To the
amazement of the thousands of career seekers that visit the
PetGroomer.com web site each year, pet grooming is not a formally
licensed profession such as veterinarians or hairstylists for
people. In fact the licensing issue (often confused with groomer
certification programs) is one of the leading topics of research
indicated by our site visitors. To them, as to us, it seems ironic
that hairstylists for people are formally licensed, but not pet
groomers. And why not? Both work on living creatures be they human
or pet, and both are very valuable to their families.
Pet
care services provided by pet groomers may not be as potentially
life-threatening as medical procedures provided by veterinarians,
but is that to say that pet groomers do not perform complex pet
care procedures in addition to fine styling? Of course they do.
There are several areas of pet care procedures provided by pet
groomers that portend some level of risk to pets especially when
performed by a new and amateur pet groomer? Even a licensed
hairstylist does not work superficially with body openings
compared to pet groomers that regularly expel anal glands.
How
many pet groomers have been trained not allow pets to lick at the
shampoo suds around their mouth, toxic or natural, when washing
their faces? How many pet groomers have had training to handle
aged, ill and disabled pets? It's hard to admit, but each year
many pets die in cage dryers by pet groomers not trained in their
proper use and application. Perhaps most pet owners and the
government do not realize that licensing pet groomers would do far
more than ensure that pet groomers have been trained and tested in
artistic styling, but more importantly they have been trained in
sound traditions of pet care known for safety, supervision and
humane policies and procedures.
Today
pet groomers have "free license" to simply act on their
own goodwill to provide professional pet care? Thankfully most pet
groomers do a proper job because they sincerely love pets, and the
profession is a tremendous source of self-esteem and contribution
to their communities. However, pet owners deserve more confidence
from the industry, and pet groomers deserve far more professional
recognition from consumers. Licensing can do that and it is an
important pathway toward a far more prosperous industry
characteristic of other licensed professions. Professional
licensing is the way of the "American System" in
which we live and work, and there is no other recourse that
promises more benefits to both the provider and recipient (in this
case both people and their beloved pets).
Groomer
Vocational Licensing - Part One
We are going to keep
coming back to this one statement that no one seems to really say
to groomers out there in our industry. It is simply this, any
industry without vocational licensing opens itself to a roller
coaster of common operational problems as a result of not being
organized as a body. Vocational licensing improves the prospect
for a more more stable and skilled labor supply, better and more
available business insurance including more effective malpractice,
increased manufacturer research and development of improved tools
of the trade, more public recognition and respect of pet grooming
as a "real" profession, and that means for the first
time in the history of this industry we will achieve the common
attribute of all other licensed professionals, and that is the
ability to justify better fees. Vocational
licensing does affect public perception and respect,
and managed right can lead to better groomer incomes, and less
complaints from those already complaining about fees when most
groomers make only very average for their strenuous work.
Vocational licensing
opens a door to the potential for more profitable businesses, and
it is only by profit that an industry can continue to invest in it
future. Profitability leads to many advancements that help
groomers to reduce wear and tear on their physical being. Some say
it's the added "red tape" that makes them say
"nay" to vocational licensing. Is that why so many are
willing to maintain the present stressful environment of grooming,
and forget their physical well-being, health and potential for
increased profitability? Hundreds of groomers have called us over
the years as consultants saying, "I did it all. I did all the
grooming, the reception work, the clean up, the bookkeeping,,
everything. My body is shot and I have a business that I can't
sell for enough to support me in retirement for more than a year
or two. Now what do I do?" Doesn't this sad state-of-affairs
deserve to a kick to the history by moving into a league of other
vocationally licensed professions who don't seem to endure the
problems we have today as an industry. Is it worth wearing
ourselves out to simply maintain and disregard the costs of
change? If so, too many groomers and business owners respect pets
more themselves and there is something wrong in that priority as
we are the providers for those pets counting on us.
Most groomers are
perhaps too tired and stressed to really understand this issue.
With so many groomers unwilling or unable to hire employees, they
are indeed burdened with work, and quite physical work it is.
Tired and stressed people often fall into quick excuses like
"more red tape" that have merit of course, but at what a
price? As we grow a business we delegate. The master groom does
"finish work" most of the day, and delegates the rigors
of de-matting, brushing, and combing in the warm, wet and humid
bathing departments to the "young" of the industry. They
get to focus more on the art of grooming, that which they love
best. Someday they can eventually grow a business where they groom
occasionally and manager more working with their clientele. They
saved their bodies and feel better all the time! There are people
doing this and many are our clients, but they didn't wait for the
profession to be licensed but started building businesses that
"acted" as if the industry already was licensed.
A business that grows
larger typically becomes more valuable and it's eventual sale can
contribute to the owner's retirement. Few one person grooming
businesses sell for more than $20,000. How many grooming business
owners own a business for even 30 years and cannot sell it for one
times annual gross income. Worse yet, how many owners build a
moderately large business pf 20+ years and have we see have a hard
time getting just $25,000. It's nothing less than ridiculous, and
it never had to be this way but as an industry we allow it. We and
clients have created businesses that sell for great market values
assigned by certified appraisers in amounts of $100,00 to more
than $250,000. Anyone should be able to get about one times their
business' annual gross income. How is it done? Well, if grooming
was vocationally licensed we would likely have a plethora of
sources of information on such matters distributed to all licensed
members as part of their professional associations. For now, you
have to look to writers, production companies, and management
consultants.
Look at all the
vocationally licensed professions out there and realize that in
general the whole of the public recognizes them as a "real
professional." They get more respect, and most get less
complaints about services fees than some grooming business owners.
If pet grooming is ever to justify better fees and communicate its
worth to the consumer body, it will have to be done through
vocational licensing. It's the way our country and system of
business works.
How many know that in
the 1960's a body of groomers did organize and submit a bill to
the Assembly of the State of California led by Madeline
Bright Ogle? It was tough even then, and eventually all
non-essential bills before the Assembly including this group's
bill, were shelved for years as the Viet Nam escalated. In the
meantime, the group disbanded, but today many of those groomers
own major businesses from the knowledge and experience they gained
going through the process. They went ahead and individually
created growing businesses that self-adopted the professional
regimen they proposed for state licensing to varying degrees. In
one area you have a tremendous concentration of large grooming
businesses, and they are not at war with each other like so many
groomers with others in their market area.
One thing has changed
since the 1960's. It's even more expensive to get any bill passed
today when there is not a cry from the public for its adoption.
Lobbying is most often required to pass bills, and probably even
grooming vocational licensing. We are talking money, and possibly
lots of money and professional guidance. And why is this?
Governments know there exists a tremendous potential for financial
gain in organizing a profession. Groomers would be entering a
league with doctors, dentists, architects and more. On the whole,
vocationally licensed professions are usually populated with large
numbers of upper middle class and higher persons. So why would the
"system" allow groomers to gain so much just because
they finally got together and agreed to be licensed? That's
fantasy. Tremendous financial made possible by entering the league
of vocationally licensed professions is likely to have a big price
tag. However, that's not the point here. The point is, these
governments seem to know a lot more about the potential benefits
of vocational licensing than today's body of groomers. How ironic.
Finally, if we don't
do it for ourselves, how about licensing this profession for the
good of millions of pet owners and pets who deserve to know that
every groomer has a minimum education in the proper care and
safety of pets. Don't pet owners and their pets deserve to know
that not just anyone can decide one day to hang out a sign saying
"Pet Grooming Services" and open business with
absolutely no formal training or prior experience? We are not
talking about a profession handling inanimate objects, but beloved
pets. Living animals and their owners should never be relegated to
simply "buyer beware" excuses for an unorganized
industry.
Groomer vocational
licensing is an important and extensive topic, and continues on
the next page.
