The Barkroom Chat

Ep 28 - 10 Tips for Making Your Business Eco Friendly While Saving You Money at the Same Time

• Linda • Episode 28

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0:00 | 18:53

In this episode, we’re talking about how home-based dog groomers can make their businesses more environmentally friendly — without spending a fortune.

Sustainability is becoming increasingly important to pet owners, and making eco-conscious choices can help you reduce waste, lower your business costs, and attract clients who share your values.

The good news is you don’t need to overhaul your entire salon overnight. Small, simple changes can make a big difference over time.

In this episode you’ll learn:

  • Why sustainability matters in the grooming industry
  • How eco-friendly choices can actually save you money
  • Simple ways to reduce waste in your grooming space
  • Easy swaps from disposable to reusable products
  • How to avoid over-consumerism in your grooming business
  • Practical ways to use water, energy, and supplies more efficiently

Whether you’re just starting your grooming business or looking for ways to run a more mindful salon, this episode will give you plenty of ideas you can start implementing today.

Key Topics Covered

  • Sustainable grooming practices
  • Reducing waste in a dog grooming salon
  • Eco-friendly grooming products
  • Lowering costs in a home-based grooming business
  • Avoiding over-consumption in business

Resources

SPEAKER_00

Hey there, welcome to the Barkroom Chat Podcast, the show for women who dream of building a thriving dog grooming business from home. Whether you're just starting out, already seeing clients, or somewhere in between, this is your go-to space for real talk, practical tips, a little bit of gossip, and a whole lot of encouragement. I'm Linda, the founder of Glossy Pop Academy, a former dog groomer, turned business mentor, and your biggest cheerleader. Let's turn your passion for pups into a profitable, feel-good, successful business that you've always dreamed of. Grab a cuppa, get coffee, and let's dive in. Hello and welcome back to the Backroom Chat Podcast. My name is Linda, your host, and today we're talking about something that's becoming more and more important for many dog owners, and that's sustainability. Now, before I get into that, I am going to reference last week's podcast episode where I told you I would keep you updated on what happened with my interaction with my customer from Vintage, and yeah, I am happy to report that Vintage did message me, they apologized for the you know interaction I had with this lady, and also they sent her a warning and then they removed her nasty comment from my reviews. So I am very happy about this. I have blocked her, she can't contact me. I'm pretty sure I'm probably blocked on her side too. And yeah, uh, we have both gone our separate ways and hopefully living our separate lives quite happily. But yeah, if you want to know more about that, then you can check out the last podcast episode where I talked all about how the customer is not always right and how that no matter how long you've been in business, nasty comments can always be hurtful, and yeah, just some advice on kind of how to deal with it. Um, do I think I dealt with it in the best way? Probably not completely, but I think overall I handled it quite well. And yeah, let me know what you think so you can check out the episode for that. So let's get into today's episode. We're talking about sustainability, it is a subject that I am passionate about and have been for many, many, many years. I am always looking for ways to be more sustainable and eco-friendly. I'm actually pescatarian, um, although to be honest, I'd nearly consider myself vegetarian. I do eat fish, but very rarely, and that is mostly for cruelty aspects, sustainability, and things like that. Um, I'm not going to get into it, but yeah, so it is just a subject that I'm quite passionate about, and I thought, why not put it together with another subject I'm quite passionate about, and let's talk about how sustainability can not only help the planet but can also help save you money in your business as well. So it's just a win-win for everybody. So running a home-based dog grooming business already has some lovely advantages. You have lower overheads, you have a calmer environment for the dogs, and the flexibility to create your own business that reflects your values. So, one of the values that more and more pet owners are actually caring about today, myself included, like I've said, is being environmentally conscious. You might know that at the moment overconsumption is trending, and there's a reason for that because for as long as I've been alive, basically, for those who want to know, it's 35 years, overconsumption has been becoming more and more of a problem. At this point, we have landfills that are seen from space, we have an ecosystem that is suffering all over the world because of our actions on a day-to-day basis. Now, a lot of the time people are going to say to you, Oh, yeah, well, it's not going to save the world to recycle your tin can. No, but in order to create a better future for our children and future generations in general, is by making better choices. It doesn't mean that we're perfect, it means in general we are making better choices where and when it's possible to do so. And that is what I want to talk to you about today. I'm not saying that we have to be perfect, I'm saying that we can work towards making better choices. So the good news is with that, making your business more eco-friendly doesn't have to be complicated or expensive or overwhelming. In fact, sustainable choices can save you money while improving the experience you provide for your customers. So today I'm going to walk you through why sustainability matters in a grooming business and some simple ways you can start making changes today. So, first let's just talk quickly why sustainability matters in a grooming business. Now, dog grooming might seem like a small industry, but when you think about how many salons actually exist in the world, the collective environmental impact is actually quite significant. So things like water usage, plastic packaging from shampoos and grooming products, uh, disposable wipes, paper towels, the energy consumption that we're using for dryers and other equipment like clippers and tools like that. So all of these things add up over time. So the more sustainable choices can help you reduce waste using fewer disposable products, meaning less rubbish going into landfill and less waste in general for your business to be putting into your bin that you get charged for if it's being collected. It helps you to protect the environment. Many grooming products go straight down the drain, basically. So eco-conscious products can help you protect the waterways and wildlife. And the thing is, they can be more expensive. So I understand in the beginning that it might not be financially viable for you to be using all eco-friendly products, and that's fine, you just work towards it, you use what you can at the moment, and then every time you're making choices, you try to make better choices. Making more sustainable choices will help you attract modern pet owners. More and more dog owners are actively looking for businesses that share their values, including caring for the planet. And there's always been this kind of like generalization of millennials that we care about the polar bears, we care about the planet, and I think that's really going down into the next generations, too. Um, but you will often hear people joke or be like, Oh, millennials caring about the polar bears, um, and that's because I think starting to care about the planet or realizing the effects of the planet really came into play as we were uh growing up, as we were becoming young adults, so we realized it was going to affect us, and it was something that we were surrounded by. And yeah, I do think that as the generations are growing up, they are also being included in this. So I do think that dog owners, including myself, actually value when a business is trying to be more sustainable or eco-friendly and would prefer to put their money into that rather than a company who's you know has no care for the planet or is just being wasteful. And look, I'm not saying that you're gonna attract so many more customers because of this, but you're definitely not gonna have customers be turned against you because of this, so there's kind of no downside. I would say I don't think any person's gonna turn around and go, Oh no, they're eco-friendly, we won't go there. You know, I can't see why someone would do that. Um, but then, like I said in the last podcast episode, people are people. So being environmentally conscious can even actually become part of your brand story, and it can even help your brand stand out when it comes to marketing, so social media, it's really kind of like a trendy thing, thank god. I'm all about it. Um, but yeah, by adding that in, it can really become a part of like who your business is, your brand personality. So the next part of it is that sustainability can actually save your business money. Now, a lot of people assume that being eco-friendly means spending more money, and sometimes that can be the case when it becomes to products we'll say like shampoo, conditioner, and things like that, but often the opposite is true because sustainable choices actually focus on reducing waste and reusing resources more efficiently, which will naturally lower the costs. So, for example, concentrated shampoos make bottles last longer. Now, most people will do this anyway in business. Um, but reusable items will reduce repeat purchases. If you're getting like a load of paper towels, for example, using reusable cloths, which you can actually make yourself from old towels or um, yeah, something like that, then that is reducing waste, reducing cost. Um, using your water more wisely will then reduce your utility bills, which will actually happen if you're doing that with electricity as well. And then bulk buying can reduce packaging, it can reduce um the effects of you know the shipping and everything like that. So you're only being shipped the product once rather than being shipped weekly, monthly, or however often you need to use the product. So, small savings in these areas might not seem like a lot at first, but across the year they can really add up. So, for a home-based dog grooming business, keeping costs low while delivering a professional service is a huge win. So, let's talk about simple ways that you can make your business more eco-friendly. Now, first of all, I just want to say you don't need to overhaul everything overnight. Sustainability is really about making small improvements over time. So, here are some simple ideas you can start implementing in your grooming space today. So, one, choose eco-friendly grooming products. So, yeah, like I said, sometimes this can be more expensive, but many brands now offer shampoos that are biodegradable, made with natural ingredients, packaged in recyclable bottles, and available in concentrated formulas, which means you can be more eco-friendly without sacrificing any of the groom. They can still get a high quality level of service without actually compromising on the groom because the product's eco-friendly. Now, if you need certain products that do need certain chemicals in for whatever reason, because let's face it, we all do that in business. There, we need different shampoos for different types of coats. So, for example, white coats, you get the bright white shampoo. But what I will say is in that case, try and look for at least more eco-friendly packaging or getting refill packs so that you can have one bottle that you have at home and you just get the refill packs and refill them into that bottle so that uses a lot less packaging. Small changes like this really can make a big difference. Two is to reduce your water waste. Dog rooming naturally uses a lot of water, but there are simple ways you can reduce waste. You could turn off and on the water while you're shampooing or lathering. Now, I used to do this actually. I would rinse the dog, and when I was shampooing and lathering, I would actually turn off the water and then turn it on again. Now I know this isn't always possible depending on what your setup is, but if it is, it does reduce the water wastage quite a lot. Another thing is to use a trigger nozzle if you have one. I didn't have one of those, but it really does save water doing that as well. And pre-brushing coats thoroughly reduces the rinsing time as well, of course. Not only is it better for the environment, but it will reduce your water bills as well. Three is swap out your disposable items for reusable ones where possible, obviously, due to hygiene reasons, you won't be able to swap out every product. Um, some products need to be disposable, but many grooming salons will rely heavily on disposable items like wipes, paper towels. So, where possible, just switch them out for reusable options like microfiber cloths, washable grooming towels, reusable cleaning clots. These can simply be washed in your regular grooming laundry and they don't take up a massive amount of space, so therefore they're not really adding that much to your laundry. You'll reduce waste and save your money by not constantly buying the replacements. For recycle your product bottles and packaging. Most shampoo bottles, spray bottles, and carbour packaging can be recycled. It can be helpful to create a small recycling system within your grooming space for things like plastic bottles, carbour packaging, paper packaging from deliveries. It only takes a moment, but it's actually surprising how much waste you will keep out of landfill. Five, use your energy wisely. So dryers, lighting, and washing machines all use a lot of energy. A few simple habits can help you reduce the energy use. So turn equipment off when it's not in use. This can be hard sometimes, but I used to always unplug my clippers if I wasn't using them, um, or you know, have the lights off if I wasn't in there. You can also also use energy efficient LED lighting, uh, wash grooming towels in full loads instead of just doing lots of half loads, and air drying where possible. Honestly, air drying is your best friend. If you can do it, I highly recommend it. Have a couple of indoor air dryers as well and keep them in a room that you can have well ventilated and that you're not in that often, so that you're not breathing in all the moisture. By doing this, it means you're going to reduce your energy bills so much and your energy waste, to be honest with you. So, six is buying supplies in bulk. I did talk about this already. Buying grooming products in bulk can reduce packaging, lower your cost per use, and reduce delivery emissions as well. If you have a storage space, it's often the easiest way to make your grooming business a lot more sustainable. Seven, tell your clients about it. Clients love knowing they're supporting a business that cares. You can mention on your website, your social media, that your salon focuses on reducing waste, using eco-friendly products, and just generally focuses on running a small business with a lower environmental impact. It's not about being perfect, like I said, it's about showing that you care and making thoughtful choices. Number eight, buy secondhand where possible. Buying secondhand equipment and supplies can be an absolutely fantastic option. It can save you money, prevent something from going to landfill, it can reduce the environmental impact of the manufacturing of new products, and truly, it's just a really good way of not wasting what we already have in this world already, instead of making new ones and throwing the old ones away. Just be thoughtful with your purchases because whether something is new or secondhand, it still should be contributing to the success of your business. There's no point in buying something secondhand that's absolutely useless to your business because that's just doing you no good, and honestly, that product could be best served somewhere else. So if you don't need it, you don't use it, don't buy it. Or if you have bought it and you realize now that you don't need it, sell it on to somewhere that will actually use it and get that value out of it. Nine, avoid overconsumption. So, like I said, there's a lot of conversation right now going on about overconsumption, and I completely agree with it. Buying too much is going to waste your money, create cluster in your grooming space, and eventually just send more stuff to landfill. Try to be thoughtful about every purchase. You don't need every single grooming tool, you don't need every single product. Find what works for you and then stick to that. Lots of stuff doesn't make a great business. You make a great business. And finally, 10, keep your cleaning products simple. There is a cleaning product for everything these days, but you don't need dozens of different products. A few core essentials are just enough. You need an all-purpose cleaner, you need a disinfectant, like Detol, you need bleach, you need a dish soap, you need a glass cleaner, and a blade cleaner. That's pretty much it. So keeping things things simple saves money, reduces clutter, and limits harsh chemicals going into the environment. So they're my 10 tips. And I just want you to remember that it's progress over perfection. Sustainability isn't about everything being perfect, it's about making small, mindful improvements wherever you can. Even a few changes in your business can reduce waste, lower your operating costs, appeal to eco-conscious dog owners, and help protect the planet. And when lots of small businesses make these changes, the collective impact can be huge. Your home-based salon is already a more personal and thoughtful alternative to big commercial salons. Adding sustainability into it makes it even better. So that's all I have for you today. I really hope that some of this kind of sits with you, maybe inspires you. Please let me know if you're already using eco-friendly practices or if you plan on implementing them in your business. I would love to hear your tips. If you have any that I haven't mentioned, please add them in either in the Facebook group over on Ladies Starting Home-based dog grooming businesses. Yes, it's a long title, but it does exactly what it says on the tin. I will leave links to that below. Um, or leave me a comment here, let me know here. You can also email me, I will leave the email address below. And if you want to join the family, then please click on that link and join the email family, and you will get your monthly Glassy Pop Academy mini magazine, which is issued every single month. So, yeah, I really hope you enjoyed this episode. And until next time, my friends, remember together we can change the world one dog at a time. Bye, friends. Thank you so much for tuning in to the Bark Room Chat Podcast. If today's episode gave you a little boost or a new idea, I'd love for you to subscribe, leave a review, or share it with a fellow groomer who needs to hear it. And don't forget, you can grab my free resources and join the Glassybop Academy group anytime for more support on your journey. Until next time, keep going, keep growing. You've got this. I'm cheering you on every step of the way, and remember, together we can change the world. One dog at a time.