Starting Pet Grooming Business – Profitable Business Plan

Pet care is taken seriously by pet parents, and they won’t compromise in any way. And if you are a budding business entrepreneur in pet grooming services, you have to be clear about your business venture and future operations. Pet grooming is not limited to trimming dog’s hair and cutting their nails. It also includes varied services such as giving them fancy haircuts, spas, massages, and much more. Hence, the more specific and extravagant your services, the more clients you can attract to your business. 

Some business entrepreneurs also add basic dog training services to their packages. For instance, dogs are taught how to sit and walk while on the leash. Nothing advanced like handshakes or walking on the rope, simple grooming tips and tricks. 

Certification, training, and experience are a must to establish a pet grooming business. The costs and scope of the pet grooming business depend primarily on the area in which you operate and whether it is a pet-friendly area or not. If there are a few pets in your area, you can’t expect people to start adopting pets to avail your services. You need to start your venture in an area where there are plenty of pets and limited grooming service centers. 

Let us start with the pet grooming business plan.

Before we step into the first part of the business plan, let us get into the statistics of the pet grooming business. 

Industry Statistics 

People have furry pets for all kinds of reasons. They are great dog lovers or cat-persons as they call themselves. They might have pets for years as a family tradition, or they want to be active as dogs love having walks with their owners. Some families even bring pets to create a friendly and warm atmosphere at home. The annual growth rate of the pet industry between 2009 and 2014 was 3.1 percent, and the combined incomes of all the dog-related services were calculated at $907 million in 2014. 

In the United States, more than 47 percent of families have pets. Interestingly, even single millennials and couples choose to have pets as they are excellent companions. There has been an increase of more than 5 percent in the purchase of pet products and services since 2009 till date, which is quite impressive. 

With this business idea, you get to do what you love, seek high income, enjoy flexible work patterns, and most importantly, establish a strong business. The start-up costs are not low as you might have to invest in certifications and the setup. But you can surely seek financial help from reputed institutions. 

Executive Summary 

  • Name of the pet grooming service – anything cool and easy to remember like – Canine love groomers, The Pet Groomers, The Pet Stop, etc. 
  • It is a registered and licensed corporation set up by a team of business partners (or sole proprietorship, depending upon your business structure). 
  • Qualifications, certifications, and experience of the owners, memberships and associations, and other interests. 
  • Location of the business – preferably in the prime location of a city. 
  • The main aim of the company – To provide excellent grooming services to pets and communicate with the owners accordingly. 
  • The uniqueness of the service – Even if one can find plenty of groomers in an area these days, our grooming service will provide outstanding and unique services to the clients. 

For example, other pet groomers do not have an online appointment facility to book spa or grooming sessions, but we do. Similarly, other groomers do not have a lavish waiting lounge for the owners until their pet is groomed, but we care for the owners too. 

Products and Services 

  1. Pet grooming services for dogs, cats, rabbits, and hamsters. 
  2. Basic grooming skills, advanced pet training skills, and abilities (it depends on the training you have sought). 
  3. Sale and supply of dog kennels, pet-related products such as foods, shampoos, leashes, dog collars and ties, cat food, and clothes, etc. 
  4. Sale of kittens, puppies, rabbits, etc. 
  5. Training dogs for special security-related skills. 
  6. Mobile pet grooming and veterinary services for those pets who have disabilities or sickness. 
  7. An excellent set-up of a vet clinic. 

Mission and Vision Statement 

  • Vision – To become the best pet grooming center in the city for individual pet parents and expand the services to other cities in the United States as well. 
  • Mission – To provide effective, reasonably priced, and timely pet grooming services to the clients by taking utmost care of pets. To provide pet-related products of excellent quality at the best prices. 

Business Structure 

The success, efficiency and growth of a business depend largely on the staff employed, the owners involved, and the business structure is chosen. As a result, you have to build a solid business structure to scale your business and attract more clients. While recruiting the workforce, mere qualifications should not be taken into account. You should also check whether their goals and intentions are aligned with those of your business concern. 

Following are the persons involved in a business structure: 

  1. CEO/ Primary Partner – who will be solely responsible for the business operations. 
  2. HR Manager – to take care of the recruitment tasks and ensure that the workforce is satisfied while working at the grooming center. 
  3. Veterinary Doctors – It is better to have a team so that you can always have a competent person on call. 
  4. Pet groomers and trainers – Ensure that you have sufficient staff to take the workload. Also, you might need groomers and trainers for several skills and abilities. 
  5. Accountant – for the essential accounting functions. 
  6. Marketing expert – to take care of offline and online marketing services. 
  7. Customer Support Executives – to book appointments and be in charge of the online appointment system. 

SWOT Analysis 

Though it looks like an age-old concept, it is a classical method to identify an organization’s standing. Let us do this analysis for your business venture. 

  • Strengths – The most significant strength will be the workforce. Being a service industry, the kind of customer support you provide dictates your success in the long run. The positioning of the grooming strength is a secondary strength to attract pet clients all the time. 
  • Weaknesses – It takes time for a new venture to scale and grab a few stable clients. It also takes substantial money to promote and advertise the services. 
  • Opportunities – Since the number of adopted pets is increasing, you can tap the future opportunities and expand your business to other cities as well. You can host numerous services under a single shelf and provide a one-stop solution to all pet requirements. 
  • Threats – Threats do not mean closing down the business, it implies preparing in advance for the tough situations in life. The global recession, huge numbers of pet grooming centers coming up in the city, and insufficient purchasing power – these could be a few threats, but you can turn them down with the help of a full-fledged business plan. 

Market Analysis 

No matter how occupied people seem to be, they don’t skip the fund they have in owning a pet. As a result, you can see a growing number of pets. They prefer to outsource the services and still own a pet and have fun with them. 

Your target audience can be households, single people, dog breeders, and government and business organizations (those who need security dogs). If you have competent staff, you can serve the household as well as organizations and grab hold over the industry. 

Sales and Marketing Strategy/ Advertising and Publicity Plan 

Just check out the products and services section. It can also be termed as your source of income in the long run. Sales projections depend on the size of your business. You can observe the sales patterns of other dog grooming and pet grooming firms and estimate your sales. 

The first-year sales need not be unrealistic or higher than the expectations. You can keep it as reasonable as $150,000 and double it up in the next year. Remember that sales projects are not meant for disappointment. If there is a huge discrepancy in what you project and achieve, you can work on it. 

The following strategies can help to advertise services and gain more sales and clients: 

  1. Approach households and organizations where you can find pets or security dog guards. 
  2. Print your offline media communications such as fliers, brochures, and visiting cards and keep them ready. 
  3. Word-of-mouth publicity is free. Never underestimate it. 
  4. Advertising in the local newspapers and pet-related magazines and publications. 
  5. Post ads at places such as local coffee shops and stores, which people visit most of the time. 
  6. Participate in pet-related fairs and shows. You can even sponsor a few events there if you have the budget. 
  7. Utilize internet marketing mediums such as Facebook advertising, online campaigns, YouTube, Google, and other services. 
  8. Make a presentation at the corporate organizations. 
  9. Conduct an event for pets or host a pet show. 
  10. List your services in the Yellow Pages. 
  11. Create an official website with an embedded online appointment system and other services. 

Pricing

You can charge per hour or levy flat fees. You can even create weekly and monthly packages for regular clients. Note that pet parents love free services and discounts and ensure that you provide them well. You need to keep all the payment options accessible for your clients. 

Start-up capital 

The start-up expenditure depends on the type of business you want to start. For instance, a simple dog walking service from home can cost you around $500 only. Obviously, your range of operations will be limited to a few houses in your neighborhood. But if you want to set up a full-fledged dog grooming, training, and veterinary services center, then you will need capital of around $50,000 to start your venture. 

We hope the above business plan template/details will help you formulate a roadmap for your business. 

FAQs

1. What type of pet grooming services are available?

Our pet grooming services include bathing, brushing and dematting, trimming and clipping, nail clipping and filing, teeth brushing and ear cleaning.

2. Do you provide pet pickup and drop-off services?

Yes, we offer free pickup and drop-off services to all of our grooming clients.

3. Is your pet grooming facility clean and safe?

Absolutely! Our pet grooming facility is regularly cleaned and maintained to ensure the safety and comfort of our furry friends.

4. How often should my pet be groomed?

Depending on the breed, type, and size of your pet, we typically suggest grooming every 4 to 8 weeks.

5. Do you offer any discounts for frequent grooming?

Yes, we offer special discounts for our frequent grooming customers.

6. Do you require vaccinations for pets?

Yes, all pets must be vaccinated and have current proof of vaccination before they can be accepted into our grooming facility.

7. Is my pet allowed to stay overnight at your facility?

Unfortunately, our facility does not provide overnight boarding. We do, however, provide same-day pet grooming services.

8. Are pet groomers experienced and knowledgeable?

Yes, all of our pet groomers are highly experienced and knowledgeable about all breeds of cats and dogs.

9. How long does it take to groom my pet?

Depending on the size and type of pet, the grooming process usually takes anywhere from 1 to 2 hours.

10. What payment methods do you accept?

We accept cash, credit/debit cards, Apple Pay, PayPal, and Venmo.