Contents | JULY 2023
ALSO INSIDE
todd@barkleigh.com
adam@barkleigh.com
gwen@barkleigh.com
rebecca@barkleigh.com
luke@barkleigh.com
laura@barkleigh.com
brandi@barkleigh.com
carlee@barkleigh.com
evan@barkleigh.com
cassidy@barkleigh.com
allison@barkleigh.com
james@barkleigh.com
karin@barkleigh.com
britany@barkleigh.com
Daryl Conner
Jonathan David
Dr. Cliff Faver
Blake Hernandez
ALSO INSIDE
ON THE COVER
t is said that there are two sides to every coin. It is good that pet groomers are generally in high demand; it is good that we have plenty of work; and it is good that the laws of supply and demand work in our favor, and shops can raise prices accordingly. But, the other side of the coin is the toll stress takes on our lives and bodies…
Older groomers with health challenges can’t increase production, and it is challenging even for the young and healthy to groom more dogs in a day. Worse yet, just when we have the potential to make the most money, the United States has the lowest unemployment rate in 50 years, making it difficult to find staffing. Hiring a skilled groomer is especially difficult because the laws of supply and demand also work in their favor. Given these challenges, how we schedule our workday becomes critically important.
Many grooming operations are now booking weeks, months or even a year in advance, making accuracy critical. The further in advance you book appointments, the less flexible you become. Clients who wait two months to get an appointment will not be happy if it becomes necessary to move them at the last minute.
radeshow season is in full swing with another half a year of shows left to go, and this year has already been a busy one. One of my favorite things about the grooming shows is getting to discover new products and tools that have hit the market, designed to make our lives as pet groomers just a little bit better. I love walking the show floor, aisle by aisle, browsing the booths and looking at everything to see if there’s something new that catches my eye. That’s how I have acquired most of my tools—exploring and discovering and learning about new products in person.
But why do we need new products when we have so many already?
Nobody is going to reinvent the wheel; they work just fine the way they are. However, through the years, the wheel has been redesigned over and over to improve upon its use and function. Grooming tools are similar in that way. Many of the tools we use have a great design, but through the years, some of those products have been redesigned to work a little bit better, more efficiently and with more ease.
Photos provided by Miguel Valera
room Expo 2006 in Hershey, Pennsylvania opened Miguel Valera’s eyes to the possibilities of pet grooming. At the time, he worked in Miami as a vet tech and was doing pet sitting on the side.
Valera says, “I wanted to return the pets clean and with fresh haircuts as an all-in-one service that would set me apart from the other pet sitters. I bought a videotape to learn to cut pet hair, and my first client was the building maintenance manager.”
While he says that first haircut wasn’t the best, it gave him a start. In pursuit of improvement, Miguel bought more training tapes and searched for in-person training classes.
ave you ever stopped to think about how many claws you have trimmed throughout your career? Even if you’ve only been grooming for a few years, the number is probably impressive. The job is pretty straightforward, but there are a variety of tools and products available to make things go more smoothly and result in a better end product.
veryone has their favorite grooming tools…the ones you always reach for and depend on to produce great results on the pets you groom. In addition to the equipment you use while grooming, there are special tools that can help you build your business. And one of the most important is networking.Effective networking can deliver more return on investment (ROI) than any other tool at your disposal. And, you don’t need any specialized training to make it work for you. If you can talk and interact with others, you can network.
No matter how long you have been grooming, learning to network with other industry professionals can open many doors for you. Here are some ways to get started in networking:
s groomers, there is much talk about the best scissors, brushes, dryers, etc. And there are tons of seminars, booths at the tradeshows, and articles discussing all the different pros and cons of these tools. But sometimes the most important tool is forgotten—the calculator.
To succeed as a groomer, we must first have some business savvy to weather the trials and tribulations of running a business. Without that skill, the chances of survival in this precarious business world are often questionable.
Many of you don’t realize that if you did those numbers, you would find out you are working to pay the employees, and there is no profit. Many groomers would make more money working as an employee rather than being an owner. But there is only one way to know that for sure, and that is to run the numbers.
or many cat groomers, the phone is ringing off the hook. But for others, the calls may be few and far between. With the need for cat grooming on the rise, here are seven ways to increase the number of cat clients reaching out to your business.
Having a shop cat can also be a great way to build a rapport with local cat owners and create a sense of community around your salon. Sarah Warner, owner of Aristocats Feline Day Spa in Brisbane, Australia, has a huge following around her shop cat, Sebastian, of clients from nearby businesses who regularly stop by to get their kitty fix.
Photos by Matthew Runkle
s a trade professional, your equipment is essential and critical to your ability to perform your job. The condition of your equipment can make a difference in the quality of work you produce, as well as reduce wear and tear on your body. Your shears can be a significant investment and can cost upwards of a few hundred dollars for a good pair; therefore, we must maintain our shears by regularly cleaning them and storing them properly to protect those delicate sharp edges, as well as use them as they were designed.
Another important aspect is routine maintenance of the shears, including sharpening and repairs if and when necessary. There are two ways to go about this: One way is to send shears to the manufacturer and have them use their in-house sharpener to touch up your shears.
(Keep in mind, this could take up to a week or more to have them returned so having a backup set is crucial.) The other way is using a local sharpener that is in your area. This does allow for a quicker return time, but there could be a trade-off with the quality of the sharpening. Having a relationship with a knowledgeable and qualified sharpener can greatly help. Unfortunately, as with any industry, not everyone is out to be the best that they can be or have the focus and integrity to provide high-quality work; some are just out to make a paycheck and this is the trade they chose to work in.
he Foot Stool” clip is another name for “just shave the mats,” “the airpod case” or “the other lamb trim”—all pretty humorous ways to describe this surprisingly functional freestyle trim. This trim keeps the fur closer to the ground clean and tidy longer, and basically turns the dog’s body into a heated pillow!
Photo by Anjie Coates
y friend Amy Remy was competing with her dog, Walter, in Salon Freestyle when we were at Intergroom so I got to babysit her other Wire Fox Terrier, Gwen, for her while she was in the ring.
“OK, Gwen, we’ve got to get to class,” I say.
Gwen: “OK!”-
We walk into the AKC Advanced SAFE Groomer course and head right to the front of the class where two members of our salon, Ashley and Christine, are already seated and waiting for me and Gwen.
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“This is us, my dear. Here, you can sit beside me,” I tell her.
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Gwen: “Beside you? You think so?”
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“Not beside me?” I ask.
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Gwen: “No.”
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She climbs into my lap and sits on me with a big grin.
Artero’s Flexible Double Slicker Brush is specially designed for brushing and untangling dogs and cats of all types. It features a flexible brush head with a metal plate that joins the two sides, allowing it to bend to one side or the other to adapt to the surface being brushed. The grey side with thinner bristles and random positioning is ideal for stretching the hair and opening the coat, and the black side with thicker bristles in the shape of a row is for untangling. The ecological brush is made of bamboo and comes in recyclable cardboard packaging. usa.arteroshop.com/dog-grooming
This shear provides an effortless cut through even the coarsest of coats. The semi-convex edges are suitable for everyday grooming or finish work and the 440c Japanese steel ensures a long lasting sharp edge. The Magic Fit 8in Straight Shear fits comfortably in your hand, allowing for a smoother cut. The offset design of the rings and the support allow a greater opening and a better anatomical position, keeping your wrist straight and your elbow close to your body, which allows better blood circulation, avoiding shoulder, elbow and wrist fatigue. petgroomerboost.com
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