Dog Grooming Business Plan: Tips For Running A Pet Grooming Business
Are you a groomer interested in going into business for yourself? Have you been grooming in a big box store and thinking “I think I could do this better on my own”; you’re not alone. If you have been ruminating on the urge to start your own grooming business, here are some ideas to start that journey to entrepreneurial independence.
We’ll point you in the right direction to a pet grooming business plan and give you tips for running a pet grooming business.
1. Create a Business Plan
Before you make any big changes (or start anything new), it’s important to keep your perspective on your pet grooming business. There are a lot of questions to keep in mind while you manage the company.
Create a business plan for your dog grooming business to keep you on track and help you think about where you’re headed, right from the start. Answer questions like:
- What are your revenue goals?
- How long do you want to be in business for?
- What kind of legal classification do you want to have?
- How much money and resources do you need to get started?
- How much cash will you have at risk?
- How many employees will you need?
- Will you keep a part-time job while you get operations up and running?
- Do you have any other obligations that will make it difficult to give this business your full attention?
- What are the chances of success? What does that success look like? What are your expectations for the first year?
- If the business provides less income than expected, how long do you plan to stick with it?
- What makes your grooming business special?
If you can keep those questions in your head constantly, you’ll be better prepared to meet the challenges of the day.
Key parts of a dog grooming business plan
Ideally, your pet grooming business plan should include:
- Business Overview / Executive Summary
- Company Description
- Market Research
- Services & Products
- Organization Structure & Management
- Target Audience
- Marketing & Advertising
- Financial Analysis
2. Budgeting Is Key
Like with any business, you need to keep track of your money. It’s more than just how much money you’ll make and spend in a given month.
A great budget explains that and can also help you anticipate the future. You should be able to plan out years, not months, with your budget. And that will help you give better service to all those doggies in the long run.
3. Be Comfortable with All Kinds of Pets
Depending on your business, you could be grooming all kinds of animals. No matter what, they will all be different. If you’re running a dog grooming business, you know that dogs come in different sizes, personalities, and cleanliness. Through your experience grooming already you’ve likely learned how numerous the needs of each dog breed comes with, account for it and factor that into your services.
4. Stay Human with the Client
You should groom pet owners while you groom their pets! That doesn’t mean cleaning them, rather train them how you can best help keep their pup healthy.
Set sustainable boundaries with your clients as most groomers when starting out over extend their services to make new clients happy.
Consider having a business-specific phone number your clients can use, and be sure your clients know your hours (waking up to respond to a 2am text about booking Fido’s next appointment is not sustainable).
As a pet person it’s easy to forget who the real client your serving really is, so be sure to make a connection with who’s reaching into their pocket to pay you.
If you take time out of your day to small talk with your clients, you’ll build relationships with them. That will eventually help you earn their trust and continuing business.
5. Accept the Time Sacrifice
It’s important to accept the truth now: running a pet grooming business takes time.
You might be investing even more time than the average 40 hours per week, especially in the beginning. You should think of it as part of your responsibility. You’re running the show, which means you have to invest a little bit more time than everyone else. But don’t worry – you can find help.
6. Get Some Pet Grooming Business Allies
It’s important for you to be on good terms with other people around you who run a pet grooming business. Being friendly with the competition? Isn’t that like playing for the other team? Well, isn’t it better than being unfriendly with your competitors?
With some good networking, you can learn the tricks of the trade from the best. They can tell you money-saving tricks or relevant anecdotes. And that will eventually put you in a position to teach someone else.
There are so many expos to consider for meeting like-minded groomers, often attending a grooming expo will expose you to the competitive world.
Explore what the industry has to offer and you might find even more ways to increase your brand and expertise!
7. Incorporate Social Media
Whether it’s your competitors or customers, the fastest way to reach anybody nowadays is through social media.
There are over billions of people actively using Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp or Messenger each month. Each platform comes with its own strategy but when posting, keep in mind the optimal times to assure maximum reach (these apps will show you when your audience is online) and the best captions to attract attention.
You should have a presence on social media, whether it’s Facebook, Instagram or any other platform. It’s a great way to market your products and get in touch with anybody, instantly. You should build some time into your schedule to hop on social media and improve your marketing. Keep in mind you’re using technology to increase your business’s audience, so be strategic in your efforts.
That can be one of many great habits that improve your business.
8. Build a Routine
Getting tasks done one by one can seem very daunting on a daily basis. A routine can make life much easier, and there are many benefits that come with having a series of daily habits.
The same is true of a business. If you can get your pet grooming business up and running the same way every day, the details will start to seem smaller. You’ll be able to focus more on the big picture: cleaning those pets, and figuring out how to clean more. And at the end of the day, service is the most important part of your business.
9. Use the Best Support Available
In order to keep that service intact, you need to make things easier on yourself. It’s not about taking shortcuts but putting yourself in the best position possible to deliver quality service to your guests.
Look no further than DaySmart Pet Software, a product designed to take some weight off your shoulders. The software is made to help you organize your day full of appointments and bookings.
That’ll make the details smaller, letting you focus on your shop on a daily basis. As the industry moves forward, with Daysmart Pet Software you’ll be able to concentrate on the big picture. And that way, you’ll be a step ahead of your competitors.
10. Get found and booked with GoodFriend
A new platform has arrived to make marketing your business and booking clients a little easier. Goodfriend is a single, powerful online tool designed to help you market your services, and manage bookings.
Through the platform, clients searching for grooming in your area will be presented with your business’s information and booking availability.
This service can help lessen the amount of time your team spends untangling the appointment calendar and taking appointments over the phone- allowing them to focus on caring for pets.
11. Join the Wave, Don’t Get Run over By It
Any new pet grooming business joins an industry that is expanding quickly.
The US pet market exceeded $100 billion for the first time in 2020 and it just keeps going.. That means new businesses are entering the field with new ideas.
The constant entry of new approaches to the industry means that customers will start to expect different things from your pet grooming business. It’s on you to stay ahead of these changes.
Basically, stay fresh. That doesn’t mean changing your business constantly. It means adapting it with the times to keep your winning formula intact.
Are You Ready?
With these tips, you’ll be able to improve your pet grooming business quickly.
And if you are only planning a business now, you’ll have a head start. Feel free to continue reading and to reach out for more information about running a pet grooming business.
Good luck!
DaySmart