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Step 1
You must love dogs. An underlying love of dogs must be there for a person to have the patience and care to deal with sometimes nervous animals. Animals can often sense that a person is tense and will react on that.
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Step 2
Learn the art of dog grooming. There are accredited dog grooming schools that offer pet grooming programs. You might want to try a community college or a local trade school, but you best bet will be a specialty pet grooming class. These courses, depending on your state, will take you around 300 hours in the classroom.
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Step 3
Choose a location to work from. Maybe start small with an outdoor set up for neighborhood pets. Work out of the home, rent a booth at a grooming salon or open a shop.
Your best bet might be to start off small--get a couple of clients and work out of your home (or travel from client to client). Get a feel for being a dog groomer on your own. Working small will give you a taste of your future. This stage might be where you realize this career isn't exactly for you. -
Step 4
When you do decide to start taking clients (either in your home or at a brick and mortar shop), make the setting comfortable. Make sure the area is well lit, welcoming and safe for the dogs. There should be little distraction for the dogs, not a lot of noise or people.
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Step 5
Advertise a lot. There are many books to be found and classes to take to teach about advertising. It is a crucial part to any business no matter how big or small. Spend a lot of time thinking about the right advertising techniques for the size of the business. Start local: Daily newspapers, ads at pet shops, Craigslist and of course, word of mouth.
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Step 6
Offer multiple services. This will keep people happy and they will return for more. A wide range of services will greatly increase the market range. Offer shampooing, drying, shaping and cutting--even nail painting.
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Step 7
Keep prices low at first. People pay for experience. Don't expect to charge top fees with no experience. Find out what your competition is charging and price your services just a tad under what they're charging.
