Today we’d like to introduce you to Joy Higdom.
Hi Joy, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Wow, ok. I started as a Veterinary Receptionist when my youngest daughter was 6 weeks old. She is now 26. I worked for Dr. Arthur Metzger at Geist Station Animal Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana. I worked to become a veterinary assistant and then a technician. Our groomer had left to pursue another career, so Art asked If I would consider attending school for training. At this point, Shelby, my oldest, and Kayla, my youngest, were about 6 and 3. My husband was GM for Papa John’s, so we were very busy parents. I contacted the School of Animal Arts in Carmel, Indiana. It was a 6-month class, and it offered evening classes. It was expensive for young parents, but I talked to my dad, and after promising him everything but my children, I promised him I would pay him back 8k in 2000. I was terrified. My dad (Charlie) spoke with my husband (Aaron) then and waffled back and forth with the decision. Aaron insisted I would be great, and my dad, well, Not so much. But he agreed and gave me the money. I worked from 7 am to 1 pm and then school from 5 to 9 for months, but I did it. I graduated second in my class of 2001. Still on the fence, my dad said, “I hope it sticks.” 23 years later, we think it stuck. But I continued working in Indiana until 2017 I moved to Florida. I landed myself a job at Woof Gang in Champions Gate. I was there a year and some change. But while I was there, I met my new friend and, eventually, my business partner, Emily. I left woof and proceeded to groom from my home. Well, HOA wasn’t having that. So, I found a shop in Davenport that was hiring. I applied and got the jog. Soon after, the owner decided to sell, and my dad gave me the money again.
To this day, I call it an investment. He says I owe him the cow, laughing, of course. I opened Joys of Grooming in January and hit the ground running. I was booked out for weeks. So I called Emily to save me. And true to form, I promised her everything but my kids. She did it. She quit her job and jumped into the uncertainty of this whole situation. We were doing well, and then Covid! What a mess. But we made made it. I was overwhelmed and couldn’t take the stress, So I sold the business to a client, and Emily and I still worked there.
Until the most devastating day was in front of me. A call I will never forget. Emily was missing. She had not come to work, and no one had heard from her. They did a welfare check, and upon the next phone call, my life was about to change forever. Emily was gone. She had passed away at the age of 23. I was just devastated. I returned to work and did everything I could to make it through the days of looking at her table and knowing she would never return. I did that day end and out for months and couldn’t take it. I needed a break. I flew home and worked with a friend, a groomer in Kentucky. I was there for a few months, and at that point, I had quit my job in Florida at my old shop. I had numerous phone calls from clients wanting to know when I would return, but I had no shop and no job to help them. I was stuck. Well, I received a phone call again that would change my life. A client called and said, Joy, you have to come home. I repeated the obstacles, and she said I was on it. Two days later, this amazingly perfect angel named (Ann) found my new home, my new place of business. She donated land and bought me a building to call my own.
Now, it was getting the building transformed into a Grooming facility. This is where my husband Bill comes in to save me. Ann delivered the building, and Bill worked tirelessly for less than 30 days to make this dream happen. Ann housed and fed Bill for weeks as he worked 24 hours a day to finish. Well, he did it. We opened Joys of Grooming in April 2022. and Just like that, I was off and running again. My heart still aches for the loss of Emily, but I know she is here with me every day. I have many blessings and people who have pushed, pulled, and moved mountains to get me where I am. I love you all and dedicate my life to you and every Fur baby I touch.
Please talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned. Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Isn’t life an obstacle? I would say the challenge was accepted between death and relocating my business.
Thanks for sharing that. So, you could tell us a bit more about your work.
Professional Certified Pet Groomer
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those just starting.
Man, maybe. Who am I? Who are we? My friends, family, and clients make me who I am. I strive every day to be better. To be more than I was a year ago. So yeah, do it, make a move, and be happy. I know I am.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Joys of Grooming
- Facebook: Joys of Grooming
Image Credits
Charles and Shirley Wall (Parents), Aaron Smith (My girls father for going to bat for me and still an amazing dad to our children.), Shelby Keiser and Kayla Smith (My Girls), Ann Barnhill and family for all their support, Bill Higdon (My husband/work horse) and In Loving Memory of Emily May. I miss you every day.
