How to Start a Dog Grooming Business

Video: how to start dog grooming business from home
How to start a dog grooming business

Assessing the need for a new dog grooming service provider

Video: how to start a dog grooming business

Top 5 books on how to start a dog grooming business:
Certificates and permits for pet grooming businesses

Pet market is booming with the dog grooming businesses spreading their roots in every which way. We’re seeing more entrepreneurs than ever jumping on the opportunities in the pet industry searching for that big break. In the dog business market of 2015 you could do almost anything, from dog walking to poop scooping. Today, we’ll discuss how to start a dog grooming business and what you need to know before you land in this arena.

If you’ve been following our previous columns in the Dog Business section, you know that starting any pet business of your own is challenging no matter what field you are in, and the dog grooming niche is especially competitive.

Many petpreneurs have already dipped their toes into the open market of dog grooming by figuring out what new or improved pet grooming services or dog grooming products they can bring into the marketplace. After reading through this quick guide on how to start a dog grooming business, you will better understand what it takes to become a successful dog business owner.

If you’re interested in starting a pet related business that is related to canines, but you’re not exactly sure what kind of area you would like to venture into, our column on How to Start a Pet Business with Dogs has some excellent general advice on the different types of dog business opportunities and how to get started in some specific fields.

Video: how to start dog grooming business from home

A career of a professional dog groomer can be very lucrative, even more so if you own your own dog grooming business. It’s a fact that dog owners love to pamper their pets more than they do themselves. In 2015, this is true more than ever, with many pet owners sending their dogs to be groomed on a regular basis, some as often as once a week.

According to the 2015-2016 APPA National Pet Owners Survey…

65% of U.S. households own a pet, which equates to 79.7 millions homes. About 54.4 million of those pets are canines.

Even back in 2014, market analysts have predicted a huge growth for pet business and specifically dog grooming business section. Apparently, the pet industry is a recession-proof market that simply continues to grow and expand no matter what, and so far, the numbers have been steadily confirming this “theory.”

Primarily in the western part of the world, pet ownership is now a big deal. We love to spoil our little companions, and there’s no stopping this. Just a year ago dog owners have been spending more money than ever on their Fidos, according to Washington Post:

“Two decades ago, Americans spent $17 billion on their pets. That outlay has steadily marched upward, at an average of more than 12 percent a year, through good times and bad. This year, the amount is expected to approach $60 billion.” – Steve Hendrix, Washington Post [July 24, 2014].

With that being said, there should be no doubt that a pet grooming business is still a niche that has a lot of space to be filled, and those of your who know how to start a dog grooming business of your own can jump on this opportunity to finally say goodbye to your day jobs.

If a dog grooming business is not your cup of tea, there are other dog related businesses that you might want to try your hands on. Below are some of the more recent columns from TopDogTips on different types of pet businesses:

How to Start a Dog Grooming Business

Assessing the need for a new dog grooming service provider

Before you even begin looking into how to start a dog grooming business, you must first assess whether there is even a need for it in the area that you want to establish yourself.

First question to ask yourself is whether there are dog owners in your area, and how popular is dog ownership around you.

Do people pamper their pets, or do they usually keep them on the leash outside as guard dogs? For some, this research process may be very easy. If you live in an urban area with dog parks that are full of pets on a daily basis, chances are that there might be a need for a dog groomer in your town.

However, if you’re like me and you live in a fairly rural area, there may still be a need for a dog groomer, but you’ll have to dig deeper into the market research part of your business plan to assess the situation more accurately.

A good place to start is always do as much online research as you possibly can. You can also reach out to your local city hall or town office, they will be able to tell you how many dogs are licensed in your town. Try to work on other possible sources to find out how many dogs are located in the area around you.

Assessing the need for your business is critical. If you don’t have the clientele needed to maintain the business, how are you ever going to make it successful?

You certainly will have trouble attracting customers to your dog grooming business if there are several well established dog grooming businesses in your small town or area already.

Video: How to Start a Dog Grooming Business

People tend to stick with their dog groomers because they trust them. Having said that, you should not be discouraged from venturing into the market and trying to penetrate the clientele of existing businesses if you have something better to offer.