A ‘Tail’ of Two Victorians!

Tracy Smith was previously in a senior management role for Seagate and Komag Inc. with over 2,000 people reporting to him. Scott Brownless worked closely with a colony of kangaroos and wallabies in the wild, spending months at a time out in the field, researching them in their natural environment. Now both operating dog grooming businesses, working, and playing daily with a variety of dog sizes and breeds, see what motivated them to change careers.

Read their stories to learn more.

Tracy Smith’s ‘Tail’

Before working with dogs, Tracy Smith lived a very different life working for manufacturing giants, Komag Inc. and Seagate. “I worked for a total of 17 years for both companies in senior management roles. But those are really highly driven, very high pressure jobs.”

Deciding it was time for a change, Tracy and his family moved from Malaysia to Australia in 2012 where Tracy continued his work in the manufacturing industry in another high pressure role.  

Even after moving thousands of kilometres, Tracy found he wasn’t able to leave his work at the office. “You’ve got commitments and deadlines. Issues that you’ve got to deal with and you’re not finished. It’s not done, it’s not resolved. You bring it home with you, you’re still thinking about it. And it affects you, it affects your family life. It affects your children, your wife.”

After seeing how his work was affecting him so negatively, Tracy’s wife inspired him to make a change. “My wife said ‘after coming from Malaysia and those kind of positions, why don’t you take this opportunity to do something you love?’ And I like animals, I grew up with animals. In Malaysia I had all kinds of pets. So I was looking for something I could do on my own, and something that I liked.”

Working with dogs since 2015, Tracy hasn’t looked back. His new role offers a new arsenal of skills and keeps him busy, “being a small business owner, you are actually learning how to run a small business from A – Z, you are the receptionist, the CEO and CFO – you are the business.”

“I think the major difference that I really enjoy, being a dog groomer as opposed to working for somebody, is the appreciation you get from the customer.” After spending an hour or two grooming and washing a family’s pet, Tracy says “you get praised and appreciated by the customer for the little things you do for them.” Something that in a typical 9-5 job is often in short supply.  

“When I was six or seven years old – when I was old enough to think about what I want to be when I grow up – my first vision was to become a vet. And I never got to be a vet, but I think a dog groomer comes pretty close.”

Scott Brownless’ ‘Tail’

Growing up with an affinity for animals, Scott always knew he wanted to work with them. He pursued his dream by studying Animal Technology and then landed the job he had always wanted, working with Melbourne University to research the reproduction and development of a colony of kangaroos and wallabies – a once in a lifetime opportunity.

While out in the field the job proved to be more challenging than expected, but for different reasons than Scott had anticipated, “for a couple of months, there’s not much happening. It’s just spraying weeds and mowing grass. When you’re out there by yourself it can get a bit lonely.”

After working with kangaroos for 15 years and with his personal life going through a rough patch at the time, Scott decided it was time for a change. After making a casual remark about becoming a dog groomer, his colleague suggested that it may be a great career change for him. “She said she used a mobile groomer who came and did her dogs. Washed them every couple of weeks and she said she’s always booked up in advance and so busy. It’s impossible to book in with anyone.”

Growing up as a local in Mentone, Scott’s family have always been involved in the community so it was not difficult for Scott to quickly earn a reputation as the town’s mobile groomer. Fortunately, the big blue dog grooming trailer is eye catching and quickly gains the attention of anyone passing by. “At the start you’re trying to park in the street (to gain the most visibility), now I’m trying to park off the street. It’s a good problem to have though!”

Scott’s experience with animals has helped him in his work with dogs of all shapes and sizes, and not to mention temperaments! “The dogs love me and I love the challenge of a dog that is not so keen on being groomed.” Most rewarding of all is when dogs, who were once terrified of groomers and hated the experience, now greet Scott with tail wagging. The positive reactions aren’t solely from the pampered pooch, “when they (the owner) take the dog back inside and the kids go, ‘oh my god, look at him, he looks fantastic!’ you get those kind of personal rewards on a daily basis which is good.”

Tracy agrees with Scott that it’s definitely most rewarding to see the customer’s reaction to their newly clipped and washed dogs. “It’s more than the money. The joy is worth more than the money you get paid. It’s actually the appreciation that comes along with it.”

Tracy recently enjoyed taking out two new prospective groomers for the day. “If someone is interested in joining the team, they invite this person to go out with a groomer for the day or a couple of hours. I speak to them, show them what I do. I enjoy that, sharing my experience with new people who want to work.”

Martin Rose, Blue Wheelers franchisor, “we see people from all walks of life coming into their own when they are out on the road. Running the business well and enjoying being in charge of their own destinies.”

Janie Rose, head of marketing at Blue Wheelers, agrees, “we are all about changing lives for the better. For the customer, that’s offering the best service possible. And for the groomers, it’s giving them the tools to achieve their goals.”

So, whatever your background, with the right training, support and drive you could have the happy working life as Tracy and Scott.

For further information, contact Blue Wheelers to get your info pack to learn more.