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Lauren Romari Diary of a dog groomer, Brisbane (2026)

Learning life lessons & growing as my salon grew. It was always kismet.

24/02/2026

How many times a day does your salon phone ring with:

“Is Bella ready yet?”

Be honest.

5 times?
10?
More?

Each call pulls a groomer away from the table.
Breaks focus.
Adds pressure.
Slows the groom down.
And costs the business money.

What if clients didn’t need to call?

What if they could see live grooming progress…
Bathing.
Drying.
Clipping.
Finishing.

Like tracking a pizza.

No more interruptions.
No more wasted time.
No more frustrated groomers.

Would this change your salon?

I’m building something for groomers.
And I want to know — is this a real issue in your business?

Comment honestly 👇

05/01/2026

Chapter 15 – Boundaries, Burnout & Putting the Leash Back On 🐕‍🦺

(Yes, I skipped a chapter.
No, it wasn’t an accident.
Yes… legal things 😅
It’ll come in time.)

Let’s talk boundaries ✋

Coming into 2026, I’ve noticed something about myself — I feel kind of… numb.
Not sad. Not angry. Just unfazed.

After years in dog grooming, nothing really shocks me anymore. The drama, the complaints, the same stories on repeat. I’ve seen it all before.

Somewhere along the way, I put my walls up 🧱
My boundaries are tighter now — in life, with staff, and especially with clients. I don’t carry the emotion like I used to. And I’m not sure if that’s good or bad… but I do know I’m done letting salon drama come home with me.

No more lying awake thinking about one-star reviews ⭐️
No more letting clients make my team feel small over Fluffy’s grooming schedule 🐶

I’m taking control back.

I used to panic every time we raised prices 😰
Even $1 would make my stomach drop.

Customers would lose it — and I’d carry that guilt for weeks.

Now I know better.

Giving notice and raising prices enough to survive is not greedy.
It’s survival.

Small businesses have been smashed post-COVID. Wages, super, supplies, electricity… everything has gone up 📈
But when we’re at the shops and the bill is higher than expected, we don’t throw a tantrum. We sigh, tap the card, and move on.

So why is dog grooming treated differently?

It’s a luxury service for a loved pet 💕
Just like builders, plumbers and mechanics — prices vary, quality varies, and you get what you pay for. You can always find cheaper… but not better.

So I stopped absorbing it.

From now on, when the world changes, we change with it.
Wages rise → prices rise.
Costs rise → prices rise.

Good clients stay. They value quality.
Others don’t — and that’s okay.

📅 We’re raising prices 10% in July, with plenty of notice so everyone can plan. Fair and transparent.

Next boundary: work-life balance ⚖️

The days of five-day weeks, pumping through endless dogs, paying bare minimum and calling it “normal” are over.

I don’t want to work five days.
Turns out — most of my staff don’t either.

Big lesson? Talk to your staff 🗣️
Check in. Listen. Ask questions.

You’ll hear great ideas… and some hard truths.

I’ve also learned to stop carrying other people’s choices. If someone wants to earn a certain amount, they need to be willing to do the work. And honestly… many aren’t.

Lots of people love the idea of nice things 🛍️
Not everyone loves the effort behind them.

I’m learning (slowly 😅) to let people choose what works for their life — without carrying the shortfall myself.

Still practising that one.

In 2025, I made a call to run the salon four days a week — Tuesday to Friday 📆

Why? Because someone always called in sick… and I was always the one filling the gap.

Saturdays?
Hated them. Staff hated them. Customers hated surcharges.

So I culled Saturdays ✂️

Were people upset? Yep.
Did we lose some clients? Yep.
Did some come back later? Also yep 😉

Now we open Tuesday–Friday, 7:30am–5pm.

Full-time hours were offered. Out of 10 staff, only two wanted them. Others needed school drop-offs — and honestly, I wish I’d had that flexibility back when I was juggling kids and sweat-shop salons.

Now we book per groomer, based on their hours.
Different schedules. Some trial and error.
And I never book myself full — I’m the emergency backup.

Lunch breaks… remember those? 🥪

This one needed retraining — me included.

Morning drop-offs are 7:30–9:30am. Dogs stay 3–4 hours. When morning dogs are done — it’s lunch time 🍽️
Afternoon drop-offs run 11:30am–1:30pm, and I man the desk.

Lunches are staggered. Everyone gets breathing room.

In December we were doing up to 52 dogs a day 🐕🐕🐕
That’ll drop after school holidays — and thank god for that.

Time off is non-negotiable 🌴

At the start of each year, I ask staff what time they want off — early, with notice. So bookings can close, numbers can reduce, and we can plan.

Most staff are casual (except a few legends who’ve been with me for over five years ❤️). Casual rates are higher — so if I save for time off, so can they.

Christmas closure alone takes three months of saving just to cover bills and permanent staff. Winter quiet periods? We close early and breathe.

Client boundaries have been the biggest shift 🚨

• Price the dog what it’s worth ✅
• Log complaints & cancellations 📝
• Patterns show up fast

Serial complainers always reveal themselves — the ones who say ears are too short and too long in the same breath. I now read their history back and ask if they’d like to try another groomer.

We shouldn’t feel anxious when certain clients walk in.
We shouldn’t pass dogs around out of fear.
G’s
I’ve fired clients over dental issues so bad we couldn’t breathe 😷
Photos taken. Owners shown. Groom refused until treatment.

Why should we suffer?

✨
A WORD OF ADVICE - when you have a complaint or bad review.. wait 24 hours to respond to be able to think clearly & use ChatGPT to articulate the perfect response ~ PrOFeSsIoNaLly (insert sarcastic voice)

Cancellations under 24 hours notice? Stick to the policy ❌

Same-day cancellations or no-shows are charged 100%. Yes, it’s awkward. Yes, sometimes you let them go. There’s the exceptions of course of real emergencies or if the dog passes away.

My favourite line:
“Totally understand your dog was at the emergency vet. The cancellation fee still applies — but once you send the vet receipt (proof), you’ve prepaid your next groom 🥂”

Funny how many dogs suddenly recover after that…

I guess what I’m saying is this:

Go into this year fresh 🌱
Put yourself first.
Decide your priorities.

It’s a hard world out there — and I no longer carry the weight of the small things.

There will never be a time when life has no problems.
That’s just reality.

The difference now is how I handle them.
With boundaries.
With clarity.
With calm.

And that’s what’s changing everything. 💛

23/12/2025

I honestly can’t make this s**t up.
The 23rd of December — our last day in the salon for 2025. 🎄
50 dogs booked.
All hands on deck.
What could possibly go wrong? 😅

I woke up cranky. Didn’t go for my walk. Back sore. Little sleep because my anxiety loves to throw a party the night before the start of a big week. I knew it was going to be a massive day… and I wasn’t exactly starting on my best foot.

On the way to work, I picked up three dogs from our senior regulars who can no longer drive. Honestly, I love this part of my day. It grounds me. 🐶❤️

We arrived at the salon and—boom—all systems go.
Everyone was working as a team around me and I felt my mood shift instantly. I knew everyone needed the best version of Lauren on deck today. Game face on. 😐➡️🙂

I greeted each customer as they arrived. Every single one wished us a Merry Christmas and handed over chocolates, gifts, and kind words. It felt bloody good to see our team appreciated. 🎁🍫

Things were running smoothly. I headed out the back to help the bathers blow-dry dogs.

Then 10am rolled around — our last interview of the year in the search for the perfect bather.
Still searching for that perfect personality to kick off 2026 the right way.

And then… she walked in.
Instantly, her vibe was amazing. She was my age. I could be myself straight away. She got it. Green lights everywhere. 🟢🟢🟢
As I walked her through the salon, she confidently spoke to each staff member… and one by one they gave me the nod 🙂‍↕️ — she’s the one.

We wrapped the interview quickly because a storm was rolling in.

10:25am.
The storm hit.

And when I say hit… I mean tidal wave energy 🌊

Kit looks up and says,
“Um Loz… is this normal?”

At first, yes — water sometimes runs down the outside of the stormwater drain. I’ve emailed body corporate about the roof for FOUR YEARS. They send someone. Quick patch. Never fully fixed.

But then… more water. And more water.
The entire roof started leaking around the edges of the bathing room.

Within minutes we were ankle-deep in water.

Full panic mode.
Dogs being moved.
Electrical equipment unplugged and lifted.
“What do I DO?!”
AAAHHHHHHH 😱

We popped open the stormwater drain in the bathing room — it was completely full.

I FaceTimed Nathan (thank god he answered).
“EMERGENCY. GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE. I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO.”

Then Megs runs in from the grooming room:
“Water is coming through the walls in daycare… and into grooming.”

We open the door — the air-con pipe is pouring water, overflowing from the sheer amount of rain.
Another problem.
Turn off everything.
Thank god nothing electrical was on the floor. ⚡🙏

All of this happened in under five minutes.

Everything I try to control.
Everything I try to run like clockwork.
And life throws this at me — on the very last day of the year.

That’s when it hit me:
You can’t predict when life will throw you a curveball.
You only get to choose how you move through it.

And this is where I realised — I wasn’t on my own.
My team had my back. 💪

Brooklyn was ordered to call all afternoon appointments and cancel. (Thank god everyone was understanding.)
We finished haircuts on the dogs already in our care — no baths.
Bathers were sent home early.

I was running around calling body corporate (closed until Jan 5 🙃), their emergency plumber (too big of a job), insurance (call SES), SES (sorry, not residential). Cool. Awesome. Love that for me.

And just as quickly as the storm arrived… it passed.

The water started to subside.
I was exhausted 😩 — but we were getting control back.

Nathan got up on the roof, patched it, and the stormwater drain finally started emptying.
We cleaned up.
The last few dogs were hand-washed in the third non-electrical bath and blow-dried out the front.

And honestly — here’s the wild part — if just ONE thing had been different, this would’ve been catastrophic:

• If I hadn’t done a major bathing room clean a month earlier — this would’ve been a nightmare
• If we hadn’t opened on Tuesday the 23rd — we would’ve walked in on January 6th to a disaster
• If we hadn’t taken Ally on when she closed her salon — we wouldn’t’ve had that third bath
• If we hadn’t done a massive clean on Friday the 19th — there would’ve been so much more damage

Everything lined up.
Every lesson. Every sign. Every “why did I even bother doing that?” moment.

When customers came back, we told them what had happened — and I still couldn’t believe it myself.

While chatting to a couple of clients about the chaos of 2025 — salon dramas, second salon drama, legal battles, and now a flood — one client quietly said:
“I understand… 2025 has been horrible. I’ve just been told I have three months left to live.” 😨
Stomach cancer. No warning.

Another regular client shared her husband was undergoing treatment for prostate cancer.

And in that moment… everything snapped into perspective.

I could have a thousand problems, but if I have my health — I can work through them.
When you’re sick… your health becomes your only problem.

And that is the biggest lesson 2025 slapped me with.

We can survive staff drama.
Salon stress.
Legal battles.
Floods.
Chaos.

But at the end of the day — your peace and your health are everything.

The rest?
It’s just the ride.

What feels world-ending in the moment usually isn’t.
And sometimes… the universe has to flood your salon to remind you what actually matters. 🌧️✨

What didn’t kill us in 2025?
It made us stronger.
Smarter.
And a hell of a lot more grateful.

Bring on 2026. 💥

21/12/2025

Chapter 13 – Chasing the Hit 💥🐕‍🦺

(aka: When Momentum Turns Into a Trap)

The definition of a dopamine hit addiction – a “dopamine hit addiction” describes the compulsive pursuit of pleasure from activities (drugs, gaming, social media, food, gambling) that trigger large dopamine releases, rewiring the brain’s reward system so users need more to feel good… eventually chasing the “hit” just to feel normal. It leads to dependency, cravings, and poor decisions — even when the consequences are obvious.

This 👆 is exactly what happened to me after my perfect 2024.

We were kicking goals 🙌
Health in perfect condition ✅
Salon running smoothly ✅
Just bought our own home ✅

So naturally… I thought, let’s keep this momentum going! 🚀
Because when you’re riding a high, logic quietly takes a back seat.

After a very convincing grooming seminar — and realising we were an exceptional team with an exceptional salon — I decided it was finally time to step away from main salon. I had left it in capable hands. I’d earned that space.

Then came the offer…
Taking over our biggest competitor’s salon.

A challenge? Yes.
Exciting? Absolutely.
Sensible? …we’ll circle back to that 😅

I spoke with my team and they backed me. “Do it,” they said. So I went down on a working day, just to see what it was like inside. I surprised the female owner and she greeted me with open arms. The salon looked busy — but I couldn’t see out the back.

We spoke quickly. She leaned in and whispered for me to come back later so her team wouldn’t know the plans ahead. I tried to discreetly count how many staff were there, glancing over her shoulder… while they did the exact same thing to me 👀😬

She asked that I return after hours.
So Nathan and I went back that Friday afternoon.

And… the salon was NOT what I imagined.

From the outside, this place looked classy. Polished. Premium.
But behind the pretty reception was a cramped space — a few grooming tables, two baths, and a giant wall of black marine ply cages covering the windows, making the whole place feel dark and boxed in.

There were two entrances — the pretty front one, and a back door with no signage… which meant customers (and the sun ☀️) blasted straight into the tiny workspace.

But…
It had potential.
(Those are dangerous words.)

The owner explained she’d moved over an hour away and was commuting daily. Her dream was to start a training school elsewhere — which meant this salon had to go. She assured me it was self-running and just needed a manager.

Perfect 👌
I could float between the two salons. Easy.

Then she casually dropped, “You’ll need to talk to my husband about the business side.”

Oh no.
I forgot that her husband was the walking red flag 🚩 from 2020.
Remember him?
The one I almost sold three salons to via vendor finance?

But hey… five years is a long time. People change… right? 🤔
(Insert clown music 🤡)

I called him on Monday.

“Being November,” I said, “I thought a full takeover would be after Christmas?”

His response:
“Um… no. Handover is tomorrow. Tuesday. Walk-in, walk-out.”

Excuse me??
What? How?

🚨 THIS was where I should’ve taken control.
🚨 THIS was where boundaries should’ve been set.

But instead, I told myself it was like buying a house — good opportunities don’t wait. You take the green light and go.

$35k for everything.
Equipment.
Client database.
Marketing material.
Six groomers willing to stay on.
A profit & loss spreadsheet showing strong returns.

What a bargain! 😍

Never mind that I had just bought a house. I’d borrowed a little extra for moving costs, so the deal was: $10k upfront, then $5k a month until paid off.

I told my main salon team I wouldn’t be returning this week… or going forward.
Right before Christmas.
The busiest time of the year 😳🫠🫣

Even though I could hear the anxiety in their voices, they stepped up and grabbed the reins so I could step away. I’ll forever be grateful for that.

Then came November 26th.

I woke up excited and nervous — like the first day of school 📚
I went for an early 7km walk to start the day positively, then met Mr Vendor Finance at 7:30am.

Tall. Bald. Arrogant. Imperious.
A man who expects to get his way.

Knowing he was a walking red flag, I came prepared. I’d spoken to my lawyer and accountant the night before. They’d drawn up proper contracts — clear terms, inclusions, payment structure, client data, phone number, marketing. The works.

I handed them over confidently.

He scoffed.
“Oh honey… you haven’t bought many businesses, have you?”

He made me feel like a child trying to sit at the adults’ table. He slid my lawyers’ documents aside and handed me another contract.

“Darling… this one’s much simpler. You don’t need all that. Sign this and I’ll take you upstairs to meet the landlords.”

🚩🚩🚩
Should’ve pulled the pin.
Didn’t. 😩

I signed the “simple” contract. Less than one A4 page. It covered marketing, phone number, client list, and payment terms.

Then the staff arrived.

Two groomers.
Two bathers.

Wait… wasn’t there six? 🤨
Another 🚩

My chest tightened. Panic rose.
He introduced me as the new owner.

Their faces 😳
They had no idea.
From Friday to now — complete shock.

I nearly ran out, convinced I was about to vomit 🤮
But I breathed. First impressions matter. I had to look confident.

The staff seemed lovely:
• Ash, a young groomer just back from maternity leave working 3 days 15hrs per week.
• Kit, enthusiastic autistic man, eager to take on anything but grooming not to a high standard. But a heart of gold!
• Two bathers — one late already (bad sign), the other a familiar personality type… a blend of Miss Sadness and Hard-Work Houdini 🫥

The owner’s daughter was meant to help with the transition. She arrived an hour later.

Mr Vendor Finance took me upstairs to meet the landlords about the lease. I held my own in a room full of men, explaining my experience and making sure there’d be no ridiculous make-good clause if I ever left.

These landlords? Amazing. Honestly, a dream.

So I transferred the $10k.

And just like that… Mr Vendor Finance started gathering his things.

“Um… what do I do now?” I asked.
“What are your prices? Your system? Where are today’s appointments? We’re mid-day using your EFTPOS… am I getting paid today?”

His reply:
“I’ll leave my daughter here. You’ll be fine.”

And out the door he went. 🚪💨

We finished the day.
I still didn’t have a key.

I assumed he’d just forgotten. The daughter locked up.

The next day, reality hit.

I had stepped straight into a war zone.

Karma.

Remember when I wanted to hide my ticking time bomb of thieving managers and stress back in 2019–2020 and sell it all to someone else instead of dealing with it?

Yeah…
Looks like I just became that someone else for Mr Vendor Finance.
🔥

Here’s the hard truth:
Momentum without boundaries is dangerous.
Confidence without verification is costly.
And chasing the next win can blind you to the warning signs waving right in front of your face.

But this chapter wasn’t a failure — it was a lesson.
A brutal one.
The kind that sharpens your instincts forever.

Because what came next wasn’t just “teething problems”…
It was chaos.
It was betrayal.
It was the chapter where the real cracks appeared.

Welcome to Chapter 14 — where the dopamine crash hits hard, and the drama officially explodes. 💣🐾

19/12/2025

Chapter 12 – The Sausage, the Steps & the Signs 🌭👟✨

I truly believe things happen for a reason. Always have.

In a very random side story, on Mother’s Day 2023 I was out at the markets with my family and picked up a German sausage. One bite. That’s all it took… and I choked.
What followed was honestly horrific — throwing up over 30 times and ending up in hospital to dislodge the chunk of sausage. But that awful experience led to something unexpected: the discovery that I had Crohn’s disease.

Strangely enough, it was a relief. I’d always wondered why I felt different to other people. I was constantly sick, feeling nauseous after I ate, my anxiety attacks were next level which I just put down to my nervous stomach and the yo-yo dieting was at an all-time high. Who would’ve thought that horrible German sausage would be my wake-up call to finally putting myself and my health first.

I also believe dates matter. Everyone talks about New Year’s resolutions being the big reset moment that moment life changes events happen — but for some reason, mine landed on the 26th of November 2023!

For months I’d talked about wanting to focus on my health and go for a walk in the morning before work. Months. Six of them, to be exact. I’d even tell my kids, “If you wake up and I’m not here, I’ve just gone for a walk.”
Spoiler alert: I was still there. Every time.
After reading a Mel Robbin’s 5 second rule - I put it into practice.

Then one morning like any others- 26th of November arrived, and I thought… JUST GET UP.

I walked 2km and went to the gym instead of driving. Such a small change, yet it sparked a massive shift in my mindset. A positive ✨new mindset awakening..I knew I had to keep it up.

As I mentioned in earlier chapters, I’d put on a lot of weight during the stress of managing staff and multiple salons & Covid . But after the choking-sausage incident, it was time to focus on me.

Every morning, I got up and walked. During those walks, I’d mentally tick off my to-do list, hold imaginary work meetings in my head, and problem-solve before the day even began, it was like a counselling session with myself. By the time I got home, I was focused, calm, and ready to walk into the salon with a positive mindset.

And the salon felt it too. My energy shifted. My outlook on life shifted. I started manifesting and dreaming again about the future. The weight dropped off quickly, and I felt — and looked — amazing, positive things started happening in all aspects of my life✨

Now, walking isn’t grooming-related… but it became a massive mood regulator for me. On the days I didn’t walk or do something productive before work, my mood was noticeably different — and that energy flowed straight into the salon,making the day feel more hectic and unorganised.

Then came 2024. I turned 40 — and this was my year.

We planned my first overseas trip to Bali for my birthday, and for the first time in over 20 years, I felt free. The salon was taken care of in the hands of Megan, Charlie & Zakaria holding the fort while I was not contactable- I wasn’t checking cameras. I wasn’t stressing about staff calling in sick. I was far enough away that it genuinely wasn’t my problem — and that freedom was priceless 🌴

For years, Nathan and I had talked about moving to the Sunshine Coast to get this feeling we experienced in Bali. The more positive way of running away from my responsibilities instead of dealing with them on an everyday basis like in 2020 when I attempted to ditch all salons & sell.
I’ve always loved the coast — the grass always looks greener, right? We were putting plans in place that within 12months we would move to the coast…But Nathan was still working FIFO which we financially still need him to do to make our plans work, and I felt like I’d be giving up my work, my salon, my friends, and my family living close by and possibly end up feeling lonely.

Then, on a walk in October 2024, while strolling along the waterfront — my daily trek now a solid 7km before 7am — it hit me.

Everything I needed was right here.

But our living situation still wasn’t right. We’d been living in a dual-living house with my parents renting downstairs — for 10 years. That alone was one of the reasons Nathan started FIFO work. Major change was overdue.

And life has a funny way of making you uncomfortable when it’s time to level up.

So with one phone call to the magical Miz — my finance broker — we asked the question:
Is it possible to keep the dual-living house, rent it to my parents so they have security in this brutal rental market… and still buy our own home?

Once again, she ran the numbers.
YES. It was possible.

And just as quickly, I found the perfect home — the one that ticked every single box. Nathan hadn’t even seen it in person yet. From going on my walk, to having the idea, to asking the question, to finding the house, to getting approval… it all happened within a month 😳✨

Things couldn’t have been more perfect.
My own home.
My own business in its own commercial property.
And now, the dual-living house as an investment.
The door’s opened naturally!

I’d finally made it.

Then… once again… while on my morning walk… I received a text from a fellow groomer in the area at 6am:

“Hey Loz! Have you heard the news? Your biggest competitor is closing down!!!! She’s giving away the salon… you should look into it!”

Well. That didn’t just open a door — it kicked off a whole new chapter.

I’d walked past that competitor’s salon almost every day and always felt like it was calling out to me. Kismet, maybe? But I’d just bought a house. The salon was finally balanced. I could step back.

Then came a very convincing grooming mentor seminar… the fire in my belly was reignited 🔥
And before I knew it, we took the plunge and contacted the owners — who were ready to bail on their 10-year business.

And that… leads me to my biggest challenge yet.
Just like 26th November 2023 and my life changing walks started… came 26th November 2024…. We walked into taking over another salon again ! 😳🫠🫣
One that’s still unfolding as I write this.

✨

Sometimes the biggest shifts don’t start with grand plans — they start with a walk, a hard lesson, or even a choking sausage 🌭.
When you listen to the signs, take small brave steps, and trust your timing, life has a way of aligning faster than you ever imagined. Growth feels uncomfortable for a reason — it means you’re leveling up.

08/12/2025

Chapter 11 – Boss Face 😑 (But With a Soft Heart 💗)

“The biggest challenge in all businesses is staff.”
Every business owner says it because it’s TRUE.
People are wild creatures. Personalities, moods, ages, friendships… it’s like hosting a Never-Ending Reality TV Show, and somehow I’m the producer AND the one trying to hold the story together. 🎥🍿

I’ve worked with every type of human:

✨ The quiet achievers
🌪️ The emotional hurricanes
😂 The stand-up comedians
😒 The doom-and-gloom bringers

Each one has tested me, shaped me, and taught me what not to do next time.
Even when I thought maybe I failed them, I could have done things differently, I now know… I was just learning.

One minute we’re laughing together, planning Christmas parties 🎄 with jokes within chat groups…
Next minute I’m pulling out my Boss Face 😐 because the “ Policy & procedures don’t apply to certain staff cause we are friends ”. Pushing the boundaries & my buttons.

After surviving COVID and Miss Trunchbull (enough said 🙃)… I THOUGHT I could relax.
Smaller team. Nicer energy. Bye-bye $400/month HR company (they couldn’t even help when someone was stealing… ONE job, guys 😑).

I genuinely believed:
Contracts in place = smooth sailing.
Adorable of me.

Then entered… Miss Sadness 😒

She didn’t just hate mornings — she hated the concept of happiness.
Energy-drink and cigarette diet in hand walking past clients to avoid any conversation 🚬🥤
Only picked easy haircuts ( #7 blade gang ✂️) and still took forever to groom them.
Looked allergic to smiling

At first, we tried to help her — good vibes, pep talks… nothing.
Eventually she took it out on the dogs.
And thanks to my PTSD-installed cameras 📹
I saw the truth. She hated her job.

Performance chats, monitoring, Boss Face activated…
She quit faster than a kid bolting out on the last day of school.
Honestly — 💐 thank you for showing yourself the door.

Replacement Roulette 🎯 (a learning chapter within the chapter 😅)

With Miss Sadness gone (exit stage left 🚪✨), we now needed a new groomer.
Two options emerged:

🅰️ Zakaria — my stepdaughter
• 5 years bathing
• Artistic as hell 🎨✂️
• Actually cares
• Understands the business (and me 😌)

🅱️ Miss Hard Work Houdini — very bubbly, very keen
• Not much experience
• Lovely personality
• Super eager to take on the role
& almost had the potential to go far but wouldn’t finish a job completely from prepping dogs properly to following the cleaning checklist.

Now, because I was still in my “be fair to everyone” era (bless her soul), I gave Miss Hard work Houdini a part-time groomer pathway which I was hesitant about from the beginning so she had a chance to grow into the role — while Zakaria continued to prove herself naturally.

And honestly?
Zakaria thrived. ⭐
Clients adored her, dogs adored her, staff adored her… she just got it.

Miss Hard Work Houdini … well… she took a different approach.

She started avoiding bathing to a high standard — the very skill she needed most — because grooming chats were more fun out the front. 💬😅
Then she began doing things we had never taught:

⚠️ #30 blade poodle feet…on a cocker spaniel???
⚠️ … Shaving every dog’s chin on a #10?
(My eyeballs left my body that day 😵)

Mistakes happened → vet bills with cut dogs 💸
Her speed? Somewhere between slow and reverse.
Tasks like the cleaning the hydrobath & hanging out washing somehow became a full hour-long mission.
And yes… the cameras confirmed it:
Sims-character-on-0.5x-speed-level tasks 🎮🐌

So — Boss Face returned. 😑
Because I could see she could do better, she just wouldn’t.

But her permanent-part-time contract (thanks to that $400/month HR company 🙄) made things… complicated.
So we did a formal performance meeting. She arrived with Dad as a support person — and he came in like we were in a courtroom drama: calling our contracts are incorrect and need to be amended as it was written and signed 3 days minimum. So I rewrote her updated contracts.

We set clearer expectations → minimum 18 hours. Start & finish times clearly written.
New contract ready to sign… which she never did. She wasn’t happy with working just the minimum hours.
But she improved for like… three weeks.

Then came the Overtime Confrontation™ 😬
She told me:

“Any hours I worked over my minimum hours should be paid overtime…
from 1.5 YEARS ago…
based on the part time contracts.

My brain left the chat 🧠💨
I phoned my accountant HR said:
“Yeah no. It’s time to let her go, she’s not performing as a groomer yet being paid higher then a bather, she’s now wanting to argue contracts she’s worked happily along with for almost 2 years, her level is NOT progressing”.

So I did.. handed her the dismissal letter and with leave & notice paid out… She knew it was coming — half her personal belongings were already in the car. Fast exit again 🚗💨

Then… ding d**g
Fair Work complaint lodged. 📄😳
She accused us of owing $9,000 in backpay overtime from the contract & unfair dismissal. Saying it was because she asked about her contract.. disregarding the long line of issues we had before that.

My trauma gained new trauma.
Lawyers. Stress. Money. Repeat.

THANKFULLY — the small business employment rules saved the day. She signed the first contract, she worked happily along with it for about 2 years, we followed the rules and did the workplace performance meeting
Unfair dismissal in this case we followed the rules..
Fair Work dismissed it. 🙌
Case closed.
Sanity: semi-restored.

I really did like Miss Hard Work Houdini. When she was happy & listening to instructions, she was fun to work with & had huge potential when she saw things through..
Do I wish things worked out differently 💯 %. I only wish her the best for the future.

The Lesson

Do. Not. Make. People. Permanent.
until they have:

✔️ proven their ability
✔️ proven their attitude
✔️ proven they’re not a chaos tornado

Because once the word “permanent” hits their ears, some people switch to:

🛑 Grooming
🛑 Hustling
🛑 Caring
🟢 Professional Sloth Mode & sick days when ever they accrued enough!

Now?
Yep, the walls are up a little.
Boundaries? Thick.
Personalities? Cut paste copies
Red flags? I see them walk into the interview wearing neon jackets. 🚩😆

Call it trauma if you want — I call it survival in small business.

💪 Why I’m Like This (and proud of it)

I’m not heartless.
I’m not difficult.
I’m not a dragon lady boss (most days 🐉😅)

I’m someone who:

• Built something real from nothing
• Learnt staff management in the trenches
• Cares deeply about dogs and my business
• Gives chance after chance… until I can’t

Every messy moment made me stronger.
Every “boss face” moment sharpened my instincts.

I lead with my heart — but I also protect what I’ve built.

Because at the end of the day…

🐾 This salon is my dream
🔥 This business is my grit
👑 And I’m the one making sure it thrives

And if that means the walls are higher?
Well… they were earned.
Brick by brick. 🧱✨

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Brisbane, QLD

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