Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in pet care but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Catherine Bres, owner of Generation Dog, LLC., located in Homewood, AL, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Generation Dog, LLC is the parent company of Rub-a-Dub-Dog Bathhouse and Spa, a cage-free, appointment-only grooming salon and spa that has been in operation for 15 years. Just like the human salon model, dogs come in, get groomed, and go home. They have one-on-one attention while they are here and don't get as stressed as they would if forced to stay all day or be in a cage.

Tell us about yourself

After going through Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, it was hard to stick with the status quo. I left my corporate job and decided to focus on something I love. At the time, what I loved the most was my dogs. I researched and found that the luxury pet industry was growing, so I developed a plan to open Generation Dog: Where Dogs Are Family, a boutique for hard-to-find items for dogs and dog lovers, and the Rub-a-Dub-Dog Bathhouse and Spa. Due to being forced to relocate in 2016, the boutique was phased out so that we could focus on the continually growing grooming business.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Maintaining a loyal clientele over many years despite changes in staff who do the work is something I'm proud of since I am not a groomer myself. The spa was a bit of an afterthought to the boutique, so I didn't really know anything about grooming at first and have grown the business to be one of the leading salons in the area. We also pioneered the appointment-only, cage-free approach to grooming that puts the needs of the dogs as the number one priority.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

As a solo entrepreneur, you can often feel as if you are alone in making decisions, planning for the future, and handling everything that comes up - from computer issues to hiring, accounting, and customer service. Hiring is by far the biggest challenge in my field because there is a shortage of groomers, and many have a more "old school" approach that doesn't work in our dog-centric salon. Employees make or break your business so being selective and finding ways to hire those who actually care about what they are doing is important.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Research how others are doing things but don't feel constrained by how it has always been done. As someone who had never had a dog that needed grooming, I threw out the way most were doing it and did what I would want for my dogs. Fifteen years later, it has proven to be the right path because most of my clients are like me - treats their dogs like family and wants a level of care that is consistent with that.
  2. Rely upon outside professionals to what they do best. As a generalist by nature, I have always done more myself than other business owners. Unfortunately, that has resulted in a couple of very severe periods of burn-out, and work was the focus of my life. If I had to do it over again, I would outsource certain things and free up more time for me to have a more balanced life.
  3. Learn from others' mistakes. After being stolen from, I put in cameras. After having employees attempt to leave and solicit my clientele for their new salons, I created an employment contract that would give me legal recourse in the future. After having to pay vet bills because clients neglected their dogs' grooming and made accidents more likely, I created a release for clients to sign for dogs that were extremely matted. By learning from things like this before you have the issue arise yourself, you are a step ahead of the game.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Instead of doing what is legal, always do what is right. Acting from this place of integrity will always serve you, even when the harder thing to do is the right approach.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://rubadubdogbathhouse.mysalononline.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rubadubdogspa
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/generationdog/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rubadubdogspa
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherinebres/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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