Jess Rona has always been ready for her close-up. She grew up dreaming of being an actress and comedian in LA, and when she got the chance to go for it, she did. But like countless others before her, the Academy didn’t quite come calling as quickly as she hoped. So, Rona got jobs as a waitress and dog groomer, thinking that these were temporary solutions on the way to stardom. Except for one thing: Grooming was fun. Like, really fun. And when she took a blow dryer to a dog and set the slow-motion scene to music, it was even more of a blast. The owners loved the results, and Rona got a kick out of it, too. When she put the videos on Instagram, a viral audience agreed.
In the years since Rona shared her first slow-mo dog video, she’s become famous for the type of fun-loving internet content that’s all too rare these days. Her posts make her fans smile in a way that’s at no one’s expense—not even cat lovers—while showcasing her wit and talent.
As business grew alongside her client roster, which includes Katy Perry and Ruby Rose, Rona saw her acting credits multiply, too. She’s worked on shows like “New Girl” and “One Mississippi,” and HBO Max recently premiered her very own show “Haute Dog.” As it turns out, she didn’t have to wait for the Academy to come to her. She is more than capable of creating a spotlight all her own.
You’re known for your viral Instagram account dedicated to hilarious, slow-motion music videos of your four-legged clients, and you've groomed the pooches of celebrities like Katy Perry, Nina Dobrev, Zooey Deschanel, and Ruby Rose. Take us back to the beginning—what was the lightbulb moment for your business and what inspired you to pursue this path?
The path sort of found me! I was acting and doing comedy—which means waiting tables—and grooming dogs for years. I turned 30 and realized I didn’t want to wait tables anymore.
(cont’d…)
So, I decided to dive in and get as good as I could get with grooming. I started attending seminars and competing in grooming competitions, and got obsessed. But I still went on auditions, and I ended up getting fired from a grooming shop because I kept leaving to go to last-minute commercial auditions during the day. It was the best thing that ever happened to me. I had a little grooming station set up in my garage, so I started doing that to pay my bills. I figured I could groom my friends dogs here and there, and pursue acting fully. If you know anything about being an actor, it means you’re usually not working. So I was spending most of my time grooming dogs alone in my garage next to my Prius. This was five or six years ago, and I just got a new iPhone 6 that had a slo-mo feature which was the coolest thing to me. I listen to music as I work, and I was blow drying a Pekingese named Noodle. Her ears flew up in the air as the music crescendoed, and it was a magical moment I’ll never forget. I started making videos of dogs for their owners, just for fun, and people’s reactions were so wonderful. I wanted to bring as much joy and smiles to people around me as I felt in that moment with Noodle.
I created my Instagram account and posted videos of dogs blowing in the wind. It went viral, and years later, I opened my first brick-and-mortar shop. I found a true love for entrepreneurship, and my two worlds are colliding: comedy and dog grooming.
You started Jess Rona Grooming out of your home, and you were in the midst of opening your first brick-and-mortar location in Los Angeles when COVID derailed your plans. How have you handled that setback and what advice can you share for small biz owners who are experiencing COVID-induced delays or disappointments right now?
It was really, really hard. It seemed like there were roadblocks and problems with every tiny thing I wanted to do. From plumbing issues to having a big door installed, it was the most challenging thing I’ve ever gone through in my life. Because of the pandemic, I had to wait 12 weeks to get a permit from the city of LA. Who can survive that? I had to make decisions that I wasn’t equipped to make, but I learned something every step of the way.
Here’s what I did to survive really bad times: I focused on the good. I would get out The Magic by Rhonda Byrne and work the gratitude steps, I would meditate on all the things that were going right even if it was one tiny thing, and I would do anything to be in a good mood. I love “Forever in Blue Jeans” by Neil Diamond, and I’d blast that song to get me out of a funk. I also developed a relationship with a higher power, and looked up to it for everything. This helps a lot when we have slow days and I feel like nothing is working.
We’re all human, and I’ve learned that it’s important to be gentle with yourself. Every set back I went through (and there were a lot) made the completion of the project so much more amazing. There were days where I thought it would never happen. It took one year and three months to open my brick-and-mortar store. Keep going. Keep fighting. And remember the bigger picture: Our lives are full of seasons, and after winter is always spring.
At the height of stay-at-home orders in Los Angeles, you pivoted your business to share grooming tutorials on your Instagram account and YouTube channel. What advice can you share on how to adjust a small business’s social strategy at a moment’s notice?
The most important thing for my business is to ask myself, “How can I give and be of service?” Get to know your audience and see what there is a need of, rather than focusing on how to make money and grow followers. The answer is sometimes different from what you think people need and want. Take a poll on Instagram and do live streams—even if you have 30 followers, if you were in a room with an audience of 30 people, their opinions would matter.
It’s also important to sit and meditate for a bit with a pen and paper next to you. Take a deep breath and ask yourself how you can be of service, and allow your ideas to flow. Write them down as they come. If you’re feeling blocked, grab a copy of The Artist’s Way and do morning pages with the filter of “How can I be of service.” It feels good to give, and when you feel good, more good things come to you.
2020 presented everybody around the globe with new, unprecedented challenges. How did you #FindNewRoads + switch gears towards your new version of success?
I haven’t figured it all out, but this is my honest experience: I switch gears by literally staying in the moment. I am not looking at the future and I’m not looking at the past. I am focused on today, taking it in.
My new shop has been open for three months, and we have had really slow days. Before we opened, I thought a new show on HBO Max and the fact that I’ve been closed off to the public with a long wait list was going to mean a flood of new clients at once, but I was wrong. There were panic-y moments when I thought, “This business isn’t going to survive,” but I have learned that that is my ego talking. Our ego wants to keep us safe in the zone where we are most comfortable, but our higher self wants us to grow. So I made a decision to not allow hard days to derail me. And that’s how I determine what success is to me.
It’s unbelievably challenging to stay positive when things seem to be falling apart. But they’re not—it’s all perspective. So I switch gears by turning to the good in my life. Even a teeny tiny thing like “My dogs are healthy and they bring me joy” will make me feel better. Look at the big picture, find things to focus on that are going great, and explore them.
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, you wrapped production on the HBO MAX competition series “Haute Dog,” which was inspired by your Instagram account and your coffee table book—congratulations! How did this opportunity come about, what was the experience like, and how has it impacted your business?
I groom an incredible poodle named Doug. His mom, Nicolle Yaron, is a creative genius who created the show “Making It” on NBC, and she has an eye for fun show ideas. I had only known Doug’s dad, Rob, but one day Nicolle came over to pick him up. She walked into my garage and said to me “We’re going to make a show together.”
I was obviously excited because it’s been my dream since I was a little kid to be on TV. So we started developing the idea, and three years later, “Haute Dog” was born! It was the most magical and surreal experience I’ve ever had. I can’t believe I have a show. It’s like winning the lottery in this town and I can’t wait to do more. We released six episodes, and have six more coming out in the next few months.
The wonderful thing about “Haute Dog” is that even if the contestants didn’t win, everyone on the show had a blast and the world got to see their incredible grooming. I think the main way the show has affected my business is that I got a major confidence boost, and feel even more comfortable charging my rates and stepping into my power.
With success comes opportunity, but that also means you have your hands full. What keeps you inspired and motivated to keep going even on your most challenging days?
Every new opportunity, like collaborating with new brands or developing a TV show, is like a new business. It’s easy to stay motivated with new projects, but it can be challenging to not feel overwhelmed. I have a lot of plates spinning, so I breathe through it and stay in the moment as much as I can. I try to look at things in small, bite-size pieces rather than looking at all of them thinking, “I have so much to do!”
I struggle to stay motivated with Instagram, actually. I’m known for these windblown videos of dogs set to music, but it’s tough to make videos when I am doing so much. Sometimes the creativity doesn’t come, but I just do my best and try to stay gentle with myself. I am planning on hiring someone to help me with these videos. I think if you can hire someone to take the load off, even part-time, it can help so much.
You’re a multi-hyphenate actress, comedian, director, filmmaker, and dog groomer to the stars—how do you do it all? What's the one productivity tip or work hack that has truly changed your life?
As far as productivity goes, look at your day as a bunch of small, manageable tasks instead of one big monster of a day. I use Trello to keep track of larger picture goals, and I just got a fancy planner from a company called Golden Coil—it’s customizable. Prioritizing is really important, and I stopped doing little things that aren’t generating income. And lastly, I am learning to step back and allow people I’ve hired to do things for me. Even if it’s something small, they help me focus on other things that will honor my growth.
For those who haven’t started a business (or are about to), what advice do you have?
Know the difference between your ego’s voice and the voice of your higher self. Your higher self talks to you with grace and love. It isn’t a critic, and it makes you feel equal parts excitement and terror. That’s how you know you’re headed in the right direction. Taking risks and making big decisions are the best ways to grow.
Next, be specific about what you want. Make lists and vision boards for all of your dreams and goals, and know inside that it’s all coming to you. If you have a calling to do something, or if you feel obsessed about something, that’s your intuition telling you what direction to go in. Follow it!
Going after what you deserve in life takes confidence and guts. Does confidence come naturally to you or did you have to learn it? What advice can you share for women on cultivating confidence and going after their dreams?
I like that your question has the word “deserve” in it. Because everyone deserves everything they want. We are all worthy of success, money, love, and joy—all of it. I had to learn confidence, but it definitely comes more easily as you get older because a) you’re better at things, and b) you’re used to taking risks so it’s less scary.
My biggest piece of advice is to be patient and kind with yourself, and don’t let fear stop you. Learn to live with fear and feeling uncomfortable. The more you do something, the easier it gets and the more confident you become.
If you could go back to the beginning of your career journey—with the knowledge you have now— what advice would you give yourself?
Charge what you’re worth, even if it’s the scariest thing you’ve ever done. Not everyone wants to pay that much, but those people aren’t your people. Also, pay attention to your money and set up an income-only account so you can see how much money you make per week. Then transfer that money to different accounts according to where you want your money to go.
Clients, casting directors, brands, Instagram followers aren’t your higher power—learn about the law of attraction, and pay attention to your thoughts. Thoughts create feelings, feelings create beliefs, and beliefs create your entire world. You get what you tolerate.
You want to keep things small, and that works for now. But that feeling won’t last, and just know that the tiny voice inside of you that’s dreaming of huge things will eventually get louder, and that’s when magical things are going to happen.
Fill in the blanks:
The three qualities that got me to where I am today are____my creativity, drive, and chutzpah.
My perfect day begins with____meditation, working on my gratitude book, and coffee.
If there were more hours in the day, I would____take a nap.
The craziest thing I’ve done for work is____I blow wind on dogs for a living! That is still pretty crazy to me.
To be successful, you need to be____willing to be uncomfortable and terrified.
