Hi, I am working on plans to set up a dog grooming business but would like to get some advice about transitioning from full time employment to becoming self employed. My biggest concern is having a period of reduced income in the early stages so how quickly should I realistically expect to build up a client base and is it realistic to actually be grooming up to 5 or more dogs per day as I have read some people are doing on other forums?

If anybody has been through this process and can offer any advice I'd be most grateful?

Thanks
Matt

it depends.
On how good you are.
On how well you advertise and get yourself known.
On how many other groomers are in your area.
On what your prices are and how they compare with other local groomers.
And a million other things.

From experience, I'd recommend going part-time with your existing employment to begin with.  Say, 1-2 days with one job and 2-3 with your grooming business.

Concentrate on doing a good job with the clients you do get, and let them spread the word for you.  It takes time to build a loyal, good customer base, and you will have to be patient.  Think years, not weeks/months.  I have been grooming and had my own business for over 10 years.  I've seen many 'slap-dash' outfits come and go because they hadn't done their homework.

I do 5 per day comfortably.  However this depends on what size breeds you will cater for.  Obviously a biggy in there will take up your time, but you will charge more for the big ones and so will need to do less of them. 

To begin with, I could only do 2-3 a day and was knackered, lol!, its all part of the learning process.  And of course, it all depends on what type of equipment you have.  There are so many variables.

I hope this has given you some food for thought.

Thank you, this is really helpful advice and all makes perfect sense. I may even start out offering services to friends and family dogs simply to gain more hands-on experience and build onfidence and speed while training.

One other question I meant to include in my post was regarding seasonality. I've heard some say that Xmas is a busy time but are there other times of year or factors that affect an upturn or downturn in demand for dog grooming?  I would like to plan ahead so that I begin when I know there is greater need and later work out how to phase the stages of transition from my current employer.

Xmas is chocker and then a dip after with then more calls as the warmer weather comes. Im new to grooming and to give myself ple ty of time (slow at scissoring) I would only book 2 dogs a day in until I improved and saved enough tonbut some blenders/chunkers. I am working part time 20 hours 1 day at college grooming and when ive saved enough for equipment ill groom on my spare days which may only be 2 days a week. Wont leave my part time job as they will train me and its a guarentee of a pay cheque too. Only done my level 2 so far level 3 this sept

Again, this is a newcomers thing.  That is what I mean about building a good customer base.  Get customers on your books and encourage them to book at 8-12 week intervals throughout the ENTIRE year.  Yes, many do not like short haircuts on their dogs during the Winter, but that is fine, it does not mean they need to stay away.  Learn to educate your customers on the importance of good coat care ALL YEAR ROUND.  Offer other services like wash and dry only etc. 

That said, it would be ideal if you could get started in the 'Summer' months when there is definitely new pups around etc and increased demand for services.

Good luck. 

I've heard some say that Xmas is a busy time but are there other times of year or factors that affect an upturn or downturn in demand for dog grooming?

It depends on how you choose to run your business.  I was taught (and the policy that I adopted :)) to not do once a year clip offs, but to trim to the breed standard and generally only offer a regular 8 week appointment.  Whichever way you choose to work, you will attract a different sort of client.

If you clip off, then you'll get matted dogs in maybe twice a year - yes in the summer and often before Christmas if they are embarrassed about the state of their dogs when people are coming to visit.

If you trim to the breed standards, you will attract clients who want regular appointments so that their dogs to look good all the year round and you won't have quiet and busy times, just a steady, reliable income.

I did an intensive training course but was then asked to work at the grooming school for a further 6 months before I started on my own.  At that time I would easily do 6 dogs a day but eventually only groomed smaller dogs, up to Cocker size, and could then trim up to 9 dogs in a 7 hour day.

When I started I advertised from September until Christmas in my local newspaper (before the internet was as essential as it is now!) and then had enough recommendations not to advertise again for the next 16 years.  :)

> At that time I would easily do 6 dogs a day but eventually only groomed smaller dogs, up to Cocker size, and could then trim up to 9 dogs in a 7 hour day.

Not that I disbelieve you, but I can't see how it's possible to fully groom 9 dogs in 7 hours. Perhaps you could tell us what equipment, helpers etc. you have to be able to do that? Just bathing and drying 9 dogs would take up a good deal of that time, obviously depending on the breeds involved.

Yorkies, full coat or lightly trimmed - 40 minutes.  Cockers, Westies, Lhasa etc - scissored, bathed and dried in 45 minutes.
Just a Simpsons blaster and Superjet dryer. 

I always worked single handed unless my daughter was around in school holidays in which case she would bath and dry, I would do the trimming, nails etc and we'd work 2 days into one.  :)

I would always do a first trim before the bath so that you're not having to dry coat that will come off - then a finish afterwards.  And the right tequnique of course, which is why I always bang on about training in the right place - it really does make all the difference to your future business.   ;) ;)

Remember that all my dogs would come in every 8 weeks and so none were in a bad state - easy work.  :)

As I never got my business very far before health and a house move stopped me, I can't comment on that side but purely from the physical side - build it up.  Don't go hell for leather right away, and I would also recommend keeping yourself in good shape outside of work.  Grooming puts pressure on the arms/shoulders and lower back, and it can cause back problems in some people - I already suffer with problems in both areas so I can't groom much these days but keeping yourself in good nick can really help prevent problems from occurring (or at the least reduce them over the longer term) once you're up to working full time :-)

I agree with trim first then bath - you'll have to neaten them up afterwards but it makes a heck of a difference to time, especially if you've got a new client's dog who's been neglected a bit or a dog that doesn't come in too often that has a very full coat.

I certainly take the worst of the coat off before bathing, but unless my equipment is really rubbish (I have an Aeolus stand dryer and an Aeolus H-901 blaster), it takes me far longer than you are able to do WestCoast. I'd allow myself at least 2 hours per dog, some even longer, so even on a full day I wouldn't attempt to do more than 4 dogs. I don't do the grooming full-time as I also walk dogs, do pet visits and sell high end pet foods.

I agree with Nikita it can take a toll on your physical health (part of the reason I do the other work alongside).

I agree with Nikita it can take a toll on your physical health (part of the reason I do the other work alongside).

It certainly can - but that's another reason to train where they will teach you how to groom and organise your equipment so as not do yourself a mischief.  :)

Grooming really is all about technique and skill rather than strength.  I was full of arthritis when I was grooming and even when I trained at 38 years old.  I worked trimming 8/9 dogs a day for 4 days a week for 16 years with no break and no problems.  I have now retired.

PS  All the students who went to the same grooming school and chose to work in the way that they were taught (some wanted to do their own thing :)) all worked in the same way as me.  We were taught how to groom, how to look after yourself and how to run a successful business.

PPS  :)  Although I now have my bus pass, 4 years ago I could still bath and dry a Rough Collie in 40 minutes!  haha :)

Pedlee, I don't know the Aeolus range but I've Googled and can't find a dryer above 1800w.  The Simpsons is 2500w so almost half as hot again which would certainly save time.

The 901 appears to be a combined blaster dryer, and the combined units are not usually as powerful as the single specialised units so perhaps you're right, the equipment is different.  :)

These are the dryers/blasters I have (http://simpsons-online.co.uk/acatalog/Aeolus.html - the top 2 products). As they are discontinued, perhaps that says it all. ;)

Oh dear.  :(  But if you're happy with the way that you work then that's fine.  :)

If you want to be more productive, then I'd certainly recommend the Simpsons dryer.  It's reliable old workhorse with no gimmicks - mine worked full time for 16 years with no maintenance - well just me cleaning the filter and blasting the motor fans perhaps once a month!

I can't find a Simpson blaster but that was so powerful that it would dry a Rough Collie without any heat at all in under an hour.  :)

Again, they are what I was told to buy on the list that I was given at the grooming school.  :)

> but unless my equipment is really rubbish (I have an Aeolus stand dryer and an Aeolus H-901 blaster), it takes me far longer than you are able to do WestCoast. I'd allow myself at least 2 hours per dog, some even longer,

I bought a H901 last year and never use it because it is IMO useless. There is no power there.
I use a Double K blaster for most dogs
http://www.redcape.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&path=18_45&product_id=88
it will dry most dogs in 15-20 minutes
and a Megablast for the big thick coated ones. It will dry a Newfie or St Bernard in 30 mins or so.
http://www.christiesdirect.com/en/MegaBlast--2-Power-Blaster/m-1233.aspx

I am not as fast as Westcoast but I can do a yorkie in 45-50 mins and most small dogs in an hour or so.my normal day is 6-7 dogs and have done several more on busy days.

There's no right or wrong answer to how many dogs you should groom in a day.  :-)

Decide what you need to earn in a day, plus your overheads, then divide by the number of dogs you are prepared/able to groom.

I set my prices much higher than most in my area, to reflect the one-to-one service I provide, and my customers are prepared and able to pay that.  Having said that, it took time to find that niche market and that is what I was explaining to the OP.  On the other hand many of my groomer chums are quite happy to take all the dogs into their shop at one time and multi-task and groom many more in a day than me.  Each to their own.  :-)

Hi all, once again thanks for all the useful info and advice. It's been helpful to hear from people in the business so I'll take it all on board. Matt

I agree if you can persuade your current company to let you go part-time it's a good way to start. I usually groom 3-6 dogs a day, but I don't do it full time, I like the difference between doing the more physical grooming and the more mental office work. If you've got a local village newsletter that's a good place to advertise, that and word of mouth is how I've built up my client base, now I am usually booked at least a month in advance. :-)

One word of warning about offering services to friends... be very careful about who you offer grooming services to and what you charge them. When I was learning, I practiced on family members' dogs, was mentored by a couple of breeders and then started charging for grooming when my grooming skills were noticed based on their own merits. However, I have one friend whose dogs I have always groomed, conditioned and handled for free. I have very good reasons for doing this, but people know that I don't ask her for any money and think that they can use this to weasel out of having to pay grooming or handling fees as well. It's created a bit of an issue for me several times so I would strongly recommend not grooming dogs for friends until you are fully prepared to ask them to pay full price for having the dogs groomed.