In this episode of the Dog Grooming Business Help & Support Podcast, Bill is joined by Kirsty Thorner from specialist pet business insurance brokers Brooks Braithwaite to tackle a subject that every groomer needs to understand: business insurance.

Insurance is something many of us take out and then forget about, assuming we're covered if something goes wrong. But as Bill and Kirsty discuss, the details of your policy can make all the difference when it comes to making a claim.

They explore the different types of insurance grooming businesses should consider, including public liability, employers' liability, professional indemnity, and the often-overlooked care, custody and control of animals cover.

Kirsty also explains why it's important to review your policy as your business grows, how to avoid being underinsured, what to do when a customer makes a claim, and why keeping accurate records and photographs can help protect your business.

Bill shares his own experience of claiming on business interruption insurance during COVID, highlighting just how complicated a claim can become when you don't fully understand your cover.

Kirsty also introduces a free, no-obligation insurance policy audit available to the Pet Passion To Profit community, helping groomers identify potential gaps in their existing cover.

Whether you work from home, run a salon, or operate a mobile grooming business, this episode is a reminder that having insurance isn't enough. You need to understand exactly what you're covered for.

Find out more about Brooks Braithwaite at www.brooksbraithwaite.com.

Complete your insurance audit here and quote the code PetPassionAudit

Disclaimer: This episode provides general information only and does not constitute legal, financial or individual insurance advice. Always check your own policy documents and speak to your insurer or broker about your specific circumstances.

A quick note: We apologise for the occasional audio issues in this episode. We hope they don't take away from what is a really useful conversation, and thank you for listening!

Do your accounts keep getting pushed to the bottom of the to-do list?

You sit down intending to sort them, then suddenly making a coffee, answering messages or even picking up dog poo seems much more appealing.

If that sounds familiar, this episode is for you.

Bill looks at why so many groomers feel overwhelmed by the financial side of running their business and why “do the accounts” is actually a much bigger and less helpful task than it sounds.

The longer receipts, invoices and bank statements are ignored, the more intimidating they become. But getting on top of your numbers doesn’t mean becoming an accountant or spending hours buried in spreadsheets.

It starts with looking.

In this episode, Bill covers:

• Why financial admin becomes more overwhelming the longer you avoid it

• How to break “do the accounts” into small, specific actions

• A simple five-minute money habit you can build into your working day

• The three things to Check, Capture and Act on

• Why understanding your numbers matters when making decisions about pricing and costs

• How small improvements can add up to meaningful changes over a month or year

• When it may be time to bring in professional bookkeeping or accounting support

The five-minute habit isn’t about completing all your bookkeeping every day. It’s about regularly checking in with your finances so you don’t lose sight of what’s happening in your business.

Just as you look after your scissors, clippers and other equipment, your numbers need regular attention too.

You don’t need to become an accountant. You just need to understand enough about your finances to run your business with your eyes open.

So instead of adding “sort finances” to another to-do list, choose one small action today. Give it five minutes, complete it, and stop.

Little and often is far less painful than panic once a year.

As always, I'd like to thank the podcast sponsor, Lopay, the low-cost payment platform that helps you keep more of the money you earn.

You can find out more and sign up for Lopay here:

https://merchant.lopay.app/ref/PETPASSION2500

Listeners of this podcast get £2500 of fee-free transactions.

And if you’d like support building a stronger, more profitable grooming business, visit:

https://petpassiontoprofit.com/

If you know another groomer who keeps putting off their accounts, share this episode with them. Five minutes might be all they need to get started. 🐾

A gap in your grooming diary doesn’t always mean you need another dog.

In this episode, Bill looks at a trap many groomers fall into: seeing an empty appointment and immediately thinking it needs to be filled.

But a full diary and a profitable diary are not the same thing.

You can be booked solid, working long hours and physically exhausted, yet still reach the end of the month wondering where all the money has gone.

So instead of simply chasing gaps, Bill explains why it can be far more useful to look at the diary you already have and ask whether it is actually working for you.

In this episode, Bill covers:

• Why being busy doesn’t necessarily mean your business is successful

• How underpriced or unsuitable appointments can affect your whole working day

• Why grooming more dogs isn’t always the answer to earning more

• The importance of looking at pricing, time, physical demand and client fit together

• How useful additional services can increase income without simply adding more dogs

• Why an empty space in the diary can sometimes be valuable breathing room

• A simple exercise to help you review an ordinary working day and identify where things could improve

The goal isn’t to build the fullest diary possible. It’s to build a grooming business that earns what it needs to earn without taking everything out of you.

So next time you spot a gap, don’t automatically rush to fill it.

Follow the money, not the gaps.

We’ve also created a short Lightning Lesson to help you carry out a simple one-day diary review. You can view that here.

Take our FREE Business health check here.

And if this episode has made you wonder how healthy the rest of your grooming business is, take our free Pet Groomer Business Health Check:

https://petpassiontoprofithq.com/business-health-check

As always, I'd like to thank the podcast sponsor, Lopay, the low-cost payment platform that helps you keep more of the money you earn.

You can find out more and sign up for Lopay here:

https://merchant.lopay.app/ref/PETPASSION2500

Listeners of this podcast get £2500 of fee-free transactions.

And if you’d like support building a stronger, more profitable grooming business, visit:

https://petpassiontoprofit.com/

If you found this episode useful, subscribe to the podcast and share it with another groomer who might need to stop chasing gaps and start looking at what their diary is really earning. 🐾