Running a pet grooming business isn’t all fun and games. After all, you’re there to run a successful business and enjoy your profits.
The good news is, pet care and grooming is a billion-dollar industry in Australia. This is positive news for those looking to purchase an established pet grooming business instead of starting from scratch. These opportunities will continue to grow, as people view pets as members of the family.
But, how can you ensure that you maximize this opportunity?
Improving your pet grooming salon
Now that your pet grooming salon is set up, you should focus on improving how it’s run.
To do that, you should:
- Expand your products and services: Once you become comfortable with your existing offerings, you should add new products or services to capture more business. For example, you could begin selling pet products like food and accessories or offering extra services like daycare.
- Create rewards programs: Rewards programs show clients that you value their patronage. You can offer referral rewards or discounts for regularly visiting your store—for example, one free bath & dry for every five grooming appointments.
- Optimize your business processes: You can gain extra time to put towards your business by cutting out unnecessary and low-value tasks. For example, if you automate your booking process, you can spend less time on administration and more time grooming.
Implementing these three strategies can help you gain repeat business and increase revenues and efficiency.
How often should you conduct market research?
As an owner of a pet grooming business, market research should be a regular task. You need to stay on top of industry trends, what your competitors are doing, and changing client preferences.
How to conduct market research:
- Analyze your competitors
- What do clients love about them?
- What do clients dislike about them?
- Do they offer any unique products or services?
- Are they doing anything particularly well?
- Is there anything about their business that you can improve?
- Read industry reports and publications like Groomer To Groomer.
- Find out what your customers need and want through regular surveys
By targeting these three sources of information during your market research, you’ll be sure to find ways to improve your business.
Updating your pet grooming equipment
Keeping your grooming equipment up-to-date helps you keep the quality of your services high, which leads to happier customers.
For most pet grooming salons, this is the essential equipment to keep your business running. However, you may need extra equipment depending on the specific services you provide.
Inventory management for pet groomers
Inventory management for pet groomers is relatively straightforward since you need minimal products for grooming. However, it does get more complicated if you decide to sell products directly to customers.
If you decide to sell products, it’s best to manage inventory with software like Pawfinity. This software makes it easy to keep track of inventory, edit pricing, and create promotions. Plus, it includes scheduling management which is a must-have for any successful groomer.
Pet grooming industry facts
- In 2019, Australian’s spent almost $13 billion on their pets, with $700 million spent on clipping and grooming alone.
- There are over 5 million dogs and around 3.8 million cats in Australia that need the regular care of pet groomers.
- There are only around 4,000 pet groomers to cater to the millions of pets in the country.
How to set goals for your business
You wouldn’t be reading this article if you didn’t want to improve your pet grooming salon, and setting goals is a vital part of that. In fact, business owners who set goals increase their chances of success tenfold.
Here are some steps to do just that:
- Specific: Choose a goal that has a clear end. For example, increasing business revenue by 20% or opening a second salon.
- Measurable: You need a way of measuring your progress towards a goal. For example, a goal to open a second salon could be measured by the amount of money you need to open it.
- Achievable: Make sure your chosen goal is realistic. For example, opening 20 grooming salons over 40 years is achievable. However, trying to open them all in the first year of business isn’t.
- Relevant: Your goal should match the bigger vision for your business.
- Time-bound: Having a time constraint on your goals helps to motivate and keep you on track. Without a deadline, it’s easy to get lazy and distracted by outside influences.
Marketing for pet groomers
A good marketing strategy keeps clients rolling in day after day and helps showcase your expertise as a dog groomer.
As part of an effective marketing plan, you should:
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Optimize your online presence for local search: To do this, you should include specific keywords on your website and in the content you share. For example, “best dog groomer in Brisbane” or “pet groomer in Bondi.” You’ll also want to set up a Google My Business listing so you’re more visible when customers search for pet groomers locally.
- Attend grooming competitions: What better way to advertise your services than entering (and winning) a competition? You’ll be able to validate your expertise and expand your network.
- Focus on social media: Pets garner hundreds of thousands—if not millions—of views every day. With permission, you can upload pictures of pets that have been groomed to showcase your work and grow an audience.
Marketing is an ongoing task for pet grooming businesses, so make sure to schedule an hour or two each day to monitor and implement the strategies above.
Financing options for growing your business
If you’ve got plans to expand your pet grooming salon but lack funding, don’t worry.
In Australia, there are several popular funding options:
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Bring on a business partner: You can get potential business partners to invest their own money in return for equity in your business.
- Traditional loans: Loans are still the number one way to generate funds in Australia. Make sure to have a detailed business plan and transaction records to show lenders.
- Government grants: It’s often possible to find grants and programs for businesses in Australia. All you have to do is search for your state and it’ll bring up which programs are available.
- Traditional loans: Loans are still the number one way to generate funds in Australia. Make sure to have a detailed business plan and transaction records to show lenders.
How to hire employees for your pet salon
Once your pet salon becomes too busy for you to handle alone, it’s a good idea to hire some help. In the beginning, you can advertise some part-time positions and gradually increase their hours.
Popular places to advertise are:
- Seek
- Indeed
- CareerOne
Alternatively, you can post your advertisements in magazines, on your social media channels, or ask your network for referrals.
Typical positions that you’ll need to fill in the beginning are:
- Groomer: $50k - $60k per year
- Trainer: $50k - $70k per year
- Washer: $30k - $40k per year
Hiring people to fill multiple positions is also possible if your business isn’t busy enough yet. For example, one full-time groomer that also washes dogs.
Exit strategies for pet grooming salons
Whether you’re reaching retirement or simply want to move on to your next venture, it’s essential to know how to exit your business successfully.
Some people opt for liquidation, while others try to maximize their return by selling the company while it’s still running.
Regardless of how you want to sell your pet salon, you should:
- Have a goal you want to achieve with your exit. For example, selling your business for at least $5 million.
- Schedule your desired exit date and create a plan that ensures your business is ready for sale at that time.
- Learn how to value your business so that you can gauge whether you want to change your exit date. Likewise, using a valuation tool to generate a valuation will provide you with comprehensive insights on your business, and you can use these to improve and prepare for the sale.
- Make any necessary adjustments to your business if you’re not on track for your scheduled exit.
- Have a plan for negotiations so that you end up with a fair result.
By implementing these five steps into your exit plan, you’ll be sure to reap the fruits of your hard work.
@Be_theBoss
