Some people have emotional support animals. Some animals need emotional support, especially when it comes to grooming, according to Jennifer Wagar. As a groomer, she learned the extraordinary patience and special space required to care for difficult, fighting and biting dogs, and it made her want to open her own, better, pet salon.

Jennifer’s first step was to find funding, so she called the local chamber of commerce, who referred her to Michigan Women Forward and in turn the Michigan SBDC. There she met Business Consultant Shannon Schwabe, who helped with her business plan and financial projections. Jennifer secured a 1,000 square foot location in Marysville and within five months opened Urban Paws Pet Spa.

“We want your pet to feel comfortable while they’re here, and to enjoy their grooming process rather than dread it. Most dogs don’t like to be groomed, but they like coming here to see us. That makes us stand out from the rest. My vision is to provide that stress-free environment not only for the dogs and cats, but I also strive to provide that for my staff and my customers,” said Jennifer.

The business grew exponentially, to say the least. Urban Paws outgrew its original space within seven months, and within one year had three full-time groomers, two part-time groomers and two bathers on staff. Jennifer decided it was time to find a larger location, but wanted to ensure it was the right decision for the business. 

“The main thing that I learned from Shannon that helped me was my 5-year projections: keeping an eye on my money, where it was going, what was coming in, what I needed to do to cover my bills to ensure that I was successful. The financials were the hardest part of opening the business, and I felt like she prepared me for that in more ways than one. I used the 5-year projections to ensure that moving to a larger location was the right option. Upon doing that we’ve tripled the number of dogs we see and tripled the revenue we realized in a week,” shared Jennifer.

Shannon replied, “The best thing is watching a Client fulfill their dreams. When you see them with their dream of getting started and doing something for themselves, and then you watch them work their plan, and you see them be successful – it’s one of my favorite parts about being a business consultant for the Michigan SBDC.”

This project is being supported in whole or in part, by federal award number SLRFPO127 awarded to Economic Development Alliance of St. Clair County by the US Department of Treasury