The LaundroMutt: She Left Her Job And Built This
A proudly autistic dog groomer stepped out on her own for the first time. Years of experience but no client list. Here's what we launched!
Project Start: May 2024 | Location: Weaverville, NC
Emily Marvin had been grooming dogs for years. She was good at it. Really good. Her clients loved her. Their dogs loved her. But all of that experience, all of that skill, all of that rapport? It always belonged to someone else's salon.
When she made the leap to go out on her own, she was starting from scratch in the most literal sense. No client list. No website. No brand of her own. Just a deep love for dogs, a crystal-clear vision for the kind of grooming experience she wanted to create, and a launch date that was set.
She came to me with a logo and a business plan. Two weeks later, TheLaundroMuttAsheville.com was live.
Here’s what we built together:
BRAND IDENTITY | CUSTOM SQUARESPACE WEBSITE | SEO | SEASONAL WEBSITE SUPPORT
The Challenge: Years of Experience. Zero Proof Online.
Here's the thing about leaving a job to start your own business: all the trust you've built walks out the door with you. The clients who adore you are still booked at the old salon. The reviews are on someone else's page. The name recognition belongs to someone else's brand.
Emily needed people to find her, trust her, and book her… fast. She had recently bought her house. So she had a vintage farmhouse with a small salon space, a Fear-Free certification, and a genuinely different approach to grooming (one built around dog comfort and stress-free experiences, not just a quick turnaround). But none of that mattered if her online presence couldn't communicate it.
A DIY website wasn't going to cut it. She knew she needed something that looked as legit as she was, and was built to actually show up in local searches from day one.
What We Built: Brand Identity
Emily came in with her logo, and from there we built out a full brand identity — colors, typography, visual direction, and voice — that captured her personality and the warm, joyful experience her clients and their dogs would have walking through her door. Nothing generic. Nothing that could belong to any other groomer. Unmistakably The LaundroMutt.
It was deeply important to represent Emily as your dog’s new best friend. Not a show groomer, not a high-turnover dog salon. We threw industry convention out the door and showed (gasp!) dirty, happy dogs in their natural environments throughout the website to connect her with the kind of clients she wants to attract, and let them know: it’s okay for your dog to just be a dog here. I will love them anyway!
What an absolute delight!
Custom Squarespace Website
Using my signature Ducks In A Row process, we dove deep into Emily's vision on day one: who she's for, what makes her different, and what her clients need to see to feel confident booking with her.
From there, I built her a full website: cohesive, accessible, mobile-friendly, and designed to convert local visitors into actual appointments. Integrated with her booking software, Amazon affiliate picks, Instagram and live Google Reviews.
Every page was written and structured with SEO in mind, so she wouldn't be invisible to the Weaverville and Asheville dog owners actively searching for exactly what she offers.
SEO & Accessibility
Getting found locally was everything for Emily's launch. We built local SEO into the site from the very first decision — not as an afterthought, but as a foundation. Page structure, keywords, metadata, image optimization: all of it designed so that when a dog owner in Weaverville searched for a groomer, The LaundroMutt had a real shot at showing up.
Accessibility has been equally intentional — and it's grown deeper over time. As we've continued working together, we've refined and improved the site to reflect Emily's genuine commitment to welcoming every client, regardless of ability. That includes adding a formal accessibility statement to her website — a public declaration of her values that matches the physical space she's now building: a fully wheelchair accessible standalone salon designed from the ground up with her clients in mind.
For Emily, accessibility isn't a feature. It's who she is. Her website needed to say that out loud.
And as The LaundroMutt has grown, I've stayed in Emily's corner helping with website updates, answering questions, and making sure her site keeps pace with her business.
Because a good launch is just the beginning.
The Before & After
✅ A website that looked as good as her work
✅ Fully booked within six months
✅ Steady bookings and glowing reviews ever since
✅ Confidence to share her business proudly
✅ Reinvesting in growth — on her own terms
❌ Years of experience, zero online presence of her own
❌ No client list to take with her
❌ No brand beyond a logo
❌ Starting completely from scratch
❌ A launch date and a lot riding on it
Having a website that reflected who we are as a business, the services we offered and who our owner is was extremely important — and Lark made that happen. We get compliments on our website constantly and I can confidently say it has helped us book and secure business.
— Emily Marvin, Founder & Groomer, The LaundroMutt
The Moment It Became Real
Emily didn't just need bookings. She needed to know that this leap was worth taking. That she could do this on her own.
Within six months, she was fully booked. Not slowly filling up. Booked. And she's stayed that way.
The reviews started rolling in. Not just "great groomer" reviews, but reviews from people who said their anxious dogs came back calm. That their dog wiggled with excitement when they pulled into the driveway. That they couldn't imagine taking their pup anywhere else. Those aren't just nice words… they're proof that the website was doing exactly what it was supposed to do: connecting Emily with exactly the right people, and giving them enough trust to walk through the door.
What's Next for The LaundroMutt
A salon built exactly the way she always imagined it.
Emily is currently finishing out a custom standalone salon on her property: designed from the ground up for dog comfort, with every detail thoughtfully considered. And fully wheelchair accessible for her human clients, too. This is what it looks like when a business grows intentionally, from a website that works, into a space that reflects exactly who you are.
That's what a strong foundation makes possible. Not just more bookings, but a business that can grow into whatever you dream up next.
I can't wait to see what the new salon looks like. 🐕
Spoiler alert: this could be you & me.
Whether you're launching from scratch, stepping into a new chapter, or finally ready to stop spiraling and start showing up… I'd love to hear about it.
My signature, tiny business friendly design process is brain-friendly & built for your timeline.
