We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Natasha Federico a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Natasha , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear from you about what you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry and why it matters.
I feel in the pet industry corporate forgets that animals are not just “pets” they are really family members and deserve to be treated as such , they aren’t just a number in the ticket list they are living beings that deserve all the extra TLC when providing services such as grooming cause it can be such a vulnerable experience for them ,to be in a time crunched service times takes away from their individual needs think of it like you wouldn’t want to go get your hair done and be tossed in a tub and have a blow dryer in your face and sent on your way no conversation whatsoever .
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I started my creative journey in cosmetology school , I graduated and spent about a year in a hair store specializing in matching hair extensions , and fitting wigs . I just didn’t feel like I was finding my place , I was young only 18,19 years old still navigating the world .. but I always knew I had so much love for animals and bonded with them quicker then I ever did humans , in 2014 I went to the only place I knew of and applied to be a pet bather , after only a few short months I was offered to go on to grooming academy learned all my basic skills and endured literal blood sweat and many many many tears, I continued through out the years between mom and pop shops , franchises , vet clinics and your neighborhood corporate grooming centers to really get my feel for what I felt was most comfortable, not only for me but for the dogs , over time of sharing space I realized one-on-one grooming is definitely for me and my dogs appreciate the extra special attention and they deserve it I spent 2 years at my last salon and it was bittersweet but I was beyond blessed with the opportunity to become Natasha Styles Pets at the fur district grooming suites I sublease a suite 104 with a near and dear friend 3 days a week Saturday Sunday and Monday . I love being able to offer my full undivided attention with zero distractions especially to my spicy kiddos it’s a game changer some of my pups I’ve been doing for a couple years in shared spaces and after finally getting the opportunity to provide a quiet space I’ve been able to complete grooms safely and efficiently the energy is much calmer and more relaxing for the both of us. I’m coming up on a year in November it’s been a roller coaster but I’m excited to keep on
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
Honesty ! It’s unfortunate how often in the animal industry I’ve been trained to Lie ! I just can’t bring myself to especially if it’s going to impact the safety and well being of your pets it’s not fair to set them in for failure when you can be their voice , I will always tell a client if their pet is a little spicy or needs a little more and I’m open to helping any way I can, I don’t like giving up till we have exercised all our resources.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I’m still learning to Un-learn being so incredibly hard on myself and understanding I may not be for everyone and that’s okay . The grooming industry has become super popular and sometimes kinda cut – throat and I know I make my clients happy but that doesn’t mean I can satisfy everyone, sometimes my creative mark just doesn’t cut it (pun intended) iv been in situations where someone’s done the same dog better then me and vice versa. I just have to remember and the end of the day this is an art and I’m learning new skills everyday, I look back at grooms from just a few months ago to now and Iv already grown.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Natashastylespets.com
- Instagram: NatashaStylespets_
