How to Start a Pet Salon of Pet Spa Business 1-2-3

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Pet Spas, Luxury Pet Grooming Businesses or Mobile Pet Salons are all part of a growing niche market in the pet industry. First, figure out who your target market is and then lay out a plan of action. See: pet grooming business plan.

You can open a full-service operation or keep your pet salon business small, enjoying the freedom and flexibility that a smaller entity offers. Mobile pet grooming services are also popular and far from limiting. Find out how much it will cost to start your pet spa using the Start-Up Costs Worksheet.

In any case, working with pets tends to be a more "personal" business, and there are certain business and marketing strategies that will bring in more clients and increase your profits. Following advice from an experienced professional in the pet grooming field can be especially helpful.

How to Start a Pet Spa or Salon Business

Jay Scruggs, Eddie Jacoby and Sue Zecco are all professional pet groomers and business owners who share their specialized knowledge in the Become a Pet Spa Owner start-up guide. You'd be hard-pressed to find this information elsewhere, and this information will set your business steps ahead of other pet spas and salons.

See what you get >>

• Start-up costs, licensing requirements and benefits to partnering with another existing pet business.
  
  
• Necessary equipment and supplies, interior decoration tips and ways to cut operation costs to save money.
  
  
• How to set prices, schedule appointments and develop promotional materials that will win you new clients.

Start Your Own Pet Spa or Salon

 

Steps to Starting a Pet Grooming Business:

1. You'll need to get a business license from your local city or county office and register your business name with your county clerk.

2. It's important to keep personal and business finances separate, especially come tax time. You can open a business bank account for very little cost - sometimes for free. It's a good idea to interview a few banks to compare services. There are many other benefits that a business account can offer, like small business financing or merchant accounts for accepting creadit cards, so make sure to ask.

3. Meet with an insurance agent to find out what insurance you need or may want. You can also use insurance network websites to get business insurance quotes for free.

4. Bookkeeping is an important task, but many people don't like to do it. You can hire a bookkeeper or get business accounting software like Quickbooks Pro that makes the job much easier. Check out tax deductions for small businesses, so you can maximize your profits.

5. Stock up on wholesale pet grooming supplies and equipment, including grooming tables, tubs, crates, grooming arms, dryers, shears, brushes, clippers, nail care tools, organizers, shampoos and rinses (including medicated, all-natural, flea and tick and color enhancing) plus aprons and gloves for staff.

6. Give your customers a professional first impression of your business when they initially contact you. If you have internet service, you can use a virtual phone and fax service with voicemail and lots of other features included for less than $10 a month. Month after month, this can add up to a substantial cost savings.

7. Purchase office supplies, including a pet care agreement form and other business documents like invoices, business letters, contracts, etc..

Get business cards and other promotional materials you'll need for your pet salon like brochures and postcards. Hand them out to people you know and include them in all correspondence. Business cards work well as cheap advertising too. 250 Free Business Cards. See also: business card sample designs.

8. Set up a website to advertise your pet salon services by showing photos of happy clientele, providing spa contact information, offering discounts and detailed information that potential customers want. You can save money by creating your own website with simple online design programs.

 

Marketing Your Pet Salon Business

Get Free Publicity
Besides advertising in your local yellow pages and placing ads in newspapers and neighborhood mailers, you can save money by writing a brief press release or "letter" to your local paper announcing your company's premier opening.

Offer a special discount or free offer for first-time customers, and publications will find this more newsworthy. This means that they're more likely to publish news about your company. Your press release doesn't have to be long, and you can find press release samples here: How to Get Free Press.

Want to reach local customers with a special offer? Post your deal on SignPost. There are no up front marketing costs, and you can advertise discounts, sales and other offers to attract local and mobile shoppers to your business. See also: Help local customers find you online.

Postcard Marketing
Do a postcard mailing to introduce your pet salon and spa services to local pet owners. Using low-cost online services makes this an easy marketing task. First, choose a special offer that you want to announce to potential customers. Second, design your postcards online using professional postcard templates with VistaPrint (you can get 50% off here). And third, get targeted leads from a lead generation company like Resource Nation.

 

Pet Salon or Grooming Business Resources:

• World Pet Association
  The WPA brings the pet world together, so quality interaction and education between and among product suppliers and pet owners can create healthier, happier pets and a healthier, more productive pet industry..
• Pet Care Services Association
  The Pet Care Services Association is a non-profit trade association for nearly 3000 pet care service businesses in the United States and around the world.