Downtown Pet Grooming Shop Opening Soon

Want your pets to love you even more? Take them to the spa.

Jayme Montero is the founder of Purrdy Paws. She started with one mobile grooming truck (for house calls) then two trucks and now–her own permanent location at 732 Bank Street Ottawa. From there she will not only provide spa services for dogs and cats, she’ll set up her own school to train pet groomers. You will also be able to buy pet food, grooming tools and products.

Jayme is a self-made businesswoman with a yard of guts.

One of the things that retail entrepreneurs sometimes forget to do is to focus almost as much attention on the outside of their restaurant/store/shop as the inside. I mean this is 24/7 advertising, and you should make the most of it.

What does one side of a billboard downtown Ottawa cost? $3,500 per month +/-

So I suggested to Jayme, she create two “billboard” areas (shown above on either side of the door) and charge her best suppliers $5,000/year to appear there; that’s only $416.67 monthly. What a deal.

Almost every business has strategic partners/strategic investors who’ll help the enterprise get off the ground or grow, usually asking very little in turn. I mean every time a supplier helps someone like Ms Montero get her operation started, they’ve created a new (often very loyal) customer for themselves… They’ll be a source of advice, free products, free services, money, advertising, referrals, prizes, training, generous financing terms and a whole lot more. They can even become a sales channel. Where do you find them? In your list of suppliers, customers/clients and marketing partners. 

Jayme may also add a canopy with her logo on it (and possibly her main sponsors’ logos too), (LED) task lighting and a curbside sandwich board sign (one that she puts out each morning and takes in every evening…)

Lastly, I reminded her not to forget to register her location with Google (so it shows up on Google maps). She’ll need to create a Google+ page and register her location. Google’ll send her a postcard via snail mail with her password so that it’s a verified location.

@ profbruce @ quantum_entity

postscript: Jayme is a bootstrap entrepreneur. She’s a mother of three; almost no one believed in her concept when she started out–grooming on wheels? Heck no.

But a salesman at Mercedes got her 1st (then her 2nd) truck financed. Purrdy Paws took off. Then she found a permanent location, secured a longterm lease (I helped a bit with that), and financed her renos with assistance from Mortgage Alliance. Stay tuned.

postscript 2: some notes about renovation financing (both residential and commercial) are here: https://profbruce.tumblr.com/post/137744759759/renovation-financing

https://profbruce.tumblr.com/post/138408174484/downtown-pet-grooming-shop-opening-soon-want-your

postscript 3: some financial advice provided by mortgage agent Johny Gossoub, Mortgage Alliance

Purrdy Paws today: