Thinking of moving to good ol' florida

[groominglife]

and starting a mobile grooming business! But wondering whats life down there like for a small business owner? Is it hard to get the needed insurance? Is the weather tough on someone not used to it? I heard that quite a few parts of florida are dangerous! Plus I hear housing is very overpriced. Also don't they have a water regualation law-How do you fill your unit? Where would I keep my unit? I don't think a condo/apartment building would like a huge van parked in the lot. While all the homes seen to be in subdivisions-Would I be allowed to even have it? Hmmm

[hairdevil]

Im not from there, but have been there alot. LOTS of groomers, prices too cheap, rent too high, weather to hot..people too rude..why in the world would you want to LIVE there? lol I prefer to jus visit I think..but if its your thing, go for it! hope you speak spanish!!! I can't, and I couldn't even communicate in the kiss/orlando/st cloud area

[amysue2638]

I moved to Tampa from the Boston area 2 years ago, and I do like it here (even though I REALLY miss Boston at times). Every area has its good and bad points. The weather in FL is spectacular for 7-8 months out of the year. I actually spent today at the dog beach! On the flip side June-September is unbearable for me with the heat. I can't stand to be outside for more than 5 minutes. But then again I don't have to deal with ice and snow anymore so I guess it's a trade off.

It's such a big state and the areas are so vastly different so I can only really comment on the areas I'm familiar with, which are the larger metro areas. Many areas are community driven, meaning there are HOAs and guidelines surrounding what you are allowed to do with your home and property. In my neighborhood we are not allowed to park commercial vehicles on the street or even in the driveway. But most houses and a lot of condos and apartments have garages so that's how you can get around that. It would really depend on how strict the rules are where you decide to live. My biggest problem with being mobile in this area would be the traffic. If you had appointments throughout the day in different areas of the city you would be screwed, because you never know what traffic nightmare you're going to encounter. Mainly that's because people drive like complete a-holes here. Way worse than Boston. And the police don't pull you over for running red lights, speeding, etc., which is the majority of the problem. But that's a whole different story that I won't get started on.

My biggest obstacle when opening my shop was getting insurance. I talked to about 25 agents before I found one who could get my policy written. But that was due to the property side since the building was over 20 years old and within 10 miles of the water. I think mobile would be much easier since I don't believe there is an issue getting auto insurance here, and the liability side was not a problem for me at all.

As for the price of housing, yes it has increased quite a bit in the last few years. But it's all relative and depends where you are coming from. I came from an area that was even more overpriced, so FL seemed really cheap!

The good thing is that this state is much more pet-friendly than others I have lived in and visited.....which means there are more dogs and potential clients. Also there is a high elderly population, so possibly that is a plus for mobile groomers but I'm really not sure.

I think you should do some research online on the various cities' chamber of commerce sites and other websites to gather info on demographics. You also would want to visit before making a move. Like I said before, FL is such a big and diverse state that you would want to find the area that you would be most comfortable living in. And speaking Spanish would be a plus, which unfortunately I do not! I actually made up a grooming cheat sheet for my shop to translate some basic terms because I've had a few customers who barely speak English at all.

Good luck!

[Soap]

[QUOTE=amysue2638;26544] I actually spent today at the dog beach! On the flip side June-September is unbearable for me with the heat. I can't stand to be outside for more than 5 minutes. But then again I don't have to deal with ice and snow anymore so I guess it's a trade off. [QUOTE]

Way to rub it in! It was 30F here today. LOL Enjoy some of that beach for me!!

[happygroomer]

also thinking of moving to FL

I grew up in Fort Myers and am thinking of moving back. I work at a PetSmart and can transfer. When is the busy season? When is the slow season? What is the good and the bad about Florida grooming?

[eli]

R U sure U haven't already talked yourself out of it?

Native Floridian here. Lived here all but about 8 months of my 43 years.

You forgot to mention hurricanes!! We usually have very wet summers.
It's raining now as a matter of fact.

It is HOT!! But no snow shoveling.
Lots of seasonal people. Even more permanent residents.
Lots of Spanish speaking people. Lots of English speaking people.

Most days, I like it here. I'm in Lakeland. Between Orlando & Tampa.
I wouldn't want to live in a bigger city.
Would I move to N.Carolina or Arizona. Yep.

It's all about your 'tude.
Just do your research.

Erica