HI, I'M KAREN,

A partner, mother, dog groomer, maths geek and business coach. But they're just titles! 

Who am I really? 

I'm someone who wants more for the dog grooming industry.

Why?

Because I AM a dog groomer and I know the frustrations many of you face...

...the feeling of being walked all over by clients, the disrespect of no-shows, the sadness of clipping off a matted coat yet the owner won't listen and learn. The resentment that builds when you work SO HARD, but still don't earn enough to reflect it? 

Hitting a nerve yet? 

I'm someone who can see a future where groomers are seen as skilled professionals, not by the minority but by the general public.

I can see a future where we're listened to! Respected! And can demand abundant salaries from our businesses that reflect our skills...!

I can see a future where matted dogs are a rarity because we as an industry have learned how to educate owners so they actually listen! 

I can see a future where groomers have the business knowledge to maintain control AND enjoyment in their roles.

I'm on a mission to build that future! 

You joining me?  

My story

I've been a dog groomer since 2009, but I'm also a business educator, speaker and qualified coach with a passion for helping dog groomers build businesses that are both profitable and enjoyable to run.

Over the last 17 years I've combined real, hands-on experience of running and growing my own dog grooming business with extensive study in business strategy, pricing, marketing, branding and coaching. The result is The Dog Grooming Business Academy:  a place where dog groomers can learn business principles designed specifically for our industry.

Like many groomers, I didn't enter this profession because I dreamed about pricing strategies or profit margins. I simply loved dogs and wanted the freedom that came with running my own business.

So, at 28 years old, I left my career in the aviation industry and retrained as a dog groomer.

I experienced the same challenges so many groomers still face today. The early grooms that don't quite go to plan. The temptation to compete on price. The self-doubt. The pressure to say yes to everyone. The feeling that everyone else somehow knows what they're doing.

Despite those challenges, I built a fully booked grooming business, expanded into larger premises, employed staff and continued growing whilst welcoming my first child.

But as the business grew, so did the demands.

There came a point where I realised that being busy wasn't the same as running a successful business. I understood what it felt like to be overwhelmed, constantly firefighting and wondering why a full diary didn't necessarily translate into the income, balance or enjoyment I'd imagined.

That realisation changed everything.

Rather than walking away from the profession, I became determined to understand business properly.

I enrolled with the Open University, initially studying Mathematics and Its Learning with the intention of becoming a teacher. Unexpectedly, those studies led me back to dog grooming with an entirely new perspective.

I began applying structured thinking to business.

I immersed myself in pricing strategy, business finance, marketing, branding and adult learning. Alongside my degree, I invested heavily in further education, coaching qualifications and business training, combining academic knowledge with everything I'd already learned from years inside the grooming industry.

I gained complete clarity over my pricing, understood exactly what my business needed to earn, created stronger systems and boundaries, improved my client communication and, perhaps most importantly, rediscovered my enjoyment of grooming.

That journey became the foundation for The Dog Groomers' Business Engine; the signature framework at the heart of The Dog Grooming Business Academy.

It isn't built on theory alone.

It's built on years of running a grooming business, studying business strategy, testing ideas in the real world and refining the systems that genuinely work for dog groomers.

Every lesson I studied I pushed through the lens of a dog groomer and created specific and actionable strategies just for the industry. 

Can I teach generic business strategy? Yes!

Do I? No. 

Gradually, my own dog grooming business transformed.

Since then I have:

• Trained  as a professional ICF coach..

• Delivered seminars at industry events including MasterGroom, Pet Pro Expo and The Great British Grooming Show.

• Guest lectured on the business of dog grooming at Capel Manor College.

• Been featured multiple times in Total Grooming Magazine, including the front cover twice.

• Welcomed over 200 women into The Dog Grooming Business Academy during its first year alone.

Today, my mission is simple.

To help dog groomers stop guessing.

To replace overwhelm with clarity.

To build businesses that are financially sustainable, professionally respected and enjoyable to run.

Because I believe success isn't about working harder.

It's about understanding how every part of your business works together—and having the confidence to run it with purpose.