Meet Lucas Kempen of Ruff Revolution Mobile Pet Grooming

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lucas Kempen. 

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I always loved animals. As a toddler, I would peek out the front window from time to time just to see if a dog was walking by. As soon as I saw them, I would run and grab the first parent I could find so we could go outside to ask the dog’s owner if it was ok to pet them. I spent my free time playing with the dog next door until our family got our first dog when I was in fourth grade. 

By the time I was a teenager, I had already started a handful of (very) small businesses. From selling or trading toys at recess to babysitting, to lawn mowing, I was always working on something. Working with animals was my dream job. I started college but wasn’t convinced that being a veterinarian was for me. I didn’t know that grooming was a profession until I applied for every open job at a local pet store. At the interview, I learned that pet grooming was a high-demand field that was underserved in our area. It combined hard work, knowledge of animal communication, attention to detail, and creativity. I was hooked! 

Within a few years, I moved into management and soon after became a groomer educator. I quickly learned that there was a lack of respect for grooming as a career from other employers in the pet industry. The results were limited career growth options in most organizations, long hours, quantity over quality, rapid groomer burnout, and a constant battle of staff turnover that plagues primarily the big-name stores. 

I sought to start a company that would provide groomers with the opportunity to continue growing in their career and honing their craft as specialists. Mobile grooming was the perfect place to start. In mobile grooming, each groomer needs to have a vast knowledge of pet safety, styles, techniques, as well as excellent customer service skills and be a bit of a detective to find the best way to meet the needs of each pet and their family. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Starting a mobile grooming business was not a smooth road. The higher costs of maintaining and repairing a mobile grooming setup, difficulty with securing funding, high startup costs, and rollercoaster gas prices are a few of the hurdles we’ve scaled as a team in the last two years. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Ruff Revolution Mobile Pet Grooming LLC?
We offer an all-inclusive mobile grooming service. Our groomers bring a fully-equipped salon directly to our customer’s home in the form of a trailer or high-roof van. Our vehicles are converted to have all the amenities that a traditional salon would have. 

We also have the opportunity to groom each pet one-on-one from start to finish. Unlike a shop, they never interact with any other pets, so they stay safe and focused for the duration of their groom. They aren’t crated and are monitored by their stylist for the full process. 

Our groomers enjoy all the compensation and benefits of the big box stores but have a better quality of life and are given the one-on-one time with their furry clients to be able to provide them with the highest quality of individualized care. We provide continued education for all our team members to promote life-long education and innovation. 

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
In the next 5-10 years, I would expect the pet grooming industry to continue its trend toward expanding in demand with an emphasis on quality of experience for everyone involved. 

Contact Info:

• Website: ruffrevolution.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruffrevmobile/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RuffRevolution

Image Credits
ek_realphotography
Lucas Kempen