Stepping into a Blue Wheelers Business as a Mobile Dog Groomer

posted 16 October, 2024 – by master

Bonnie took over Blue Wheelers Lakelands, WA, from the previous owner and is now celebrating her one-year milestone as a dog groomer with Blue Wheelers.

We get so excited when a new Franchisee thrives in their business. It’s a different experience when someone buys an established business versus staring in a brand new territory and building from scratch.

Firstly, you have clients ready to go and already booked in for future bookings. This can be a double edged sword as customers do get very attached to their Groomer as do the dogs. Change can be difficult. However, our new Groomers are trying their very best to build customer trust and, more often than not, win their established customers over very quickly.

Secondly, it’s often easier to acquire a business loan for an established business as profit and loss records are available. Having said that, our new groomers starting from scratch these days are typically building their businesses and hitting their income targets within 4 – 5 months. This is simply due to the fact that dog ownership since the pandemic has increased dramatically.

Here’s some quick Q and A’s with Bonnie.

1. 1. How are you feeling about your business today?
      Oh, I’m feeling really positive. I’m very happy with how quickly I have built the business up. There’s all the customers I had on board from the beginning, and I’ve added lots of new customers to my client list which is so great. I always wanted to increase the days and hours on the business and I’ve done that.
   2. Taking your mind back to a year ago when you first started, can you believe how far you’ve come? Tell us a little about the past year.
      Time has gone so quickly. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this past year. I’ve met some lovely customers and even more lovely fur babies. I still only remember my clients by their dogs’ names 😂.
   3. At what point in the past year do you feel you hit your stride and felt confident about your decision to join Blue Wheelers?
      I think around the fourth month. That’s when my confidence increased and I felt like a genuine Dog Groomer. In that time frame, everything fell into place. It definitely became clear that I was doing great grooms. I was grooming dogs, my customers were happy, both the four and two legged customers, and I was getting lots of compliments from them. 🥇
   4. Bonnie, you’ve likely groomed over one thousand dogs by now, do you have a favourite breed?
      That’s a really tough one as I love all my dogs. I don’t really have a favourite Breed, but I definitely have a few favourite clients. Shhhh…don’t tell all my customers but I have a very soft spot for Max the mini Poodle, Paisely the ‘never stays white’ Westie, and Mack the giant 85kg mastiff (big baby) but don’t make me choose, it’s too hard. I love them all.
   5. You must have built some really good bonds with the dogs and their pawrents, tell us how that makes you feel?
      Now that’s an easier question. Watching a dog getting excited to see you is just the best feeling. It totally makes my day. I love how some of my customers send me little memes that they know I’ll find funny.
      The down side is when dogs pass over the rainbow bridge. It’s not easy as you grow very attached to all the dogs and when they pass away it’s really sad for any groomer and, of course, the dogs’ family. It’s part of the business and it does affect you if you have been grooming that dog for a long time. You find immense peace in knowing that you were part of that dog’s life for so long and, in many ways, a part of the family too. Sometimes, you’ll be asked to do their final groom in preparation for that final day. That’s sad but a gift at the same time.😔
   6. Oh, that’s hard Bonnie and it’s great that you have fellow groomers and a support team to debrief when needed. Thinking about the support you have received from Blue Wheelers from the beginning, do you still find value in knowing that support is there, despite being more confident about running your business?
      That’s a definite yes. My team support in WA, Mark and Kristie, have been an awesome support for me. And knowing that there is help and advice, if needed, gives me enormous peace of mind.
   7. On a scale of 1 – 10 (1 being worst decision and 10 being best decision), what number would you rate your decision on buying a Blue Wheelers business? Why did you pick that number?
      I think a 9/10. Having the Blue Wheelers business set up has really helped me find my feet very quickly. I don’t think that would have happened if I’d just bought a trailer and started this myself. There has been great Training and support the whole way. I’ve got the great customers and future bookings but, on the flip side, an older trailer which requires more maintenance than I expected.
   8. What plans do you have to grow your business further over the next few years?
      Just keep improving my grooming skills and learning more about grooming specific breeds. We have an Annual meeting for all the Blue Wheelers and Dash DogWashers around Australia and typically do an upskilling grooming session to keep our credentials up to date.
   9. If you are comfortable to talk a bit about your income, can you tell us if your earnings are meeting your expectations?
      Income is well and truly meeting my expectations and is really good. I reached my initial income targets very quickly. I now typically earn around 2k a week. That’s with a 4 day working week (sometimes 5 days). I continue to get faster at what I’m doing and schedule my appointments without too much travel, which allows me to fit in more customers if I choose.
   10. Other than grooming the dogs and presenting the brand values of Blue Wheelers, how do you find actually running the business side of things? Is there a lot of Admin?
       Personally, I find running the business side of things quite easy. I’m lucky that I’m a very organised person. I’m not on the road on Mondays so this allows me to sort out my week ahead and get any admin done. That way if anything last minute arises, it’s not overwhelming. Blue Wheelers has a system called MATE that runs all the accounts; bookings and ordering so, once you have a handle on that, it keeps you focussed on what’s needed week to week.
   11. On a last note, Bonnie, if someone is thinking about jumping into this business, what advice would you share with them?
       For someone with zero grooming experience, it’s an incredibly easy way to change careers and have a work/life balance that is designed by your wants and needs. I love the fact that I work very limited weekends, with just one Saturday per month. This allows me family time and ‘me’ time which is super important when running your own business.

For further information about joining the team, please click here: https://www.bluewheelers.com.au/franchise-opportunities/