From Startup to Success: Tanya Flynn Reflects on Five Years of Cuts for Mutts

Starting a business is often equal parts excitement and uncertainty, and for Tanya Flynn, owner and operator of Cutts for Mitts Mobile Grooming, the journey was no exception. With no prior experience in the dog grooming industry, she built her company from the ground up, learning along the way how to navigate challenges, connect with customers, and establish a brand that truly resonates with the community. In this interview, she shares how she grew her business, the role social media played in her success, and her vision for the future of Cuts for Mutts.

How did you grow your business, and what was your biggest hurdle in growing your business?

We started out brand new to the dog grooming industry. Our biggest hurdle was that we didn’t really know anyone or where to turn for reliable information. We ended up finding that Facebook and Instagram were great resources because there were a lot of groups for dog groomers, business owners in the grooming industry, and you know, just other groomers who shared their processes and best practices in all different facets. 

Once we found that, we were able to find a lot of information on proper ways to set up our businesses, like how to price appropriately, how to handle the customer service portion, and how long each appointment should be on average. That was a wealth of information for us, how we were able to get a really good foundation and get started on the right foot. 

From there, we built some goodwill, and we got really lucky. We had a lot of referrals and repeat business. And so after a little bit of sticking flyers on light poles just for a few months, we were lucky to have referrals that have kept us very busy ever since.

What’s been your most successful marketing strategy so far? 

I’d say it’s a combination of having wonderful branding material. Thank you, Cowe. And, having even just a small social media presence on Instagram. I feel like with those two things, you know, people really resonate with our name, Cuts for Mutts. 

Cowe delivered just the cleanest, most inviting, and easy-to-understand branding material. So having that on our van made it easy to identify us, and it makes us stand out from a lot of the older businesses that have, you know, maybe more of a cartoony kind of branding material.

I feel like we scream like modern and we stand out as new and cool. So, I love that and I feel like that’s been really helpful—just having visibility when we drive around our neighborhoods and on Instagram.

Where can they find you if they want your services?

We service the Santa Clarita Valley and we are very fortunate to have a lot of potential customers in the area. We don’t have to travel very far to find dogs. Anywhere in the Santa Clarita Valley or Castaic communities, you can find us there, and we will be happy to meet your family.

And one last question, where do you see Cuts for Mutts a year or two from now?

Ideally, we would love to get more vehicles and expand in the mobile grooming business. Maybe add on a couple of team members to help with either scheduling or grooming. If we can add people who share our mission of treating your pets as if they were our own, who provide great service and are reliable, we would love to expand our team and continue providing really high-level service to the Santa Clarita Valley.

Any messages or advice to entrepreneurs or other entrepreneurs who want to embark on their journey?

I feel like if you have a skill, or something that you believe in or feel passionately about, just go for it and try. Because if you love what you are doing, or are trying to, it makes the struggles and the battles feel a lot more like they’re worth it. You just have a better time trying to figure out, you know, the good things and the bad things.

It’s definitely worth it if you’re thinking about something for a while, just start. You never know. You never know what can happen. So, just go for it.