Today we’d like to introduce you to Meghan Duchovitz.
Meghan, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
In high school, I started off as a kennel employee at a dog grooming shop where I lived in Downers Grove, IL. My job entailed letting the dogs out, feeding them, and cleaning their cages. I was also a bather part-time. I was able to pick up many tips and knowledge from the groomers that worked there. I always thought it was interesting to be able to style the dogs and see how a real shop functioned. The more time I spent in the shop, the more I wanted to become a groomer. After high school, I went to Academy of Dog Grooming Arts for 6 months to learn how to groom like my fellow employees.
After I graduated, I went on to work at a few different dog grooming shops around my area. I had my fair share of good ones and bad ones, but the good shops out weighted the bad ones, which allowed me to learn what to do and what not to do if I eventually wanted to run my own grooming salon. I ended up liking what I did so much that I thought one day I would definitely love to own my own dog grooming/daycare shop. That became my dream!!
After I married my husband, that same year, my dream came true. We opened up our first shop in the Orland Park area. It was very scary not knowing what would happen if we would be successful or not, and to also give up a steady paycheck that I was using too. On the other hand, it was a dream come true because I could run the shop my own way based on my previous knowledge of what worked and what didn’t throughout my grooming career. In the end, it was the best move I made. My days are filled with lovable animals, great clientele, and a staff that I absolutely love. Plus, my drive to work is now only 10 minutes away, as opposed to 45 minutes.
Overall, the shop really took off and after the first 6 months, we knew it was going to be a success. We pride ourselves in taking care of all our furry animals, making sure they are happy, safe, and leave our shop looking the best they can possibly be. Our staff is wonderful and safety and quality are what we focus on daily. I wouldn’t want to trade what I do for anything else. I get up every day and get to go to a rewarding, exciting, fun job. Seeing our clients faces when their pets come out the back looking and smelling great brings all of us great joy!!!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
As everyone that owns a business can tell you, there’s no such thing as a smooth road Some of the biggest struggles were the shop build out. We leased out a 2400 sq ft facility that was literally a blank box slate. We had to hire contractors, plumbers, electricians, etc, etc. On top of that, we had to pay our lease on a month to month basis during the build-out, and the shop wasn’t even up and running yet, so money was in a sense, being wasted. Like every build out, there are always problems, and the grand opening date kept getting pushed back.
Finally, after 4 months, the build-out was finished. Then started inspections…. With inspections, brings a whole new set of issues. The inspectors can only come out on certain days, and we failed a few inspections, which kept adding more weeks onto our open date, and of course more money out the window. Another big struggle is how much money do you throw at marketing for a new shop?? We already spent a small fortune on the build-out and for equipment for the shop, and now we faced the challenge of more money for advertising which isn’t cheap by any means. Marketing runs in the thousands.
With advertising, we had to find a balance of our budget, and where to advertise it. In the end, a lot of it is trial and error, and a lot of word of mouth. Every month kept getting better than the last. I guess the biggest struggle is the sleepless nights wondering if the shop is going to make it or is it going to fail the first year or two. I strongly believe that if you focus 100% on your goals, provide quality work, and are transparent to all your clients, it definitely increases your chances of success. Every day there are new challenges and struggles, but you just have to face them head on, because if you sweep them under the rug, you end up with a giant problem at some point that you won’t be able to get yourself out of.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go to the Sassy Paws Grooming story. Tell us more about the business.
We are a dog grooming business which means we style your dog to your liking and or lifestyle. We also give them a bath and then we blow dry them. We have “happy hoodies” that go over their ears, which helps muffle out the noise from the dryers.
After that, we put them on our table to start the grooming process. When we’re done, we call the client to pick up their dog. The whole process takes about 3 hours depending on the dogs’ behavior. We also offer doggy daycare and a pickup/drop off service. We have a room with half turf, beds, toys, and big size legos that the dogs can climb on and go under. There is also a big window that the dogs can look outside to see whats going on.
We are most proud of the fact that we have a 5-star rating from all our clients, and every client that has come to our shop loves the quality of work we provide. We pride ourselves on providing award-winning grooming services for a price that is affordable to all our clients.
What sets us apart from other groom shops is first our quality of service, our accommodations since our shop is so large, and lastly our pick up and drop off service within a 5-mile radius of our shop. Most shops do not offer this in our area, and clients seem to really like that feature since most people have extremely busy lives, and sometimes just need an extra hand with their pets. We go above and beyond to make all our clients happy. Every client has a different situation, and we do our best to acknowledge that and to help out to the best of our abilities.
This among many other things makes us stand out from the competition.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
At this time, we haven’t really relied on luck. It’s been a lot of hard work, and commitment to the shop. Every day brings new challenges that we have to face head-on.
I guess if we were to say we had any luck, it has to be the great location we found to open the shop at. We are centrally located in between Orland Park, Tinley Park, Oak Forest, and Palos, so we get a lot of clients from all over.
As far as luck in general, I believe that in the business world, you make your own luck.
Pricing:
- Haircuts starting at $45 depending on breed, size, condition and length of coat
- BBT (Bath, Brush and Tidy) starting at $30 and up depending on breed, size, condition and length of coat
- Nails $10 Filing Nails extra $5
- De-Sheddding Treatment starting at $7 depending on breed
- Specialty shampoo starting at $7 depending on breed
- Teeth $10
Contact Info:
- Address: 15627 S. 71st Ct.
Orland Park Illinois 60462 - Website: http://www.sassypawsorland.com/
- Phone: 708-781-9595
- Email: sassypawsorland@gmail.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/sassypawsorland
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
