Look out Mark Zuckerberg, BIGA Voice is about to eat your lunch.

Members of the British Isles Grooming Association, BIGA, now have the ability to seek specialist advice within the BIGA Voice discussion forums on the member website.

BIGA is thrilled to launch our new Professional Advisor forums and very pleased to welcome our specialist advisors. Members can simply log into the forum and ask their pressing questions within a safe, professional and courteous discussion board.

BIGA's New Voices

The newly launched forums and their respective advisors are:

• Ask The Vet – with veterinarian and pet groomer, Sophie Bell.
• Ask The Behaviourist – with certified animal behaviourist Andrew Hale.
• Ask The Business Advisor – with experienced pet grooming business owner, Bill Betts.
• Ask The Accountant – with accountant and finance specialist, Vicky Clark.
• Ask The Groomer – with experienced pet groomer and instructor, Debby Knight.
• Ask The HR Consultant - with HR consultancy business owner, Megan Saint.

“Dog groomers are an extra pair of eyes and often spot things that the owner does not,” explains vet and groomer Sophie Bell (pictured). 

Behaviourist Andrew Hale echoes Sophie’s comments above: “being on the front line, the groomer may well see the dog more than any other care professional.”

As a trade association, BIGA is committed to helping pet groomers develop and sustain their businesses and incorporate best-practice – not just within animal welfare, but across all business considerations. 

“I have learnt the hard way how to make a successful business out of grooming other people’s pets,” offers business advisor Bill Betts.

Likewise, accountant Vicky Clark, who has worked directly with pet groomers develop a business from the garden shed into multiple salons, says “I want to help the members of BIGA get off on the right foot and grow a professional business.”

Experienced groomer and instructor Debby Knight takes on the role for Ask The Groomer and is excited to share her experience in grooming and training. “My door is always open to both new and experienced groomers,” she says, adding that she is committed to helping improve the professionalism of all groomers.

Human Resources Consultancy business owner Megan Saint contributes, "I have experience in working with several dog grooming businesses and believe that the industry could benefit from increased awareness of employment law and HR practices." 

Start With Kindness

BIGA’s chair, Kristian Maris, explains that running a business on your own can be isolating, and it’s difficult knowing what to do and where to turn. Turning to Facebook is helpful for many but can also be intimidating for fear of ridicule. “Recent months have shown this is not social media’s finest hour” says Kristian. 

The BIGA discussion boards, by comparison, are a safe place for knowledge-sharing. "The Advisors are giving so generously of their time and expertise, and welcome questions at all levels."

“The starting point is kindness,” adds BIGA Director Heidi Anderton. “This has always been the spirit of BIGA and why it has attracted like-minded members to help grow and establish a trade association for pet groomers that is also an essential community support network within our industry.”

To learn more about BIGA's new voices, please click here