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by MoeGo on Sep 17, 2025 1:27:53 PM
What are you really building? A job for yourself, or a business that works for you? For many pet grooming professionals, this is the fundamental question that separates a career from a business.
For Andy Gonzaga, Founder of Planet Pooch, it was a grueling, rewarding 14-year journey from a single van to a nine-van operation, and a new daycare and boarding facility. This is the story of how Andy redefined “freedom” and systematically built a business that could provide it.
The Technician's Trap: A Job You Can't Leave
Andy started grooming in high school, working in his mom’s van. At first, it felt like a hustle — “seven days a week, kind of doing this on the side.”
Looking at his mom’s career, Andy realized he wanted a different path. “Freedom isn’t about not working. It’s about choice. I want my business to be profitable enough to hire somebody for every single part of it.”
That mindset shift took him from “I need to groom X dogs to pay my bills” to “My business needs to earn X so I can hire help and step back.”
The Foundation: Top Pricing to Master Single-Van Operation
For four years, Andy ran a successful one-van operation, but he knew he didn't want to be in the back of a truck forever.
The first and most critical lesson from this period was the non-negotiable need for top-tier pricing. For mobile grooming, the inherent convenience of bringing the service to the client already "speaks for itself" in terms of value.
“You need to get top pricing to attract top talent,” Andy states. Because Planet Pooch positioned itself as a premium provider, Andy could offer groomers a 40% commission and still have room to reinvest. This foundation of premium pricing creates the financial oxygen that allows a business to breathe, invest, and eventually, grow.
Takeaway: You can’t build a empire on discount prices. Your pricing dictates everything. Are you charging what your premium, convenient service is truly worth?
The Leap: Hiring Your First Employee & Adding the Second Van
After operating a single mobile grooming van for approximately four years as an owner-operator, Andy decided it was time to "step this up and expand the operation." He enjoyed mobile grooming and saw it as a viable long-term path.
Finding the right team wasn’t easy (some hires quit within weeks). But once he figured it out, the equation was simple: more vans + great groomers = scalable growth.
Takeaway: Growth requires a leap of faith. You might have to invest in capacity (a new van) before you have 100% certainty. Be prepared for some hiring hiccups—it happens to everyone.
The Tipping Point: Stepping Out of the Van (The 4-Van Rule)
The Initial Grind as an Owner-Operator
Andy worked as a hands-on owner for years:
- Answering phones
- Booking clients
- Confirming appointments
- Grooming six or seven days a week
This intense workload meant he was constantly engaged in every aspect of the business, leaving little time to focus on strategic management or long-term growth.
The 4-Van Tipping Point
The significant "first real big transition" happened when Planet Pooch reached four vans. Andy finally stopped grooming every day. This transition from technician to manager is one of the hardest leaps for hands-on owners.
“When you're managing, it's not as direct,” Andy explains. “You don't exactly know if you're doing the right thing every day... You don't get that instant gratification.”
The Shift to Management and Growth
The key to his success was hiring a dedicated operations manager, Stacy, who now runs the mobile company. “I'm more of the ‘let's move it forward, let's take the risk’ person. She shines in making sure things are done every single day.”
Stepping out of the grooming van allowed Andy to fully embrace his role as a business owner, focusing on scaling the company. He began to think in terms of how many vans and groomers he could acquire, and how much debt he could take on to facilitate expansion.
The Engine of Growth: Systems & Technology
Growth is impossible without systems. Andy admits that trying to manage the business even before it scaled with a paper appointment book was already “insane.”
Smart Schedule for Mobile Grooming
To Andy, Smart Schedule’s routing tools are indispensable. “The map aspect of MoeGo is a game changer for mobile. If you're a mobile company and you're not using MoeGo, it just doesn't even really make sense.” With MoeGo, Planet Pooch can:
- Save gas and time with auto-optimized routes
- Drag and see routes visually instead of typing addresses into multiple apps
- Automate bookings so client info and reminders are handled for them
Marketing for Client Re-engagement
Having been using MoeGo for the last 14 years, Andy relies on the platform’s marketing tools for Planet Pooch’s outreach efforts
- 9,000+ email contacts with a 50% open rate
- 12,000+ text contacts for instant updates and promos
Key Takeaways for Mobile Grooming Business Owners Like You
Andy’s journey is a series of choices:
- Price like a premium service so you can invest in people.
- Take the leap to hire even when it feels scary.
- Step out of the van so you can run the business, not just work in it.
- Build systems and use the right tools to manage chaos before it starts.
Andy started with a single van and a dream of freedom. Today, he has nine vans, a team he trusts, and a business that works for him.
And you can too.
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How Planet Pooch Scaled to 9 Mobile Units & How You Can Too
The Scalable Van: Your 2025 Guide for Mobile Pet Grooming Growth
