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u - WATERLLX) cur-0mm - Wednesday. July 15,2009 ' 1' K V m 0 J O C O O Startmg a new busmess can be ru fl, but these girls are cleaning up ovum Duran l 5",? ; - ewe . . 9 - bath at home.” she said. “A bath alone takes Chronicle” 1 ' . _‘ ' 3:41; 9 ._;“ half an hour to an hour . . . It's a lot of scis- ' ’ >35}? “‘~'§ . soring and you can't have a dog walk out youwalkthroudl thefrontdoors, - . .512 f. 3* with hair flying everywhere. You have to W like the relaxed atmosphere, i; > T re 23‘ 4g. 3' have a good eye.” you’d find at most spas There’s muted. ” ' . it: " They have a dient roster now that ranges modem paint on the walls and comfy. inviting _ . "g " 5““; - from simple summer cuts for mixed breed fmnimreintheumitlngroorrt .. _ . ’ - -- “ dogs to complete grooming that lives up to Of course, there's also bone-shaped bis- ', ,5 , Canadian Kennel Club standards cults on the counter and an episode of the - (u ' Their specialty is terriers â€" typically a DogWhisperer playing on the television ,. . .» ‘ . . - . more challenging breed. “We just want it nice and calm." said 2"; ‘ , - 1. The women are working toward becom- Kandas Hilker. owner of the Divine K-9. one ; , ing certified master groomers, a process of two grooming businesses run out the y, which can takeyearsofpractise. shop at l33WeberSt. N. " Both groomers say they're constantly “it's easier grooming because when there working to hone their craft. taking in profes- a lot ofdogs running around the ones on the y it ~ . sional development opportunities when . table are either scared or want to get down 5 " > they can. They're also keen to help up and j and play. Now it's just relaxed. It's good for » coming groomers the same way they were ' you and the dog” r ,. . coached into the business ‘ Hilker and Lisa Seftel. owner of The Art of ‘ , 3. They take on high school co-op students 3 Dog Grooming. met while working at anoth~ . y, and train them during the week as part of er groomer in town. Hilker. a former manag- -‘ their school assignment. The students then er at a meat packing facility. got into the g have the opportunity to come back and earn ‘ business after she saw a newspaper ad for a ‘ money as bathers on the weekends { bather and decided to give it a shot. I Seftel said her ultimate goal is to open a Seftel took a longer route to grooming. ”“3 grooming school in Waterloo. The closest She bred and showed boxers before moving schools right now are in london and Missis- to Waterloo region from Kingston. She 3 ‘ sauga. owned a wedding cake business. but closed ,. m Both women say they're focused on cus- up shop because the pressure was a bit too a " ~ tomer service and making both their clients intense. She also worked in a dental clinic Lisa Softel, owner of the Art of Dog Grooming, gives a 11-year-old chocolate lab, Keesha, a and their charges feel comfortable and before she decided to give it up and get back bath at her Weber Street shop. Seftel and Kandas Hilker opened their grooming businesses stress-free They cater their hours to owners' to the dog world she loved. with the aim of providing a soothing environment for their canine clients. more (not mm. needs and strive to ensure every dog that She started as a barber. coming in on her walks out the door exceeds expectations days off as she taught her self about breeds they needed to set up the business and “A lot ofit has been word ofmouth,’ Hllk- Hilker and Seftel say the work is challeng- and grooming from books. helped with the premise licensing process er said. adding their visible location in the ing and running their own businesses is ‘ Hilker was waiting for her term to start at They were also advised of little things Shoes 22 plaza has brought in a fair bit of hard work. But. they say. the rewards of a grooming school when Seftel took her new businesss owners need to consider, like walk-in traffic working in a field they love 0M any of under her wing and showed her the ropes It registering with police and fire senrices so The pair now get referrals from two vet- the pitfalls. s was a lucky break, Hilker said, because the they don‘t have to break down the door to ellnarians in the region. 'nIey each run their 'lt's like that saying from the Olympics." . school ended up shutting down just before get in if there's an emergency. own busineues separately, but share a loca- Seftel said. ‘Play turns into a dream. A she was scheduled to start. “That's something you would never think don They’ll soon be adding a third moles- dream turns into a goal and a goal turns into Hilker has entrepreneurism in her blood. of. but it makes sense." Sahel said. donal groomer to the mix. reality lt'sbeen a lifelong dream and now it's Both of her parents work for themselves and They didn't have to do much to the shop. They’re trying to separate themselves our reality.” encouraged her to be her own boss They installed their baths â€"which pamper from the competition through environment - The pair knew they wanted to get out on pooches with aqua-therapy â€" had their and quality experience, they said. Both their own and jumped at the chance when contractor enhance lighting and cut the groomer use top-quality products on all Divine [(-9 and Selle] heard theWeber Street location. a for- doors in half to allow for air flow, without their dogs, including milk baths scented The Art Of mercalonwasavailablelastwlnter. lettingdogsrunloose, Mthdlvinearornasofvanlllaandmwber- MW "Everything happened pretty fast,” Seftel Within a week. they were open for busi- ry. DMneKâ€"O said. adding the start up process proved a bit noes They don't do any of the novelty decay Sis-”34293 l frustrating for the inexperienced pair. “We Seltel brought clients with her, but Hilker spa stuff - just a great groom fora good TheArtof Groomhg did everything backwards" only had a handful of friends in her Rolodex. price. they say. A typical mooning can like ‘ 519-277-g'll')lgs That was until the bank directed them to Word spread quickly and in no time the pair up to three hours - something that olien and; my. hosted n the Waterloo Region Small Business Centre. had dozens of clients brlning in their poo- ~ surprises newdients. Hilkersald. 133WeberSt. um They were guided through the paper work dies, labs and terriers ”They don’t know that I both but like a o . 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