Business Plans

If you don't want to start a grooming business from scratch, buying an existing one may be your alternative. First of all, there are the plusses and minuses.

The plusses are:

Existing Customers: The customers and loyal clients of an existing business have already been developed. A well-planned transition will retain the clientele for the new owner, and thereby maintain the demand for services and cash flow from sales of services. Businesses started from scratch have much less initial cash flow. In fact it can take years to develop a similar level of clientele depending upon the size of the client base purchased with the business.

Immediate Operation: You can start immediately. In fact you don't necessarily have to close business for a day.

Existing Goodwill: Presumably the present owner has created goodwill for the services offered to the community it serves.

Financial Planning: Financing may be easier to obtain because the business has a track record. In fact, new startups can heightened skepticism especially ...

Many people have a strong desire to operate a business in their home. They enjoy eliminating regular work commutes. Some groomers prefer to be closer to their family especially while raising young children, so a home based business is ideal. Operating a home business is clearly an appealing working lifestyle choice but there are some potential disadvantages you should consider.

First, the home-based pet grooming business rarely earns the "net worth" of a commercial salon business as a business opportunity and not considering the real estate value if any involved. That isn't important to many home-based groomers because they love the other advantages of working at home.

Commercial locations generally have ...

Since 2000 there has been a sharp increase in the number of pet boutiques with grooming. No wonder. Studies show that retail environments record up to 30% more in retail sales when services like grooming are also offered. The foot traffic of the grooming clients increases retail sales, and no pet care service is more frequency based than grooming. Solid grooming clients can be counted to come in every 4 to 12 weeks.

Pet boutiques, like pet salons and shops, are typically in commercial locations located in upscale areas. They rarely qualify as a home-based business, and of course they are not a mobile operation although some may own a mobile and provide that extra service, including delivery of retail goods and bags of pet food (usually holistic brands).

Pet boutiques can be anywhere from 500 to 1,000 ...

Starting a mobile grooming business typically involves less cash outlay than a commercial location. Most of the cash outlay is required for the down payment on the mobile vehicle, but you need to have some cash reserves while you grow the business adequate to cover your expenses, and start-up expenses.

You do need to investigate licenses carefully. Sometimes you need to get local approval from each city, town or county you groom in the form of a license or permit. Also, some housing associations may prohibit storing your vehicle in the driveway of your ...

Let's start by saying that there is little difference in the term "shop" versus "salon." Most consumers sense the use of the term "salon" as being more upscale, and not necessarily a larger business than a shop. "Shop" is simply casual. So for the purpose of discussion here unless otherwise noted, we mean the same thing whether we use the term "shop" or "salon." If your interest is a pet spa this is your section too. The term "pet spa" has been around for some time but its use is on the increase in upscale areas. These businesses promote specialty services from hydrotherapy to "blueberry facials."

Salons and shops as we use the term are in "commercial locations." They do not qualify as a home-based business, and of course they are not a mobile operation although some may own a mobile and provide that extra service.
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If you are planning a pet grooming business in your home, do NOT assume you do not need a business license. In fact, do not assume it is legal to have one in the home, even if someone else in your community is operating one. If they are, it ...

Discussing your choices for the form of your company with an attorney is strongly recommended. There are service providers that will form and file organizations for a modest fee, but they are not legal advisors for your company nor capable of informing of taxable consequences and legal requirements.

The most common ...

By Lorrie Bracaloni, www.ahomepetgroomer.com.

I have been grooming in the clients home for over 35 years and loving every minute of it. I am a self-published author of the book Pet Grooming in the Home ...

You may never need an attorney as a pet groomer, but having one associated with your business can be invaluable at times and provide some peace-of-mind. ...

Dirty Dogs Done Dirt Cheap (Press Release)

Just when I thought I'd heard and seen it all, I learned that Mary Beth Conwell has installed a self-serve dog wash at the carwash she and her husband, Martin, own.

The carwash is on the corner of Davis and West Thurston streets ...

Today I decided to post this article once again in GroomerTALK Magazine online after receiving another round of calls from business owners thinking about self-server. Usually they are not groomers. Instead they own pet stores, boutiques, feed stores or even coin-operated car washes. This article provides good general information and way to prepare a business plan for a self-service pet wash.

The 1990's birthed a new concept for pet care, the self-service pet wash for D.I.Y. pet owners. Where did this idea come from? What are the challenges in establishing one? Where do they work best? How do you discover how to build and operate one? These are but a few of the questions asked of us by visitors here. In this section we will attempt to answer questions and lead you to sources ...

Stephen has posted this article on behalf of its writer, Dave Grass, details below.


Self-Serve Dog Washes are being warmly welcomed by the public in areas where they are available. And they are becoming available in more and more places all the time. It is now apparent, as people are ...