The second quality is tenacity. Many groomers and veterinarians have been trained in several aspects of hair and skin repair, but that doesn’t guarantee they will be successful. Once educated, the work then begins. You use what is learned and apply it with the intention of constantly achieving great results, which can mean anything from long or frequent treatments to experimenting with new methods or products (always based on knowledge/science) when things aren’t working.

Many people will get the education and try a given recipe two to three times, and if the results are not what they expected, they give up. It is essential to realize when you take on something like skin and hair restoration it is a process—not just a product—to get where you need to be. There are many different variables to consider as to the cause of the issue and the solution to repair it, all of which are important in achieving good results. Your determination and persistence will be vital to achieving success in this field.

The third quality is to learn from your mistakes and not be afraid to have mentors so that you can learn from their successes and failures. Mentors can be a massive step in speeding up your learning curve. Picking the right mentor is critical though; a great mentor walks the walk, not just talks the talk. There are individuals in anything you do that can talk a good game but their day-to-day work doesn’t reflect the kind of results that you are looking for. With the right mentor, you can feel guided and supported in your journey to success.

The next important quality is being able to communicate and work with the client. Your financial success and reputation depend on the client’s active participation in the process. First, the idea of what we are talking about—finding your specialty and being the best at it—is to make money. If you are giving away your knowledge and products, you are not gaining in the process. It’s simply an expensive hobby at that point, and not a good business builder.

To achieve success, the client must be part of the solution, which means educating the client on what you are trying to accomplish, the science of how you are going to accomplish it and why it is different from all the other things they have tried in the past. Without this information, most clients will not be willing to take a chance on you since most have already faced failure with the veterinarian. The most significant difference is that, as a veterinarian, we mainly work from the inside out to treat symptoms versus treating the hair and skin from the outside in and giving the body what it needs to repair itself.

Being a professional and guiding the client through what needs to be done is also imperative. The client will not have the knowledge you have, so if you service the client’s wants, you will commonly fail because it usually doesn’t match the process needed for success. And if you let the client lead in this process and it fails, know that failure is part of your reputation. A happy client helps build a positive reputation, but a failed case can be a challenging hill to climb—even though it may have been the client’s failure, not yours.

So, the secret is to pick your clients well (especially when you first start). If they are not going to follow through, don’t start something destined for failure. If you take their money knowing that the process will fail, that is really taking money under a false pretext and that is unethical.

The example used in this article is about skin and hair restoration, but the same principles apply to many different areas you may choose to “specialize” in. Educate yourself, be tenacious, understand it is a process in getting there, find a mentor, and always know you must educate and bring the client along with you on the journey.

Think about what makes you happy and is your passion, then work hard to pursue it. You might not be great at it initially, but through hard work and experience, you will wake up one day and realize that you have reached a level that is among the best in the industry if you do it right. Never underestimate what you can do when you put in the work!

Dr. Cliff Faver graduated with a BS in Biology/BA in Chemistry before getting a Veterinary degree in 1987. He is the past owner of Animal Health Services in Cave Creek, Arizona and now the US distributor for Iv San Bernard products, teaches the ISB Pet Aesthetician Certification program, and speaks internationally on hair and skin. His passion is to merge groomers and veterinarians to aid in helping and healing pets. He is also a member of AVMA, AAHA, AZVMA, Board member with Burbank Kennel Club, and has served on Novartis Lead Committee, Hill’s International Global Veterinary Board, and a Veterinary Management Group.