What time of year do most plan on opening your new business?

[DAPER DAWG]

I was thinking that April - June would be the best time as it is usually when things start picking up but then would one expect to be starting out with a lot of OAY's? Not that it would be a bad thing business is business.

[lbboop99]

I have been in business for a few years but when I opened I opened in April. I did do pretty good then. I think that is a good time to start. A lot of people are looking to get their dog done then and if someone else is booked they will call you.

[RevWind]

My original plan was to start in late March because of it benig the start of the grooming season, but that's not anywhere close to happening. I definitely recommend spring to early summer. Where are you located and are you shop or mobile?

[workingchihuahua]

spring is a good time. those OAYers will help carry you until regulars start coming in. my anniversary date is april 15th. i am going to start year #6. good luck. where in ct will you be.

[scullysmom]

The only time that might not be good is right before elementary school opens back up (august-September).

[dogma]

check when your phone books come out. When I opened my shop (many, many years ago) I hadn't checked on this. I missed the deadline for getting an ad in the book and had to go an entire year without being in the yellow pages. Ouch!

namaste...dogma

[DAPER DAWG]

I'm gonna have a salon/spa in Cromwell CT

That's what I thought maybe the OAY's would get you up and running.

I'm still in the process of finding a good spot. I have to start calling some landlords and get some prices. The per square foot price in this area is pretty high $12-20. Gonna try to find closer to the lower of the two.

Dogma - What a good idea, I'll have to remember to call this week and see when they do the yellow pages to make sure I do it ahead of time.

[Fluffy Puppy]

When I opened, it was March 1st. Usually March-July are busy for me.
But, I was going through my books and was surprised to see that my best month last year was February. June, July and Dec were good months. Sept and Oct were the slowest.

[Soap]

I started (mobile) in Jan. What an indoctrination! If I had to do it over I would have started in the spring.
Dogma's point about the phone book is a good one.

[MysticRealm]

I am hoping to open my shop July 15, all the grooming places even near me have around 2 months wait time right now so I think I should do pretty well.

[CountryCanines]

I think it depends on your area - I opened mid sept. in Alabama and have done great BUT our weather is a lot milder. It stays warm here till nov or so and gets hot again in march.

[Ms.Heidi]

I agree with Country Canines, depends on the area. Also, when I first opened I missed the yellow pages by several weeks - bummer! This hurt business the first year as i had to depend upon word of mouth and getting my business name out there. The yellow pages is something to definitely check into. You can now put your cell phone number in the ads too.

It does depend on weather conditions and what part of the country you are in. I know in cold climates that January is a slow period, in the southern states some summer months are slow. California seems to do well all year round. I think you'll be okay with start up as you have planned. Much luck to you!

[Maggy]

I'm not a shop owner, but I would think early spring would be best. That way you have a couple weeks to work out the kinks before things get busier.