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1) Skin & Coat: The First Line of Defense

• Use species-appropriate products and correct dilution to protect the skin barrier.
• Remove loose undercoat to improve air flow and reduce hotspots.
• Eliminate tangles and prevent matting, which can trap moisture, pull at the skin, and hide sores.
• Dry correctly for coat type, creating a clean, lifted coat that stays healthy longer.

2) Early Detection: A Second Set of Trained Eyes

• Lumps, bumps, or skin lesions
• Fleas, ticks, or evidence of mites
• Ear redness or odor, excessive discharge, or wax buildup
• Overgrown nails, cracked pads, or interdigital irritation
• Dental red flags (odor, tartar, gum inflammation)
• Groomers don’t diagnose—but they do refer. Catching concerns early can lead to faster veterinary care and better outcomes.

3) Ears, Nails, and Paws: Small Details, Big Comfort

• Nails: Overgrown nails alter posture and gait, stressing joints and ligaments. Regular trims restore natural alignment and comfort.
• Ears: Proper cleaning (and, where appropriate, trimming around the canal) improves air flow and helps reduce irritation.
• Paws/Pads: Trimming excess hair improves traction and hygiene; checking pads prevents cracks from going unnoticed.

4) Comfort, Behavior & Bonding

5) How Often Should A Pet Be Groomed?

• Short/smooth coats: Bath/brush every 6–12 weeks; nails and ear care as needed
• Double coats (shedding breeds): Every 4–8 weeks, or more – especially during seasonal sheds or in a deshedding program
• Curly/wool & doodle-type coats: Every 4–6 weeks to prevent matting
• Silky/drop coats: Every 4–6 weeks to maintain hygiene and shape

Share This Line Brushing Video:

Choosing—and Partnering With—a Pro

Responsible Pet Owner Checklist

By Melissa Verplank, CMG

It’s hard to think about “Next Year” when your grooming operation is preparing to go into Holiday Rush mode. However, it’s a great time to remember what you might leaving on the proverbial table besides fur. You can take steps to boost your business during the slow times by promoting add-ons, rebooking, and incentivizing repeat business through loyalty and referral programs. Prepare now and you can beat the January business blahs!

ADD-ON Service Menu

 If you went to a restaurant and the server did not hand you a menu, how would you know what to order? Pet grooming is very similar. Pet Parents know they’re coming to you to get their dog cleaned up, but they probably don’t know all the Add-On services that you offer. Add-Ons that could help them keep their pet looking and feeling great.

A well-organized Add-Ons menu makes it easy for the client to select a service. As a bonus, it also makes it very easy for you discuss optional Add-Ons such as de-shedding treatments, shampoo upgrades, skin conditioning treatments, tooth brushing, nail filing, or other add-ons.

Rebooking on the Spot

Offering to schedule an appointment at checkout is the best way to get a client to rebook and pre-book. Develop a couple different scripts and use the one that best fits the needs of that client. For best results, use the tips below.

• Ask every time. Think of fast-food chains. They ask you every time if you would like something else with your order – every time. When the client checks out, offer to rebook their next appointment to ensure their pet continues to look amazing.
• For the busy or in demand pet stylist, reschedule a number of appointments at once or book the entire year. This will guarantee the client will get the premiere dates they are looking for.
• In areas that are price sensitive, offer incentives. Maybe it’s a small discount off their next grooming if they book within six weeks or less. Or maybe you offer them free add-ons like tooth brushing or a spa package upgrade.  Better yet, offer something special for their pet such as a bag of cookies!  After all, they probably care more about what you are going to do to reward their pet, not necessarily the few bucks they will save.

Consider Creating a Loyalty Program

The Holiday visit is a great time to offer clients a “loyalty program” incentive for pre-booking future visits and/or referring their friends. If you haven’t developed a program, you can use the post-holiday lull to create a package for 2024 and then reach out to your customers to generate winter traffic.

• Connect with a Customer Experience Message

Whether you contact a recent client via phone, e-mail, text message, or through groomer software automation, you can take this opportunity to check on their satisfaction at the same time as offering a loyalty program incentive.

• Connect through Wake-Up Calls/Contacts

Actively call (or email, or message) clients that have not returned to the salon in 8-12 weeks. In this case, you may wish to offer them an incentive to schedule the next few grooms.

• E-mail Blasts and Social Media Posts

This is a great way to market incentive details to existing clients. If you are going into a slow day or week, offer an incentive to get clients in the door for those days. The key is to stay top-of-mind early in the year and schedule out as far as you are able.

Partner with Pet Professionals

Have you created a referral network to generate new clients for your business? If you have, the year-end is a great time to offer a thoughtful thank you note or gift.

If you need to expand your network, look for ways to connect with the following professionals in your area:

• vets
• pet supply businesses
• rescue organizations
• trainers
• pet sitters

Create or update a welcome package that your referral partners can hand out to potential clients. Participate in, support and cross-promote their events. They are more likely to refer and support you in return.

Put these strategies to work now for a thriving grooming operation in the New Year!

Need to add Groom Techs to your team through industry-leading guided groomer training? Start here. Want continuing education so you or your team can keep your skills sharp? Join Paragon’s Groominar Network™ and unlock a stream more than 1,200 video Groominars™ designed for every level of groomer.

It’s hard to think about scheduling for the holidays with apples still growing bright on the trees and pumpkins still turning orange in the fields. Warm weather makes it hard to start thinking about holiday plans. What if I told you that this is the perfect time to avoid holiday stress?

The secret to avoiding holiday madness is to put your festive season pre-booking plans into gear before the chill hits the air. Are you surprised? It’s true! Here is an added perk to pre-booking holiday appointments. ‘Tis the season to guarantee the typically quiet months of January and February are lively and robust. This is the perfect time to ensure you have a holly, jolly, and profitable grooming season.

When you count it out, we are not that far out from many prime holidays. In just six short weeks it will be Halloween. In 10 weeks we celebrate Thanksgiving in the United States. In about 15 weeks we will celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah. All of these holidays revolve around friends and family.

One of the biggest ways to eliminate being frazzled by all the holiday pressures is to get organized, now. The last thing your clients want to worry about is having their four-legged fur baby looking unkempt and bedraggled as friends and family enter their homes to celebrate the season.

Years ago we discovered that pre-booking was a great way to get control of our salon schedule. It offered a great benefit to our customers, as well. We even found a few hidden bonuses. One of those bonuses was shortening the time frame between appointments on our five and six-week clients. Our customers often opted to shave off a week or two from their regular schedule just to make sure their dog was looking fresh and festive. By doing so, the added revenue dropped directly to our bottom line. Another bonus was the generosity of tips around the holiday season. The third bonus was our ability to pre-book into the typically slower January and February appointment time frames here in Michigan. When done correctly, our January and February can be some of our more profitable months.

So how do you kick this off?

Start by going through your client list. Identify your premiere clients. You know who they are – the clients that book regular appointments every one, two, three, four, five, and six weeks. You will start pre-booking appointments based on the frequency your clients typically come into the salon.

Once you have them identified, it’s time to pick up the phone and get them scheduled. I consider it a courtesy call to our most important and regular clients.

Your weekly and bi-weekly clients should have automatic standing appointments throughout the entire year. Those clients are your most valued premier customers. Confirm all of their appointments. They should be dropped into the schedule first, getting premium appointment choices. Once all your one and two-week clients are booked, move to your three-week clients. If they do not already have pre-scheduled appointments through the holiday season, pick up the phone to get them scheduled. Continue to move down the list to the four-week clients. Finish up with your five- and six-week clients.

By the time you are done, you will have very few appointments left. Why? Because you’ve done such a good job taking care of your most valuable clients. If you do have any appointments left, you can be selective about what you take. You will have the control and confidence to know what can be done or what needs to go on to a cancellation list or when you simply need to say, “I’m sorry, but we are full.”

Once the schedule is set – stick to your guns. Sure, the holiday season can be extremely profitable for grooming establishments, but do you really need to push yourself beyond your limits?

No. Not if you value your mental and physical health.

Once you get into the final countdown in November and December, looking forward six weeks will be January and February. Before those clients leave, they should have their January and February appointments pre-booked. If you struggle to get clients to pre-book during the colder months, think about incentives to help encourage pre-booking. Maybe it’s a discount off their next grooming. Maybe it’s a free add-on, upsell, or spa treatment. Get creative – but make sure you’re ready to offer the incentive at checkout to get those deep winter appointments booked.

Don’t forget, the holiday season is about friends and family. You have a right to enjoy them, too. How can you fully enjoy family time when you’re totally drained? Some of you may miss festivities altogether! I can’t tell you how many Christmas Eve’s and even Christmas days I totally missed because I was simply exhausted. Most successful groomers have to learn this lesson the hard way – including myself!

When you have a pre-booking priority system, you are in control. You’ll be able to recapture your holiday spirit and sanity – and so will your team!

Remember, as the holidays draw closer, the dogs get easier. Typically, these are the one- to three-week regularly scheduled pets. Simple spruce-ups are usually all that’s needed to make them look amazing for their families.

This system works best when you start pre-booking in September. Don’t wait. You’ll thank me later when you have time to enjoy loved ones and some holiday cheer.

What steps do YOU take? Jump over to the Learn2GroomDogs Facebook page and tell us about it!

Happy trimming!

~ Melissa

Want to delve deeper for tips on surviving the Holiday Rush? Check out this roundup of links to our archive on the topic.

Highlights:

• Equipment – consider investing in the best but must maintain all very well
• Schedules – Organize schedules NOW! Get commitments from staff now! Commit to your manager now! Ask clients to come early! Can they come in a week or two before the busy weeks? To balance the load?
• Dress rehearsal! Work with the team to iron out any kinks and ‘who is doing what’ during busy weeks.
• Manage the Flow – If you don’t stagger your grooming client arrivals, consider doing this for the Holidays for traffic flow (people and pets) in and out of your facility and to mitigate log jams and extended wait times.
• Stock up on supplies and holiday extras
• Have a contingency plan for surprises; staff outagaes, power outages, water issues, dog or people injuries, etc. Plan for the worst, hope for the best!

Resources for Preparing for the Holiday Rush

• Plan Now for a Successful Holiday Dog Grooming Season
• Melissa’s Top 4 Tips for Getting Through the Holidays
• Improve Your Speed for the Holiday Rush
• Bubble Baths and the Holiday Grooming Rush
• Why Should I Schedule Holiday Appointments in September?
• Surviving the Holiday Rush
• Tips for Booking a Smooth Holiday Season

Do you enjoy learning something new? Figuring out how to do something easier. Faster. Give you a more satisfying result? Expand your knowledge base. Build your confidence.

Sure you do. We all love learning when it’s easy right? But most of the time learning takes work. Effort. And sometimes it’s difficult and confusing.

I mean – really learn. Absorb it. Get it. Can do it and achieve results you are happy with?

So, what’s the best way to learn?

There are lots of different learning methods, but most fall into two categories. Passive or active learning.

What’s the difference?

Passive learning is when communication is mostly one-way for the sole purpose of gathering information.

Active learning includes doing anything interactive with the content to enhance your understanding of the topic and/or skill.

Passive learning examples:

• Listening to a lecture
• Reading
• Audio visual
• Watching a demonstration
• Watching a video

Active learning examples:

• Group discussions
• Practice by doing
• Hands-on workshops
• Visualization
• Activities apply the new material
• Present the freshly learned material to others

Which is best? It depends on what you are doing and how you need to apply the information.

Not everyone learns at the same pace. Nor does one technique work the best for everyone. Learning is a personal effort. Your level of involvement combined with a variety of learning techniques will greatly influence your long-term results.

Think back to a time when you learned something.

I’m talking about a time when you were curious about something. You wanted to know more. You researched it. Maybe you watched a few videos on the topic. Talked to people. If it was a skill, you tested it and practiced it, right?

You thought about the topic a lot. You wondered how it related to you or how you could apply it in your life. As you explored, you uncovered more and more on the topic. Connections were made. Dots were joined. You discussed the topic with friends and co-workers. You strengthened your understanding even further.

When it comes to learning retention, hands-down active learning is far more effective than passive learning. However, both have their place in your learning toolbox. Personally, I like to use more passive methods of learning first to familiarize myself with a topic. However, I almost always tuck a bit of active learning into it to ensure I can recall the information more readily.

Active learning promotes a deep, understanding of a topic. For most people, this is how we learn the best. In an active learning environment, you are engaged, empowered, and excited to learn.

Active learning occurs through collaboration, discussion, critical thinking, problem-solving, and connecting new knowledge with your own world.

Passive learning is all around us. But it’s not the best way to truly understand a topic or test your skills.

8 Learning Methods to Turn Passive Learning into Active Learning

1. Highlighting & Write Comments

While reading, you can highlight, tab important passages, take notes, or write your own comments. When you do this, it becomes more of a two-way conversation in your head instead of passively reading the material.

2. Take Time to Question

After learning, take some time to think about how you can apply the information. Ask yourself questions to obtain the most out of what you just learned. Here are a few thoughts to get started with to help cement the learning in your own mind.

• “How could I apply this?”
• “What benefit would it give me?”
• “Why would it help me?”
• “What would it look like if done perfectly?”

3. Tracking Your Progress

When you are working on a new skill, break down the steps. Think about how you could follow you progress. Track you progress by simply jotting it down, use an app or create a spreadsheet to monitor your progress.

This is a great way to improve your speed, track your progress when mastering a new skill or learning a new breed, or ensure the effectiveness of new sales techniques. You could even make a game out of the learning.

4. Immediately Apply What You Learned

The sooner you can apply a new skill or technique, the better. Test it out while it is still fresh in your mind.

Studies show even within 20 minutes of learning something new, you will forget about 40% of the details! After 2 days, you will forget up to 70% of what you learned.

The saying, ‘Use it or lose it’ certainly applies when learning a new skill!

• If you have just listened to a lecture – Have an immediate follow-up discussion with your friends, co-workers or colleagues.
• If you have just read a book – Highlight the pages and make detailed notes. Discuss what you have just learned with others. Imagine yourself applying the skill successfully.
• If you have just watched a video – Make notes as you watch. Stop and listen to important points again. Or following along by DOING the skill as the teacher teaches.
• If you attend a dog show or grooming contest – Sit ringside. Focus on the best in the ring. Study what it looks like when done right. Take photos. Take detailed notes. Critically analyze how YOUR work or knowledge stacks up against what you are seeing.

5. Work with a Coach or a Mentor

Coaches or mentors can help you fast track your learning.

Why?

Because they give you instant feedback helping you improve your skills immediately. A great coach will help you take years off the learning process verse trying to learn on your own.

• Attend hands-on workshops and clinics
• Study firsthand with someone more skilled than yourself
• Train with a master
• Shadow a master as they work
• Work with a virtual mentor or coach

6. Create a Vision Board, Notebook or Collection

If the learning revolves around a skill, a technique or a thing – collect images of what it looks like when done correctly. Assemble the images into a grouping you have easy access to. Actively work on building your collection. As you add images, think about HOW the results were achieved and visualize yourself achieving similar results.

7. Test Yourself by Explaining

To find out if you have really absorbed the knowledge, explain it to someone else.

Go step-by-step. Describe the details of the lesson. Keep it streamlined and simple so whomever you are talking with can absorb correct information.

If you struggle anywhere, go back and review where there are gaps in your own understanding. Continue to share with others your new knowledge until you can explain the topic confidently and the listener understands clearly.

8. Validation

To verify you have positively progressed in your learning or mastered a skill, go for validation. How? There are many ways.

• Graduate from an established training program
• Earn promotions at work
• Aim for certification testing via recognized national organizations
• Enter grooming contests
• Exhibit at canine or feline conformation events

You need discipline and nerve to admit what you don’t understand. What you find hard to do.

Ignoring those things is the worst mistakes a learner can make. You’ll need a strong foundation before you move on to a more advanced level.

When you’re self-learning, you’ve got to go the extra step to gauge yourself. It’s the only way you can learn improve and develop faster. Validation is how you’ll find your strong and weak points, so you know what to focus on.

Learning a subject or skill takes time and effort. You will never thoroughly understand something if you only use passive learning.

By utilizing a few of the active learning method outlined above, you will create shortcuts to your own growth. Mix and match these methods based on the skill or subject you want to learn – or come up with other ways to retain new information.

By Team Paragon

If you’re ready for a fresh start in a career that offers flexibility, creativity, and real job satisfaction, professional dog grooming could be your perfect second act. Many people are discovering that grooming provides the freedom and fulfillment they’ve been seeking — without years of retraining or costly education.

1. Fast Training, Faster Transition

Unlike careers that require years of schooling, professional grooming skills can be learned in a matter of months through reputable training programs such as Paragon Pet School. Many second-career students start earning an income while still completing their coursework, making it a practical and efficient pivot.

2. Flexible Work That Fits Your Life

Groomers can work in salons, mobile vans, pet spas, or even from home-based studios. Whether you want part-time hours to balance with other commitments or the excitement of running your own business, grooming lets you tailor your schedule to your lifestyle.

3. Creative, Hands-On Work

Grooming is a beautiful blend of art and science. From sculpting a perfect poodle trim to safely de-shedding a husky, every day offers a chance to create transformations you can see and feel. For those leaving desk jobs, the hands-on, active nature of grooming is a refreshing change.

4. High Demand and Job Security

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 16% growth in the animal care and service industry between 2022 and 2032 — much faster than average. The surge in “designer” breeds like doodles, which require regular grooming, means a steady stream of repeat clients. In short: pets keep growing hair, and they’ll keep needing skilled groomers.

5. Recession-Proof Industry

The pet industry is unique in its resilience to economic recessions and downturns. In comparison to other consumer goods and services, the pet industry has held up remarkably well during recent market declines. Despite the financial crisis of 2008, the pet industry experienced a 5.1% growth in sales. During the more recent 2020 COVID-19 recession, sales of pet products and services continued to grow at a faster rate than the overall U.S. economy, with a 16.2% growth compared to 4.3%.

6. Emotional Rewards

Few careers allow you to directly improve a living being’s comfort and happiness. Groomers form long-term bonds with their furry clients and their owners. Many say that seeing a wagging tail or a happy pet parent is the best part of the job.

7. Scalable Earnings Potential

Entry-level groomers can expect to earn $30,000–$35,000 annually, with experienced groomers and salon owners earning $60,000+ depending on clientele and specialization. Adding skills like cat grooming, hand-stripping, or creative grooming can increase your rates and income.

8. A Career You Can Grow With

Whether you’re looking for a fulfilling part-time role or dreaming of owning your own grooming business, the skills you gain will serve you for years. Dog grooming isn’t just a job — it’s a lifelong trade.

Ready to explore a career that’s as rewarding as it is sustainable?
Our professional training programs are designed for beginners and career changers alike. In just months, you could be building a flexible, creative, and profitable second career you’ll love. Start here!

Paragon Pet Coach Joe Zuccarello just had an incredible conversation with Candice D’Agnolo, aka @petbossnation on the Pet Boss Podcast!

Candice of Pet Boss Nation went on an incredible journey from struggling pet retail store owner to respected industry leader. Her journey shows what’s possible with the right support and strategies, and is now a sought-after speaker and consultant in the pet industry. Visit PetBossNation.com to get the full scoop! Read the rest of this entry »

How is your summer going? Busy?? Overworked? Feeling stressed? Not being able to ENJOY your summer because you are too busy?

Having too much work can be just as frustrating and scary as not having ENOUGH work. I get it. As groomers and service providers, we want to keep people happy. That’s how you build a thriving business. However, if the business is thriving – and you are not – how can that honestly be good for your business? How can that be good for your customers and pets in the long run?

We all have the same number of days, hours and minutes each year. Everyone wants to maximize their time to make the most out their lives. How you schedule appointments, how many hours and days you work each week and how much time you allot for yourself will contribute to how you feel at the end of the day.

Read the rest of this entry »

In today’s dog grooming industry, salons that thrive aren’t just those with skilled individuals — they’re the ones that grow skilled teams. As a salon leader, one of the smartest investments you can make isn’t in more marketing or equipment—it’s in growing your salon’s dream team.

When you take time to train a student groomer, you’re not just helping them—you’re building a stronger, more resilient salon. Here’s why training students isn’t extra work—it’s a winning strategy for long-term success:

It Elevates Your Leadership

Leadership isn’t about doing it all yourself—it’s about helping others rise.

Being a skilled groomer is important, but real impact comes when you guide and grow those around you. When you invest in a newer groomer’s development, you’re not just shaping their future—you’re strengthening your team, building trust, and creating a lasting legacy. That’s the kind of leadership that sets you apart and fuels long-term success.

Groom Techs & New Dog Groomers Lighten Your Daily Load

Students who are training as Certified Groom Techs and Pet Groomers can assist with bathing, prep work, drying, and cleaning—giving you more time (and energy) for complex grooms, higher-ticket services, or even a well-deserved break. A well-prepared student doesn’t slow you down—they support your salon’s flow.

It Creates Your Dream Team

Let’s face it—hiring isn’t getting easier. While Paragon handles the technical grooming training, you have the unique opportunity to shape your student into a future team member who aligns with your salon’s culture and standards.

Want a team you can count on? Start by recruiting individuals who show up with the right attitude, reliability, and professional appearance—then let us take care of the grooming skills.

It Helps You Plan for the Future

Rather than scrambling when someone leaves or retires, you’ll have a pipeline of trained talent ready to step up. Every student you support is one more layer of protection against staffing shortages and turnover. You’re not just grooming dogs—you’re grooming salon stability.

It Allows You to Hire for Time Blocks

Do you have hours in the day when tables sit unused? Bringing in a grooming student or entry-level team member for those specific time blocks can be a smart move. Hire someone for attitude, appearance, and availability—not just experience. If they’re available when your salon is underutilized, you have the perfect opportunity to train them while generating additional revenue. It’s a win-win: you grow a future groomer while making the most of your schedule and space. And you’re not letting a table go “cold.”

The Bottom Line?
When salon leaders support students, everyone benefits. You sharpen your leadership, reduce burnout, and build a team that’s equipped to grow with you.

It’s been over 40 years since that first time. I still remember standing in awe, watching a talented pet groomer give a dog a haircut. She handled her clippers with ease. The long fur fell away like a hot knife through butter. The end result was smooth and gorgeous. And she was fast – super fast. She made the whole process seems so simple.

The first time I tried, I quickly discovered it was not simple. Those initial attempts were pretty pathetic. Saying my first efforts were rough and choppy would be polite. There were long tufts hanging out everywhere. I was frustrated beyond belief.

I was determined to master the skill. After all, the groomer I had been watching proved it could be done. It was simple – I just had to focus and figure it out.

Fast forward a few years of practice and a couple hundred dogs later, and I could make any dog look amazing. When I did a simple haircut on a pet, the fur fell away like a hot knife through butter. The end result was smooth and appealing. I could finish dogs in no time. I’d gotten very efficient with my clippers.

It took years of hard work. There were years of standing on my feet until they throbbed, working until my hands and shoulders ached. However, my pain can be your gain. Here are a few tips to enhance your speed when it comes to simple, low maintenance haircuts:

• Use the most powerful clipper you can afford and are comfortable holding. Duel speeds or variable speed clippers are great options.
• Work with the natural lay of the coat. You can work with or against the grain. If you reverse clip, the end result will leave that fur approximately two blade lengths shorter than working with the natural lay of the coat.
• For a large majority of low maintenance trims done with a #4F, #5F, or a #7F blade with the grain, you will go over the pet three times before it’s really smooth.

1. The first time removes the bulk.
2. The second time takes out the high spots.
3. The third time erases what you missed.

• The strokes are long and smooth. They overlap slightly. I often tell students to think about a hayfield. The farmer wants to be as efficient as possible – but he doesn’t want to miss anything, either. Most farmers work in nice, neat rows as they cut hay, slightly overlapping each row to ensure they don’t miss any portion of the field. Think about the dog’s body in the same manner. It’s a hayfield. Your clipper is the tractor. You want it done right… and you want to be done before the dinner bell rings.
• When clipping the legs, remember the actual contact of the cutting blade is minimal due to the shape of the surface. It’s round – like a pencil. Only a few teeth will make contact with the surface as you run the clipper down the leg. Thus, on legs you need multiple passes to get the same effect as three passes on the larger flat surface of the body. You can clearly see this relationship by simply running a blade down your own finger and looking at the blade’s point of contact.
• Back brush. Back brush. Back brush!

You’ll always get a smoother cut on a dog that is clean and the coat has been fluffed. Once you make the initial pass to remove the bulk of the long coat, it’s time to pick up the brush. Back brush the entire dog and go over it a second time. On the third pass, again gently back brush the entire area that needs final attention. Did you get that? Back brush!

When do you know you are done? You are done clipping when there is no more coat coming off the dog after it is been washed, dried, and effectively back brushed. Period.

Clipper work on a low maintenance haircut style can be extremely frustrating for new groomer. But once you master the clipper and understand how to work with the coat, it becomes second nature. It becomes simple. You become fast. And you will be able to perform the haircut safely with great precision.  You can do it. It just takes focus.

Happy trimming!

~Melissa

By Melissa Verplank, CMG

I don’t know about you – but I was a crummy student in school. How I ever got through high school, I’ll never know. Anything but basic math was a total mystery to me. Comprehending a foreign language? Forget it. And science? Ha. I spent my time doodling images of horses.

But get me outside the classroom and I excelled. I could never get enough of anything that had four legs and fur. Ship me to the barn for days on end and I was a very happy girl. Send me to a horse show and things were even better – I enjoyed improving my skills. I loved the arts and photography. I loved the outdoors. I loved creating things in the kitchen. Business intrigued me. Hard work never bothered me.

I had passion, it just wasn’t for academics. Typical classroom learning bored me- I just couldn’t understand why I needed to learn things I would never use in my life. However, one of my high school counselors always believed in me. It didn’t matter what my GPA was. She knew I had passion. She said “If you can do something you love, you are going to be really good at it.”

Luckily I found my calling even before graduation from high school. However, I didn’t know it at the time. I had landed a job at a kennel. I scooped a lot of poop and was thrilled. A few years into the job, the groomer was released. I had a new job at the kennel. I was the groomer – and I didn’t have a clue what I was doing.

My new job fulfilled my passion on many fronts. And the more I did it, the better I got. The more I learned – the more I wanted to know. My passion had been ignited. Success was at my fingertips.

Over the years, I’ve learned you don’t have to be the best student to excel or to succeed. Anyone can excel if you have passion.

Everyone has unique natural talents. But at times, you must step up to the mirror and ask yourself a very important question. Are you doing everything you can do to become everything you can be? If you become passionate about reaching your full potential, you can’t help but stay motivated.

Key to any success is passion. Maybe it’s with your career. Maybe it’s with your family. Or your health. Or a charity. Nothing can be successful without passion.

What I have learned over the years, success is more about passion than talent or having a great GPA; it’s more about reaching YOUR potential than being gifted.

So where is your true passion? More importantly, have you lit the match to set it on fire yet?

Happy Trimming!

~Melissa

If your local TV station or a popular Vlogger were to drop by, un-announced, to do a feature story about you and your business — would you be proud? Would you be delighted of the impression you will make on the community? What about being seen by thousands watching the local news or visiting popular online channel?

If the answer is no, take the steps necessary to create that positive, professional image that will make a lasting impression on all of your clients, every day.

For new clients walking through your door, they’re going to make a lasting impression in their minds about you in less than 30 seconds. In those 30 seconds you have the opportunity to make a positive impression with three of the five human senses; smell, hearing and sight.

In over 30 years of business, trust me – this scenario has played out many times with my multiple business. If there is a slow news day, nothing can fill the space better than pets! Luckily for me, I have lived by this credo for years. We are always ready to be front page news. In all my companies, cleanliness and professional appearance have always been a top priority.

Daily maintenance is critical on an ongoing basis. Any day that your appointment book is light, that he phone is not ringing and you’re wondering what you can do with yourself, I’ve got the answer for you! Push up your sleeves and get ready to apply the elbow grease.

This is the perfect time to do all those pesky little tasks you’ve been procrastinating on. It doesn’t matter whether you are a stationary salon or a mobile grooming unit — most of these items apply to both.

•  Deep clean all areas of the salon (we’re talking on your hands and knees using a scrub brush type cleaning!)

•  Apply a fresh coat of paint

• Organize your reception area

• Clean out your computer files

• Clean the lint traps of your dryer(s)

• Organize your supply cabinet

• Sort out your tool kit

•  Revamp your print marketing materials

• Clean and perform maintenance on all of your grooming equipment

• Refresh your website and Facebook pages

• Rearrange your retail area (if you have one)

•  Change the art in your salon if you have room

• Install clocks in every room

• Oil and service your grooming tables

•  Order new smocks and/or grooming attire

• Pamper yourself with a personal makeover for fresh look

Many of the above tasks would create an immediate positive impression to your clients. Even if the client doesn’t immediately sense the impact of one of the listed items, it doesn’t mean it won’t affect them. It will affect you in a positive way. That positive energy will transfer to your customers. You’ll also be more likely to take photos to share on social channels and your local Google business page.

The next time your local news company calls for an interview, you’re going to have the confidence to greet them at the door even if you only have a few moments notice before they arrive. When your photos or video is splashed across the screen, you’re going to be proud of what you see — and your clients and prospective clients will be impressed.

There is no amount of marketing dollars that can buy free publicity. Are you ready to be promoted?

Happy Trimming!

~Melissa