I had checked in to this years ago. There is actually a grooming "academy" here near me. It seems a little expensive but you get actual experience in their working "salon" along with classroom learning.
Here is their link:
Welcome to the Florida Academy of Pet Grooming $7900 for the Master All Breed Total (600 hours). They also have a 300 hour program for $5500. Even a Bather/Brusher is $2100 to complete the 80 clock hour course. There is also an extensive list of supplies each student is responsible for purchasing.
I don't know if this is typical of cost or facility. I would probably check around to several and see what they offer as well as getting a personal feel for philosophy and practice.
Maybe because the Academy is located right here, we seem to have an abundance of groomers in this area (especially for being a small town). So competition is tough. But as a customer that has checked out most of them, I can tell you a little creativity & doing the extra to make your business stand out as unique (as Mary suggested in her post) will make a huge difference in repeat business. I made sure not to return if the besiness was not clean & tidy, if the employees were not extra pleasant, and if they did not do a good job. My first concern is always about how my dogs are treated. I want people to make over them like they are the most special dogs in the world.
I think they are & they deserve it (just like the next dog and the one after that!) Each one deserves to be treated as a special pet. I actually left one place without using their service because it was not clean. The place smelled like old, wt, dirty animals. That is easily prevented with extra concentration on cleanliness & some added scents in the air! I left another because I heard them tell an owner they would board their dog WHILE it was being treated for heart worm. No thank you! Even though my dogs are protected, I do not want to challenge the effectiveness of the meds by putting them in harm's way! So -- special attention to health needs and medical precautions! The others that I chose not to return to were a matter of unskilled grooming. I had one whack job that I could not even post on YT -- it was HORRIBLE! I could not have done that poorly myself! Usually though, it is just a matter of being inexperienced & leaving those hard edges unblended that don't look extra professional.
The place I do return to time after time, is amazing! They greet each dog like they are old or new friends! Mine obviously like them! The place is always immaculately clean and smells nice. It is attached to a boarding inn but all is still fresh & aesthetic. The only thing I do not find perfect, is the way you have to leave them for several hours. They are all taken in, then she calls in the bather/brushers. As they are done, she works on them one by one for cuts. I would rather not be away from them that long as they are kept in cages there, which mine are not at all used to.
So -- how can you set yourself apart? Are there many mobile groomers in your area? That is the popular service right now. It also enables you to maintain low overhead!
Another thing that could set a groomer apart here would be to offer boutique items. The one I go to has a very few items but I would like to see more clothing, toys & beds.
I often thought sponsoring pet "beauty contests" could generate some business too. Not actual dog shows as in breed standard ... but just showing off how pretty they are! Fun, fun and could be held as a fund raiser for a local shelter too.
If I was going to open a business, I would try to work more on an appointment basis where the dogs could be in and out in a couple of hours. Maybe even offer a small coffee shop for the moms to wait while their babies were pampered.
You could offer little coupons that wold be punched each time your dog is groomed and then they could qualify for a free grooming after so many "punhes." You could have a pet photographer come in a couple tims a month & post pictures of dogs freshly groomed all around your shop.
You can see where this is going though -- anything to set you head and shoulders above the competition! You want to get that repeat business!