Logo...

When this idea of having my own grooming studio popped into my head I thought I'd need a logo. And I thought that a dog and a cat in a rocking chair would be fun. I contacted a woman who I used to work with who is a marvelous artist. She started coming up with ideas and the final copy of her work arrived this week. I like it lots, but some of my family do not. My grooming friends love it, however. I like the whimsical aspect of it... anyway, here it is!

Sign almost finished..!

Steve sent me a picture today... I was so excited I could barely look. Then when I did look I could barely stop looking! I love it, I feel... real!!

Sign painting...

The first bit of my sign has been painted! I think this looks fabulous, and can hardly wait to see the lettering on the "big" sign. And the wonder of it... Steve can take pictures and zap them to me on his phone. Just more magic.

Signage..!

When I was 12 and starting 7th grade, I met a boy. I remember the first day I clapped eyes on him. He was beautiful and I wanted him to be mine. His name was (and is!) Stephen Jackman. We ended up dating for 9 years. We grew up and broke up and went our separate ways. He married a lovely woman, I married a wonderful man and we didn't talk for years.

Facebook was responsible for us beginning a dialog again. It was fun; because we basically grew up together, we have nice shared memories of time with friends and family now passed. It has been sweet, renewing our friendship. When he found out I was starting a little business, he generously offered to make and paint my sign for me. Today he sent me some pictures of his work in progress.

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A sign! A real sign! How amazing is this??? Thank you, Steve!

Storage..!

I saw this funky, peeling cabinet at a favorite antiques store ages ago... maybe 2 years? I liked it. A LOT. But didn't know what I would do with it. Until a month or so ago when I saw it again and thought it might be a great cabinet to store grooming tools in.

So, I brought it home. I will give the interior a fresh coat of paint, but I love the exterior paint. It is prettier in person, you'll have to trust me. The bottom shelf will hold shampoo/conditioner jugs, the middle shelf all my clippers and trimmers, and the top my hand tools. I will have the carpenter cut a hole in the back and have all my electrical outlets hidden there. Home equity loan for construction is in the works. The adventure continues!

Falling into place...

Yesterday when I opened my email I had the most amazing surprise. A customer/friend had put together a professional business plan for me. Apparently this is something she has a lot of experience with. She had done a good bit of research, and even though I don't think I have told her all that much about my plans, it was like she tapped into my head and organized all the information just about perfectly. I was moved to tears!

Later in the day daughter Rachel and I went to a few antique stores together. This is something we love to do and it was great fun. She bought me this wonderful, funky caddy as an early birthday gift. It will hold lots and lots of clipper blades and other small tools. It is the first thing purchased for my new studio and quite exciting.

And...after months of agonizing, I decided on a name. My "dream grooming studio" will be called Fairwinds Grooming Studio. I am most pleased to have this decision made.

More on names, collaboration and fun ideas...

The $99 investment in a professionally designed name was a flop. >Insert deep sigh here.< I am disappointed. I will probably go with something very basic, simple and descriptive, like: "Daryl's Grooming Studio."

Meanwhile, progress is being made. I got a good estimate on how much my tools will cost me, and we have applied for a home equity loan to cover the construction and purchases. People are joining in to help me... one niece has offered to help design business cards and fliers. Another is helping tweak my floor plan. A long time friend is going to design and paint my sign for me, and another friend is working on designing a logo. The collaboration is fun, uplifting and exciting!

I was supposed to attend a class on marketing today, and was quite looking forward to it, but it has been postponed due to weather. Luckily, they are holding it on Monday, and I've reserved a spot. I think I will very much enjoy learning about how to best market my self and my new business.

I want my new space to be very lean and spare looking. I am planning to have a funky, old cabinet to store tools in, so that things are all in one space, and the work area is clean and uncluttered. I had a fun idea this week. Groomers have lots of little tools... small brushes, combs, trimmers, etc. They tend to take up a lot of room. I decided I am going to get a clear shoe organizer, the kind you hang from a closet door, and hang that inside my cabinet door. It will hold a LOT of small things, and keep them organized and easy to see/find. Kind of like this:

Planning details like this is exhilarating!

Atlanta Pet Fair and The Name Game...

This past weekend, as I do every year, I attended the Atlanta Pet Fair. This is one of my favorite grooming shows, and I had a wonderful time. I gave three classes, and all were well received. I saw some old friends and met some fun new ones, worked hard and am tired. This year I had the added benefit of being able to look at products with the eye of someone building a new business. I was able to actually use the table I want to buy (and I love it!) and though I thought I had made my mind up on a bath tub, I chose a different brand and am happy with that decision. Here is the tub I chose: All weekend I kept thinking about what I want to name this new little business. The topic is hugely important to me, and I keep thinking that "THE" name will strike me, but as of this time, no such luck. I asked people that attended my classes to think about names, I asked friends at the show, too, and some came up with some very likely suggestions. But so far, nothing resonates with me. When I opened my email today, niece Emily had sent me several helpful links to articles about naming a business, and information about a web site that allows one to type in two words, and it comes up with thousands of suggestions of combinations to make a name. Some were odd, some were thought provoking, and many were down right hilarious. At first I typed in, simply, "Pet Grooming." I got suggestions like, "Groomtopia" and "Azure Grooming." Hmmm. Then I got "Bled Grooming." Not exactly the direction I would want to go in. Next? "Twat Grooming!" I had to call a friend so she could laugh with me. Next I put in the words "Daryl Grooming." I got "Azure Daryl" and "Darylotic." Then I got "Darylious." I was feeling delirious! So I bit the bullet, paid $99 and submitted my business idea to a professional naming site. I can hardly wait to see what they come up with!