February 10, 2015 Newsletter

Why Do You Need a Business Plan?    

Leslie Sowers and Melissa Verplank, CMG    
Did you know that about 80% of new businesses FAIL in the first 5 years?  It's true.  Nobody starts a business expecting to fail, but sobering statistics indicate that many do.

So how do you avoid becoming a statistic?  Simple - create a business plan.  On paper.  Do this before you think about opening your own grooming salon, renting a table, or running a mobile grooming van.

All fresh business owners are passionate about their goals, but a business can't succeed without a business plan.  This is where you work out the crucial elements that every business needs.  Even with the most basic plans, you will have sections that deal with:
  • start-up costs
  • financial estimates
  • marketing research
  • progress benchmarks
Getting everything down on paper before you try to get the business started greatly increases your odds for success.

Melissa Verplank has been opening pet-related businesses for years.  Many of them have been wildly successful and are still going strong.  In this lesson, Melissa sits down with her long time accountant, Leslie Sowers.  Leslie has been involved in almost all of Melissa's start-ups and has been Melissa's mentor, coach, and adviser for over 30 years.

In this short lesson, they go over one of the key elements all aspiring business owners need: a business plan.  They will give you plenty of ideas to spark your entrepreneurial spirit, getting you set on your own path of business success.  

Approximate total running time:  34 minutes   

In this video you will learn:
  • what a business plan is and why you need to have one.
  • why you need to know who your prospective customers are and how you will reach them.
  • the importance of knowing what the budget will look like.
  • how to foresee problems and how to address them.
  • where to get more information on business plans.
 
 


It's like having a private coach right in your computer every month!

Mini Lesson   

How to  Style the Feet of an Australian Terrier 

The Australian Terrier has a uniquely styled foot.  In this Mini Lesson, award-winning stylist Michell Evans shows you how to correctly hand strip and shape the feet of an Australian Terrier.  She shows you what tools work best and where to set the lines on both the front and the rear legs.

 

Estimated Run Time:  

7 minutes   

 

 

From the Archives!  

Marc LaFleur
Many professionals love this coat type.  They love the dramatic change that can happen from when the dog walks into the grooming facility and when the dog walks out.  There are special challenges in order to get it really clean while removing all the loose coat, mats, and tangles that are typical of this type. 

Typical breeds with this coat type include Collies, Shelties, Pomeranians, and many mixed breeds.

Estimated Run Time:  

28 minutes  

Grooming TIP of the WEEK!   


CLICK THE BANNER TO SIGN UP TODAY!
Customer Service

We are happy to help!
Call or email
for support.
We pride ourselves on offering good old-fashioned customer service to our members. We're happy to help you with billing, tech support and questions about the site.

Our office hours are:
Monday - Friday
8:00 am - 5:00 pm EST

We are located in Jenison, Michigan.
United States.

For customer support, please call
616-667-7297 or email
110 Chicago Drive, Jenison, MI  49428   616.667.7297