Today we are introducing you to Kodi, owner of Bark’n Billies Grooming, a pet grooming business in Warrnambool, NSW.
Bark’n Billies Grooming opened in August in 2022 and is now the preferred grooming salon for many four-legged friends in Warrnambool. After working for six years in grooming, Kodi saw a gap in the local market and decided to open up a salon. After establishing the business with recurring clients, Kodi hopes to grow the business and hire another groomer.
“I needed more leadership of where I wanted to go. I knew I wanted to run my own business, I just needed some guidance. Tracey helped me with my budget and the financial side of things which really helped. She helped with things like making sure I had insurance in place and things like that.”
Read more about Kodi’s business journey so far. 
Meet Kodi, owner of Bark’n Billies Grooming
So I run a grooming business, and I have been open since the end of August 2022. I was struggling. I needed more leadership of where I wanted to go. I knew I wanted to run my own business, I just needed some guidance. I have been grooming for six years and was employed somewhere else before I started to do it for myself.
My mum knew someone else who had experience with Many Rivers, and she told me about what you did and the kind of business support you provided when I started to develop the business. My last employer stopped providing grooming services, so there was a need for another service in the area.
Working with Many Rivers
So Tracey helped me with my budget and the financial side of things which really helped. She helped with things like making sure I had insurance in place and things like that. I was getting a lot of information from different people for different things and having Tracey confirm what I actually needed to do and focus on was a great help. I didn’t get a loan from Many Rivers, and it’s currently just me in the salon right now.
Biggest Challenge
The biggest challenge has been the financial side of things. Having someone to sit down and do it with me (like budgeting for example) has been great.
Biggest Success
My biggest success would be that I’ve now got recurring clients. Generally, it’s between 6-8 weeks for dog grooming sessions.
Biggest Change
I guess the biggest change has been taking on all responsibility. Before when I worked for someone else, I used to just groom the animals and then pass the owners off to the reception. It’s been a huge learning experience to do everything myself. The additional money is great. I do five days now, whereas before I worked around someone else’s schedule and did four days.
Future Goals
Oh gosh I don’t know, I guess maybe getting enough clients so I can hire someone and not work five days a week? 
Thank you Kodi for sharing your business journey. We look forward to working with you as your business journey continues. For those that are interested in Bark’n Billies Grooming, you can visit their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/billiesgrooming
Are You Ready To Start Your Own Business?
We love to encourage people to take the first step towards kick-starting their small business ideas. Do you have a business idea?
CLICK HERE to see if Many Rivers is right for you
B0014173
