Owner occupied – it’s just me

Working on your own has its ups and downs. You must be your own motivator, bookkeeper, cleaner, marketing personnel, maintenance person as well as groomer! Or do you?

Anything that takes you away from grooming is costing you money.

Take Lisa for example. Lisa owns and operates a mobile dog grooming trailer in Bulimba, Brisbane. She does 7-8 dogs a day and earns between $500 and $600 per day. She then goes home and does an extra 2-3 hours working on the business: booking in clients, doing her bookkeeping, marketing, socials etc.

Lisa has no time for socializing or playing tennis, which she loves. Her friends are missing her, and she feels guilty all the time for saying ‘no’.

Sound familiar?

Lisa could really benefit from outsourcing some of her business roles. If Lisa engaged a bookkeeper, purchased an online booking system / CRM, or paid for a regular cleaner, she would have more time to groom and enjoy her life.

Outsourcing can allow you to

• increase your bottom line

• be more present in your business

• increase leisure time

• enjoy better work/life balance

Lisa least enjoys bookkeeping and is currently networking through her local council to find a great bookkeeper!

There are many ways to maximise your bottom line by outsourcing. Groomers are used to hard work so we often feel like we have to do everything ourselves purely because we can. You might just be surprised at the mental health payoff you get when you pay for something to be done for you. Yes it costs some money, but the time you gain is invaluable.

I have staff

Staffing! How hard can it be? Often the most frustrating part of owning a business is getting the right staff and keeping them. So how do we make money from staff?

Good question!

From experience, the absolute best way to run a successful grooming salon is to systemise each area of grooming (It is also helpful to train staff to work across multiple areas if possible - what we call side-skilling) Let’s take a look at these 3 main areas:

Front of House

Is your booking system working for you? Does it allow you to automatically send texts to and from the customer? By paying a little extra for texts, you could save a lot of time. FOH staff can have more time to spend with clients, clean or control stock.

Investing in a great system can save you time and therefore, money!

Back of House

Do you have checklists in place for cleaning? Jobs on checklists can be completed in between dogs and be a great way to utilize bather down time.

Do you have KPI’s set for each bather per day? Is one bather doing more or less than another? If so, why? Do they need more training? Do you have enough dryers? Are they all working well? Poor equipment can slow bathers down.

Do you use conditioner? The right amount of conditioner can speed the drying process.

Are you using a chamois? By eliminating towels and replacing with chamois, you can limit the amount of washing you do, saving time and money!

The Grooming Room

Are your groomers working for profit? If it takes a groomer 2 hours to complete a groom, you may be running at a loss, unless you charge per hour. Systemising the day will help your groomers maximize the workflow. By working out your ‘special needs’ dogs, you will have more time for regular grooms. If you have a dog that requires 2 groomers, can you get them in at the beginning of the day rather than during peak grooming times? Groomers work better when they are supported, and they do need our support. It can be unfair to expect a single groomer to groom a large, difficult dog. By understanding your client base and working with your groomers, productivity can really lift.

Are your groomers willing to improve their skills? Regular training can lift groomers motivation. Attending a competition together or seminar can raise the standard of grooming and lift your team’s spirit.

Are you charging enough for your dogs? Undercharging will get you and the industry nowhere! Identify dogs that need an extra charge. Seniors, (some) puppies, aggressive dogs, any dog that takes extra time, needs an extra charge. Try focusing on ‘value’ over price. Value is not self-worth - it is what others take from your service. This is a common mistake in our industry and one that needs to be rectified. If you truly value what you do, you should have no trouble charging your worth.

It might be time to speak to a business coach or accountant for ways you can improve your bottom line. One thing for sure is you need to work out what you COB (cost of business) is. There are many formulas available and a professional business coach or accountant can help you work this out and more. Lean on other professionals - that’s what they’re there for!

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