I moved from Northampton to the Peak District in 2021 and we had said that we would get a dog as soon as we moved here, so in early summer 2021 we got a Cockapoo puppy. I had no idea how often she would need grooming, therefore unfortunately due to little education about a cockapoos coat my then one year old cockapoos coat became matted resulting in a groomer having to skin her. I was gutted and decided that I would look into where I could go and learn to manage her coat myself. After a brief look on google I came across Sue Oliver dog grooming and although this was a 90 minute journey from me something about her website and Facebook page stood out to me. I sent an email and booked onto a taster day to learn the basics of coat management and clipping. The day course was fab and informative and I left buzzing. I was able to clip a dog from just that days training and after leaving I went on eBay bought myself a table and some secondhand clippers and went round a few local groomers nearby and asked if I could shadow them to learn more. 

After some thought and being in between jobs I thought more and more about dog grooming and how I could fit it in around my two young sons. In summer 2022 I decided to sign up for the 20 week course with Sue Oliver to become a dog groomer and proceeded to spend the next 5 months travelling one day a week to complete my Certified Professional groomer course. In December 2022 I got my qualification and set up my grooming room in my converted garage where I gradually grew my business. 

I initially started clipping about one dog a day but this quickly grew and I stayed working at home till March 2024. 15 months later I had built my business up from clipping 5 dogs a week to 18 dogs a week and needing a helper! I started to look at business premises as felt the need for more space and I enquired about a property and was added to a wait list to view it. However a few days later I was contacted by the agency stating that the landlord liked my business idea and jumped me to the top of the list and I viewed the property two days later. I felt that this was the right decision for me and my business and moved in the property in March this year and by May this year I have closed my books to new clients as I couldn’t keep up with the demand. Word of mouth had caught on in my local area and my consistency had paid off and my passion for my work spoke for itself.

I now have two regular bathers each doing a day a week and one will become my apprentice after the summer. I have just started entering competitions against other groomers and attend workshops for further training and to continue my learning. Hand on heart it is the best decision I ever made!! Sue is a firm but fair educator, knowledgeable and between her and Jess I felt I gained exactly what I needed from the course to build an amazing business. I know when the times right I’ll be back to complete my next qualification with Sue and her team.