Forward Janesville - TheReport - Fall 2017

People always ask how many dogs I groom. I do about 6 to 8 dogs per day, on average. It depends on the level of service needed. I can maintenance groom as many as 13 per day. As a pop (not mom- and-pop) shop, sometimes I’m amazed I can accomplish this! But when you love your work, it’s easy. I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else. I can’t say enough about Forward Janesville and the Ambassadors. Many of my clients came to me through Forward Janesville and I cherish every one. But I truly value the organization for so much more than that. I was an Ambassador long before I had my own business. They fight for local business and our community. And anyone can benefit. I am not a Chairman's Club member but I am a member—it doesn’t matter in terms of the benefits I receive or how connected you can become. I’ve been in other places where similar organizations are not nearly as successful or helpful. It feels great to be a part of it. I went to school for commercial art and fashion illustration and still dabble in art. I had a drawing on display at the Museum of the Dog, which used to be in St. Louis but now resides New York. A private collector who purchased one of my pieces lent it to them. HOW DID I GET HERE? s u c c e s s • c h a l l e n g e s • l i f e l e s s o n s • e d u c a t i o n • c a r e e r • f a m i l y • i n s p i r a t i o n s It can be very scary to go out on your own, but you have to have faith it will all work out. If you start something and it doesn’t, it just means you gathered more skills to succeed the next time. Failure is the first step toward success. 1 2 3 My clients are like family. When someone loses a pet, I can’t hold back. I cry after I hang up the phone, as I’ve usually fallen in love with the dog and the client. I send a note and picture from our wall of photos to the owner immediately afterward. It’s so important to honor that relationship. Never take anything for granted. I am so grateful for my clients. For the record, I do occasionally get asked to do mohawks, but I don’t paint nails. In my downtime, I love watching PBS and documentaries—I’ll watch almost any documentary I can get my hands on, and I always learn something new. I love working with stained glass and quilting. There are many similarities between the two, the way you piece together a puzzle to create a finished product. I created the stained glass window you see over the door at Badger Vet. Moving that huge finished piece over the railroad tracks to Badger was nerve-wracking! Lots of times I end up doing baby quilts. I like to do strip quilts, using pieces of fabric on one side that represent the mom and dad, with lots of color and texture, and contrasting that with a standard pattern on the other side. • I just returned from London with my partner of 26 years, Rich Fletcher. It was a group trip he organized. We went to London and took a day trip to Stone Henge and Dover to walk the white cliffs. In total, we walked 53 miles that trip! { LIFE LESSONS } In my line of work, you have stories. I’ve chased at least two dogs around downtown after they darted away from their owners, about giving me a heart attack. Because I’m so visible in my downtown location, I always get asked about it later! DAN WILCOX We train people how to treat us. People treat us in whatever way we allow, so it’s important to set some boundaries, especially as a small business owner. It’s important to feel worthy enough to do this. Some people may be surprised at first, but in the end, it’s best for everyone. Do something you love, don’t just seek out the highest paying job. If you really love what you do, whatever you need is going to come to you. I may not make a million dollars and I sometimes get bit, but I’d do this any day of the week—I absolutely love what I do. • • • { EDUCATION } 1985-1987 Art Institute of Atlanta Illustration and Visual Communication { WORK EXPERIENCE } 2015-PRESENT Owner The Merry Groomer Pet Salon 2007– 2015 Public Relations / Fund Development Coordinator The Alzheimer’s Support Center of Rock Co., Inc. 2004 – 2007 Sales and Display Home Again Consignments 1989 – 2004 Retail Associate, Visual Manager J.C. Penney 14 • W W W . F O R W A R D J A N E S V I L L E . C O M