COVID

Whilst the world was in a crisis and the length of my maternity is the least of anyone's worries. Everyone was told to work from home, know one needed a dog walker and at one point we couldn't leave the house to walk there dogs if they wanted us to anyway. In the space of a few weeks the business had come to a complete halt. We had to let the girls go, no money was coming in and we had this new bundle of joy. Although I have always said that, I have no idea how I would of managed it being a new mum and trying to manage the dog walking side as my brain turned to complete mush... So maybe that was for the best! 

So the COVID days feel like a distant memory now and we were fortunate to be able to come out of it with some blessings and nice memories, We had 4 amazing weeks alone just the 3 of us and by this time Josh had retired from rugby and had an office job in the same telecoms company allowing him to work from home. This meant even after the 4 weeks Josh went to work in the spare bedroom whilst still being heavily involved in supporting with Lennox.

After around 8 weeks we both knew something needed to give, the government had announced groomers could open as it supported animal welfare, we had no money coming in from my side and were at risk of losing clients if we didn't reopen. So we decided the time was right, after a short maternity I went back to grooming evenings and weekends whilst Josh looked after Lennox. We carried on like this for around 11 months until we felt it was time for Lennox to go to nursery. At this point I was still fairly new to dog grooming and was not confident in the slightest my anxiety before a client come through the door was A LOT but because I had a few contacts through the dog walking, my clients trusted me enough to let me loose on them with the scissors, which I'm so grateful for because some were not good cuts at all but they stuck with me! 

At the beginning of COVID the plan was always to restart the dog walking side, as I had so many amazing clients who I still have relationships with today but at that point it seemed as though the world had moved on from dog walking and felt like there wasn't really a market for it anymore. Although I do think this has changed now as there are now loads of amazing dog walking businesses flourishing in the area. So we said goodbye to Buttons and Beaus pet care services. 

Fast forward to... Grooms by Amy. 

The business was Amy by name, and I was the face of the business, ensuring the fur babies of widnes were groomed well and as my confidence grew with my standards of work I have never looked back and can honestly say I have the best job ever. I get to see the cutest faces everyday as well as gaining some lovely relationships with you guys.

From day dot, Josh has always been so supportive of myself and the business and would push and guide me where possible as my personality is very all or nothing, impulsive. Josh is very level headed and book smart so we make a good team! he would work in the background doing all the books, ordering stock, supporting with marketing and doing the tax returns as well as helping me get the heavier dogs in the bath! The plan was always to one day have Josh go self employed, we just weren't sure what doing. Over the next 4/5 years the business went from strength to strength and Josh made a few questionable business ventures. Although it always came back to the same issue. He was trying to jump into something he knew nothing about with no passion for it. Needless to say thousands of pounds later and numerous training courses, Josh was still in the same company he'd now worked at for 9 years!

Whilst the world was in a crisis and the length of my maternity is the least of anyone's worries. Everyone was told to work from home, know one needed a dog walker and at one point we couldn't leave the house to walk there dogs if they wanted us to anyway.  In the space of a few weeks the business had come to a complete halt. We had to let the girls go, no money was coming in and we had this new bundle of joy. Although I have always said that, I have no idea how I would of managed it being a new mum and trying to manage the dog walking side as my brain turned to complete mush... So maybe that was for the best! 

So the COVID days feel like a distant memory now and we were fortunate to be able to come out of it with some blessings and nice memories, We had 4 amazing weeks alone just the 3 of us and by this time Josh had retired from rugby and had an office job in the same telecoms company allowing him to work from home. This meant even after the 4 weeks Josh went to work in the spare bedroom whislt still being heavily involved in supporting with Lennox and I. 

After around 8 weeks we both knew something needed to give, the government had announced groomers could open as it supported animal welfare, we had no money coming in from my side and we're at risk of losing clients if we didn't reopen. So we decided the time was right, after a short maternity I went back to grooming evenings and weekends whilst Josh looked after Lennox. We carried on like this for around 11 months until we felt it was time for Lennox to go to nursery. At this point I was still fairly new to dog grooming and was not confident in the slightest my anxiety before a client come through the gate was A LOT but because I had a few contacts through the dog walking, my clients trusted me enough to let me loose on them with the scissors, which I'm so grateful for because some were not good cuts at all but they stuck with me! 

At the beginning of COVID the plan was always to restart the dog walking side, as I had so many amazing clients who I still have relationships with today but at that point it seemed as though the world had moved on from dog walking and felt like there wasn't really a market for it anymore. Although I do think this has changed now as there are now loads of amazing dog walking businesses flourishing in the area. So we said goodbye to Buttons and Beaus pet care services. 

Fast forward to... Grooms by Amy. 

The business was Amy by name, and I was the face of the business, ensuring the fur babies of widnes were groomed well and as my confidence grew with my standards of work I have never looked back and can honestly say I have the best job ever. I get to see the cutest faces everyday as well as gaining some lovely relationships with you guys. From day dot, Josh has always been so supportive of myself and the business and would push and guide me where possible as my personality is very all or nothing, impulsive. Josh is very level headed and book smart so we make a good team! he would work in the background doing all the books, ordering stock, supporting with marketing and doing the tax returns as well as helping me get the heavier dogs in the bath! The plan was always to one day have Josh go self employed, whether this was with me or on his own. Over the next 4/5 years the business went from strength to strength and Josh made a few questionable business ventures. Although it always came back to the same issue. He was trying to jump into something he knew nothing about with no passion for it.

Needless to say thousands of pounds later and numerous training courses, Josh was still in the same company he'd now worked at for 9 years!

What happened next would change the direction of our business—and our lives—completely.