When is it Time to Move on?
Florida groomer, Lindsee Lee, shares her experiences of seeking job fulfilment in the US grooming world and when you should decide to move on:
M
ost groomers have been there. I know I certainly have, several times. Unclear on whether you should stay in your current salon or move on and find a new one. There are so many factors that run through your mind when the debate starts, but they all lead to one big question: “Am I happy?” When first starting out I tried the ‘stick it out until it gets better’ mentality and watched as my other groomer friends seemed to excel in our field. Some got better hours and shorter days, some got better jobs, some opened their own businesses, some bought cars and houses and had babies. In the meantime, it felt like I was stuck scraping by and unable to afford to live. That’s not to say that they were all better groomers than me, or that I was an inferior groomer, we all like to believe we’re a bit better than average and I’m no different. On one hand I am and continue to be incredibly proud of every single one of them for every accomplishment they have achieved, while on the other hand it’s disheartening questioning myself. I’ve changed salons four times since I stumbled into the grooming industry and, while I am comfortable in my current salon, I do not see this one as my final grooming place. My previous salons were certainly memorable, filled with abuse and cruddy pay cheques and stress. My friends remind me often of the nonsense I put up with waiting for it to get better. Everyone has that small hype-team behind them pushing them for greatness, my team has three 42 | Total Grooming Magazine
Lindsee Lee
people - my wife and two other great friends. They are there for the rant fests and venting, the accomplishments, the worries, the jokes and the fun. They helped me discover that I didn’t mess up, I’ve just been unlucky, and I am absolutely ready to make my luck change. The first salon I ever worked in was a corporate salon, I started as a bather and after 10 months it was miserable. It was a draining and venomous place to work due to a greedy and judgmental salon manager. I decided to leave and go to a proper grooming school, and
that was the best decision of my career. This was the one I never questioned. I began the climb and started in a franchised grooming shop while learning, and barely five months in to working there I was blown away with how unprofessional it was. It was worse than the corporate salon, everything I was told to do contradicted what I was learning and what was safe or comfortable for human or animal. I asked myself “Am I happy?” Nope. Time to go! I then started in a new facility. I helped during build out - painting
