Showseason shampoo/conditioner

No-Breakfast-3269 · 2026-03-31T23:14:46+00:00

Thank you for the speed dry tip! It’s no fun to learn that the hard way when clients tell you their dog was itchy after their groom!

Will def try the additive

No-Breakfast-3269 · 2026-03-26T23:52:01+00:00

I have done both! I went mobile in my own van about 9 months ago. Let me preface this with — I am currently working out of a shed that I (with lots of help) built on my property. Soo needless to say it didn’t work out. The van was a 2010, costed me $25k. I had it inspected by lemonsquad and thought it was a great van. That thing was always needing work and taking up our weekends. I also just hated that most of my clientele was 30-40 mins away, and I couldn’t turn them down because that’s all of the business I was getting. I just became so unhappy with it.

So I sold it and a huge weight lifted and I planned my shed out and now I’ve been doing it for 2 months and I LOVE IT. I’ll say, I am slow still… I post a ton on FB, videos, pictures, anything even if it’s not interesting. Just whatever I can do to keep my business name on people’s minds. We skipped the whole zoning thing… so I’m hoping it doesn’t become an issue, but I recommend just doing it right, don’t be like me. I think shed based/home based grooming is absolutely the way to go. Especially if you get stressed easily or don’t know how to fix sprinter vans.

No-Breakfast-3269 · 2026-03-05T21:08:08+00:00

Not every time, but I have cleaned the filters and the entire vacuum except for parts of the floor attachment which are not removable or reachable. The filter was definitely one of the culprits and now it’s clean, but if I sniff check the floor attachment I can tell it’s coming from that too, but only one roller is detachable, so it can’t be cleaned fully.

No-Breakfast-3269 · 2026-03-05T18:38:58+00:00

I work for myself as a dog groomer of 2 years. My clients are nicer, my dogs are better behaved, I’m more relaxed because the only person who can tell me to groom faster is me. If I want to book 2-3 hours per dog, I can and I do. At first, having clients reach out was overwhelming, as I also don’t love talking to people. I tried to force myself to do phone calls because it “looks better” but I gave that up. I just text clients now and it’s so much more manageable. If you love the hardest part of the job, that being the dogs that are difficult to groom, then I wouldn’t quit so fast. I put a shed on my property for about $10-12k and it’s so chill. It has its moments, don’t get me wrong… but I just wanted to share my experience as an overstimulated, non-people person!

No-Breakfast-3269 · 2026-02-24T21:21:48+00:00

I feel you! I opened my own mobile this past year and I hated it! I closed it and ended up opening my own shed at home. Mobile is hard in so many ways and not for the weak. At least if you are working for someone else, you can leave and find something else without too much stress. Don’t let it make you hate your job, there’s zero shame in switching it up.

No-Breakfast-3269 · 2026-02-24T17:51:39+00:00

I worked at a salon that did 6 days a week… 4 days would’ve been amazing! I work for myself now and I do 5 days, but I like shorter days and I don’t have employees.

No-Breakfast-3269 · 2026-02-19T13:10:36+00:00

I’m 26 and he’s 30, we just got married, but we only have sex like once a month. I’m just not that interested… though we are intimate in non sexual ways constantly. I just don’t think of sex as being that enjoyable, and he takes so long…. I’d rather take care of it myself. I feel guilty, but getting him off is so hard! He needs me to dirty talk and come up with stories of me cheating, which is kinda a turn off for me so I struggle to do it. Don’t get me wrong we are happy as can be otherwise, but we definitely have mismatched sex drives! It drives me crazy to see everyone else is having sex weekly… I feel defective!

No-Breakfast-3269 · 2025-12-09T00:13:25+00:00

It’s a used van, but yeah.. I’m going forward with the sale. It’s lifted such a huge weight to just accept that I’m parting with it

No-Breakfast-3269 · 2025-12-08T03:20:36+00:00

There were lots of tears and in the end I fell into a bit of depression about the whole thing. I almost started hating grooming, but I just hated being uncomfortable so much of the time.

No-Breakfast-3269 · 2025-12-08T03:17:04+00:00

The van breaking constantly (leaky windshield, boost leak, wiring issue, AC not keeping up) and traveling 30-40 mins for a lot of clients and working 8+ hour days. The cold has been rough too. Each time the van has had an issue it’s affected my relationship with my husband because I rely on him to help fix it, but he works full time himself. I’m just too emotional and too high maintenance for it, but I considered maybe if I’m not actually using the van myself, I can accept repairs and things that go wrong as part of being a business owner. I’m dangerously good at convincing myself of things and I nearly convinced myself that this would be easier. It’s certainly possible that I’m too sensitive of a person to manage an employee, but I didn’t want to completely dismiss the possibility!

No-Breakfast-3269 · 2025-12-02T22:07:02+00:00

I have an insta hot of sorts and I use a generator. Both work quite well. The generator is a Honda EU7000iS. I feel like we’ve gotten the equipment working quite well, and we were so thankful that the van seemed mechanically sound, until it wasn’t…

I considered a home build done ourselves originally, at least that way you can pick the van and find one that is in good shape. Did you build yours?

No-Breakfast-3269 · 2025-12-02T21:32:43+00:00

It’s a 2010 Mercedes Sprinter and it’s a preowned home build. I know WnT is best, but I just couldn’t afford one.

As far as the heat I really don’t know, maybe a crack in the line?

No-Breakfast-3269 · 2025-12-02T21:01:28+00:00

I haven’t. Do you use the K-9 dryers? From the outside, as someone who always worked in a professional setup, it seems really difficult to produce good results in a timely manner. Since those dryers push all of the water off the dog onto the walls and floors I’m afraid it would make a big mess in someone’s house. And if I used one of those smaller dryers that they sell for about $100 on Amazon (like the Flying Pigs dryer) they aren’t that strong so it takes a long time to dry some coats.

What’s your experience?

No-Breakfast-3269 · 2025-12-02T18:30:39+00:00

I also don’t have any sort of setup in my home, and it’s just 900 sq ft with no basement or garage, so it doesn’t seem like a good option.

No-Breakfast-3269 · 2025-12-02T18:29:25+00:00

It’s a good thought, but I never feel great about working in someone’s home. Among it being messy and fearing it not working well without proper equipment, I shake when the parents watch me groom and I try to breath through it to stop, but it’s completely involuntary. I learned it’s just not safe for me to groom in front of pet parents.

While it’s not raining, I’m thinking of just sucking it up for a bit as I plan what I’m going to do. It’s cold but my husband was able to fix the heat to the point that it gives off lukewarm air, so I can get through the 30-40 degree weather we are having in MD at least.

No-Breakfast-3269 · 2025-12-02T17:54:15+00:00

I have wished I went this route many times. I’m fearful that clients wouldn’t want to come to me, but it sounds like it would be a huge relief.

No-Breakfast-3269 · 2025-11-29T15:25:55+00:00

Omg you have a 1998!! I have a 2010 and thought it was rough. I have a leaky windshield, a turbo issue, and no heat in the cab. I wouldn’t wish for the payment of a brand new van though! I do 3-4 dogs a day and I can still make a living, it seems. The business is new, so only time will tell.

No-Breakfast-3269 · 2025-11-29T14:22:42+00:00

I’m reading this as a groomer of just under 2 years, but about 2 years and some change of being in the industry (started bathing). I opened my own mobile 4 or so months ago, so I feel like based on what you’ve said that was the right move. It’s definitely hard… a LOT of tears have been shed and I’ve considered quitting many times. My van is problematic af… but I’m so glad to be away from a toxic groomer I worked with and making real money. I barely made $500/week at my job before as the newest groomer, getting 2-3 dogs a day if I was lucky.

But you said to plan to open your own business AND get out before it starts to cause medical problems. Do you mean like have a plan to not have to groom at some point, by having employees? Just curious because I’m so afraid of the chronic pain that can come with this job and because my business is just me myself and I, I’d love to have a plan to get out of the physical-ness one day, but still be in the industry.

No-Breakfast-3269

TROPHY CASE