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Setting up home business

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Post by pazu Wed Oct 17, 2012 10:26 am

Hi all,

I am a newbie to this forum, but I've been following reading up all the great stories on here.

Right now I am working 3 days as a groomer at a vet, but I am looking to set up a home business. I rent my house, but my landlord is very nice and is letting me go ahead and set it up, as long as I don't disrupt the neighbours too much.

I found out from the council recently that I would need to apply for a Development Application because I live in a Low Density Residential zone, and the customers coming and going (even if only no more than 5 customers a day) might disrupt the neighbours. The council lady on the phone does not sound too optimistic about my being approved, but I will try anyway.

Any home groomers have such troubles setting their business up? Any other comments etc would be very welcome too!

pazu

Location : NSW
Posts : 7

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Post by Chase Thu Oct 18, 2012 6:44 pm

That does not apply to my council area so I’m not sure. But what I would do is find out as much information about what makes you qualify and what does not so when you put in your application you can sort of bend a bit of what you tell them(tell them what they want to here). Another thing you can try if you have good neighbours (and will only apply if you do have good neighbours) get them to sign a petition that they don’t mind you running a business from your home. But be careful which neighbours you ask because you might be opening Pandora’s Box
Chase
Chase

Location : Victoria, Australia
Posts : 598

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Post by pazu Thu Oct 18, 2012 9:46 pm

Thanks for the reply, Chase!
When I called the council again to ask about the DA fees, the person answering the phone this time told me that I might not need a DA. They were all saying different things :/
So I went down to the council office and spoke in person to the Duty Planner. She herself was a bit unsure and discussed at length with her colleague. Verdict: No need for DA.
Yeay!
A DA would just be PITA.

pazu

Location : NSW
Posts : 7

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Post by Chase Thu Oct 18, 2012 10:47 pm

That's good news it's annoying when you get different answers. Make sure you keep the name of the person and the time and date you enquired about it so if their is any conflict in the future you can refer that that person gave you the advise
Chase
Chase

Location : Victoria, Australia
Posts : 598

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Post by snaggywoo Fri Oct 19, 2012 9:27 pm

I found my local council unsure as well when I asked them. It must b something that people don't often ask about. In the end they told me I didn't need special approvals as long as neighbours didn't complain.

In the end I decided to go mobile as I was concerned about noise and possible neighbour complaints as the houses are pretty close here and the issue of the risk of people not being prepared to bring their dogs to me. It seems like a bit more security that I can work anywhere if I'm mobile.

By the time I factored in the cost of setting up at home and trying to minimize noise it ended up being just as expensive as mobile.
snaggywoo
snaggywoo

Location : Newcastle, NSW
Posts : 248

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Post by schnauzergirl Sat Oct 20, 2012 11:22 pm

Can I ask how you'd set up? I would also love to set up from home in a rented property but I'm not sure how I would do so; I mean do you set up in the garage? I'm worried about there not being enough light in there, and how to set up the proper 'salon experience', i.e. a little gate, crated areas, a retail/boutique area.

Would really love to see pics of your set up or anyone else who has a set up from home from a rented area!

schnauzergirl

Location : United Kingdom
Posts : 44

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Post by snaggywoo Sun Oct 21, 2012 8:42 am

If u go to the salon pics section of this forum there is a video there showing someone (i forget who) soundproofing the garage, putting down an easy to clean lino floor and setting up gate and crates etc.

My teacher (cessnock on this forum) also has pics of her salon there. It is not a garage but it is a square shop that easily could be adapted to a garage as it has a similar shape.

I found the soundproofing costs to be what made me choose mobile instead. It depends on Ur circumstances though. My neighbours r quite close and 6 months ago someone in the street kept sending dirty letters harrassing my neighbour about their 3 dogs barking so I thought the chance of getting shut down might b high just in my situation. I was also worried about customers not coming to me. I am on the edge of town and not central to a lot of locations....only the immediate suburbs around me and not on a main road so a sign on the home wouldn't really help with advertising.

A home salon might work for u though...Ur circumstances might b different?

I'm just trying to help as I just spent the last 3 months planning my business. Just put a deposit on a car yesterday and I'm hopefully about to purchase a trailer if it all checks out. I'm nervous but excited too.

It's great though that Ur asking questions and doing Ur homework before u dive in.

Only thing that would play on my mind if renting is that the landlord can give u 3 weeks notice then u need to leave and dismantle Ur salon and what about all Ur customers if u can't rent in the same area? Maybe u know Ur landlord as a friend so that doesn't apply but just thinking out loud and trying to help Smile many people helped me think of things on this forum so I'm grateful Smile

And a trailer is like driving a giant billboard. Free advertising!
snaggywoo
snaggywoo

Location : Newcastle, NSW
Posts : 248

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Post by pazu Sun Oct 21, 2012 10:52 am

I'm only in the very early stages of planning my shop, so no pictures yet!
My place does not have a garage (just big back driveway), so I'm converting my dining room to the grooming place. Not the ideal choice, of course, but when you are renting, there is little you can do. Good thing is that the clients don't have to walk through my house to get into it. And I can close off the dining room as there is a door between it and the kitchen. It is continuous with the living room, so I might just separate it off with book shelves.
I am going to bathe the dogs in the bath tub. Back pain, yes, but I am only going to take small to medium dogs.
I am going to do one-on-one so that there will not be more than two clients' dogs here at any one time. Less chance to disrupt neighbours that way.

All these are not the ideal situation, but I am only TRYING OUT and starting very small to see if it can work out.
While I already got approval from the council to go ahead, I would not know if the neighbours would eventually complain about the dogs, so I am not going to do any major investments here until much later. If it all goes really well, then I might ask the landlord if I can make more changes.
The landlord is not a friend, but she has been pretty understanding so far. If I have to move, then I will have no choice but to start up somewhere (another reason I don't invest too much here). I do not want to worry about clients not following me. I am more worried about finding clients for now.

I am still on a P plate (came into driving very late), so no trailers for me! Besides, I don't like to drive. I chose from home because I want to hang out with my dogs! I like the idea of a small commercial location, of course, but the rent and utilities will kill me. I'd like it even better to own my own home then I can set up my shop any way I like it without worrying about the landlord...

Also, I am still working 3 days at the vet. Hopefully things at home pick up to the point where I don't have to work at the vet anymore, but that would probably be a couple of years down the road.

pazu

Location : NSW
Posts : 7

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Post by snaggywoo Sun Oct 21, 2012 12:31 pm

Wow that is an even bigger budget than I was finding Chris!

Back to helping out pazu......

When I was doing all my soundproofing research I learned that most garages don't have any of the insulation materials that exist inside a normal house wall which is why you need to put this type of soundproofing material (soundproofing blankets, soundproofing foam slabs etc) on the walls then plaster over it so you are getting the same protection as the walls in your house (or better depending on what you want to spend). When a home is built this type of soundproofing insulation (even if it is just basic) is placed on the walls so when you enter a room and close the door you can hear the sound level drop.

If you are planning to do this in your dining room then you should find that the walls already have house grade insulation material in them (unless the house is really old) and your roof is insulated as well so the sound can't just escape upward. If you have alot of large glass windows or something this may be different but if it is mostly plaster walls then you should find you are ok. If you do have large glass windows just place some clear PVC over them and it reduces the sound. Clever trick!

If the doors are shut when you are operating a dryer then your neighbours should only hear what sounds like someone mowing the lawn next door at the most. Turn your TV up full ball, shut the door to your dining room and walk outside and you'll see what I mean. This was my test. My research estimates that a dog dryer and dogs barking is estimated at 85-100 decibels which is the equivalent of a lawn mower or shouting.

As far as sound goes the dryer is your main enemy. Not just the sound of the motor but the sound of the air rushing against the dog, or a table or your hand or pretty much anything in the path of the air. You get a very loud "whoosh" sound everytime the air contacts a surface. I was surprised that it is quite comparable to a dog barking and a dryer can be going for up to more than 30 minutes to dry a medium size dog to bone dry. I would not have expected this but it was from talking to people on the forum then seeing it for myself in a salon that I saw the issue.

As for driving... I'm just lucky that I love cars and driving. I sometimes do a road trip just to spend hours behind the wheel. It makes me relax and focus on nothing but driving. I just can't focus to meditate or anything like that.

And I'm short. I'm only 5 foot 2 so being in a little trailer is perfect for me. It's all about what is going to suit you. From what I've read we all groom dogs slightly differently as far as our work space is concerned.

And of course.... I admire anyone wanting to solve the problems and make it happen. I've been doing that myself lately. I still have doubters around me at the moment that are telling me .... "you won't make any money grooming dogs...that's stupid. Get a real job". But I'm only getting into it part time and we'll see where it goes. I hope I can say "ha ha" to all the nay-sayers in my life in the future.

So I know this can be a nerve racking time when you have to do your research then believe in yourself when you are sure you're on the right track. And ask people on this forum... there are heaps more experienced people than me. In fact its nice to chat to another beginner Smile

A big confidence booster for me is working in "Cessnock"s salon. Everytime I go there the place is pumping like there's no tomorrow and Cessnock is far from the size of a capital city. So I keep telling myself that if you do it right you will make money and get to do something you love and that passion will show through.
snaggywoo
snaggywoo

Location : Newcastle, NSW
Posts : 248

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Post by Chase Sun Oct 21, 2012 6:52 pm

Pazu

I started at home without a hydrobath and I found it easier to bath in the laundry sink then the bath. I added a flexible extended hose to the tap and was still able to bath a really fat cocker spaniel in there.

I would also be careful if you are renting and using the bathtub because the dogs nails can scratch the enamel on the bath and you don’t want to be replacing the bath when you move, so if you do use it make sure you put large slip mats down
Chase
Chase

Location : Victoria, Australia
Posts : 598

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Post by pazu Mon Oct 22, 2012 7:07 pm

Snaggywoo: Thanks for the clear PVC over the window idea! I'm going to do it...

Chase: I already have a slip mat on my bath tub for my own dogs Very Happy
Yes, laundry sink probably better for the back...

pazu

Location : NSW
Posts : 7

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Post by jonna Fri Nov 02, 2012 11:28 pm

I did as Case. You really don't want to bathe in a regular bath tub. Your back is your biggest physical asset. You ruin that and you are finished. I still use a laundry tub. It is fine for smaller fluffies.
jonna
jonna

Location : Pennsylvania, USA
Posts : 1638

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