How to start a dog grooming business

To start a dog grooming business you need to assess your local dog grooming business landscape, develop a dog grooming business plan, and market your dog grooming business.

For more details on the steps you can take to start a dog grooming business, use this guide:

• Assess your local dog grooming business landscape. Before taking any steps to start your dog grooming businesses, you should first do some research on the dog grooming businesses that already exist in your area.

  You want to be sure there is enough demand in your community for a new dog grooming business, or if your area happens to have a lot of dog grooming businesses already.

  If you live in a large metro area, it is likely that your dog grooming business will succeed fairly easily, even if there are many already operating.

  Those in smaller communities can have a tougher time if there are already many dog grooming services, however, if your town is lacking, you can take full advantage of this missing enterprise.

• Develop a dog grooming business plan. All successful businesses start with a business plan. Even though dog grooming is a fairly simple business, it is still highly recommended that you craft a comprehensive business plan.

  Creating a business plan provides you with a strong framework for your business to follow. This improves how you strategize and market your dog grooming business, and is crucial to getting your business off the ground and having it flourish in its early stages.

  Writing a business plan is not all that complicated. It should contain a clear illustration of what you want your business to be and a sense of what competition you will face in this market.

  Another addition to your business plan should be what services you will offer. Clearly, you are going to offer dog grooming, but perhaps in addition you might want to offer other services, like dog sitting, dog boarding, or even dog training.

  Additional services and specialities can help your business stand apart from others. You also create new revenue streams when you provide additional dog services.

• Market your dog grooming business. Marketing is a critical component of any business and this holds true even with a dog grooming business.

  You might be able to get a few clients that are dog owners and are friends or acquaintances of yours, but you need to find a way to reach larger groups of possible clients.

  It should also be mentioned here that you need to pick a name for your business. Try to make it short, clever, dog-related, and memorable.

  The great news is that marketing a dog grooming business is not very expensive. You can do this by creating flyers with your business's contact information and placing them around your community.

  You should be sure to put up fliers in places like parks, community centers, and of course dog parks. You might also see if local vets or pet supply stores will let you put up fliers in their businesses. The more exposure you have to dog owners, the better.

  You should also utilize the internet with these marketing strategies:

  • Social media

  • Your dog grooming business website

  • Email marketing

  One of the best forms of marketing for a dog grooming business is word of mouth. Here you don't actually have to do much of the marketing at all, just simply provide very good dog grooming services and ask your clients to recommend you to their friends and neighbors.

  Many dog owners are quite particular about who they allow to take care of their pets, so if an existing customer can vouch for your services, you'll likely have no problem obtaining clients.

• Costs of a dog grooming business. Depending on the scale of your business and other decisions you make, the costs of starting a dog grooming business varies.

  For the essential equipment alone you are looking at costs in the range of $10,000 to $18,000.

  This includes equipment like:

  • Shavers

  • Shears

  • Dryers

  • Crates

  • Tubs

  • Cleaning supplies

  • Grooming tables

  You also should keep these recurring costs in mind:

  • Shampoos

  • Conditioners

  • Utilities

  • Applicable insurance policies

  If you need an education on dog grooming you can complete an apprenticeship, which you get paid for in the process, or take a dog grooming training program. Training programs can cost in the range of $500 to $3,000.

  Other costs to consider depend on how and where you deliver your dog grooming services. If you are planning on being a mobile dog grooming business, then your only other major cost will be a company vehicle.

  However, if you want to open up a storefront, you must then consider leasing or purchasing costs of a commercial space.