When, Who, and How to Hire Your Next Groomer

For many grooming salon owners, being fully booked feels like success. But behind packed schedules often sits the hidden cost: exhausted teams, turned-away clients, and stalled growth.

For Melinda Stanford, owner of Bark & Bone in Indianapolis, the signs were all too familiar. The phone rang constantly with requests she had to decline. Her talented groomers were booked out for weeks. Like many salon owners, she knew she needed help, but the leap felt fraught with risk and guesswork. How could she be sure it was time? And how could she avoid a costly bad hire?

That’s why we partnered with Brandy Reese from Paragon School of Pet Grooming and Melinda Stanford from Bark & Bone to break down exactly how successful salons approach hiring, using data, culture, and structured onboarding to build sustainable teams.

Brandy Reese

Account Representative from Paragon School of Pet Grooming

Melinda Stanford

Owner of Bark & Bone

Step 1: Know When It’s Time to Hire

Many salon owners rely on intuition to decide when to hire. The most successful businesses rely on metrics.

The Revenue Trigger: Losing $300/Day

Brandy shared a simple but powerful benchmark: “If I am losing $300 a day… that would be me turning away three dogs a day.”

That lost revenue typically covers the commission a new groomer would earn. If clients are being turned away consistently, hiring often pays for itself.

The Utilization Sweet Spot

Track your groomers' booked time:

• Danger Zone (90%+): High risk of burnout, errors, and declining quality.
• Healthy Zone (~80%): Sustainable pace for thorough work and growth.

The “Empty Table”

Melinda views any unused capacity as active revenue loss. If you are:

• Turning away bath or brush services
• Struggling to accommodate existing clients
• Leaving grooming stations unused due to staffing

You have a capacity problem.

Am I at Full Capacity?

The key is moving from "I feel busy" to "My data proves I'm at capacity." Use reporting tools with actual numbers from your business to shift hiring decisions from emotional reactions to measurable business strategy.

MoeGo reporting allows you to track team capacity, appointment volume, and lost opportunities, which makes staffing decisions far more predictable.

Step 2: Who You Should Actually Hire 

Grooming is an experience-driven business. Clients stay loyal because of relationships, communication, and trust. Technical grooming skills matter, but long-term success often comes down to personality and team fit.

Bark & Bone Case: From Receptionist to Competitive Groomer

One of Melinda’s most successful hires didn’t start as a groomer at all. “I focus on the culture fit and the personality… I think people can be taught how to groom.”

She hired a receptionist based on professionalism and work ethic. That employee later expressed interest in bathing, then grooming. With enough training support, she eventually became a high-performing groomer who now competes professionally and grooms Melinda’s own dogs.

This reveals an important industry reality: Sometimes the best groomers are built, not hired. The ROI on training a culture-fit hire is unbeatable.

Why “Perfect Groomers” Are Rare & How to Spot Them

The industry often divides candidates into three groups:

• Beginners: Eager and coachable
• Intermediate groomers: Skilled but sometimes resistant to new processes
• Master groomers: Highly skilled but limited in availability and often unnecessary for everyday salon workload

Step 3: How to Recruit & Screen Effectively

Successful hiring rarely happens through one interview. Top-performing salons follow a multi-step screening process.

The Five-Step Screening Process

1. Portfolio Review: Social media grooming portfolios often provide the first evaluation of skill quality.
2. Virtual Screening Call: This step focuses heavily on communication skills and professionalism.
3. Reference Check: Ask the crucial question: "Are they eligible for rehire?"
4. In-Person Interview: Evaluates cultural fit and customer interaction ability.
5. Technical Assessment Groom: To assess:
1. Handling skills
2. Ability to manage anxious dogs
3. Performance under time pressure

Step 4: Retain the Groomers You Hire

Recruiting talent is expensive. Retaining it is where profitability is built.

Benefits That Matter Most to Groomers

Some of the most impactful retention perks are surprisingly practical:

• 🔧 Employer-paid tool sharpening
• 💰 Tool allowances
• 🏖 PTO offerings
• 🎓 Continuing education support
• ✈️ Trade show and sponsorships

These benefits directly support groomers’ professional growth and daily productivity.

Preventing Burnout Operationally

For Melinda, she distinguishes between frustration and burnout:

• Frustration: Temporary stress
• Burnout: Emotional exhaustion requiring extended recovery

Use scheduling tools like MoeGo’s calendar to avoid "jogging." Understand the difference between a bad day and needing extended mental recovery. Proactively manage the former to prevent the latter.

Get Your Free Hiring Rubric 

Continue Learning with Paragon

Looking to sharpen your grooming skills or train your team? The Paragon School of Pet Grooming offers flexible, web-based study programs designed to help professionals master the art and science of pet styling.

👉 Book a demo with Brandy here

Just starting or adding to your business?

We have flexible plans meant for all stages.

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