Long-form, source-cited guides for professional groomers — starting a business, leaving corporate chains, pricing services, hiring staff, and running a salon that lasts. Every claim is backed by a primary source.
Fresh dog food is priced per dog, not per bag, which is why nobody publishes a simple price list. Here is what the published figures say a plan costs by dog weight, what makes one dog cost triple another, and the levers that bring the number down.
The Farmer's Dog does not publish a price list because every plan is portioned to one dog. Here are the published figures by dog weight, what drives the number up, and the two settings that bring it down.
The food is not the controversial part. The freezer space, the delivery cadence and the sticker shock at the second box are what owners actually talk about. Here is the full picture before you subscribe.
Ollie sells fresh food at roughly the same price as its bigger rival, with one meaningful difference: it will happily sell you half a plan. That single option is what makes it the more flexible of the two.
Nom Nom competes on simplicity rather than scale. Short recipes and tight portioning make it the fresh brand most worth a look when digestion is the problem you are solving.
Fresh food delivers two things reliably and several things it gets credit for by accident. Worth knowing which is which before committing several hundred dollars a month.
Most groomers try to grow by booking more dogs, and burn out before the business gets bigger. Real scaling means adding capacity profitably. This guide covers the order to do it in: max out your solo numbers first, know your unit economics, then add staff and chairs without losing money.
How dog groomers handle taxes and bookkeeping in 2026, self-employment tax, quarterly estimated payments, the deductions groomers miss, Schedule C, the 72.5¢ mileage rate, Section 179 equipment write-offs, the 1099-K rules, and a simple monthly bookkeeping system. Every figure source-cited to the IRS.
Mobile grooming offers higher margins, loyal clients, and no salon rent, but the van is a serious investment. This source-cited guide covers real startup costs, licensing, pricing, and how to fill your route.
Your first hire is the scariest and most important step in scaling a salon. This source-cited guide covers the IRS classification rules that catch owners every year, how to structure pay, and how to find and keep good groomers.
A complete guide to setting up automated SMS reminders, with copy/paste templates, no-show stats, and A2P 10DLC compliance basics every US groomer needs to know.
Most U.S. states do not require a license to work as a dog groomer, but a small number regulate grooming facilities (and a few cities require a permit). Here is the state-by-state picture, plus the business licenses every groomer needs.
A legally-sound, source-cited playbook for dog groomers leaving PetSmart, Petco, or another corporate chain, non-compete clauses, training-debt (TRAP) contracts, what you can and can't take with you, and the 30/60/90 day transition plan.
Calculators and data tools that work alongside these guides.
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