Austin Hughes, the owner and operator of the Dapper Doodle, a pet grooming, daycare, boarding, and retail establishment, didn’t intend to quit his day job and become a self-employed pet services professional, but that’s exactly what happened when the side hustle he created with his wife kept growing and growing, and, well, growing!
In two years, what started out as a part-time, home-based business has turned into a thriving pet-care services company that’s expanded to two locations, four full-time employees, and nine part-time employees.
“My wife and I started Dapper Doodle out of our home in January 2020,” says Austin. “Since then, we’ve moved our home store three times due to running out of space! We opened our 2nd location in July 2021 and are about to move again—for more space!”
Because a business’s growth can be unpredictable, Austin wanted to choose a pet-care management software that could meet his business needs no matter which stage of growth the company was in. What he loves about Gingr’s cloud-based software—besides the ability to work anywhere—is that with Gingr, he doesn’t have to worry about upgrading his business’s software as the Dapper Doodle continues to scale. Because while Austin may not use each and every feature today, he knows they will be there to support him in the future.
“Gingr basically encompassed everything that we needed in one program. It also has features that we don’t need yet, but we’ll get there! It’s very easy to learn and training our staff on it is a breeze.” explains Austin. “Oftentimes when onboarding new employees, I’ll give them their login info for Gingr and since it's web-based, they are able to log in from home and practice getting familiar with it.”
The fact that Gingr is an all-in-one pet care management software that helps staff avoid problems before they even happen is invaluable to Austin. One way the team leverages Gingr’s features is by adding detailed notes and information to customer profiles, service appointments, and boarding stays.
“Since everything we need is included with the software, we’re able to get customers in and out easily," says Austin. "If there’s ever an issue with scheduling, an issue with a pet, or anything at all, we’re able to look up the appointment and see any notes that our groomers left.”
Austin credits Gingr with helping him run his business and keeping his customers happy. But, for those times when he needs just a little extra support, he knows he can reach out to Gingr’s responsive chat support team for help.
“We’ve had a problem with clients no-showing for appointments. We’ve always had this problem, but recently, it’s been more common. Today, I hopped on Gingr chat support and the person we spoke with was very quick to respond with possible solutions for us. We use chat support a couple of times per month, and it’s always helpful,” says Austin.
The Dapper Doodle is a small business success story, and for Austin, the most important part of that success is sharing it with his employees.
Says Austin, “My favorite part is being able to give our employees an awesome place to come in and work. I love every part of my job, but nothing can express the joy I feel when an employee comes to me and thanks me for believing in them, or giving them the tools they need to thrive and grow!”
