How to Build a Dog Grooming Business Around the Life You Want

“Just one minute.”

That used to be one of the most common phrases in my home.

I’d be running my daughter’s bath while texting Charlie Cavapoo’s dad a choice of appointments. I’d be cooking tea while reading a message from Bella’s mum saying she couldn’t make it tomorrow. And when my children needed me?

“Just one minute.”

I thought it was simply the price of being a business owner. And to some extent I was right. As business owners, we can’t always leave ALL the work behind us in the salon. 

Successful businesses do require a dose of flexibility and the acceptance that occasional ‘out of hours’ work needs to be done; Especially in the early days when we’re building. 

But 6 - 7 years into my dog grooming business, and work/life balance was still something I completely sucked at. 

I’d gone into self employment with the notion that I would have more flexibility and control over my working hours (& money), not less. 

Yet, I'd built a business that sucked every ounce of my energy, consumed the majority of my thoughts with how I could improve it, and left my family with the left overs. 

How did I get into that situation?
How do so many groomers still get into that situation? A dream that turns into a burden without even realising it?

I think it boils down to a lack of knowing our exact goals. Where exactly do we want to get to?

What kind of money? What kind of hours?
I mean the specifics.

Not the easy answer of “more money, less hours”, but exact figures!  

And, just as importantly, setting those goals around the life we want to protect. 

It’s our default mode to set business goals and let our home-life fill in the space we have left. 

What if we flipped that? 

What if we asked ourselves:

What season of life am I currently in? What do I want to protect within it? What space do I have left for my business in this season? 

I’m not saying, we should all hop on the ‘unrealistic hopes & dreams train’ and aspire for £70k salaries while working 8 hour weeks, so we can protect our daily yoga class, do every school run and have brunch with friends twice a week. 

(That would be lovely, but I’m here for real discussion, not to blow smoke up your behind). 

But, what if we remembered that we became business owners, not employees, for a reason!? We can prioritise what’s important to us. And as the boss, we can put measures in place to protect it! 

Perhaps you have young children and want to be there for the school run? 

Perhaps your parents are getting older and you want the time to support them?

Perhaps you’re managing your own health, planning a family or simply realising that working every Saturday is no longer the life you want?

That isn’t a lack of ambition. It’s prioritisation.

Your goals are far more likely to succeed when they’re built around the reality of your life right now, rather than a fantasy version of yourself who apparently has unlimited time, energy and childcare.

Let’s be honest, our goals change as we change. As we age, as we enter different stages of life, as the demands on our time increase or reduce. As we pass through seasons in our life! 

We need to look at our reality and build for the person we are & the responsibilities we have, not the person we were 5 years ago or the person we will be 5 years from now. 

Embracing my season of life, the home life I wanted to protect, acknowledging what fuelled me and what drained me..

That’s the self acknowledgment  that helped me to get the focus I needed in my business, as I knew I wasn’t going to dedicate unlimited time to it. 

My businesses have a rigid container in my life and they aren’t allowed to seep out and take away my time or energy with my family anymore. 

So, when I’m working in my businesses, you won’t find me doom scrolling or wasting energy on the metrics that don’t matter. 

You’ll find me doing the work that moves the needle: writing the emails, supporting the members in the community, researching and polishing the lessons.

Because I know that I don’t have endless time to waste if I want to protect what matters. 

It was a simple shift to make, but don’t mistake simple for ‘easy’.

It’s the kind of work I encourage in the Academy.  But let me give you a head start:  

Take a piece of paper and answer these three questions:

1. What do I want my life to look and feel like over the next three to five years?
2. What needs protecting during this season; my health, family time, weekends, income or energy?
3. What must change in my business to make that possible?

That final answer might involve better financial clarity,  firmer communication boundaries, different hours, better systems or simply planning your busiest and quietest periods more deliberately.

A goal such as “I want to stop working Saturdays” is only a wish until you decide:

• When will my final Saturday be?
• When will I stop accepting bookings?
• When will I tell my clients?
• What needs to change financially before then?

That’s the difference between having a vision and having a strategy.

You’re not giving up on the business you want. You’re giving it a much better chance of succeeding, without sacrificing the life it was supposed to support. 

You’re becoming the version of you with focus not blind hope.

You’re allowed to build a successful dog grooming business that supports the life you want. Start by being honest about the life you’re living now, then give your goals the numbers, boundaries and steps they need.

Listen to Episode 7 of The Business of Dog Grooming Podcast for more on setting goals around your current season of life and working backwards from the future you want.

LISTEN TO EPISODE 7 HERE