Non-Groomer starting a grooming salon. Please advise!

[sheepofjesus]

Hello! I am not a professional dog groomer, but am experienced with dogs. In my area, groomers are incredibly busy, with full books 4-5 weeks in advance. The plan to open a new grooming salon was ignited by seeking a solution to my own problem as a dog owner, but has been fueled by the demand in my area and the supply of dog groomers, given there are 3 schools in the metro.

My plan is to run a very small operation with 3 people working per shift. I want to make this a great place to work. Here are a few questions I have for you folks that are currently working in a grooming shop, however, please also drop any additional advice you can give.

• What is the recommended staffing ratio between experienced groomers, novice/apprentice groomers, bathers, etc?
• What is the recommended duties/responsibilities for each role?
• Commission vs. hourly vs. salary - what is your preference for each particular role and why?
• What have you found to be the best schedule (how many hours can you work comfortably and how often do you take breaks)?
• Is it best for the shop to provide tools or for staff to supply their own (like a barber shop)?
• Do you have any positive or negative experiences with straight-through ONLY service (e.g. no staggering appointments and no kenneling for dry time)?
• In your opinion, what is the best way to estimate an appointment duration at the time of booking (a table based on breed and service?)?

Thank you all in advance for your thoughtful advice!

 

[surrenderingtogod]

@sheepofjesus I have never worked with a bather, so I can’t answer that question. The first ten years I was grooming I did short appointment only and groomed all of my dogs straight through. Last year that place closed and I switched to a job where all dogs are dropped off in the morning. The by appointment grooming is SO MUCH better and less stress for both the dog and me. In my current job everyone wants their dogs groomed first so they can pick up early in the day. They start calling to see if they are ready yet around 12:30 and every day turns into a race to finish dogs. I hate it. By appointment grooming is awesome and you can charge more per dog since it is more of an individualized service. I am planning on going back to that as soon as I can. I did all of my own scheduling so I knew exactly how long each dog took me, but basically it was 1 hour for Shih Tzu and other small dogs, an hour and 15 minutes for goldens and similar, an hour and a half for most med and large doodles, two - three hours for a standard poodle or Newfie/other giant breed deshed. I loved the short appointments so much. I know not every groomer will agree with me though.

Some shops have two drop off times. Once in the morning and again around noon. Some shops have a couple dogs drop off at a time. There are a lot of options. My current place has all dogs drop off between 8 and 8:30, and if someone wants their dog dog right away they pay an extra $20-30. It seems like most customers hate this schedule.

I have always made 55% and the shop supplies the shampoo. At my current job they were supposed to supply the shampoo but they only buy the most basic one and the other groomer and I buy anything else we want.

We supply our own tools. My last job paid for sharpening a few times a year which was very generous.

I would spend a lot of time with your groomers when you open, and maybe even learn how to bathe and dry dogs so you can get a feel for what goes into the job. In my experience there seems to usually be a huge disconnect between non groomer shop owners and the groomers and it can turn into a bad situation very quickly. Grooming can be a brutally difficult job and scheduling smartly is very important. Also listening to your groomers and turning away dogs and human customers that are difficult. Just make sure they know that you have their backs.

 

[ldd]

@sheepofjesus Don't make them 1099 either. Like or not, even though many shop owners do it, pet groomers working like what you plan are not legally 1099. Many states have cracked down and the fines and penalties are enormous. 1099 cannot legally grooming dogs of another business owner. IRS laws have made that clear now.

 

[ldd]

@sheepofjesus write a business plan first. most biz owners that do not groom at all make very little profit. write a plan www.groomingbusinessinabox.com

 

[brainnetenthusiast]

@sheepofjesus I’m not a groomer, but for the equipment one, the groomers at my place both have their own clippers/brushes/scissors. Our workplace will pay for their maintenance/sharpening though. We do have equipment provided, but the groomers prefer to use their own.

When I’m booking appointments for our groomers, I will usually ask them how long they think a certain dog will take if I’m not sure. I knock out 2-3 hours for the large doodle breeds, and 1.5 hrs for smaller ones.

 

[billklein]

@sheepofjesus Awesome questions, and thanks for asking instead of just jumping right in!

I'm still a groom student, so I can't help with all of your questions, but I've worked as a bather at three different salons now, so I have some advice on that side of things.

In terms of how many bathers to hire, that depends more on how many clients you have rather than how many groomers you have. When you first open the business, before you have a lot of loyal clients, you might not need a bather at all. Bathers basically just help your groomers out so they can take more clients in one day because it cuts out a lot of the prep time. At the first salon I worked at, they had one bather working monday-thursday, two bathers working on fridays, and three on Saturdays (closed sundays). The second salon, had one bather Tuesday and Thursday, and two bathers on Monday, Wednesday, friday, and saturday (also closed Sunday). The salon I'm currently at, I'm the only bather, and I only do bathing on Tuesdays and Wednesdays (the rest of my work days are for me to learn how to groom, so I have my own appointments and can't help the groomers out). So, it really just depends on what your busy days are.

As for pay, as far as I've seen, most groomers are happiest with a base hourly pay and the opportunity to commission out. That way, when it's busy, and they're doing a whole lot of work, their pay reflects that. But, in the slower months, they have that base pay to fall back on so they don't starve. You can get away with paying bathers hourly minimum wage, although please do consider rewarding your good bathers with raises. Bathing is a lot harder than it sounds, and it tends to have a very high turnaround rate. And frankly, it just doesn't feel worth it to bathe, dry, and brush a Very Angry alaskan malamute for $7.25. So, I would highly recommend considering that incentive if you want to keep workers around.

Breaks are a bit difficult to mandate in this job. "Break time" might come and go while you've got a soapy dog in the tub, and you can't just put the dog away, have your break, and come back if they're soapy. Break time might also come and go in the middle of an express groom on a dog that can't be kenneled. I've found a "take them when you can" policy works pretty well, perhaps with a cap on the number you can take per day. Follow local laws to figure out a good cap (my salon allows one 30 minute un-paid meal break and two 15 minute paid breaks per 8 hour shift, and that works pretty well most days). I would, however, encourage you to be a little flexible on the cap. Grooming can be stressful, and sometimes, it's better for the groomer to walk away for a bit than to keep going and risk having a nervous breakdown (which can lead to the dog freaking out, which can lead to injury, which can lead to an unhappy human client, which can lead to a lawsuit you don't want). Obviously, if someone takes advantage of the unofficial extra break too often, you'll need to have a chat, but good groomers will definitely appreciate a lack of reprimand for doing what is best for both themselves and the dog.

Aaaand that's all I've got in regards to your questions! The best advice I can give you in general is to hire at least one good, experienced groomer, and then listen to them. If they tell you a policy isn't working, believe them. If they say a piece of equipment needs to be fixed or replaced, believe them. You may be their boss, and you may know more about the physical business, but they'll know more about the trade than you for a good while after you start out.

I wish you the best of luck in your new business, and welcome to the world of grooming!