236. A o.m.o dog groomer and a senior citizen who would write if there was money to be made.

Toilet Training Your First Puppy in Singapore

January 8th 2006 was a Sunday. The clouds were dark. Rain drops sprinkled onto me as I visited a pet shop at 5 p.m.

A thin fair girl bent her head and upper body down to clip a Miniature Schnauzer. The grooming table was too low for her. She had 10 dogs to groom on this Sunday. It was nearing 6 p.m and she had 4 more dogs to groom.

"Why don't you get a hydraulic grooming table so that you can adjust the height of the table. Then you can clip comfortably and will not get back ache later on?" I asked. "I do surgery on a hydraulic operating table and surgery less stressful for me. You have to groom 10 dogs like a hunch-back." She said that a hydraulic table cost as much as an ordinary grooming table, around S$300. I disagreed.

She was a o.m.o. A one-man-operator. In Singapore many years ago, the buses were o.m.o. That is why I remember this o.m.o.

She had lost a lot of weight. Her cheeks no longer had that pad of fat. Her eyes were bright and appeared bigger. A worn out white T-shirt and loose shorts. I saw her bare toes amongst the abundant dog's hairs on the floor. "Why don't you wear slippers?" I asked. "Do you not want to look professional like wearing a proper grooming uniform?"

"It is too hot," she said. So far, no back ache. So no need to bother about a fancy hydraulic grooming table. I note that all groomers in Singapore do not have such tables. Not only will they get back aches, their fingers become sprained and they may not be able to groom long.

"Why don't you advertise and get some 'O' level girls to help you as part-timers?" I asked. It was difficult for a person to groom, bathe, keep the pet shop clean, answer phone calls and feed the dogs on a Sunday. It was better to have one helper. I visited one pet shop owned by 2 ladies. They do not seem to have a shortage of part-timers.

"Why did you accept so many dogs when you are a o.m.o?" I asked the groomer whose face looked a bit like the Japanese anime magazine girls. "You just over-stress yourself."

"One owner booked an appointment for 3 dogs and came with 5." she said. "On other times, I do not have so many dogs to groom." It was either feast or famine.

I did not disturb her further. I saw an older person doing obedience training of a Golden Retriever. He was over 50 years old. In Singapore, anybody over 50 years old is a Senior Citizen. He was doing pet food and accessory sales but he was very interested in dog training. Even if there was one case, he would turn up at the pet shop to do obedience training.

"How's your book sales?" I asked. He was selling a book by a famous TV vet in Australia to pet shops in Singapore for his company. "About 300 books sold and then the sales declined."

"Could it be the price?" I asked. "The books sells at S$30.00 each in the pet shop". He did not comment.

"Some people asked me to write a dog book, get advertising support to publish it." he said. "It is a waste of my time. Selling 300 books cannot make an author rich. In Singapore, selling 3,000 books calls for celebration. Overseas, they sell few thousands."

"Authors seldom make money," I said. "Very rarely is there an author so successful as the Harry Potter's author." From what I read in writing magazines, the book's content must be in demand. Then lots of money and time spent on promotion and advertisement by publishers and the authors themselves.

"What do you want to write about?" I asked him.

"Don't let the dog lead you, pick up the poop as you might step on it yourself on the way back, what rubbish to say that dogs are allergic to chicken, consult your vet when your dogs have problems..."

Would a tips book for Singapore dog owners sell? I don't know. In any case, this gentleman was writing to make money. Since he concluded that you cannot make money from writing books, there was no point to encourage him to write.

In this world, there are too many people who have good ideas. After getting good ideas, they do not know how to implement to make the idea successful. They need to do research and talk to many people to find out whether the ideas can work. Even if they find that, from feedback, that the ideas cannot work, they should not give up hope. They must start writing their ideas on paper and do more research. This takes up a lot of free time. Many people just will not do research. So, their concepts never bear fruits.

It was a waste of my time advising him just as my advice to the lady groomer to get a hydraulic grooming table fell on deaf ears.

The thunderstorm clouds burst, forcing me to make my way home. To write this story for 2 people who are just starting new careers.

One is a very good computer expert and the other is a heart surgeon. Both have over 30 years of experience. Can they share their knowledge in writing their experiences in books? Interesting people they have met? Problems they have had solved? Such books will sell. Nobody knows whether they will be best sellers.

As for writing, those who want to make money must know the craft of writing and the audience and spend a lot of lonely time writing and writing. Without thinking of making money. Once you think of making money, you cannot excel in your profession because you are always calculating.

When you go into a profession or work for a new employer or partnership, you must have passion. However, with passion, you must know how to work smart in terms of managing your time and stress. Looking after your long-term health and using the correct tools to make your working life easier. Read lots of books and magazines on other professions. You can pick out the best practices and experiences of problem solving by other professiona and trades and make your own work so much fun and enjoyable.