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Expansion almost always requires going 6 days-a-week, if you are already operating 5 days-a-week. Like our business, we eventually grew into a 7 day-a-week operation. We also opened evenings mid-week. We call it "swing-shift grooming" and it has proven successful for our business and hundreds of others. Pet owners come in after work, around 5 p.m. and return by 9 p.m. In this way, some salons stay closed on Sunday's and Monday's, but the added evenings resolve their need to expand.

Most small pet grooming businesses are so by choice. That's why it is not our intent to criticize them, it's their choice and we all have the freedom to make choices. But there is more. It is sometimes unfortunate that the choice to remain a limited operation is made because the owner is fearful of 1) hiring employees and 2) fearful of leaving the business unattended under the supervision of employees.

Owners of salons open 6 or 7 days-a-week are rarely on-site all hours of operation. They made the big step and expanded by adding trained staff with some at a supervisory level. These owners may carry a beeper, and call in on our their days off to check up on their operation. However, they are making more money because their staff is making money for them, and that can eventually open up floodgates of more income. We talk to many pet grooming business owners who have yet to expand beyond the hours and days they want to work because they will not hire staff, and rely entirely on themselves to man their business at all times. Isn't that type of management as stressful as learning to manage an effective support staff? Without adding employees they also wear out their bodies grooming every pet start-to-finish for their entire career. No! Bad idea! Take care of your body! Learning to manage employees with few problems requires knowledge, and that's why thousands have bought the book From Problems to Profits; it covers personnel management in detail specific to pet grooming. Employees are how you can go "from problems to profits" and save your body in the long run.

Recently we worked with a pet grooming business of 15 years. The owner needed more income without raising prices. I immediately noticed that she was working with employees, but never allowed them to manage the business. She was on-site during all hours of operation, but she wanted to expand. I noticed that she was only open 5 hours on Saturday, and she acknowledged that it was always the day first booked up each week. It didn't take much thought to say, "Open longer hours on Saturday." She accepted and did, and made an extra $200.00 a week. With that money we advised her to hire a receptionist part-time, and train her master pet trimmer to open the business in the morning two days a week. We advised the owner to come in at noon and work to 9 p.m. now offering "swing-shift" grooming. The master pet trimmer goes home after eight-hours, and a bather assists her during the evening shift. The addition of two evenings a week increased revenue by $250.00 a week. By making a few working lifestyle adjustments, and hiring reception assistance, business income grew by $450.00 a week and expenses increased about $200.00 a week. Her net profit is now $250.00 a week more, or nearly $13,000 a year. You see, she just needed us to help her work out the figures and be flexible enough to make some working lifestyle changes, and yes, her clients love the added convenience of evening appointments.

Sometimes adding pickup and delivery service can expand your clientele, especially by serving "shut-in" pet owners. However, you must account for the added costs. We have seen some ingenious systems for pick-up and delivery based on neighborhoods. On Tuesdays, pick-up and delivery is provided in the north section of town, and Thursday's are for the south section, etc. Sometimes pet owners meet the transport van at a community park or parking lot where they have gotten permission to meet pet owners. In this way,  the pick-up van is not driving here and there door-to-door across your market area and boosting your costs. We suggest you charge an additional pick-up and delivery fee adequate to cover costs and not really to boost your profit significantly. Grooming more pets is where you best earn new profit. Be very careful to budget your costs very carefully, and be sure your driver, vehicle and pets are covered by your liability insurance and your driver should be bonded.

In summary, expansion requires that you adopt an operations schedule convenient to clients, and grow a professional staff that can run the business occasionally without your being there. What we are talking about then is management skills in addition to your artistic grooming skills. Simply opening longer hours and more days is not enough; you must market and advertise your expansion.

Marketing & Advertising Expansion

We strongly recommend you read and follow The Madson People and Pet Marketing Program in the management book, From Problems to Profits. It's over 60 pages of ideas, many of which cost much less than a small ad. We know of several pet business owners that have used the system in the business manual to open a chain of 3 to 5 pet grooming salons, even in rural areas. Rather than open one large one, they place several small ones in surrounding towns serving local neighborhoods. The standardization of The Madson Management System in From Problems to Profits gave them the control system they needed to maintain the integrity of a multiple location chain.

If your expansion includes remodeling, it's a great idea to include new conveniences and a fresh outside appearance. Create a press release and circulate to local publications and veterinarian offices. A new sign and paint job is ideal, along with an exterior potty-walk area and also an expanded client reception department make good news. Have a celebration for the re-modeling too and invite your clients to tour your facility. In fact, the Mayor of Santa Clara cut the re-opening ribbon for the remodeling of Madeline's Pet Grooming Salon.

Sometimes expansion for the pet grooming business owner is moving from a home-based or mobile van business into a commercial salon. You can only groom so many pets a day in a van or home. If you are very successful with one of these businesses, consider expanding with a commercial location. You can sometimes continue to operate the van service, but pick-up and delivery may be a better idea. Once you are in a commercial space, you have the most unlimited possibilities to maximize your client base for your market area.

Measuring Response

Your marketing and advertising plan must include a way to measure response. Again, you will find detailed methods to do so in The Madson People and Pet Marketing Program. Your budget for marketing and advertising can quickly be drained by ineffective promotions. Ask every new customer how they heard about your business, and record their source on your filecard for each client.

Madson's Client and Pet History Filecard has a space for referral information. When you prepare your expansion marketing and advertising plan, review your filecards and see what promotions work best. This is wise planning and a way to protect your precious promotional budget. Be sure to send a Thank You card to veterinarians, associates, clients and other contacts that send you a referral. It only takes a moment, and they will remember it for a long time. If they make several referrals a small gift is in order too.