We were lucky to catch up with Mandy Womble recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Mandy thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I started my grooming career 8 years ago at a corporate grooming salon. After being there for so long, I realized that I wanted to be out on my own. Then I worked in a private salon for six months when I finally decided I had the knowledge to do this on my own. After doing some research I decided that mobile grooming was the route for me. I took a leap of faith and put all my money and em into starting up my own mobile salon. Thanks to many friends and family business started off perfectly . I loved the idea of grooming dogs one on one with the less stress of them being in a kennel and surrounded by other dogs . Starting my own business had a few more steps than i anticipated. Luckily i got everything going and then had to learn how to actually drive my salon round . That alone was probably most scariest part of all this . Practice makes perfect they say. So far 7 months into my own business and this is the best decision I have made in life . I have the ability to work when i want and always be home for my family.

Mandy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

When I originally got into the grooming world, it was on a whim. I had no prior experience, but I knew that I love(d) to be around dogs so in my head, I would get to play with puppies all day. I quickly learned that that is not the case in this industry, but I still fell in love with the job after going through schooling to become a stylist.

Being able to transform a dog from drab to fab never gets old. Seeing a clients face light up wondering if it’s the same dog is a great feeling.

But with any job, there’s always downsides unfortunately. While working with corporate, they don’t always care for its employees. After 8 years i knew i had the ability to groom outside the corp world but i always told myself no . I would say it wasn’t worth the trouble of insurances, unhappy clients , legal stuff. I didn’t think I had the ability to do that part of owning a business. Then one day I realized why not? I could at-least try, right?

I had a friend that owned her own salon and let me work there for awhile. I saw how things worked on the other side of running a business and i became confident in my ability. So i joined a few groups on facebook , did some research on pros and cons of having a store front salon versus a mobile salon, and i decided mobile was best for me.

I have always been on the faster side when it came to grooming . Not in a i rush my work kind of fast, but working with confidence.

One flaw of salons is, dogs are scared. That’s usually the number one culprit of why a dog acts out at the salon. Other things like the car ride there, being in a kennel, being around other scared dogs — it all adds up to major anxieties to the dogs.

With mobile I come to their house, park outside, greet the customer at the door, meet/grab their pup and groom outside in my trailer. It honestly has shocked me at the difference i’ve seen in a dog’s behavior. Now obviously dogs still get nervous; to some i’m still a strange lady that came to their home and now i’m (in their head) spraying them with water and blow drying them.
But they also know that they are right outside their house and no more being away from home for hours in a kennel . Once they are done (typically within an hour) they go right back inside i and can decompress. I have many repeat clients now that you can tell are much more comfortable. My favorite thing is when a regular comes running up to my truck and is so excited to see me . The decision to start my own business made me fall in love with this industry all over again.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

I’m a big believer in word of mouth. You can buy ads all day but people want to hear from people that you’ve worked with. Long time clients are your biggest marketing strategy. Making a true relationship with your clients has a positive effect on your business. In this field they want to know that you will take care of their fur baby . Word travels fast when you do a great job and having a honest relationship with your clients will be your biggest advantage.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Time and being personable . I feel like i’ve been doing this long enough i’ve built many relationships with people that have helped my business grow. Also i have always been very personable I’ve always hated the robotic conversation some people have . I don’t want the client to think i’m here just to make money and move on . I truly do want to get to know them and their pup. I love the relationships I have with many clients. Some clients even turned into friends over the years .

Contact Info:

• Facebook: Moo’s Mobile Grooming LLC