I f you have a reasonably busy salon and have been at this for a few years, you know the holidays mean crunch time. You’ll be grooming most of your regular clients in days instead of weeks. Do you have control of your schedule?

You may find yourself racing to juggle the demands of your business and your family. Keeping your customers happy is crucial to the health of your salon, but not at the expense of those you love. Don’t let the insanity of the holiday season put a damper on your festive mood. I learned the hard way. Grooming long hours up to 14 days straight before Christmas left me totally exhausted and spent. I knew I had to make a change when, one Christmas, I slept through the entire day.

Here are a few ideas to help you make the most of the holiday rush.

Make sure all your supplies are stocked up and organized. The last thing you want is to run out of anything! Here is a shopping list to help you.

Walk around your salon well ahead of the rush. Open doors, look in cabinets, and check drawers. You want to have everything stocked up and at your fingertips. There’s nothing better than doing a thorough walk-through and making a list of supplies you need.

Plan out your days. Just prior to a major holiday, the demands on your schedule can quickly spiral out of control. Some professionals add work days to their week to accommodate clients. Whatever you decide, make sure your best clients are pre-scheduled in premier spots before the holiday season hits. Know your limitations and obligations. Create a schedule that works for you—and then stick to it. It’s okay to say no.

As tempting as it may be, surviving the holiday rush on the wonderful food gifts your clients bring is not the best option! Cookies, candies, nuts and other holiday treats can’t help you operate at peak performance. Eat. Real. Food. If it comes from a window at a drive-thru, it does not qualify as real food. Equally important, attempt to bypass any processed foods. Prepare. Shop the perimeter of your grocery store. Focus on fresh foods. Take a day to prepare large batches of healthy food. Then pre-package it in individual servings. Freeze anything you can.

Some days, you have time to visit with your clients. However, the holiday season is not one of them. Train clients to respect your time, even if you are mobile. It’s your responsibility to make sure every pet gets your full attention, and it’ll be hard to do that if you’re running behind all day. There are ways to tactfully and politely remind them you have an extremely busy schedule. A big smile and a genuine “thank you” can go a long way when you need to keep moving.

The holidays are a special time. Not just for your family, friends, and your clients–but also for yourself. Carve out a little special time for yourself. Maybe it’s a soothing bubble bath at the end of a long day. Some people love massages or manicures. Others enjoy sitting down for a few quiet minutes to decompress with a beverage of choice.

Having grooming systems firmly in place allows you to be highly efficient. A little bit of thought and planning can go a long way to make the holiday season both financially rewarding, personally enjoyable, and filled with blessings and gratitude.  PB

Melissa Verplank is CEO of Paragon School of Pet Grooming. Need bathers? Visit ParagonPetSchool.com to learn about our individual and pet business training programs. To further hone your skills, visit Learn2GroomDogs.com to join a community of groomers and stream more than 1,000 video tutorials designed for every level of groomer.

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