02/08/2026
Chapter 19 – What Business Am I In?
For 23 years now, whenever I’m at a party or a gathering, people eventually ask me, “So… what do you do? What business are you in?”
Without hesitation, I’d proudly answer, “I’m a dog groomer!” 🐶✂️
It’s only been over the last 12 months that something has changed.
Now, when people ask me that same question and I answer, “Dog groomer,” a strange sensation washes over me. It makes me feel… small. Almost like I’m in between chapters of my life.
Don’t get me wrong—I LOVE my job. But it’s a job.
I’m really starting to feel as though I’m more than just a dog groomer.
I’ve had this feeling that there’s something I haven’t tapped into yet… a creation, an idea, or a purpose that’s still waiting to be explored.
I’m waking up to a personal journey of growth and realising this is only the beginning of something much bigger. I’m open to learning new things.
Who knows… I might even change the grooming industry for future generations. 🤯
So, searching for answers, Nathan and I recently attended a Greatness in Business seminar.
Picture a room packed with over 1,000 people, all crammed in shoulder to shoulder…
Now, if you’ve read my earlier chapters, you’ll know I’ve struggled in both the past and present with anxiety in crowded places. My biggest fear? Throwing up in public and drawing attention to myself.
Ironically… I’ve only ever thrown up in public once—and I was two years old! 😂 So this fear is completely made up in my own mind.
Halfway through the seminar, I had a panic attack.
My throat felt like it was closing over, my body became hot, my palms were sweating, my heart was racing, and I knew I needed to control my breathing. 😮💨
Yes… I’ve been taught box breathing and every other breathing technique under the sun… but in the moment, it all goes straight out the window.
For some reason, when you’re anxious, time decides to move at a snail’s pace.
I’m trying to focus on what the speakers are saying, but my brain is screaming…
“Get up. Find the nearest exit!”
It’s all in my mind…
Chill, Loz… breathe.
Then the speaker shared something that stopped me in my tracks.
“The only true natural fear we’re born with is the fear of falling.”
Everything else… fear of failure, fear of embarrassment, fear of judgement, fear of rejection… is learned. It’s created through experiences, family, friends, and the stories we tell ourselves.
That brought me peace.
Slowly, my breathing settled.
Time sped up again.
And then came the next question…
“What do you do?”
Immediately I answered…
“Dog groomer.”
The speaker asked again…
“Okay… but what do you do?”
Again…
“Dog groomer.”
I was thinking… Isn’t it obvious? 😂
Then they asked a third time…
“BUT… what do you do?”
By this stage I was getting frustrated.
I knew they weren’t asking about my job.
It was a metaphor.
But I didn’t know the answer.
I was trying to find the answer.
I knew I was more than a dog groomer.
It was sitting right there… on the tip of my tongue.
What am I?
What business am I really in?
Fast forward to Tuesday—my first day back at work after what felt like a personal awakening.
I’d made a promise to myself.
To keep stepping into uncomfortable situations.
To let the rooms I feel I don’t belong in become my new normal.
To stop letting anxiety make decisions for me.
I walked into my salon that morning.
Before I even reached the door, familiar faces greeted me.
“Morning, Lauren!”
Inside were all our regular furry clients, wagging their tails, each with their own little personalities that I’ve come to know and love over the years.
These people…
These dogs…
They’ve all been such a huge part of my journey.
And then it hit me.
What do I do?
I’m in the business of building a community.
A community of people I welcome as an extension of my family and friends.
I’ve become just as much a part of their lives as they’ve become part of mine over the last 18 years in business.
We’ve celebrated the happy moments together.
We’ve supported one another through difficult times.
We’ve cried together during those heartbreaking goodbyes when a beloved fur baby crosses the Rainbow Bridge. 🌈
The dogs who walk through our doors don’t just have a groomer.
They have relationships.
They have friendships with our team.
Our clients don’t come to us simply because we wash and clip dogs.
They come because of the experience.
Because they trust us.
Because they know we’ll care for their fur babies as if they were our own.
And it’s not just our clients.
It’s my staff too.
We’re a team.
Together, we’re unstoppable.
This… right here… is why I do what I do.
I’m not just a dog groomer anymore.
I have a responsibility to my community to continue building, growing, and creating something even bigger.
Because as we grow, we can help more people, care for more pets, support more families, and create even stronger friendships within our community.
The moment that realisation hit me—what I’ll simply call a little message from the universe—it unlocked a river of ideas.
I have an obligation!
Business ideas.
Products.
Systems.
Projects.
Ways we could help even more people.
What started as a business seminar became something far more valuable.
It became an awakening.
An awakening to personal growth.
To recognising the limitations we place on ourselves through fear, judgement, and self-doubt.
Nathan and I decided that if we’re serious about growing, then it’s time to take the business—and ourselves—to the next level.
So later that week, we signed up for the next boot camp.
One lesson that stuck with me was MAIA…
Massive And Immediate Action.
No more waiting.
No more “one day.”
No more talking ourselves out of opportunities before we’ve even tried.
I’m excited to see what the next 12 months will bring.
Maybe nothing changes.
Maybe everything changes.
But one thing I know for certain…
The little girl who simply wanted to groom dogs all those years ago has grown into someone who’s beginning to realise she was never just building a grooming salon…
She was building a community.
And I have a feeling…
This chapter is only the beginning. ❤️
Aaron Sansoni
Barkin Beautiful Grooming Studio
