That’s a wrap on Season 1! To close the season, I’m sharing three changes I’ve made in my own life and business that made a real difference. Take even one of them into the winter and I promise it’ll change things for you.

First, though: if you’re waiting until the week between Boxing Day and New Year to plan 2027, don’t. Q4 is when you have this year’s accounts, customer numbers and results in front of you. Use them to see what worked, what didn’t, and what deserves more of your energy next year.

In this episode:

1. 90-day cycles

• How 90-day cycles differ from calendar quarters, and why they can start whenever suits your business
• A simple T&Cs cycle: prep in December, then hand them out to every client over January and February (most clients on a 6–8 week schedule will be in during that window)
• Why three weeks, or even a month, is too short to judge a new service, and how a 90-day test settles the “just go for it vs. prepare properly” debate
• How one groomer with dog grooming, cat grooming, teeth cleaning and a self-wash station focused 80% of her sales posts on one service per 90 days, and stopped local owners saying “I had no idea you did that!”
• The 90-day cycle hiding in plain sight: this podcast

2. Value over visibility

• Why looking after the clients you already have grows your reputation faster than chasing more followers
• Why I don’t run my salon like a tapas menu: one all-inclusive price, no upselling every extra
• My take on Christmas spa packages, and the small touches that keep clients loyal through price increases
• Why the Academy has never had a minimum term, and how that holds me accountable
• An expensive lesson I learned from a locked-in payment plan
• Why competition in the industry can raise all our standards, as long as you’re one of the groomers improving

3. Change the narrative in your head

• Talk to yourself the way you’d talk to someone you love (or your dog!)
• Why being kind to yourself isn’t the same as being lazy
• Being self-employed vs. being your own boss: you need to play both roles
• Using boundaries around your working hours to protect your home life and avoid burnout
• A gentle reminder for December: something will slip, and that’s OK

Mentioned in this episode:

• Annual Strategy Planning Session: inside the Academy this November. We plot your whole 2027 into your diary, from price increases to policies.
• Monthly membership closes Saturday 31 October at 10pm and stays closed all winter. Annual membership is still open.

Thank you so much for listening to Season 1. I’ll see you in the spring for Season 2, and on social media over Christmas. Have an amazing end of 2026!

Want to dive deeper?

Watch Karen's free Dog Grooming Business Engine training here and discover the framework behind a business that supports your life instead of consuming it.

Want to build a calmer, more profitable dog grooming business?

The Dog Grooming Business Academy helps ambitious groomers master pricing, marketing, branding and customer experience so they can build a business that works for their life - not the other way around.

Enjoying the podcast?

If you're listening while grooming today, Karen would love to see what you're working on! Share a photo or selfie to your Instagram, Facebook or TikTok Stories, tag @thedoggroomingbusinessacademy, and she'll share your post. At the end of each month, one listener will receive a grooming goodie bag full of treats from some of Karen's favourite brands.

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following, rating and reviewing the show. It helps more dog groomers discover the business education they never received in grooming school.

You love the dogs. You want their owners to like you. But somewhere along the way, being helpful has turned into accepting late payments, overlooking no-shows and apologising for your prices.

So how do you stop being walked over without becoming the groomer who lectures every customer through the door?

In this episode of The Business of Dog Grooming, Karen Fisher explores the difference between excellent customer service and people-pleasing, and how to build client relationships where warmth and professional respect go hand in hand.

From chasing an unpaid grooming bill on Christmas Eve to quietly letting clients assume her partner had paid for a family holiday, Karen shares the moments that exposed how much she was playing small in her own business.

In this episode:

• The three client relationship dynamics: being walked over, becoming resentful and finding professional equality.
• Why people-pleasing is customer service without boundaries.
• How good communication supports your policies, fees and pricing.
• How the way clients discover and choose you can influence the relationship that follows.
• What busy restaurants can teach us about attracting grooming clients.
• The “Cinderella mindset” and why working hard and being lovely isn’t a complete business strategy.
• Giving yourself permission to build a business that supports financial stability and a life you enjoy.
• Seeing other successful women as evidence of what’s possible.

A question to take away:
Are you offering great customer service—or keeping customers happy at the expense of your own time, income and peace of mind?

You can love your work, care deeply about the dogs and still expect to be paid properly and treated professionally.

Want to dive deeper?

Watch Karen's free Dog Grooming Business Engine training here and discover the framework behind a business that supports your life instead of consuming it.

Want to build a calmer, more profitable dog grooming business?

The Dog Grooming Business Academy helps ambitious groomers master pricing, marketing, branding and customer experience so they can build a business that works for their life - not the other way around.

Enjoying the podcast?

If you're listening while grooming today, Karen would love to see what you're working on! Share a photo or selfie to your Instagram, Facebook or TikTok Stories, tag @thedoggroomingbusinessacademy, and she'll share your post. At the end of each month, one listener will receive a grooming goodie bag full of treats from some of Karen's favourite brands.

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following, rating and reviewing the show. It helps more dog groomers discover the business education they never received in grooming school.

You buy your insurance, tick the box and get back to grooming. Each year, the renewal comes through and you let it roll over.

But if something happened tomorrow, would you know what you’re covered for?

In this episode, I’m joined by Kirsty Thorner from Brooks Braithwaite to tackle the insurance questions dog groomers often leave unanswered until they need to make a claim.

With questions submitted by members of The Dog Grooming Business Academy, we explore the jargon, the assumptions and the everyday situations that could leave you wondering where you stand.

We discuss:

• Public liability, employers’ liability, professional indemnity and care, custody and control — what do these terms mean?
• What paperwork you might need when making a claim, including those equipment receipts you’ve forgotten about.
• How to communicate with an owner after an incident and why your insurer needs to be involved.
• Whether a dog’s vaccination status could affect your cover.
• Taking equipment to grooming shows and competitions.
• The familiar claim that an owner staying to watch invalidates your insurance.
• When new groomers should start thinking about cover.
• What to do if an owner alleges an injury after their dog has left your salon.
• Reviewing your insurance when you add dog walking, sell treats or bring someone into your team.

Whether you groom from home, run a salon or work from a van, this conversation will help you ask better questions about the protection your business has in place.

Listener discount
Use code TDGBA10 for 10% off your next insurance quote with Brooks Braithwaite.
Find out more and request a dog groomers’ insurance quote

Kirsty also shares details of a free policy audit for members of The Dog Grooming Business Academy, designed to help identify potential gaps in their existing cover. Contact Brooks Braithwaite through the website above and mention your Academy membership.

Cover varies between policies. Use this episode as a starting point for questions, then check your own policy wording and speak to your insurer about your circumstances.

Want to dive deeper?

Watch Karen's free Dog Grooming Business Engine training here and discover the framework behind a business that supports your life instead of consuming it.

Want to build a calmer, more profitable dog grooming business?

The Dog Grooming Business Academy helps ambitious groomers master pricing, marketing, branding and customer experience so they can build a business that works for their life - not the other way around.

Enjoying the podcast?

If you're listening while grooming today, Karen would love to see what you're working on! Share a photo or selfie to your Instagram, Facebook or TikTok Stories, tag @thedoggroomingbusinessacademy, and she'll share your post. At the end of each month, one listener will receive a grooming goodie bag full of treats from some of Karen's favourite brands.

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following, rating and reviewing the show. It helps more dog groomers discover the business education they never received in grooming school.