IFI Admin, Author at Paragon School of Pet Grooming

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ICYMI: MoeGo x Paragon: The KPIs Every Grooming Business Needs to Track

“If you don’t know what to measure in your business, it’s sort of like driving down a freeway without your headlights on at night, right? There’s a good chance you’re eventually going to run in either off the road or hit something really hard that’s going to cause you a lot of pain.”

This is how important tracking pet grooming business KPIs is to Joe Zuccarello, President of Paragon School of Pet Grooming, who’s been working in the pet industry for over 40 years. Yet, shockingly, most pet grooming businesses operate this way, and they are missing out on thousands in hidden revenue and burning out teams with guesswork.

In our recent joint MoeGo x Paragon webinar, we cracked open the key performance indicators (KPIs) that separate thriving salons from those stuck in the “hamster wheel” cycle. Below, we break down the exact metrics to track, how to calculate them, and why one tweak could double your profit margins.

KPIs 101: Why “What Gets Measured Gets Done”

At its core, KPIs are your business’s vital signs. They reveal:

Whether you’re profitable (or just busy).
Which groomers are overachievers (and who needs support).
If clients secretly love you (or are about to ghost).

5 Grooming KPIs that Expose Hidden Profit (and Danger Zones)

Joe highlighted several key benchmarks that healthy grooming businesses typically achieve:

Revenue Per Station: The $150k Benchmark
Target: 125k–150k/year per station.
Why It Matters: A 3-station salon hitting this range = 375k–450k/year.
Fix Low Numbers: Optimize pricing, reduce no-shows, or add mobile services.
Gross Profit: Gross Profit Margin: The 60% Rule
Formula: (Revenue – Operational Costs) ÷ Revenue x 100.
Goal: Strive to keep 60% of the money that comes in as gross profit.
Add-Ons: Your Secret Money Machine
Target: 75%+ clients buy extras (nail filing, teeth brushing, etc.).
Tip: Use tools to streamline the upselling opportunities during online booking, and train staff to recommend add-ons during check-in.
Staffing Efficiency: The 80% Sweet Spot
Goal: Groomers at stations 80% of open hours.
Tip: Stations sitting empty? Adjust schedules or offer walk-in promotions.
Average Ticket Price: Know Your Average Ticket Price
How: It’s calculated by dividing the total grooming revenue from full-service appointments by the number of those appointments, or check report & insights for real-time visibility.

How to Track Grooming Business Metrics for Success

While the above are key end-result KPIs, Joe also discussed the crucial data points you need to track to ensure you’re on the right path:

Staff Efficiency: 1.25 hours on average per full-service groom = industry avg. Slower? Invest in training.
Client Retention: Track cancellations/no-shows. A spike = service issues.
Cost Per New Client: Divide marketing spend by new clients acquired. Understand how much you’re spending to attract new customers.

How to Set Goals that Actually Work

When setting goals, avoid simply “plucking a number from the air” based on historical data. Instead, consider a capacity-based approach. Factor in:

Your staffing levels (80% target utilization).
The number of grooming stations.
The average number of appointments per station per day (based on groomer efficiency).
Your average ticket price.

For example, based on the capacity-based formula, you can:

Calculate Max Capacity: Stations x Workdays/Month x Avg. Appointments/Day (e.g., 3 stations x 22 days x 6 dogs = 396 appointments).
Apply 80% Utilization: 396 x 0.8 = 317 realistic appointments.
Multiply by Avg. Ticket Price: 317 x $75 (e.g., $75 as average ticket price) = $23,775 monthly revenue goal.

Turn Your Team Into Profit Rockets (Without Micromanaging)

To measure your team’s productivity, you need four key pieces of data:

Appointments completed
Revenue generated
Hours worked
Wages paid

You can then calculate their efficiency, or simply check the KPI dashboard for real-time metrics with ticket-level details.

Joe also recommended brief, monthly one-on-one meetings (around 10 minutes) with each team member to discuss these metrics. Focus on identifying areas for improvement and collaboratively addressing any obstacles.

In addition, while commission-based pay naturally rewards productivity, you can also create incentives for employees across team.

Hourly staff: Bonus for hitting add-on targets.
Receptionists: Reward for rebooking rate.
Team: Group bonus if the business hits the gross profit goal.

key performance indicators in a grooming salon depicted by showing a graphic of MoeGo software interface

Want more information? Connect with MoeGo today!

Beyond Haircuts: The Bath-First Strategy to Grow Your Grooming Business

In case you missed it, check out this Free Webinar hosted by our friends at The Daily Groomer.
Paragon President Joe Zuccarello shares real, actionable strategies to boost revenue in ways that don’t burn out your team or frustrate your clients.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

“Add-Ons” That Work: The most profitable (and simple!) upgrades you can offer—think nail trims, specialty shampoos, or custom packages.
Upselling That Feels Good: Learn how to give clients more choices without feeling pushy or sales-y.
A Mindset Shift: Move beyond the usual advice and discover creative ways to grow income.
Success Stories: Real-world examples from salons just like yours who are already crushing it.

Want help building your Groom Tech team? Book some time to discuss your needs or Get Started by setting up your Employer Account today!

How to Give A Dog A Facelift

ParagonPetSchool.com founder Melissa Verplank demonstrates how to give a dog a facelift in a blog depicted by her holding a small dog In our salons, one of the most popular head styles is round. Especially when it comes to Doodles, mixed breeds of all sorts, lots of drop-coated breeds plus a few others.

Did you know there is an easy way to make any dog look younger? More perky?

And the best part – it’s SIMPLE!

Shorten the ears and the muzzle.

Long ears and muzzles drag a dog down, making them look older. It also detracts from a bright expression.

Plus, all the excessive coat is a dirt magnet. It’s constantly getting dragged through their food and water dishes. Longer fur drags on the ground as they pick up all their ‘doggie messages.’ (that’s gross!) Unless it’s being washed almost daily, it gets dirty, stinky and oily. And the potential for mats and tangles is increased the longer the coat.

How short do you go? That’s up to you and the owner.

Whatever the look, it should complement the trim and the dog. It needs to balance with the overall haircut.

Read the rest of this entry »

Doodles are Job Security

In this video, Certified Master Groomer Melissa Verplank celebrates the business-building blessing of the Doodle. These coat-carrying mixed breeds might be controversial creations among breed purists, but they provide an excellent opportunity to educate pet parents and help them understand the not-insignificant hygiene demands to make Doodles look and feel their best.

Want to learn more Doodle-Dos, like how to make them look like a Portuguese Water Dog? Join Paragon’s GroominarNetwork.com, the internet’s best groom instruction video resource and community.

Want to advance your Doodlin’ skills? Level 3 of Paragon’s Professional Pet Stylist Certification Program will help you kick it up a notch!

Transcript

Melissa V: Hi guys, Melissa here. I want to talk to you a little bit today about the Doodles. There are so many Doodles. They come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, coat types. There isn’t a whole lot of consistency with a Doodle other than it is almost any purebred mixed with a Poodle. You can have the Labradoodles, the Goldendoodles, the Aussiedoodles, the Bernedoodles. Anything can be mixed with a poodle and it comes out as a Doodle, and with the Poodles, we’ve got such a variety of sizes with the Poodles, we are seeing the Doodles coming out now being small, medium, large. So, they really are running a gamut. But, what I want you to stop and think about, because I know a lot of time when people mention the word Doodle in a professional setting, it brings out probably not the best qualities of us as professionals. I see a lot of frustration, a lot of anger coming out when we start talking about Doodles. And I kind of take a little different stance on it, because I’m really thankful that the Doodle has become some popular. Because, gang, it’s a groomable breed. They require regular maintenance to keep the dogs looking and feeling their best.

If you take a look at the top breeds for the past number of years in the AKC in the United States, folks, most of the dogs that are in the top 10 don’t carry a lot of coat. They aren’t necessarily groomable breeds that require regular haircuts. Yes, the Poodle is in there. Thank heavens the Poodle is in the top 10. The Yorkie is also in the top 10, but I mean, come on. The Yorkie is a little tiny guy. At least the Poodle we’ve got the toy, the miniature, and the standard so we’ve got some variety going on there. But, the point is that, when we’re looking at purebred dogs and when you’re seeing so many in the top 10 that are short coated, and that is also transferring over to many of the mixed breeds. They’re short coated. They don’t require a whole lot of professional grooming in the form of haircuts. So, to have such a wide variety of Doodles with a lot of coat, it’s a blessing to us. I mean, honestly gang, it’s job security. Thank heavens we have these dogs.

But, what I will say is, where the frustration is coming in, at least this is my take on it, is the frustration is coming from the fact that breeders are really preying upon owners being gullible. They’re mixing anything with a Poodle and calling it a Doodle and they’re just riding this wave of this popularity craze, and that drives us crazy. Especially if you are used to dealing with purebreds and very conscious breeders that are trying to improve and enhance a breed. And breeders of Doodles just really don’t seem to ride that same wave. So, to me, that definitely is a frustration point. And I get it. You know, that part drives me a little crazy. It drives me crazy that owners are going to be so gullible and so naïve and they’re just going out and they’re not really researching what they’re getting. You know, you almost have to do more research, because not only do you need to research the Poodle, but you need to research whatever other breed these dogs are being mixed with because now you’ve got that combination of personalities. What are you really getting, and is it going to fit into a family lifestyle that the owners need it to fit into?

To me, that’s where some of the frustration points are. But, I also see it as being an opportunity, because the other thing that breeders don’t seem to do a really great job with consistently, and I’m not saying all breeders, but come on, we see it enough that it poses frustration from a professional standpoint, is breeders aren’t being totally honest with the new pet parent of what kind of maintenance that dog is going to take from a hygienic standpoint. From a brushing, a bathing, and a grooming standpoint. All of a sudden, they’re saying oh, they only need to be groomed once a year or twice a year and we know as pros that are dealing with coat that that is so far from the truth. So, now we’ve got a situation where who does the owner truly trust? The breeder that they just purchased the dog from or the groomer who’s telling them this dog is going to need to be groomed on a very frequent basis? And most of the time, a lot of the Doodles are good size, so this isn’t a small price point for them. And these dogs really need to be groomed every four to six weeks.

So, you got a little bit of an uphill battle, but if you approach it properly and with compassion with the owner and towards the dog, many times you can re-educate and you have an opportunity to turn the Doodle owners into phenomenal clients. Because, come on, these guys are furry. And, whether it be a wire coated type Doodle or a Doodle, I mean, the breeders are saying hey, they’re hypoallergenic. But, come on. You know, they don’t shed. Yeah, how many times have you heard that? Yeah, depending again what they’re mixed with, that’s not necessarily true. So, you’ve got to go in and really be open and honest and caring with the owner and make sure that they understand that you are looking out for the best interest of the pet and the best interest of the owner based on what their lifestyle is and how much they are willing to do in between groomings. I mean, this is no different than any other haircut breed that we do. So, take the time to educate those owners. Turn your frustration into an opportunity to help the pet, to help the pet parent, and be thankful that we are seeing so many Doodles coming through, because almost all of them truly need professional grooming to look and feel their best. And honestly gang, it is job security, number one, for all of us.

Time = Money in a Pet Grooming Salon

Professional certified dog groomer grooming a white standard poodle to depict Time = Money in a pet grooming salon Time is money in our business. Sure, we love pets. I don’t know anyone who gets involved in this career who isn’t passionate about animals. Still – time is money. And in this fast paced world, it never seems any of us have enough of either!

My goal is always to turn a small to medium-sized pet in an hour or less; bathe, dry, haircut, and/or finish-work on a bath and brush style pet.

If you are not turning at least a dog an hour, you have an issue somewhere in your routine.

Here are some ideas/methods that allow seasoned pet professionals to hit that goal. Take a read and see if you can identify ideas you can try to help increase your speed in the grooming department. The times given are for small to medium-sized pets.

Prep-Work: 5 – 15 minutes

Get the dog to the tub as quickly as possible. In the case of a 6 week or less small pet, 5 minutes would be enough time to do the nails, ears, and privates.
On a six-week or more pet, you may take up to 15 minutes to do the prep work. Quickly knock off the bulk of the coat to minimize wash and dry time. But still, no more than 15 minutes.
Leave loose matting alone. Soap, lather, conditioners, and high velocity dryers are magic on a clean coat. It will be much easier to remove in the bath and blow out stage.
If water cannot penetrate the mat or tangled coat, it needs to be removed prior to bathing.
Notice trouble areas whether it be dirt, oil, or matting. Pay attention to those areas when you move through the grooming process and handle them when it would be most effective.

Bathing Time: 5 – 10 minutes

Let gravity do the work when wetting a dog down. For smaller dogs, stand them up and let the water run from their shoulders.
Don’t worry about getting them TOTALLY soaked if you dilute your shampoo. Diluting shampoo allows for the water to act as a distributing agent of the shampoo, allowing for even saturation.
If you are working with a shampoo dilution ratio of 15:1 or more – skip wetting the dog down all together prior to applying shampoo. Just apply the shampoo and water together at the same time.
Apply shampoo in the same order, every time. Let gravity do the work. Start at the back, down the legs, under the tail, ears, and face.
Use a scrub brush or a rubber curry on very dirty dogs . This works well in exceptionally dirty areas to enhance speed, thoroughness, and ease of cleaning.
If washing twice, don’t worry about getting every trace of shampoo from the coat on the first rinse, only enough to remove the bulk of the dirt build-up.
If dealing with exceptionally dirty areas, let ‘em soak a bit before you handle them. Coated faces often have hardened food in them. Tackling them before the food has time to soften causes you too much work and discomfort for the pet. Use a bristled brush, toothbrush, or even a slicker brush for really tough, stuck in food particles.
If dealing with major mats, utilize a slicker brush in the tub. Just be sure to protect the skin while brushing through the matted coat. The shampoo will aid in making the coat slippery, much like getting a stubborn ring off a finger.
Use the correct shampoo for the job, especially in the “problem areas.”
Utilize some sort of squeegee to aid in the speedy and thorough removal of shampoo.
If the coat does not feel “squeaky clean,” it’s not rinsed well enough. Double check the area for soap residue or cleanness. Unclean coats appear oily when dry and will never allow for a quality finish in the final product. Soap residue can also lead to skin irritation.
Have a routine that you use to wash every dog and follow it every time. Repeating the same method EVERY TIME builds consistency, effectiveness, thoroughness, and speed.

Drying Time: 5 – 10 minutes

Squeegee and squeeze as much excessive water off as possible in the tub.
Utilize a towel magnet to take off the majority of the moisture.
Use a second towel to wrap the pet. Hold off on areas that do not lend themselves to wrapping. You will not be as effective as possible if there is any water dripping off any portion of the pet, feet, ears, tail, etc. You will also be ineffective if there is a visible spray of water coming off the pet when you do use the high velocity dryer with a condensing cone.
Turn on your dryer to let it come up to running temperature a few minutes prior to drying the pet.
If the pet is new to you or seems nervous, introduce the pet to the dryer slowly.
Once the pet has accepted the dryer, start at either the base of the tail or the withers. Where you start depends on how you want to set up the coat for finish work. Blow the coat so that it lies close to the skin (example: many Terrier or Sporting dogs) or fluffed up for clipper work (most haircut type trims). Next, move to the legs and finally the chest. If the dog allows it, work the head quickly as well. Go over the entire pet first with a condensing cone to remove loose water. Cover every inch of the pet in this manner. If there is a fair amount of moisture still retained in the coat during this process, hold a towel just ahead of where you are working to catch the spray, minimizing how much moisture is passed on to other areas.
If you are dealing with a curly coated dog, leave the condensing cone on to straighten the coat out, working the shortest areas first, moving into the longer areas and finishing with the head, ears, and tail. Do not move out of a small area until the coat is perfectly dry and fluffed.
If dealing with a shedding dog or a slightly matted dog, leave the condensing cone on, working in the same order as described earlier. Once the bulk of the moisture is removed, start again at the rump and work small areas until dry and loose coat is no longer coming out. Keep the air flow as close to the body as possible without folding the coat back onto itself.
If dealing with mats or tangles, use the force of the air to move the mats away from the skin. Stay in one area and move the air slightly, pushing the mats out. Watch the area closes to monitor the progress. It will look like a spider web as you loosen the tangle.
If dealing with a slightly wavy or straight coated dog, once the bulk of the moisture is removed, remove the condensing cone and hold the nozzle right next to the skin allowing for maximum temperature and lift of the coat.
If the pet has a long, shedding type coat, remove the condensing cone and place the air close to the pet’s body. Use a heavy brush where the air is flowing to “boost” the rest of the loose, spider webbed, coat out of the pet.
If dealing with longer coat that will need to be scissored or trimmed with a long guard attachment, “stretch drying” will be needed for additional lift and straightening of the coat. Use a heat dryer and a brush. With very light and rapid strokes, brush only where the air is blowing on the pet. Work against the grain if lift is needed for fullness. Work with the grain if a close lying coat is desired. Use caution – too much heat applied to an area can be painful or even burn the pet. In many cases, only sections will need to be attended to in this manner for optimum quality.
If you noticed mats still in the coat, finish with stretch drying the areas. Utilizing a heavy brush. Use line brushing techniques from the toes up the leg. Work with very small sections at a time and keeping the touch of the brush very light. Rapidly pat and pull the coat where the air is flowing over the area. Very little heat is needed for this method.

Clipping Time: 20 – 30

You are never done clipping until there is not anymore coat coming off when the coat is properly set up.
Three pass passes over the pet and you should have the coat super smooth… anything less than that will reduce time.
Minimize the amount of movement around the pet. Arrange the pet on the table so that the loop is taut but not tight. Place a small pet crosswise on the table minimizing groomer stretch and maximizing comfort.
Start your clipper work by standing behind the dog and pull the clippers towards you starting from the neck or withers. If you are reverse clipping, reverse the process by starting at the rear or the dog and work towards the head.
Handle the bulk of the body first, including the underside if that is to be clipped as well.
Lift the pet from the haunches to effectively get the undercarriage while still standing behind the pet.
Move to the side of the pet and work the neck and shoulder areas. Return to the rear of the pet and back brush the entire dog. Repeat process a second time. Back brush once again and check for high spots or rough spots.

Attitude

Work methodically; be friendly but aloof with the pet. Correct any undesirable action before it becomes a major problem. Accept what you cannot correct and work with it in a calm, cool, and collected manner. Once the job is complete, they you can snuggle with the pet and let it know how much you enjoy your job.
Always remember the “Three Cs” – Calm, Cool, and Collected. Whenever you forget them, you are wasting time and energy.

Just like pennies add up to dollars, seconds add up to minutes and hours. Anywhere you can save time without making a major sacrifice in safety or quality, it’s a skill or technique worth learning.

The most indispensable thing any of us can have it time; when it’s gone, it’s gone – never to be retrieved.

Here is a graphic breakdown of how long each phase of grooming should take.

Print off a copy and keep one by your work station to help keep you on track. Click here to download the PDF: Time Frames for Procedures.

Happy trimming,

~Melissa

Perfect Practice Makes Perfect

student dog groomer from paragons professional pet groomer certificate course shown using clippers on a dog Everyone loves do a good job. We like the way it feels to excel and to please other people. For some, doing well is a starting point – they yearn for more. Do you know the steps and work it takes to go from good to great?

What are your goals? Do you admire today’s top competitive pet stylists? Maybe you have your sights on certification. Do you have a dream of someday becoming a certified master groomer or pet stylist? Maybe you hope to become a member of GroomTeam USA or represent your country in world team competition?

Maybe your aspirations have nothing to do with competitive styling. Maybe your goal is winning the trust and respect of pet owners, turning them into regular clients.

They’re all worthy goals – and guess what? It’s not as hard as you think. There is no complicated recipe. But there is a secret.

Focus on the fundamentals.

Success is all about the fundamentals. The fundamentals are the little things. The ordinary things. And often, they are the tedious things. But to be the best you must master them. You must become a master of those ordinary, everyday tasks. With every act of greatness, whether in sports, business, the arts, or in pet grooming, the best of the best achieve extraordinary feats by doing ordinary things with amazing consistency, commitment, and focus.

What are the fundamentals in dog grooming?

It means perfecting the core skills: bathing, drying, brushing, fluffing, and dematting. It’s also clipping, scissoring, as well as understanding basic structure and anatomy. It means having solid and safe handling skills.

As a professional pet groomer and stylist, we get to practice these skills all the time. In fact, many of us practice them every single day. World-class pet stylists don’t master their craft by working every day on perfect dogs with fabulous coats in perfect condition. For many of them, the only time they work on a “perfect dog” is in the ring – and under the pressure of competition. Even then, there is no such thing as a perfect dog. Every dog has its flaws – even the perfect ones.

Top stylists know it takes years of practice with everyday pets to master the fundamentals. Winning doesn’t just happen on the day of the competition. Winning is a result of dedication and hard work. The trophy is a product of training, study, and sacrifice. You cannot earn a high grade in certification testing on testing day, alone. Winning or earning high grades on your practical skills tests starts in every bathtub and on every grooming table, every day. There is no such thing as an overnight success. Typically, it takes years of uncountable numbers of hours of dedication to the craft.

Practice, in itself, is not enough. In order to truly succeed you need to follow this rule: Perfect Practice Makes Perfect. If you are not practicing the fundamentals correctly, you’re wasting your time. Clients will not return if your work is sub-par. Awards will not be given. High test scores will be out of reach.

With so many variables with pet grooming, where do you start? What coaching or training technique should you trust? How do you learn the RIGHT skills?

Start at the ground floor and learn from the masters. The information is out there. You will find it in:

magazines
books
clinics
workshops
seminars
schools
trade shows
conformation dog shows
obedience classes
grooming competitions
videos
blogs

Research online. Talk to vendors and manufacturers. Work with a mentor, a coach, a consultant. Look. Listen. Learn. But don’t blindly trust everything you find – check references whenever possible. Today, there is a lot of information out there – unfortunately not all of it is good information! Talk to the experts to make sure the material you are learning is correct and safe.

As you learn, take it one small step at a time. Dissect every step. Break it down. For every technique there are micro steps to learn to perfect any skill. Study those micro steps.

Start at the very beginning just like with a long flight of stairs. You start at the bottom, taking one step at a time. Mastering the fundamentals is a lot like a staircase. Jumping ahead or skipping steps will not get you ahead any faster. In fact, missing steps is way more detrimental to a career than staying on course dealing with each step moving up the flight of stairs.

With every step along the way, you are creating a knowledge base. It will continue to grow with your career. It is paramount for any pet professional to have fabulous pet handling skills to build trust with our furry clients while keeping them safe. Another area that is critical to any successful pet groomer or stylist is learning the finer details of structure and anatomy.

The key is to focus on improving each day, taking the necessary steps. If you incrementally improve each day, each week, each month, each quarter – by the end of the year you will see remarkable results and growth. Over time, by committing to this process, the best develop their skills and enhance their performance as they strive for excellence and achieving perfect execution.

If you want to be at the very top of your game, to become one of the best professional pet groomers/stylists in your town, in your state, in your country, you need to practice perfect fundamentals. Every. Single. Day. You don’t need to have perfect pets to make this happen. Grooming everyday pets offers an abundant opportunity to practice the fundamentals.

Your success doesn’t necessarily mean winning the award or scoring a high grade. Sometimes success means having a full appointment book with happy customers. That’s what truly makes a successful grooming business.

Happy trimming!

~ Melissa

6 Qualities Professional Dog Groomers Have In Common

By Melissa Verplank, CMG, Founder of ParagonPetSchool.com

The path of every successful bather, groomer or pet stylist is slightly different. However, there is a set of common threads that tie the most successful pet professionals together.

Here are seven common qualities that set top performers apart.

1. They are positive.
“You cannot have a positive life and a negative mind.”

~ Joyce Meyer

A positive attitude helps you deal more easily with the daily affairs. It brings brightness into your life, making it easier to avoid worries and negative thinking. When you’re positive, you have a clear, calm mind that is open to possibilities and see opportunities where others see nothing.

And as a bonus, if your attitude is strong enough, it becomes contagious. Contagious to clients. To co-workers. To Pets. Everyone. It’s as if you radiate positive energy around you.

2. They are learners.

“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.”

~ Henry Ford

Wikipedia defines Lifelong learning as, “the ongoing, voluntary, and self-motivated pursuit of knowledge for either personal or professional reasons.”

It is the nonstop development of skills and knowledge of a pet professional, at any level. It occurs through experiences encountered in the course of a lifetime. These experiences could be formal (training, tutoring, mentorship, apprenticeship, etc.) or informal (experiences, situations, etc.)

Learning is the key to achieving a person’s full potential. Learn does not stop once you get out of school. Folks who continue to learn are able to transform their lives. They become more successful at home, more successful with their families, more successful at work and more successful within their salons and work environments.

3. They are always moving.

“Life is like riding a bicycle to keep your balance you must keep moving.”

-Albert Einstein

Successful pet professionals are achievers. You aren’t going to see successful pet grooming teams dragging around the shop. Nope. They are buzzing with activity. They are constantly on task, on schedule and looking for a way to shave moments off any task without sacrificing quality. Their hands and feet are never still.

They are constantly in motion. When I hear the term “occupational athletes,” highly successful team members in any grooming department typically fit that description well.

4. They are curious.

“Curiosity is one of the most permanent and certain characteristics of a vigorous intellect.”

~ Samuel Johnson

Curiosity might have killed the cat, but a new study by psychologists suggests that curiosity is very good for people. Do you want a rewarding career? Then be curious.

To have curiosity in your job can be a powerful tool. It does not matter which department you are in or if you wear all the hats in your business. If you can find different ways to stay hungry for knowledge and continue to be a lifelong learner, you will find your career to be much more rewarding.

The more curious you are, the more possibilities you will open throughout your lifetime. Open your eyes and look around.

5. They are persistent.

“Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in.”

-Unknown

Being persistent after it seems like everything has failed is one of the hardest things to do. You just want to give up. Give up on the dog. Give up technique. Give up on yourself.

When trying to be persistent, it is important that you have a goal in mind. Whether it’s getting that dog squeaky clean, the clipper work baby butt smooth, a velvet finish on a hand scissor dog or just trying to add an extra dog to your roster on a consistent basis, don’t’ give up. Even though you don’t see results immediately, keep trying. Keep pushing yourself. Having an end result in mind will keep you motivated, which builds persistence.

6. They are passionate.

To be successful, the first thing to do is fall in love with your work. 

~Sister Mary Lauretta

If you want to be successful at your job and move up, you need to be passionate about your work. You need to be motivated and driven to be the best you can be regardless of your work. Passionate people love their work.

Passion, motivation, drive. Call it what you want it. Bottom line, it’s that self-driven attitude towards your job and your work that can help lead you down the path to success.

Passion is an emotion that comes from within you. It’s your enthusiasm. Your motivation. Your drive.

I promise you, others will be positively impacted by your personal passion towards pets. Passion does not go unnoticed. People will see how well you do your job and your attitude towards it. They will see even if a task is hard you don’t give in, you apply yourself even more to overcome it. They will notice your drive and your motivation and consider how you would do in another position.

Becoming stagnated in a career is boring. The work gets sloppy. Customer service goes down. The wonderful part of being involved with the pet industry, there is no limit as to your personal growth. I love being surrounded by people that have these six qualities firmly developed in their lives. They are energizing and refreshing to be around. Their energy is contagious!

How many of these six traits to you have? How many do you feel you could improve on?

Help Paragon Mentor LaTonya Smith Empower Better Pet Care Worldwide!

Paragon Cares is proud to shine a spotlight on LC’s Foundation, a non-profit organization devoted to making a lasting impact on the well-being of pets and the people who care for them. Its mission is to strengthen the bond between pets and their owners through education, professional grooming, and specialized training, both in local communities and internationally.

Paragon Professional Grooming Mentor, LaTonya Smith, was inspired to create the foundation to continue earlier work in Africa with other non-profit initiatives.

“I saw firsthand the lack of pet care resources in these regions and the potential. There was a clear need for education, professional grooming, and better pet care services, and I knew I wanted to make a difference—not just in Africa, but also here in the United States,” LaTonya said.

Earlier this year, LC’s was able to provide groomer training sessions in Ghana and share professional groomer training resources from Paragon Pet School. Check out some of the pictures and video gallery below!

We hope you’ll join us in helping LaTonya & LC’s achieve their mission to:

1. Expand Educational Programs: Develop courses that empower pet owners and professionals with the knowledge they need to provide top-notch care for their pets. These programs will be offered both online and in-person, locally and internationally.
2. Offer Grooming Services to Pets in Need: Provide free or low-cost grooming to pets in underserved areas, ensuring they receive the essential care they need to stay healthy and happy.
3. Establish Global Partnerships: Collaborate with local organizations in Ghana and Nigeria to train pet care professionals, provide grooming services, and raise the standard of pet care.
4. Build a Global Network of Pet Care Professionals: By training groomers and pet care providers, both in the U.S. and abroad, we aim to create a network of experts committed to improving the well-being of pets worldwide.

You Can Help Make a Difference!

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, LC’S Foundation accepts tax-deductible donations that directly support its mission. These contributions allow the foundation to offer educational programs, provide grooming services to pets in need, and expand its reach to underserved communities, both locally and abroad. We hope you’ll consider visiting LC’s GoFundMe page and make a donation!

Your most valuable asset is YOU

Look in the mirror and say “I am my most valuable asset.” Tell yourself this every day! You are the most important thing about your life and your business. Despite the fact that you may think it is your car, or your favorite thinners, or even your bank account, it is YOU that is the most important part of the success equation. Without you driving the car, or using the thinners or using the money, those things are worthless.

And the part that makes you unique is your mind. Your ability to think and reason before taking action is a precious gift. And throughout life, we need to improve our thinking. The ability to improve our quality of thinking makes it easier to solve problems. Our ability to think positively lets us see opportunity around us. Negative thinking shuts doors to success.

There is increasing concern about the effects of our dependency on search engines, GPS – maybe even AI – on our recall memory – and that this dependency may make us dumber. WOW! In the ‘good old days’ you used a map and directions you wrote down to get from Point A to Point B. You may have stopped when you were lost to ask for directions. Then you had to remember those directions. But now you just program a device that tells you to turn left or right. You actually lose problem solving skills as a result.

Just think of how many people struggle to figure out math problems when they don’t have a calculator.

People used to memorize phones numbers, addresses, and birthdays. Now they are stored away as reminders in our cell phones. Sure it makes things easier, but it turns our mind to mush in the process. I have read that the brain has an unlimited ability to memorize facts. So why turn that ability off?

You need to invest regularly in self-improvement and professional development. You can open your mind to knowledge by attending a seminar at a tradeshow. Or you can exchange information in online forums and places like Facebook. You can open up a copy of the AKC Complete Dog Book and memorize facts about your favorite breed. You have to exercise your brain the same as any other part of your body.

Dedicate yourself to lifelong learning. Why stop now? I continue to learn from the top professionals around me. There are always new products and new standards to talk about. Many groomers are inventing their own products. And almost all of them are happy to share their knowledge with you.

With positive thinking and lifelong learning, you can continue to find new ways to be a value to your customers. You can jump years ahead of your competition by developing new skills that are in demand. By valuing yourself as your biggest asset, you can catapult your career and life to higher levels.

To Earn More, Learn More

To stay on top of the grooming game, professionals need to keep learning. That’s been my motto for years. It’s always worked for me. Educational opportunities were limited 20-30 years ago. Fortunately, opportunities abound today for motivated groomers.

Books: More and more grooming titles are available every day. They are being written by a wide range of authors. There are grooming guides available as well and business operation manuals.

Many include stunning images to help the reader comprehend the subject matter. Some are even available via a tablet or Kindle.

Schools: What is the primary function of a school? To give their students a head start in their careers. Most schools can take months or even years off the learning process. Professional grooming schools are cropping up everywhere.

One of the best ways to learn grooming is with hands-on training. Some training centers even offer home-study options too. Either way, schools offer a structured learning environment. Programs range widely in cost, quality, course length and grooming styles.

Videos: With methods in place to honor and identify top groomers, we are seeing many of these respected stylists share their knowledge through training videos. Top professionals are creating video lessons aimed at the beginners to advanced stylists. Many lessons are on DVDs, on-line through websites or in streaming video libraries.

Internet Searches: The internet has become an indispensable tool for the groomer looking to get ahead in their career. Never seen a Portuguese Podengo? Most professional groomers haven’t – including me! A quick search via an Internet search engine will lead you down a path of enlightenment.

How to Groom a Pet affenpinscher with Judy Hudson.

The Learn2GroomDogs.com Facebook page is a great resource for photos.

You can find breed clubs, breeders, breed history, breed standards and fabulous photos of even the most obscure breed of dog or cat. Even if you’ve never seen – or groomed a particular breed before, you can rapidly educate yourself. You’ll have the confidence – and knowledge – to talk with any owner about ‘their breed.’

Need a refresher on what a breed looks like? Jump onto the computer and do a search of Google Images. You’ll be amazed at what you can pull up. If you are looking for high quality pets, add a show title such as; ‘AKC Champion ‘ By doing this, you can filter through many of the images.

As with any internet search, you are going to find good with the bad. The more general knowledge you have about pets and grooming, the better you will be able to sort through the wealth (and garbage) typically found out on the internet.

Webinars: We are starting to see this form of learning pop up in our industry. Webinars have been around for years yet the grooming industry has been slow to embrace their power. Many technically savvy groomers are starting to share their knowledge in webinars. Some webinars are free; others charge a nominal fee to participate.

Facebook, Blogs & Online Forums: With the use of social media outlets, anyone can chat with anyone from anywhere; across the nation or around the globe. No one is worried anymore about ‘the competition.’ If you have a question, post it. If you have a fun story to share, post it.

If you need to vent (professionally please!), post it. Never before has it ever been so easy, and economical to share ideas, grooming tips and knowledge. No one should feel isolated or alone anymore. The outlets to reach out to fellow professionals are simply remarkable via the World Wide Web.

Seminars: You’ll find seminars every grooming trade show around the country. You will also find privately held seminars too. You’ll find these private seminars hosted by; distributors, product manufactures, grooming schools, grooming salons or even the professional themselves. These seminars area a great place to get your questions answered about any aspect of the grooming
profession.

Private Coaching & Clinics: Need a tutor? Need a coach? One of the best ways to perfect a skill or a trim style is with personal, hands-on assistance. Many of the top stylists are available to help you privately or in a smaller group setting. Many are well rounded in many aspects of the grooming industry. Others will specialize in trim styles, grooming techniques, sales and marketing or business operations. Many will travel great distances to set up coaching sessions.

Find a business professional you admire. Contact them and ask if they offer private lessons. Many do or they host small clinics where you can all share the cost of the session.

Trade Shows: Going to a grooming show is still one of the most refreshing ways to learn. Most trade shows have a wide variety of vendors there too so you can speak directly to the sales representative about a product or service they offer. Sit ringside at a grooming competition.

You’ll be blown away at the style and trim quality being found with high level pet stylist. Trade show promoters are always seeking out a wide variety of speakers and topics to present at their shows. Can’t get to a show? Some of the larger shows and grooming competitions are now available via streaming video on the internet.

I remember being in Croatia on a sailboat a few years back. I was able to watch the World Team Grooming Competition right from my laptop as the competition took place in Belgium. Very exciting!

Certification Programs: We are seeing more and more certification program become available whether it is for dog grooming, cat grooming, pet first aid or business management. At this point, most programs are voluntary but all are worth their weight in gold. Some of the programs can be completed in a day or a weekend. Others will take months, or even years of study and testing before successfully completing the full program. A few of the programs even have Apps set up for your technical device.

Education, skill enhancement and effective communication are the keys to a successful career. Never underestimate their importance. One of the greatest inspirations in any career is continued growth. Learning is the key to everlasting success. With learning trends today, it’s never been easier! Never stop learning.

When looking at learning opportunities, I always encourage you to research the quality of the material, the program or the lesson. You will only increase your knowledge if the information being shared or taught is from a true professional. A professional that has years of expertise and a resume to back it up!

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