As an owner of a Pet Grooming School, potential students always ask, “how much money can a dog groomer make?’’ This is an important question before signing up for any dog grooming course. I always tell students to research the website of local mobile pet groomers and review their fees before they enroll in any dog groomer training program. Self-employed mobile groomers generally earn about $85-$130 per dog, not including tips. Conservatively, a mobile groomer should be able to groom approximately 4-5 dogs per day (that’s $425/day on the low side, not including tips). During every grooming class, a student will raise their hand and say, “I have a friend who works for a salon and they only earn about $30k per year.” Yes, that can be true too, but we always encourage graduates to try to work on their own. We then get into the discussion, “but I don’t feel confident in my abilities. Shouldn’t I work with an experienced groomer first.?” Here’s my answer, “Lean-in!” As women, we are always doubting our abilities. We second guess ourselves all the time. We tell the story “I am not good enough.” And then that becomes the reality. When I decided to start our first grooming enterprise, we made the decision that my husband, Jim, would attend grooming school in New York and I would attend an online school for pet grooming. Jim attended the New York School of Dog Grooming and took a Basic 100-hour grooming course. This grooming class was very similar to the pet grooming course we offer at our grooming academy. I had appointments scheduled for him the day after he completed his dog groomer training. Was he the best groomer on his first day? Certainly not. Was he comparable to the grooms being churned out at the local big box pet store? Pretty much. There were times in the beginning that clients simply did not like his grooms, to which we gracefully processed a prompt refund. Providing one or two refunds was certainly more profitable than sharing 50% of the grooming fees with a shop. I am not knocking shops. I have owned quite a few grooming salons and have employed commissioned groomers myself. However, when people want to earn a significant income, the way to accomplish that is to be self-employed. Groomers can earn six figure incomes (yes, over $100,000) working for themselves. Our family of five lived very well with one working, trained groomer. There were no other incomes in our household and I can attest first-hand to the lucrative nature of the business. Visit any of the pet groomer trade shows and you will see numerous successful groomers selling products, competing in competitions and making a very good income. It all starts with having the confidence to go forth and groom on your own. As women, we need to have faith in our abilities. My favorite email was from a lovely student, Angel, who gave up a 25-year-career as a Dental Assistant for her pup passion. She was earning about $500 per day in her new mobile business and couldn’t be happier. She purchased a grooming van right out of school and off she went. She is booked several months in advance. We have many other students who attended our dog groomer school and began lucrative grooming businesses out of their homes. A pet stylist could groom half the number of dogs in their basement and make the same amount as working in a salon receiving a 50% commission. One doesn’t have to possess vast business knowledge to work for themselves. A nice Facebook page and a free website often does the trick to jump start a pet grooming business. Credit card payments can now be accepted on mobile phones. And don’t forget to add the tip option to your credit card transactions. Tips alone can add up easily to $500+ per month. I often hear from naysayers on social media who complain that a grooming van costs money and there’s a fuel cost to mobile grooming. Yes, there’s an initial investment in a mobile unit; however, pre-owned units can easily be found online for under $10,000. Our mobile grooming RV cost $8500. We repaid that debt in the first two months of grooming. And we sold it for $5000 when we switched to salon grooming. There is a fuel cost; however, where ever you work, you will pay for gas to commute to and from work. Wouldn’t you rather spend your gas money working with pets than driving to a job that you hate every day? Gas for mobile grooming is completely tax deductible, as well. Try deducting your mileage for an office job. The water for your mobile grooming unit is free if you have well water—just take it from your hose. If you have public water, expect to use about 10 gallons of water per day. The rest of the expenses are simply shampoos and grooming products. When we first started, we used a few choice products and we were off to the races. I used to wear designer suits and shoes to work every day. Believe me, the shampoo is much cheaper.
We need to set ourselves up for success as women. And we must stop self-sabotaging and saying, “I can’t.” We can. You can.
Contact us at Dog Grooming School of Pennsylvania if you would like to start training as a Professional Dog Groomer. (215) 752-1111.