Happy Friday Daily Groomers!

I gotta say… no one does workshops like we do!

If you tuned into our latest workshop with our friend Joe Zuccarello—Beyond Haircuts: The Bath-First Strategy to Grow Your Grooming Business in 2025—you would agree.

If you missed it last Thursday? No sweat. Let me give you the run down!

Joe walked us through the most overlooked (and underpriced) service in nearly every grooming business: the full-service bath.

But it’s not just about bubbles and blow dryers—Joe broke down how the bath is your secret weapon for increasing revenue, reducing burnout, and building a future-proof grooming team.

🛁 Turn on the warm water, reach for that shampoo and get ready to rethink the bath.

Quick Recap: Baths Aren’t Just Support—They’re Strategy

Joe kicked things off by challenging a myth most of us have believed at some point:

Wrong. Joe showed us that full-service baths (done by trained Groom Techs) can actually be more profitable and scalable than haircut appointments. Why? Because bath dogs are faster, easier to train for, and cost less in labor—without sacrificing revenue.

💬 Quote That Hit Home

All it takes is a simple mindset shift: stop calling them “bathers.” Call them Groom Techs. Train them well. Give them ownership. And legitimize the position into a career with upward growth!

Joe’s 5 Grooming Myths—Busted

Myth #1: Bathers just support the groomers.

→ Nope. Groom Techs are revenue drivers when you invest in their skills and title.

Myth #2: I need more groomers to grow my business.

→ You need more trained Groom Techs so your groomers can focus on cuts.

Myth #3: Bath dogs don’t need to come in regularly.

→ They do—if you give pet parents a reason. Think shed control, hygiene plans, and regular maintenance.

Myth #4: Baths should be cheap because they’re easy.

→ Not when they’re driving 2x profit. Price your value, not your labor.

Myth #5: Baths are less important than haircuts.

→ They’re your easiest, fastest path to new revenue and long-term retention.

Groom Techs = Your Secret to Scaling

Joe’s been in the pet care game for 40+ years. At one point, he managed a team of 60 groomers doing 100,000+ appointments a year—and 90% were trained in-house.

Here’s what he recommends:

• Legitimize the bather role by changing the title and giving it real training

• Train for efficiency, not just artistry—Groom Techs should do start-to-finish bath dogs, including feet trims, sanitary cuts, and shed control

• Use baths to unlock new clients when your haircut calendar is booked out

• Measure wages-to-revenue: Groom Techs cost half as much to employ and often generate equal or higher revenue than haircut grooms

✋Your Workshop Toolkit: Watch, Learn, and Build Smarter

🎥 The Workshop Recording

The full unedited workshop on YouTube for you to watch and reference over and over! 👉 Workshop Recording

📝 The PowerPoint Slides

For those of you that are visual learners, here are the supporting slides our guest Joe from Paragon used to go deep unlocking the power of the bath. 👉 Workshop Presentation Slides

🤖 Teddy – Your AI Grooming Receptionist

Our team at The Daily Groomer introduced the world’s first AI grooming receptionist and smart voicemail. If you get an overwhelming number of calls, we’d love to chat and get your feedback. 👉 Book time with me here

BONUS 📊 The “Grooming Production Tracker”

As a bonus, Joe put together an easy calculator to track your grooming production! 👉 Grooming Production Tracker

Your Next Move

✅ Audit your current service mix—Are you overbooking groomers for bath dogs?

✅ Train your bathers like future groomers—They are your farm team.

✅ Raise your bath prices—If you’re offering more than just soap and water, price it like it.

✅ Free up haircut slots—Stop turning away new clients because your groomers are swamped doing baths.

Final Word: The Bath is Bigger Than You Think

Joe’s message was simple: if you want to build a business that grows without grinding your team down, stop underestimating the bath. Structure your services. Train intentionally. Charge what you're worth. And grow from the bottom up—literally.

For the love of grooming,

Alex

P.S. Don’t just skim—go check out everything in the Workshop Toolkit. We put serious time into creating these resources, and they’re all yours for free.

That’s all folks! Keep calm and groom on 🐶🤘