Hi all,

I'm being made redundant (last day is next week) and so far I've not found another job :(

I was made redundant from my last job and I really wanted to change paths and become a groomer but I was young and didn't really take it further than a thought, but now I think the time is right!

I'm getting a redundancy package and my work will pay up to £2.5k for retraining costs and I've looked at training options but my query is around start up costs etc
I think starting as mobile may be the best option and then move into premises?

Can anybody who has also started up give me any tips/pointers etc?

Thanks :)

A few thoughts from a successful but now retired groomer. :)
I definitely wouldn't start mobile.  You can't carry everything that you need with you, especially to a top floor flat!  In the time that you're travelling, you can be trimming another dog and earning money.  And bending over house baths is no good for your back longterm! :)
Train at a Grooming School rather than a college that offers a grooming course.  In my experience you cannot compare the training.  This is where I trained and then worked before starting my own parlour.  http://www.charney-kennels.co.uk/grooming.html  Things have changed since I went there) many years have passed!) but I've still not found better training. 
The time and money you spend is an investment in your future.
The work ethic that I was taught is trim to the breed standard and expect your clients to bring their dogs in every 6-8 weeks.  With that in mind, after working for myself for 3 months I never had to advertise for the next 16 years and had a waiting list for clients waiting to a place.  If you do once a year matted clip offs, then that's what you'll keep getting rather than owners who want their dogs to look good all the year round.

Thanks WestCoast

I was more thinking mobile as in converted van, i live on the Isle of Man so travelling between clients would only be a max of 30 minutes

Yes I was looking at grooming schools rather than college and totally agree I want to work towards breed standard styling rather than just wash & cut it all off.

Ideally I need a block course as travelling for training would become too expensive. I looked at Firtree http://www.firtreegrooming.co.uk/default.htm
But 10 days seems a very short period, I guess this is just the basics and I'd have to do another 10-20 days for breed specific training?
The location is ideal for me as I can stay with family and reduce accomodation costs.

A friend of mine has just done her course at this grooming centre and enjoyed every minute. Rated it very highly

Six week, residential grooming course here,   http://www.doggroomingschool.co.uk/dog_grooming_courses.html  This is a busy, working salon

The owner trained me before she set up the grooming course at her salon.   I trained at a local agricultural and animal studies college and was very lucky that she was the tutor.   She included far more on my course than was actually required.

Whatever course you are thinking of doing, make sure you can contact past students to see how they are doing now.   If the training is good, then the past students should have thriving businesses, some of which you may be able to visit.

Security. A few of the groomers round where I live have admitted freely there dogs escaped from time to time. One was right by a main road and I  walked away discusted as the owner acted like was acceptable. Another a child let the dog out on two occasions . so  as long as the dog was completely secure!!!

Yikes!! I did lose one once at grooming college, a friend who said her dog was fine travelling in the car without a crate (I didn't have one big enough for a briard!) but who leapt past me as I tried to open the boot and went on a jaunt for half an hour. But I've never ever had one escape while grooming for myself!