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Self-Employment

We know successful groomers that have become self-employed right after graduation. Are they missing out? Normally if graduates become employees they are likely to work in an environment with other groomers more skilled than them and from which they can hopefully learn more in the months ahead. Self-employed groomers operating one-person businesses usually don’t have the benefit of additional on-site support training and constructive criticism. However, there are exceptions. Some graduates purchase an existing business and retain one or more grooming staff that can assist them for a year or two. Every graduate should seek continuing education commonly available through trade shows, and a number of schools today offer reinforcement training programs too.

Many graduates feel most comfortable with self-employment as a mobile groomer. Generally it is easier to setup a mobile grooming business compared to a salon or shop. While having a written business plan is always a good idea, financing a mobile van or trailer usually doesn’t require one. The groomer applying for a bank loan for a business almost certainly will be require to present a formal written business plan. You can find more information about business plans here. Writing a formal business plan can take weeks or months and some aspects of them like the Financials are beyond the skills of many people. You typically need professional assistance to write one.

From a financial viewpoint, purchasing an existing mobile, salon or shop grooming business may have advantages. If you retain all or most of the existing clientele you have cash flow right from the start whereas opening a new business it may take many months to build up a similar clientele, sometimes longer. Some sellers offer private financing as well and after the sale they may stay and train you to run the business for a short period of time. Again, you will an Information Menu for Purchasing Existing Grooming Businesses.

Generally it is good advice for graduates to get a year or two of experience as an employed groomer before opening a shop or salon. During that time they can study business plans and business opportunities and most of all, learn the art of management as well as the art of grooming. Some grooming schools offer exposure to business training and that is good. However, it is not complete when you consider that every grooming business owner should have a written business plan in their hand before they open the doors of a new business or takeover an existing business. You will find that Grooming Business in a Box® has significant information and resources for groomers becoming self-employed.

Employment

Honestly it can be difficult for graduates to find employment if their outspoken motive is to become self-employed in a year or two. Prospective employers may ask you about your career goals. What they may be trying to determine is "How long can I expect you to stay in my employment?" Be truthful and maintain a clear conscience. Many pet grooming business owners across the U.S. have been "burned" by employees they thought would stay for a year or more and didn’t only to go into self-employment. If an employer knows that your goal is to be self-employed it will clearly not encourage them to hire you. However, if they know you will stay for a year or more, you have the character to give them extended notice, you won't open a competitor business and you will help them to replace you when the time comes, you might get the job.

You will immediately turn-off prospective employers if you go into an interview with the attitude that you just graduated from school or completed a home study course and you are ready to work as a full-charge groomer. No matter how famous the school or program it won't work! Every experienced groomer knows that even after a few years of grooming there are still things to learn and productivity to improve. The ongoing need for continuing education is actually part of the fun of working in this field.

Your search for employment can be boosted by a school's “placement program.” Many schools maintain a list of grooming businesses willing to consider graduates for employment. When you interview prospective schools ask if they maintain a placement program and how many graduates are placed. Some U.S. states require vocational schools to maintain a specified placement ratio or their state licensing status will be reviewed and possibly revoked. We are familiar with a school that has maintains a list of 200 employers nationwide willing to consider its graduates for employment.

If your desire is to become a career employee try to work for the best grooming business in town. Whether it is a pet salon, or a grooming department in a pet care business, work for the business with the best reputation, facilities, and employment policies. To maximize your income it helps to work for a stable business that is busy throughout the year. You may expect January and February to be "slow" where winters are harsh. If you are paid by commission only and business is slow, your income from grooming will likewise lower. Ideally, you want to work for a business that is not affected by seasonal influences and they are busy year round.

When owners lose management control of the businesses, senior full-charge groomers (usually working on commission) execute a takeover of sorts. Your worse case scenario is to become employed by a business where each groomer builds a "mini-empire" within the overall business. Typically your co-workers will make claim to new customers to boost their clientele and you get the leftovers because you are the newbie. It can take a lot of seniority to prosper in such a business and overall groomers tell us the working environment is stressful. In fact, many groomers go into self-employment to be free of the competitive environment.

We will probably get criticized for saying these words, but then again as consultants we have been asked hundreds of times to help business owners restore day-to-day control of their businesses. It's not our opinion; it's our job. When you interview for a position you should silently be interviewing the business owner on your own. Yes it’s a job but what kind of working environment are you applying for and what will be the opportunities for advancement? These are important questions for you to find answers before accepting a position. Hopefully you will find employment with a team-oriented owner that will give you a steady growing share of work assignments, and work to grow a business to provide you steady, full-time work. They are out there, and they have our greatest respect.

Long-Term Planning

With over 40 years in the field of grooming we know what to expect from an extended career in pet grooming. Financial planning is a key aspect of long-term planning. We encourage you to plan for the long-term now.

Generally, employed groomers have limited financial planning options provided by their employers. Most independents don’t provide retirement related employee benefits. However, PETCO and PETsMART do offer qualified employees with such benefits and it attracts prospective employees along with healthcare benefits. As a result, the large majority of employed groomers don’t have a retirement program with their employer. They have to look to themselves to setup retirement portfolio. It’s never too early to set one up since you benefit from contributions made many years before retirement.

Self-employed groomers have unique options. They can setup a benefits program for themselves and/or their employees. Perhaps the two greatest contributions toward their comfortable retirement is the sale of their business when they retire or change careers, and how they invested the profit of their business over many years before retirement.

We encourage self-employed salon or shop owners to build a larger business than they may be planning now. There are reasons other than money. Grooming is physical work and the associated wear and tear accumulates as the years go by. The larger the business the more likely the owner can retire from full-time grooming and work as an owner/manager of their business without a loss of income. Managing a grooming business can involve far less bodily wear and tear, and it can be very enjoyable to work with the clientele most of the work day. Sometimes the presence of these owners on the front reception counter actually encourages the business to grow even larger and to become noted for its client relations expertise. Indeed, that was one of the keys to our founder’s success in building one of the world’s largest grooming businesses.

You must build a very successful business for this latter plan to work. It is a great benefit that you create for yourself, and you should celebrate your success and wise planning. It really pays off when you consider that the physical wear and tear of pet grooming has forced some grooming business owners out of grooming when they stopped grooming because they didn’t have a business large enough to cover their salary as an owner/manager managing a moderate to large grooming staff. It's a sad situation and it does happen.

Finally, there are a couple more steps to planning your career in grooming on the next page.