The Woman Who Started It All

Meet Connie

Connie Buchanan

Where it All Began

How does a girl go from a nationally-award-winning teaching career, leave it all behind to enter a second career - one immersed with dirty, stinky, coat-overgrown dogs and cats - and truly think she is the luckiest, most blessed individual in the world?

“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”

— Simon Sinek

It all started with...

Imagine working so hard to achieve a Bachelor of Education Degree, and then dedicating 20+ years to teaching, only to realize that the insatiable need to work with animals was so overpowering that there was nothing else to do but literally “go to the dogs!”

I am a wife, mother of three boys, Bachelor of Education Recipient, Certified Dog & Cat Groomer, business owner, entrepreneur, and pet owner who started all of this as proudly as a cat who just swallowed a canary, or a dog with two tails!

“Find out what you like doing best and get someone to pay you for doing it.”

— Katherine Whitehorn

we groom cats too

Visit PreZoomably Cats

Since my conversion

to the dog/cat world, I have accomplished:

Relationships with my favorite dogs, cats and humans, and I must say they are all exquisitely beyond extraordinary
A successful three part business, in the city of Regina, Saskatchewan: Zoom Zoom Groom (The IN Salon and Mobile Grooming), a cat division called PreZoomably Cats: Feline Groomz & Roomz, and a Government Regulated Vocational School called Apex Academy of Professional Grooming & Animal Arts
The honor of improving the lives of dogs & cats by grooming them to be “Show Ring” worthy
The building of an incredible team (20 employees) that not only teach me about passion, motivation, creativity and compassion, but are hugely responsible for the many successes of Zoom Zoom Groom
The creation of the Apex Academy of Professional Grooming & Animal Arts, which enables me to continue teaching (once a teacher, always a teacher) and inspiring others with the art of grooming - something I am over-the-top passionate about

Becoming a 2017 Ambassador for Women Entrepreneurs of Saskatchewan

In this journey

I have learned (and continue to learn daily):

What it takes to be a female entrepreneur
We are only as good as the people we surround ourselves with
To always, ALWAYS, trust your gut instincts. If you genuinely feel in your heart that something is
wrong - it usually is
Persistence and determination are mandatory
“Rome was not built in a day." - This must be a quote from my Mother
How to work “on” the business as opposed to “in” it. (This one is tough for me.)
How much joy a four-legged friend can bring us, and how we can contribute to providing them with a happier, healthier and shinier life
How, at the end of the day, happiness, community, and contribution are by far the most rewarding things on earth

A great big thanks!

So, in closing, bring on the stinky, coat-overgrown dogs and cats - my life would be less fulfilling without them! I look forward to continually learning, growing, and embracing more experiences as the years go by.

To my staff and family (especially Randy, my husband) thank you, as always, for making me look good. Not only are all of you very special, you are the foundation of Zoom Zoom Groom!