Ellis / Aaron PET GROOMING IS LIKE MOUNTAIN CLIMBING

How to Overcome Your Hugest Obstacles
1. Auflage 2023
ISBN: 978-1-77277-537-2
Verlag: 10-10-10 Publishing
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 136 Seiten

STARTING YOUR BUSINESS IS THE BEGINNING OF THE CLIMB. LEARN HOW TO REACH THE SUMMIT! The pet industry continues to grow and thrive. For those looking to open a pet grooming business, Pet Grooming Is Like Mountain Climbing: How to Overcome Your Hugest Obstacles is an inspirational guide for success. Tanya Ellis shares her years of experience in the pet industry by helping you to identify potential pitfalls and create a strategy to deal with them. She also provides practical tips for every stage of your business, from the early days of your start-up through the later years as your business matures. Pet Grooming Is Like Mountain Climbing provides tools and steps to make your journey up the mountain of entrepreneurship easier. With years of industry experience, Tanya illustrates her wisdom on how to build a successful pet grooming business through climbing proverbial mountains. Pet Grooming Is Like Mountain Climbing: How to Overcome Your Hugest Obstacles will inspire you to reach the summit with your business and create an amazing future as an entrepreneur.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Ellis, Tanya

Aaron, Raymond

Leseproben

2

No mountain climber ever starts the journey without supplies. You cannot climb without food and shelter, but the most critical thing is water. I learned as I climbed that water was the most important thing. Part of my journey up the mountain included frequent stops for rest and water.

When you purchase a business, you also need supplies, particularly water. What is the water for any business? The reality is that no business can function without capital. You need it for purchasing supplies, hiring employees, marketing, renting a space for business, paying utilities, and so much more.

In the early days of your business, you likely sit down and create a budget based upon your business plan. There is a specific amount of capital, and it has to stretch to cover any number of early expenses. For my pet grooming business, there was the initial buildout of the space. It had to include a wet area and a dry one. There were tubs and mats to be put in, along with the sprayers that helped to wet the dogs and then rinse them once I finished their shampoo.

Then there was the dry area, filled with tables and supplies for cutting their hair, trimming nails, and combing them out. The drying area was where I took a wet dog and gave them the equivalent of a blowout. Plus, I needed to have storage for all the supplies, and a place for the dogs to hang out before and after their appointments. Then there was the retail center, waiting area, and front counter, where individuals could make appointments, pay for their dog’s services, and also shop for things that they could use at home to keep their dogs looking great.

No matter how well you budget for your buildout, there are always going to be surprises. Plumbing that needs to be replaced or requires a cleanout. There might be delays regarding how soon various items will be available. Trying to schedule contractors and installers while you have a delay in getting tubs or tables can be challenging to say the least!

I quickly realized that there were going to be things that came up and, financially, I was not always going to be ready for them. Every business owner wishes they had more capital, especially during the startup phase. You are funding this business during a time when it is not able to bring in any funds. Even in the first weeks, as you have your first sales or appointments, you are still funding the business because it simply does not make enough to cover everything necessary for its operations.

Some business owners remember being open and not having one customer through the door. That means you had the costs of utilities, the space, employees, and no revenue to cover those expenses. Even when you create a contingency fund, it seems to drain much faster than you planned.

When you climb a mountain, your supplies seem heavy at first, because you are carrying a lot. As the climb continues, the backpack gets lighter because you start using up those supplies. Your finances for your business are similar in the beginning. It seems that you have a lot of capital available, but as you start using it, the bank account gets lighter and lighter.

Take Practice Steps to Manage Your Initial Investment

What can you do to manage your financial supplies, and those surprises? The first thing is to set a budget and stick to it. Hold yourself accountable for the money you spend. That means if you set aside a certain amount for flooring, then you need to stick to that amount.

When it comes to your buildout, be realistic regarding the types of materials you actually need. Invest in quality equipment that helps your business to function. After all, if you buy something of lesser quality just to save capital, you could end up finding yourself replacing it later, but also dealing with the loss of revenue that comes from downtime while equipment is being ordered and installed or repaired.

Also, look for durability. Designing your business, especially a pet grooming business, involves looking at materials in terms of how they will stand up to wear and tear. Some flooring options, for instance, are beautiful, but unlikely to stand up to regularly getting wet, or the scratches from dogs’ nails. Being selective can end up benefiting your bottom line.

Additionally, you should have backups of critical equipment. For instance, if you plan on having several groomers working, then you will want to have at least two dryers and one backup dryer. Why? Because the reality is that life happens. Dryers need maintenance or repairs, and you still have clients coming in the front door. Not having backup equipment can mean that you lose revenue because you have to cancel appointments.

The water of your initial investment needs to be used strategically, but there are definitely places where you should prioritize your spending, as I illustrated above.

Setting the Goals for Your Business

Right from the beginning of my mountain climb, I had a goal of reaching the top. But as we climbed from day to day, my focus became reaching those smaller goals of reaching each camp and covering a certain distance.

In your business, you need the big lofty vision of what you want to ultimately achieve. Yet, before you can reach that vision, there will be smaller goals that you must complete. Early in my life, I found that writing down goals, dreams, and my vision of the future gave it more depth and clarity. I have always taken this very seriously, because I believe that when you write something down, it tends to come true. Writing down something as small as getting one new client per week can become a reality because, by putting it on paper, you bring that goal into focus.

I have had vision boards my whole life. It’s funny because, when you go back and look at the goals you wrote down as part of your vision board, you will notice how many of those goals actually came true!

Usher says success is about dedication. You may not always be where you want to be, or doing what you want to do when you are on the journey, but you must be willing to have the vision and foresight necessary to reach that incredible ending.

Plus, making notes is a great way to implement what you have learned throughout your life. The brain registers it and incorporates it easier than when you just hear something. I think it is because writing involves more of your senses. Remember that every goal you set is putting you one step closer to reaching the top of your mountain!

Is Your Backpack Ready?

During my travels, I found that my journal was an important piece of equipment. I was able to record my feelings, experiences, and how everything was done. The truth is that my journal is now a place where someone else can learn about the adventure of mountain climbing. They would tap into my experience.

When it comes to filling your backpack, it is important to not just dive into creating a business without tapping into other resources. Many mistakes that you make during the early days of your business were made by someone else. They are not new, but you have the opportunity to avoid making them yourself.

To tap into those resources, consider looking for training opportunities. Allow those who have already been there to teach you what they learned. It gives you a chance to incorporate those lessons into how you run your business. Along the way, you will learn how to avoid expensive mistakes.

For instance, do you know how much tax you should be charging your customers? Should you be charging them tax at all? Knowing your state’s tax laws for your type of business is key to avoiding potentially expensive fees and penalties.

When I created my school for pet grooming business owners, my goal was to teach them what to do and help them to avoid various mistakes that could end up costing them time and capital. The early days of my business meant working another job to help cover expenses while I built a clientele. It also gave me a chance to learn new skills, including those of management, customer service, and teamwork.

If you are ready to buy a pet grooming business or start one of your own, it is important to be prepared for unexpected expenses. After all, the early days of your business are going to be focused on marketing, and letting people know about your business and the services that you offer, as well as building up the right team to handle your clients as the business grows.

The problem is that the operations will still require funding during these stages. I encourage you to set a realistic budget for early operations and marketing. Included in those costs is the cost of designing the right logo for your business.

I remember coming up with my logo like it was yesterday. I was doodling on a piece of paper with a pencil, producing a few different ideas. My neighbor, Steve, had one of his employees who was in graphic design create my very first logo. It was pink, with five paw pads, and five different animals on it: a dog, guinea pig, cat, rabbit, and iguana.

With your logo in place, you can put your marketing hat on to create your first set of marketing tools, which typically includes flyers and business cards, although it can eventually expand to include commercials and social media ads. Let me be clear here that in the early stages of your business, word of mouth is key. I remember my parents, family, and friends spreading the word about my grooming business. But I was also actively talking to people about that business. There was one thing I did which was a little different, but it was effective. I would go into Starbucks and order under my business name. Then they would...