Today we’d like to introduce you to Adrian Smith.
Thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Well, I have always loved animals my whole life. When I was a kid, I used to go to the pet store and sneak home hamsters, thinking I could just keep them in a shoebox in the closet. The obsession with animals grew bigger. I eventually started bringing home puppies and stray dogs that I found or got for free. Lol. My mom was over it. When I was in high school, I took a career aptitude test. The test concluded that my career should be with animals and involving math. Now that, I think back, it was so accurate!! I mean, look at me now… fast forward to my adult life.
I hopped around from job to job. Couldn’t keep a job longer than 5 months and was just unsure what I wanted to do with my life. I was a food server at fine dining restaurants for about 4 years. Up until dog grooming fell into my lap. I never planned or would have ever thought that I would become a professional dog groomer, but God had a bigger plan for my life! I moved to Atlanta at 21 years old… found another serving job at Cheesecake Factory. Which at the time was my dream job. (Silly me). Me being from New Orleans, I had never been to Cheesecake Factory, I always admired the all-white uniforms. I thought it was the top-of-the-line for servers. Thought I’d be making thousands a week lol… so funny now that I think back on it. But working there I was struggling financially; I was working 4 double shifts a week. And fighting for more hours. I had hit rock bottom and even lived in a motel with my animals for a few months. Life was hard, up until grooming saved me, literally.
I found a groomer that came to my home to groom my dogs. I thought I was so fabulous by having services done at my home and it seemed like something I could do. A light bulb went off in my head. By the time my dogs needed grooming again, I had acquired some grooming tools from Walmart and was ready to attempt it myself. I shaved my dog down to the skin from head to toe. It was horrible but it saved me money at the time and wasn’t too hard for me… My neighbors inquired about their grooming. I charged them $25 and before you know it, I was shaving dogs down to the skin in my whole neighborhood. Still trying to find my way, I can admit he wasn’t the best employee. I was fired from the Cheesecake Factory. At the time I thought it was the end of the world. I thought I would have to move back home with my family to New Orleans. But giving up was NOT an option for me.
I made a flyer for $50 mobile grooming, and I applied to over 30 jobs. I averaged maybe 10 clients a week which was enough to keep food in my and my dog’s stomach and gas in my car. And my phone bill was paid. So, I was content with it. After getting no callbacks in 2 weeks. I just kept shaving dogs down the best I knew how… I ran across a neighbor whose dog was severely matted and I inquired about it. She said she was battling cancer, currently undergoing chemotherapy treatments, and couldn’t afford grooming services. So, I took the opportunity to help her out. When I returned her dog, she dropped down to her knees and started crying tears of joy. The happiness and gratitude she showed me touched my heart and GroomedByAdrian was born!!!
I’ve been in business now for 10 years officially, I opened my first storefront 4 years ago, I have 2 storefronts in 2 different states with employees, I’ve been featured on national TV (Pooch perfect on ABC), I’ve taught at grooming conventions across us and Canada, I’ve trained over 75 groomers (over 20 has gone on to start their grooming careers), taught at salons nationwide, I’ve been featured in magazines, blogs, podcasts, be gone viral a few times on a few different social media platforms, I’ve acquired over 30 grooming certifications, was nominated for best speaker of the year, color was created and named after me, received several awards, and the list goes on and will continue to go on.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Whew! I wish!! But you know how the saying goes. “Anything worth having is worth fighting for! “and that’s what I have been doing. Trying to find a healthy balance between work life and personal life. Trying to continue to love doing what I do while running a business. Trying to find reliable and trustworthy employees… It all has been a struggle of mine but the biggest struggle by far in my life (personal and business) was my car accident. On December 30, 2022, I was involved in a hit-and-run accident. My jeep flipped a few times, and I was ejected from the roof on the interstate at 1 in the morning. I suffered a broken hip, pelvis, tailbone, wrist, shoulder, and cheekbone.
My kids collapsed during my stay, and I was placed on a life support machine. Very scary times. I had to have several surgeries. I was hospitalized for 38 days and on bed rest for 5 months. In total, I was out of work for 7 months. However, I still kept my grooming salon open. Mainly because they depended on me and had families of their own to support me. Running 2 businesses from the hospital bed was not easy at all!! Dealing with everyday business duties, problems that may happen at the salon, with clients, client complaints, staff complaints, and drama, bills, I was having issues with my building and the landlord wasn’t fixing anything. I was having daily issues with leaking, mold, rats, and employee complaints from the above. I’ve had to hire and fire employees, conduct interviews for new hires, payroll, and look for a new salon. all from the hospital bed.
My landlord did give me the option to close my doors and she wouldn’t charge me rent while I was closed but I chose to keep the salon open. I did that for my clients and also my employees. They all have families and need their jobs. I did this all While trying to heal myself physically and mentally. With me being out of work my business was failing financially and I was blowing through my savings to keep the doors open and rent paid. The money my groomers were bringing in was just enough to cover payroll expenses but not much after that. I was drowning!!! But through it all God kept me covered!! I didn’t give up and didn’t shut my doors one day while I was gone. And as soon as I was able to get up from the hospital bed, I was back working. Grooming and training and I even moved into a much better salon now and don’t have to deal with any of those issues.
There is light at the end of the tunnel. I am now back working full-time. I am so appreciative of my staff for their hard work and all the extra help they provided during my healing process. I’m also soooo thankful for my loyal clients who’ve stuck with me through it all! Who’s been patient with me and my healing journey? Grooms take me much longer to achieve the same quality as before my accident. I’m not physically capable of lifting and maneuvering my body the way I used to. It’s almost as if I’m teaching myself how to groom again. But every day gets easier. My clients are patient and I love that. I’ve learned through all of the things I’ve been through to never give up. There is a lot at the end of the tunnel. Things will get better lastly focus on the positives and don’t hold on to the negatives.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
We groom all breeds and offer a variety of services including color. We are known in Atlanta for our coloring services the most. I would say that is our main specialty. We also specialize in poodles. I am in love with the breed. My uniqueness with what I do and how I incorporate it with who I am separates me and my salon from the rest.
I am most proud of the opawz color named after me, which is for sale on several platforms, it’s called Adrian pink. I want your readership to know I love what I do, I love color. And I will always do my best. I offer every service you need at a grooming salon plus more. Please visit my webpage.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc.?
I love music. Gospel music inspires me the most. I find inspiration with social media a lot as far as designs and what can be accomplished in my career.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.GroomedByAdrian.com
- Instagram: @GroomedByAdrian
- Facebook: Groomed by Adrian
Image Credits
@dr8nn and @marioshotme
