The Paragon and Learn2GroomDogs.com team will be at Hershey Groom Expo 2021!
Stop by our booth to meet the team and learn more about our services!
When: September 9-12, 2021
Where: Booth #7
The Paragon and Learn2GroomDogs.com team will be at Hershey Groom Expo 2021!
Stop by our booth to meet the team and learn more about our services!
When: September 9-12, 2021
Where: Booth #7
Your Hosts: Joe Zuccarello & Gila Kurtz
Join us this Thursday, with Dog Is Good!
You CAN have a successful Grooming Business without having a haircut business!
Having a hard time finding Groomers? If you are relying on solving your grooming staffing issues by waiting for Groomers to come to you looking for a job, you’ll be waiting a long time. In this session, Joe and Teija will be discussing the option of taking control of your grooming staffing issues and growing your own! And the best part…..you can grow your business as you grow your Groomers!
Topics include:
Join us this Wednesday, July 14th at 12:30ET!
Joe Zuccarello will be joining forces with National Kennel Sales & Appraisals to offer a FREE Webinar on May 6th, 2021 at 1pm EST to discuss The $15/Hour Wage.
Does the thought of paying a minimum wage of $15 have you questioning what you can do to absorb such a cost in your business? Is the pool of available employee candidates drying up or completely void in your area right now?
Is this really going to be imposed on businesses or should this be something we will need to do regardless of new laws?
In this session, Joe will be touching on the topics that will greatly impact your hiring decisions.
How do you go from an everyday bather to Pooch Perfect all-star stylist? If you’re Deb Compton, the answer is that practice makes perfect.
“Never stop learning. Always seek out judgment, and learn to take critique because you can’t grow without it.”
Compton and her son Jordan Jones made their debut on Rebel Wilson’s Pooch Perfect. The pair joined ten top groomers competing from across the country in ABC’s latest canine fashion reality show. At stake is a $100,000 grand prize.
Striving to be the best is, according to Compton, in her blood. But it really wasn’t until she experienced working alongside nine other top groomers that she felt she belonged there.
“It was so awesome to meet all the Facebook friends and people whose work I’ve followed for years – to be there with them shoulder to shoulder. I felt like a fan-girl,” she said.
Compton started working in the pet industry when she was 16. When Petco needed groomers in South Florida in 2003, she signed up, not knowing exactly what that would entail. After a couple of days of bathing, she was thrown into the training program to fast-track her way forward in the grooming kingdom. Today, as Regional Grooming Team Lead at Pet Supplies Plus in Wisconsin, she prefers her hires spend at least 90 days bathing first before pursuing the profession as a groomer.
“Bathing is half the groom. There’s so much you need to learn about dog handling, coat types, and using the right products,” she said. She’s delighted that PSP now has a structured bathing course for their employees through Paragon Pet School’s Distance Learning program. “This standardization is the best thing that has happened to training at PSP.”
The first episode of Pooch Perfect relied heavily on the lessons learned in the tub in what might be called a bathing skills bonanza. The teams hustled to combat enemy #1 – mud, lots and lots of mud. So much mud that team Compton had to re-bathe, she admits.
“Never underestimate the power of mud.”
True to her own advice to novice groomers, Compton turns every trial into a lesson to do better. She once was disqualified from a competition for missing a matt in the armpit of a deep-chested Portuguese Water Dog – an omission caught by eagle-eyed judge and Learn2GroomDogs.com trainer, Lisa Leady. She went on to persevere in the competition ring for eight years, triumphing in All American Creative for her sumptuous sculptures. Although at one time “terrifying,” the experience in competitions helped prepare her for the pressures of performing on Pooch Perfect.
In competitions and on the show, Compton relies on her artistic background to craft creative results using coloring and sculpting techniques.
Her inspiration came from hours of watching icon “Pina” Irina Pinkusevich create masterpieces in Learn2GroomDogs.com tutorials and elsewhere.
“Watching (Pinkusevich) I had a transformative moment where I realized it was a form of subtractive sculpting, using the dog’s body as leverage.”
This epiphany propelled Compton to hone her skills while simultaneously running her own grooming salon, In the Dogz House, for a decade while homeschooling her children. From the vantage of a Salon Owner, she said grooming can be a lonely business if you don’t reach out to work with others in the groomer community and continually sharpen your skills. Two years ago, she joined Pet Supplies Plus, a move she says gave her the best of both worlds due to the company’s highly personalized approach. Her son Jordan, who trained with her since he was 14 years old, now also works with PSP.
In addition to the camaraderie of working with fellow groomers on Pooch Perfect, the show also gave Compton and her son a unique opportunity to bond in both a personal and professional capacity.
“It was amazing. I learned how much I had to rely on him and to know when to ask for help. It really strengthened our relationship.”
While she can’t share too many details of what’s to come in future episodes, she said the casting company did a great job bringing all kinds of different dogs to the show.
“It was nice to be able to bring everything I had to every dog I worked on,” Compton said.
Rebel Wilson’s organic and rapid-fire wittiness on and off the camera made the experience memorable, and the collegial bonding among groomers gave the time in California a “summer camp for groomers” vibe. But apart from being a once-in-a-lifetime personal experience, Compton hopes Pooch Perfect gives something beyond entertainment to its audience.
“What I hope comes from the show is that people sitting in their living rooms who love connecting with animals realize that making them beautiful is an actual, rewarding career. I hope it inspires them to take the next step in life.”
The first episode of Pooch Perfect premieres on ABC at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 30. The Trio of Celebrity Judges include TV personality Lisa Vanderpump, dog groomer Jorge Benersky and veterinarian Dr. Callie Harris.
Please enjoy the FREE Instructional Grooming Resources we have assembled for you.
And SO Much More!
THIS EVENT HAS EXPIRED. SORRY WE MISSED YOU! KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR FUTURE WEBINARS
Having a hard time finding people to staff your grooming business? So is everyone else! The good news is, there’s a solution and it is better than trying to find and hire Groomers! Joe will break down the roles associated with a successful grooming business that will cause you to look at your Grooming Team in a much different way than you ever thought you would! Everyone plays a role in a successful grooming business and Joe will demonstrate how you can have the best blend of talent that generates the best culture and best results!
Can a grooming station generate $100k in revenue? YES! Can a grooming business be profitable? YES! Joe will tackle the difficult topics like compensation, pricing, and productivity. Done right, the right equation can result in much bigger profit potential than you ever thought!
Pricing:
THIS EVENT HAS EXPIRED. SORRY WE MISSED YOU! KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR FUTURE WEBINARS
Grooming has exploded ever since the COVID pandemic hit. Nationwide, pet care facilities are reporting extreme surge in in demand for grooming services that has yet to decline. NOW is the time to re-think Grooming, whether you currently offer the service or not!
Our very own Joe Zuccarello has partnered with National Kennel Sales and Appraisals to bring this virtual learning course about how to add a profitable grooming service to your facility or how to re-structure your existing one to make it easier to manage and again, PROFITABLE! This is an incredible opportunity to learn how to provide Grooming in the right structure and avoid (or stop!) all the headaches typically associated with this service.
If you’re wondering whether to attend or not, consider these questions:
A “YES!” answer to any of these questions is your reason to attend this 3 session course!
SESSION ONE: To Groom or Not to Groom?! Thursday, August 20th
The Revenue Potential for Grooming Services
How to launch
Stopping problems, adding profits
The formula for a profitable grooming business
Key ingredients of success
The impact of grooming on your business during the pandemic
SESSION TWO: Recommending with Conviction Thursday, August 27th
Overcoming the stigma of ’selling’
How to generate 20%, 30%, 40% or more in profits
Selling add-on services to Grooming
SESSION THREE: Profit Power of Grooming Thursday, September 3rd
Staff Roles and Compensation
Methods and rates of groomer compensation
Analyze groomer talents and how to best use them
How to find, and grow, groomers
Well, there IS! And you have the chance to learn how.
*SORRY WE MISSED YOU! KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR MORE WEBINAR EVENTS!
The Paragon School of Pet Grooming is excited to announce a new era of educational excellence. We have transitioned to a totally digital learning platform!
Together, with our membership platform, Learn2GroomDogs.com, Paragon will expand online learning resources for professional pet groomers across the globe.
The move is a natural extension for us. In 2008, Paragon introduced our first home study program. In 2018, innovative changes were made to those programs to improve and enhance the learning experience.
Today, students learn online with Paragon’s structured training system. The Paragon team works closely with individuals. Salon owners. And corporate stores. The programs have received impressive reviews. We have helped hundreds of students learn how to groom, while never leaving their hometown.
Established in 2011, Learn2GroomDogs.com has a robust video library. Currently, we have over 1,000 streaming lessons taught by top grooming experts. Whether you are a beginning groomer or a seasoned pro, the library has something for everyone.
The on-campus division of Paragon was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, a difficult decision was made. We have permanently closed our hands-on training center in Jenison, Michigan.
We have loved our “face-time” with the West Michigan community. We’ve enjoyed pampering local pups in the training of our talented alumni.
Thanks to Paragon’s rich history, there are plenty of skilled groomers in West Michigan. They are well-equipped to assist clients who frequented the school for their pet’s grooming needs.
According to Joe Zuccarello, Paragon’s Vice President, “By concentrating on our digital platforms, we feel we can best serve today’s learner.”
“Closing the physical campus of the Paragon Pet School is bittersweet. It has been the foundation – and progression – of our curriculum for 28 years,” said Melissa Verplank, our Founder. “However, the move makes sense. It highlights our commitment to our goals for digital expansion.”
If you are interested in learning how to become a professional pet groomer, we invite you to explore the Paragon Distance Learning Program. Current groomers should watch for opportunities to build your knowledge and grow your skillset through video lessons, virtual short-courses, workshops, and webinars.