This is our first in a series of videos highlighting local entrepreneurs. First up is Tim Vogel of Scenthound Plus Grooming.
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Bio
In 2005 Tim Vogel, formerly of Flexcar in Washington DC, relocated to South Florida to turn his passion for dogs into a business.
Vogel founded Pet Groomerie as a mobile dog grooming business and then expanded with grooming salons. Over 11 years, Pet Groomerie has grown to be recognized as one of the foremost pet businesses in Palm Beach County. After several years caring for all sorts of dogs, he began to realize that 80% of dogs people own do not need haircuts. This is when Vogel had his ah-ha moment and realized that because 80% of dogs do not need regular haircuts they were most likely not getting the routine care they need in order to stay comfortable and healthy.
Vogel passionately believes every dog needs essential care like bathing, ear cleaning, nail trimming, and dental care, and too many dogs out there are not getting the care that they need because dog parents either don’t know they need it or don’t know an easy and affordable way to get it. Thus, Scenthound was born.
In 2013, Vogel founded Scenthound to offer an alternative to traditional grooming. The “SCENT” in the name “Scenthound” comes from the five main areas Scenthound focuses on for dogs: skin, coat, ears, nails and teeth. Scenthound does everything but haircuts, which means they can care for your pet while you wait and for a fraction of the cost. In 2015 the first Scenthound was opened in Boynton Beach and Vogel then converted existing Pet Groomerie locations to Scenthound Plus. Vogel is committed to bringing preventative maintenance to every dog.
Scenthound’s signature service, the “Essential Care Pack," includes a conditioning bath, ear cleaning, nail trimming, and teeth brushing as a while-you-wait service. This critical monthly maintenance is offered at three membership levels in Scenthound’s Monthly Care Club, plus discounts on additional services. With regular preventive care, every dog is more comfortable, healthier, and happier.
They can give dogs all the care they need in 15 minutes.
Vogel’s Scenthound is a new concept in regular dog care and maintenance that is revolutionizing the dog care industry and is poised to be the wave of the future in this billion dollar space.
Interview
1. Explain your business/product/service.
We are a monthly dog care club that offers routine care and maintenance…things like bathing, ear cleaning, nail trimming, and teeth brushing. Our mission at Scenthound is to help all dogs get the essential care they need to stay clean and healthy. Our vision is to change how dog parents care for their dogs by making monthly maintenance the norm. We opened our business doors in 2005 in Jupiter with a mobile grooming van. We now have four mobile units in addition to retail locations in Jupiter, WPB, Boynton Beach and soon-to-be Wellington.
2. What ignited the spark in you to start a new business venture? How did the idea for your business come about?
Initially the decision was about freedom and quality of life. I wanted the ability to blaze my own path instead walking one that someone else created. The idea for the business came from researching business that combined my experience and my passions. We were new dog parents when I started the mobile grooming business and my love for our dog, Aggie, inspired me.
3. How do you find people to bring into your organization that truly care about the organization the way you do?
It starts with our value system. At Scenthound, we have been very deliberate about crafting a set of core values that inform our decision making and guide our culture. We hire based on how well candidates align with those values.
4. How do you go about marketing your business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?
Our most successful marketing is our involvement in the community. One example is a program we created for Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League. It’s called “A Clean Start,” and we provide every dog adopted from the League with information on routine care for their new dog as well as free services to start them off on the right track.
5. Why will people buy your product/service (and not something else)?
Trust is a significant part of a dog parent’s decision making, and we work very hard to be worthy of that trust. At Scenthound, we are all animal advocates and dog lovers and we put an emphasis on continuous learning so that we stay at the top of our game.
6. What were/are some of the main challenges you faced at the beginning of your venture?
There are always challenges when starting a new business. A big one for us was being able to attract the right employees when our business was young. Cashflow was also a challenge — having enough time and money to get the business off the ground was difficult in the early stages. Staying open and being adaptable are critical with a new business — no matter how smart you think you are, you must stay open to new ideas and to the possibility of changing course.
7. What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
a. Optimism
b. A Growth Mindset
c. Perseverance
8. What are your goals?
To continue to grow our business and ultimately make monthly maintenance the new norm for dog parents everywhere.
9. Does your company help the community?
Yes! Our community involvement is a very important part of our business. Educating dog parents about the importance of routine care and maintenance is one of our key initiatives and we partner with many organizations that share our goals and values.
10. If you had one piece of advice for someone just starting out, what would it be?
We are a monthly dog care club that offers routine care and maintenance…things like bathing, ear cleaning, nail trimming, and teeth brushing. Our mission at Scenthound is to help all dogs get the essential care they need to stay clean and healthy. Our vision is to change how dog parents care for their dogs by making monthly maintenance the norm. We opened our business doors in 2005 in Jupiter with a mobile grooming van. We now have four mobile units in addition to retail locations in Jupiter, WPB, Boynton Beach and soon-to-be Wellington.
2. What ignited the spark in you to start a new business venture? How did the idea for your business come about?
Initially the decision was about freedom and quality of life. I wanted the ability to blaze my own path instead walking one that someone else created. The idea for the business came from researching business that combined my experience and my passions. We were new dog parents when I started the mobile grooming business and my love for our dog, Aggie, inspired me.
3. How do you find people to bring into your organization that truly care about the organization the way you do?
It starts with our value system. At Scenthound, we have been very deliberate about crafting a set of core values that inform our decision making and guide our culture. We hire based on how well candidates align with those values.
4. How do you go about marketing your business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?
Our most successful marketing is our involvement in the community. One example is a program we created for Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League. It’s called “A Clean Start,” and we provide every dog adopted from the League with information on routine care for their new dog as well as free services to start them off on the right track.
5. Why will people buy your product/service (and not something else)?
Trust is a significant part of a dog parent’s decision making, and we work very hard to be worthy of that trust. At Scenthound, we are all animal advocates and dog lovers and we put an emphasis on continuous learning so that we stay at the top of our game.
6. What were/are some of the main challenges you faced at the beginning of your venture?
There are always challenges when starting a new business. A big one for us was being able to attract the right employees when our business was young. Cashflow was also a challenge — having enough time and money to get the business off the ground was difficult in the early stages. Staying open and being adaptable are critical with a new business — no matter how smart you think you are, you must stay open to new ideas and to the possibility of changing course.
7. What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
a. Optimism
b. A Growth Mindset
c. Perseverance
8. What are your goals?
To continue to grow our business and ultimately make monthly maintenance the new norm for dog parents everywhere.
9. Does your company help the community?
Yes! Our community involvement is a very important part of our business. Educating dog parents about the importance of routine care and maintenance is one of our key initiatives and we partner with many organizations that share our goals and values.
10. If you had one piece of advice for someone just starting out, what would it be?
I would say that, to thrive in business, you must have a growth mindset. The one thing that is certain is change, and in order to stay relevant, you must be constantly
learning. A great way to do that is to surround yourself with people who share
the perspective that if you’re not learning, you’re not growing.
Thanks to Tim for joining us today for this first episode. We are looking forward to sitting down with other local business leaders and entrepreneurs in the area next time. If you have any questions for us or know someone who should be on our next video, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks to Tim for joining us today for this first episode. We are looking forward to sitting down with other local business leaders and entrepreneurs in the area next time. If you have any questions for us or know someone who should be on our next video, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you.
