The Paw Booker exists because we think solo groomers and small salons deserve the same proper software the big chains have without needing an IT person, a spare Saturday, or a marketing degree to figure it out.
“She was brilliant with dogs. She just didn’t have time to chase rebookings on a Tuesday night.”
Why we started
The honest version: a friend of ours runs a small grooming salon. She’s extraordinary at it. Dogs that hate the bath at every other groomer fall asleep on her table.
She was also losing about £400 a month to no-shows, hadn’t asked anyone for a Google review in two years, and was answering enquiries at 9pm because she physically couldn’t pick up during the day. The big software platforms were either built for hairdressers or cost more than her rent.
So we built something for her. Then her groomer mate wanted it. Then her mate’s mate. We figured we’d just keep going.
We take a seriously good piece of software (the same kind of platform big agencies and chains run on), and we configure it specifically for UK dog grooming. We set it up properly, we host your website, we write the messages in plain English, and we’re on the other end of an email when something doesn’t quite make sense.
You don’t pay for features you’ll never use. You don’t get a 40-page onboarding PDF. You get a system that already works, configured for how a small grooming salon actually runs.
And we don’t do contracts that trap you. If it’s not working for you, you can leave. We’d rather earn it every month.
“Built for the way you actually run a salon not the way some software company thinks you should.”
What we’re building
Most software companies have a list of values. Ours is mostly a list of what we promised each other we’d never become.
If our software isn’t the right fit for your salon, we’ll tell you. We’d rather you stay on your paper diary and like us, than sign up and regret it. Demos are a chat, not a pitch.
There’s no “user error” here. If something’s confusing, that’s our fault, not yours, and we’ll either fix it or walk you through it without the patronising voice.
Loyalty points apps, AI chatbots, NFT calendar add-ons no, thank you. We do the handful of things that genuinely move the needle for a small salon. The rest is noise.
When you email us, a person reads it. Usually the same person. Usually that day. We’re not building a help-centre fortress so you can’t reach us.
After the first three months you’re month-to-month. Your client data is yours, exportable any time. We want you to stay because it’s working, not because leaving is annoying.
We’re tech people. You’re a groomer. We listen first, build second. If you tell us a feature isn’t how the industry actually works, we change it. We’ve done it loads.
From signing up to going live. We do the lot booking calendar, website, reminders, the works.
Your point of contact. You won’t get bounced around a support queue. Same name, every email.
UK-based. We know what GDPR means, why VAT matters, and that £ comes before the number.