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

Keshia, appreciate you joining us today. Talk to us about building your team? What was it like? What were some of the key challenges and what was your process like?

My business currently has one employee, as I just launched in December of 2022. My goal is to create a long-term business that groomers want to work for. I want to grow responsibly, which takes time. In my experience working for corporations and private groomers, these positions are extremely undervalued and overworked. For a lot of places that offer grooming services, the groomer is the lifeline, but not treated like such. Before founding my own company, I experienced this firsthand. Unfortunately, there are many groomers out there stuck in less than ideal situations, working for big corporations where they are just a number and/or the owners get all the profits. I went into business for myself with plans to be an exceptional place to work, not only for myself, but for my employees. I am an owner/groomer, so I know what employees need to thrive, that’s my competitive advantage. A lot of business owners in this industry have never groomed dogs and prey upon the less fortunate. I am cultivating an environment that values groomers and the hard work they provide. Grooming isn’t an easy job, and it is physically daunting, but the demand is off the charts. I plan to offer benefits and continuing education opportunities for my future hires. Continued education is such an important part of being a groomer, it’s what keeps skills fresh and sets us apart – we are invested when we study the art of dog grooming gaining certifications that are breed specific. This industry is always changing, so we have to stay informed of best practices. I’ve found that happy employees create happy clients. I honestly don’t know why there are so many businesses out there that haven’t figured this out. I want my groomers to feel safe and secure at work, the dogs and groomers come first, the owner of the business (myself) is last on the list. If the business supports the employees, then everyone will flourish. It’s all about the long game. I don’t want high employee turnover, and I want my groomers to know they are valued. With that being said, I also want to appeal to serious professionals that are hungry for this industry who want to grow and level up their craft. Having the highest credentialed and passionate staff directly benefits our clients over the long run.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I grew up on a small farm. That being said, I was raised around horses, goats, dogs, and cats. I’ve always been drawn to work with animals in some capacity, so I made it my career. While working as a vet technician, part of my duties included caring for boarded animals which included bathing them and shaving them from time to time. This is when I decided pet grooming was for me. I had a friend already in the pet grooming business who I reached out to and she explained the ins and outs, now the rest is history and I’ve been a Pet Stylist for over 20 years.
The services I provide for my clients are all inclusive, affordable-luxury dog grooming packages. What this means is that each client I work with gets the full package, if they so wish, from nail trimming and pampering to a whole body haircut – right at their doorstep. Every dog gets one on one attention and I bring the entire salon to my clients – they really love that! There is no kenneling their pets for 5-6 hours, or battling traffic after a long day of work for my clientele. Average time for a groom, depending on the complexity of the services rendered and the type of dog is typically between 1-2.5 hours. I also offer a la carte if that’s what’s best for the customer. I have repeat customers who book a groom every 6 weeks and in-between baths every 3-4 weeks on a rotation. I fully customize to my client’s needs and their budgets.
One of the things that I think sets me apart is my vet technician background and my education in pet nutrition. I’ve helped so many clients by just evaluating their dog’s diet and showing them how to read and interpret dog-food-labels. Just like humans, gut health in our dogs, primarily from their diets play a critical role in the health of their skin, coat, longevity, and overall happiness/quality of life. What we feed our dogs is just as important as regular grooming. I think of dogs in terms of their wholebeing, not just one part, but inside and out, head to toe, what’s best for them.

I am most proud of my ability to help my clients’ pets have healthier lifestyles overall. I know I bring each dog-parent comfort in how I care for them and their dog. I get attached to my clients, and I want to learn as much as I can about them so that I can help improve their lives overall, not just how they look cosmetically. I love hearing the positive feedback when I know I’ve made a difference, even if it’s small, it means a lot to me. It warms my heart to know that I improved that dog’s life. This industry is always changing, and I don’t expect dog owners to know everything. If your dog is in my care, I will always do what’s best for that animal.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

Oh goodness, this is a story. Let’s start at the beginning – I met my business partner when I was working for another grooming company. On this particular day, I was maxed out with bookings. My former employer was very stubborn, and that morning I was stressed because my boss was booking me with four large doodles that day, and trying to add another two dogs on top of that. (This goes back to my overworked and unvalued point in a previous discussion about working for big corporations or owners who have never groomed dogs before!) My boss didn’t believe in doing “groomer math”. Groomer math is knowing a large dog is the equivalent to having 2.3 – 3 smaller dogs because of the time and attention required to manage their luxurious coats of fur. So, typically when you have a day of large dogs like doodles, you wouldn’t also book a bunch of other dogs. Four doodles is equivalent to 6-8 small dogs. That’s a long, hard day for most groomers. Anyways, back to the story – my now business partner and her dog were my last stop of the day. I opened the van door to greet them and I could tell my new client was in a panic. She had the “Please don’t shave my dog” look on her face. As I began to feel the knots of matted fur on her pup, I explained that if they could be flexible on time, understand the costs, and her dog was comfortable and cooperative with my plan, I could work out the mats, and potentially not have to shave him. Suffice it to say, I shocked her with this offer – the offer of patience, care and compassion that no other groomer was willing to take the time to do for her! Low and behold, I spent almost 5 hours on her doodle. He received three separate baths with dematting solution, four blowouts, and repeated brushings. He was a champ for everything! Incredibly calm and well behaved, and he wasn’t sensitive to the services I was providing. In the end, I was able to give him a longer cut and that’s all my client wanted. She was elated and immediately rebooked that day with me.

Fast Forward, after our second groom, we got to talking about larger life aspirations, and she asked, what do you need to start your own business? I was floored and kind of in disbelief. I thought, was she serious?! To my pleasant surprise, she was very serious. This led to several meetings outlining what the business would look like, cost, setup, and we dug in fast and hard to get this going. Luckily, I still had all my numbers from all the research I had previously done with my “failed attempt” at starting a business years ago. In a matter of weeks, I had my own company, a new family, and a future I could see clearly. My business partner and I are a lot alike in our work ethnic and professional life. This makes our synergy so great. It also helps that we have a genuine connection outside of the business. I couldn’t ask for a better business partner, and she listens to me! Her dog also plays a significant part in the business as well! He’s our mascot! He is the face of the business that you see on the mobile grooming van and in our logo. This is a client turned business partner, turned family, and I am grateful for our meeting that fateful day when her dog was matted.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I think the lesson I had to unlearn is understanding my worth. What I mean by that is I had to learn to accept that some people will not see the value in what I provide. But that does not mean that I need to discount my work to cater to every type of personality out there. It doesn’t mean my work is less valuable and I shouldn’t feel that it is. I have over two decades of experience, vet tech training, and loads of continued education and certifications. My work has value. My time has value. What I do for dogs and clients is meaningful to both them and me. The people who want me to discount myself are misaligned with my own view of quality. I look for people willing to invest in high quality. I’ve spent years on my craft and I’m still investing in it to this day. Why would anyone expect less from an animal professional that is going to be caring for their pet? They are placing their trust in me as a professional to provide the best care that I can for their pet. To accept less is a risk I wouldn’t be comfortable with as a pet parent myself. My dogs are my family, and I wouldn’t put them into the care of anyone who didn’t treat them the same. I learned to never dull my light but rather find those who want to stand alongside me. I hope I have the chance to meet so many more Nashvillians and their pups. I am accepting new clients, all breeds welcomed!

Contact Info:

• Website: gorgeouspuppers.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gorgeousmotherpuppers/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Gorgeous-Mother-Puppers/100087915166887/
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