Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberly Hicks.
Hi Kimberly, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My journey to “success in progress” is a traumatic, comical series of life events with the sharpest lessons riding shot gun. Don’t worry though, we’ll start with the water downed short version! Haha! My interest in animals feels innate to me. As far back as I can remember I’ve had a deep love for dogs! They taught me something as a child that I was unable to get from my unstable childhood. They showed me unconditional love. The crazy part is I didn’t even understand what I was absorbing from them at the time, but it’s something I will always carry in my heart. While in college I got into a terrible car accident that resulted in broken ribs, minor internal bleeding, and a lot of external abrasions/bruising. As a result, I got behind in my classes. I was already working for a corporation part time that offered me an opportunity to go to dog grooming academy. I dropped out of college and began my grooming journey! I was a “natural” according to my trainer, which is reassuring when you’re working with sharp tools around an unpredictable moving target! I stayed with that company for a decade learning as many different aspects of the business as I could. I worked in their fish/small animal department, bathed/groomed dogs, taught pet training classes, managed grooming salons, and eventually instructed grooming academies myself for the North GA district. I reached a glass ceiling I knew I would inevitably grow through. During that 10 year process I met someone who wanted to open a private salon, but knew nothing about grooming. We teamed up, I left said company, and at the end of 2018 we started our Spa Wags adventure in downtown Powder Springs! I took over the company solely in 2020, and it has been a blessing full of love, growth and lessons. The connections I’ve made with clients and their pets over the last 17 years has been a tremendous light in my life. I’m so grateful I was given a gift and opportunity to create a business around what I’m passionate about in a city I love.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Some of the obstacles I personally faced were: being a 1st year business owner and navigating a business during a pandemic simultaneously, learning how to create and foster the culture you want for your business, finding the right people to put in place for that, moving locations (city zoning, permits, new neighbors etc)
It’s definitely not a smooth road, but anything worth something usually involves a rougher route!
I would compare the road of my business journey to a section on the Appalachian Trail called Winding Stair Gap. It’s a treacherous, exhausting route full of climbs, grabby greedy roots, and long stretches without any water sources. When you make sure to give your body nutrients/rest, watch your foundation for good footing, plan/prepare for the worst, and trust your gut you will reach a summit with an unforgettable stunning view worth every bruise, blister, and bite!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am an overall amazing dog groomer! Me and my groomers offer safe, quality service with a family feel! We understand that pets are family members. We do our best to ensure our clients are satisfied and continue to trust us with their babies! We also take after photos of the dogs for our clients and social media pages!
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Be open-minded and respectful, talk to people and ask questions!
Knowing what I know now, having a bad experience myself with my mentor… I would say: Follow your instincts and guts about people. They’ll always be a lesson you can utilize in the future for your business and/or wellbeing no matter what the outcome of your networking experience. Maybe you only learned not to trust a certain personality type, or that you can overcome an obstacle on your own. Either way you took growth away from that situation. Perspective is so important. I feel if you choose to protect your perspective with positivity, radiate gratitude as much as possible, and treat others with love and consideration you’ll find the right people will fall into place in your life!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spa.wags?igsh=NTdqbWFxZDR6bjA1
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Spawags?mibextid=ZbWKwL
Image Credits
Spa Wags
