PetGroomer.com Magazine - Fall 2021

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October / PetGroomer.com Decemberr 2021Publications Vol. 11, Ed. 4

M A G A Z I N E

NATIONAL GROOMER Grow Your Own Groomers SHORTAGE Where Are the Groomers

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INSIDE THE FALL 2021 ISSUE Calendar of Events Grow Your Own Groomers Grooming Career Seeker Survey 2021 Where Have All the Groomers Gone Holiday Promotional Tips Real World Experience: PETCO Employment Grooming Boom! Make the Most of It with Business Technology Groom California: Pandemic Pups Are Here to Stay GroomFit: Mobility Maintenance How to Easily Set Your Grooming Time Standards Time-Range Based Grooming Prices So You’re Thinking About Adding a Second Mobile Unit How to Fix Sharp Clipper Blade Teeth PetGroomer.com Sponsor Buying Guide Blade & Snap-on Reference Chart

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INDUSTRY CALENDAR

OCTOBER 2021 NEW ENGLAND GROOMING SHOW October 6 – 10, 2021 Sturbridge, Massachusets See www.newenglandgrooms.com

NOVEMBER 2021 NDGAA FUN IN THE SUN November 5 – 7, 2021 Orlando, Florida See www.ndgaa.com

FEBRUARY 2022 GROOM EXPO WEST February 17 - 20, 2022 Pasadena, California See www.groomexpowest.com

MARCH – APRIL 2022

October / December 2021 PetGroomer.com Publications

MAY 2022 PET BOARDING AND DAYCARE EXPO WEST May 2 - 5, 2022 Burbank, California See www.petboardingexpowest.com

JUNE 2022 PETQUEST June 23 - 26, 2022 Wilmington, Ohio See www.pqgroom.com

AUGUST 2022 ALL AMERICAN GROOMING SHOW August 4 - 7, 2022 Schaumburg, Illinois See www.aagroom.com

ATLANTA PET FAIR March 10 - 13, 2022 Atlanta, Georgia See www.atlantapetfair.org NORTHWEST GROOMING SHOW March 24 - 27, 2022 Tacoma, Washington See www.nwgroom.com

GROOM TEXAS 2022 To Be Announced

INTERGROOM March 31 - April 3, 2022 Secaucus, New Jersey See www.intergroom.com

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October / December 2021

Grow Your Own Groomers!

Joe Zuccarello of Paragon Pet School looks to inform and educate others in the pet care industry on how to hire and partner with the best members for your team.

changed." Business from clients is not what is a challenge these days for many industries, it's the obtaining and hiring the right employees for a company is the challenge now. It's an employee's market, not an employer's market, for job search and attainment.

"The rules (of hiring employees) are completely different to what they used to be…" states Joe, "…I will tell you that One of the biggest challenges for a in just the last twelve to eighteen company is to make the employees feel (Continued on page 17) months the rules have completely 16 Copyright © 2013 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved Subscribe www.egroomer.com PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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part of a personable and fun community. A comfortable, friendly, and social environment is highlighted by Joe on what kind of workplace is desired these days. Facilities need to challenge and acclimate to the needs and wants of the modern employee and challenge the old mindset of what "has always been".

Defining expectations of new (and current) employees is a key component in having everyone work to their highest potential. Focusing on what everyone's education, experiences, and skills are and utilizing them to benefit the entire staff is one way to make team members feel valued and appreciated.

A company that is willing to evolve along with technology will also be more likely to gain quality and long-term team members. Websites and social media that is up to date and current with the times are important for any business in any industry these days.

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is another good draw for people to be inspired to work with and for you.

It is important to think about your business and what you do for the candidate versus what the candidate can do for you. We are in a candidate market, so you have to say how you're going to help them grow personally, professionally, and financially. That is why you should market yourself for employees as much as you do for customers.

How can you Grow your Business by Growing your Groomers?

Paragon has helped hundreds of grooming salons, pet boarding businesses and corporate retail chains take their grooming operations to the next level through first-class training and professional development. We know it can be hard to find the right fit for this role, and we know what it takes to make a great groomer.

The Paragon Distance Learning Program allows students to learn at a comfortable pace, but it's effective and the students are productive quickly. Paragon's team of Mentors partner with your new employee student and man-

A dedicated careers section on the company website can lead to recruiting the perfect employee for your business.

Using real photos of employees and exeGroomer © 2011 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved periences atJournal your businessCopyright on your site PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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agement to make sure everyone is successful. We promote and encourage you to hire people who fit in your culture and let us help you with training them for the job. Properly staffed and trained, a grooming business can generate over $100,000 per grooming station!

Paragon has even created an entire Employer Resources page filled with valuable information to help you grow your business and team. Did we men-

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tion that it’s free!? Our team built this page to help you identify who to hire, sample job descriptions, sample interview questions, social media recruiting tools, how to scale your business and more! See https:// paragonpetschool.com/resourcecenter/business-resources/.

Can you have a successful ‘grooming’ business without doing haircuts?

Absolutely. Think of your grooming business in a different light. Providing (Continued on page 19)

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haircuts is NOT the only way to be successful. Paragon’s Groom Tech Program helps train your new hire to be able to complete all Bath & Brush style dogs. Including bathing, drying, nail trims, ear cleaning and finishing techniques such as trimming the paws of a Golden Retriever and other light trimming. Bath and Brush dogs can be quick and are easy to provide add-on services such as de-shed treatments and nail filing. Not to mention, Bath and Brush services are very profitable!

Oh, and many Groom Techs continue their skills development and become your future Groomers!

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October / December 2021

Now is the time to stop looking for groomers and start Growing Your Own through the Paragon Distance Learning Program. Don’t wait. You can have a trained Groom Tech in as little as 6 weeks and a trained Pet Groomer in as little as 10 weeks. And guess what?

Your business will thank you! You will be hiring for attitude instead of skill and your groomers will be more consistent in their training and grooming.

Start growing your own Grooming staff.

Contact us at info@paragonpetschool.com

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October / December 2021

Grooming Career Seeker Survey 2021 PetGroomer.com regularly surveys not only members of the industry, but also people that identify themselves as possible or probable future members. We can only imagine what they must be experiencing with grooming career decisions since the start of the pandemic.

In 2020, the public demand for pet grooming and its being deemed an essential service across much of the United States was impressive. While many were losing jobs, especially those in the hospitality industry, the media coverage was mentioning pet owner demand for grooming and the need to re-open more grooming businesses where limited. In 2021, the top story of the grooming industry has been the shortage of skilled groomers, often credited to a substan-

How long have you had an interest in becoming a pet groomer or bather?

Several years, 3+ 43% About 2 years 29% About 1 year 28% Were you displaced from other employment (outside of grooming) as a result of effects and events related to the pandemic?

YES 76% NO 24%

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If you answered YES in the previous question, what was your type of previous employment?

Food/Hospitality 48% Medical Health 22% Office Worker 12% Other 18% Is your goal to work as an employee or self-employed?

Employee 64% Self-Employed 36%

July October / September / December 2021 2021

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tial increase in “pandemic pet” ownership.

In 2021, the number of career seekers seeking industry information from PetGroomer.com surged. During this same time we witnessed booming interest in mobile operations. Compared to grooming in commercial locations, mobile operations in some U.S. states prevailed far more easily in maintaining open operations.

Our 2020 surveys clearly showed many more groomers went mobile to avoid their concerns that commercial locations could be shutdown again. Plenty of career seekers may agree with this mobile advantage, at least those target-

What do you expect to earn after 2 years of full-time experience (Annual gross wages prior taxes)?

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Up to $36K 38% $36K to $60K 29% $61K to $80K 27% $81 to $100K 6%

Once a trained groomer what type of business do you plan to operate?

Shop or salon 38% Mobile grooming 44% Inside my home 14% House-call 4%

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October / December 2021

(Continued from page 22)

ing self-employment as soon as possible.

Perhaps the most important question is where will today’s career seekers learn to groom making them employable as professional groomers? The quandary for career seekers has long been how does one learn to groom adequately to at least be employable, and for some, to eventually be self-employed.

On the right, our recent survey on this topic started off with about one-third

How are you going to learn to professionally groom dogs and/or cats?

Onsite school 30% Online training 31% Employer training 31% Apprentice 4% Private instructor 4%

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October / December 2021

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expecting to go to an onsite school, and one-third learning online and another third expecting their employer would train them. How realistic are their plans?

Onsite Grooming School Training Onsite training for beginners has superior advantages compared to other formats of grooming training. Students have the convenience of dogs provided for grooming by their school. Instruction includes observation and commentary by instructors and their availability to answer questions readily.

For some career seekers the viability of attending grooming schools presents personal challenges. It has nothing to do with the quality of education but the overall scarcity of schools nationwide.

Some states may not even have an onsite grooming school.

More than 80% of career seekers did not want a long regular commute to an onsite school or to travel out of state to attend training for an extended stay.

Have you worked previously in the pet industry?

No 78% Yes, vet care 3% Yes, training 2% Yes, retail 12% Yes, volunteer 2% Other 3% of learning to groom to attending a 2 or 4 year college. Bargain! As little as weeks after graduating grooming school it is possible to work an entrylevel position as pet groomer.

Some career seekers on strict budgets complain about having to pay for grooming school. It is true access to financial aid has its limits. Grooming schools accredited to offer student financial aid are few.

Online Grooming Training Regardless of their reasons, attending a Our survey of career seekers pinpointed grooming school in person saves time.

Copyright © 2013 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved Subscribe www.egroomer.com 70% of career seekers looking to beIt is24matter of weeks. Compare the cost

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come professional groomers without entry-level training from an onsite school.

Most experienced groomers know there are challenges to learning to groom online. No argument there. But worthy professional distance learning programs are here! Online training is important to the future of grooming and for most groomers. Its weakest moments are for absolute beginners with no knowledge of grooming. But don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.

There are distance learning programs for absolute beginners. We don’t discourage career seekers from taking them. Some offer students interaction with grooming instructors from afar, and some may arrange an internship at an operating grooming business. If you are going this route compare the opportunities and investigate reviews of the various programs. The cost for the programs with internships will increase the educational cost.

October / December 2021

How much interest do you have in learning grooming in these formats outside of attending a school? You may select more than one answer.

Books 79% DVDs 41% Streaming Pro Video 69% Groomers’ YouTube’s 30% Onsite Seminars 12% Zoom Classroom 78% How much interest do you have in learning grooming in these formats outside of attending a school? You may select more than one answer.

Yes Taking a beginner grooming home study program has other benefits. You No are likely to find more confidence that eGroomer Journal Copyright © 2011 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved pet grooming is the career for you, or PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

79%

41% 25

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October / December 2021

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the opposite. A minority of career seekers find that professional grooming is not what they thought it would be. It truly is demanding work mentally and physically. Some career seekers not going to school find entry-level bather positions. It’s a fortunate way for career seekers to learn from firsthand experience if they are appropriate for the demands of professional grooming, and among them some are fortunate to find employers willing to invest time and money in advancing their training.

Online training beyond the initial basics of how-to groom is exceptional. Today, groomers capable of performing basic grooming can dramatically advance their skills with online grooming programs, even online trade shows, workshops and daily streaming media access. Even skilled groomers are drawn to advanced online training. Not all career seekers realize just how close they are to wealth of advanced online training if they will only get the basics of grooming accomplished.

Employer Provided Grooming Training In our most recent survey employer26

Have you discussed your career in grooming with anyone? You can select more than one answer.

Groomer 46% Career counselor 4% Read articles only 22% Message board 51% Veterinarian 5% None of the above 12% How much have you checked out the local job market for groomers?

A lot 59% Some 28% Not much 10% Not yet 3%

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October / December 2021

(Continued from page 26)

based training was the desire of nearly one-third of career seekers. Indeed!

Most are being paid while learning, what a great deal.

Traditional grooming apprenticeships have long been few and far between.

How many past career seekers have apprenticed under pet groomers on an employment basis and once these trainees learned what they felt to be adequate, they quit employment! Too many. Most business owners who trained them felt burned.

Apprentice opportunities are around, but incredibly rare. More likely career seekers may find an employer willing to train them as employed pet bathers, not stylists.

It is not the same as traditional apprenticeships. The difference with apprenticeships seems to be that career seekers believe they will learn not only pet bather duties, but full-charge grooming.

We warn anyone thinking an apprenticeship is a promise of training to become a full-charge groomer and within some time period, think again. Are you sure? Is there some agreement you eGroomer Journal

What personal qualities do you think made you suited to be a pet groomer? You may select more than one answer.

Love for animals 92% Active lifestyle 30% Stamina 58% Very patient 95%

Willing to learn 96% Eye for style 68% Do you envision grooming being your primary career goal for employment?

Yes, entirely 70% Secondary 22% Sort of sure 6%

Just considering 2%

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hold stating this?

Don’t overlook the value of starting as a trained and employed bather. It’s golden too. Where your next level of training comes is open, including online opportunities.

Most career seekers know some major pet retailers offer grooming training.

Some may expect beginners start in a bathing position. Expect them to have conditions for the position and training.

It is a great opportunity, and one to respect. Investigate if you fit their expectations and their offer.

Independents Providing Training As we have said many independent business owners are facing widespread shortages of skilled groomers. Some are making new moves supported by industry training vendors. With their assistance don’t have to stop growing your business and staff.

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October / December 2021

bather to assistant groomer, and our assistants did continue to bathe and dry pets daily. Our only promise was to train them the new duties of an APG. No training completion date was set. We did offer an immediate pay raise associated with the new APG title.

They started by learning basic scissor styling and safe coat removals. When a full-charge groomer position became available, we first looked to promotion from within among our APG staff and then advanced their finish styling.

Today, we encourage business owners to research vendors offering assistance to grow your staff. If only we had had this availability in the Sixties! How convenient and professional they are!

Consider the extensive resources awaiting you from the Paragon School of Pet Grooming and their Distance Learning Program designed to help business owners. As they say, you can “grow your own groomers.” They have extensive training systems and can assist you. Also, a school such as American Grooming Academy in California is actively helping employers increase staff and skills.

Back in the Sixties we created an Assistant Pet Groomer (APG) position, something rather novel at the time. It was part of our effort to create on-the-job training for eligible, motivated bathers to one day become full-charge groomThere is no reason for business owners ers over a period of time. We did not lafacing critical staff shortages to simply bel28this offer a traditional apprenticeCopyright © 2013 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved Subscribe www.egroomer.com wait for groomers. ◄ ship. It was simply a promotion from

Where Have All the Groomers Gone?

Where Have All the Groomers Gone?

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July October / September / December 2021 2021

by Angela Clark, American Grooming Academy Grooming salon owners have been asking this question for years, and the answer is, they’re grooming. Now more than ever finding well-trained professional groomers to accommodate a growing grooming business is a daunting task. Covid’s impact has generated an increased interest in grooming as a career. However, given the trend of adding a puppy to the family mix during shutdowns, the demand for grooming appointments serviced by quality groomers is higher than ever.

In speaking with American Grooming Academy graduates as their businesses and jobs have evolved through phases of the Covid 19 epidemic, most have continued to offer grooming throughout the pandemic. They use creative ways to comply with non-contact grooming recommendations.

learning through weekly Zoom calls, and theory lectures were initiated, to keep students actively learning until hands-on classes could resume.

Many students pets were groomed at home during this time when the “learn to groom” jones kicked in. Tales from dog grooming students described how their pets learned to hide at the sound of the student equipment bag opening.

The students’ beloved pets were very well-groomed thanks to Covid 19.

Once restrictions were lifted, our school was reopened. Precautionary practices were put into place as students resumed hands-on training, During this time new student applications, created a list of candidates, waiting for an open spot to begin training.

New applicants were a mix of young first-time career seekers and 2nd career, older applicants looking for a career that offered them control over their schedule, workload and the job overall.

As a state-approved school, hands-on training was halted at American Grooming Academy following the same schedule as school closures from March through April. During this time, distance eGroomer Journal Copyright © 2011 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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The stay-at-home order gave laid-off, unessential workers, time to reflect on what their future might look like.

Ultimately dog grooming is something many of these applicants said they always wanted to learn but held off due to the security of their initial career choice.

The pandemic led many to see opportunities to begin new careers and futures.

The Pet Services Industry reports and predicts consistent growth trends revealing a stable industry with high demand and thriving regardless of economic hardships, such as Covid and its aftermath. Pet grooming is a great ven-

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October / December 2021

ture to pursue!

That being said, the fly in the ointment has been and still is hiring skilled groomers to meet the ever-growing demand of dogs needing to be groomed.

As quickly as they are trained, professional groomers are hired or become self-employed.

Calls to American Grooming Academy from salons desperately in need of good groomers are on the rise as society begins to regain some normalcy. Those recently acquired “Covid puppies” are now in need of grooming, including those

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October / December 2021

Creative Training Options for Groomers whose grooms need some “fixing” from home grooming attempts.

training can be designed to fit individual business needs.

Even with the increasing student count there remains huge professional groomer staffing gaps. The grooming staffing dilemma has many employers scrambling for solutions. Stories of salons being booked a month and longer in advance are devastating to the growthoriented salon owners. They realize impatient pet owners may go elsewhere.

For any salon fortunate enough to have a job opportunity matching a new graduate’s needs, consider these tips for on boarding. We can ensure a successful transition from school to working in the salon environment.

In response, American Grooming Academy has designed programs for salon owners with an interest in partnering to train a candidate specifically for them.

These opportunities range from a company sending their candidate(s) to our Academy for training, and even providing online distance learning and monitoring for those interested in providing the hands-on training at their own facility.

In the interest of quality training there are program standards that must be met. Within the American Grooming Academies program requirements, eGroomer Journal

If a new grooming graduate has attended a state-licensed school, the program has been monitored and reviewed by the state, and placement data, as well as program requirements, are available to the public. The school can be contacted for references on graduates for which you may be interested in hiring.

Not all programs are alike. Check out school curriculums to find confidence in what students have learned and even become aware of learning areas you feel they could learn more.

Most schools offer programs that range from 300 to 500 hours of training. Graduates can complete their breed testing with a high level of skill. Generally, they

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October / December 2021

Mentor Your New Graduates will be able to complete three dogs a day when they graduate. Within 6 months of program completion, most graduates are comfortably grooming 6 dogs a day. Take time to mentor your new graduates such as how to juggle multiple dogs. Increase work schedules gradually to boost their confidence without overwhelming them.

Orient new groomers to the policies and procedures that govern your facility.

Don’t hesitate to check their finished dogs during a probationary period. This helps new groomers with continued learning and awareness of your standards and practices. Be honest and constructive with your critiques. Show them how to correct faults, and praise them for grooming assignments well done.

Consider yourself a mentor to your new

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groomer. Knowing you understand and support their continued learning to develop skill and speed is a huge relief to them. As a mentor, your relationship will reap the rewards of employee loyalty, and appreciation, into the future.

The good news is that Covid 19 has had a positive effect on the grooming industry, piquing interest in grooming as a career. Student enrollment has increased 30% over the last year. Pet Grooming demand has increased as has the number of households requiring grooming services. At American Grooming Academy we develop training programs not only for the benefit of individual career seekers but also programs benefiting salons struggling with staffing. Our creative training options may be your solution to staffing challenges. ◄

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October / December 2021

Holiday Promotional Tips During the Holidays clients want something special for gift giving. The Holidays are always hectic for us all so anytime a store or grooming salon can give the gift of time or joy to a client… they will never forget it. Offering gifts of value or joy creates loyal clients for life! Below are some ideas that have been tried by many stores in the pet industry. Find one that works for you and put your unique spin on it because you are why your clients keep coming back to you!

Valet Parking For a busy grooming salon, the drop off and pick up of pets can be a tedious and time consuming task. Perhaps your “gift” to the client this year can be offering a text or phone system alert when they are driving up and dropping off their pet for grooming.

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You can run this special for December only or charge a premium for this service that will save your client a lot of time all year round!

Holiday Photo Opportunities Who doesn’t love to see a photo of their dog with Santa? Have a client appreciation day in December by having a staff member dress up like Santa! You can of-

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October / December 2021

bags or bows that clients don't have to execute themselves. You could bundle Holiday themed toys, treats, and everyday necessities in a stocking or let your clients pick a stocking complementary and stuff it themselves with tiered pricing! This way your clients are happy & you increase your average $ per transaction!

Wrapped Gifts How about offering a gift that your clients already love, it comes in it's own gift box, and you & your clients don't have to wrap it either! Like our new gift box full of dog treats shown above, all it (Continued from page 36) (Continued on page 38)

fer a coupon in advance to encourage shopping the night of the event and add some drinks and hors d'oeuvres. Offering a unique, and fun activity showing your clients your appreciation while saving them $ is a win win for them and you!

Gift Bundling One way to make your retail offerings sparkle a bit brighter is to bundle “like” itemseGroomer together and pack them in©cute Journal Copyright 2011 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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takes is a simple satin ribbon to dress it up for gift giving and your clients have a pre-wrapped gift that saves them time!

You can also set up a gift wrap station or offer this as an additional service for your clients! While their pup is in the grooming salon getting all dolled up for the Holidays, your client can shop after dropping off their dog and leave their shopping bag with you. You’ll have 2-4 hours (depending on your salon) to wrap those gifts by the time they come back to pick up their dog! By offering this gift wrap service you’ll increase your sales and add value to the life of your client by saving them time!

October / December 2021

Leel Michelle is the owner and designer behind the award-winning pet groomer apparel brand, Retro Stylist Wear and the grooming salon and boutique; Bow Wow Beauty Shoppe.

She is a San Diego native that has also called Los Angeles, New York and Italy home. Formal education in fine art, art history, and fashion design led this animal loving entrepreneur to bring all her passion, talents and knowledge together to create a memorable and beloved retro business for pets and their owners.

If this year goes according to predictions within the pet industry… it’s going to be one busy Holiday Season! Prepare in advance for more opportunities to bring value to your clients while scaling your business and it should bring you closer to your company goals. I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and am thankful for everyday we all get to spend in such a fun and thriving industry!

Until next time, XOXO Leel Michelle Dog Cake Bakery LLC 38 Retro Stylist Wear LLC Copyright © 2013 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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Buy 2 or more Smocks = FREE Shipping www.egroomer.com Free code at checkout “FREESHIP” © 2014 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved Must Subscribe use this

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If you’ve been grooming for a while, you know that there are as many reasons to choose a place to work as there are individual groomers. That means that everyone’s needs and wants are different, so here are a few great reasons why you should join a “corporate” salon like Petco!

Frankly, corporate salons will never be for everyone, but there are a lot more people out there who would thrive in Petco’s environment than some think.

Petco offers a lot as an employer that can’t be found everywhere. Our Total Rewards Package includes everything from a stable career with growth opportunities to benefits such as medical coverage and a retirement plan.

October / December 2021

reers. With our strong diversity and inclusion initiatives you can be assured that Petco wants to help increase the sense of belonging in our salons for everyone. We also want to ensure that salon partners, whether brand new to grooming or experienced professionals, have opportunities to continue to learn and develop their careers.

Petco salons offer roles for every level of grooming.

Jr. Pet Stylist – Bather Someone who is brand new to grooming and wants to build a career in the industry. Partners are in this role for twelve weeks, then transition to our Pet Stylist Apprentice role.

Petco as a company is committed to creating a positive culture where our partners can thrive and grow their caeGroomer Journal

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Pet Stylist Apprentice – Groomer in Training Someone who has completed their twelve weeks as a Junior Pet Stylist and has begun their six weeks of training as a groomer with one of our experienced Grooming Academy Instructors or Grooming Mentors.

Pet Stylist – Groomer Someone who has completed training (or is already an experienced professional groomer) and can complete full grooms and haircuts 100% independently.

Pet Stylist Professional – High Volume Groomer Someone with strong grooming skills who can match a high level of demand, this role comes with the opportunity to increase your incentive as well - this role is available after one year of employment with Petco.

Mobile Pet Stylist – Groomer

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ly available in certain locations currently.)

Grooming Salon Leader – Salon Manager Someone who wants to both groom and manage a team, a person who wants to take ownership of the business in their salon and drive its success.

Grooming Mentor – Trainer for Aspiring Pet Stylists Someone who is already a Grooming Salon Leader and would also like to help our next generation of groomers grow and succeed.

Grooming Academy Instructor – Trainer for Aspiring Pet Stylists Someone who wants to train our next generation of Pet Stylists full time.

A career with Petco can provide growth at every skill level. Groomers who join Petco will have opportunities to learn new skills, such as cat grooming, as well as continuing to work toward higher career goals. Petco also provides a level of consistency and stability that isn’t found everywhere. We know that people need a job they can rely on, and

Operates one of Petco’s new Mobile Grooming vans. Someone who wants to groom independently and operate their own mobile van (This opportunity is on46 Copyright © 2013 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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we want to ensure that our partners have that with us. However, we know that people’s lives, and plans change, so we never lock our partners in with a contract.

One of the strongest arguments for joining a company like Petco is the employment benefits package we offer. All partners who work more than 30 hours a week, (or 20+ hours in Hawaii) can take advantage of Petco’s benefits such as health, vision, and dental coverage. This coverage is offered for both individuals and families, and optional coverage for things like disability, critical illness, accidents, and hospital visits are also available.

Petco also offers our partners ways to save and prepare for their futures; we have a 401K with employer contribution, Health Savings Account, and even Pet Insurance offered through the company.

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as soon as their second year starts, the paid time off they accrue becomes eligible for rollover.

In addition to the benefits listed above Petco also recently introduced an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. This program allows Petco partners to purchase Petco stock at a discounted rate, which can be an amazing way to add extra income to your household.

Finally, Petco offers partner discounts both in-store and online on products and services. Partners receive free Dog Training classes with one of our Petco Certified Dog Trainers as well as discounts on select Veterinary Services with our Vetco Total Care Hospitals and Vetco Mobile team!

At Petco we want to build a community - a place where our partners can feel connected, appreciated, and valued.

We hold ourselves to a high standard and are continuing to improve what we offer our partners, our customers, and the pets who rely on us. Petco is a place where you can build a career for life. ◄

Petco also offers the benefits of paid time off, for both vacations and for sick days. New partners can accrue up to 80 hours of paid time off during their first year with Petco, with additional hours Copyright 2011 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved beingeGroomer addedJournal over the years.

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October / December 2021

Grooming Boom!

Make the most of it with business technology Grooming is booming! There is no othpets which has translated into unprecer way to tell the truth. Pet groomers edented demand for pet care services are inundated with calls from dog ownsuch as veterinary care and grooming. ers. Mobile pet groomer Wayne HartWithin the grooming industry, it’s moley’s Happy Heart’s Pet Care in Stone bile grooming that is hot. Why? It’s a Mountain, Georgia is grooming 6 dogs combination of pet owners who like a day, almost twice the volume of a the convenience and COVID related year ago. Why this surge in demand? safety of having a groomer come to Part of this is definitely pandemic relatthem, and business owners’ faced with ed. The loneliness of social distancing the expense of maintaining a commereGroomer Journal Copyright ©for 2011 Find A Groomer All rights reserved created unprecedented demand cialInc.location and the challenges of 49 PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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staffing that have come to the realization that going solo with a mobile business is the way to go.

What does the boom in grooming and especially in mobile grooming have to do with business technology? It’s all about taking the hassle factor out of running a business. At PocketSuite we have over 1K pet care professionals running their business on our all-in-one app and when we poll our Pros “what is the greatest benefit you get from using PocketSuite,” the #1 response is: “I get to spend more time providing service to

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my clients and therefore making more money.” Before moving his business to an all-in-one platform in early 2021, Wayne Hartley was juggling 4 different apps to manage scheduling, client communications, payment processing and contracts. “My business was managing me! Now I am in control. Better yet, my clients respect my business more. For example, now when a client books a grooming session I take a deposit. This means that my clients are invested in the service that I am providing.”

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It’s pretty simple logic: use technology to automate your business and make more money doing what you enjoy. If you feel like your business is running you and have decided that it’s time for you to be in control, here are some useful tips that will bring happiness to both you and your clients.

Make communication faster and easier PetGroomer.com surveyed first-time mobile groomers and a whopping 70% of respondents said their phones ring off the hook for new customers. This is even to the point where some groomers are removing their phone numbers from their vehicles. Business technology can help automate scheduling and communication with clients. Allow clients to book you online at your available times with their credit card, send and collect the service-specific contracts and waivers, and send appointment reminders and follow-ups - all automatically. This means more time for you to do what you do best, and saves your clients time, too. More availability = more revenue opportunities.

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groomers without cancelling the original appointment. PetGroomer.com survey respondents shared the frustration about the rising incidence of noshows and agreed they are a huge waste of time. This includes the time spent following up with the no-show client in an attempt to rebook or collect fees. A business tool can help take the awkwardness and frustration out of no-shows by making sure clients specifically acknowledge your policy during booking, and receive appointment reminders. Easily set up a cancellation policy to automatically charge clients a fixed amount or percentage of the appointment. In the instance a client does not respect the policy, let the app do the work for you, so you don’t need to figure out who to charge and when.

Get Paid Enough and Paid On Time

The PetGroomer pricing survey revealed mobile groomers raised prices an average of $3.50 per appointment between 2019 and 2020. Part of the challenge is dealing with increased costs for supplies and fuel. Beyond just Conquer the No-Shows charging more, mobile groomers are Especially due to long waits for groomoffsetting some of these costs by ofing appointments, clients are switching fering products and services.51 eGroomer Journal Copyright © 2011 Find A Groomer Inc. Alladd-on rights reserved PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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Some are upselling grooming specific services like de-matting, while others are offering branded merchandise like leashes and water bowls, right at the point of booking. Another approach to revenue generation is offering clients packages paid up front. Using an all-inone business tool to automate client payments, manage subscriptions and sell add-on products makes it much easier to focus on the most important part of your business: the pets!

Attract and Keep the Right Clients for your Business

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PocketSuite is able to capture a ton of data regarding appointment frequency (a huge factor in grooming business success), as well as the kinds of services most in demand, cancellation rates, dispute rates and more. Groomers have a digital “audit trail” at their fingertips to assess the health of their client list.

Business technology is not a new concept to pet groomers. Many of our Pros tell us that before they joined PocketSuite they relied upon a variety of apps to help them run their business. The frustration they express is that they found themselves juggling several different apps all of which needed to be synched and updated which added an additional layer of complexity and expense to the business.

Whether you’re just starting out or looking to grow your business, you may consider buying a client list from a groomer who is selling their business. If you haven’t read it yet, the experts at PetGroomer.com wrote a guide to the client and operational data you should analyze before making the (often All-in-one apps such as PocketSuite pricey) commitment to purchase a cliprovide a seamless business in-a-box ent list. This method is also a valuable at a price that is a fraction what your way to do a pulse check on the health client pays you to groom their pet. of your own client list. Business tools Even better, you can try it for free! can help you gather and visualize all Plus, PetGroomer.com readers get that client personal data and history in 25% off an annual subscription to one place so you don’t have to crunch PocketSuite Premium. ◄ the numbers by hand. A groomer who uses a business automation tool like 52 Copyright © 2013 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved Subscribe www.egroomer.com PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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October / December 2021

Groom California Pandemic Pups Are Here to Stay People Are Paying More Than Ever for Their Care

In the past 18 months more dogs and cats have been adopted from shelters than ever before in US history. This has caused a boom in the pet care industry from pet food to supplies to pet care and grooming.

owners during the last year and half have no plans to rehome their new pets (ASPCA).

With nearly 7 out of 10 American households becoming pet owners, it is right to wonder how well these animals are being cared for in their new homes.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, roughly 23 million American homes have added at least one fur baFortunately, data shows that pet ownby to their families (APPA). Contrary to ers, new and old, are trying to provide initial fears, studies have shown that (Continued on page 55) nearlyeGroomer 90% Journal of people that Copyright became pet © 2011 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved 53 PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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(Continued from page 53)

the best care possible for their pets, regardless of the cost. Over the past 12 months pet owners are spending up to 50% more on the pets over the previous year. This indicates pet owners are buying better quality food, using fresh, organic ingredients. People are choosing to purchase pet friendly toys instead of going for the cheapest ones on the shelf. Pet owners are also spending an all time high on grooming services.

During the height of the pandemic, mobile pet grooming exploded in America.

Despite the cost usually being up to 50% higher than they were used to spending, pet owners were willing to pay increased pricing to provide a one on one, low stress, grooming experience to their animals.

In fact, the boom in mobile grooming was so profound that it extended past the heart of the pandemic and continues to grow rapidly today.

Many mobile groomers have been turning away new clients since August because they have been booked out into January (ABC). Some larger mobile operations are getting creative to keep up eGroomer Journal

October / December 2021

with the increasing demand for grooming.

In Orange County and San Diego California, Happy Spa Dogs Mobile Grooming is pioneering a new program that they call “Groom California.”

It is a nationwide search to find talented groomers and help them relocate to sunny SoCal to join the Happy Spa Dogs team. “With 70+ new client calls a day, in addition to the large number of repeat clients we have, it’s becoming harder and harder to keep up with the demand using only local talent” says Chris Ansevin, owner of Happy Spa Dogs, “we’ve decided the only thing to do is to find groomers from across the country and bring them to us. We bring them out to visit, help them move, and then pay them over $100,000 per year. We really believe we have the best opportunity out there and we are excited to extend that opportunity nationwide.”

Whether you’re in grooming, pet supplies, or pet food, it is an unprecedented and exciting time to be in the industry. Here’s hoping that the trend of quality pet care in the US continues. ◄

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Mobility Maintenance GroomFit by Vera Needham Have you ever noticed a cranky feel15 minutes, it is common for the pain ing in your low back when you roll out to return, and often the pain is worse of bed? Your first inclination may be than before. to stretch. Common stretches such as Let me compare the concept of the toe touches or pulling your knees to morning back stretch to a client who your chest may feel great at the time has a matted dog. We’ve all cringed at but it is a short term fix that might the calamity of customers cleaning end up doing more harm than good tangled canines before their clip. Of by triggering a stretch reflex. It is a course as groomers we know the neurological phenomenon that proworst possible thing they can do is to vides the sensation of temporary pain bathe the matted pupper. It makes our (Continued on page 61) relief.

The problem is that after 10Find toA Groomer Inc. All rights reserved Subscribe www.egroomer.com 60 Copyright © 2013 PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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job much more difficult. The water acts like a sponge and when the knot dries it is tighter than ever.

Consider water when talking about achy backs. Most forms of spine pain come from spinal compression. Your spine is made up of 24 small bones, known as vertebrae that are stacked on top of each other to create the spinal column. Between each vertebra is a soft, gel-like cushion called a disc that helps absorb shock and prevent bones from rubbing together. The gel inside the disc consists of 65 to 86 percent water depending on the time of day.

Think of the discs like sponges between the vertebra. During the day gravity compresses our spine, pressing down on the discs and water slowly leaks out. When we lie down at night and the spine can decompress, allowing discs to absorb water again.

The average person is about a half inch taller in the morning because of this absorption. If your back feels stiff in the morning it is often because the discs are super saturated like an overfilled water balloon. For this reason, try eGroomer Journal

October / December 2021

to avoid heavy lifting in the morning when discs are vulnerable.

Whenever possible wait for at least an hour to allow time for the discs to relax. Book heavy dogs later in the day when possible.

A better option than stretching the spine would be a gentle spinal mobilization exercise. One of your best options is the cat/cow exercise. You may have seen this exercise if you've attended a yoga or pilates class. Traditionally this movement is performed on hands and knees on a mat.

MODIFIED CAT/COW EXERCISE Today’s cat/cow exercise is modified so it can be performed seated at the grooming table. Hands can be placed on your knees or on the table or desk in front of you. The movement is gentle flexion and extension of the spine.

Flexion is rounding the back like an angry cat and extension is arching the back which is the cow phase of the movement.

The cow movement can put a lot of strain on your lower or mid back if it (Continued on page 62)

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isn’t performed correctly. Instead of focusing on arching the low back, which can be painful, try focusing on lifting the sternum and looking up towards the ceiling with your gaze. This will help engage your mid and upper back muscles, while protecting the lower back.

October / December 2021

the head, shifting the gaze towards your navel, pressing into the ribcage.

For women, think of arching or pressing into the area of your bra strap.

Slowly move back and forth with a gentle tilt of the tailbone. Each cycle should take about three to four seconds. Always stay within a pain free range of motion. Repeat this exercise for eight cycles to help reduce spinal tension.

Ribs are heavy, they don’t move easily.

For this reason we tend to over flex our vulnerable lower back and neck, while staying stiff through the ribcage. For Another benefit of spinal mobilization the cat phase of the exercise start by (Continued on page 63) tilting the tailbone forward as you nod 62 Copyright © 2013 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved Subscribe www.egroomer.com PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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exercise is to improve mental clarity by stimulating cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow. CFS is fluid that surrounds and protects our brain and spinal cord as well as being critical for the removal of toxins that accumulate in the fluid around our brain. Some practitioners compare stagnant CFS to sewer waste or sludge and CSF mobilization exercises to flushing the toilet.

Imagine our brain floating in sewer water, yuck! CSF flow has two main pumps. Nodding your head yes is one way to improve CSF flow. We improve flow through the lower part of the spine with tailbone or sacral movement. Aging is associated with a 50% reduction in CSF production so as we age this type of exercise is really important for brain health.

Pet stylists spend much of the day looking down which causes CSF flow becomes stagnant. When the head is looking down it’s like having a kink in the garden hose.

Blood flow which supplies oxygen to the brain is restricted due to compression of the carotid arteries. The carotid arteries are a pair of blood vessels loeGroomer Journal

October / December 2021

cated on both sides of your neck that deliver blood to your brain.

STAND AND STRETCH Whenever possible, stand up, stretching your arms overhead for ten second to extend and decompress the spine.

Decompression is important to unload on your back and to get the kinks out.

Try standing against a wall when performing this exercise to see if you can touch the wall behind with your thumbs.

(Continued on page 64)

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October / December 2021

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Vera Needham is a Medical Exercise Specialist, pilates trainer and has been a dog groomer for over 35 years. Vera invented the Tubee-Fit training tool for groomers. The Tubee has proven to be a wonderful

addition to her older adult classes and in long term care facilities. If you have any Goomfit question or want more information about the Tubee contact Vera at groomfit@yahoo.com FINGER PAINTING EXERCISE Another of my favorite movements for loosening a stiff spine and increasing CSF flow is to pretend you are finger painting a huge canvas.

Let your spine sway side to side, up high and down low. This is a great way to mobilize a stiff spine after standing at your workspace for hours. Keeping the creative juices flowing has never been so much fun.

Always remember the benefit of nodding and the next time someone asks if you want ice cream. Be certain to nod an64enthusiastic yes! ◄Copyright © 2013 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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How to Easily Set Your Grooming Time Standards Grooming is all about handson labor. We sell pet owners our labor based on time spent and a share of our operating costs. If we hire groomers we pay them for their time. Time is a huge factor in grooming!

Our goal as employers should be to pay the best wages in return for the best grooming labor we are fortunate to hire.

“Best” includes productivity, quality, humane pet care, teamwork, steady attendance and good adherence to policies, procedures and performance standards.

There are tens of thousands of grooming businesses yet few have written grooming performance standards for their employees (or independent contractors). Fairness requires grooming employers to set and apply performance standards to avoid the risk of bias and confusion when judging the performances of their employees.

There are several types of standards to set for grooming performances. In this article the focus is productivity and its

So why do most grooming businesses lack written grooming time standards to ensure fair and accurate grooming prices and wages? standards based on the fairness of expected grooming times.

Once documented, you can use the Time Range Grooming Prices system to (Continued on page 70)

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ensure profitability on all grooming dogs, tall and small and cats too. Here is how to easily document your time standards.

We expect high grooming quality and humane pet care from all grooming staff. Faster, meaning shorter grooming times, is never acceptable where there is a loss of quality or humane pet care.

Don’t be fooled by those who feel they must defend their significantly extended grooming times as better quality. Extended grooming time alone is no guarantee of better quality grooming or humane pet care. In fact, the longer the groom the more time the pet is separated from its owner. Well-being declines.

Very slow grooming opens the door to more separation anxiety.

Setting reasonable grooming times and productivity levels requires a common sense approach. 1) Well-trained, healthy, and experienced groomers should have the highest productivity. 2) New groomers have the lowest. 3) Groomers with temporary or permanent disabilities require adjusted productivity expectations. For the benefit of pets, it 70

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is better for new groomers naturally taking more time to complete grooms to start their training with small to moderate sized dogs.

Some job candidates want to work on a basis of productivity to which they feel comfortable. If it matches their employer’s expectations, it can work. Use common sense. Productive employees delivering quality grooming and humane pet care deserve the recognition and compensation that matches their standards.

They deserve the best wage levels.

New groomers require more time to groom pets while they safely raise their productivity levels with hands-on experience and supervision. They should expect to earn less during this phase until they reach milestones you set for time productivity. When done properly all employees are classified according to fair time performance standards. They earn fair and balanced wages based on their grooming productivity. As a result none of the employees should feel rushed or expected to groom more than the productivity basis for their compensation.

(Continued on page 71)

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Employer expectations should be documented in personnel job descriptions and agreements (see From Problems to Profits book for samples). Changes will occur. For example, new groomers will reach milestone increases in their productivity and overall performance.

Their personnel files should note evidence of the progress and the adjustments made in compensation and sometimes job titles.

Unfortunately almost everything discussed thus far does not exist in many independent grooming businesses.

Where it may exist in practice, it may not be in documented form. It must be both or employers are needlessly at risk of employment-related problems. Let’s move on the setting fair and variable standards for grooming times.

Setting Standards for Grooming Time

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grooming. Using actual figures, instead of estimates or guesses, owners of businesses can accurately determine average grooming times for their pet clientele.

Using average grooming time standards employers can more accurately set standards for the job positions they offer. For example, here are some timebased standards set by Madeline Ogle, author of From Problems to Profits, in her business during the years 19611986. Please consider that during this period high-velocity dryers were not common or available yet, as well as the benefits of quick dry products.

Experienced Pet Bather Average of 12 pets a day in 8 working hours.

Pet bathers prep pets including ears, nails and de-matting when necessary.

They bathe pets and hand-dry them, no cage drying. Experienced bathers do Poodle feet clipping where required.

They can finish bath-only pets as needed with “bun and bows,” scissor neaten round feet and between pads as required. They note physical and sometimes behavioral observations of pets

Time plays a major role in both groomer wage and customer pricing systems.

Grooming is all about hands-on labor.

Time is something the effective grooming business manager can easily document daily. The operations forms and computer software used by employees eGroomer Journal Copyright © 2011 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved should document time spent on every PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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on their respective Madson Pet Groomer’s Report and Health Alert forms (Madson Management System).

For every service, groomers and bathers are identified in permanent written or computer records. They also contact the manager when observations indicate a potential health condition which may require veterinary care. The manager signs the Madson Pet Groomer’s Report and Health Alert form when conditions warrant a medical advisory recommendation advising pet owners to seek veterinary care.

Bathing Department Supervisor Average of 10 pets a day in 8 working hours.

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people and pets in the bathing department are safe at all times, and quality control guaranteed.

Entry-Level Pet Bather Average of 4 to 6 pets day in 8 working hours.

Entry-level pet bathers do not do Poodle feet, special care pets, scissoring pet feet or intensive de-matting unless they are in training and under active supervision. Today business owners tell us Madeline’s performance expectations in terms of pets groomed are relatively moderate. Why? Madeline’s business operated before the advent of high velocity dryers and improved bathing products. In the end you as the owner will have to evaluate and set your standards for grooming time.

The supervisor does fewer bathing serBreed Based Grooming Time Averages vices in order to closely supervise the We suggest you compile a chart of bathing operation. New pet bathers regrooming time averages for your operaceive instruction and supervision from tion. A completed sample is provided is the supervisor. Other supervisory duties in this article, as well as a blank you can included restocking bathing supplies, photocopy. Keep in mind in the next artimixing shampoos and conditioners and cle of this two-part series we use your ensuring the department was thoroughcompleted chart to set your Time Range ly cleaned and in order for the next Grooming Prices system in place. Every working day. The position provides as(Continued on page 74) surance for business owners that all 72 Copyright © 2013 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved Subscribe www.egroomer.com PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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Bath-Only Grooming Time Standards Breed Afghan

Mins

N/A

Full Groom Grooming Time Standards

N/A

Breed

Mins

60 / 75

Afghan

90 / 120

Airedale

35 / 45

Airedale

90 / 105

Beagle

30 / 40

Beagle

40 / 50

Bichon Frise

35 / 45

Bichon Frise

60 / 75

Chow Chow

60 / 75

Chow Chow

75 / 90

Cocker Spaniel

45 / 60

Cocker Spaniel

90 / 105

Collie

60 / 75

Collie

90 / 105

Dachshund, Long Hair

30 / 40

Dachshund, Long Hair

50 / 60

Dachshund, Short Hair

20 / 25

Dachshund, Short Hair

30 / 35

Dachshund, Wire Hair

20 / 25

Dachshund, Wire Hair

45 / 60

German Shepherd

45 / 60

German Shepherd

70 / 90

Golden Retriever

40 / 50

Golden Retriever

60 / 75

Great Dane

40 / 50

Great Dane

60 / 70

Great Pyrenees

75 / 90

Great Pyrenees

120/135

Husky

45 / 60

Husky

70 / 90

Irish Setter

40 / 50

Irish Setter

60 / 75

Irish Terrier

30 / 40

Irish Terrier

60 / 75

Kerry Blue Terrier

45 / 55

Kerry Blue Terrier

90 / 120

Labrador

30 / 40

Labrador

60 / 75

Lhasa Apso

40 / 55

Lhasa Apso

60 / 75

Malamute

55 / 70

Malamute

70 / 90

Miniature Schnauzer

25 / 35

Miniature Schnauzer

60 / 75

Newfoundland

75 / 90

Newfoundland

120/135

Old English Sheepdog

60 / 75

Old English Sheepdog

100/120

Pekingese

25 / 35

Pekingese

45 / 55

Poodle, Toy

25 / 35

Poodle, Toy

45 / 60

Poodle, Miniature

35 / 45

Poodle, Miniature

45 / 60

Poodle, Standard

60 / 75

Poodle, Standard

90 / 105

Portuguese Water Dog

55 / 65

Portuguese Water Dog

90 / 105

Samoyed

60 / 70

Samoyed

90 / 105

Scottish Terrier

25 / 40

Scottish Terrier

60 / 75

Sheltie

45 / 60

Sheltie

60 / 75

Shih Tzu

40 / 55

Shih Tzu

60 / 75

Soft Coated Wheaten

55 / 70

Soft Coated Wheaten

60 / 75

Springer Spaniel

40 / 55

Springer Spaniel

60 / 75

Welsh Terrier

30 / 45

Welsh Terrier

60 / 75

West Highland White

25 / 40

West Highland White

60 / 40

Wire Fox Terrier

30 / 40

Wire Fox Terrier

60 / 75

Yorkshire Terrier

25 / 40

Yorkshire Terrier

55 / 65

MIXED BREED

Mins

N/A

N/A.

MIXED BREED

Mins

Cockapoo

25 / 40

Cockapoo

55 / 65

Goldendoodle

45 / 60

Goldendoodle

75 / 105

CATS eGroomer Journal Cat, Long Hair

Mins 30 / 45

Cat, Short Hair

25 / 30

N/A N/A CATS Copyright © 2011 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved Cat, Long Hair Cat, Short Hair

Mins 55 / 65 45 / 55

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

73

PetGroomer.com Magazine

business should have a list of primary breeds and their expected average grooming times by an experienced pet groomer, or pet bather as applicable.

State a range of time not spread by more than 15 minutes. For example, state the time in this format, 45 to 60 minutes. Ranges account for variables in the sizes of pets. There are small Shelties and large Shelties. Ranges are not only required due to pet sizes, but other factors. Consider these: •

How modern is your equipment?

•

Are you using high-velocity dryers?

•

Are you using products that speed up the drying process?

•

Are you using low quality scissors instead of high grade scissors? We know excellent groomers including ourselves that found scissoring time was cut by up to one-third when they used better quality precision shears.

These are but a few reasons why grooming times must be stated in ranges.

•

•

74

October / December 2021

their cell phones doesn’t that affect your grooming time standards?

Don’t use another business’ chart of grooming times without updating the times specific to your state of operation and expectations.

We suggest putting a copy of your completed chart in your employee handbook. Have job candidates review copies too. Refer to the chart when you state expectations for the number of pets to be bathed or groomed on personnel documentation. If you state 12 bath and dry services in 8 hours (480 minutes) your expectation is an average of 40 minutes per service. Refer to your chart. How possible is that goal on a regular basis when many of your bath and dry times are well over 40 minutes?

Be reasonable.

Time Range Grooming Prices

Once you set your grooming time standards look at your pricing system. Using the Time Range Grooming Prices many groomers discover costly errors in their original pricing systems of which they Are you distracting your groomers by had no idea. Many find prices do not having them answer phone calls or fairly match the time spent by groomers do front reception duties too? on groomers. It can be an eye-opener. In If groomers or bathers are allowed the next article just ahead in this issue 74 Copyright © 2013 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved Subscribe www.egroomer.com unlimited access to personal use of

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Bath-Only Grooming Time Standards Breed

Mins

N/A

Full Groom Grooming Time Standards

N/A

Breed

Afghan

Afghan

Airedale

Airedale

Beagle

Beagle

Bichon Frise

Bichon Frise

Chow Chow

Chow Chow

Cocker Spaniel

Cocker Spaniel

Collie

Collie

Dachshund, Long Hair

Dachshund, Long Hair

Dachshund, Short Hair

Dachshund, Short Hair

Dachshund, Wire Hair

Dachshund, Wire Hair

German Shepherd

German Shepherd

Golden Retriever

Golden Retriever

Great Dane

Great Dane

Great Pyrenees

Great Pyrenees

Husky

Husky

Irish Setter

Irish Setter

Irish Terrier

Irish Terrier

Kerry Blue Terrier

Kerry Blue Terrier

Labrador

Labrador

Lhasa Apso

Lhasa Apso

Malamute

Malamute

Miniature Schnauzer

Miniature Schnauzer

Newfoundland

Newfoundland

Old English Sheepdog

Old English Sheepdog

Pekingese

Pekingese

Poodle, Toy

Poodle, Toy

Poodle, Miniature

Poodle, Miniature

Poodle, Standard

Poodle, Standard

Portuguese Water Dog

Portuguese Water Dog

Samoyed

Samoyed

Scottish Terrier

Scottish Terrier

Sheltie

Sheltie

Shih Tzu

Shih Tzu

Soft Coated Wheaten

Soft Coated Wheaten

Springer Spaniel

Springer Spaniel

Welsh Terrier

Welsh Terrier

West Highland White

West Highland White

Wire Fox Terrier

Wire Fox Terrier

Yorkshire Terrier

Yorkshire Terrier

MIXED BREED

Mins

$ Rate

Est. Price Range

MIXED BREED

Cockapoo

Cockapoo

Goldendoodle

Goldendoodle

CATS eGroomer Journal Cat, Long Hair Cat, Short Hair

Mins

$ Rate Est. Price Range CATS Copyright © 2011 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved Cat, Long Hair Cat, Short Hair

Mins

N/A

N/A

Mins

$ Rate

Est. Price Range

Mins

$ Rate

Est. Price Range 75

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77

October / December 2021

Time-Range Based Grooming Prices How Accurate is Your Profitability for Every Groom This is the second article of a two-part series starting with Benefits of Setting Your Grooming Time Standards, see page 69 of this issue.

Groomers primarily sell their grooming time to pet owners. Their prices also recover a share of their operating costs for every groom. Since time is the primary commodity sold by groomers there must be an accurate relationship between the amount charged for services relative to the amount of grooming time sold for every groom.

Sometimes the accurate characteristic of that relationship is not evident. It also tends to undercut the profitability of the affected groomer.

Examples: •

Miniature Poodle, full groom (bath and style). No dematting. “Lamb” style. Time to complete: 60 minutes.

Fee: $60 eGroomer Journal

•

Great Pyrenees, full groom (bath and style). No dematting. Even length all over style. Time to complete: 115 minutes. Fee: $100

Compare time and fees. The Miniature Poodle is easy to calculate. The price is $1 a minute for the groom. The groomer did not actually charge by the hour. The pricelist simply says Miniature Poodles are $60 for a full groom.

On the other hand, the price for the Great Pyrenees full groom is not $1 a minute. At $100 for a 115 minute full groom the fee by minute is 87 cents.

Most pricing studies indicate that the larger the dog some groomers simply don’t charge the same grooming rate if you break the price down by minutes of

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(Continued on page 78)

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78

October / December 2021

grooming time required.

(page 69).

Are these groomers shy to charge higher fees based on equivalent time? Many of us think so.

These standards are essential to personnel management duties. Entry-level groomers you hire can see the reasonable productivity levels you expect of them as they gain experience. When setting pay rates higher productivity should be compensated more. In other words you could prepare one of these charts for entry level personnel and one for experienced groomers.

It could also be the pricing system didn’t take into account accurate grooming times. Even if this happens once a day over a year period the groomer could easily lose $2,000 or more.

Groomers working 5 days-a-week groom 260 days a year. If the groomer doesn’t adequately charge for large dogs and loses $10 a day, that is $2,600 a year.

Providing hourly grooming services could the resolve the problem. However, most pet owners don’t want to pay by the hour for grooming. There is an alternative.

How grooming time accurate is your pricing system? There is an easy way to better align your grooming prices with the amount of time you spend for each groom. We call it Time Range Grooming Prices.

On the following page is a copy of a completed Grooming Time Standards chart showing a range of time for grooming services by breed and organized by bath-only or full-groom services. Keep in mind these are average ranges of time for pets in reasonable condition not including time for dematting, special bathing procedures such as a veterinarian prescribed shampoo let sit for 10 minutes or special care charges for behavioral pets.

Notice the chart has two available columns per table marked “N/A.” We are going to take advantage of both available columns and label them for calculating accurate time range grooming price ranges.

The first step is to prepare a chart of your grooming time standards. We showed you how to do that in a previous article of this magazine, Benefits of Setting78 Your Grooming TimeCopyright Standards © 2013 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

(Continued on page 81)

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Bath-Only Grooming Time Standards Breed Afghan

Mins

N/A

Full Groom Grooming Time Standards

N/A

Breed

Mins

60 / 75

Afghan

90 / 120

Airedale

35 / 45

Airedale

90 / 105

Beagle

30 / 40

Beagle

40 / 50

Bichon Frise

35 / 45

Bichon Frise

60 / 75

Chow Chow

60 / 75

Chow Chow

75 / 90

Cocker Spaniel

45 / 60

Cocker Spaniel

90 / 105

Collie

60 / 75

Collie

90 / 105

Dachshund, Long Hair

30 / 40

Dachshund, Long Hair

50 / 60

Dachshund, Short Hair

20 / 25

Dachshund, Short Hair

30 / 35

Dachshund, Wire Hair

20 / 25

Dachshund, Wire Hair

45 / 60

German Shepherd

45 / 60

German Shepherd

70 / 90

Golden Retriever

40 / 50

Golden Retriever

60 / 75

Great Dane

40 / 50

Great Dane

60 / 70

Great Pyrenees

75 / 90

Great Pyrenees

120/135

Husky

45 / 60

Husky

70 / 90

Irish Setter

40 / 50

Irish Setter

60 / 75

Irish Terrier

30 / 40

Irish Terrier

60 / 75

Kerry Blue Terrier

45 / 55

Kerry Blue Terrier

90 / 120

Labrador

30 / 40

Labrador

60 / 75

Lhasa Apso

40 / 55

Lhasa Apso

60 / 75

Malamute

55 / 70

Malamute

70 / 90

Miniature Schnauzer

25 / 35

Miniature Schnauzer

60 / 75

Newfoundland

75 / 90

Newfoundland

120/135

Old English Sheepdog

60 / 75

Old English Sheepdog

100/120

Pekingese

25 / 35

Pekingese

45 / 55

Poodle, Toy

25 / 35

Poodle, Toy

45 / 60

Poodle, Miniature

35 / 45

Poodle, Miniature

45 / 60

Poodle, Standard

60 / 75

Poodle, Standard

90 / 105

Portuguese Water Dog

55 / 65

Portuguese Water Dog

90 / 105

Samoyed

60 / 70

Samoyed

90 / 105

Scottish Terrier

25 / 40

Scottish Terrier

60 / 75

Sheltie

45 / 60

Sheltie

60 / 75

Shih Tzu

40 / 55

Shih Tzu

60 / 75

Soft Coated Wheaten

55 / 70

Soft Coated Wheaten

60 / 75

Springer Spaniel

40 / 55

Springer Spaniel

60 / 75

Welsh Terrier

30 / 45

Welsh Terrier

60 / 75

West Highland White

25 / 40

West Highland White

60 / 40

Wire Fox Terrier

30 / 40

Wire Fox Terrier

60 / 75

Yorkshire Terrier

25 / 40

Yorkshire Terrier

55 / 65

MIXED BREED

Mins

NOTE: Times shown for the purpose of illustration.

Set your own times please.

$ Rate

Est. Price Range

MIXED BREED

Mins

Cockapoo

25 / 40

Cockapoo

55 / 65

Goldendoodle

60 / 75

Goldendoodle

90/ 105

CATS eGroomer Journal Cat, Long Hair

Mins 30 / 45

Cat, Short Hair

25 / 30

$ Rate Est. Price Range CATS Copyright © 2011 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved Cat, Long Hair Cat, Short Hair

Mins 55 / 65 45 / 55

N/A

N/A

NOTE: Times shown for the purpose of illustration.

Set your own times please.

$ Rate

Est. Price Range

$ Rate

Est. Price Range 79

Bath-Only Grooming Time Standards Breed

Mins

N/A

Full Groom Grooming Time Standards

N/A

Breed

Afghan

Afghan

Airedale

Airedale

Beagle

Beagle

Bichon Frise

Bichon Frise

Chow Chow

Chow Chow

Cocker Spaniel

Cocker Spaniel

Collie

Collie

Dachshund, Long Hair

Dachshund, Long Hair

Dachshund, Short Hair

Dachshund, Short Hair

Dachshund, Wire Hair

Dachshund, Wire Hair

German Shepherd

German Shepherd

Golden Retriever

Golden Retriever

Great Dane

Great Dane

Great Pyrenees

Great Pyrenees

Husky

Husky

Irish Setter

Irish Setter

Irish Terrier

Irish Terrier

Kerry Blue Terrier

Kerry Blue Terrier

Labrador

Labrador

Lhasa Apso

Lhasa Apso

Malamute

Malamute

Miniature Schnauzer

Miniature Schnauzer

Newfoundland

Newfoundland

Old English Sheepdog

Old English Sheepdog

Pekingese

Pekingese

Poodle, Toy

Poodle, Toy

Poodle, Miniature

Poodle, Miniature

Poodle, Standard

Poodle, Standard

Portuguese Water Dog

Portuguese Water Dog

Samoyed

Samoyed

Scottish Terrier

Scottish Terrier

Sheltie

Sheltie

Shih Tzu

Shih Tzu

Soft Coated Wheaten

Soft Coated Wheaten

Springer Spaniel

Springer Spaniel

Welsh Terrier

Welsh Terrier

West Highland White

West Highland White

Wire Fox Terrier

Wire Fox Terrier

Yorkshire Terrier

Yorkshire Terrier

MIXED BREED

Mins

$ Rate

Est. Price Range

MIXED BREED

Cockapoo

Cockapoo

Goldendoodle

Goldendoodle

CATS 80 Cat, Long Hair Cat, Short Hair

Mins

$ Rate Est. Price Range CATS Copyright © 2013 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved Cat, Long Hair Cat, Short Hair

Mins

N/A

N/A

Mins

$ Rate

Est. Price Range

Mins $ Rate Est. Price Range Subscribe www.egroomer.com

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81

We will rename the first N/A column to “$ Rate.” Then we will rename second N/A column “Estimated Price Range.”

You can see a sample illustrated.

The $ Rate column header has many cells below it. Fill them with the same hourly rate for grooming. In this case we will use $60 an hour.

For each row with breed names you multiply the minutes time range by the hourly rate and the result is the Estimated Price Range.

It is a simple calculation when done this way. For example. If the rate is $60 an hour ($1 a minute), and the grooming time range is 60 to 75 minutes, multiply each minute by $1. Therefore, a groom taking 60 to 75 minutes has a price range of $60 to $75.

Ranges help account for variations in pet size, weight and coat conditions, affecting grooming time. If the pet is very dirty requiring an extra bath or two, you can charge the higher end of the price range. If the pet is abnormally large for the breed or dominant breed for a mixed breed, charge the higher end of the price range.

October / December 2021

How to Calculate Your Hourly Rate Enter your hourly rate in the $ Rate column. We used $60 an hour in the illustrated example. It made the math easier. Let’s assume your rate is $65 an hour.

Enter $65 in all table cells in the $ Rate columns. Figure the minute rate relative to the hourly rate. Here is how to do that.

Divide the rate, $65 an hour by 60 minutes. The rate for one minute is $1.08.

Now we can complete the Estimated Price Range columns. Let’s assume thegrooming time standard range is “45 to 60” minutes.

Multiply 45 minutes by $1.08 = $48.60 Multiply 60 minutes by $1.08 = $64.80 Round the prices as follows: $48.60 = $49.00 $64.80 = $65.00 Put both numbers in the appropriate Estimated Price Range cells for bath-only or full groom services with a stated range of 45 to 60 minutes. Write in (Continued on page 83)

eGroomer Journal

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Worksheet for Bath-Only Service Rates Breed

Mins

$ Rate

Est. Price Range

Afghan

60 / 75

$60 Hr

$60 to $75

Airedale

35 / 45

$60 Hr

Beagle

30 / 40

Bichon Frise

Worksheet for Full Groom Service Rates Mins

$ Rate

Est. Price Range

Afghan

90 / 120

$60 Hr

$90 to $120

$35 to $45

Airedale

90 / 105

$60 Hr

$90 to $105

$60 Hr

$30 to $40

Beagle

40 / 50

$60 Hr

$40 to $50

35 / 45

$60 Hr

$35 to $45

Bichon Frise

60 / 75

$60 Hr

$60 to $75

Chow Chow

60 / 75

$60 Hr

$60 to $75

Chow Chow

75 / 90

$60 Hr

$75 to $90

Cocker Spaniel

45 / 60

$60 Hr

$45 to $60

Cocker Spaniel

90 / 105

$60 Hr

$90 to $105

Collie

60 / 75

$60 Hr

$60 to $75

Collie

90 / 105

$60 Hr

$90 to $105

Dachshund, Long Hair

30 / 40

$60 Hr

$30 to $40

Dachshund, Long Hair

50 / 60

$60 Hr

$50 to $60

Dachshund, Short Hair

20 / 25

$60 Hr

$20 to $25

Dachshund, Short Hair

30 / 35

$60 Hr

$30 to $35

Dachshund, Wire Hair

20 / 25

$60 Hr

$20 to $25

Dachshund, Wire Hair

45 / 60

$60 Hr

$45 to $60

German Shepherd

45 / 60

$60 Hr

$45 to $60

German Shepherd

70 / 90

$60 Hr

$70 to $90

Golden Retriever

40 / 50

$60 Hr

$40 to $50

Golden Retriever

60 / 75

$60 Hr

$60 to $75

Great Dane

40 / 50

$60 Hr

$40 to $50

Great Dane

60 / 70

$60 Hr

$60 to $70

Great Pyrenees

75 / 90

$60 Hr

$75 to $90

Great Pyrenees

120/135

$60 Hr

$120 to $135

Husky

45 / 60

$60 Hr

$45 to $60

Husky

70 / 90

$60 Hr

$70 to $90

Irish Setter

40 / 50

$60 Hr

$40 to $50

Irish Setter

60 / 75

$60 Hr

$60 to $75

Irish Terrier

30 / 40

$60 Hr

$30 to $40

Irish Terrier

60 / 75

$60 Hr

$60 to $75

Kerry Blue Terrier

45 / 55

$60 Hr

$45 to $55

Kerry Blue Terrier

90 / 120

$60 Hr

$90 to $120

Labrador

30 / 40

$60 Hr

$30 to $40

Labrador

60 / 75

$60 Hr

$60 to $75

Lhasa Apso

40 / 55

$60 Hr

$40 to $55

Lhasa Apso

60 / 75

$60 Hr

$60 to $75

Malamute

55 / 70

$60 Hr

$55 to $70

Malamute

70 / 90

$60 Hr

$70 to $90

Miniature Schnauzer

25 / 35

$60 Hr

$25 to $35

Miniature Schnauzer

60 / 75

$60 Hr

$60 to $75

Newfoundland

75 / 90

$60 Hr

$75 to $90

Newfoundland

120/135

$60 Hr

$120 to $135

Old English Sheepdog

60 / 75

$60 Hr

$60 to $75

Old English Sheepdog

100/120

$60 Hr

$100 to $120

Pekingese

25 / 35

$60 Hr

$25 to $35

Pekingese

45 / 55

$60 Hr

$45 to $55

Poodle, Toy

25 / 35

$60 Hr

$25 to $35

Poodle, Toy

45 / 60

$60 Hr

$45 to $60

Poodle, Miniature

35 / 45

$60 Hr

$35 to $45

Poodle, Miniature

45 / 60

$60 Hr

$45 to $60

Poodle, Standard

60 / 75

$60 Hr

$65 to $75

Poodle, Standard

90 / 105

$60 Hr

$90 to $105

Portuguese Water Dog

55 / 65

$60 Hr

$55 to $65

Portuguese Water Dog

90 / 105

$60 Hr

$90 to $105

Samoyed

60 / 70

$60 Hr

$60 to $70

Samoyed

90 / 105

$60 Hr

$90 to $105

Scottish Terrier

25 / 40

$60 Hr

$25 to $40

Scottish Terrier

60 / 75

$60 Hr

$60 to $75

Sheltie

45 / 60

$60 Hr

$45 to $60

Sheltie

60 / 75

$60 Hr

$60 to $75

Shih Tzu

40 / 55

$60 Hr

$40 to $55

Shih Tzu

60 / 75

$60 Hr

$60 to $75

Soft Coated Wheaten

55 / 70

$60 Hr

$55 to $70

Soft Coated Wheaten

60 / 75

$60 Hr

$60 to $75

Springer Spaniel

40 / 55

$60 Hr

$40 to $55

Springer Spaniel

60 / 75

$60 Hr

$60 to $75

Welsh Terrier

30 / 45

$60 Hr

$30 to $45

Welsh Terrier

60 / 75

$60 Hr

$60 to $75

West Highland White

25 / 40

$60 Hr

$25 to $40

West Highland White

60 / 40

$75 Hr

$60 to $75

Wire Fox Terrier

30 / 40

$60 Hr

$30 to $40

Wire Fox Terrier

60 / 75

$60 Hr

$60 to $75

Yorkshire Terrier

25 / 40

$60 Hr

$25 to $40

Yorkshire Terrier

55 / 65

$60 Hr

$55 to $65

Mins

$ Rate

Est. Price Range

Mins

$ Rate

Est. Price Range

Cockapoo

25 / 40

$60 Hr

$25 to $40

Cockapoo

55 / 65

$60 Hr

$55 to $65

Goldendoodle

60 / 75

$60 Hr

$60 to $75

Goldendoodle

75 / 90

$60 Hr

$75 to $90

MIXED BREED

Mins

Breed

MIXED BREED

CATS 82 Cat, Long Hair

30 / 45

$ Rate Est. Price Range CATS Copyright © 2013 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved $60 Hr $30 to $45 Cat, Long Hair

Cat, Short Hair

25 / 30

$60 Hr

$25 to $30

Cat, Short Hair

Mins $ Rate Est. Price Range Subscribe www.egroomer.com $55 to $65 55 / 65 $60 Hr 45 / 55

$60 Hr

$45 to $55

PetGroomer.com Magazine

“$49 to $65.”

Do the same math for all breeds in both the Bath-Only and Full Groom tables.

I Don’t Know My Hourly Rate Start by adding up how much you gross a day in dollars from sales of grooming services only. Next, divide the gross figure by the total time worked.

For example, you worked 8 hours grooming. Total sales of grooming services was $400. Divide $400 by 8 hours, the rate is $50. Some groomers then add $5 or $10 to the computed hourly rate to recover some additional business overhead costs. In this case the hourly rate would be $55 or $60.

In our 2018 national survey of grooming prices groomers we asked the hourly rate of groomers that charge for grooming strictly the hour. Their 2018 average rate was $48.50. Remember that figure is a weighted average for all 50 U.S. states. Overall the range was about $39 (low) to $76 (high) in urban, upscale regions with higher cost of living conditions.

Minimum Grooming Service Charge

83

October / December 2021

sheet discussed just ahead. Do you have a minimum grooming charge? The groomer who made the charts illustrated here did “nudge” the prices for a few breeds because she has a minimum charge for any bath-dog. Based solely on grooming time and hourly rate, the range for a short haired Dachshund shown on page was $20 to $25. Her minimum grooming charge is $30. In this case her final price sheet, created from the time-based worksheet, showed to customers that shorthaired Dachshunds are $30 to $35.

Finalizing Your Price Sheet Using the worksheet illustrated on page 44 you created all the numbers you need. It is a “busy” sheet. Simplify it by removing the columns for Minutes and $ Rate to create a separate finalized price sheet. See page 46. It is easy to read, and some groomers make copies for the public, or a sign. It’s up to you.

Keep all your documentation. Next time you raise prices you can simply update the $ Rate column on the backup worksheets with your new, higher hourly rate.

In this way you fairly raise prices all the grooming services on your price list. ◄

You may want to adjust a few price eGroomer Journal © 2011 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved ranges before you make a Copyright final price PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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Bath-Only Prices (includes nails, ear check) Breed Afghan

Full Groom (Bath and Style) Prices

Est. Price Range

Breed

Est. Price Range

$60 to $75

Afghan

$90 to $120

Airedale

$35 to $45

Airedale

$90 to $105

Beagle

$30 to $40

Beagle

$40 to $50

Bichon Frise

$35 to $45

Bichon Frise

$60 to $75

Chow Chow

$60 to $75

Chow Chow

$75 to $90

Cocker Spaniel

$45 to $60

Cocker Spaniel

$90 to $105

Collie

$60 to $75

Collie

$90 to $105

Dachshund, Long Hair

$30 to $40

Dachshund, Long Hair

$50 to $60

Dachshund, Short Hair

$30 to $35

Dachshund, Short Hair

$30 to $35

Dachshund, Wire Hair

$30 to $35

Dachshund, Wire Hair

$45 to $60

German Shepherd

$45 to $60

German Shepherd

$70 to $90

Golden Retriever

$40 to $50

Golden Retriever

$60 to $75

Great Dane

$40 to $50

Great Dane

$60 to $70

Great Pyrenees

$75 to $90

Great Pyrenees

Husky

$45 to $60

Husky

$70 to $90

Irish Setter

$40 to $50

Irish Setter

$60 to $75

Irish Terrier

$30 to $40

Irish Terrier

$60 to $75

Kerry Blue Terrier

$45 to $55

Kerry Blue Terrier

$90 to $120

Labrador

$30 to $40

Labrador

$60 to $75

Lhasa Apso

$40 to $55

Lhasa Apso

$60 to $75

Malamute

$55 to $70

Malamute

$70 to $90

Miniature Schnauzer

$30 to $35

Miniature Schnauzer

$60 to $75

Newfoundland

$75 to $90

Newfoundland

$120 to $135

Old English Sheepdog

$60 to $75

Old English Sheepdog

$100 to $120

Pekingese

$30 to $35

Pekingese

$45 to $55

Poodle, Toy

$30 to $35

Poodle, Toy

$45 to $60

Poodle, Miniature

$35 to $45

Poodle, Miniature

$45 to $60

Poodle, Standard

$65 to $75

Poodle, Standard

$90 to $105

Portuguese Water Dog

$55 to $65

Portuguese Water Dog

$90 to $105

Samoyed

$60 to $70

Samoyed

$90 to $105

Scottish Terrier

$30 to $40

Scottish Terrier

$60 to $75

Sheltie

$45 to $60

Sheltie

$60 to $75

Shih Tzu

$40 to $55

Shih Tzu

$60 to $75

Soft Coated Wheaten

$55 to $70

Soft Coated Wheaten

$60 to $75

Springer Spaniel

$40 to $55

Springer Spaniel

$60 to $75

Welsh Terrier

$30 to $45

Welsh Terrier

$60 to $75

West Highland White

$30 to $40

West Highland White

$60 to $75

Wire Fox Terrier

$30 to $40

Wire Fox Terrier

$60 to $75

Yorkshire Terrier

$30 to $40

Yorkshire Terrier

$55 to $65

MIXED BREED

Est. Price Range

MIXED BREED

$120 to $135

Est. Price Range

Cockapoo

$30 to $40

Cockapoo

$55 to $65

Goldendoodle

$60 to $75

Goldendoodle

$75 to $90

CATS 84 Cat, Long Hair Cat, Short Hair

Est. Price Range CATS Copyright © 2013 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved Cat, Long Hair $30 to $45 $30 to $35

Cat, Short Hair

Est. Price Range Subscribe www.egroomer.com $55 to $65 $45 to $55

WE PROMISE TO EXCEED OUR CUSTOMER’S EXPECTATIONS IN QUALITY www.showseasongrooming.com

eGroomer Journal

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sandy@showseasongrooming.com

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87 39

October / December 2021 July / September 2021

So You’re Thinking About Adding a Second Mobile Unit

Classic Reprint

With the booming interest in mobile grooming we hear mobile groomers talking about adding a second, third or more vans. Here is a timely article from our archive with expert advice on adding to your fleet.

Originally written as presented here by Dina Perry, Wag’n Tails Mobile Grooming Conversions © 2001, 2021 All Rights Reserved

This is a sure sign of success. Usually

your clients. Choose customers who

the statement is made to me when you

are scheduled every 4 weeks or less.

are so busy you can’t see straight.

Get rid of the biters! Now life is good.

You’ve taken every client you can and have fired all the ones you don’t want.

This is the point a lot of you are at after a few years, some in a few months,

What to do? First, if you’re that busy

and the new clients are still calling. If

make sure your prices are high enough.

you seriously want to start a fleet, or

Copyright © 2011 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved RaiseeGroomer your Journal price and sit back and select PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

(Continued on page 88)

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88

October / December 2021

for a single person under 35. It’s well

(Continued from page 87)

worth the cost and will help keep good just a second van you need to remem-

people. Be flexible on days and hours.

ber just how hard good groomers are to

Remember that’s one of the reasons

find. Why did you go out on your own?

you aren’t working for someone else.

Money, freedom, security? This is what

Do make sure they understand ap-

you will need to provide to a qualified

pointments are made and never can-

groomer to find and keep them. If your

celed. Nothing loses a client faster

prices are low, they can’t make a great

then a cancellation.

income. So check that out first.

Lynn Edwards, a client of ours from

You can easily give a mobile groomer

New York State had great idea. She

60%, of the grooming charge, if you

had been in business less than a year

have a service charge you keep along

and she was swamped. She said at

with your 40% of the grooming charge.

least half of her clients were B&B’s.

This could never be done in a salon.

Goldens, Shelties, Yorkies, labs, and

Think about it. The groomer makes 60%, at least 10% more than a salon, and hopefully the price is a good 10 to 20 percent higher in the mobile for grooming. After all, in a mobile the pet gets one on one service. The very best should cost more than the assembly line.

Make sure you give a groomer benefits if they need them. Most HMO’s cost around $100.00 to $150.00 a month

etc. She could teach a person to B&B (Brush and Bath) in a few weeks. If they quit and she had two payments it would only take a short time to find and train a new Bather. Good Thinking Lynn! If you have a groomer out there and they quit. Ouch!! It could take months to find someone qualified.

The best idea for multiple units is to have your first unit paid for or to know the person you hire is not going to (Continued on page 89)

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and in no time you can have a second

(Continued from page 88)

van. If the groomer quits and it takes a leave. Many of my clients are now fami-

few months to fill the spot with the

ly businesses. The money is great, the

right person. No sweat, you can make

job a breeze with only the best clients

one payment very easily.

on the books, and your spouse or mate is looking at you with envy in their eyes.

A daughter or son is thinking this looks pretty good to them. These people don’t leave without notice.

When writing this I am assuming the person reading it is not able to invest

in a new van in cash. If that were the case, the suggestions would be quite different. A fleet of mobiles is a very

A young man from California once

profitable enterprise when well run To

called inquiring about a new van to re-

summarize:

place his aging one. He told me he worked very hard for five weeks and took the sixth one off. He always had time for the “honey do” list his wife had

Make sure you are charging enough to

provide you and a groomer with a good profit.

saved for him, or a 10 day vacation.

Think about the B&B’er van.

This young man had thought out his

Pay off your first van making double

life. He had found the best of the job,

payments, then breathe easy with only

flexibility and freedom. Smart guy.

1 payment.

If you don’t have a person you know

Look for people you know and trust to

well to fill a second van than maybe the

fit into your business.

best bet is to pay off your first one and then get the second. Cori, a young client from Michigan told me she was 3

Pay them well, find out what they expect from the job, and provide it. ◄

payments ahead. I was extremely

proud of her. Make double payments eGroomer Journal

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Northern Tails Sharpening, Inc. You Now Have a Better Choice!

Specializing in Animal Care Tools

Mail-in Prices Steel Blades

$7.00

Ceramic Blades

$6.00

Agri Blades

$8.00

3 in Wide Blades

$8.00

Beveled Shears

$9.00

Bevel Thinning Shears

$9.00

Convex Shears

$16.00

Refurbish 5-N-1 Blades

$11.00

Str. Chunkers

$16.00

Convex Thinning Shears $16.00

Clipper Repair ● Veterinarian Equipment ● Beauty Shears We are an Andis & Furzone Regional Distributor and Repair Center Jeff is a Master Sharpener and Certified Pet Groomer with over 35 years experience. He knows how your tools should perform. He won’t sharpen worn out tools which could harm animals. His office will call you if any of your tools look bad. Long-time member of NDGAA, IPG and the BBB. Please call or visit our website for mailing information. http://www.northerntails.com/

SINCE 1995 eGroomer Journal www.egroomer.com Subscribe Free

(479) 498-2367 Russellville, Arkansas

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October / December 2021 93

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How to Fix Sharp Clipper Blade Teeth Northern Tails Sharpening When groomers feel sharp or very pointy teeth they often blame their sharpeners.

Actually it may not be their fault. Sharpeners limit sharpening to the parts of blades with cutting surfaces. Because most clipper blades are chamfered sharpeners never make tips sharp. What is the cause of the problem? Animal hair is a likely culprit.

In the illustration below look for the “sharpening part” which is sharpened by sharpeners, and then look for “chamfered or beveled part” which gives the blade its cutting size. The larger the chamfering (or bevel) the higher the blade cuts.

Sharpeners can only make the tips sharp or razor edges of the entire front of blades on three sizes. They are #30, #40 and #50 blades. They don’t have chamfers. Inspect your blades and see the differences.

Dog hair can be very coarse. With repeated use over time coarse hair can cause blade tips to become very sharp and pointy. Skip tooth blades are very prone to being “sharpened” by coarse hair. Careful! They can literally make slices in the animals skin if they are sharp enough. For this reason alone some groomers avoid using skip tooth blades. Don’t worry. If you identify the sharp teeth as part of preventative blade maintenance you can fix the problem.

In this article I will explain the fix. For our example I will use a 7 skip tooth blade.

Many groomers consider it a dangerous blade. Skip tooth blades are as safe as F blades if they don’t have sharp tips which risk cutting skin or poking your hand when mounting them on clippers. How one uses a skip tooth blade determines if it is dangerous or not. eGroomer Journal www.egroomer.com Subscribe Free PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free

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On the left is a #7 skip tooth blade. Look at the many pointed teeth which can become sharp after running through coarse animal hair long enough. If you have blades like this, or similar F blades, run your finger along the teeth periodically to check for sharpness. Even when your blades come back from the sharpener, check them for tooth sharpness. Also look to see if any teeth of the cutter are hanging over the edge of the comb blade. As the safety manager of your blades you can prevent accidents. Truth is if a blade scrapes or cuts an animal because of pointy or sharp teeth the fault lies with you. These injuries are entirely preventable. Professional sharpeners inspect every blade, especially the #30, #40 or #50 sizes. First they look to see if front edges of blades have turned into razors.

Even the sharpening process can do cause that effect to these blade sizes. If one slips by your sharpener and you discover the problem early by following my suggestion to inspect often, here is what you can do to make the blades friendly.

Refer to the photos below. Most sharpeners use a diamond pad available from home improvement centers. They set the problem blade on the pad, teeth on the pad and move back and forth at about a 15 degree angle until the tips of the blade are no longer like a razor. When skip tooth blades have very pointy tips use the same method. It won’t hurt how the blade digs into coats.

Run the blade back and forth with a slight downward force to let the diamond pad do its work. The motion is like buttering your bread. Go back and forth a few times and check it with your finger. Do this until you feel the blade is safe to use. Do not press down too hard on #30, #40 and #50 blades. You do not want to grind the front of the blades off which results in the cutter teeth hanging over. Just do enough to make the front edge smooth so it doesn’t slice a pad or nick the face and ears.

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Here’s another solution. Assume you just picked up a blade and it has very sharp teeth tips. Unfortunately, you don’t have a diamond pad. You don’t have time to go to the home improvement center to buy one. You are behind schedule with grooms.

What do you do? How about an “old school” solution?

Take the affected blade outside and scratch tips on a smooth concrete sidewalk.

We have been doing this quick fix for years. It doesn’t hurt the way it cuts. Careful, only scratch it long enough to smooth the tips of your skip tooth blades, or the front edge of your #30, #40 or #50 blades.

Remember to always inspect blades returned from your sharpener. They should have been inspected for sharp edges and teeth and repaired as needed.

If a blade cannot be repaired it shouldn’t be returned to you as “OK to use.” Professionals will segregate the problem blades and mark them, “No Good”.

Blades cannot be sharpened forever. They wear out over time. Unfortunately many sharpeners don’t pay attention to details like this. We do Northern Tails. We are groomers as well as sharpening professionals. We do a multipoint inspection of every blade we service. We go the extra mile so you don’t have to worry.

Regardless of whether your blades come back from sharpeners ready or not for safe and proper use, inspect them before using them. If there is a problem let the sharpener know. Most important, do not use unsafe blades. Fix them. Watch for an upcoming video on sharp teeth and repair options at our website, www.northerntails.com. ♦ Jeff Andrews is "One of America's Favorite Sharpeners." Along with his years of grooming experience in two of his own shops, he is a "World Class Sharpener" that can sharpen all grooming equipment to better than new condition. Jeff is an author and pioneer of many maintenance and grooming video's and articles.

They are for groomers who want to make their equipment last longer and save eGroomer Journal Copyright © 2011 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved 95 money on their sharpening costs. These videos and articles are on his website free to download and keep for reference. www.northerntails.com PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free © 2021 Find A Groomer Inc All rights reserved

Sponsors Only Buyer’s Guide 2021 PetEdge Supplies

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FINANCING

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A to Z List of Sponsors Except On-Site Schools

Call 800-556-5131 or 360-446-5348

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Puparazzi Mobile Franchise

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Quadruped Pet Care Products

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Retro Stylist Wear Quality Apparel

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Shake Your Tail Software

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January / March 2014 101 is not commonly known relates toPetGroomer.com It’seGroomer commonly Journal known that all brands of A-5 blades fit any brand of A-5 clippers. What blade sizes. Most Publications brands of A-5 blades have similar sizes, but how they perform varies. Manufacturers must use design differences in order to avoid patent and copyright infringement. The most common difference between brands is the blade thickness. Similar manufacturer sizes may cut at different heights. You could be in for a surprise if you change brands of the same size blade only to discover the cut is different! For your convenience Jeff at Northern Tails Sharpening prepared the multiple manufacturer reference charts below for blades and snap-ons. Be sure to check Jeff’s web site at www.northerntails.com for more helpful articles, videos and descriptions of his mail-in services. ♦

Clipper Blade Cutting Heights by Manufacturer BLADE SIZE

BLADE CUT

MASTER GRM.TOOLS

LAUBE

WAHL

KLEAN CUT

OSTER

ANDIS

#

Inches

MM

MM

MM

MM

MM

MM

50

1/125

0.2

0.2

0.5

0.2

0.2

0.2

40

1/100

0.3

0.3

0.6

0.1

0.3

0.3

35

3/50

—

—

—

—

—

0.4

30

1/50

0.5

0.5

0.8

0.2

0.5

0.5

15

3/64

1.2

1.0

1.3

1.0

1.2

1.2

10

1/16

1.6

1.5

1.8

1.5/1.6

1.0

1.5

10W

3/32

2.4

—

—

—

—

—

9

5/64

2.0

2.0

2.0

1.5

1.0/2.0

2.0

8.5

7/64

2.8

2.8

—

—

2.0

2.8

7

1/8

3.2

3.2

4.0

3.2

3.0

3.2

5

1/4

6.4

6.4

6.0

6.3

6.0

6.3

4

3/8

9.5

9.6

8.0

9.5

9.0

9.5

3

1/2

12.7

13.0

10.0

12.0

13.0

12.0

5/8HT

5/8

15.9

16.0

—

—

—

16.0

3/4HT

3/4

—

—

—

—

—

19.0

T-84

3/16

—

—

—

—

—

2.4

Snap-On Comb Sizes & Cut Lengths by Manufacturer COMB SIZE

LAUBE SELF ADJ & X-LARGE

WAHL STAINLESS STEEL

MDC ROMANI

OSTER UNIVERSAL

MILLERS FORGE

#

Inches

MM

MM

MM

MM

1/16

1/16

1/8

1/8

1/4

1/4

1/2

3/4

9/16

1/2 3/4

3/4 0

7/8

5/8

5/8

1

5/8

1/2

1/2

1

5/8

1 1/4

1 1/4 1 1/2

1/2

2

3/8

3

5/16

4

3/16

3/8

3/8

7/16

1/2

3/8

3/8

5/16

5/16

1/4

3/16

5

1/16

1/8

1/16

A

1

3/4

B

1 1/4

C

1 1/2

PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com

D

1 3/4

E

2

eGroomer Journal 1 5/8Subscribe Free S www.egroomer.com

7/8 1

Charts courtesy of Northern Tails Sharpening 479-498-2367 www.northerntails.com

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