Today we’d like to introduce you to Callie Shackelford.
Hi Callie, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
In 2015, 21 years old, I was a single mom, living with my dad who had gotten diagnosed with dementia. We lost our home due to bill not being paid, my dad had to be put in a nursing home and I had to find a place to live. I had no job and no help since he was my only family member. I came across a job opening at a small local veterinary clinic for a groomer/vet tech position, no experience required. I applied and I got the job.
I started to really put my focus into becoming better at dog grooming and grew a very large client base. At the time I was only making min wage and was living on government assistance and I wanted to make more money and provide a better life for myself and my kids.
That year (2017) I used the money I received back for income tax to start my own salon. I found a 500 sq ft space. Purchased the cheapest equipment I could find, made my own grooming tub, and went to work.
I would groom Monday-Sunday.. with my toddler hanging out in the back room. I would work till 10pm most nights just to make ends meet.
Within a few months I had a solid clientele and was able to get of government assistance. I moved into a larger space next door, hired an employee and slowly started to grow to doing more dogs a day.
I slowly hired more people, moved into larger spaces and kept growing.
In 2023 My dad got sick and put in the hospital 100 miles away, I was his only family so I had to be there a lot of the time for him, My staff stepped up and took over to help me.
I trained my groomers step by step and within a year the salon was running without me.
My dad passed away in July 2023, and he was my biggest fan. I promised myself to make him proud.
Since my salon was running on its own, I took on just the role of running the business side and focused on growing it bigger!
For a year I focused on learning. I joined entrepreneur groups, traveled to conferences, and focused on leadership, business and how to build solid relationships.
In October 2024 I decided to open my second location in the town 30 miles up the road, a larger demographic.
And here I am!
We just made our one year anniversary and we are growing faster than I can manage! Lol
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No where near a smooth road.
At the time my dad got sick in the hospital, I was given a notice by my landlord that I had a month to vacate. Given that we live in a very small town, there was absolutely nothing available to rent which left me with the one option of renovating the oldest bar in our town into a grooming salon.
Was supposed to be a $20k-25k job that ended up costing me $40k because the contractor stole half the payment I gave him and left me with 1/4 of the job complete. We went through multiple contractors that all screwed us over.
Our 3 year lease was just up in August and my landlord gave me a notice that he was selling the building for a price that includes the amount I put into it, and raised my rent up $1,000 and put me on a month to month till the building sells. So now we are trying to find a new location to move to.
I’ve had multiple employees along the way steal thousands of money from my business as well.
Im a single mom till this day, my business in my only lively hood and my everything.. so I struggle a lot trying to keep it all together being a mom and business owner, especially now with two locations. I don’t have any family, Its just me and my son and my amazing team. Im thankful for them because they bend over backwards to help me when I really need it. We have always stuck to our family values. Everyone that works for me now has been with me from the very beginning and has grown with me and faced the same challenges with me.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I have always had a creative side from the time I was a little kid. I used art to escape and designing/creating is my stress relief!
I am a professional dog groomer, with two locations. I’ve created a very special place for the dogs. My brand is very bright and colorful, open concept with picket fence kennels for the dogs instead of wire/metal kennels.
We do fun add ons every month where we offer charcoal masks, facials, paw massages, teeth cleaning, specialty shampoos/deep conditioning treatments, we take a photo of the dog with our seasonal backdrop and send it home with them in a goodie bag with treats as well!
For example this month we are doing a main course for Paws-giving “The Full Feast” spa add on, and smaller “side dishes” like cranberry detox facial, turkey-toe butter massage, turkey breath buster, Marshmellow tear stain mask, maple gravy coat mask (deep conditioning treatment), warm autumn scented towel wrap, harvest itch relief soak and some other fun small add ons!
I come up with all our seasonal add ons and services on my own.
I just opened up a curated pup-cup bar where we have a menu of different flavored pup-cups clients can choose from and we freshly make it right there! It’s like dog sundaes, layered with different ingredients and food toppers! We have seasonal pup cups as well such as “The pup-kin pie delight” and “Gobble Till’ You Wobble”!
You can walk in and see the love we have for our jobs. I make sure to educate customers on everything, and strive to be the go-to for any questions regarding grooming and taking care of their dogs.
In 2022 we won “America’s Coolest” by PetPlus Magazine! That was a proud moment for sure to be acknowledged across the United States! We’ve also been listed as “Top Grooming Salon” in Texas!
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
That I built this company on my own.
A lot of people think I came from money because of how successful and nice my salons are, but I did it all on my own as a single mom literally living in poverty and I’m proud of that.
8 years later and I still work 7 days a week brainstorming and coming up with new fun things to offer, because thats how special this business is to me.. I give it my all every single day.
My #1 core value is hustle. Im driven and focused on being in the top 10% of the pet industry. Quality is the main thing I care about when it comes to grooming.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.fluffymuttgroomingspa.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fluffymuttvictoriaTX
- TikTok: @Callie_Shackelford
