31-year-old canine grooming artist’s industry brings in $1.3 million a yr

Gabriel Feitosa has a knack for turning animals into artwork.

At his grooming salon in San Diego, the rest is imaginable: Bernedoodles turn into giraffes and poodles turn into Pokémon.

Feitosa, a local of São Paulo, Brazil, opened Gabriel Feitosa Grooming Salon in 2018, capitalizing on a $1.3 billion world puppy grooming marketplace. 

Feitosa and his 10 staff groom about 20 canines an afternoon, and no less than 500 per thirty days, the 31-year-old tells CNBC Make It. However most of the animals he works with do not simply get a haircut — they get a complete makeover. 

As a canine grooming artist, Feitosa combines conventional grooming tactics with distinctive designs, and makes use of vegan, pet-friendly dyes. His larger-than-life creations have collected a cult social media following, with over 2 million fans on TikTok and 400,000 on Instagram. 

The intricate designs can take between 3 and 5 hours to finish, together with meals and toilet breaks for the doggy, and price anyplace from $500 to $1,200. In a standard week, Feitosa works between 40 and 50 hours. 

The salon introduced in about $1.2 million final yr, in keeping with tax paperwork reviewed by way of CNBC Make It. Feitosa earned some other $125,500 in 2022 for logo offers and sponsorships. 

“This salon is a dream for me,” says Feitosa. “I got here to the U.S. with two scissors and a clipper, and now I’ve a spot the place I think like an artist and display the sector that this occupation is imaginable.”

Feitosa’s canine grooming occupation started when he used to be 12. 

Feitosa would take his sister’s canine, Icaro, to the native groomer in São Paulo every time he wanted a bathtub and a haircut. 

Little did he know those journeys to the groomer would jumpstart a satisfying occupation of his personal. Feitosa used to be fascinated staring at the groomer shower, minimize and spruce up the canines. 

“I assumed, ‘Wow, this girl will get to play with canines all day and earn cash?'” he says. “I simply were given obsessed.”

Feitosa used to be keen to be told extra, so he requested the groomer to show him tips on how to wash canines. Quickly, he got to work on the store after faculty. 

He left highschool proper prior to graduating to pursue canine grooming as his full-time occupation, operating on the salon and instructing canine grooming at a vocational faculty in accordance with his real-world learnings. Puppy grooming does now not require specialised schooling or certification, and Feitosa says he didn’t whole a proper schooling program.

In a while after he became 23, Feitosa used to be presented a grooming internship with a canine breeder in Sacramento, Calif. and moved to the U.S.

He spent the following 3 years operating with groomers and canine displays across the U.S. as a part of the internship prior to settling in San Diego together with his then-husband in 2017. 

In San Diego, Feitosa were given a part-time task as a canine groomer for a small salon with a puppy boutique and bakery within the entrance. He took on a 2d part-time gig aiding a poodle breeder to make ends meet. 

A number of months later, Feitosa’s boss approached him with a deal: She would promote him her grooming industry, which incorporated all the apparatus within the store, in addition to her shopper record, for roughly $40,000. He would additionally need to pay the $1,100 per thirty days hire for the distance.

Feitosa took the be offering and grew his grooming industry behind the construction whilst his former boss ran the puppy boutique and bakery within the entrance.

Feitosa says it used to be difficult to stability his inventive interests with the duties of being a industry proprietor.

However having the liberty to experiment with designs trumped the complications of operating the store, like renovating the distance and managing staff.

“Every so often, you want to take a bounce of religion now not understanding if it will figure out,” he says. “However I used to be excited to create a secure house the place other people — and their canines — may just really feel excellent, and I may just do what I really like.” 

The salon close down for 2 months initially of the Covid-19 pandemic, however used to be deemed an very important industry and allowed to re-open in Would possibly 2020.

That very same month, Feitosa’s former boss retired, and he took over the rent for all of the floor ground of the construction.

He won a small industry mortgage of about $60,000 from the federal government, which helped quilt the prices of renovating the distance and hiring further lend a hand. 

In 2021, Feitosa used to be forged on “Pooch Very best,” a contest TV display for canine grooming artists on ABC, the place he used to be a finalist. 

That chance helped him develop his social media following and industry. Feitosa says other people have flown in from different states simply to convey their canines into his salon.

He is reworked safe haven pets ready to be followed, circle of relatives pets and remedy canines that paintings in hospitals. 

“The designs would possibly appear fancy and pointless, however the quantity of smiles you placed on other people’s faces by way of strolling by way of with a canine in any such designs is an unforgettable revel in,” he says. “It brings such a lot pleasure to other people.”

Taking a look forward, Feitosa hopes to open a 2d grooming salon in Los Angeles and host his personal canine grooming TV display. He thinks his 12-year-old self can be pleased with the place he ended up. 

“I have realized that luck is a end result of following your hobby and your objective,” says Feitosa. “If grooming canines is probably the most random factor, however that is what you like doing and also you do it to the fullest and toughest you’ll be able to … why can not you reach wealth and luck?”

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