Safely Chic: Vanity Fur's Mobile Pet Salon Takes Grooming to the Next Level!
Providing the safest and most comfortable groom at your home or office.
It's not just a "tagline" - it's our philosophy.
Vanity Fur Mobile Pet Salons is dedicated to your pet's safety & comfort. Our state-of-the-art mobile salons have all the amenities of a grooming shop and are specifically equipped to accommodate extra-large breeds and senior dogs. Once our groomer arrives, your pet’s specific needs will be discussed. Once your pet steps in the salon, our groomer will take a few minutes to get familiar with and help your pet relax.
Vanity Fur's mobile groomer puts your pet's safety and comfort first. Always.
Transcript
Hello everybody.
Jean Arelanno:I am so excited that you are here.
Jean Arelanno:I want you to meet my guest Jean Marie Ariano, who I met at My Friend's
Jean Arelanno:Christmas party last December.
Jean Arelanno:She has over 12 years of upper management experience in the hospitality industry,
Jean Arelanno:having worked with popular concepts like the old spaghetti factory yard house
Jean Arelanno:restaurants, and improv comedy clubs.
Jean Arelanno:In 2010, they started vanity, fur, and steadily expanded their mobile
Jean Arelanno:pet grooming services each year until they began franchising in 2022.
Jean Arelanno:With two successful franchisees and an exclusive builder for
Jean Arelanno:their specialty designer vans.
Jean Arelanno:My client's priority is the safety and comfort of every pet.
Jean Arelanno:They strive to provide a fun and straightforward business model for pet
Jean Arelanno:lovers who seek reliable and comfortable pet grooming services for the their furry.
Jean Arelanno:Their ultimate goal is to expand nationwide and become a leading
Jean Arelanno:name in the pet grooming industry.
Jean Arelanno:So Jean, I'm so excited that you are here because I love what you're doing and
Jean Arelanno:I think that, Your model is gonna be a total home run, so welcome to my podcast.
Jean Arelanno:Thank you, Phyllis for having me.
Jean Arelanno:I appreciate it.
Jean Arelanno:Great bio.
Jean Arelanno:I couldn't have said it better myself.
Jean Arelanno:Oh, thank you.
Jean Arelanno:It's just me.
Jean Arelanno:And chat.
Jean Arelanno:G b t.
Jean Arelanno:If you, if you haven't heard of chat, G B T, you should because.
Jean Arelanno:It is a total game changer in today's world.
Jean Arelanno:So why don't we start?
Jean Arelanno:I always love for people to understand why someone would decide to start a franchise,
Jean Arelanno:and I've helped several people like yourself get started in this business, and
Jean Arelanno:I would love to hear what changed in your life that made you decide to go down this.
Jean Arelanno:Well, so the first change was coming out of the hospitality industry.
Jean Arelanno:Mm-hmm.
Jean Arelanno:And although I was working in fun concepts and doing really well
Jean Arelanno:there, something was continuously telling me I, I wasn't fulfilled.
Jean Arelanno:Mm-hmm.
Jean Arelanno:And so the first step out was to.
Jean Arelanno:Learn dog grooming.
Jean Arelanno:I mean, I really researched it and just decided I wanna do something.
Jean Arelanno:I love working with pets and have fun doing it.
Jean Arelanno:And mobile grooming found me.
Jean Arelanno:I went to school and got the first mobile built, so that was.
Jean Arelanno:That first, you know, where I stepped out.
Jean Arelanno:And then once I started the business, just realizing the
Jean Arelanno:demand for mobile pet grooming.
Jean Arelanno:Mm-hmm.
Jean Arelanno:Honestly, even when I was in, pet grooming school, I had asked the, the
Jean Arelanno:owner of that school, why, why are you building vehicles for other people
Jean Arelanno:in creating your own competition?
Jean Arelanno:Why don't you just franchise?
Jean Arelanno:Mm-hmm.
Jean Arelanno:And she thought that was ludicrous.
Jean Arelanno:Like, do you, you have no idea.
Jean Arelanno:How much it takes to, to have a franchise and the investment and all
Jean Arelanno:of this, and, and I probably, she sparked that Entrepreneur in me that
Jean Arelanno:said, well, then I've gotta do it.
Jean Arelanno:So, exactly.
Jean Arelanno:Yeah.
Jean Arelanno:It was really the demand.
Jean Arelanno:It was honestly the demand.
Jean Arelanno:When what we say, when people go mobile, they never go back.
Jean Arelanno:And that's true for groomers and it's true for, owners of pets.
Jean Arelanno:It's just such a low anxiety experience.
Jean Arelanno:And I thought this has to be everywhere.
Jean Arelanno:Yeah.
Jean Arelanno:Mm-hmm.
Jean Arelanno:Well, you know, I've got two little furry animals that are not here
Jean Arelanno:right now because they're in their favorite place, which is my car.
Jean Arelanno:Which is where they sit while I do my podcast cuz they think it's kennel.
Jean Arelanno:So, hey, I'm good with that.
Jean Arelanno:Yeah, because, and you should be too, cuz they're not gonna be barking.
Jean Arelanno:the one has long hair so she definitely needs grooming and
Jean Arelanno:brushing out on all of that.
Jean Arelanno:And, I.
Jean Arelanno:Love what you're doing and I can't wait for you to open one around here so I can
Jean Arelanno:have you have them come visit me so I can let my dogs enjoy that experience.
Jean Arelanno:Yes.
Jean Arelanno:So tell us about the journey.
Jean Arelanno:you expanded, you became a franchise, but you wanna be cautious that you don't find.
Jean Arelanno:Franchise owners that are just groomers because they're gonna be so busy grooming,
Jean Arelanno:they're not gonna be growing the business.
Jean Arelanno:Mm-hmm.
Jean Arelanno:So we want our audience to know that while it's okay to own the business
Jean Arelanno:and do the grooming, and that's where your ladies, I believe, have started,
Jean Arelanno:and you're gonna share that story.
Jean Arelanno:But it's also important for people to realize that we're
Jean Arelanno:looking for business people.
Jean Arelanno:That see a need in the market and they're good at managing teams, so they'll
Jean Arelanno:be good at making sure the scheduling is done and the marketing is done.
Jean Arelanno:But they're not gonna be doing the grooming cuz they can't groom and build
Jean Arelanno:a big business both at the same time.
Jean Arelanno:Correct.
Jean Arelanno:it is possible.
Jean Arelanno:But just like you said, we are looking for business minded folks
Jean Arelanno:that love animals, wanna enjoy.
Jean Arelanno:Semi absentee.
Jean Arelanno:There's not a lot of, investment with the home-based business
Jean Arelanno:in terms of time, and money.
Jean Arelanno:And so, you know, that's the owner that we're looking for with Vanity
Jean Arelanno:Fur that really understands that everything we're doing is about
Jean Arelanno:safety and comfort, for the pets.
Jean Arelanno:And, and so somebody that's passionate for animals as well is, is the owner for us?
Jean Arelanno:Oh, definitely.
Jean Arelanno:I'm sure they have to have a dog because That would be one of my reasons.
Jean Arelanno:Well, I my own business then get groomed all the time.
Jean Arelanno:Yeah.
Jean Arelanno:It's a perk.
Jean Arelanno:Yeah, for sure.
Jean Arelanno:Definitely a great perk.
Jean Arelanno:Okay, so continue on with your story as I keep interrupting you.
Jean Arelanno:Yeah.
Jean Arelanno:So, okay, so I started the business in 2010 with my first
Jean Arelanno:mobile, I was the groomer.
Jean Arelanno:so the next year.
Jean Arelanno:I Realized that the mobile that was built for me wasn't really conducive to the
Jean Arelanno:large, most senior dog or the groomer.
Jean Arelanno:Mm-hmm.
Jean Arelanno:Because they had to jump in and out of the vehicle and I had to
Jean Arelanno:lift and that wasn't working.
Jean Arelanno:So then, I found a builder and I customized the second, my second
Jean Arelanno:mobile and got a, got a great groomer, and then did the same thing.
Jean Arelanno:Year three.
Jean Arelanno:Found I always was improving upon the build of the vehicle
Jean Arelanno:because I wanted it just right.
Jean Arelanno:I wanted it to solve problems for the large, most senior dog with hip dysplasia.
Jean Arelanno:The groomer, you know, had a good experience as well and didn't
Jean Arelanno:have to, lift the dogs So I kept that going for year 2, 3, 4.
Jean Arelanno:and then we did have trucks and trailers.
Jean Arelanno:so I realized we really need to get into the vans.
Jean Arelanno:Mm-hmm.
Jean Arelanno:And so then I spent, 15 months, I found a great, and I always believe
Jean Arelanno:everything comes to you for a reason.
Jean Arelanno:I met the builder at a groom expo.
Jean Arelanno:He'd never been in any grooming expo ever, and I, I wasn't going to them either.
Jean Arelanno:Mm-hmm.
Jean Arelanno:I happened to go to this one.
Jean Arelanno:Because I had somebody interested in the franchise opportunity and I said,
Jean Arelanno:well, why don't you come to this, this crazy thing that is this groom expo
Jean Arelanno:where all are, all these groomers are doing these coloring and all this fun.
Jean Arelanno:And I met this, this builder, and we've developed a great relationship and him and
Jean Arelanno:his son started their business as well.
Jean Arelanno:They've been building.
Jean Arelanno:vans for a different part of the dog grooming industry.
Jean Arelanno:Mm-hmm.
Jean Arelanno:And wanted to get into the mobile grooming industry because
Jean Arelanno:they realized the huge demand.
Jean Arelanno:Mm-hmm.
Jean Arelanno:And so then we've developed this, and now he's an exclusive builder.
Jean Arelanno:We've built the most amazing van with lithium batteries,
Jean Arelanno:solar power wrap system.
Jean Arelanno:The table goes all the way to the floor.
Jean Arelanno:It solves every problem for the groomer and the dogs.
Jean Arelanno:So it's fabulous.
Jean Arelanno:Yeah.
Jean Arelanno:So now do you have one of those van.
Jean Arelanno:At home now that is out being used.
Jean Arelanno:Oh yeah.
Jean Arelanno:We've been, testing it out for well over six months and, and
Jean Arelanno:we tested it out during a cloudy covered California month, which has
Jean Arelanno:been a lot recently, as you know.
Jean Arelanno:Right.
Jean Arelanno:Wow.
Jean Arelanno:Yeah.
Jean Arelanno:Crazy.
Jean Arelanno:Yeah.
Jean Arelanno:And so we actually didn't plug that van in for 30 days and we
Jean Arelanno:were running it, six days a.
Jean Arelanno:All, all day full-time, and we could never get our batteries under 75%.
Jean Arelanno:So Wow.
Jean Arelanno:It's been really, yeah, it's been fabulous.
Jean Arelanno:So, a lot of mobile grooming, vehicles rely on generators.
Jean Arelanno:Mm-hmm.
Jean Arelanno:And generators require a lot of repair and maintenance costs.
Jean Arelanno:and we had propane on ours, so there's propane costs, you know,
Jean Arelanno:associated with that, we've eliminated all of those costs with these.
Jean Arelanno:You know, so that's a thing that people don't take into consideration
Jean Arelanno:and they don't think about.
Jean Arelanno:So first of all, we know when people think franchising, at least
Jean Arelanno:in my experience, they think food.
Jean Arelanno:Nothing wrong with food, just you didn't go into food, you just spent all those
Jean Arelanno:years in food, didn't go into food.
Jean Arelanno:Funny how that is.
Jean Arelanno:But anyway, it's a lot of work.
Jean Arelanno:It's, but I'm not saying you didn't, you're not a hard
Jean Arelanno:worker cuz you clearly are.
Jean Arelanno:But the thing that I love about franchising is look at all the time
Jean Arelanno:and effort and research and all the things that you've been doing along
Jean Arelanno:the way that brings you to today.
Jean Arelanno:And that's one of the things that's so great is that you have.
Jean Arelanno:this business model that is all perfected and ready to go and you've
Jean Arelanno:gotten all the kinks out of it.
Jean Arelanno:So people aren't gonna have to spend that time and money
Jean Arelanno:like you have to this point.
Jean Arelanno:Absolutely.
Jean Arelanno:And you know, think because I was a groomer for so long, not only does it
Jean Arelanno:resonate with the groomers that I hire, you know, I was talking to a candidate
Jean Arelanno:yesterday and she said, I really respect that you are somebody that knows grooming.
Jean Arelanno:Mm-hmm.
Jean Arelanno:Because that's, that's really important.
Jean Arelanno:So I think when we teach, Our, franchise owners.
Jean Arelanno:Mm-hmm.
Jean Arelanno:and we can give them the perspective of what the groomer goes through so they
Jean Arelanno:understand what their groomers Yep.
Jean Arelanno:Are going through.
Jean Arelanno:But had somebody come to me in 2010 and said, I have this pretty little
Jean Arelanno:business and it's called vanity Fur, and all of the kinks have been worked
Jean Arelanno:out, you're not gonna have to spend thousands of dollars learning something.
Jean Arelanno:Mm-hmm.
Jean Arelanno:You know, I might not have understood it at the time, but boy do I understand
Jean Arelanno:it, it now, like the value of it.
Jean Arelanno:For sure.
Jean Arelanno:Is that the truth?
Jean Arelanno:Yeah, no, that's fabulous.
Jean Arelanno:And you know, it's interesting, one of the words that we use in
Jean Arelanno:our industry is train the trainer.
Jean Arelanno:So it could be that you will find that you will have to teach your owners maybe
Jean Arelanno:some of the basics of, of grooming, right?
Jean Arelanno:Mm-hmm.
Jean Arelanno:So that if, if their groomer calls in sick, that they can
Jean Arelanno:maybe do something about.
Jean Arelanno:So I got a funny story for you.
Jean Arelanno:I owned a printing business in downtown San Francisco and it was 10 o'clock
Jean Arelanno:at night and I'm at the shop with our counter girl, her name was Nadia.
Jean Arelanno:She was amazing.
Jean Arelanno:And the phone rings and I pick it up laughing and it was my
Jean Arelanno:husband and he said, Now remind you, this is a long time ago.
Jean Arelanno:We didn't have cell phones.
Jean Arelanno:My, the phone was, you know, on the wall.
Jean Arelanno:He says to me, do I hear the press in the background, who's running it?
Jean Arelanno:I said, I am.
Jean Arelanno:He said, where's Randy?
Jean Arelanno:He's not here.
Jean Arelanno:So he said, what are you doing?
Jean Arelanno:I said, well, our best customer came and they needed the
Jean Arelanno:job done, so I did the job.
Jean Arelanno:And, so he, but the point of the story was that I was resourceful
Jean Arelanno:because I've always been resourceful.
Jean Arelanno:It's kind of part of being a female entrepreneur.
Jean Arelanno:I think we, we make things happen one way or the other, right?
Jean Arelanno:Yes.
Jean Arelanno:And.
Jean Arelanno:It wasn't the best job we'd ever done, but I got the, I had him shoot the plates that
Jean Arelanno:shows you how old I am, shoot the plates.
Jean Arelanno:I could put 'em on the press and we ran the job and the customer was happy.
Jean Arelanno:So the point of that is that sometimes brands will train
Jean Arelanno:the owner how to do that.
Jean Arelanno:Now, the trainer at Sir Speedy came in during the two week training
Jean Arelanno:they would have, and he'd say, okay, today you're gonna learn how
Jean Arelanno:to use the press, but I don't want to get a whiny call on the phone.
Jean Arelanno:And so you're not making any money and come in and find
Jean Arelanno:out that you're the pressman.
Jean Arelanno:That's not why we're doing this.
Jean Arelanno:Yeah, we're doing this for that emergency time when the pressman gets
Jean Arelanno:sick and you've got your best customer and you know, maybe you can do a wash
Jean Arelanno:and a little bit of a trim, right?
Jean Arelanno:Yeah, absolutely.
Jean Arelanno:Although we would never expect our owners to jump in as a dog groomer
Jean Arelanno:because there is a lot there.
Jean Arelanno:but the beauty about our business being a home-based
Jean Arelanno:mobile type of business is that.
Jean Arelanno:If, let's just say, you know, a groomer will be sick one day, we,
Jean Arelanno:we can reschedule those clients.
Jean Arelanno:That's correct.
Jean Arelanno:And we don't actually have to go to the building and open up regardless
Jean Arelanno:of whether or not we have clients.
Jean Arelanno:So no employees, no clients, its the same with the sales if we know how much
Jean Arelanno:business we have going forward as well.
Jean Arelanno:So I just want the future owners to understand, that, they wouldn't
Jean Arelanno:have to jump in as a dog groomer.
Jean Arelanno:That might be a little scary for them.
Jean Arelanno:Nice.
Jean Arelanno:So, that brings me to a really good point.
Jean Arelanno:So tell me about while you're new, but tell me about what your
Jean Arelanno:training is it gonna be all about and how long is your training?
Jean Arelanno:Yeah.
Jean Arelanno:So first of all, we've developed all of our training into a
Jean Arelanno:learning management system.
Jean Arelanno:I don't know if I can say the name, but it's pretty, well known.
Jean Arelanno:So, they're not just looking into a book, the groomer or the owner.
Jean Arelanno:It's very interactive.
Jean Arelanno:it's all on your device.
Jean Arelanno:so, you get to learn, that way.
Jean Arelanno:So it makes it easier to follow.
Jean Arelanno:we have that for the groomers as well as the owners.
Jean Arelanno:and everything that we train in that period of time is how to hire the
Jean Arelanno:groomer, how to get that groomer in, how to support the groomer and, and
Jean Arelanno:how we keep our culture together.
Jean Arelanno:As well, while everybody is working in their own vehicles separately, so
Jean Arelanno:we are always apart, but together.
Jean Arelanno:we train them on how we're gonna market this business and, set them up.
Jean Arelanno:We have, our marketing, team that, that is outsourced and, so they'll, be with them.
Jean Arelanno:And then we have career plug they help us with, hiring.
Jean Arelanno:And then we have other, vendors that we have in place to help you with
Jean Arelanno:your bookkeeping and everything.
Jean Arelanno:We are here.
Jean Arelanno:For you.
Jean Arelanno:So we're gonna teach you all of that.
Jean Arelanno:You don't have to learn that stuff on your own.
Jean Arelanno:That's fantastic.
Jean Arelanno:Yeah.
Jean Arelanno:It's, a business in a box, as they say.
Jean Arelanno:Mm-hmm.
Jean Arelanno:Yes.
Jean Arelanno:Which is terrific.
Jean Arelanno:So, how has this changed your life since you decided to start this business?
Jean Arelanno:So I don't know it, but I bet it is the truth and you hear it,
Jean Arelanno:and it sounds cliche, but I don't ever really work because I do
Jean Arelanno:what I love every aspect of this.
Jean Arelanno:When I was a groomer, talking with the clients, going to your home, like when
Jean Arelanno:we're in your area, we're going to come see you and your dogs, Phyllis,
Jean Arelanno:every two weeks, four weeks, six weeks, eight weeks, we become family.
Jean Arelanno:So I love that part of it.
Jean Arelanno:The groomers love that.
Jean Arelanno:how it's changed my, I mean, man.
Jean Arelanno:I love what we do and I love that we're providing.
Jean Arelanno:Safe and comfortable grooming for the pets.
Jean Arelanno:Mm-hmm.
Jean Arelanno:That is so important.
Jean Arelanno:I didn't mention that We have cameras in the vans, protecting them.
Jean Arelanno:Oh, right.
Jean Arelanno:Yes.
Jean Arelanno:Yeah.
Jean Arelanno:And, and that's really what I want because I think that anything out
Jean Arelanno:there in the world that can't speak for themselves should have eyes in the sky,
Jean Arelanno:protecting the, the groomer as well.
Jean Arelanno:making sure that, I wanna, make sure that every dog and cat gets a safe
Jean Arelanno:and comfortable grooming experience.
Jean Arelanno:And I work from home and, you know, when I was just running the
Jean Arelanno:mobiles, it was semi absentee.
Jean Arelanno:I was on vacation while the business was still working.
Jean Arelanno:I mean, it's changed my life in that.
Jean Arelanno:A hundred ways.
Jean Arelanno:I, you know, franchising is hard.
Jean Arelanno:It is difficult to become a franchisor.
Jean Arelanno:It's a whole nother business that, we're coming into.
Jean Arelanno:And, that's even amazing.
Jean Arelanno:And all of the people I've met in the franchise industry, how
Jean Arelanno:helpful they are, including you.
Jean Arelanno:So, let's, let's segue over there, because you just went
Jean Arelanno:to the, if a convention mm-hmm.
Jean Arelanno:And, and that was in Las Vegas.
Jean Arelanno:Tell me about your experience at the I F A.
Jean Arelanno:So that was my second time going to the I f A.
Jean Arelanno:The first one was the, your previous.
Jean Arelanno:And I just don't think that I will ever not go to an I f A.
Jean Arelanno:You meet a million people out there, everybody becomes your friend.
Jean Arelanno:We're all doing the same thing.
Jean Arelanno:Even competitors, you know, I, they're friendly and they're in a different place,
Jean Arelanno:so it's not even really like, Competition.
Jean Arelanno:Mm-hmm.
Jean Arelanno:It's all friendly competition and I just learn so much every time that
Jean Arelanno:I, I go to an I f A and I get so many takeaways and I get new friends as well.
Jean Arelanno:Mm-hmm.
Jean Arelanno:Yeah.
Jean Arelanno:You know, I think, franchising has a culture that nobody doesn't
Jean Arelanno:understand because you can have, and you've experienced this, you
Jean Arelanno:can have a table of franchise.
Jean Arelanno:And like you say, they could be in the same industry and you're sharing best
Jean Arelanno:practices because at the end of the.
Jean Arelanno:Any good franchisor, their goal is for the franchisees to be successful.
Jean Arelanno:So if they can pick up ideas of things that you can do that will
Jean Arelanno:help the franchisees be successful.
Jean Arelanno:So if they're successful, you're successful, then everybody wins.
Jean Arelanno:Mm-hmm.
Jean Arelanno:And that's one of the things that I've always loved about being in the world
Jean Arelanno:of franchising it is a very different culture and it is exciting as well.
Jean Arelanno:It, there's just so many different things in there, you know, in, in my
Jean Arelanno:team that I have as well, you know, so long I was talking my vision about.
Jean Arelanno:We're gonna franchise, we're gonna be, nationwide.
Jean Arelanno:And they thought I was crazy, yeah.
Jean Arelanno:Okay.
Jean Arelanno:Yeah, Jean.
Jean Arelanno:And then now that they see it and they're like experiencing it,
Jean Arelanno:they're excited about this whole franchising thing and all that is
Jean Arelanno:gonna come with it as well, so, yeah.
Jean Arelanno:so what has been the most rewarding moment that you've had since?
Jean Arelanno:Started, you know, to begin with venturing out on your own, becoming a groomer,
Jean Arelanno:and then turning it into a franchise.
Jean Arelanno:What's been your most rewarding moment?
Jean Arelanno:you know, I remember.
Jean Arelanno:When, I was in year one and I started my Facebook, you know, the
Jean Arelanno:vanity for Facebook, and I would look at the likes and I thought, oh
Jean Arelanno:my gosh, I have a thousand likes.
Jean Arelanno:I couldn't believe it.
Jean Arelanno:But now I guess I didn't realize all that I was even doing in 2010, how
Jean Arelanno:much it was going to, help me here.
Jean Arelanno:Mm-hmm.
Jean Arelanno:And that I, get to create fellow business owners that do my
Jean Arelanno:same business that can give.
Jean Arelanno:You know, more to what?
Jean Arelanno:I don't know, everything.
Jean Arelanno:And so my franchisees have like great ideas.
Jean Arelanno:Mm-hmm.
Jean Arelanno:And it, I think my, that, that we've even started and I'm just so proud of it.
Jean Arelanno:I, can't wait to see what happens in the next five years.
Jean Arelanno:I really just can't wait.
Jean Arelanno:It's just, yeah.
Jean Arelanno:Yeah, well you're, you definitely have picked a niche that is, and you
Jean Arelanno:know, they say the riches are in the niches, and I, I really do believe that.
Jean Arelanno:And you know, the fact that you've gone into the space with pets, it's
Jean Arelanno:such a huge industry that there's.
Jean Arelanno:The other thing I really like is I believe that you have an abundance
Jean Arelanno:mentality as opposed to a scarcity.
Jean Arelanno:So it's not like, oh my God, there's gonna be so many people.
Jean Arelanno:Am I gonna have enough business?
Jean Arelanno:No.
Jean Arelanno:There's plenty of business for everybody and even locally, if you were to drive
Jean Arelanno:around my neighborhood for the next day or two, you're gonna run into.
Jean Arelanno:You know, competitors, people that have started their own, they're usually
Jean Arelanno:sometimes just a groomer that just sure.
Jean Arelanno:Started mobile and she's trying to muddle through and figure it out.
Jean Arelanno:Mm-hmm.
Jean Arelanno:Well, there's enough dogs to go around is what we say, you know, there's just,
Jean Arelanno:there's enough business to go around, especially in the mobile grooming.
Jean Arelanno:Mm-hmm.
Jean Arelanno:It, I just challenge anybody that is watching your podcast, even if you
Jean Arelanno:don't have a dog, But you know, you're gonna get one or, or whatever the
Jean Arelanno:thing is, call some mobile groomers and find out how booked out they are
Jean Arelanno:and find, you know, you'd be surprised we, that's why I franchise as well.
Jean Arelanno:I never could keep up with business.
Jean Arelanno:So I could keep growing a mobile.
Jean Arelanno:But wow, there's something here.
Jean Arelanno:And that is why Well, people don't realize that when a franchisor comes
Jean Arelanno:into a market, the first thing they look for is competition because if there's
Jean Arelanno:competition, it means it's good market.
Jean Arelanno:So you wanna have a lot of competition.
Jean Arelanno:Mm-hmm.
Jean Arelanno:It's really validating the fact that there's a need for what you do.
Jean Arelanno:you might find that you could, find some independence that decide that they
Jean Arelanno:love what you're doing and convert.
Jean Arelanno:That'd be great.
Jean Arelanno:We welcome that.
Jean Arelanno:Absolutely.
Jean Arelanno:Keep that in the Back of your mind.
Jean Arelanno:Absolutely.
Jean Arelanno:Yeah.
Jean Arelanno:A lot of brands have built that way.
Jean Arelanno:so what are you most proud of at this point?, I mean just, just like
Jean Arelanno:I said, just to even be at the ground level of beginning the franchise.
Jean Arelanno:Mm-hmm.
Jean Arelanno:nobody really understands all that goes into the two years before we even.
Jean Arelanno:Came to the franchise market.
Jean Arelanno:Mm-hmm.
Jean Arelanno:There is a lot there.
Jean Arelanno:We were building out, perfecting our systems and building
Jean Arelanno:the, operations manual.
Jean Arelanno:That is everything that we, so we have spent a lot of time to get here.
Jean Arelanno:So, I mean, just all that, all the work that we've done and my team has helped
Jean Arelanno:is what has me the proudest for sure.
Jean Arelanno:Find my Instagram or Our, however, they wanna find us on social media
Jean Arelanno:at Vanity Furs, plural, F u r S.
Jean Arelanno:you will see all of us there.
Jean Arelanno:You'll see our grand openings to our franchisees.
Jean Arelanno:go on my LinkedIn, vanity for mobile pet salons.
Jean Arelanno:okay, hold on.
Jean Arelanno:Let me create a here.
Jean Arelanno:So what is your Instagram, uh, at Vanity Furs
Jean Arelanno:at?
Jean Arelanno:Vanity Furs, show.
Jean Arelanno:There you go.
Jean Arelanno:That's it.
Jean Arelanno:I don't know if you'll see it That's okay.
Jean Arelanno:just go to our Instagram and, and what is your phone number so I can put it
Jean Arelanno:up for people if they wanna call you?
Jean Arelanno:so it's, nine five, well it's, it's 8 66 Own Pet biz.
Jean Arelanno:Make it easy for you.
Jean Arelanno:Own Pet Biz.
Jean Arelanno:B I z.
Jean Arelanno:I could spell?
Jean Arelanno:Yeah.
Jean Arelanno:Own Pet Biz.
Jean Arelanno:8 66 Own pet Biz.
Jean Arelanno:How's that?
Jean Arelanno:That's it.
Jean Arelanno:Cool.
Jean Arelanno:Yeah.
Jean Arelanno:And, and our website is vanity first.com, for, for the pet grooming
Jean Arelanno:side and vanity first.com/franchising for the franchise side.
Jean Arelanno:Okay.
Jean Arelanno:Yeah.
Jean Arelanno:All right.
Jean Arelanno:So, anyway, okay.
Jean Arelanno:Let me see if I have any other, what haven't I asked you that I should know?
Jean Arelanno:I mean, we talked about a lot here other than, you know, we, we, so just so you
Jean Arelanno:know, we are California based, but we are.
Jean Arelanno:registered in Texas and Florida and, are willing to grow into any market
Jean Arelanno:that you're willing to enter into.
Jean Arelanno:and we're gonna support you from, from day one, and, and getting ramped up.
Jean Arelanno:I do wanna say this though with my second franchisee because
Jean Arelanno:we're really excited about this.
Jean Arelanno:So she started, vanity for Manife, that's also in Southern California.
Jean Arelanno:She started her business mid-January.
Jean Arelanno:did, her marketing spend.
Jean Arelanno:Her mobile is almost booked to capacity already, and we're April 4th right now.
Jean Arelanno:Oh, wow.
Jean Arelanno:That's fantastic.
Jean Arelanno:Mm-hmm.
Jean Arelanno:Yeah.
Jean Arelanno:So what kind of marketing did she do to get to that point?
Jean Arelanno:So she worked with our marketing platform, the company that we work with.
Jean Arelanno:So they, they help provide her with the business cards, the rack cards,
Jean Arelanno:and then she did a Yelp ad, some Yelp ads and a Google business ad.
Jean Arelanno:And, you know, she's, Almost completely booked.
Jean Arelanno:And then our clients recur.
Jean Arelanno:So once you get that human client, we've been serving clients since 2010.
Jean Arelanno:We're on second and third generation, unfortunately, of dogs.
Jean Arelanno:But fortunately that they stayed with us.
Jean Arelanno:But you know, unfortunately, that the dogs die.
Jean Arelanno:Mm-hmm.
Jean Arelanno:So, so, yeah, I mean, you know, it's a recurring thing.
Jean Arelanno:So all she needs to do is get them to be the raving fans of her vanity
Jean Arelanno:fur, and they're gonna market for her.
Jean Arelanno:So when you think back of your career, I would feel that you
Jean Arelanno:learned so much in customer service being in the hospitality industry.
Jean Arelanno:How have you, brought that forward into your franchise?
Jean Arelanno:And your business?
Jean Arelanno:Oh my gosh, that is a good one.
Jean Arelanno:And nobody's ever asked me this before, but I would would like to say, because
Jean Arelanno:I come from the restaurant industry and lots of different concepts, the
Jean Arelanno:one I liked the most were, was really improv because everybody was having fun.
Jean Arelanno:So complaints were at a minimum, and I just knew when I started my business, I.
Jean Arelanno:To work where people are gonna be happy and joyful.
Jean Arelanno:it's so very rare that ever there is, you know, something where I have
Jean Arelanno:to step in as a, you know, kind of putting the fire out, if you will.
Jean Arelanno:But even when that happens, you know, because I have all that experience,
Jean Arelanno:you know, people just wanna be heard and, and even if they're complaining
Jean Arelanno:about because of what I learned in the restaurants, if, if the bread was.
Jean Arelanno:Then you go over there and, and you say, I'm sorry, the bread was cold.
Jean Arelanno:But then if, the, table's wobbly.
Jean Arelanno:And then, by the way, the server now she has a scowl and
Jean Arelanno:so it becomes a huge problem.
Jean Arelanno:Whereas really it started with just the bread being cold.
Jean Arelanno:So I think, making sure that it doesn't turn into that fire definitely
Jean Arelanno:come with that set of skills.
Jean Arelanno:All Righty.
Jean Arelanno:Well, thank you very much.
Jean Arelanno:This has been really fun.
Jean Arelanno:You're my first franchisor on the show.
Jean Arelanno:That's brand new, and that was my goal is I, I brought in a seasoned person
Jean Arelanno:and then I brought in somebody talking about why it's important to love your
Jean Arelanno:business and you love what you do.
Jean Arelanno:So that fits right into what I, I really believe in.
Jean Arelanno:And then I promised everybody that I would bring young, emerging Females onto the
Jean Arelanno:show so that they could get a feel for what you did and why you did what you did.
Jean Arelanno:So Jean, thank you so much.
Jean Arelanno:I'll have to tell Cec that we had this podcast thank God for little things.
Jean Arelanno:Who knew going to a Christmas party, I'd meet a future franchisor,
Jean Arelanno:Thank you so much, Phyllis.
Jean Arelanno:I did not know I would meet you either and that party was so much fun because I got
Jean Arelanno:to talk franchising with you all night.
Jean Arelanno:Well, we're in this world, we can't help ourselves.
Jean Arelanno:Right.
Jean Arelanno:We just gravitated.
Jean Arelanno:It was a large party, I wanna say.
Jean Arelanno:and Phyllis and I found each other, which was, was super amazing.
Jean Arelanno:So anyway, yes.
Jean Arelanno:I appreciate Well, thank you very much.
Jean Arelanno:I appreciate your time.
Jean Arelanno:and thank you everybody for coming.
Jean Arelanno:I do wanna put in a little plug.
Jean Arelanno:I did publish a book.
Jean Arelanno:It'll be in the outro, but I'm super excited.
Jean Arelanno:The itty bitty franchise book, 15 Keys, finding Your Perfect Match Franchise.
Jean Arelanno:So with that, have a great day and thank you so much, Jean.
Jean Arelanno:I really appreciate you.
Jean Arelanno:Thank you, Phyllis.
Jean Arelanno:Take care.
Jean Arelanno:Bye.
Jean Arelanno:Thanks for listening to Fierce Females and Franchising.
Jean Arelanno:We hope you feel inspired by the stories and insights shared by our amazing female
Jean Arelanno:franchise founders and franchisees.
Jean Arelanno:Don't forget to tune in next week for another episode filled
Jean Arelanno:with valuable advice, motivation, and a good dose of fun.
Jean Arelanno:And if you're ready to take the leap and explore franchising for.
Jean Arelanno:Head to our website for more information and resources.
Jean Arelanno:Remember, franchising is the best kept secret in town, and we're here to help
Jean Arelanno:you unlock its endless possibilities.
Jean Arelanno:So stay fierce, stay curious, and keep crushing those goals.
