Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Suzanne Grande. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Suzanne, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

I set out many years ago to create a true spa experience for the dogs. I looked at my industry and realized that may of the common practices were actually scary for some dogs. I looked at human salons, and pictured a what a person would think, if the common practices in a pet salon were done to them or around them.
I worked very hard to create an environment where pets would feel truly safe and able to have that spa experience.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I have been in a grooming salon nearly every day for 56 years. As a second generation groomer, I grew up in the business. I fully groomed my first Poodle when I was 9 years old. In 1995,4 I attained my National Certified Master Groomer certification. Since then I have added Certified Canine Esthetician, Fear Free Certification, and Salon Safety Certification.
I have groomed well over 250 champion dogs including Best in Show winners, and have placed in 6 National Dog Grooming Competitions.
I designed the first ever Groomers Harness, promoting safety for dogs on the grooming table and in the tub.
My new website Groomingsafer.com and YouTube channel “Grooming Safer” are venues for me to offer help for anyone interested in providing great care for pets with tips, tricks, techniques, and inspiration.

Let’s talk M&A – we’d love to hear your about your experience with buying businesses

I purchased Poodle Penthouse Inc. in 1995. I was worked for a company that was in effect using me, and I was looking for a new job. I had a 5 mile no compete, so one day my husband was seeing what salons I could contact for a job. We contacted the owner of Poodle Penthouse Inc. Tampa’s oldest established salon, and she said I am not hiring, but I will sell it.
We were young, and did not have the cash. She said that she knew of my reputation in the industry, and she wanted her clients to be well cared for. She sold it on a bank note with no down payment.
It was the best thing that could have happened to us, and we still have clients from the the original owner.

Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?

In 2007 my husband was in an accident that left him with a severe traumatic brain injury, in 2008 we had a deep recession, during that time a previous landlord had a water leak and was charging us $1,200. a month for water! I buckled down, worked 7 days a week to save the business, care for my husband during his recovery, and built a new location. I still had a year left on my old lease, I was willing to pay double rent to stick the old landlord with the water bill :)
We grew the business during that time. Hard work goes a long way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://groomersharness.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/suzanne.grande.31/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzanne-grande-6b3826119/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeExM3yt1TI4t6XdvUiheSA
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/grande-style-pet-grooming-tampa-3
• Other: groomingsafer.com grandestylepet.com grandestylepetgroomingtampa.com

Image Credits
Ren Netherland with Animal Photography for the ones with the white background. .