>> ... Next Generation ...
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Entrepreneur
Nikki Budaj and
her dog Buddha
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Dog grooming shop launched
with help from Hebrew Free Loan.
ihr
ith jobs scarce, it's rare
for people to find work
in their desired field, but
Nikki Budaj, 25, made her
own work by taking ownership of a self-
serve dog wash and grooming shop called
Scrubbers. Budaj, who has a self-described
passion for dogs, has known for a long time
that she needed to go into a field where
she could work with them.
While majoring in business at Western
Michigan University, Budaj started
fostering dogs as a hobby. She took all
of her fosters to a self-serve dog wash in
Kalamazoo because she "loved the idea of
a self-wash place that offers professional
grooming, too."
MARIELLE TEMKIN I JN INTERN
Budaj, who has owned Scrubbers since
the middle of May, said that her "main
goal is to make this place as clean and
fresh smelling as possible. I don't want
customers to walk in and smell dirty dog."
Customers will walk in and be greeted
by Buddha, Budaj's Chihuahua that she
brings to work with her. "He loves it here;
he can't wait to come to work in the
morning," she said.
Before taking over the business from
the previous owner who moved to
California, Budaj shadowed him for two
weeks so she could learn the business.
Her dedication to learning about
Scrubbers before she purchased it paid off
because Hebrew Free Loan in Bloomfield
Township granted Budaj a $35,000
interest-free loan as part of its Martin I.
Danto small business loan program. This
ultimately allowed her to purchase the
company.
"There's no way I could have done any
of this without them," she said.
On April 16, she presented her business
plan to the committee at Hebrew Free
Loan. "My dad made me watch episodes
of the TV show Shark Tank so I would be
prepared, but it made me so nervous; the
people on that show are really intense,"
she said.
When giving her presentation to the
board, Budaj said they made her "feel at
home. They told me to put down my note
cards and just talk to them."
By the next morning, Budaj received
a phone call from a member of the
committee telling her that she had been
approved for the loan.
"Getting everything together before
the presentation took about two weeks,
but actually getting approved for the
loan took less than 24 hours," she said.
Her dad and step-dad co-signed on the
loan with her.
"My parents are my biggest
supporters," Budaj said. "I'm so lucky to
have such a supportive family."
David Contorer, executive director at
Hebrew Free Loan, said, "Nikki is exactly
the type of young entrepreneur that we
want to help.... She already knew her
business well, she knew dog grooming, she
knew Scrubbers, she knew the owner, the
financial details, the customer base; she
really did her homework. And we hope that
with our interest-free loan behind her, she
will be successful at Scrubbers and do what
she loves."
After she graduated, Nikki wanted to
stay in Michigan so she could be near her
family. "I didn't want to move away like
everyone else did," she said. Instead, she
trained as a dog groomer at a business
in West Bloomfield, her hometown, and
worked there for three years, right up
until she signed the papers to purchase
Scrubbers.
Located in Royal Oak, Scrubbers has
four tubs for bathing, a grooming table
that customers can rent to groom their
own dogs and drying tables, in addition
to professional grooming. All self-serve
grooming is walk-in, while customers need
to make an appointment for their dog to
be professionally groomed.
"We accommodate everyone," said
Budaj, but owners with dogs that are
particularly loud or aggressive need to call
ahead and make an appointment. Cats are
also welcome at Scrubbers.
She has a lot of ideas for her business,
from dog training to selling products
from local stores. "I like the feeling
of businesses supporting each other. I
would much rather stock items from local
businesses rather than ordering things
online, if it's possible," she said. Budaj
also sells special dog treats from her friend
Erin Sample's dog bakery, Little Paws
Bakery, located outside of Kalamazoo,
which uses all human-grade ingredients.
Budaj's ambition and drive brought her
to realizing her dream. She acknowledged
that it "isn't a glamorous job," but it is
exactly what she wants: "I would not
trade this for anything. I adore it." 11
Scrubbers is located at 2713 W. Webster
Road in Royal Oak, off of Woodward between
12 and 13 Mile. Call (248) 584-DOGS, or
Left: Allie, with her owner Tammy Betel of Farmington Hills, enjoys a bath. Right: Nikki Budaj dries Allie off.
scrubbersdogwash.com for more information.
JurIE.- 28 2012
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