your branding.

So look through your website and really say, “If I had no idea who you are, could I get an appointment? Why would I pick you? Is this clear and concise?”

Review your logo. I don’t recommend having a logo that looks like it’s a Disney character. Even if they’re well done, I don’t know many high-end people that are attracted to overly cartoon-y logos. If I look at high-end companies, their logos are simple, clean, and easy to understand.

My business name was clear enough that people would know what I do, without having to have a picture of a pet in my logo. If, without a picture of a pet, people don’t have any idea what you do, then that’s a problem.

Do you look high end to your ideal client?

Do I appeal to my ICA (ideal client avatar)? You should know your ideal client inside and out.

For example, my clients appreciated the fact that I was just very straightforward,an “it is what it is” type of person. Maybe your clients want a little bit more kindness and to take it easy.

Do your policies reflect your ideal client?

People who are more high end, tend to be more high maintenance. You’re going to have to create policies that cater to these clients. If you ran a Walmart-style business, you wouldn’t tell everyone they have to come in monthly. It doesn't make sense. These clients are more likely to come in irregularly - that’s every 4, 6, or 12 month clients. They’re not regular monthly clients. The reality is that people shopping for a bargain, or being a little bit cheaper, generally are not going to stay on a consistent basis.

Whereas with high end, it’s really easy to create that monthly grooming appointment policy, because you’re already creating a situation where you’re creating exclusivity and a higher price point, so your policies are going to reflect that.

If you have a Starbucks-style business, you may want to make sure that your policies are clear cut, but have a little bit more understanding. Personally, I find it very difficult to pick up my dog within 30 minutes of a phone call, because I’m busy. I can’t drop my dog off anywhere for between 2 and 4 hours and then only have 30 minutes to pick up my dog. You can’t give me a two hour window and then expect me to drop everything and drive back. Why? Because I’m generally doing something, I’m either working on a call, I’m getting lunch, or whatever it is. It’s really difficult for higher end clients. Giving a client a more reasonable window is more realistic. Or not charging somebody if they drop the dog off and can’t get back within 30 minutes. Make sure your policies reflect that person’s mindset.

You also want to make sure - are you treating that client like a number or like a person? If you want a high-end business, you have to treat people like they’re important. They’re willing to put their money down because they want to feel important. They want to feel like they are heard. They want to know that what they are doing is going to be taken care of.

Thank you all so much for reading this blog, Why do I Keep Attracting the Wrong Clients? Be sure to visit me at SavvyGroomer.com to see my current opportunities to work with me in growing your pet grooming business plus more free resources for you to learn. See you in our community on Facebook - Savvy Pet Professionals (Facebook.com/groups/savvygroomer)! As always, Happy Grooming

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Today’s episode is sponsored by the Price Increase Masterclass, a 6 module masterclass where we teach you all about increasing your prices

What do you say when clients ask for a discount? Everyone has different business models and different ways of going about their business. There are things that you like to do that I might hate and vice versa. You have to do what’s best for your business and don’t let anyone tell you what’s best for your business unless they're your business coach.

So my answer when someone asks for a discount is that I ask them, “Why”. It’s an opportunity to educate them and consider their feelings. A lot of times they simply don’t understand what we do and why we charge what we do.

I’ve heard in a lot of grooming groups that people think it’s rude for clients to ask for a discount and that no one should do that. So let’s think about why someone might ask for a discount for a moment.

What are some potential answers they’re going to give me?

They may ask if you offer multi-pet discounts.

They’re probably going to ask, “Do you do multiple pets?” Now this may be somebody who’s considering getting another dog or maybe even two puppies. That’s up to you if you want to offer a multi-pet discount. You may end up saying, “It takes the same amount of time to groom four dogs no matter if they’re in the same household or not.” That is the case for the salon. In a mobile, it would take a lot less drive time if you were to groom the 4 pets at a single household.

It’s up to you to educate them in a polite manner.

Clients just want to know what discounts you offer.

As someone who spends an obscene amount of money at Starbucks, I asked them if there were any discounts, and there was. I wouldn’t have known unless they told me about it or I asked about it.

Did you know that Tiffany’s offers a discount on engagement rings to military personnel? My ex husband is a Navy veteran and he would ask all the time, “Do you offer a military discount?” We would always be surprised at how many places were so generous to help out veterans and we really appreciate that. I think we saved about 10-20% on my engagement ring.

Now you’re probably not going to get a discount at Nordstrom, but they created a whole other business, Nordstrom Rack, for those who are more discount shoppers. So you may say to Nordstrom, “Do you have any sales? Or do you offer discounts?” They may say, “At this store we don’t, however, we have an outlet.”

It’s not rude to ask for a discount. Asking for discounts is very common, especially in America, but even more so in other cultures. If you think that asking for discounts is rude, then on the flipside, do you think that offering upsells is rude? You’re essentially saying, “That price you’re willing to pay, are you willing to pay more?”

If you don’t want to discount your services, you absolutely do not have to. Please do not think that on any level that I am suggesting that you should. What I’m saying is that when your client is asking, consider what their motivation is.

Another reason may be that they’re thinking about coming in more often.

They may want to increase their frequency, but they’re not really sure if it’s a wise thing to do. A lot of that comes down to them not understanding what we do. For example, if I had someone ask me, “Hey, if I come for a haircut every 4 weeks, and then I do a bath every two weeks, is there a discount?” That’s a great question and it depends on your business model.

If you don’t and a client says, “That’s stupid.” You could say, “You know, I totally respect that but due to the time, care and attention that your pet needs to receive, I cannot lower my prices.” If they continue, say, “Thank you so much. That’s just not something I’m willing to work with right now.”

They may say that they’re willing to do a part of the grooming beforehand.

They may ask, “Hey, if I bathe my own dog can I get a discount?” I would say, “I really appreciate the thought, however, it’s really hard to get a professional blowout on your dog at home. And if it’s not properly blown out, I won’t be able to give a good haircut. I don’t want you to get a subpar haircut.” They typically don’t have a $600 high velocity dryer at home, or the patience or the set up to sit there and blow that hair out so that it’s ready to be cut. Without the proper prep work, a bad haircut could reflect poorly on your reputation.

By giving them that education, you’re going to be the go to authority.

Even high-end clients are going to ask for discounts, and don’t take it personally.

If you guys are interested in learning more about the Price Increase Masterclass, be sure to visit me at savvygroomer.com/pimc. This is a 6 module masterclass where we teach you how to formulate and implement your price increase so you can finally make money and grow your business.

Thank you all so much for listening to this podcast, Why do customers ask for discounts. Be sure to visit me at SavvyGroomer.com to see my current opportunities to work with me in growing your pet grooming business plus more free resources for you to learn. See you in our free community on Facebook - Savvy Pet Professionals (Facebook.com/groups/savvygroomer)! As always, Happy Grooming

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Today’s episode is sponsored by the Membership Model Masterclass, a 6 module masterclass where we teach you all about creating and implementing a membership.

I want to start by talking about the different niches that you can go into, and they’re not always mobile or feline-exclusive. You can also do one-on-one, which is one pet start to finish at a time. You can do housecall, which means going into someone’s home to groom their pets. You may also have high-end grooming. By high-end grooming, I mean you have a skillset whether that’s handstripping, scissor cuts, proper poodle patterns, etc.

Mobile Grooming

Let’s talk about the price difference. So when you’re doing mobile, you know that you’re pretty much going to be grooming every pet start to finish. Most mobiles are cage free - they do not have kennel banks. They’re generally not kennel drying.

That client is not getting just a groom, they’re also getting one on one attention, they don’t have to leave their driveway, they’re pet is cage free, so they're going to have to pay me more.

So since I’m mobile, I’m going to be grooming less clients, which means I have less clients, which means I have to charge more.

When I had my grooming salon, I would charge an average Shih Tzu getting a 5F all over $55. Anything more than that would be $65 and even up to $75.

When I went mobile, I started my dog prices at $79. That was for the first hour. Being mobile, I had to charge $20 more at least, realistically. This is because I am going to be grooming less pets.

Housecall

You have to carry everything you want into someone’s home, and use whatever they have in order to groom. That’s incredibly difficult.

The truth is that you have to charge even more sometimes because a van is designed to be clean and just work. So if you are going into someone’s home, you might be using their sink, on their floor, bent over the tub. You might have to clean their entire bathroom because there’s pet hair everywhere. You have to do more work, therefore, you need to charge more.

Not only does the owner not even have to get out of the house, they don’t even have to go out at all, they don’t have to bring their pet to the driveway. A lot of housecall groomers allow the owner to watch. I mean, that’s a nice thing to have if you’re that kind of owner. This is great for your geriatric pets, or those who have car ride issues. This is also great for dogs who may be neurotic and they’ll do better at home.

Feline Exclusivity

This means only grooming cats.

So in my mobile I was charging dogs $79 for the first hour and then $1 a minute after that, based on 15 minute increments, so realistically $80-$102. Now for cats I started at $100 and the most expensive, except for rare cases, was $165.

I had cats who got baths, cats who got comb cuts which is similar to a 5F on a dog, and lion cuts which is where the cat is shaved strategically, kind of like a lion. Now these limited services are great for me, and it’s great for marketing. It’s great for not confusing my clients.

I was also a Certified Feline Master Groomer, so I was able to charge more for my skillset, as well as being mobile. The more niches you have, the more you can charge. Because of this I was able to go from an average ticket of $90 to $125.

One-On-One Grooming

This is a specialized service. This is because some shops have everyone drop off in the morning and then everyone is done by the end of the day. Other shops have appointments cycling through all day. Some places take 2 hours, some take 4 hours.

So with a client that doesn’t want their dog in a “cage”, or a client that doesn’t want their pet for more than an hour to two hours, would appreciate this specialized service.

If you are checking in and out, cleaning and sanitizing, it’ll probably take you about an hour to groom a Shih Tzu getting a 5F.

So in an eight hour shift, at best, you’re going to be able to get eight dogs done. But realistically, you’re going to get done between 5 and 6, because not every dog is going to be cookie-cutter, not every client is going to be picking up right away. There’s always going to be these little bits of overlap.

With that said, you have to charge more. I would even suggest having a deposit of the groom price the very first time they come in. So if you’re charging $79, I would have a deposit of $79. This is because if they don’t show up you still get paid. If they don’t show up you didn’t get paid and you won’t be able to call somebody to come before your next dog comes in.

Now for a regular client, you could have a $20 deposit, whatever you want to make your cancellation policy ultimately.

Cage-Free Grooming

I mean dogs running around like in daycare. I think this works great in theory. I do also think it’s an incredible amount of liability.

If you want to offer cage-free grooming, that is a great way to sell your services. You can market that their pet isn’t in a cage all day. People, for some reason, can put their dog in a crate all day at home, but then when you put a dog in a crate at a grooming salon it’s suddenly torture.

Now what else would those people want to see? They’d probably want to see their dog playing, so you can create marketing for that.

You can definitely charge more for this service because generally those dogs are going to be there all day playing in daycare. By the time they get home they’re going to be exhausted and happy.

The more niched down you get, the more specific of a client you are going to get, and that client will pay more. Realistically, you can add $20-$30 more than your typical groom.

Grooming from Home

If you have a house in a place that you can legally have a grooming salon in your house.

So you have to think about who the client is that wants their pet to go into someone’s home that contains a grooming salon area. So who is this client and why will they pay more? This client will pay more money simply because they feel like your home is more cozy, you’re going to take better care of their animal, perhaps the owner can stay, etc.

That client is more than happy to pay double, if not triple sometimes, to be able to stay there with their pet while they don’t have to worry about hair being all over their house.

If you guys are interested in learning more about the Membership Model Masterclass, be sure to visit me at savvygroomer.com/mm. This is a 6 module masterclass where we teach you how to create and implement your membership model, including knowing your clientele, perfecting your pricing, and handling client reactions.

We also offer a free membership model workshop where you can decide if a membership model is right for you and your business. You can access this by visiting savvygroomer.com/mw. Thank you all so much for listening to this podcast, Riches are in the niches.

Be sure to visit me at SavvyGroomer.com to see my current opportunities to work with me in growing your pet grooming business plus more free resources for you to learn. See you in our free community on Facebook - Savvy Pet Professionals (facebook.com/groups/savvygroomer)! As always, Happy Grooming

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Listen to your market

If there’s one thing that holds promising entrepreneurs back from launching their grooming

business, it’s this: a lack of confidence in their skills- beyond grooming. Sure, you think that you can make more grooming for yourself, but how do you know if people will walk in the door?

Imagine spending weeks, months, even years of time—plus the cost of a salon build out (or grooming van), marketing materials, grooming supplies and all the other pieces that go along with it—only to discover it’s not what your soul mate client wants or needs. How frustrating would that be?

You don’t have to leave it to chance, though. There are plenty of ways to test your idea

before spending the time, energy and money going out on your own.

Ask, and Listen

This is the simplest way to get a feel for what your market needs and wants. Simply ask them in casual conversation. Depending on where you work and who you work for this may be difficult… Don’t do this if you don’t have permission to!

Do this in a respectful way or make sure that you are asking questions that are cumulative over time.
For best results, keep it short, but do ask:

Why they chose this salon (location, reputation, atmosphere, etc.)
Their preferred way of being contacted
Do they prefer to be texted? Do they prefer emails? Do they prefer to have one on one conversations in person? How do they like to be communicated with?
Do they feel they receive good value for money
Now this is a loaded question because most people that are getting a service do feel like they’re getting a value. So another question could always be: How could we have added more value? Or what is your perceived value? Now that may not come up in a natural conversation. That may be an awkward thing to ask. You could ask: What do you value? What do you think is the most valuable part of the service that you’re currently getting?

These three pieces will give you insights of your soul mate client.

Unfulfilled Requests

If you have a community (or are part of one) of ideal clients, pay attention to what

they’re asking about the most. These are the things the market is searching for. For example, if you’re a groomer who enjoys grooming cats and your salon gets calls all day long for cat grooming, clearly there is a need for a cat groomer in that area.

The same thing goes for Doodles. If you’re getting calls all day for Doodles, ask yourself: Do you want to specialize in Doodles? Now, for some of us, that’s not something we want to do. Maybe you’re like, even though there’s a market for it, there’s lots of people calling for cat grooming and doodle grooming but I don’t want that to be what I do. So make sure that these unfulfilled requests are also in line with what makes you happy. Don’t just pick something because there’s a need for it. Pick something that you value and there’s a need for it.

Study Your Competition

Hopefully you have a list of competitors and you’re following them on facebook, and paying attention to their salon’s reviews. Or their Instagram. This is a great way to gain insight into what they’re doing—not to copy them, but to discover what’s working and what’s not. Learn what they may like to do and what they seem to avoid.

Consider reaching out to them. Again, you should never copy them, but you may want to create potential professional relationships. Always attempt to have a community over competition mindset, rarely are groomers competing over the same clients... Encouraging clients to stick with one groomer is easier when everyone knows everyone and everyone is on friendly terms.

And I understand not everyone is going to be willing to be your friend. I understand not everyone is going to be willing to reach out and create that. But it’s nice if you’re the first person. You can always leave that lifeline open in case they ever change their mind. There are a lot of old school groomers who are afraid to share and the more we create this community the better it’s going to be. The other thing I want to notice is, is your competition fulfilling those unfulfilled requests? Or do you notice that they’re getting a lot of bad reviews from those requests that you’re noticing? For instance, again, if you have cat grooming or if you’re interested in cat grooming and you’re noticing that your competition/community is getting a lot of negative reviews for their cat grooming. This may be an even bigger indicator that you could fulfill that request for your community.

Of course, take that with a grain of salt because, as we know, there are certain clientele that are far more likely to leave negative Yelp reviews. So take that with a grain of salt.

Set the Bar on “Minimum” Services

Creating services in a vacuum is a great way to waste a lot of time and money on services that don’t actually make money. Instead, pay attention to what your market is asking for, find

out what they’re willing to pay, and break down per hour what you need to charge. If you need to charge $50/hour to run your shop but you charge $10 for a 15 minute nail trim it’s time to charge more or stop offering these standalone services. The same goes for large breed dogs who aren’t being charged the same hourly rate as small dogs. If a shih tzu takes me 1 hour and is charged $50, it’s good to charge a minimum of $100 for a husky de-shed that takes 2 hours.

You may say, like, okay, those are comparable. But we’re not taking into account the extra effort, the extra cleanup, the possible need for having a second person for a larger dog. This is also where we like to teach the point system. Because straight hourly is not an effective way for you to go ahead and charge all of these things. It’s going to be really important for you to go ahead and make sure that you are charging based upon the time, care and attention each pet requires.

The information you gain from these activities alone will give you incredible insight

into your market and what you need and what they want, before you consider going out on your own!

That said, if you are currently in business, and you don’t have a ton of soulmate clients, or if you’re on the journey of doing that - you are on the journey of finding your soulmate clients. Ask your current clients these questions. Go ahead and ask them why they choose your salon, you can always send this out as an email survey. Ask them to rank them potentially from a scale of 1-5, what is the most important thing: location, reputation, atmosphere, style of grooming, or price. Price is really important too. Because if all of your clients are picking you because of your pricing, I hate to say it this way, but you’re doing it wrong. And that is the worst case scenario. If the only reason people choose you is because of your price, that leads itself to a problem when you have to eventually increase your prices. Because everyone has to raise their prices between inflation, real estate prices going up. It costs more money to live.

You might ask them what is their preferred way to be contacted. If you find out that most of your clientele prefer to have a phone call and your goal is to really streamline your business and take that pressure off of you, you may not have your soulmate clients. And again, ask them, what they really value or what they feel like is the best value that they get from your business. If it’s just the haircut, then you want to consider am I pricing appropriately for the haircut I’m giving. And I don’t believe, The Savvy Groomer as a whole, does not believe that a better haircut is the way we make the most money. I think it’s honestly, for better or worse, is one of the last things that clients want. Of course they want an adequate haircut. But if your clients want the best haircut that’s a very vain client and most of us don’t have the emotional energy to train our new groomers to get our groomers to the same level if we have a particular style or a particular skillset. Something that could have taken us 10 years, now we’ve got to train somebody to also have that same level of skill, or hire somebody with that same level of skill.

Start paying attention to unfulfilled requests in your shop. Or things that you’re being called for. Maybe start tracking what people are calling for. Are they calling for last minute appointments? Are they calling for Saturday appointments? What are these things that they’re calling for, that either you can’t accommodate right now, but you’re noticing an increase of?

Of course, look at your local community, and reach out to them. Ask them, what do you love to do? What do you specialize in? It might be something you don’t like doing. If you don’t like grooming cats and don’t like grooming doodles, find somebody who will take them. And on the flipside, maybe you don’t like doing shih tzus and yorkies. Maybe they don’t like doing Cocker Spaniels. I had this one groomer that loved grooming cocker spaniels, and she loved grooming Goldens. Or maybe you love grooming Wheatens. You’d rather groom a Wheaten than a doodle. Creating this community is going to allow you to do this. Also if you had to consider increasing your prices on things like those doodles, it may be a great time to call them and say, Hey, I’m going to be doubling or tripling my prices of doodles, just so you know you’re going to get a call from a lot of them. This is my current price. And you’re going to allow them to make their own decisions. But if they’re currently charging $80 to $100 for a doodle, and you’re going to be charging $200 minimum. Maybe they won’t go all the way up to $200 but they may consider going up to $150. And, again, that’s up to them to what they choose to do.

And setting these minimum services. Look through your services and ask yourself, am I really making any money? I really discourage walk in services. I don’t think that they’re good for our industry. I don’t think that most of us have the staff to accommodate these things. We used to have more groomers that would consider working for us. It’s getting harder and harder to find people that are competent and able to do these services, things like being available to do a walk in nail trim. Well, that means that I have to have a bather on staff who is not bathing and otherwise not preoccupied and otherwise not fully booked. You can do same day appointments if you want to have that availability. But really consider getting rid of those walk in services. And really ask yourself if these cheaper services really do an overall good, if they’re going to attract your soulmate client. I find that a lot of these services, like walk in nail trims, or these standalone face, feet, sannies, brush out services, they’re actually encouraging the opposite of your soulmate client. If your soulmate client wants a bath, blow dry, and a groom, every 4 weeks, why would they need a walk in or a standalone nail clip. If they’re getting groomed every 4 weeks, why would they need a brush out service? For better or worse, you guys know my feelings on face, feet, sannies. I think we are talking them out of getting an all over haircut. If you are getting a haircut service and you are using a groomer, I can’t give you a discount on my groomer’s services. Why? Because I’m taking money out of my pocket and their pocket and doing basically all of the same work, to save a customer a little bit of money. It’s just not good for groomer morale and it makes us work harder than we really need to.

So consider all of these things if you are considering opening a business or if you currently own a business. Consider what are the best options for your market and what is your market trying to tell you and in retrospect what are you listening to. Stop paying attention to these fling clients. Start listening to what your soulmate clients want and start speaking back to them in a language that they will understand.

If you’re interested in learning more about how to increase your prices and be able to find those soulmate clients, and charge what you’re worth, consider purchasing my Price Increase Masterclass. Go to savvygroomer.com/pimc. That’s going to allow you to check out what we’re currently offering and we would love to see you there.

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Build a Business, Not a Job

Many people dream of working for themselves, being their own boss. They’d have the freedom to only take on the pets they love while turning away the clients that frustrate them.

What they don’t realize, though, is that there is a huge difference between building a business and being self-employed.

Business owners scale their income. Self-employed people trade dollars for hours.

Business owners leverage the skills and talents of others. Self-employed people rely only on their own skills.

Discouraged yet? Don’t be. Every business owner started out self-employed. It’s a very personal choice if you want to continue to stay there. These tips will help you build a sustainable business instead of just another job.

Don’t Try to Do It All Yourself

Building a sustainable business requires that you leverage the talents and time of others. While it might seem cost-effective to simply do everything yourself—especially in the start-up phase when you likely have more time than money—it’s a path to burnout and stress.

Instead, separate your tasks into those that you love and are especially suited for (such as marketing or customer service) and those you dislike and aren’t good at. (like cleaning kennels or book keeping) Then make a solid plan to get those that you aren’t good at off your list of things to do. If you feel like you can’t afford to outsource it all right now, start with what you tend to procrastinate the most on, even if it’s just a few hours each month.

Don’t Allow Yourself to Work All the Time

The trouble with working for yourself is that you live to work since there’s always work to do, it’s easy to find yourself working every available moment—often to the detriment of your family relationships.

You can help avoid this by:

Setting—and maintaining—clear work hours
Having “groomer” hours vs “office” or “manager” hours
Scheduling time for family and other activities
Taking time for yourself, and not making excuses why you can’t get any YOU time.

Vacations and Downtime Are Important

Don’t create a business that requires you to be “at the shop” every day. At the start, you may need to be available more, but you should definitely be planning for the day when you can be “off the grid” for extended periods of time.

Have trusted employees or possibly a manager who can handle things when you’re not available. Leverage automation tools and systems that don’t require a person to be there. Create repeatable systems so you’re not always re-inventing the wheel While you might not be able to hit the road with no internet access for weeks at a time, at the very least you should be able to reduce your workload to a daily check-in.

Sound impossible? It’s not. With some forethought and planning, you can create a team—and the systems they need—to successfully run your business without becoming overwhelmed and overworked.

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Too Many Clients, Too Little Time

Prospective clients are knocking down your door to get appointments and your phone is ringing off the hook with new business inquiries — congrats! While it might be stressful and confusing, having too many prospective clients and not enough time to take them on can be a good problem for a few reasons.

But you don’t want to let this problem go on for too long! If you don’t seize this opportunity appropriately, you could be turning away soulmate clients and missing opportunities to form new business relationships. So, how do you deal with this problem?

There are a few things to consider, so let’s break it down.

Assess what type of clients you have

The first thing to ask is, who are your soulmate clients? How many soulmate clients do you have?

If you don’t already know, I like to use a framework that puts clients into three categories:

Soulmate clients

Have the pet breed you want and like to groom

Are willing to pay your price

Come every 4 weeks

Provide an easy or enjoyable haircut

Ideal clients

Are not perfect but are pretty darn good

Fling clients

Call you when they need you and don’t get consistent grooms

Don’t have a meaningful business relationship with you

So, the first step is to look at your client list and put each client into one of these three categories. If you’d like, you can make a spreadsheet or literally print out a list of all of your clients and then sort them into each category. I like to use 3 colored highlighters and use one color for each category.

Then, take a look at the overall make up of your clientele and ask the following questions:

What category do the majority of your clients fall under?

How often is each client coming in for a groom?

Do any of them frequently cancel or give you trouble?

Of your soulmate clients, are there any underlying similarities that they all share? Do they fall under the same demographics?

Are you attracting your soulmate clients intentionally or did you just get lucky?

If you don’t have many soulmate clients, you can ask the following questions:

Are prospective clients not finding you?

Are you not marketing to your soulmate client market?

Does your business not stand out?

Is your business misaligned with your target market?

Are you not fulfilling the clients’ needs?

Raise your prices

Once you’ve finished categorizing your current client list and answering those questions, a good next step is to re-evaluate your business numbers and raise your prices.

It is important to raise your prices because since you can’t keep taking on more clients, you should pick higher quality clients instead (assuming that you don’t already have a full roster of soulmate clients). If you raise your prices, you will probably lose some clients, but you will be weeding out fling clients to make more room for more soulmate clients.

Raise the bar for entry

In addition to raising prices, you can also start interviewing clients, requiring an application before they make an appointment, mandating that all appointments are made online, setting certain conditions to make an appointment (like requiring them to commit to a 4-week groom schedule), or offering consultation grooms before taking on a new client.

That might sound like a lot, but since you might be working with your soulmate clients every month for years to come, it is important to pick clients that are the best fit for you. Adding these extra layers before taking on new clients helps you decide if you want to decide to commit to a long-term business partnership with someone and ultimately help you both in the long run. And again, it will help you weed out fling clients who don’t want to deal with the new parameters you set in place.

Invest in your relationships with your soulmate clients

You should choose to invest in your soulmate clients. Don’t commit to investing in subpar clients if they won’t give you something in return. And don’t turn away soulmate clients just because you’re already committed to a bad client!

I like to compare these business relationships to romantic relationships. If you’ve lived with a partner for 7 years but they don’t want to get married and commit to you, then you shouldn’t commit to them either! Go find someone better who values your worth.

It is not worth spending the effort to convince your fling clients that they need to spend the money on your services, because no amount of convincing will work on them. Instead, find the clients who value your work and will pay for your services without any extra convincing because they know the value.

Investing in soulmate clients can also help your business by improving the morale of your staff. By only working with pets that you want to work with, you can reduce the stress and fear that might come with grooming aggressive or difficult pets and help your staff enjoy coming to work. The more your staff loves their jobs, the longer they will stay with your business and the more excited they’ll be to go to work every day, and therefore the more your business will thrive.

Start a membership model

I am a huge fan of using a membership model. Membership models are a whole other topic that I can get into in another post, but the short of it is that they can help you find more soulmate clients who are willing to commit to a long-term business relationship with you. A membership model also makes it easy to start a waitlist for any prospective clients that you cannot take on at the moment but might have an opening for in the future.

Summary: What to do if you have too many clients and too little time

In summary, having too many prospective clients and too little time to take them all on can be a great opportunity to assess your overall client base and make adjustments that will improve your business.

Implementing changes like raising your prices, starting an application process, or creating a membership model can help you minimize the number of fling clients and maximize the number of soulmate clients. These changes will help you find clients who properly value the service and experience that you provide and who are therefore willing to pay a higher price and invest in a long-term business relationship with you so that you can thrive.

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The ROI of Education for Pet Groomers

From college degrees to master groomer certifications, there is a lot of education options for pet groomers. But many people pay for education because they feel they should, not because it will actually help them make more money.

I’m going to share my thoughts on the ROI of different education options and help you figure out what is best for your business.

What is ROI?

ROI stands for “return on investment,” which is the amount of money you earn back relative to the cost of the investment. In more simple terms, ROI asks “how do you get your money back?”

If you invest $100 in something and it earns you $1,000 that might be a good ROI.

If you invest $100 and only get $105 back, that is not as good of an ROI.

ROI is a great measuring tool to help you decide whether an investment is worth it or not, but it depends on what your individual goals are.

I find that many groomers pay for education simply because they feel they should, not because it will help them make more money. If you’re considering getting more education, ROI can be a great tool to help you determine what options might be worthwhile for your business.

What kinds of education is there for pet groomers?

There are many different types of education, each with its own ROI. You need to know your own goals to figure out which type of education might have the best ROI for you.

College degree

Many people get a college degree. College can be a great option for many people, but do you need a business degree to run a grooming salon?

Each situation is unique, but most salon owners do not have a college business degree.

Why is this the case? The grooming industry is unique and many courses don’t apply well to the industry. For example, if you run a mobile grooming business, taking a class on retail probably won’t be helpful.

If you’re going to spend tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars on a degree, you’re going to want to get a ton of benefit out of it. You should make a lot more money than you would without one. Since most business courses don’t apply well to the grooming industry, chances are it is not going to help you make a ton of money. So, it has a high cost and low ROI

Grooming school

Another option is attending classes at a grooming school. Many grooming schools have online classes now, like Paragon and the National Cat Groomers Association.

In college, I paid $4,000–5,000 for a grooming class, which led to me starting my grooming business and making about $100,000. This is a great ROI. Since the initial investment in a class is lower than a four-year degree, the return was better.

Of course, this is just my experience. Everyone’s situation is different and results vary.

Apprenticeship

Apprenticeships generally don’t pay way but they are a great way to gain grooming experience. You do not have to invest any cash, but you do invest your labor hours. While you work, you also gain a ton of useful skills that you might learn in an expensive class.

You can also learn what you like to do or don’t like to do. I worked a 6-month apprenticeship at a salon that only worked with a few specific breeds. The experience taught me that I didn’t like to do pattern breed cuts or hand scissoring. Someone else might have learned that breed cuts were their passion!

Since work experience like this is free, apprenticeships and other work experiences can have a great ROI. But of course, each situation is unique so results may vary based on your goals and personal journey.

Trade shows

Seminars at trade shows are a great place to learn new skills. But many people prioritize going to breed seminars over business classes.

But in reality, most groomers don’t spend much time doing these specific breed cuts. Breed cuts might be a passion or a hobby of yours, but they aren’t relevant to your shop or brand and won’t help you make more money. This is a bad ROI.

Master Groomer Certification

This might be an unpopular opinion but it is very rare for someone to make a lot of money from getting their groomer certification. The one exception is if your brand is truly based around it.

The reason it won’t help you make money is that most clients don’t know what the certification means. Clients need to understand why it matters to them and what value it adds to your services.

Savvy Groomer courses

Shameless plug alert! The Savvy Groomer courses are a great option if you want to invest in growing your business. Of course, I am biased, but let’s look at the ROI.

For example, my Price Increase Class costs $600. That seems like a lot, but the course is all about learning how to make more money. Say you increase the price for all your dogs by $20, and you groom just 25 dogs per week. You’ll make $25,000 more in the first year! That is an amazing ROI!

By comparison, if you spend $600 on a breed class, that probably won’t earn you that much money.

The Price Increase Class is open on our website for self-study.

Key takeaways

Whatever you choose to do for your education is ultimately up to you. If you’re interested in taking a class or getting certifications, that’s great! You can choose to do something simply because you enjoy it — you don’t have to evaluate the ROI of everything.

But if you’re doing something because you feel like you’re supposed to then I encourage you to question what education can actually produce for you. Are you going to make money back on the investment? Does it make sense for your specific situation and business goals?

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I've had small one-on-one grooming business owners ask me how they can compete with big box store prices — and the short answer is that they can’t and they shouldn’t try to!

The fact of the matter is that one-on-one grooming businesses are not very scalable. To make things work, they need to be small, boutique-style salons with a specific and loyal clientele.

People don’t like when I tell them this, but it’s just the truth! So, let's dive into one-on-one pricing and how it needs to work to be successful.

One-on-one grooming salons need to be small by nature

Some of the major attractions of one-on-one grooming are the ability to minimize the number of dogs in the salon at once, create a quieter environment, run a kennel-free business, and overall maintain a more relaxed atmosphere.

Some traditional grooming salons might advertise these benefits, but if the business has 2+ groomers then it is probably hard for them to actually maintain a quiet, relaxed environment simply because of the number of dogs and groomers in the salon at once. Therefore, it is really hard to scale and grow a one-on-one grooming business because, by nature, it has to be a small business that doesn’t groom that many dogs in a day.

Schedule limitations with one-on-one grooming

It can also be hard to scale a one-on-one grooming business because it requires you to keep a very tight schedule. Since each pet needs to be checked in, groomed straight through, and then checked out before the next pet comes in, both the clients and the groomer need to keep a tight schedule and be on time.

If a client is late checking in their pet, then your groom time might spill over into the next client’s slot, pushing the entire schedule and messing up the system. It also doesn’t allow much time to deal with difficult pets or for any of the pets to have a bad day. Therefore, you have to be prepared to tell someone that you can’t groom their dog on time and still charge full price.

If you operate your business from 9–5 and allow 1.5 hours for each groom, that would allow for you to groom 5 dogs per day and have 30 minutes dedicated to clean up and administrative tasks at the end of the day. That is not a lot of dogs per day, which means that the one-on-one model will only work well if you have great clients and charge a really high boutique price point.

How one-on-one pricing compares to other models

Alternatively, a traditional grooming salon might have everyone check in in the morning, allot 1 hour to groom each dog, and then have to check out in the afternoon. This schedule can allow for more flexibility and means you are less reliant on each client showing up exactly on time and their dog behaving perfectly. It also allows you to take advantage of things like drying kennels, express grooms, and more. With this model, your schedule can run from 9–3:30, allowing for a shorter, more relaxed day. You can go home at 3:30, or spend the last 1.5 hours of the day cleaning up and doing administrative work. You can groom up to 6 dogs per groomer and easily scale the business, adding another groomer or bather to the system.

Another alternative is mobile grooming. Mobile grooming is a type of one-on-one grooming, but you have much more control over your schedule. Instead of relying on the clients to drop off their pets on time, you can provide them a 2-hour window of when you will show up and then it is up to you to follow your schedule. This model allows you to groom the same number of pets but with a lot more wiggle room and control.

How much to charge for one-on-one grooming?

I can’t tell you an exact number of what you should charge for one-on-one grooming, because that depends on the specific numbers for your business. You can use my resources to help figure out what you should be charging specifically for your business.

But, in general, one-on-one businesses should be charging 75-100% more than traditional businesses. You should aim to price the same or even above what mobile prices would be. Each pet is the only pet in your salon for an hour and a half, and that is worth a lot!

Will people pay boutique prices for one-on-one grooming?

Many groomers worry that their clients won’t be willing to pay high prices. The key here is finding clients who will value the benefits they get from their pet being groomed one-on-one. If they truly value this model, then they’ll be willing to pay.

You should find clients who value your work for the experience that you provide, and they should choose you for your work rather than your low prices.

A good analogy is hair salons. There is going to be the Supercuts-type places, and there are going to be high-end, boutique salons. The high-end salons might charge double or triple what a discount place is going to charge, but they are also going to have clients who value the service and experience that they get so they are willing to pay the higher price. You can think of your one-on-one grooming salon like a high-end hair salon and go after the market that is willing to pay your higher price point.

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Isn’t That Price Gouging?

If you’ve followed along with the Savvy Groomer at all, you probably know by now that I am a huge advocate for price increases in the grooming industry. Over the years, prices have barely increased across the industry. That means that prices are not keeping up with inflation or the latest trends and many groomers are suffering financially because of it.

I am a strong advocate for groomers to strategically increase their prices based on their needs and goals, and then yearly price increases after that to at least keep up with inflation.

This can mean that many groomers might increase their prices from $35 a dog to up to $150 a dog.

This is quite the price increase and many people have an emotional reaction to these numbers. “Isn’t that price gouging?” they ask.

In this article, we’ll take a look at what makes for fair pricing and why I believe that strategic price increases are not price gouging.

Let’s start by defining some terms.

What is price gouging?

It is important to define what we are talking about. According to Wikipedia, price gouging occurs when a seller increases the prices of goods, services, or commodities to a level that is much higher than what is considered reasonable or fair. Usually, this event happens after a demand or supply shock, such as a dramatic price increase on basic goods after a natural disaster.

We all experienced how the price of basic goods such as toilet paper and face masks went up during the Covid-19 pandemic!

What is inflation?

Inflation is a general increase in prices and a fall in the purchasing power of money. Basically, the value of the dollar goes down. Inflation rates change from year to year, but on average, inflation is about 2–3% yearly.

A great example of inflation is the housing market. The value of homes has gone way up over the years. In 1965, the average cost of a home was about $21,500. Today, the average cost is about $348,000. For an industry example, groomers in 1980 charged about $20 per dog. To understand this figure in today’s terms, we have to adjust for inflation. That $20 from 1980 would be worth about $73 today.

How can we determine what’s fair?

When determining a fair price, we often compare ourselves to others in the industry. But before we can determine what a fair price is for a dog groom, we need to determine if we’ve been fair to ourselves as an industry and if the market is fair.

Because I don’t think that the market is fair! In general, as an industry, most groomers have not raised their prices to even keep up with inflation, let alone to reflect their time, effort, and skill. It is common for groomers to have the same prices for 20 years!

In the industry, we struggle with the race to the bottom — meaning that we try to outcompete and get customers by having the cheapest prices. A groomer will leave a business to open their own shop, and either match or undercut the prices of their old boss (who already hadn’t raised their prices in decades!). They’ll hire a groomer to join their business, and then that groomer will eventually leave to do the same thing. I call this the “cycle of suck.” We see this happen over and over in the industry and prices suffer because of it.

Groomers also try to compete with big businesses like Petco and PetSmart, but these businesses actually offer their grooming services at a loss. They make their money off of getting customers in their stores and buying things, not from grooming. So why would we try to compete with their prices if they are losing money on grooming? That is definitely not fair.

When considering what’s fair, we also have to consider the most popular dog breeds today. Dog breeds are trendy, and groomers are not getting the same breeds that they did decades ago.

For example, doodles are a newer, insanely popular breed. Some days, all we get might be doodles. These dogs have a very challenging coat and difficult personality. Grooming 5 doodles all day can be much more mentally and physically draining than grooming 10 pugs or shih tzus in a day, and I believe that our prices should account for those differences.

Some people might call this price gouging, but I don’t think so! I think that is entirely fair.

Why we shouldn’t be afraid to raise prices

Change can be hard, and many people might not understand your price increase right away. But in order to survive as an industry, we need to stand up for ourselves, create an industry of respect, and charge prices that allow us to hire and pay people fairly. If more groomers learn about the importance of charging a fair, modern price, then these higher prices will no longer be seen as shocking. Instead, our new prices will become the industry standard, new groomers will be attracted to the industry, and groomers will thrive.

Learn more:

If you want to learn more about pricing, watch this replay of The Savvy Groomer Live on YouTube on this topic and please subscribe to my channel! You can also sign up for my self-paced Price Increase Masterclass.

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Mobile Grooming & How to Deal with Soaring Gas Prices I am sure we’ve all complained about increasing gas prices by now. In California, prices are as high as $7, and prices are universally above $3 across the country. With all the geopolitical factors going on in the world, we don’t really know how high prices will go or how long high gas prices will last. As a mobile groomer, your first instinct might be to get very stressed about this. Increased gas prices mean increased overhead and fewer profits, right? Maybe not. In my opinion, gas prices should actually not affect mobile grooming businesses that much. Keep listening for my perspective on what you should do to deal with soaring gas prices as a mobile groomer. Set a baseline for your pricing Any time the prices of your supplies increase significantly, you should look at your pricing to make sure you’re in a good place. I also recommend evaluating your pricing at least once every 6–12 months. When setting your pricing, a good place to start is to look at the average cost of rent in your area and multiply that number by 3–4. That is the minimum you need to pay your full-time groomers. However, you also need to keep payroll at or below 30% of your gross income. Using these numbers, you can reverse engineer what your pricing needs to be. For example, if rent is $2,000 in my area, then my full-time groomer needs to make $6-8,000 per month. To make about $6,000, they need to groom $20,000 per month (because $6,000 is about 30% of $20,000). If I divide that by 5 days per week, then I find that they need to groom $1000 a day. At 8 dogs per day, that’s $125 per dog. Of course, that exercise only gives you a very rough estimate, because there are so many other factors that go into your pricing, but it gives you a good general sense of your prices. Say you’re currently charging $80 per dog, then this exercise will tell you that you need to raise prices. Factor in travel and gas costs Now that you have a general sense of your pricing, you can take it a step further and factor in your gas estimates. If your groomer is doing 8 dogs per day, how much gas will they use in a month? To figure this out, you need to factor in the type of vehicle, the type of fuel it uses, and what gas mileage it gets. Here’s how to determine your gas mileage: Pull up to the gas station and write down the number on the odometer Fill up and save your receipt Repeat for 3-5 fills If you are using an app like Moego to check in and out to track gas mileage, be sure to check in even while the vehicle is idling If you are using a generator, record generator hours too Determining your gas mileage gives a realistic picture of how much this actually affects you. For example, when I drove my diesel Sprinter van to mobile grooming clients, I tracked that I used about 40 gallons of diesel per month. Say diesel was $3.50 then, and it increases to $10 today (a crazy price!). $3.50 x 40 = $140 per month on diesel then versus $10 x 40 = $400 now. Worst case scenario, that is an increase of $260 per month. So, while an almost 3x increase in the cost of gas sounds like a lot, it is actually only an increase of a couple of hundred bucks per month. To help put things in perspective, groomers commonly spend hundreds or thousands per year on supplies like shampoo and scissors without batting an eyelash. There is just this emotional component that exists around spending money on gas that doesn’t exist on other things. This increase should not hurt your business that much. Is it inconvenient and annoying? Yes. But it is not a major problem. And if it is a major problem, then you’ve got bigger problems with your business! How to deal with soaring prices (if needed) If increased gas prices are breaking the bank, you need to redo your key performance indicators (KPIs). Make sure that your prices are based on accurate numbers and keep up with inflation. It is also a good idea to use high numbers when you are making your estimates. Historically, we’ve dealt with high gas prices before so we should always be planning for this stuff, saving for an emergency fund or sinking fund, and factoring these costs into our business plans. But if you’ve increased your prices and factored in gas expenses, and you are still worried about high gas prices, what can you do? First, you need to be really clear if this is a temporary or permanent change. If you think it is a permanent change to your pricing, implementing a travel fee is a good long-term solution. You can shrink the geographic area that you are willing to service and tell your clients who live outside of that area that there will be a $25 travel fee going forward. For clients even further out, there will be a $50 travel fee. This can be a win-win situation because it is fair to your clients while also tightening up your route and helping you save money on gas. If you think it might be a temporary change, another possible solution is to send clients a courtesy note explaining that you are monitoring gas prices and may need to temporarily increase rates. A good way to do this is to set ranges. When gas costs between $4-6 per gallon, you’ll charge $X for a travel fee, and when gas costs between $6-8, you’ll charge another rate. When gas prices drop below $4 again, you’ll drop the travel fee. This is transparent and helps clients know what to expect. However, I think you have to be very careful not to piss clients off with fees. It can seem like you are nickel and diming them or that you have a lot of hidden fees. Why you shouldn’t charge a gas fee Since mobile grooming is a luxury, all-in-one business, travel is part of the service. Clients cannot buy your services without you traveling. Imagine if a taxi company charged you extra fees for gas. The gas should be included! It is also like selling grooming services but charging extra for shampoo or for water usage. If the prices of water increased, you’d never charge a client a water fee! These things are not actually extras or upgrades, because they are a required part of the basic service itself. People are already upset about increasing gas prices, so don’t add fuel to the fire.

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In this episode of Greedy Bitch

What We Can Do About The Groomer Shortage

We'll discuss:

Potential reasons for the groomer shortage
Ways the grooming industry can fix this groomer shortage
And more!

Hello, hello and welcome to Greedy Bitch, a podcast where groomers stop apologizing for charging their worth. I’m your host River Lee, founder of the Savvy Groomer. Let’s talk about today's topic:

What We Can Do About The Groomer Shortage

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard that we are currently experiencing a pet groomer shortage like never before. I like to call it a pet groomer drought! Today I’m going to break down the groomer drought and what we can do about it as an industry.

Why is there a groomer drought?

If you haven’t heard, we are currently experiencing a huge shortage of pet groomers. The industry needs more pet groomers!

There are three theories about why there is such a massive shortage.

First, Covid-19:

I know it sounds cliche but the truth is the circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic caused a lot of groomers to close their shops for months — some chose to retire, change careers, or spend more time at home with their two or four legged kids. For many, it was easier to let the business go rather than weather the storm. For others their health made it simply not safe to go into work so they had to make hard choices. Grooming is a physical job and for many this was just the push to leave an industry where our back hurts, we breathe pet hair in all day and move on to potentially greener pastures.

Second, groomers making career shifts:

Since many salons have been closed or only allowed limited hours, many groomers decided to open their own businesses instead of going back into their old shop or relying on unemployment. During the pandemic, mobile groomers and in their home salons have exploded in popularity. Those who switched from shop to mobile or one on one went from grooming 8-10 dogs a day in a shop to grooming 5-6 per day. Just to do some quick math - that’s the difference between grooming between 2080 - 2600 appointments a year to 1300 - 1560 appointments a year. Every groomer who made a shift from shop to mobile is grooming an average of 780 - 1040 less appointments a year. That’s a LOT of appointments to have to be filled in by another groomer!

Third, no one was training new groomers:

During Covid-19 grooming schools were shut down across the country for months or even years. No schools means no new groomers. You may argue, “I didn’t learn at a grooming school, I learned on the job!” and I agree but as there are less and less groomers it’s become increasingly so that as an industry we rely on grooming schools to help us get new groomers out the door. Alternatively, places like Petco and PetSmart, who are some of the highest creators of new groomers nationwide, were closed for a long time in most states. Just to put in perspective there are almost 1400 Petco stores in the U.S. alone, and about 1650 PetSmart locations. If each of those stores trained just one groomer a year, that’s 3,050 groomers that were not trained in 2020.

Lastly, people just simply got more dogs:

Again, Covid-19 reshaped the world. People who were working from home or who were home more often decided to get a dog. Not only did they adopt a dog but many of them adopted dogs that required regular grooming. The explosion of Doodles and Poodle mixes has made the demand for skilled grooming higher than ever - especially these mixes of high maintenance, difficult coats and often difficult temperaments. Where a groomer may have breezed through a day of 6-8 Shih Tzus, they now find themselves trying not to burn out while they wrestle 2 or 3 80 pound Doodles whose owner wants a hand scissor cut because it’s the “breed standard”. Those who have been grooming 5, 10, 15, 20+ years have seen the shift in breeds and mixes. We almost would rather have the Cockers, Wheatons or Scotties, instead of the Bernedoodles, Shepadoodles, and Aussiedoodles - well, almost.

These have all made the entire industry make a giant shift

What do we do as an industry to fix the groomer shortage?

The groomer shortage is obviously a huge problem, so here are four things we can do to help fix it.

Build your staff

While it might be a long-term fix, investing in your staff is a huge way to help fix the groomer shortage. If you currently have bathers or other novice employees, train them and build them up to become your ideal groomer over the next year or two.

An alternative but great way to invest in your future staff is to join a grooming school mentorship program. You’ll get a free intern for 100–150 hours of work. Once their internship is over, you can hire them as hourly employees and continue their training.

Recruit from your competition

Think about what makes your salon and your location special. Maybe it is nice weather, better pay, lower taxes, or growth opportunities. Try to entice groomers from another state to relocate and work for you. Just a word to the wise: this can be a little tricky since if a staff member is easily swayed by extra money or if they think the grass is always greener - they may choose to leave your business when a better opportunity arises.

Go solo

Many businesses want to go big, hiring many groomers or having big mobile fleets, but that requires a lot of employee management. If you’d rather wrangle dogs than employees, consider going solo. If you find a niche, market well, and set high prices then you will have effortless success as a solo groomer. I have taught many solo groomers how to work less than 40 hours a week and earn 6 figures. There is a lot of opportunity available for those who are ready to step into excellence.

Increase your prices

The bottom line is that we need more groomers. The best way to attract more groomers is to raise prices! Right now there is a lot of belief that groomers earn very little money or are broke. By charging more than a liveable wage you are helping the market correct itself. Grooming prices have simply not kept up with inflation. A groomer charging $45 in 1980 would need to be charging $144 in 2020 to keep up with inflation. Now that number is closer to $160! We need to stop apologizing for charging our value and start taking control of our future.

For those looking to restructure or increase your prices The Savvy Groomer is offering a 6-module masterclass on how to calculate your pricing, increase your pricing, and strategies to communicate your pricing to your clients! You’ll feel better knowing to stop winging your prices. We’ll teach you how to really understand your business, your model, your numbers, your employees and the customer psychology that dictates prices that will sustain your business. If you’re ready to learn the formula for success go to our Price Increase Masterclass. You’ll also find other tools to grow your business on our website www.savvygroomer.com.

Thank you all so much for listening to this podcast: What We Can Do About The Groomer Shortage. As always, happy grooming!

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Hello hello and welcome to Greedy Bitch, a podcast where groomers stop apologizing for charging their worth. I’m your host River Lee, founder of the Savvy Groomer, let’s talk about today's topic:

Why every groomer needs to avoid cookie cutter prices

We’ve all asked around in Facebook groups to see what other groomers are charging. This works fine for a quick thermometer check, but this is awful for setting your prices. It is awful because every groomer’s business is so different.

I’m going to show you why you need to evaluate how your business is different and create a pricing structure that works for you.

What is cookie cutter pricing?

Cookie cutter pricing is a pricing structure that assumes what works for other groomers will also work for you. Cookie cutter pricing takes other groomers’ prices at face value and fails to consider what factors might be affecting their prices, such as geographical location, experience level, business type, number of employees, products used, and so on.

This happens a lot in community forums like Facebook groups. We ask other groomers what their pricing is and then take those prices and use them in our own business.

Asking around can be okay for a quick temperature check, but it is important to ask for as much extra information as you can before putting too much trust in someone else’s business model.

Are they running their business out of a salon, a mobile salon, or a home? Do they have pick-up and drop-off times or do they do dogs one-on-one? Do they use top-tier luxury products or cheap products? What level of care are they providing for their animals?

If you don’t ask these questions, you are doing yourself and the industry a disservice. You really cannot base your prices off of this without considering all these factors.

An example of why cookie cutter pricing doesn’t work: My blonde moment

If you’ve been following along, you might know that I recently dyed my hair blonde. My friend also dyes her hair blonde.

She pays a lot less for her hair treatments, but her hair is damaged from it. She also goes several weeks between appointments, so her roots often show. She is fine with this, so she continues to pay the price that she pays. It is her hair and it is completely up to her what she wants and she can decide what is worth it to her.

On the other hand, I pay a premium for my hair treatments and I go every three weeks, so in total, I am paying so much more for my hair. However, my hair is not damaged. Also, I have really dark hair that I want covered, so it is worth it to me to go more often.

You might be wondering, River, what does this have to do with pet grooming? My point is, even though my friend and I get the same basic result (blonde hair), you can’t compare the services. You can’t expect me to pay the same price that my friend does when I am buying much more expensive products and am going twice as often.

A pet grooming business coaching example... Let’s look at another more relevant example.

I have two wonderful business coaching clients who have very similar business models. They’re both solopreneurs with one-on-one grooming businesses providing similar services. However, one business is in California and one is in a rural area. California is one of the most expensive areas in the country, and a rural salon just cannot compete on those prices.

So, it is completely unrealistic for both of these businesses to charge the same prices, even though they are so similar in other ways.

This is a great example of why asking for other groomers’ prices in a Facebook group and using those prices in your business is such a bad idea.

Besides, the market is wrong and so most groomers are not charging enough to be profitable, let alone keep up with inflation, anyhow.

Why is the market wrong?

You can learn more about why the market is wrong in my recent blog post and live stream on this topic, but basically, most groomers are not charging enough to even keep up with inflation.

Many groomers have been in the business for 30 or 40 years but have not raised their prices every year to keep up with inflation.

Say you’ve been in business for 40 years. In 1980, you used to charge $45 to groom a dog. $45 in 1980 is worth $145 today — so you would need to charge $145 just to keep up with your old prices. But you also need to honor the fact that during that timeframe, you’ve become an incredible groomer with 40 years of experience. Therefore, $145 is not enough and you need to factor in your experience level and any certifications you’ve earned since then.

Also, many groomers look to big box stores like Petco and PetSmart to set their prices. What most people don’t realize is that these stores sell grooming services as loss leaders. This means that they actually lose money on grooming, but it gets people into the stores to buy their products and that’s how they make money.

Many times the market is just a race to the bottom, which is not sustainable and hurts business.

What can we do to avoid cookie cutter prices?

As an industry, we need to make our prices match what we want in our life and business, which means no more cookie cutter prices. Stop basing your prices off of what other people charge.

To start, you should start evaluating your pricing annually. Inflation happens at an average rate of 3–5% per year, so raising your prices at least that much every year is a great place to start. But don’t stop there! There is so much that needs to go into pricing.

Everyone is afraid of raising prices, being the most expensive, and losing clients. But you need to realize that if you do things right, you can groom fewer pets and make the same amount of money — or more!

Calculate how much you are going to earn at certain price points. Make choices that are best for you, your family, and your business. Use guidelines to create your own pricing structure around your wants and needs. Consider things like what salary you need for yourself and/or for your employees, what types of pets you want to groom, how many pets you want to groom, how many hours you want to work per week, how much time you want to take off, and so on.

Your long-term happiness is so important. And using cookie cutter prices and just keeping up with inflation is not enough.

That sounds great, right? But it also sounds really hard and scary, I know. That’s where The Savvy Groomer can help.

Hire business coaching services or take my masterclass!

I highly suggest you sign up for my 6-module Price Increase masterclass. This is an amazing, information-packed course where I will help you develop a personal pricing framework.

I know that this is a diverse industry with all kinds of unique businesses, so I work hard to look at every business as an individual business and create plans that support all my different types of clients.

Key takeaways

If you’ve been using cookie cutter prices and not keeping up with inflation in your business, don’t feel badly. For a while, I didn’t know any better either. It is not our fault we didn’t know, because how could we? But now that we know, we need to stop with cookie cutter prices.

That said, we need to strategize our price increases and make strong business plans to roll them out. Good marketing is critical and being prepared with things like scripted talking points can be a game-changer.

It is so important to know how much your services are worth and to charge appropriately for your skillset, location, and business goals.

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Groomers tend to look to each other to determine how much they should charge for their services. But all too often, this strategy fails because no one is charging enough. Most groomer’s prices don’t account for factors like skill levels and inflation. Hi, I’m River Lee of the Savvy Groomer. I’m going to show you why the market is wrong and how we can raise our prices to change that. What is inflation? For our purposes, I’m going to simplify some economic concepts a lot. Simply defined, inflation is a general increase in prices and a decrease in the purchase value of money. When something is rare, it has more value and prices go up. When something is common, it is worth less and prices go down. Every year, the U.S. government adds more money to the economy. This means there is more money in the supply, which causes the value of money to go down, which means you need more money to buy something year after year. How does inflation affect grooming? Let’s look at this real-life example. A great groomer working in a shop charged $20 for a Shih Tzu in 1980. That same groomer charges $60 for a Shih Tzu in 2021. At first, this seems like a lot more money! But because of inflation, that $20 in 1980 is actually worth almost $65 in 2021. Inflation happens every year, at an average of 3% per year. It affects the price of everything, including grooming prices and grooming products, as well things like gas, building materials, food… literally everything! This means that the groomer who was charging $20 in 1980 would need to increase her prices to $65 to ONLY keep up with inflation. This groomer has since become a certified master groomer and gained 40 years of industry experience. That means she should be charging much higher prices to properly reflect her value. And why wouldn’t she? Why is the market so bad? A lot of groomers base their prices on what they charge at chain stores like PetSmart and Petco. But what most people don’t realize is that all these stores are actually selling grooming services at a loss! These businesses are losing a lot of money on grooming and instead, they make their money on other services and products. People are more likely to buy pet food, toys, and other stuff from the store that they already take their pet to get groomed at, so it builds customer loyalty. So why are we using businesses that take losses as our reference for the market? I think it is because they train a tremendous number of groomers. Many of us come from there, so we think their prices are the market price. Small salons have the chance to take a stand and charge the prices they want. But unfortunately most people are too afraid. We have to be brave and increase our prices. How can groomers increase prices? I have worked with many clients whose prices were not even keeping up with inflation. They come to me because they want to increase prices but are scared. I’ve encouraged many of my clients to increase their prices significantly, and their businesses have done amazing. Many have been able to work less than they used to but make more money, work with only clients they like, take more time off — and still keep their clients are happy. You can do it too! You just need to know how to market yourself and do it right. Use small yearly price increases Inflation happens every year, so you need to increase your prices every year to keep up. This might seem scary at first, but think about it! It is much nicer to your clients to have a small yearly price increase instead of a much larger one every several years. If inflation is about 3% each year and you charge $100 for a groom, then you should plan to raise your prices at least $3 every year. I recommend increasing at least $5 per year to cover your bases and keep your prices at nice round numbers. If this seems like a lot, consider that if you only raise prices every 3–5 years then you’ll not be keeping up with inflation for those few years. Your business expenses will increase because the price of supplies and everything goes up every year. And then when the time comes, you’ll need to raise your prices by $15–25 instead! Large price increases like this tend to be more difficult. If you are worried about customers leaving, consider this: A customer who will leave you over $5 will definitely leave you over $20 or $30, so you’re likely to have a mass exodus anyways. And if they leave you over just $5, either you didn’t market the change well and you’re doing something wrong, or they are simply not your soulmate client. Your soulmate client won’t leave over $5. You need your grooming customers to invest in you because you want to grow your business, so if they aren’t willing to invest then they aren’t worth your time. Maybe you want to take classes to improve your skills, upgrade your products and equipment, or get training for your other groomers. You need to make enough money to not just live but to thrive. Key takeaways So the market is wrong, but we create this terrible market for ourselves by being too afraid to stand up. When we encourage these bad prices, we give the bad clients control over our business. In economics, everything is about supply and demand. Right now there is high demand but actually a groomer shortage. Therefore, there is no reason not to raise prices. It’s all about doing what’s best for you and your business. You decide your pricing! Don’t worry about the market. Learn more: If you want to learn more about the market and why you should increase your prices, watch my YouTube video on this topic and please subscribe to my channel! You can also check out my live show every Monday at 7 pm ET or sign up for my business coaching classes. I also encourage everyone to sign up for my 6-Module Price Increase Masterclass. This Masterclass contains 12 weeks’ worth of business coaching packed into an awesome 6-Module class where you will learn all about the market and how to increase your prices the right way to keep customers happy.

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Hello hello and welcome to Greedy Bitch, a podcast where groomers stop apologizing for charging their worth. I’m your host River Lee, founder of the Savvy Groomer where I teach you to go from burnt out, broke and broken to healthy, wealthy and happy- building a grooming business you love!

How Do You Decide How To Charge For Grooming?

There are many ways you can charge for grooming services — whether it’s by hour, by breed, by weight, or something else. But which way is best?

Recently, I’ve talked a lot about figuring out how much you should charge. But this week I want to help you figure out what method of charging is best for you.

If you’ve been following along with the Savvy Groomer, you probably know by now that as an industry, we all need to increase our prices. So the question then becomes, how do you go about doing this? How should we structure our prices?

Should you charge by the breed? Or should you charge by weight? Should you charge per grooming slot? Or should you come up with hourly rates?

I’ll cut right to the chase. Unfortunately, there is no magic formula. And different solutions might work for different businesses. I can’t tell you how you should charge because I do not know about you and your business!

You might have heard me say that we all need to stop cookie cutter pricing. What works for other groomers probably won’t make sense for you, because you have to factor in so many variables like location, experience level, type of salon, what products you’re using, how many employees you have, whether they’re a high-volume salon or not, and so on. Every business is unique and so your pricing structure needs to reflect that.

The reality is that you can charge any way you want. It all depends on you and what makes sense for your business goals.

So we all know that we need to raise our prices and audit our price structure, but to do that you need to decide how you are going to charge your clients. So let’s talk about it.

How should you charge?

Like I said, this will vary from business to business. There is not one right way to charge. But there are some things we can generalize about and consider.

Charging by breed or weight

If you have a high-volume business, charging by breed or weight might make the most sense for you because you are going to need to keep things simple.

High-volume businesses need to minimize the amount of time that staff spends on checking a pet in or out, so it is best to keep things straightforward. Your receptionist won’t be able to spend a lot of time considering other factors and figuring out the scope of work.

If you charge by breed or weight, this does not factor in any variation of pets. For example, if you charge by breed only, you could have anything from a 4-pound chihuahua to a 30-pound chihuahua (unfortunate, but they exist). These two dogs can be very different. You might make a lot of money on the 4-pound dog, but actually lose money on the 30-pound dog. But since you have such high volume then things quickly even out and it does not matter.

Petco and PetSmart are volume-based businesses. They groom a very high volume of pets every day, so they cannot afford to be very customer-service oriented. They also offer pet grooming services as a loss leader. That means it works for their business to charge simple rates per breed.

But charging by breed or weight doesn’t work for everyone. Lower volume businesses might not be able to make enough money and perform good, complete grooms with this pricing structure.

Charging hourly

I can say that I don’t recommend charging hourly — or if you do choose to charge hourly, that you do so only on the back end and that you don’t market your rates as hourly to your clients.

The reason I don’t recommend telling your clients that you charge hourly is because clients have no idea how long anything takes. Giving an hourly rate can make clients panic and they’ll probably want to rush you.

Many people have had past grooming experiences where they dropped off at 9 am and picked up at 4 pm — so they might not understand and they won’t want to pay for 7 hours! It is a sure way to make your clients and your employees nervous and confused.

When I pay for any service, like if I take my car in to get worked on, I know that I don’t want them to tell me their hourly rate — just tell me how much it will cost! I don’t know what I need or how long it will take, and they are the professionals.

Another problem with charging hourly is that different groomers take different amounts of time. Baby groomers take much longer than experienced power groomers, but everyone is probably working the same hours in a day. That means that you’re probably going to lose money on the baby groomers because they groom less per hour. It also means that you are going to be underpaying the power groomers because they can groom more per hour.

This sets you and your employees up for failure. It is unfair to your groomers but it is also unfair to your customers because they aren’t getting the same service with every groomer.

Of course, if you are a solopreneur with no plans of hiring or training anyone else, then hourly can be a great option for you. There are no other mitigating factors to consider and you know exactly how long each service takes you. That said, I still don’t recommend letting your clients know that you charge hourly, and instead charge them for the scope of work (like you would if you were working on someone’s car).

Charging with a points system

My favorite method — and what I work with my clients to do! — is to develop a hybrid points method that considers all factors like breed, weight, and hours, but also factors like groomer skill levels, emotional burden, risk, and more.

Using this system, I assign each pet points. Pets with more points cost more money. Every time a groomer finishes a pet, they get the same number of points. Groomers who earn more points earn more money per hour. This way it is fair to your groomers and your clients, and it fits your business goals. I also find that it is very easy for people to understand and be comfortable with.

Let’s say an average Shih Tzu takes about 45 minutes to an hour. They get 2 points.

I like to groom about 5 Shih Tzus per day. If each one is 2 points, that makes me a 10 point groomer. My shop owner knows that they can comfortably give me 5 Shih Tzus per day to bathe and groom and I will be successful.

Now they’ve hired a bather. The bather gets 1 point and I get 1 point. Now I can groom 10 Shih Tzus per day, instead of just 5.

But say one of my clients is a nightmare Shih Tzu, so they are worth 4 points. As a 10 point groomer, now I can only do 3 other Shih Tzus that day because this one dog took more points, and therefore more time and energy out of my day. The shop also needs to charge this Shih Tzu more than they charge other dogs to make it worth our time.

This is useful for customizing prices and making sure that you are charging the right price for every pet that comes through your shop.

Now you know that a Shih Tzu is 2 points, so a dog that is much bigger, more difficult, and takes longer — like a doodle — should be somewhere between 4-6 points.

For easy math, let’s say you charge $50 for a 2 point Shih Tzu. Now you know you need to charge at least somewhere between $100–$150 for a doodle. Now, if you need to factor in extras like chiropractic care or massages, or you know that your groomer will get burnt out faster on a lot of doodles — then you know that you need to be charging even more.

This point system exercise allows your pricing to be flexible and causes you to pay close attention to how much each dog is worth. It can also help you think about things very mathematically and remove some of the emotional aspects of pricing.

I have used this in my own business and recommended it to many clients. It is easy for everyone to figure out and implement.

It also helps you take care of yourself because it is not just based on making more money. It helps you understand how you price your services and why you have those prices. It also helps you make sure that your pricing structure works well for you, your business, and your business goals. It is good to charge enough money to be ok financially but you need to do more than that! Set long-term goals for financial success.

Hire business coaching services or take my class!

Price restructuring can be scary, but I am here to support you through this transition!

I offer one-on-one business coaching to pet grooming clients who are looking to restructure their prices and business model. We will go through a full price evaluation and audit, figure out how much you want to make, and create a plan to implement everything.

If you’re not ready to invest in one-on-one coaching, you can sign up for my 6-module Price Increase masterclass. This is an amazing, information-packed course where I will help you develop a personal pricing framework.

Learn more:

If you want to learn more about different pricing strategies, watch a rerun of my livestream on YouTube on this topic and please subscribe to my channel! You can also check out my live show every Monday at 7 pm ET

I encourage everyone to sign up for my 6-module Price Increase Masterclass. This Masterclass contains 12 weeks’ worth of business coaching packed into an awesome 6-week group class where you will learn all about the market and how to increase your prices the right way. This class is self-study so you can learn at your own pace.

Want to learn more about how pricing and points works? Purchase my 1.5-hour workshop: Pricing & Points (www.savvygroomer.com/pricingandpoints)

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Are Big Dogs Profitable?

The average pricing that I see for big dog grooming is simply not profitable for business owners. Big dogs take more of everything to groom, and they usually aren’t priced appropriately to account for this. But with adjusted rates, can big dogs be profitable?

I’m going to discuss what’s a profitable price for big dog grooming and explain why you should probably raise your prices or adjust your clientele balance.

Big dogs can be bad for business.

It might sound harsh, but they really can be if you don’t structure your pricing properly. Most people don’t realize how much damage they are doing to their business by not charging enough for big dogs.

Why do big dogs cost more?

Grooming a big dog doesn’t simply mean taking more time or using more product. Big dogs truly take more of everything from you and your business.

On average, a small dog like a Yorkie, Shih Tzu, or pug might take about an hour at most to groom, and large dogs like a golden retriever, doodle, or Bernese mountain dog could take anywhere from 1.5 to 3 hours. They take so much longer because they have more hair to cut, often they have more complicated cuts, they can be more challenging to handle, and sometimes blow-drying can take forever.

If you’re charging the same price for a small dog and a large dog, that means that your hourly earnings for the large dog could be as much as three times less than your hourly earnings for a small dog. Ouch, right? That’s why time is one of the most important factors to consider when setting grooming prices. Because their grooming needs are more challenging, you also usually cannot hand a doodle or other large dog to a novice groomer and instead need someone who might have higher hourly rates to groom that dog.

Like I said, time is not the only factor. Big dogs use a lot more product, like shampoo, conditioner, and cologne. You might not think it would make a huge difference but pay close attention to how much more product you are using for larger dogs! It all adds up.

Another huge cost factor for big dogs is that they often require more than one person to handle them. Groomers should not lift a dog heavier than 40-50 pounds by themselves, and big dogs like this often need multiple people attending to them throughout the process. This means that you need to hire a groomer and a bather to work on a large dog. Now, you have to split that hourly rate between two people.

There is fancy equipment that you can purchase to help make grooming large dogs easier, like lifted tables, but again that is an added cost. Even if you already own this equipment, big dogs can be challenging and are likely to damage or break your nice equipment. So even if you are able to groom a large dog by yourself, you still need to factor in the cost of upgrading, repairing, or replacing your equipment into the price of the grooming session to remain profitable.

Finally, I like to mention the physical and emotional cost of big dogs. They take so much more energy and effort to groom, and they can contribute to burnout or exhaustion. There is also greater risk for injury or throwing your back out when dealing with large dogs. Personally, if I had the choice between grooming three Shih Tzus or one Bernese mountain dog, I would absolutely take the Shih Tzus! They both might take me a total of three hours, but the Shih Tzus would be so much easier and more pleasant at the end of the day!

How do you set profitable prices for big dogs?

When setting your prices, always charge for your high end, worst-case-scenario estimate. That means if it takes you anywhere from one to two hours to groom a certain type of dog, set your prices as if it always takes two hours. That way, you are always covered in case you get a nightmare client that takes forever, if your equipment fails during the session, or if anything else goes wrong.

You also need to factor in your business overhead expenses. I am a firm believer that businesses cannot afford to pay their employee more than 30% of their gross income (if you’re curious to learn more about how I arrived at this number, check out my video called Why 50% is Bad for Business — it explains it all). That means that hourly rates for your groomers are a lot less than you might originally think.

If I am charging $50 for a Shih Tzu that takes one hour to groom, and I can only afford to pay my groomer 30% of that, then the groomer will get an hourly rate of $15. Not much, right?

For big dogs, this number gets even lower. If I am charging $75 for a doodle that takes two hours to groom, at 30%, the groomer gets an hourly rate of just $11.25. And that is with just one groomer! We all know, you’d probably need to pay a bather as well. At this rate, you might be paying the groomer and bather as low as $5 or $6 an hour, which is below minimum wage and frankly unacceptable.

A general rule of thumb is that you should aim to pay your groomer at least $20 an hour and pay a bather at least $10 an hour. You likely also need to pay a receptionist at least $10 an hour. Therefore, in this theoretical example, you should aim to set your prices so that the 30% allotted for wages should be at least $40 an hour.

If we were to do that, the prices would be as follows: $150 for a Yorkie (at one hour), $225 for a Shih Tzu (at 1.5 hours), $150 for a pug (at one hour), $300 for a golden retriever (at two hours), $450 for a doodle (at three hours), and $450 for a Bernese mountain dog (at three hours).

Now, these prices are extremely high and I don’t think there is a market for them right now, but it is not crazy to charge prices like $100 or $120 for a Yorkie, $135 for Shih Tzu, or $200 for a golden or a doodle. I have seen many mobile groomers and high-end salons move towards offering a base price in the $100-120 range for dogs like Shih Tzus, and then they charge for add-ons for additional services to get the prices higher.

Since you cannot realistically charge upwards of $300 or $400 for big dogs, a good pricing technique is to pad the cost into your prices for smaller dogs. You also need to pay attention to your clientele ratios and try to find a balance so that you are grooming more small dogs than big dogs. That way, the pricing will even out and you’ll be able to groom some large dogs without losing money on it. However, this model won’t work very well if you are just grooming large dogs all day long.

Raising prices can definitely be scary, but as an industry, it is something we all need to do. Dog grooming prices have not been raised in decades, despite a lot of inflation. The price to groom a doodle has not increased from $75 in over 70 years! That’s right, the price to groom a doodle in the 1950s was also $75! This is just insane to me, and it is no wonder why it is such a challenge for businesses to stay profitable with big dog grooming.

Are big dogs profitable?

So are big dogs profitable to groom? The answer is, it depends!

Big dogs can be a challenge and a huge strain on resources, so you have to be smart and strategic about it. If you aren’t careful, big dogs will most definitely not be profitable for your business. But if you structure your pricing appropriately, it can be done.

If you’re going to groom big dogs, here are a few strategies you can use to make it profitable for your business:

Increase your prices so that big dogs cost more than small dogs
Estimate the longest amount of time grooming each type of dog will take and factor that into your price
Pad your prices for small dogs to help cover the cost of grooming big dogs (my least favorite option)
Balance your clientele so that you are grooming more small dogs than big dogs

Learn more:
If you want to learn more about how to make grooming big dogs profitable, check out my live show every Monday at 7 pm ET (www.youtube.com/savvygroomer)

If you want to work with me, enroll in my Price Increase Masterclass (www.savvygroomer.com/pimc)
If you’re not quite ready to invest in your business but want to network with other pet professionals, join our free Facebook group, Savvy pet professionals (https://www.facebook.com/groups/savvygroomer)

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Hello hello and welcome to Greedy Bitch, a podcast where groomers stop apologizing for charging their worth. I’m your host River Lee, founder of the Savvy Groomer where I teach you to go from burnt out, broke, and broken to healthy, wealthy, and happy- building a grooming business you love!

Soulmate client relationships: what are they and how to find them

Every groomer wants to run a high-end salon, but not everyone wants to deal with the baggage that comes along with high-end clients. Often, your services just aren’t a perfect match for their needs.

What is a soulmate client?

A soulmate client also called an ideal client or ideal client avatar, is essentially what it sounds like: your target market or the perfect type of client you want to attract.
I like the term “soulmate client” because comparing your perfect client to someone you are dating can be a very helpful analogy.
Often, when someone calls your salon to make an appointment you immediately say yes. You need the money so you’ll take any paying client you can get — it is only natural. Similarly, in dating, you might be tempted to say yes to anyone who wants to take you on a date and buy you dinner.

But wait! To make sure this date will be worth your time, I recommend asking some questions first.

Figure out your dealbreakers

It is important to figure out what are your dealbreakers for this relationship. When you’re dating, this might be 'do you want children?' For grooming appointments, a dealbreaker might be how often do you want your pet groomed?

For me and my grooming business, I wanted someone who needed grooming regularly. A soulmate client was someone who would be happy to sign up for my membership, get on a regular schedule, and need monthly grooming services. One-off clients or irregular clients were not worth my time.

Figure out what traits your soulmate client has

Many people want to be a high-end salon owner who charges top dollar. This usually means they think their soulmate clients are people who make six figures — maybe doctors who live in wealthy areas.

But just like you might expect in dating, there are downsides to attracting clients with this lifestyle. Say you’re dating a surgeon — they are going to be very busy and on-call often. This means they might cancel dates (or appointments) often and need you to be very flexible. If you know you want to date a doctor but need someone who is more reliable, then maybe a dermatologist is a better choice for you!

Let’s look at another analogy: coffee drinkers! Maybe you think your soulmate is a Starbucks drinker. If they pay $7 for a Starbucks drink, they want it to be perfect or else they’ll be annoyed and send it back. Similarly, when you’re charging top dollar for your services, people are more likely to get mad when something goes wrong. In pet grooming, Starbucks drinkers are tough clients to have as a soulmate. Maybe your soulmate is actually someone more middle of the road like a Dunkin Donuts drinker.

Analogies aside, my point is: everyone wants high-end clients but don’t want to deal with the crap that comes with them. Middle of the road clients are more flexible, willing to work around your schedule, and are usually nicer and easier to please. If the relationship with a high-end client is not working, maybe you’re mismatched. Many people should actually be dating middle-ground clients because they fit their goals better.

Figure out how to attract that soulmate client

In personal and business relationships, if you want a relationship with someone amazing then you have to be amazing. Put another way, you need to be a good friend to have good friends! Simply providing a great haircut is not enough to attract and keep your soulmate clients.

You need to think about what you bring to the table for your clients. How do you meet their needs? Are you making them feel cared for? What do they need out of a grooming relationship: is it convenience, emotional connection, or reliability?

While you should always keep things professional, you should be thinking of ways you can nourish your client relationships. Maybe you send home a report card with their pet or call after every few grooming appointments to ask if they are satisfied with the groom. Maybe you need to change your cancellation policy or offer pick-up and drop-off services.

Figure out who your dream client is, how you can meet their needs, and how to nourish that relationship on an ongoing basis.

Set boundaries and reward those who put in the effort

Once you have this initial conversation with a new client and finish their first grooming appointment, the next steps are very important to your relationship. To go back to the dating analogy, this can be like wondering if you ask them for a second date or do they? Do you wait for them to call you?

If you meet someone and you think you might be each other’s’ soulmate, you’re going to naturally go through the effort to stay in contact with them and build a good relationship.

By contrast, if you aren’t hitting it off then you’re not going to ask as many questions and just try to get it over with. Or maybe you find that you are playing a kind of game with your clients trying to get them to book an appointment — Maybe when you ask them would you like to book another appointment? They say, No, I’ll call when I’m ready. Maybe this client waits until they are a little desperate to get their dog groomed because they waited eight weeks instead of four and so their dog is a mess (which is going to be more work for you).

Here is where you set your boundaries and expectations with people. Many groomers have toxic and codependent relationships with clients where they essentially teach their clients to treat them like shit. Instead, you want to reward people who go above and beyond in the relationship to make things work, and discourage those who don’t make an effort or follow the rules. The more exclusive and harder to get your services are, the harder people will work to get the reward.

“Dating” questions to ask a new client

So what should you ask your new clients? Below are a few great example questions.

How often do you have your pet professionally groomed?
If they answer:

Less than 4 weeks = high-end client
Like every 6-8 weeks = middle ground client
When it gets dirty = bad client

What are your expectations of your groomer? What services would you like to be included?

Many specific requirements = high-end client
I just want him clean = middle ground client
I don’t know that’s your job! = bad client

How can we improve upon your past grooming experiences?

Tell me more about your pet.
What kind of haircut do you like?

If you’d like more, you can sign up for my business membership, where we’ll create a cheat sheet of questions for you to ask your new clients.

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Greedy Bitch: Recent Episodes

River Lee