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Managing Your Pet Grooming Business is a Walk in the Dog Park With Excel

Posted by on Friday, June 28th, 2013

Pet groomers are raking in the business. Even during an economic downturn, people are spending money on their cats and dogs. If you own a pet grooming business or are thinking of starting one, Excel is the perfect management tool for taking care of all those little details while you clip away.

My Little Pony Dog

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We love our pets and treat them like members of our family. People think nothing of spending as much on a haircut for their purebred dog as they do on their own hair. A busy pet groomer has to be able to keep track of appointments, expenses and profits. Excel is fantastic for that, but you can do so much more with a spreadsheet to help your business along if you use a PDF to Excel converter.

Unhappy Cat After A Bath

Image source: Catcountry1073.com

If you are a new groomer, you may come across dog breeds you are unfamiliar with. There are plenty of resources online, but by using a PDF to Excel converter you can build a spreadsheet of all the breeds and the various styles of cuts. You probably went to grooming school and they may have given you PDF files or handouts. It’s great to have all that information in one place and to be able to click on your spreadsheet to see how to handle the Coton de Tuléar, with its long, fine white hair.

Many dogs require regular clipping to stay looking nice, and some, like poodles can be clipped in a variety of ways.

Dog grooming has become a competitive art. Groomers with a bent to turn a dog into a living breathing work of art are taking part in competitions where a poodle can be transformed with scissors and dye into a walking canvas.

Dog Grooming Tools

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This kind of craft requires a lot of planning. While some people are appalled by dogs dyed fuschia and teal blue, the groomers use a vegetable dye that is harmless to the animal.

It isn’t only dogs that need grooming. Have you ever tried to bathe a cat? A groomer has the facilities and know how to make it a bit less painful.

A lot of groomers are starting mobile businesses where they go to the pet owner’s home. They have a van or truck set up with equipment. This is a cost effective way to start your business because you don’t have to rent a retail location. People appreciate services that come to them.

It’s much easier to start a mobile grooming business now because you have your smartphone and your laptop to keep in touch with your customers and keep your appointments straight on your spreadsheet.

 

It’s unavoidable, but grooming salons had to deal with pet hair flying everywhere. The last thing you need is piles of paper covered in hair. Make the move to a digital system. All kinds of companies are going paperless and this makes it much easier to manage your business.

Pet grooming isn’t for everyone, but if you love animals and they love you, and you don’t mind being covered in pet hair all day, this can be a successful business venture. If you’re thinking along these lines, start doing your research and putting your business plan together in a spreadsheet. There are franchises available, or you can go independent.  Many of us have a passion or a talent, but we may not be good business managers. That’s what innovative technology is for.