Episodes

Somebody in your shop asks one of your groomers about something they did, maybe a newer person, still new enough to question things. And the groomer looks at them surprised: "that's how I do it." Not defensive, just genuinely caught off guard, like why would you question this? In this episode, Jennifer Oppel (founder of Growing Groomers and creator of the first Missouri pet grooming apprenticeship program and related curriculum) breaks down why salon owners inherit cultures they never questioned...

Why do I keep giving chances when I know better? Being understanding is part of being a good leader. But what happens when the grace you keep giving one employee quietly becomes extra work for everyone else? In this episode of After the Last Dog, we’re talking honestly about the employee you care about, worry about, and may be afraid to lose, even though her lateness, personal struggles, or workplace conflict are beginning to shape the entire day. This is not about becoming cold or expecting p...

The Business We Inherited Legacy or Liability? Every grooming business has an official operating manual and an unofficial one. The unofficial version is revealed through what gets rewarded, tolerated, questioned, or ignored. In this episode of After the Last Dog, Dara examines what business owners inherit from former employers, mentors, industry traditions, early survival decisions, and even earlier versions of themselves. From booking and training to equipment and communication, familiar pra...

Back on August 5th, we talked about the unicorn hunt. Today we go deeper into why that unicorn keeps slipping through your fingers. Ever wonder why you can't find just one good person to run your salon while you're gone? It's not just a tight labor market or a run of bad luck. In this episode, Jennifer pulls back the curtain on the hiring blind spot almost no salon owner talks about: the subconscious patterns — low standards, over-responsibility, scarcity panic, and what she calls "crap fitting...

If you feel like you keep hiring the wrong people, this episode will help you step back and look at the bigger picture. The right hire is not just a skilled person, it's someone who fits your standards, your culture, and the level of accountability your salon truly enforces. We talk about how pricing, safety, and visible systems all affect who you attract and whether the business can hold the standard without you in the room. email - Jenniferoppel@growinggroomers.com Growing GroomersWebsite ht...

Every salon owner has said it at some point: “I just need one solid person.” But when a table or van is sitting empty, it is easy to hire for fast relief instead of the real support your salon needs. In this episode, Dara talks about why filling the open spot does not always fix the pressure inside the business. A new groomer may know how to groom, but still not know how your salon handles check-in, notes, bathing flow, client updates, nervous dogs, cleanup, handoffs, or the way the day is suppo...

Grooming salon hiring is exhausting when applicants stop responding, miss interviews, or disappear before their first day. In this episode, Jennifer explains why salon owners should stop investing heavily in applicants before they demonstrate basic reliability, communication, and follow-through. Learn how to reduce applicant ghosting, protect your time, improve grooming employee screening, and create a more structured hiring process for groomers, bathers, assistants, and apprentices. Ready to...

The first-date version is not always the workday version. Hiring can feel a lot like dating. You place the ad. Someone looks great on paper. They say the right things. You get hopeful. Then they start working in the salon, and the person you met in the interview is not the same person showing up on a busy day. In this episode, Dara talks about why a good interview is not proof of a good fit. You will learn why applicants may present their best version, why owners often hire from hope, and how ...

Are you spending your late nights sifting through hundreds of mismatched resumes on Indeed, only to get ghosted by someone who promised to show up at 9:00 AM? In this episode of After the Last Dog, we dissect exactly why hiring is so exhausting for salon owners and how to fix it. We look at why treating your recruitment like a high-stakes emotional investment is destroying your operational focus. Discover the exact framework that forces bad applicants to self-select out before they ever waste y...

Why Should the Right Groomer Choose Your Salon? Every salon owner wants one solid groomer. Someone who cares about the dogs, shows up, communicates, and helps make the day easier. But good groomers are looking too. They are not only looking at pay, schedule, or how many dogs they can take. They are paying attention to how pets are handled, how the team works when the day gets busy, whether people help each other, and whether the salon feels like a place where good work matters. In this episo...

Ever look around your salon at the end of a chaotic day and wonder why nothing works unless your physical body is standing in the room? Whether you are a groomer-owner or an entrepreneur managing a franchise, relying on your personal hustle to hold the salon floor together creates a natural ceiling. In this episode, we are dipping our toes into problem-solving on a slightly higher level. We dive into a simple, 3-part mission blueprint from Donald Miller’s book, Business Made Simple, to show you...

In this episode of After the Last Dog, Dara talks about something many grooming and pet care business owners know too well: you can be standing in your own salon all day and still not have time to be the owner. When you are grooming, you need to focus on the dog in front of you. But the business does not stop moving while you are behind the table. Staff are making decisions, clients need answers, and the same issues can keep coming back because nobody has decided how they should be handled. ...

Are you trapped by the very business you built for freedom? If you feel like you can’t step away from your salon for a single day without your staff slacking off, sitting on their phones, or ignoring basic protocols—this episode is your wake-up call. Host Jennifer breaks down the hard truth: your team isn't failing because they are inherently lazy. They are failing because your operational standards only exist inside your own head. When you rush in to finish their chores just to keep the peace,...

You leave the salon for an hour, and suddenly your phone is full of questions. Can we fit this dog in? What do I tell the client? Should we charge for this? What do we do now? If your business seems to run smoothly only when you are standing in the building, this episode is for you. Dara names the invisible pressure many grooming and pet care owners carry: becoming the place every unfinished decision lands. You may not have a team that cannot do the work. You may have a salon where too many a...

Why a full schedule does not always mean the business is getting ahead. Your grooming schedule is full. Clients are calling. Dogs are booked. From the outside, the business looks busy and successful. So why does the money still feel tight? In this episode of After the Last Dog, Dara talks about the difference between being booked and actually getting ahead. A full calendar shows demand, but it does not always show whether the work is priced, timed, and supported in a way that protects the bus...

A full grooming schedule can look successful from the outside. The dogs are there, clients are calling, and the calendar is packed. But what happens when the schedule is full and the business still feels tighter than it should? In this episode, we look at the difference between being busy and actually getting ahead. We’ll talk about why a full calendar can still leave owners questioning where the time, money, and energy are going — and what may be happening underneath the surface. Becau...

In this short introduction, meet Jennifer Oppel, co-host of After the Last Dog and founder of Growing Groomers. Jennifer has spent 35 years in the grooming industry, including 25 years as a salon owner. Her work focuses on helping grooming and pet care businesses make training clearer, expectations easier to communicate, and daily salon operations more practical for real working businesses. Jennifer is the sponsor of Missouri’s first state-registered pet grooming apprenticeship, a Master Canin...

You have the checklist. You have explained the process. You may have even shown the team more than once. So why are they still coming back to you with the same questions? In this episode of After the Last Dog, Dara talks about one of the most common owner frustrations in grooming and pet care businesses: repeat staff questions that should already have an answer. Using a simple cleaning checklist example, Dara breaks down why this may not be a “they don’t care” problem. It may be that the team...

I'm Dara Forleo, and before we talk about standards, pricing, hiring, training, and business growth, I want to share why this podcast exists. In this special introduction, I share my journey in the grooming and pet care industry, the lessons I've learned as a business owner, and why I believe owners deserve practical support that respects what they've already built.

A full schedule can look like success from the outside. Dogs are booked. Clients are waiting. The phone keeps ringing. But inside the salon, it may still feel like the whole day depends on the owner keeping every person, pet, and decision moving. In this episode of After the Last Dog, we look at why being booked out does not always mean the business is actually getting ahead. Sometimes the problem is not a lack of clients. It is unclear roles, uneven skill levels, developing staff being schedul...