Anna Lee’s mobile grooming service, Squeaky Beans Grooming, has created a unique and upgraded experience for hundreds of pets across Middle Tennessee. She started the company in December 2025 to pursue a more flexible schedule. It was apparently a much-needed service, because Lee’s mobile pet styling service in Tullahoma has exceeded all her expectations. In less than a year, she’s staying busy with around 120 clients, all built entirely through word of mouth.
“I’ve been grooming for six years now,” Lee said. “I only started on my own this past December because I had my second child, and I wanted to be able to create my own schedule.”
Lee began her career in pet care at PetSmart in Murfreesboro, where she earned her pet safety certification for both cats and dogs. From there, she gained mobile grooming experience with a company that has since closed. Lee says she has also worked in privately owned grooming salons. Though the state of Tennessee doesn’t require groomers to hold a license, Lee continues to further her education, and she carries full insurance, which she says is less common among house-call groomers.
“I continue my own education because I just always want to be up to date on what I do,” Lee said.
Her company brings pet services right to their own door. Lee brings her own professional equipment, works with whatever space a home can offer, and leaves without a trace when she’s done. Her service area spans Tullahoma, Lynchburg, Winchester, Shelbyville, Manchester, Decherd, Fayetteville, and McMinnville. She has even made it as far as Hazel Green, Alabama.
“I’m very good at cleaning up after myself,” she said. “I’ve worked in all kinds of conditions, and I’m able to work around what they can provide me.”
Some clients were initially hesitant to welcome someone into their homes, so Lee has also done grooming and styling in driveways or other outdoor areas that work well for the task. Usually, once a family and its pet become familiar with her, they open their doors and let her come in to do her work.
Owners can feel at ease with Squeaky Beans Grooming because Lee’s philosophy is that grooming shouldn’t be a stressful experience for the pet, the owner, or the stylist. Traditional salons might mean loud dryers, unfamiliar dogs, and spending hours away from the people a pet loves most. Bringing the service to the pet’s home for individual attention creates a calmer environment.
Some animals, however, are especially nervous about new people coming into their personal space, so for her most anxious clients, Lee offers a service she calls a “home visit.” Lee shows up without her equipment, bringing only treats and a comforting presence to introduce herself to the pet before any grooming takes place. This kind of personal care and compassion is valuable to pet owners seeking a positive grooming experience and helps put pets at ease.
“I treat all of my clients like I’m their aunt and I’m just coming over to visit them,” she said. “I bring treats, and I pet them and play with them so they know I’m not just a scary groomer, I’m a person that loves them and cares about them.”
Positive reinforcement looks different for every animal. For dogs, it might mean treats or special trigger words from their owners. For cats, sometimes a gentle comb across the face is enough to settle them into a more accepting mood. In nine months of operation, she’s only had to turn away three clients out of 120.
Her family also supports her business. In fact, it was her husband’s anxious dog who started her on this path. When she first moved in with her husband, she saw that his dog couldn’t even leave the house. Lee cared for her at their home, and that experience influenced her decision to become a groomer and eventually work in mobile styling.
“One of the main reasons I fell in love with my husband was that his dogs love him so much,” she said. “I feel like that’s a good judge of character.”
She and her husband are a team at home and with the business. He manages the Squeaky Beans website and stays home with their two sons, Finley, 4, and Pippin, 1, when Lee is out on a job call.
Squeaky Beans is currently at capacity, but she keeps a waitlist for last-minute openings. She’s also looking into creative grooming services and has been practicing coloring and dyeing techniques, using a cheetah print on her mom’s dog as a first test run. Overall, Lee says taking the leap to become her own boss has been a gift.
“I’m so happy with the support that I’ve gotten,” she said. “My clients have all been really supportive.” GN
To get on the waitlist or learn more, visit squeakybeansgrooming.com or email anna@squeakybeansgrooming.com.
