There are many things that you, as a business owner, should want to be looking for to grow your grooming salon. One of the aspects of a functioning business to always be looking into ensuring that your business is growing. We look to offer some advice with the help of a pro.
There are so many aspects to look at when owning a business. What will your interior look like? What sort of USP will you have? How will you market your brand to entice new clientele? One thing, however, does often slip the minds of business owners who are too comfortable in their current way of operating.
The aspect that we’re talking of, of course, is looking to grow your business to reach new heights. There is nothing wrong with being comfortable with where you, or your business, is at. However, an important thing that should really be a driving force in your career is the ambition to be constantly exploring new avenues to maximise the growth and potential within your grooming business.
There are so many avenues that you can focus on to gain traction here. This can range from inclusivity, to social media, to viral video marketing and more! Keira Robinson is the owner of Simply Grooming Pet Salon, a business that has amassed a huge following and has done nothing but grow over the years with the utilisation of tips, trends, innovative ideas and that old favourite, regular social media content to keep clients wanting more.
One of the biggest things that is a driving force behind Simply Grooming Pet Salon is that they have an inclusivity focus, and are able to cater to clients who may not feel comfortable in spaces that are full to the brim and packed out on a regular basis.
“I am a one-on-one salon, meaning I cater to clients that have anxiety about being in crowded, larger, and louder salons,” Keira said, “I have been grooming for four and a half years and have been a salon owner for three years. I started grooming when I turned 18 and opened up a salon a few months short of turning 20.”
Kiera says that she wanted a place to share her grooming journey, building a foundation to meet other groomers in the industry. This in itself is a fantastic way to demonstrate to not only your clientele, but your fellow groomers also, that you’re looking to grow, work with others and do what it takes to ensure that your business will grow at a steady rate. Making friends in the workplace is a paramount way to grow within any industry, let alone the friendly-natured grooming industry.
“I wanted a place to share my grooming journey and to meet other groomers like myself. Sharing my life and my grooming progress with others is something I never thought I would enjoy as much as I do!” Keira adds.
Keira created the social media accounts when she started grooming full-time back in 2017. One thing to mention, as with most things worth working for in life, is that you won’t always see results straight from the get-go. Perfection takes time, practice makes perfect, and Keira didn’t notice any substantial change in the social media following until last year.
“I started my account a few months after I started grooming full time back in 2017,” Keira continues, “It wasn’t until 2020/2021 things started growing. In just a few short months, my account has grown to almost five thousand followers!”
The key thing to take away from this is that if you’re doing what you love and investing time and passion into the business, the results will come. The effort that you’re willing to put in, alongside a fair amount of patience, will demonstrate to your clients your value and will result in loyal clientele who will visit you again and again.
When she first started back in 2017, Keira knew that one of the biggest ways to grow would be to document everything that was going on within the business. This could then be reflected upon, and used as more of an incentive to aim for bigger and better things within the industry.
After a while, in January 2019, Keira started to focus on posting content that made her happy, not only posting things she thought would be good for business. Shortly after, the realisation that posting things that were actually there to help others contributed even more and became a regular occurrence.
This line of thought came into fruition when Keira started sharing the story of how she started how own business at such a young age, (much like what she is doing right now with us!), and that really helped be a driving force for change.
Keira continues: “Since I started posting and sharing more of my everyday life in the salon, things have really changed. I am currently booked for the entire year with returning grooming clients.”
Amassing such a following, both client and fellow-groomer alike, has led to Keira becoming somewhat of a local icon, with others looking to her for genuine advice on how they can grow like she did.
“I get messages all the time asking for grooming advice or other groomers asking to shadow me. If you would have asked me two years ago if I thought someone would want to learn from me, I would have said you’re crazy.” Keira adds, with a touch of humour.
When it all comes down to it, what people genuinely want from a grooming business is the willingness and love for animal and pet care. Keira insists that one of the biggest factors in her growth is the fact that she is genuine, real and honest about what she posts. Clients, and fans of her work, see that as relatable and results in her following seeing nothing but an increase in numbers.
Keira finishes by saying: “Be you. Don’t put yourself out there as someone you think others will like. Be yourself. Ask for help. We all have to start somewhere, even when it seems hard or like you’re not improving, keep pushing. Find a mentor or teacher to help you. If you want to learn a certain style of grooming, find a couple of groomers you admire and reach out to them for advice.”
What we can take away from Keira’s story is that to grow, you must not only be willing to put in the effort and learn the industry. You must be putting yourself out there as someone who genuinely cares, someone who is looking to network and learn from others and someone who can offer something that is unique to the industry.
Follow @keirathegroomer