Dear Diary,

I have no cats to groom today. It’s cat day at the salon, but I have no appointments. Not to worry though. I become so busy during the week that I have found it difficult to work on promoting A. B. Grooming’s new cat grooming services. So, since I have no cats to groom on cat day, I worked to change that.

Most of Mom’s clients find her one of three ways: a vet refers them, another client refers them, or they stumble upon her website. The easiest for me utilize today is her website. I spent the day organizing my before and after photographs, writing content, and rearranging the layout to accommodate the new cat grooming information.

I would have rather purchased the website content from NCGIA and adjusted it accordingly, but that will likely have to wait until I’m a separate business with a separate website. Oh, and until I have some money. The thing about not having many clients is that I also have limited income, so I have to keep the cost of everything in mind.

It would be easier and less time consuming for me to pay someone else, but then I would require the money to pay them. One day that won’t be a problem. For now, though, I have to work with what I have.

What I have is a very supportive mother who has graciously given me the freedom to use her business to promote cat grooming. Also, what I have is time. No clients today means no money, but it also means I had all day to write myself a bio, list and explain my services along with their prices, post pictures, and address a few of the concerns owners have regarding cat grooming.

While I was at it, I added a blog to the website as well. Yes Diary, this means I will be writing to more than just you. I have more than enough to keep me busy already, but I can find time to write something at least once a month.

For the first blog post, I decided to finally get around to that press release that I’ve been meaning to write, announcing my graduation from the school and our new cat grooming services. As I published the press release, I was prompted to announce the update via Facebook, but we don’t have a Facebook page for A. B. Grooming, which led me to creating one.

All in all, it’s been a rather productive day. One thing has been leading to another, and now the website is updated, a new blog is started, and a Facebook page has been established. I guess not having any cats to groom wasn’t such a bad thing.

http://www.abgroomingservices.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/A-B-Grooming-Spa-Services/164298226963089

Dear Diary,

Today, Mom visited our local veterinarian’s office to leave them with some brochures and business cards for A. B. Grooming & Spa. This is not the same vet whose cat I’ve groomed. In fact, I have been thinking I should pay them a visit, but I don’t really know any of the employees there, so I’ve been procrastinating it. Shame on me for doing so.

You see, Mom took them a handful of each of NCGIA’s brochures in addition to her dog grooming literature. When she asked if they wouldn’t mind distributing that cat grooming information as well, the receptionists excitedly told her ‘not at all!’

Then, Dr. M. came to the front desk to have a chat with Mom as well and noticed the brochures. They discussed it for quite a bit; he was surprised to learn that I am grooming cats without sedating them. “That says a lot about her training,” he stated.

Mom inquired about the clinic cat, Punkin’ Kitty, a red tabby domestic longhair and about whether they wouldn’t mind me grooming her. It turns out, though, that she was sedated and shaved only one week earlier. One week. If only I had been brave enough to visit them myself, I could have groomed her before they resorted to shaving her.

Oh well. I cannot dwell on what I didn’t do; I just have to plan a strategy for what I can do in the future. On one hand, I’d like to give them a call and ask to re-groom her completely, giving her a nice lion cut. On the other hand, she’s not kept in a lion cut – it was a last resort groom – so perhaps I should wait a few weeks and then offer to give her a long hair full coat groom. Of course, if her coat is noticeably uneven, I won’t be able to stand it and may have to give her a comb cut. I am not currently offering comb cuts, since I want to wait until I have a clipper vac, but I could make an exception.

I think I’ll make an appointment for her in 4-5 weeks and give them a call as it approaches. I don’t want to forget, and I certainly can’t procrastinate… not again, anyway.

Dear Diary,

I want to tell you a little more about the appointment I had the other day. Opie, a red mackerel tabby domestic longhair, has been taken to the vet for a groom in the past, but he was too much for them to handle without sedation, so his mom was a bit skeptical about whether or not it could be done. Nevertheless, she made an appointment.

When she arrived, I went through the typical first groom information, determined what groom would be best, explained what that groom entails, etc. Before I even removed Opie from his carrier, I could tell he would be easy to groom. He seemed a bit nervous but other than that, he was rather content.

His groom was just as easy as I had expected. He did growl a bit on the table, but he never actually attempted to do anything. He even allowed me to remove him from his carrier and show his off his groom to his mom upon her return. She was very pleased and almost couldn’t believe that he wasn’t just terrible during his groom.

Then she left. Without making another appointment.

I expect her to call me again, but it would have been nice for her to have pre-booked at least one more appointment. In fact, too few of my clients are scheduling appointments before leaving. The ratio of clients who are pre-booking to those who are not is too low, and I need to do something about that.

Of course, I can look back on my conversation with Opie’s mom and see plenty of opportunities for me to have encouraged her to make an appointment before she left. It’s a shame I didn’t recognize those opportunities while the conversation was actually occurring though. Perhaps, if I think enough about ways to casually incorporate it into the conversation, then I’ll better be able to do so when talking to a client.

I’m making more of an effort than thinking and planning, though. As Danelle suggested during the business lecture at school, I’m now offering a reward to clients who pre-book and keep their appointments. I ordered loyalty cards with space for 5 appointments. If a client schedules and keeps those 5 appointments, on the 5th appointment, they received either $15 off their groom or a free soft paw application.

Again, as Danelle suggested, clients can have a week before or after their pre-scheduled appointment for ‘wiggle room.’ That is, if something happens and they need to change the date, they will remain eligible for the reward if the re-scheduled appointment falls no more than one week before or one week after the pre-scheduled date.

Maybe that will help.

Dear Diary,

After I groomed Harley for Dr. B, I asked Linda for a favor. I had contacted a few local shelters to donate my services to adoptable cats, but no one had returned my calls or emails. Knowing that Animal House Veterinary Clinic does more than its share of volunteer work with local shelters, I asked Linda to put in a good word for me with one of the directors. “Maybe they’ll take my offer more seriously, if she contacts them too,” I figured. More than happy to help, she called two different shelters the very next day to let them know what I had in mind and wanted to do.

This left me with no excuses to not call the shelter. You know how I both procrastinate and despise talking on the phone, so I had been racking my brain for reasons I couldn’t make the call. There were none left though. Linda had done the legwork for me. It was now up to me to make things happens.

Before my appointment this morning, I made a call to the shelter, explaining that Linda had called on my behalf recently and that I had two free appointment slots this afternoon. The director was a very friendly lady and surprisingly easy to talk to, agreeing that cats can love a ‘day at the spa’ just as much as dogs.

As soon as my 9 o’clock left, I headed to pick up Cali, a large calico domestic shorthair who lives at the shelter, and Cindy, a red tabby domestic shorthair with beautiful classic tabby markings. I chatted with the director for a bit before leaving and learned that before becoming the director, she had been managing the cat section of the rescue, as they had a special place in her heart. I knew right away I would enjoy helping her.

Unfortunately, the weather was taking a turn for the worse when I returned with the clean, freshly groomed cats. With the tornado sirens blaring, I had no time to chat or get a reaction to the grooms, but I do plan to return again. There were quite a few cats available for adoption, and I know they could all benefit from a trip to the spa.

Cindy, after her groom. I couldn't get a good picture of Cali.

I initially thought of this experience as primarily a business venture – a way to practice grooming cats, perhaps offer a discounted groom to recently adopted cats, further educate others about the benefits of cat grooming, etc. However, I underestimated the rewarding feeling of potentially helping Cindy find a home and at the very least making her feel beautiful.

Dear Diary,

Like the students at the school, I love celebrating firsts. Today was the first time I groomed a cat for the second time! Soleil, a tiny black domestic longhair, came in for a full coat longhair groom today. If you remember, her mom recently noticed that she might be developing allergies to Soleil. I explained to her what would be causing the allergies and how a groom would help alleviate her symptoms.

A few weeks passed after Soleil’s first groom, and I received a call. Sherri wanted to follow up with me and let me know that nothing helped her nightly coughing and sneezing more than Soleil’s bath, but she was starting to cough again, so we scheduled her another appointment.

She brought Soleil in today for a bath and all went well! Soleil is very much a diva and doesn’t like to do what she doesn’t want to do, but her general fussiness was nothing I couldn’t handle, especially since I knew to anticipate her behavior.

When Sherri returned, I had another first. She pre-booked her next appointment! We talked about a schedule, and since Sherri is either only mildly allergic or Soleil does not frequently lick herself, we decided to try five weeks. If that is too long and she begins experiencing symptoms before she returns, we will try four weeks, adjusting the schedule accordingly until it’s just right.

It must seem silly for me to be quite so pleased by these firsts. Here I am excitedly grinning because I groomed the same cat twice and will be grooming her again for a third time in a few weeks. To others, I am just grooming a cat, but to me, these are small steps towards a more grand achievement. These steps are part of my dreams coming to fruition, if I may be so cliché as to refer to this as the beginning of a ‘dream come true.’

Speaking of dreams, all this excitement has me exhausted. I think I could stand for more literal dreaming right about now.

Soleil may hate me, but she loves looking beautiful.

Soleil, after her day at the spa

Dear Diary,

Sometimes, I feel like I have a split personality. No, Diary, I’m not crazy, but I do have a pessimistic and often irrational voice that pops into my head from time to time, although my more logical side is always there to intervene and set things straight again. I mention this because it seems that voice likes to make its presence known whenever I’m grooming, and I’m learning to keep it quiet.

You see, not long after I groomed Ruby from the vet’s office, I received a phone call. It seemed Dr. B was so pleased with Ruby’s groom that she wanted to make an appointment for one of her personal cats.

This was a huge compliment. She strives to ensure that all animals in her care are treated as well as possible, but she is especially peculiar about her own animals. To be trusted with one of her cats means a great deal to me and is a responsibility that should not be taken lightly.

My usual nervousness kicked in the morning of his appointment. That voice was trying to run through all the things that could go horribly wrong and destroy any positive business relationship that could be established from it. If left to its own devices, it abandons reason in favor of paranoia. I realize that it’s not likely that Harley is going to due during his groom and that it’s a little irrational for me to fear that, but that’s where my thoughts travel if not focused elsewhere. Years ago, trial and error taught me that cleaning is the perfect ‘elsewhere’ for my mind, so I cleaned the shop.

Of course, once Harley was in the shop, I was able to focus on him and not anything negative. It’s difficult to be worrisome when such a handsome fellow curiously pops his head out of his crate. He didn’t seem to have a worry or care in the world as he glanced around the room and lovingly rubbed against me.

Well, that is, until I tried to clip his nails. At that point, he decided he might not enjoy this after all. He was thick and tall and strong, so I grabbed my Air Muzzle to be on the safe side. That only made him more upset.

In a split second, that voice had me thinking the worst was going to happen. I wasn’t sure what ‘the worst’ was, but I assumed it was pretty bad and that I was about to find out. Then, half a second and one deep breath later, I thought, “Don’t be ridiculous. I know what to do. The first step is to stop wasting time, so I’ve got to get moving.”

Now that I was back on track, his sanitary trim went quickly and easily.

Things continued to move smoothly until I began his bath. He was a ‘jumper,’ trying desperately to get out of the tub. My more logical side had anticipated the exact negative thoughts that were trying to surface, and I immediately thought, “Hunca Munca was older, frailer, and way more dramatic, and I managed him just fine, so as long as I don’t waste time worrying, I can manage Harley as well.”

He was difficult to bath but never showed signs of stress, although I did give us both a short break while he crate-dried for a moment. As I began drying him with the HV dryer, he returned to his unhappy state. My scruff hand had taken a beating and was starting to ache something awful, but before I had a chance to think anything negative, I said to Harley, “I hate to break it to you, but you’re no Claire, and if my hands could survive her, they can certainly survive you.”

Survive him I did. Much like Hunca Munca (and many of the other cats I’ve groomed), Harley was purring affectionately by the time his groom was finished.

Upon his return to the clinic, I heard that voice again. You see, I knew I needed to charge Dr. B for Harley’s groom, but I am a wuss when it comes to dealing with people. I know what I need to do; it’s actually doing it that gives me trouble. Anyway, that voice was franticly trying to talk me into not charging her at all. “My family has a tab running at the clinic. How can I charge her when we owe them money? That just doesn’t seem right.”

I knew that I should simply ask Linda to take the total off our bill. I provided a service and should be compensated accordingly for it. But like I said, I’m a wuss. I got lucky though, because Linda had remembered the prices I’d given her previously and immediately walked in with the checkbook, ready to pay me the full price. I told her not to worry with a check and that I’d rather her remove the amount from our bill.

“Shew, that was easy enough.”

For the record, I said I could squander that negative voice in my head when I’m grooming. That doesn’t necessarily mean I can do it when dealing with clients. Not yet, at least. Practice makes perfect, right?

Dear Diary,

Back to the story: As I was returning Ruby to the vet’s office, I was delighted by how the day had gone. I successfully handled a cat that has only been groomed while sedated, and I had the pleasure of grooming one of the most wonderful kitties I’ve ever met. It’s a good thing that I was feeling so delightful; I needed that extra boost to confidently present Ruby’s groom to Linda. I wanted to leave a lasting impression on her and Dr. B.

“This groom could not only be the start of a glorious business relationship but it is also my chance to prove to them what I can do, so there’s both a business and personal investment in it.”

Why did I think? I don’t know, Diary. It was a terrible idea, because it only made me more nervous as I pulled into the clinic’s parking lot. In the next few seconds, I told myself that I was not going to let my nervousness show. Who wants to refer clients to a Nervous Nelly? No one, so I slowed down, took a deep breath, and went through the door with a bag of cat hair in one hand and Ruby in the other.

Linda was at the desk, talking to a client, so I reached into the carrier to remove Ruby. “This is my moment to ‘wow’ them,” I thought. I proudly held her on my arm, show style, for everyone to see. After about 3 seconds, though, she decided to make a break for it. I knew she was tired, so I let her hop onto the counter and run behind the desk towards Linda. She stopped to look back at everyone as if to say, “Feast your eyes on this.” Then she whipped her tail through the air while prancing around the corner, disappearing from sight.

I held my breath in anxiousness until Linda exclaimed, “Wow, Ruby looks great!” I felt a sudden resurgence of oxygen to my lungs as I finally remembered to breath again. She continued to go on about how great Ruby looked and asked if she gave me any trouble. “Not a minute’s worth,” I told her. She jokingly accused me of lying. “There wasn’t a single thing she gave me trouble over. In fact, I think she’s one of the best behaved cats I’ve ever groomed.”

Then I presented her with the piece de resistance – that is, I showed her the handfuls of hair that had been removed during her groom. She was so impressed that she asked to keep the hair to show to their clients, and she told me that she’d be sending as many cats my way as possible!

This is fantastic news, Diary. Linda is not one to be easily impressed nor does she recommend their clients to just anyone. So, you see, I’m not sure how to describe how I feel. Accomplished? Proud? Relieved? Elated? Giddy? I guess it’s a little of each!

(this blog series is being written by Kelcie Brown, CFMG and editor of the CGQ: Creative Groomers Quarterly put out by the National Assoc. of Professional Creative Groomers.  She is also the co-author of The Science of Creative Grooming.)

Dear Diary,

Today, I am at a loss for words. I know what you’re thinking. As much as I talk, how could I possibly be at a loss for something to say? Well, I can’t seem to find the words to describe how I feel, but I suppose I could try by explaining the day’s events.

I groomed two female DLHs. The first, Smokey Jane, belongs to a family friend. She’s been sedated and “groomed” in the past but has never had a bath, so I was confident I could send her home looking better than ever. The second was Ruby from the vet’s office. She had also never been bathed, but she certainly needed it!

I started the morning with Smokey Jane. Removing her from her carrier, she mostly seemed a little grumpy but not overly perturbed about what was happening.

Then, I placed my hand on her front left paw to clip her nails, and she decided this was not going to be an experience she would enjoy. Thankfully, I had my trusty Air Muzzle within arm’s reach to keep my hands safe while I clipped her nails and began her sanitary trim.

She was equally unhappy about her bath. Although she didn’t struggle, she would occasionally turn her head and attempt to bite me or the sprayer or anything else that was near her head. For her finishing touches, she fussed and growled and hissed and gave me a look that clearly said “I hate you for this.”

I situated her neatly on the table and stepped back to take a picture. She looked so angelic and dare I say, innocent. I looked at the pictures on my camera and then back at Smokey Jane, wondering if this was the same cat that had been trying to bite off my fingers. I reached towards her to place her back into her carrier when she immediately started growling. “Yep, that’s her!”

My other appointment for the day, Ruby, seemed a little unsure at first but quickly realized that her groom was nothing to fear. She didn’t give me a minute’s trouble over anything. I feel safe saying that she was the most compliant cat I’ve ever groomed. My little sister had wandered out to the shop to be nosey, and by the end of Ruby’s groom, she and I were arguing over who got to brush her!

It was such fun! There’s something quite satisfying about transforming a kitty from greasy and shedding to clean and beautiful. What made today’s experience even more satisfying was the owners’ reactions.

Smokey Jane’s mom was thrilled by how clean her kitty looked and felt. She had a fit when I showed her the handfuls of hair that were removed during Smokey Jane’s groom. “This would end up all over your house, turning into matts, and being thrown up as a hairball had you not brought her to me, and we can keep her looking this nice with a regular groom.”

I guess I lied when I said I was at a loss for words. I have so much to say but am so exhausted that the rest of the story will have to wait!

Dear Diary,

I awoke abruptly this morning with knots in my stomach. “Today’s the day I have my first paying client!” Don’t get me wrong, I was very excited, but I was equally nervous, so I did what I do when I’m nervous: I cleaned. I went to the shop bright and early, although Baby’s appointment wasn’t until 12, and I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned some more.

After all that cleaning, I still had time to kill, so I gave Hunca Munca a bath. I figured that would give the appearance that I’m busy working and grooming instead of sitting around waiting for Ms. Peggy (even though I really was).

While I was drying Hunca Munca, I began to worry that she may miss her appointment. It was only a few days ago that she made it, but when she scheduled it, she asked me to call her and remind her the day before. I should have refused, but the question caught me off guard, so I took her number. As I took her number, I did at least warn her that I myself might forget to call her.

Needless to say, I didn’t make the call. The truth is, Diary, I didn’t forget to call her. I thought about it several times yesterday and worried that she might miss her appointment because of it. I have no desire to make reminder calls, partly because I dislike making phone calls but also because I know that I will not have time in the future. In fact, I barely have time to do so now.

I didn’t want to call her just this once and develop a habit. My strategy with clients is to treat them like my dogs. I know how that must sound, but what I mean is that I want to train them well, develop good habits early, and be consistent. If I don’t plan to call her for her next appointment, then I’m not going to call her before this one either.

I was combing Hunca Munca and trying not to fret too much. I had myself convinced she wasn’t going to show and thinking that it would be worth it to lose this appointment rather than to get off on the wrong foot when the door to the shop opened and I was greeted by Baby and Ms. Peggy.

It caught me a little off guard at first, and then my ‘autopilot’ kicked into gear. I greeted her, gave her a client card to fill in, and removed Baby from her carrier. Ms. Peggy had not been kidding about her size! She was a large and overweight brown-patched mackeral tabby and white DSH. My hands were definitely doing to be full – figuratively and literally!

I was looking over Baby’s coat and getting a sense of her temperament when Ms. Peggy came across the mention of dander on the client card. “Dandruff? Is that the white stuff all in her coat?” Ah, what a perfect set up! I gave her the speech about dandruff, explaining what it is and how a bath will help with it. While I had her full attention, I took the opportunity to mention that a bath would also help with Baby’s shedding, as I petted her back to demonstrate the extent to which she was shedding.

She asked about the “other” section on the client card, and I explained the other services I offer (sanitary clips, belly shaves, etc.). “What do you think is best?” That has to be one of the most wonderful questions a client could ever ask a groomer. I told her that Baby would be fine to be clipped, but that the decision was hers. “Well, I think she just needs a bath. You said that would help with the shedding and dandruff, right?” Holy cow! She was actually listening. I couldn’t have asked for a better first client! “Yes ma’am, it will. And you know, she has such a pretty coat that I would hate to clip it.”

I told her Baby would be ready in an hour and got right to work when she left. I was a little worried that an hour wouldn’t be long enough, but I used the pressure of the time limit to make myself get it done. I put her in the tub and started bathing. I couldn’t have asked for a better kitty! She meowed in protest but never made any real effort to escape. Drying her was just as easy, as was her final brush out. She was such a doll; I finished her with minutes to spare!

When Ms. Peggy returned, I removed Baby from her carrier for that ‘Wow’ factor Danelle had taught us to utilize. It definitely helped! Ms. Peggy had a fit, complimenting the way her coat felt, looked, and smelled. We chatted about cats for a bit while she snuggled her clean kitty, and I learned that she knew Baby need bathing but no one around would do it for her. I couldn’t resist the chance to mention my credentials: “There aren’t a lot of us out there brave enough to groom cats. In fact, there’s only one other certified cat groomer in the sate.”

I also learned that Ms. Peggy had recently had a heart attack, so I insisted that she let me carry Baby for her. After I loaded her into the truck, Ms. Peggy thanked me again and hugged my neck with tears welling in her eyes. I had forgotten to mention pre-booking an appointment, so I told her to call me when she needs me and to take care of herself in the meantime.

Everything went so perfectly! You know, Diary, I think I could make a career of this whole ‘cat grooming’ business.

Dear Diary,

I received my brochures in the mail and went to Office Max yesterday to get display cases for them. I will take some to the local vets’ offices over the next few days, but this morning, I got them ready to display on the counter in the shop.

I really wanted to snap a picture of the brochures with Maxine on the counter. Of course, she decided against having her picture taken. She would hold perfectly still right until the exact moment I tried to take the picture. It was like she could tell when my finger was on the button.

“Fine then. I’ll try it with TFC. Maybe he’ll cooperate.” Well, I should have known better than that. He was worse than Max. He’d turn his head this way or that way or try to knock the container on the floor. I’m glad I used Velcro strips to keep them on the countertop.

Mom and I spent a good 15 minutes waving feather toys, clapping our hands, dangling treats, but nothing worked. “*Sigh.* I’ll take it without any cats on the counter.”

“Oh wait, what’s this? Now Maxine wants to daintily lie atop the counter, after we spent all this time trying to get just one of the cats to hold still and face the camera for to two seconds.” I had to refrain from rolling my eyes too dramatically. At least I got a picture out of it.

I’m so glad I sat those brochures out when I did. The second client of the day came with a friend of hers to pick up her dog. The friend glanced at the brochures and asked about having her cat’s nails trimmed. That lead to a conversation about grooming cats, what a groom entails, and whether it can be done. And that lead to her booking an appointment! I am so excited! I sent her home with one of each of the brochures with the number and her appointment time written on the back.

She didn’t even require any ‘convincing.’ She knows her cat needs a bath. Her only concern was whether or not I could handle her. “Baby’s awfully large,” she warned me. I assured her that Baby probably wasn’t too large to groom and told her that I had handled some monsters in school.

Now, as the end of the day approaches, my initial excitement is giving way to nervousness. Crap, I’m scared. I just booked a client! I have to take a deep breath and remember that I know what I’m doing. I went to school. I’m a CFMG. I can do this! Wish me luck!