Today we’d like to introduce you to Tracey Grier.
Hi Tracey, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
It’s funny when I tell others this, but I was HORRIFIED of dogs!!! My first job was at PetSmart in North Carolina as a cashier to earn extra cash to help pay my way through college. I was studying Computer Information Technology and didn’t want to burden my mom with the stress of money for gas and other essentials needed for school. I remember my first week in training thinking, “I’m not going to make it!”. But I mastered it and learned so much about dogs, thanks to the girls who took the time to train me. I moved to Atlanta in 2010 and was asked a few months later if I’d like to learn how to groom?? I said, okay, it’s more money, sure, why not? First, I became a bather and learned the proper way to bathe a dog, trim its nails, clean their ears, add cute bows or bandanas and my manager mentioned becoming an actual groomer. She let me practice on a few dogs occasionally and said I’d be a really good groomer, so I signed up for the Grooming Academy. The training was 30 days that taught me about the different breeds and styles of cuts, anatomy of the dog, and techniques to perform the grooming procedure.
After graduating, I had to complete the apprentice part that required me to groom 100 dogs of each breeding group and could then begin my solo career as a Professional Pet Stylist!! I decided after two years I wanted to take my career to the next level so then began working at a privately owned grooming facility and even a doggy daycare. I loved the flexible environment but wasn’t able to earn as much as I felt I deserved so had the idea of doing house call visits, perform grooming in people’s homes. I don’t remember it being as popular then in 2014 as it is now so was one of a few who offered it. Customers enjoyed not having to travel to the groomers and their pet being there all day, so this helped my business to grow rapidly! Last year when COVID hit, many things ran through my head and I came to the realization that I needed to modify my business plan. I had the idea of getting a mobile grooming van or open a storefront. I decided that opening a storefront was be a good start and have been operating at my location since August 2020. I adopted my furkid in 2017 and have a better understanding of what a pet parent or owner deals with when trusting someone with the care of their pet. Now I make sure to ease every owner’s mind when they drop their dog off and make the grooming experience for the pet as enjoyable as possible.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Any entrepreneur or business owner knows that there will be struggles!! Some you can plan for, some just happen. Starting a new business requires a lot of work on the owner since you wear many hats. I was constantly working; marketing myself, scheduling appointments, ordering inventory, grooming… you get my drift! I had days where my phone had no activity, like I had no one calling for an appointment and then other days it wouldn’t stop ringing!! Money was inconsistent and I still had bills to pay. Talk about stressful not knowing how things will work out. So I started offering dog walking and dog sitting to add extra income on my slower days. I met a lot of fun, successful business owners and those who had prominent, unique jobs that boosted my confidence in my brand and services as well as made the time spent working alone more enjoyable. But once my business was up and running successfully for many years, COVID hit. This was definitely one of those things you can’t plan for.
A pandemic hadn’t occurred in over a century, so most business owners didn’t have a disaster plan in place for something of the sort. I didn’t so was out of work for some time, not knowing if I could be infected or infect a client. So I did the responsible thing and didn’t work. But If you don’t work, you don’t get paid so back to not knowing how things would work out. Once I decided on opening a storefront, there was so much that I had to do to find a location that I didn’t know was needed. The regulations and guidelines were so different than most businesses so I had to do a lot of research. Not to mention the cost of licenses and inspections so I had to make sure I would be able to handle it financially. This new journey was scary, but I decided to invest in myself and take the risk.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
TreChien Dog Spa was established in 2014 and the name was created by my sister and myself. We combined my nickname Tre, and the word Chien, which means ‘dog’ in French, to give it an elegant yet chic appeal. I offer one on one spa grooming services to pets in my salon, which limits cage time to reduce stress and anxiety. This allows me also to focus on one pet at a time, build trust between the pet and I, and give them the needed attention to perform their services straight through. Using some of the best products available in the grooming industry, I strive to make pets not only look good on the outside but overall, starting with their skin. I am a registered AKC SAFE Groomer, CPR and Pet First Aid Certified, and Semi-Permanent Color Certified. I am the only grooming salon in my area that offers Vegan, pet-safe dye to give pet’s a little extra flare. Teeth brushing, nail grinding and pawlish, CBD Baths, and full-service grooming are some of the services on my menu. I’m working to add more spa services such as Ayurveda healing mud baths and dog massages to my menu soon. At the moment, I work by appointment only and vaccinated dogs up to 60 pounds and of all ages are welcomed and serviced at my salon. Every pet is as if they are my dog and they become a part of my family. I’m excited that I took the leap to invest in myself and hope to offer business assistant to others who are looking to run their house call business successfully or open their own salon. Also, growing TreChien in the future will be very rewarding having other groomers who have a passion for pet’s and their overall well-being.
Pricing:
- Baths start at $30
- Full Grooming start at $65
Contact Info:
- Email: spadaywithtrey@gmail.com
- Website: www.spadaywithtre.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trechiendogspa/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TreChienDogSpa/
- Other: https://booking.moego.pet/?name=TreChienDogSpa
Image Credits
Trina A Ko Dawiet Zamadie Emeth Horton
