GROOMERS OF THE MONTH Social media has brought me so many opportunities and I’ve got to meet so many wonderful groomers because of it. The highlight of 2023 for me was speaking about social media at The Groomers Market in Aldershot. Social media is a massively valuable part of any business’s arsenal, and I felt very honoured to be able to pass my knowledge on to other groomers.
What can you tell me about how you trained to be a dog groomer?
I completed my City & Guilds level 2 and part of level 3 at Brinsbury College in Pulborough. I am one of the many groomers who didn’t get a chance to fully complete their level 3 studies, and I am now in the process of completing the Fast Track level 3 qualification with iPet. After leaving Brinsbury I was incredibly lucky to land a trainee position at the grooming salon I worked at until opening DGN, as it gave me so much “real life” experience and I don’t think I’d be half the groomer I am today without it. A college environment is a fantastic starting point, but never quite reflects real life.
Do you have any “hidden gems” you’d like to share with our readers?
While not really a hidden gem, social media! It tends to be a big scary monster to a lot of groomers, and it really doesn’t need to be. Especially Facebook is such a huge source of customers for me, and I think every groomer should have an active page on the platform. Potential customers love being able to speak to the groomer directly, which isn’t always possible through a standard website. It can sound like so much work mastering social media, but my advice is to just focus on one, to begin with. Once you learn one, all the others seem far less daunting. Majority of social media is completely free to use, and especially Facebook is a great way to advertise your business completely free of charge. When I first opened DGN, I would advertise the salon in any local Facebook groups that allowed ads. This gave us the initial momentum a new business really needs to survive, and now almost three years on I don’t have to advertise at all. Most of our new customers are from recommendations from other local groomers or current customers.
What advice would you give to other dog groomers who are just starting out in the industry? My advice to any new groomers is to never stop learning! Attend seminars/ webinars, join grooming groups on Facebook, get friendly with your other local groomers and don’t let small setbacks knock your confidence. That first bad review or complaint is always heartbreaking, but it is just a part of running a business and your salon will survive it.
The grooming community is absolutely amazing if you need any help, so don’t be too scared to ask for help in a grooming group or another groomer in your local area. We’re all in this together, there’s plenty of dogs to go around and we shouldn’t compete with each other! Are there any general thoughts you’d like to share? You can find me across all major social media under The Dog Grooming Nerd. I love sharing my knowledge with others, and my inbox is always open for any questions other groomers may have!
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