We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jennifer Rubino. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jennifer below.

Alright, Jennifer thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Innovation comes in all shapes, sizes and across all industries, so we’d love to hear about something you’ve done that you feel was particularly innovative.

During my journey as a dog groomer over the past fifteen years, I have found many grooming salons operate in a similar fashion regarding their appointment times. Commonly, multiple dogs will be dropped off for their appointments at the same time and the owners are made aware it may be a few hours before their pet is ready to go home. As the day goes on it is not uncommon to get backed up. This results in dogs being away from home, sometimes in a kennel, longer than intended. When I started my business, I wanted to approach the appointments differently. Instead of having multiple dogs come in at the same time, my time slots are staggered for each pet. My goal was to give each dog my full attention for the entire time they are here, which is typically under ninety minutes, while still providing a quality groom. Not keeping the pet in a kennel and getting to send them home quickly makes the experience less stressful for the pet, which in turn is also less stressful for me. A happy dog makes for a happy groomer!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have always loved animals, but dogs really do own the name “man’s best friend”. After graduating college and moving to Tennessee with my dog, I joined the dog grooming industry in 2008. In 2010, I began training as a veterinary technician. Through the years, I have worked for different veterinarians and grooming salons. If I was helping animals in some way, I knew I was following the right path. In 2018, I opened My Angels Grooming in the basement of my home. My personal dogs were always referred to as “my angels”, which is how I decided on the name. I continued working full time for the veterinarian but as the grooming business picked up, I eased out of the vet field and have been grooming full time since 2020. Services offered include bathing, haircuts, nail trimming/filing, ear cleaning, teeth brushing and anal gland expression.
Keeping costs low for my clients is also something I have tried to make a priority. There’s no way around it, grooming is expensive. For those who own a brick-and-mortar business with multiple groomers, it’s understandable that they would have to charge more to cover the costs of the rent, utilities, fair pay to their groomers, insurance, advertising, etc. Being the business owner as well as the only groomer in my own home allows me to offer competitive pricing in a cozy atmosphere. I had also decided when I started the business that creating a business Facebook page and word-of-mouth would be the only means of trying to acquire new clients so that I wouldn’t have to sink much into advertising costs.
A couple years into my business being open, and in memory of grandmother, I launched “Tana’s Italian Dog Treats”. There are five different treats: Avena di Amore (Oats of Love), Basilico Cialda (Basil Wafers), Parmesan Sorpresa (Parmesan Surprise), Zucca Biscotti (Pumpkin Cookies) and Gelida Delizie (Frosty Delights). They are made with all natural ingredients, including love! No preservatives, dyes, sugar, salt, chemicals, or animal by-products are used. And each batch is made to order for the preservation of the treats.
I am so very thankful to being running this wonderful little business of mine and to have met the amazing people I have along the way. What I always hope people will truly see in me is that I care for their pets, not just because its my job, but because it’s a passion that God placed in my heart from a very young age. To be able to care for His non-human creatures that are immensely loved by Him and take part in the mutual benefits that interacting with animals provides is one of the greatest blessings of my life.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

The only social media I promoted my business on was Facebook, but what I will say can be applied to any and all of them. Ask for the support of friends. Share where possible as long as it is allowed. Be social…don’t just try to sell your business, but interact and show your personality. Share your story. People don’t just want options, they want a REASON to give your business a try. While it may be time consuming when you launch it, be sure to set boundaries for yourself regarding how much time you spend with it in your face. It’s very easy to want to promote your business and reply to clients inquiries as fast as possible and at any hour, but remember that you create what they will expect in the future. For the sake of your mental well-been know when to stop scrolling and editing and posting and put the device(s) down.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

I was working full-time as a veterinary technician and thought grooming from home could be a good way to earn a little extra cash. Since I had been a groomer in previous jobs, I had most of the tools and equipment already. My first few clients were dogs of friends. As I gained more clients, I cut back my hours at the veterinary hospital. Eventually I was grooming most of time and two years in I was grooming full time. This gave me the opportunity to learn about being a small business owner as I went along and still have reliable income while my business was getting off the ground.

Contact Info:

• Facebook: www.Facebook.com/MyAngelsGrooming