Today
more than 75% of U.S. citizens call their pet dogs and cats
"family members." But the modern world of pet grooming
is still a place of caveat emptor for pet owners when
selecting a pet groomer. Professional licensing is not a cure-all,
but it does give more confidence to the pet owner. For pet
groomers there are many positive benefits along with "red
tape." However, the benefits of licensing a profession can
make the red tape worth it if the organized professions uses its unified
force. Some times you have to climb the hill to enjoy an
unending view. Licensed pet groomers could enjoy far more powerful
collective purchasing power in their industry for essential
products, services and even critical requirements like adequate
and effective business insurance. As a unified force, professional
pet groomers could communicate their needs and influence
manufacturer's research and development to produce far more
improved tools and supplies, and at better prices. Where there are
chronic shortages of skilled labor, there would be the opportunity
to create more stable supplies of better trained personnel through
improved vocational education using common standards of training.
This is only the beginning.
The
diversity of the pet grooming industry is interesting and somewhat
unique. There are home-based groomers, mobile groomers and
commercial salons. We've spoken to many home-based pet groomers
that dread, and even fear, state licensing. They often fear the
costs of licensing and the chance that it might restrict the
opportunity for grooming in the home. But state licensing did
little to eliminate home-based hair styling, although hair styling
is today predominately conducted in a commercial setting. When
analyzing the response of the industry to state licensing, we
strongly suggest that a profile be taken to determine the
relationships of those pet groomers preferring or rejecting state
licensing.
In our
personal opinion, the greatest benefit that may, and should,
result from the effort to license this important profession is the
development of more joint working relationships between pet
groomers near and far. It is far too common in this industry for
pet groomers in the same town to not even talk to each other as
professionals, and where they could co-support pet care in their
communities. It is nothing less than a shameful blemish on our
industry, and immature. Perhaps state licensing represents the
maturation of our industry. There will always be competition in
business, but today competition amongst pet groomers focuses on
the available consumer supply. People, there is a great deal more
business out there in the millions of pet owners that have to gain
an awareness of the benefits of professional pet grooming. In
fact, there are approximately 6,000 pet dogs and cats in the U.S.
for every pet grooming business today listed in the Buyer's Guide.
How many pet grooming businesses have such a clientele? Few. Why?
Consumer awareness that is just being relied upon by thousands of
pet groomers. As an organized and licensed profession, pet
groomers could form advertising councils whose charge is to inform
growing numbers of pet owners of the benefits of professional pet
grooming. In California, there are many such organizations, for
cheese, for milk, for grapes. They spread the word of the benefits
of all cheese makers, dairy farms and grape growers as one. It
works well for their collective goals. Wouldn't the same system
work for pet grooming? Indeed, inserting a new public image
of a professional groomer as a knowledgeable, well-trained
professional offering qualified skills and services for both
the pet and pet owner into the public consciousness could catapult
the profession to a new and deserved level of prosperity from a
largely increased demand for pet grooming services by consumers.
In fact, how could it not?
Who
are the members in our industry that desire not state licensing?
Their dread may be well-founded, but what are they not seeing that
licensing visionaries see? Do they not see the collective benefits
of licensing for the industry albeit after the initial
complications of implementing it? Are the nay Sayers so prosperous
now they don't want change? Or are they troubled and fearful
voices struggling to survive in an industry, beset by a poor
public image of a pet groomer trying to validate their need for
fair service fees in order to net a decent living from pet
grooming and maintain a well-equipped operation? Perhaps they are
fearful of affording change. How many of them have learned, as we
have through our industry few business management consultants,
that to become prosperous and stable through economic change
they must become "business persons that groom," and not
just highly-skilled and artistic pet groomers?
Licensing
can bring about unique and affordable educational opportunities,
and at the very least create more awareness, for management
training as well as pet grooming training. Indeed there are
licensed hairstylists that are not prosperous, but they have made
choice not to listen and apply the wonderful salon management
training available from their licensed industry. Pet groomers must
unite on a party platform, a unified voice, if they want
to make a tomorrow that will bring them prosperity gained only by
unification. Not only will they benefit, but in the end, so will
millions of pets, and isn't that the common bond of all pet
groomers. If we must let us simply go forward as one, formally
licensed, for the good of the pet and their families. Let us
educate the mass of pet owners how we can best care for their
pet's grooming needs and help them to make their pets happy and
healthy with regular grooming. Maybe then millions of pet owners
will make their first visit to a licensed pet groomer and discover
the convenience, peace-of-mind and happiness that professional
grooming offers them as a responsible pet owner.
Advancements
are made by working together, locally and afar. But to proclaim
advancement for one and all is an attitude. Attitude
really is everything. You cannot unify and earn the rewards of
unification without looking at each member's attitudes and looking
for the attitude that says "I am willing to make the changes
needed to unify my industry, and to gain the promised rewards of a
unified voice. So be it!" It has worked for other industries,
why not pet grooming? Now is the time. The majority of voting
households in the U.S. have one or more pet dogs and cats that
could benefit from grooming, and most households consider these
pets as family members and the pet population is increasing. Now,
how much more do we need as an industry to take to our
Congresspersons than a majority of voters that love pets. Indeed,
if the politician kisses the babies for votes, they can do the
same for their pets! That's our attitude. If you communicate to it
the politician and their aides, they will see it. In fact, we
recently did just that and the Mayor of a California city came out
and cut the ribbon for a new grooming school residing in their
district. You know what, it was an easy sell too. This wise Mayor
knew that pets are families and families are voters.
It
really is the positive collective attitude of the pet
grooming industry and its members' unending commitment that will
secure formal licensing. It will require lobbying no doubt, and
our funding a small amount each to the cause to support that
effort. Why does it take so much commitment, effort and funding?
Because "they", the system, know that formal licensing
will bring the pet grooming industry hundreds of millions of
dollars more gross income each year. Imagine that. The system
knows it, but many pet groomers don't! The system clearly knows
that with licensing the licensed professional justifies better
fees, and exert more control on the cost and supply of its
operational requirements. The system knows that collective
purchasing power is certain to create more net income for licensed
members. The system knows that a well-organized profession can
reach millions of more new consumers through cost-efficient
collective advertising. The system knows! Do we? Pet groomers can
collectively send a new message to millions more pet owners and
initiate them to advantages of professional grooming. Oh yes,
nothing comes for free in the system. There is a price to pay for
this golden acknowledgement. The system also knows that the price
can easily be met by a unified industry. For example, if each of
the approximately 20,000 pet grooming business in the U.S. today
would only donate (or speculate as the attitude of the donor may
be) $100 to the cause, our industry would have $2,000,000
to purchase the professional help our industry needs for lawyers
and lobbyists well-versed in securing formal licensing. A small
price indeed. In fact, it is ridiculously small and we should each
give more as needed. If each $100 donation did eventually result
in making licensing a reality, and as a result that brought the
donor one new client, they would be reimbursed with interest for
their donation within a few appointments. One client, a few
appointments and some of my time to help for a revelation. Where
have we been as an industry for all these decades? This is the
imagination and reality that results from the collective force of
a unified industry, and not from an industry characterized by the
priority of individual viewpoints and little in the way of any
defining boundaries and goals. "Do your own thing"
industries are stagnant, and never are they highly-prosperous
except for the very few.
Shall
the industry continue to falter on state licensing because not all
of today's pet groomers agree on the need for state licensing? In
our opinion, not if it affects the prosperity of the simple
majority. Not if it affects the certainty that more pets will
receive proper pet care. Thousands of career seekers visiting
PetGroomer.com have little or no resistance to the concept, in
fact, most think licensing already exists. Limited thinking brings
about limited results, but unlimited thinking can bring about a
new reality for pet groomers unified with collective goals for pet
owners, pets, their industry and themselves.
In
2006-7 additional attempts to
license groomers in
Massachusetts, New York,
Pennsylvania and California. The
latter is essentially shelved as
we write this update.
Unfortunately it is NOT groomers
organizing these efforts to
vocationally license the
profession, but to reform
proposed legislation written by
non-groomers (legislators)
responding to news coverage of
pets tragically killed in
grooming businesses sometimes
broadcasted on CNN and published
in major publications such as
Wall St. Journal. You may additional information on groomer certification of
interest on Certification & Licensing
Main Menu. The
GroomerTALK Message Board is
also the best place to get the
latest information.
The
first step and most crucial step for professional licensing is the
writing of a statement of fiduciary relationship. You are
fortunate, we have an initial basis for one on the next page.
