Today we’d like to introduce you to Suzy Korn-Keefe.
Hi Suzy, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Back in 2005 I was working as a registered vet tech down in Rancho Santa Fe, California… I came across an ad on Craigslist for a little pink grooming van for sale…. that sparked a little idea…. that could be a business for me! So I took the plunge, went to the California school of dog grooming while working as a vet tech and waitress for a little sushi restaurant on the 101 at nights. As soon as I graduated, I bought my first van: that business took off in north county sd, and that business grew. My husband quit the corporate world and helped us grow. Fast forward, we had 5 vans, 3 little kids and a hobby farm, living the life and working hard. 2019 and we were living a fast paced life, running the business and raising kids when we realized we wanted a slower paced life. July of 2019, we discovered a little western town called Sisters. We had never been to Oregon. My husband and I took a 3 day trip to bend and sisters and fell in love. Went back to San Diego, put our house on the market, it sold within a month. We bought a house sight unseen in Sisters and in November we had packed up our 3 kids, 3 dogs, 2 cats and bearded dragon and all we could fit in our car. We headed north to our new home. We planned on running one of our vans in SD and I planned on traveling back once a month to groom. And then Covid hit! Here we were in this tiny western town, our kids were pretty much raised on the beaches and here we were in central oregon. It was quite the adjustment. I couldn’t do mobile here… the driving in the snow and ice terrified me. Amidst Covid, homeschooling and lots of time to think… my husband was missing his San Diego Mexican food so he went off and bought a little food truck. I thought he was crazy.. he opened coco loco taco bar here and started his adventure bringing fish tacos and Baja style Mexican food to this little town. Meanwhile, I was ready to get back into Grooming. I found a little 700 square foot building for rent and went at it. I opened Sisters Groomery about a year after we moved here. And it took off. I had no idea there was such a need here. I was booked and overwhelmed with pups… it was amazing. We immersed ourselves in this little town and had such a warm welcome. My kids were thriving in a small town… my family thought we were crazy, moving from coastal San Diego. I knew we needed to grow. I found a commercial space in town, spent our savings and took the plunge. We built out the building into a kennel free Groomery, was able to hire a few experienced groomers and we’ve been booked ever since. We now have a beautiful grooming salon, amazing groomers, happy clients. Our salon is filled daily with pups running around like a day care while my husband is still slinging tacos in what turned out to be one of the most popular taco trucks in central Oregon. My kids help in both businesses…. so much for slowing down! But here we are, embracing our new life here in Sisters
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?
It hasn’t been an easy road! I took risks… from starting our first grooming van with no business experience and no mentors… in 2007 there were almost no mobile groomers in San Diego so I had to wing it. Take risks without knowing how it would turn out. I did not have a lot of money at all so everything was very scary,I had to believe in myself and that I could make it happen. Hiring employees was hard, it was hard to let go of control and find people you could trust with the dogs I had put so much love and care into. A few years into my business I got married and had three kids along the way. Running a business while being a mom with littles was a challenge. Balancing life and work and trying to figure out how not to put the business above the kids. That was hard, I am still learning how to say no and to realize when I need to put myself or my family first. I think thats the most important lesson I’ve learned and still struggle with to this day.
It was hard to let go of all we built in San Diego and move to a new town so far away. We had no idea what the move would bring. We trusted our guts and had to believe that with passion and a vision we could make it work, even with all the experience I had, it was like starting over. Every day brings a new challenge and learning how to not take every little thing personally is something I am still working to overcome.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’ve always had a career in the animal field, a lifelong passion and that’s all I knew I wanted… to work with animals. My first job at 16 was at an animal hospital. I attended St Lawrence university in canton ny and majored in biology. Upon graduation, I drove across country and landed in Leucadia, California. I got a job at the Helen Woodward animal center in Rancho Santa Fe. Soon after, I started as an apprentice dog trainer for canine companions independence where I had to move to Santa Rosa, ca for a year. After that apprenticeship, I moved back to Del Mar, ca. I was still looking to grow in my animal career so started attending Mesa College and got an animal science degree while attending vet tech school and waitressing at nights. I passed my state boards as a registered veterinary technician. I found myself back at the Helen Woodward animal center as an equine tech apprentice and then moved on to work as a small animal tech at Rancho Santa Fe vet hospital. The vets and owners were such an incredible and supportive inspiration to me there. But I wanted a family, I wanted to be able to afford a life in San Diego. That’s when one day, when I saw that pink grooming van on Craigslist, my hidden entrepreneurial light switched on. I knew that was something i could do… I had all this experience behind me but I wanted a taste of what it would be like to be on my own and build something of my own. But a groomer? After all that education? I happened to live 30 min away from the California school of dog grooming. I scraped together 7000 dollars and applied for the school. I spent 9 hours a day at the school and all my nights waitressing at the little sushi restaurant on the 101. 9 months later, I scratched up enough money to buy my first van… I don’t know how I did it. I was single, 26 years old, no bank would give me a loan, I remember crying on the phone with banks… how was I able to start a business with no credit, no history, They all said they wanted to help small business startups but it wasn’t possible with no history. Somehow, I figured it out, got a van and dove in with all I had. I went to all the businesses handing out cards, went to the street faires handing out baggies with dog biscuits and my cards. The animal hospital where I had worked helped spread the word. Because of my vet tech and training background, people trusted me. I was booked solid within 3 months and I’ve been a groomer and business owner ever since. Overall, with all the obstacles and challenges, I was able to create a life, with the help of my husband, from this little grooming business. We were able to have three wonderful kids along the way and this business allowed us to be involved in their day to day lives and that is what I’m most proud of, while creating a career I’m passionate about.
How do you think about happiness?
I love what I do. I love what I’ve built, the passion and tears I put into it. Knowing that I was treating every dog and client as if they were my own. Grooming was so rewarding, I enjoy the artistic aspect of it. It was hard for sure, it’s not an easy career… all the dogs are not easy. The clients aren’t always easy. But I was passionate and determined and it rewarded me. I didn’t think about the money first, I thought about putting my heart and soul into it and growing organically. I had no desire to grow at first but it came naturally because I think that passion radiated out of me. That’s why this path has made me so happy, and still does so many years later. I am so happy that our kids have seen their parents work hard, they get to see the ins and outs of the struggles of running a business. They get a non sugar coated version of business ownership. They have gotten to see the reality of it all and I hope this sets them up for a future that they realize that they can create for themselves, that they can make their own path too. I started this business for myself but as it grew I became more determined to do it for my family and thats what makes me happy about the path that I’ve taken.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sistersgroomery.com
- Instagram: @sistersgroomery
- Facebook: @sistersgroomery
- Other: https://www.cocolocotacobar.com
