How do I run a dog grooming business?

Running a dog grooming business is four decisions repeated every week, and most of what groomers describe as being flat out is one of them left unmade. What you ask before a dog is booked decides whether the slot you held matches the groom you have to do. What your prices are keyed to, breed or size or coat condition or time on the table, decides whether the difficult dogs are being subsidised by the easy ones. How the day is shaped, fixed appointment times or drop-off windows, decides how many dogs fit around the drying and the waiting. And how much owners are told before they think to ring decides how much of the day goes to the phone. Add a second pair of hands and every one of those answers has to be written down instead of carried in your head, which is why the first hire is where an informal setup usually breaks. None of it is about grooming faster. It is about the hours around the groom.