Posts

Grooming Business Owner Mistakes and How You Can Fix Them

There are many practices that can make a pet grooming business owner successful. Knowing what these are is important to your success. However, it is also important to look at mistakes the owners of pet store franchises make so that they can be corrected.

  1.      Being a Weak Boss

This is a serious issue because if you are not a strong leader you will not get the results you are looking for. This does not mean that you must be domineering and aggressive, but at the same time you cannot try to be everyone’s friend. Focus on being a good leader and have a clear understanding of your store’s goals and convey them to all your employees.

  1.      Not Having Enough Funding

When you are starting a business you need to have plenty of cash on hand. A huge mistake grooming business owners make is putting all their funding into franchise fees or other startup costs. This is a big problem because it can cause you to tap into your personal savings account or putting yourself in debt right from the beginning. The solution to this is to look at pet store franchises with low fees and when applying for financing make sure you have enough to cover your expenses.

  1.      Making Everything About Business

Many grooming business owners, especially new business owners tend to make everything they do revolve around their business. They often neglect other aspects of their life so they can focus on the business. This can lead to burning out and you can lose your drive. Just as with a regular 9 to 5 job you need to have some time away from work, time that is specifically for you. The best thing you can do to help this is to have create a schedule for work and make time for your personal life in that schedule.

  1.      The Cover Up

Another mistake many grooming business owners make is trying to cover up problems they find in the business. With the ease of the internet, hiding problems has become extremely difficult.  All it takes is one angry consumer and everyone can find out what problem you are having or mistake you’ve made. If you ever face any problems in your business, the best thing to do is be honest and forthright about the issue. Cover ups are more detrimental to businesses than admitting and addressing the issue.

  1.      Doing it All

It is common for owners of pet store franchises to try to do everything on their own. You know just how you want things to go which is why it seems that this is the best way to handle things. However, the issue you run into is that you overload yourself. When you stretch yourself thin by trying to do everything you will not only affect your well being but the well being of the business as well. Learn to delegate. Your employees have different talents and skills that make them perfect for helping your with the business. Isn’t this the reason you hire employees?

  1.      Not Hiring Properly

Having the right staff on hand is imperative to the success of your business as a grooming business owner. This is because they are the ones who will handle the grooming and interact with your customers on a daily basis. You want to ensure you are hiring people who will be team players and take direction from you. On top of this you want to make sure you are hiring people with the talents and experience that compliment your skills and give you the help you need with you business.

  1.      Not Having a Support Team

If you go with pet store franchises over simply buying a grooming franchise you will find that you get some support. The amount of support you get will depend on the franchise you choose. For instance, with Splash and Dash Groomerie & Boutique you will receive extensive support with proprietary software, training and much more. This support team is there when you have questions, need guidance or advice and want to help you toward success.

 

7 Deadly Sins of Pet Businesses Franchises Should Know About

When it comes to owning a pet business franchise is better than buying a business. However, even if you have the right pet franchise there are still business practices that can spell disaster for your business. This is why you should know what these are and how you can avoid them.

1. Not Following the Plan

One of the best aspects of buying a franchise is there is a plan for the entire business. You will know how the layout of the location should look as well as the marketing strategy that works best for success. Make sure you follow this and not what you think will work. These strategies are chosen because they are proven to work.

2. Poor Communication

This is another huge issue in many businesses today. Lack of communication is just as bad as unclear communication. Make sure you are reaching out to your customers, employees and pet franchise support staff in the best manner possible. Think about what you want to communicate before you type an email or make a call for optimal results.

3. Losing Your Drive

The drive to succeed is imperative to your success. All aspects of the business suffer when you are not fully committed. This is why it is good to have reminders for yourself of what you are working for. Whether it is your child’s future or the ability to retire in Italy, ensure you always remember what is pushing you to be successful.

4. Wasting Time

If time is money, then it is important to make the most of your time. Make sure you are operating as efficiently as possible. With a franchise much of this will already be outlined for you, though there are other things you will want to look at. There are many apps out there that can help you with this as well.

5. No Longer Having Fun

For many pet franchise owners the reason they even got into the industry is because they love animals and have fun with them. Pet stores can be a lot of fun as you get to interact with animals as well as the owners who share their same enthusiasm for dogs. If you find that this is no longer fun, think about ways that you can make it fun again and try to implement them into your day.

6. Forgetting Your Marketing Roots

No matter what business you have, you are a marketing company before all else. This is important to remember because when you stop focusing on the marketing aspect, you lose business. In everything you do think about how it will reflect on the business and the impact it will have on the marketing plan.

7. Trying to Do Everything Yourself

You may think that you should do it all to save money on staffing and because you know the right way to do things. This can kill your drive and run you into the ground. When you have the right staff, they will be able to help you with all the tasks of the business.