he pain of inflation has unfortunately hit all of us. Our grocery bills have leaped to insane amounts, gas prices have made us want to stay home more and the costs of running a business have mounted, forcing many to raise prices and trim budgets. I recently sat down and did a deep dive into my business expenses to see where I could squeeze some additional savings from the already tight budget. As I combed over my expenses, I was pleased to find that some previous changes I had implemented to save time and money were actually paying off. The extra perk was that not only was I able to save time and more of my hard-earned money, but I was also helping to lessen my impact on the environment. Some of the time- and money-saving practices I had implemented were in fact contributing to me doing better for our beloved earth.

But why would changes that help save me time and money also help save the environment?

Many associate “Going Green” with a feeling of personal gratification that they’re doing their part to preserve natural resources and lessen their environmental impact. Others associate the phrase with extreme life changes or doing without life’s conveniences. But, in reality, there are simple changes that we can all do that don’t impact our comforts or way of living.

n a previous article, I spoke of the television show MythBusters in which scientists and Hollywood stunt men would test out some myth from popular culture with actual laboratory experiments. I noted that, in recent years, our grooming industry has been experiencing the game-changing impact of some real “myth-busting” science. It has changed us, but even more, it has been about the animals we care for.

There is always great insight to be gained when looking at historic and evolutionary changes over time. When I first started grooming over forty years ago, the general use of the internet was still almost two decades away. But now, the grooming industry is clearly in the midst of a real “Knowledge Revolution” that is beginning to change some very long-standing myth-based practices in how we groom dogs.

mber has had a lifelong love of dogs, so it was no surprise when she went to the Wisconsin School of Professional Pet Grooming and became a groomer. But, she also has a passion for gardening and herbs, and a real connection to the earth and caring for it. She recently completed a three-year herbalist apprenticeship in Wild Food and Herbal Medicine. Amber was able to intertwine both of her passions when she opened Green Collar Grooming.

“When I was planning to open my grooming salon, I researched blue collar businesses,” says Amber. “That’s when I discovered there were also green collar businesses. Their focus is to operate their businesses in an eco-friendly way. That really resonated with me and I immediately knew that Green Collar Grooming would be the perfect name for my environmentally responsible business.”

So, Amber took a leap of faith, went “green,” and never looked back. Green Collar Grooming has been in business for eight years.

o one was more surprised than myself when I quit my job and put a deposit down on a mobile grooming van in 2001. But, what I had really done, was make my first decisive business decision.

In the early 2000s, mobile grooming was a young industry with no success stories…yet. I had no ones’ experience to draw from and knew next to nothing about starting or running a business. What I did have going for me was motivation, excitement and a willingness to learn.

As I look back over the years, I can identify some traits that contributed to the success of my business; some of these traits were a natural gift, but many others were a learned skill. Here are five of my business lessons…

or thousands of years, people have been harvesting and using the healing properties of essential oils. We know through research that the use of essential oils is listed in ancient texts and scrolls. As we gained medical knowledge over the ages, we moved away from the natural uses for essential oils to using synthetics for medicines, cleaning products and personal use. With more people taking on a natural approach to eating and living, essential oils have made a resurgence into our mainstream shopping staples like the grocery store and even the pet retailers. So, how do you use them in your grooming practice?

There is so much conflicting information out there. Essential oils are gaining popularity and are becoming topics of conversation between pet professionals. We all want to add these awesome little bottles of oil to our spa services menu, but how?

Let’s start with the basics…

s the days become longer and warmer, cat owners will begin to notice how much dead coat is around their homes and the clients you have trained to look for signs of shedding and matting will be calling you soon. In the weeks to come, the majority of your new cat clientele will change from having a few mats to pelted cats. This is the time of year experienced groomers refer to as “Lion-Cut Season.”

To best help new clients with matted and pelted cats prevent future matting, you need to understand the process the family went through before they arrived with their pelted cat in front of you…

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