Meet the ambassadors: Holly Didyk - The Full Groom
Wow Grooming is fortunate to work alongside some extremely talented grooming professionals, and as a result, we've adopted them as our brand ambassadors. If you haven't had the pleasure to meet them before, then please, let us do some introductions.
Holly is first up! We did a short Q&A so you guys could get know her a bit better.
1. How did you first get into dog grooming and tell us a bit about your business
A few years ago I retrained as an agility instructor for a ‘for-fun’ club I lived near. I was also working in childcare, but I wasn’t finding that very fulfilling anymore, so I decided I needed to switch careers. Someone in the agility world mentioned grooming and how there’s a whole competitive side to the industry. I thought, I think I could do that!
I got pointed in the direction of Costin Stoica at Animal Magic Award Winning Groomers and offered an OCN course. About halfway through the course, I started nagging Costin to give me a job. Thank goodness, Costin took me on and I was able to hone my skills whilst I worked for him over two years; he has been and continues to be the most amazing mentor and friend to me.
2. Tell us about your achievements in the industry to date (any competition wins that you’re particularly proud of, milestones in your business, or anything else that comes to mind)
I took part in my first competition when I’d only been grooming for about a year. I felt so under prepared and I was so nervous going into the ring that first time. I had an amazing cavapoo with the most gorgeous coat, so that was a good start. Costin had given me tips and advice on how to groom him, but ultimately I was alone in that competition and that felt huge! There were so many amazing groomers there, I had no expectations, so when I discovered I’d placed first, I couldn’t believe it!
I have to say, a lot of my proudest achievements haven’t necessarily been awarded rosettes or certificates, they’ve been overcoming my personal fears in competition or with a particularly challenging grooming style. Getting positive feedback from clients and hearing that new clients have come to me on recommendation out on a dog walk, they’re what I’m really proud of.
3. What is the one Wow Grooming product that couldn’t live without in your grooming kit and why?
Once we ran out of the Red Berry shampoo (the main, go-to shampoo) and so we switched to the Pure Filth for all dogs. I love that shampoo and it is fantastic when a dog comes in smelling like the Bog of Eternal Stench, but it is by its very nature a stripping shampoo, designed to remove tough, greasy muck. I found that using it all the time stripped the oils from my hands, whereas the Red Berry was much kinder.
One thing I realised very quickly is the importance that each shampoo has for each job.
Now I use the Blueberry shampoo for both white and black dogs (and even black and white dogs!) as it brings out the vibrancy of the coat and the Deep Cleansing shampoo is fabulous too…I love them all.
4. Tell us about the funniest moment in the grooming salon
I know many a groomer has made the mistake of running a 30 blade over the dog, forgetting that the comb attachment isn’t on there…I’m no exception.
My guard comb came off one day and they were growing the coat out as well - thankfully I noticed quickly - but I’d already made a two-inch diamond shape on the side of the dog! I told my then boss, Costin, he laughed and I called the owner to ask if we could turn it into a heart..it was a relief and my first and only coat carving to date!
5. Do you have a dog yourself - tell us a bit about him / her?
I have two dogs, one is a working cocker spaniel, he’s absolutely bonkers! He doesn’t sit still for a moment. I got him before grooming or agility were a thing in my life. The amount of grooming required on him is minimal, so I felt I needed something that I could use to progress my skills. I now look after Costin’s white standard poodle - Winter. His coat is challenging and I know it will only serve to help me improve moving forward.
Follow Holly @ The Full Groom
To read the other interviews with others in the series click here.