I had a habit of quitting. I quit university, gained a full-time job then quit that and had to return home. I got a part time job then quit that. I got a temporary job and was offered a permanent role so I quit that. I got a job in sales and quit that to do a short course in dog grooming at Derby College in 2009. I had very little experience with dogs and remember my tutor’s expression when I revealed how little I knew to begin with. I didn’t quit though, and at the end of the course, the tutor wrote me some lovely feedback (and confirmed how worried she had been when she learned I didn’t know much about dogs at the start of her course).

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Nevertheless, I succeeded in the course and immediately after I got a job at Pets at Home the Groom Room. After an intense 12 months as a trainee dog groomer (I was surprised I hadn’t quit), I was promoted to Salon Manager. A year later, I did quit. This time though, it was to launch my first business, Hardwick Hounds, grooming from a van we converted ourselves. I think my husband said something like “well if you quit this at least we can sell the van”.

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To his surprise, my client base grew quickly, and I remember the confidence I had for the first time in my life. I was still a young adult with no real plan, just going with the flow. One day, as I handed a client back to one of my regular customers, an elderly lady with a little terrier mix, I asked the typical question ‘was she happy with the groom’. Without looking, she replied “I never like the cut dear, but I like how kind you are to my dog. He’s happy to come to you so I will never use anyone else”. My brain couldn’t process fast enough for me to reply, so I just smiled in return. I thought about her a lot though, unpicking all the parts of what she had said. If I had to use a groomer, that would be what I wanted for my dogs too. I didn’t quit though; she hadn’t intended to offend me. I realised that I needed to go back and do more training. I was motivated to iron out any bad habits and further my skills so dogs could like me and have a nice hair cut!

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Hardwick Hounds continued to grow. I sold the van and moved into premises within a garden centre. I came to a point where my books were full, but I didn’t like turning anyone away when I could continue to grow my business. I was ready to employ someone until my husband decided he wanted to leave his job in sales and follow in my footsteps. He quit his job this time!

He was a pain in the back side to train and work with, I’ll tell you, so I solved that problem by having two children and going on maternity leave for about 3 years for a break. It technically wasn’t quitting! Obviously, parenting and working together was a walk in the park. A seamless journey full of joy and insta moments. I was so ready to return to work, full of energy and a new lease of life. 

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I think I managed about a week before I thought of a better way to avoid working with my spouse, and I started teaching in 2018 at North Lindsey College. I had so much to learn about the job but I loved every minute of my time there. I had bought my first poodle and she came to work with me every day, bouncing around the animal unit like a lamb and saying hello to all the residents. She had a best friend that was a rat and tried her best to befriend the ferrets. I found that I was actually really good at teaching dog grooming, despite being a sleep-deprived parent of a toddler and neurodivergent preschooler who was learning on the job doing a 90 minute commute in rush hour.

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 I then came across and advert from iPET Network looking to recruit satellite centres. I had found a way to avoid working directly with my husband but still being my own boss! Ergo, Hardwick Hounds became a satellite centre and I started delivering the OCN level 3 diploma. After the pandemic, the grooming school and salon grew rapidly and iPET Network became an awarding organisation, making Hardwick Hounds become an approved training provider. It was a huge leap, but I had the pleasure of teaching some amazing people from such different backgrounds, many of whom have incredible businesses today.

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In 2022, I was offered the opportunity to teach the level 2 dog grooming apprenticeship part time at Leeds City College. This led to me also becoming an Independent End Point Assessor with VetSkill, who’s amazing team then approached me to help write and develop their dog grooming qualifications. I was so excited to put my stamp on the industry I loved. I had taught all the industry qualifications available at that time, had experienced the common challenges as a dog groomer and the highs and lows of the learning experience. I was still running Hardwick Hounds grooming school and I wanted to help develop qualifications that truly set learners up for success because, in dog grooming, there are more opportunities to set up your own business than there are to gain employment, which leaves candidates having to take a huge leap from studying to running a business. I wanted a learning journey that set everyone up for success and provided all the fundamental knowledge and skills that enabled learners to make that leap from studying to entrepreneurship without feeling challenged. I had the opportunity to work alongside Pam Rowley, a renowned dog groomer and dog behaviourist, and the fantastic team at VetSkill turned our ideas and passion into a regulated qualification.

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When Hardwick Hounds moved to beautiful new premises in 2024, it presented the perfect time to start delivering the qualifications I poured my heart into. I have encompassed everything I have learned during my experience teaching to create the perfect dog grooming courses as a new business, Career Hounds. I continue to develop my teaching materials and CPD courses.

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I was never a quitter. I was just an undiagnosed neurodivergent who hadn’t found her calling.