# How much do you make being a groomer?



## salask (Jul 31, 2007)

I am looking into investing in a Franchise "Wag My Tail" but I have no idea how the grooming business works. I guess in a nutshell, i want to know how much money (on average) does a grommer normally make?


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## Dana1384 (Aug 13, 2007)

lol, I don't think someone is going to tell you thier income. But you can do the math yourself, but researching. Like when I got my golden cut down last summer, I called all the local groomers, and got prices. On avg Zoe being 65pounds, they wanted anywhere from 50 to 70 depending on what kind of buss it was. Like a store groomer (a shop) wanted 75 bucks, as someone working out of their home wanted closer to 50. Petsmart wanted like 60 to 70 if I remember correctly. Then you need to look at their booking, like if it takes you a month to get an app conpared to if it takes a few days. How many dogs are they groomering a day? Like the cheapest place I found was 35 dollars and that was in june, but she could not get me in till late aug.


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## peace36 (Jan 29, 2007)

I suppose it depends on how much you groom. I know someone who profited $80,000 her first year and many others who did not realize how hard it was or were not very good groomers who went out of business the first year.


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## briteday (Feb 10, 2007)

I think a lot would be determined by the initial investment of equipment, and the continuing investment of maintenance, utilities, rent, supplies, and customer base.


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## PetBusiness101 (Jan 7, 2008)

Hello Salask,

Any reputable franchise will give you the names and contact information for several of their franchisee's, give them a call... they will usually be very upfront about their issues with the company, and problems they have faced getting started and the general income they have seen and are projecting.

Another note, any good franchise will also have a business plan they help you to complete for the graphical area you are looking to start you business in, that plan should have projections for sales (fees collected) and the costs associated with generating those fees.

===============
Doug Bertram
'IM' Me For More Detailed Information


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## salask (Jul 31, 2007)

Thanks! I appreciate all the input. Im really not sure if it's a franchise i want to invest in or start my own business. I have so many ideas but have yet to do some research. I've been in management/sales for 8 yrs. and the pay is not bad but i don't love what i do. I like it but i'm not passionate about my line of work. I want to get involved with dogs somehow but i'm not sure if i can afford quiting my stable job. Like i said, i haven't done my research but the feedback will definetly help!


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## PetBusiness101 (Jan 7, 2008)

salask said:


> Thanks! I appreciate all the input. Im really not sure if it's a franchise i want to invest in or start my own business. I have so many ideas but have yet to do some research. I've been in management/sales for 8 yrs. and the pay is not bad but i don't love what i do. I like it but i'm not passionate about my line of work. I want to get involved with dogs somehow but i'm not sure if i can afford quiting my stable job. Like i said, i haven't done my research but the feedback will definetly help!


##################

I totally understand, I have a website devoted 100% to helping other pet fanatics turn their passion for pets into 'lifestyle' income.

I had a great corporate job as the President of Farnam pet supplies and threw in the towel when I was able to start earning MORE as a petrepreneur with the freedom to do the things I wanted to do, when I wanted to do them.

It's a great feeling.


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## DivaDog (Jun 10, 2007)

Just remember if you go with a franchise - you are immediately saddled with any BAD reputation they have as well as good. We have one round here - one is not so good the other is not bad.............the people who have used the bad one will never recommend the good one simply through association.

But it CAN be a profitable business,something id suggest if you can, is cut back your hours at your stable job, and groom part time - if you have your OWN business rather than a franchise this is perfectly feasible,you will still be earning while you build your clientelle up - even if you only work weekends.


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## snowflake (Dec 12, 2007)

Just to let you know, as a groomer working for somebody else i get 50% of the groom price...So a ShihTzu at $35...I get $17.50...sometimes it's good money , other times it's not..if the dog takes forever because it's a mess then the time it takes works out to not much money...That 50% is pretty average for groomers that work for other people....some may get 60%...some get less.Not sure about eh Franchise thing. Ive looked into it but Dont think i like the idea very much... I,m thinking more of getting myself a Mobile unit and going it alone...Going the Franchise way youre still paying someone else a fee.


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## 007Dogs (Aug 22, 2007)

How much you can make depends on lots of things. Where you are located, speed is a big factor in making money, and how good you are is a big factor for repeat business. Then there is over head and equipment to buy, and if you are a busy shop, then it needs to be maintained ie sharping scissors, blades and replacing worn out combs, brushes, towels and keeping a good supply of shampoos and conditioners on hand. If you put up a small retail area, there is a good income from that. If you are self employed, then you also need to either be an accountant or hire one. You have to file quarterly taxes. Being self employed is not for everyone.


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## dane&cockermom (Oct 16, 2007)

i'm going to be making the transition from an hourly paid bather, to a commissioned groomer in a couple months and i can't wait. i know my groomer's make more than i make hourly. granted they have more experience and can go faster. but as sad as it sounds, if i do just 4 decently priced dogs in an 8 hour day just starting out, when you do the math, i'll be making more hourly than i am now. how sad is that? 

at any rate, i think this is going to be one of the best things i could be doing without having gone to college. yes, that makes me sound kinda lame too, but i'm not ready to go back to college.


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## Love's_Sophie (Sep 23, 2007)

I made 60% commission when I groomed...


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## Lovemytessapoo (Feb 1, 2008)

I don't know about what you make in grooming,but I know in my area, they want me to pick up my dog within 2 hours of them finishing (need the kennel space) and I know there is always a waiting list to get my dog on to be groomed unless you put them on a standing appointment type situation. There is a mobile groomer in my area that is so busy, she no longer takes new clients at all. There are also several new grooming shops in my area that I was considering and the earliest they could take my dog was a week or so later from my call. So, like previous posters have said, it probably depends on where you are at. Make some calls to some local one and just ask an arbitrary question about grooming and see when they can fit you in, that will help guide you in your area to some degree.


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## dogsatall (Feb 19, 2008)

I think it would depend on the area where you would be working. I worked for a groomer in North Carolina a few years back, she was the owner of the grooming shop. She used to charge about $35 per dog or more, and we used to groom about 10 dogs a day, so it has a good income potential as an owner. I do not know how much you would make as an employee, since I did not get paid, because I was in training.


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## cham (Feb 15, 2008)

I think the prices also depend on exactly what kind of grooming is required. Some dogs just need a good brushing, a bath, and nails clipped. Then you have Hailey, a long haired double coated Golden Retriever. A groomer who really knows how to groom a golden properly, feathers, ruff, tail etc is worth their weight in gold. 

Hailey's last grooming before I found Shirley, was horrific. they butchered her tail, (big chunk of it), they screwed up her feathers, and did a horrible job on her ears. When I complained, they had the nerve to say it was because she was matted, which I know was a lie, I brushed her and dematted her the night before. CYA pure and simple. I suspect the groomer was inexperienced and instead of moving the shampoo with the hair growth, she scrubbed and rubbed it against the growth which will create huge mats and knots. Needless to say, she never went back.


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## kobedog (Feb 21, 2008)

Hailey's last grooming before I found Shirley, was horrific. they butchered her tail, (big chunk of it), they screwed up her feathers, and did a horrible job on her ears. When I complained, they had the nerve to say it was because she was matted, which I know was a lie, I brushed her and dematted her the night before. CYA pure and simple. I suspect the groomer was inexperienced and instead of moving the shampoo with the hair growth, she scrubbed and rubbed it against the growth which will create huge mats and knots. Needless to say, she never went back.[/quote]

as a groomer, i can tell you that i would not want to shave any part of a dog if i didn't have to. a lot of customers think that their dog doesn't have mats because they can run a brush through it. the only way to be sure the coat is not matted is to run a comb through it. i've had customers bring their dogs in to have them trimmed saying they're not matted. i bring a comb out and can't even get it through the coat at all. it is pretty eye opening to the customer. like i said, we don't want to shave parts of the coat, it takes longer and makes the dog look bad.

also, scrubbing a dog during a bath does not cause huge mats. i've actually heard people bring their dogs in to be groomed that are fully matted and tell one of our groomers that their dog was hanging it's head out the window of the car the day before and got matted. lol


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