Today we’d like to introduce you to Brian Lane.
Hi Brian, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Bingo Pet Salon was opened in October 2011 by a friend of mine. I was hired on to help with the marketing and promotions, as I have a degree in Sports Administration, with a concentration in community relations and marketing. I was actually interviewing for the Director of Community Relations position with the Detroit Pistons when the NBA Lockout happened, and the team postponed hiring. Since I was in between jobs, I was happy to help a friend who was opening a new business.
As is typical with any new business, growth was slow, and we were also in the middle of a slow season for grooming, since many people like to keep their pets longer during the colder months. After 6 months though, my friend wanted to shut the shop down, but having grown fond of the staff, and the clients we had, I offered to buy the business and take over operations myself.
The first thing I wanted to do was grow closer with the local community. We had recently started performing free grooms for the Royal Oak Animal Shelter, but I wanted to expand to offer services to all local rescues and shelters. I started to network with the local vets and doggie daycares as well to find new clients. We sponsored some local events, and even put on a dog fashion show to help grow our name and also help get local dogs adopted.
Over the years, we have expanded with the partnership of another groomer, to start a nonprofit organization called Bingo Cares (2014), open a grooming school, Bingo Institute of Grooming (2015), and expand into a new facility. We have grown from a staff of 3 to 14 employees. When we opened, we were grooming 10-15 dogs in a week and now groom on average 150 dogs in a week.
During this time, I have also kept active in the community, acting as a guide for blind runners, representing Royal Oak as a “Real Men Wear Pink” ambassador, as a member of the Oakland County 40 Under 40, and participating in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business program.
The pandemic brought new challenges, but also brought an opportunity for me to grow closer with my staff, clients, and other local business owners. While we couldn’t be open during the lockdown, I was communicating with staff regularly, talking to clients who called to check on our status, and offering support to friends and other business owners through social media and daily phone calls.
Owning a small business is difficult and my husband sometimes joking calls it a “trap,” but it is also rewarding and deeply fulfilling beyond belief.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Owning a business has had many obstacles and challenges. At first, it was financing. Because our industry isn’t as mainstream as others, we always had to do short term lending, which is expensive. Thankfully, after 8 years, we were able to secure an SBA loan which allowed us to renovate our new facility and give us the opportunity to be where we are today.
Some of the biggest challenges for me though were mental. The first time a read a bad review, I think I cried for a week. Owning a business is very personal, and while I have learned over the years, that it is impossible to make everyone happy, it is still hard to hear negative feedback. Like any business, we sometimes make mistakes, and sometimes there are miscommunications, but sometimes when you do what is best for an animal, it is just not going to always be what the client wants.
We’ve been impressed with Bingo Pet Salon, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Bingo Pet Salon is a professional dog grooming salon. We are located in Royal Oak and offer grooming services for all size and breed dogs. We do not specialize in any particular breed but do seem to groom doodle breeds more than any other breed of dog. I think what sets us apart most is that our staff work to develop a personal relationship with the clients and dogs. While we always strive to deliver what the client wants in a groom, our number one priority will always be the comfort and safety of the dogs in our care. As a brand what I am most proud of is that I will often see people outside of work and they will know us by name. I have been out and heard clients talking to friends or family with pride about where they take their dog. They speak highly of their groomer by name. When I was a kid, I remember just taking our dog to get a haircut every 4-6 months and it wasn’t really a big deal, and when I’m speaking with clients now, I hear how much they care about their dogs and how they enjoy their relationship with their groomer.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I think all small business owners are risk-takers. From taking over the salon when it was struggling to taking on short-term loans, there were many risks over the years I took. It really is a leap of faith sometimes that things will work out for the best. We often have to make difficult decisions that our staff, clients, friends, and even family won’t know about, but we do what needs to be done to get to where we want to be.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@bingopetsalon.com
- Website: www.bingopetsalon.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/bingopetsalon
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/bingopetsalon
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/bingopetsalon
- Other: www.bingogroomingschool.com
