Stylist / Senior Stylist

Bark and Purr is not just another grooming shop, we are a wellness spa that truly cares about every pet looking and feeling their very best. We always put the needs of the pet in front of us first, focusing on them while they are in our care and nothing else.

The Vow

The Twelve Commitments

• 1. Whoever greets a pet — front desk, bather, groomer, kennel tech, anyone — will get down to their level, speak softly, and let them come to us. This is everyone's job, every time, not just the first hello.
• 2. When I see a regular walk through the door, I will say their name before I say anything else — the pet's and the parent's.
• 3. When a puppy comes in for their first groom, I will make this memory a good one — even if it takes longer. First visits echo for a lifetime.
• 4. When I see a pet that's unsettled — nervous on my table, pacing the kennel, uncomfortable anywhere in the shop — I stop and find out why: anxious, needs to go out, or just uncomfortable. If CBD is on their card and cleared, front desk is notified and administers it. If they need a walk, whoever noticed takes them. If they went in their kennel, whoever's there cleans it — not the next person. We don't walk past something dirty, and we don't leave the shop anything but clean at closing. Customers notice how this place smells and looks before they notice anything else — we protect that every day, not just at close.
• 5. When a pet is too anxious for kennel time, we offer the family a way to stay close: expedited one-on-one service (from $20, sized to the pet) — one person with that dog start to finish, no kennel wait, handed back to the parent right there. For our Sunday cat clients we can welcome parents into the room itself, since it's one groomer and a quiet day. If a pet is still too much for us, we call the parent and talk it through honestly — safety and trust come before pushing through.
• 6. When I finish a service, I will do a five-second check: does this pet look happy, calm, and beautiful — and would their eyes pass the Smile Test?
• 7. When a client asks how their pet did, I will tell them one specific true thing I noticed about their pet today — and if I saw something worth watching, I will say that too, kindly and plainly.
• 8. When I see a teammate struggling, I will finish what's in my hands, then ask what they need.
• 9. When a pet shows me they're done, I will listen. We earn trust one appointment at a time, and we never spend it to finish a groom.
• 10. When I walk the floor, I will notice how a pet moves, not just how they look — wellness starts with attention, and we are often the first to see what a family can't.
• 11. When I start a step, I log that I started it. When I finish it, I log that too. The record isn't paperwork after the care — it IS the care, start to finish. This is the rule, and it's what Compass is built to hold us to.
• 12. When I put on my apron, I remember: this pet came here because their person trusts us. I will deserve that trust today.

Why we have this: these aren't slogans — they're what “Who We Are” above actually looks like in a real moment, dog by dog, client by client. Anyone can say they care about pets. This is what caring looks like when you're the one holding the leash.

Everything we build and everything we do here serves four things, in this order:

• E — Employees. You're the foundation. A team that isn't taken care of can't take care of anyone else.
• A — Advocates. Our clients and their pets — the people we serve, and the ones who tell their friends about us.
• R — Revenue. Growing the business with discipline, not shortcuts.
• N — Net. What we actually keep — the profit that makes this a sustainable business, not just a busy one.

Every tool, every process, every decision gets measured against all four. Not just “does this make money” — does it serve the team, the client, the growth, and the bottom line.

• No cell phones during work hours for social media, personal calls or texting, or watching shows. The client is paying for that time to be spent on their pet, not on a phone. This is Commitment #12, made concrete: “this pet came here because their person trusts us.”
• Everything above — the Vow, the Twelve Commitments, EARN — isn't background reading. It's what you're actually held to, starting your first day.

The Stylist is Bark and Purr's highest-level technical grooming role. You are a master of breed standards, creative styling, and complex coat management. Your client relationships are deep, loyal, and long-term. You serve as a technical mentor for the entire grooming team, a brand ambassador in the community, and a driving force behind the quality reputation that makes PAWrents drive across the Dallas Metroplex to see you. The Stylist role is built for professionals who treat grooming as a craft.

Expert-Level Grooming

• Perform complete grooms at expert level across all breeds, including the most technically demanding coat types: heavily textured, stripped, hand-scissored, creatively styled.
• Produce show-worthy finishing quality on every pet, every appointment — not just the complex ones.
• Pursue and maintain advanced grooming certification with company support.
• Stay current with breed standard changes, new grooming techniques, and Fear-Free science.
• Photograph every groom before AND after — before shot at the start, after shot at pickup.

Creative Styling & Trend Leadership

• Develop and execute creative styling for clients who want distinctive, personalized looks.
• Contribute to the shop's social media presence: produce photo-worthy grooms and participate in content creation.
• Participate in competitive grooming events to elevate the Bark and Purr brand regionally.

Team Mentorship & Standards Leadership

• Serve as primary technical mentor for Groomers and Junior Groomers on the floor.
• Conduct advanced technique demonstrations and mini-workshops for the grooming team.
• Assist management in setting grooming quality benchmarks and training standards.
• Review and provide feedback on advanced breed work submitted by Groomers for approval.

Client & Brand Relationships

• Maintain the deepest, most loyal personal client book in the shop.
• Serve as a wellness advisor, social media subject, and community-facing representative of the Bark and Purr brand.
• Proactively identify and recommend new service opportunities for high-value clients.

Stylist → Senior Stylist → Training Director or Franchise Development (5-Year Growth Plan)

As the most senior technical voice on the floor, your consistency sets the ceiling for the entire team. This checklist ensures your impact is felt in the groom room, the client relationship, and the brand — every day.

Daily

• Pre-groom consultation: every client
• Three-point assessment documented
• PAWrent update delivered post-groom
• Health finding disclosed proactively
• Add-on recommendation made (log %)
• Rebooking ask at every checkout
• Google review requested personally
• 1 mentoring interaction with a Groomer
• Post-worthy photo captured (if applicable)
• FAS monitored throughout every groom
• Client profile updated after each visit
• Tools cleaned, blades logged

Weekly

• Rebooking rate reviewed (target ≥ 85%)
• Add-on rate reviewed (target ≥ 30%)
• Social media photos: 2 submitted
• Formal mentor session with each Groomer
• Team technique debrief or mini-demo led
• Certification study hours logged
• Review generation: count vs. ≥ 3/month
• Advanced breed technique practiced

Monthly

• Full KPI review with Manager
• Mentorship plan progress reviewed
• Certification enrollment / exam progress
• Community engagement contribution
• Quarterly competitive grooming goal check
• Team advancement: who is ready to promote?
• Social media strategy contribution reviewed
• Personal development plan updated