Free guide · 6 chapters · 53 min read
How to start a dog grooming business
The whole first year, in order: the steps, picking your setup, the plan and the budget, taking over a salon, your first 50 clients and online booking from day one.
- Updated Nov 2026
- 1 free template
- Read online, no email needed
Contents
- 01 The steps, in order Eleven steps from checking the numbers to planning for the slow months, with costs for each. Step 1: Check that the numbers work · Step 2: Get trained · Step 3: Choose salon, mobile or home · Step 4: Budget your startup and monthly costs 9 min
- 02 Pick your setup: salon, mobile or home Startup cost, dogs a day and who each model suits, including commission and booth rent. The six models at a glance · Storefront salon · Mobile van · Home salon 8 min
- 03 Your plan and your budget Startup costs, monthly costs, prices and break-even, with a free business plan template. How profitable is a dog grooming business · Types of pet grooming businesses · What to include in a dog grooming business plan · Dog grooming business startup costs 11 min
- 04 Taking over an existing salon Buying a shop that runs on a handwritten book, and rebuilding the client records in a month. A book full of first names · First, figure out what you actually have · Build pet profiles as the dogs arrive · Import whatever data exists 8 min
- 05 Your first 50 clients Where the first clients come from when nobody knows you yet, week by week for 90 days. Week one in the van · How many clients you actually need · Before day one: the three things that do most of the work · Days 1 to 30: be visible in your zones 10 min
- 06 Online booking from day one Why to start with online booking, and how to move a paper book or WhatsApp over. Why your paper book still works · What breaks first · What a grooming salon actually needs · A one-weekend plan 7 min
Himani Agarwal, Founder, Packyard Ran two pet shops with grooming salons. Sold them in 2026 and now builds Packyard full time.
