Barkbus is the nation’s fastest-growing mobile dog grooming company. And Barkbus was launched in LA to serve southern California and recently expanded to Texas, Arizona, and now Georgia. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Barkbus CEO and co-founder Jeff Safenowitz to learn more about the company.
Jeff Safenowitz’s Background
What is Safenowitz’s background? Safenowitz said:
“I have been CEO and Co-Founder of Barkbus since 2017, the nation’s fastest-growing mobile dog grooming company. I am an operator at heart, having cut my teeth as one of the first WeWork employees ultimately responsible for helping the company scale its physical presence across the globe. I like to think of myself as a 1-100 Entrepreneur, someone who loves building processes, playbooks, and systems that can scale as the business grows.”
“On a personal note, I’m from Los Angeles, where I currently live with my wife Erica and our daughter, Summer, and am a proud University of Michigan alum.”
Formation Of Barkbus
How did the idea for the company come together? Safenowitz shared:
“My co-founder Patrick Riley is a world-class designer and “tech guy” with years of experience launching businesses – think 0-1 Entrepreneur. We knew we wanted to build a business together and like most entrepreneurs, when we thought about starting a business we passed all ideas through 3 lenses:
1.) We wanted to solve a real consumer pain point (everyone hates bringing their dogs to a salon)
2.) If we solve the pain point, can we build a massive business behind it (pet parents spend $150 billion on their pets annually)
3.) Assuming we can do both 1 & 2, do our skill sets give us the unique advantage to achieve success (unit-based growth + tech & branding, check & check)
So how did we land on Barkbus? We love our dogs and hated the traditional options for grooming. We felt that dog grooming was the last untapped frontier within the pet category; the space was void of technology and lacked a trusted national brand that combined a seamless customer experience with compassionate, exceptional care. That, combined with the world’s transition to a doorstep economy, got us really excited about building both an awesome grooming business and a platform for all your pet needs right at your doorstep.”
Favorite Memory
What has been your favorite memory working for the company so far? Safenowitz reflected:
“If I had to pick one specific moment that stands out I would go with saving a lost dog! Last year, our concierge received a call that someone found a dog that was lost in the streets with no collar. All it had on was a Barkbus blue bandana. Because of our tech platform and photo database (we always send customers cute photos mid-groom), we were able to quickly identify the dog and make sure that he was reunited with his owner. They were worried sick and so grateful to be reunited safe and sound.”
Core Products
What are the company’s core products and features? Safenowitz explained:
“We provide direct-to-doorstep dog grooming services. With a Barkbus mobile grooming experience, all dogs get one-on-one service from a professional groomer in a calm environment—no barking from other dogs, no having to wait in cages for their owners to pick them up. Pet parents also benefit. They don’t have to battle traffic or worry about how their dog is doing at a grooming salon, not to mention how their dog might feel and act afterward. They always know how their dogs are doing; the Barkbus team sends the owner photos of their dogs throughout a grooming session (the soapy mohawk shot is a specialty). And dog owners can quickly book online once it’s time for the next appointment.”
“Leveraging technology has always been foundational to our success. Barkbus has optimized routes, implemented AI-driven customer support, and built a custom CRM to create seamless experiences for dogs, pet parents, and groomers. We also use AI to route our inbound messages to the right team, which creates efficiencies and saves time. Our AI chatbot, ‘Astro’ chats directly with returning customers to help them quickly book appointments that best suit their needs.”
Challenges Faced
What challenges have Safenowitz and the team faced in building the company? Safenowitz acknowledged:
“Hiring exceptional talent to scale to meet demand. To tackle that, we’ve invested a lot of time and energy in attracting top grooming talent which helps with our referral pipeline. We like to think of ourselves as a groomer-first business – we offer salaries well above market rate, full benefits with paid time off and professional development opportunities.”
Evolution Of Barkbus’ Technology
How has the company’s technology evolved since launching? Safenowitz noted:
“As previously mentioned, integrating AI into our platform has been an incredible boost for customer experience. Route optimization, customer support, seamless booking, and routing messages to the right team members have not only saved the team countless hours and created efficiencies, but our customers get more personalized attention and have a better experience with us as a result.”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of the company’s most significant milestones? Safenowitz cited:
“Expansions. We now serve seven cities across four states today. We started in Los Angeles in 2020 and expanded further across Southern California to Orange County and San Diego. Last year, we launched our first two new states in Dallas, Texas ,and Phoenix, Arizona – both have gone tremendously as we have been welcomed with open arms by the local dog loving communities! So far this year we’ve expanded into Houston and officially are coast to coast as of June with our launch of Atlanta, Georgia!”
Customer Success Stories
After asking Safenowitz about customer success stories, he highlighted:
“There are so many, but if I had to pick I would say two themes come to mind. Sadly, pet parents sometimes come to us and mention they’ve had traumatic grooming experiences in the past and are doubtful that anyone can provide safe and stress-free grooming services for their dog. They are shocked to see their pup licking our groomer’s face and wagging their tail looking adorable after a stress-free groom. Environment, quality care, and calming energy make all the difference.”
“The other success story we are proud of is that each dog gets a comprehensive hands-on pet examination from our groomer during each appointment. This comprehensive check has led to the early detection of tumors, infections, and other potentially life-threatening issues. Most of the time the pet parent had no idea and were extremely grateful to us for flagging and advising them to go see their vet.”
Revenue
After asking Safenowitz about the company’s revenue, he revealed:
“We are doubling revenue every year, improving our unit economics, and excited to bring Barkbus to more communities across the nation.”
Total Addressable Market
What total addressable market (TAM) size is the company pursuing? Safenowitz assessed:
“The pet industry is one of the fastest-growing consumer segments. The United States pet industry market is at $150 billion today and Morgan Stanley estimates that it will grow to $275 billion by 2030. And grooming is part of that growth. According to data from IBISWorld on the U.S. pet grooming and boarding industry, “pet owners’ steep spending on pets” resulted in ‘industry-wide revenue to expand at a CAGR of 2.8% to an estimated $11.8 billion’ between 2018 and 2023.”
Differentiation From The Competiton
What differentiates the company from its competition? Safenowitz affirmed:
“People and technology. We like to think we have the most talented groomers in the world. We devote a lot of time and energy into building a grooming culture of compassion, excellence and development. Our goal is to enable our groomers to focus on the pups in their care and delivering world class customer service. To support them and our national expansion pursuit, we have built our own tech platform that powers our business. Our technology platform has enabled us to expand to 7 cities in just a few years. The best part? We are just getting started! Excited to bring Barkbus to every city in the country in the years to come!”
Future Company Goals
What are some of the company’s future company goals? Safenowitz concluded:
“Today, we are the largest and fastest-growing mobile dog grooming company in the nation, and we intend to continue that trajectory. We aspire to end traumatic trips to the grooming salon across the United States and from there – global!”
