Do you love working with pets and want to start working with them? You might be interested in pet-related businesses. However, you should stand out from this incredibly saturated niche and consider a mobile pet grooming service instead. It’s an exciting prospect since you get to bring convenience and comfort to pet parents while showing off your skills as a groomer.
There are many ways to turn your love for furry animals into a successful venture – if you know how and if done correctly. With our help, we can explore some essential steps to start building your mobile pet grooming empire. If you’re ready, read on and learn what it takes to become successful in the world of doggy spa days and kitty makeovers!
Visit Your Furry Friends for Convenience and Comfort
Are you ready to provide a service that brings convenience and comfort to pet owners and their pets? Then, you’ll appreciate mobile pet grooming even more! Follow our tips below:
Make Sure You Have the Skills
Before breaking into the business, you must have the skills to back your services. If you have other employees, do a background check and know more about their work experience. You don’t want to give your customers a horrible experience, as bad services mean bad business for your brand.
Furthermore, it’s best to practice your animal-handling skills. For instance, you should know the differences between the proper way of handling puppies and adult dogs. You must also be patient and learn to understand their body language to protect yourself in case they get annoyed.
Create a Business Plan
If you want to establish your business legally, the first step is to develop a solid and thorough business plan. It’s going to be your guide as you grow your business. It should also include your goals, such as expansion possibilities.
Apart from future plans, you’ll need to detail your costs as well. It includes:
• Marketing
• Supplies
• Fuel and transportation costs
• Vehicle maintenance and repairs
• Payroll
After that, you’ll dive into the legal stuff. You must choose your business structure and business name, get a general business license, and acquire insurance for your employees and business. You must also open a new bank account to remain legally compliant and organized when tax season comes. At the same time, check your state’s requirements because you’ll probably need additional licenses or permits.
Choose the Right Vehicle
Another factor you must consider is the vehicle you’re going to use. It should be large enough to accommodate everything you need. You can hire someone to transform your van and equip it with the necessary fixtures, or purchase a pre-made mobile pet grooming vehicle if you have the budget.
Depending on your theme, you can install some auto window stickers to effectively advertise your pet grooming service on the go. You may also want to get creative and use large, colorful window decals to make a statement.
It’s the best way to help boost your business’ brand, making it more noticeable when you’re out in the streets. People who see your logo will slowly familiarize themselves with your services, so they will remember you when they’re looking for an on-call pet grooming service in the area.
Source All Important Supplies for Your Vehicle
Once your business is legally allowed to start, and you have your vehicle, you’ll need to gather all the supplies needed. Since your business plan is ready, review it again because it contains the breakdown of all possible expenses for obtaining your supplies.
Standard supplies every mobile pet grooming van needs:
• Power generator
• Water tank
• Water heater
• Sink
• Cleaning/grooming table
• Lighting
• Dryers
• Non-slip flooring
• Waste containers
• Space for storage
• Grooming supplies: Shampoos, clippers, blades, brushes, combs, etc.
Once you have everything, it’s essential to organize and clean these tools often to avoid health and safety risks for both you and your customers’ pets.
Set Your Prices
Decide on a competitive price range that best suits your services. Research pet-related businesses in your area to know how much you should charge pet owners.
You can begin by checking other mobile pet grooming services and their price range. Find out how they ended up with that price, so you can determine what you need to add into your computations to offer fair rates.
Some factors to focus on:
• Fuel and transportation costs
• Supplies used
• Average time spent per client
• Number of pets groomed
• Labor or skills
Also, you can offer discounts to your regular customers or those who avail of more than one service at a time. It allows you to gain loyal clients without sacrificing your business’s financial situation.
Market Your Services
Getting the word out for people to know more about you is essential. It’s not just your brand but the people behind it, too. You can start by building your website, creating business profiles on social media, and posting on classified websites.
You can also use other digital marketing tactics like SEO, content writing, and email campaigns. It allows you to reach more people with different interests and create a bond between you and your customers.
Optimizing modern marketing strategies will let people know you’re active and relevant, so remember the internet’s ability to help your business grow. Hire a professional marketing specialist if you want to focus on running your business, and witness an increase in your customers.
Maintain Excellent Customer Service
Once you gain more customers, you have to maintain your good customer service. How you treat your customers and their pets will affect your reputation, not just your skill or your rates’ affordability. If a customer experiences something unpleasant, they’ll immediately tell their friends and family about it.
Some will write negative reviews, which can be the beginning of the end. It has happened to numerous other businesses, so the possibility of it happening to you is never zero. Do your best to avoid being a part of this statistic with these tips:
• Understand customer expectations
• Don’t hesitate to communicate
• Offer value and quality
• Be professional always
• Have background knowledge and expertise
• Develop your skills
If you have employees, remind them that customer service is essential for the business. Remember to acknowledge, appreciate, and reward their efforts since they’re an extension of you. It will create a positive work environment and increase productivity, while your employees strive to provide the best experience to every pet owner.
Grow Your Mobile Pet Grooming Business with Our Tips
Mobile pet grooming businesses require dedication and hard work from inception to success. It won’t take much work, but you can make it to the top with the right setting and techniques. Make wise decisions along the way, and always put your love for animals beforehand.