Her Story
About Laura
Laura Watts is an award-winning pet stylist and entrepreneur and the owner of Plush Paws Pet Salon & Boutique in Longwood, Florida. With more than 20 years in the pet industry and 16 years operating her own business, she has built Plush Paws into a recognized Central Florida pet-care destination offering grooming, boutique, and daycare services. Her professional expertise includes dog and cat grooming, feline care, animal behavior, safety, and animal CPR, with her experience as a cat specialist helping distinguish her work in a specialized area of the pet-care industry.
Laura began her professional journey in pet retail, where an opportunity to work in grooming ultimately revealed a career she describes as her purpose. She pursued professional training and became a certified pet stylist in dog and cat grooming before launching Plush Paws in 2010. Her business has earned numerous Best Of recognitions from Orlando Weekly, Orlando Sentinel, and Orlando Magazine over the past decade, including Best Dog Groomer in 2015 and Best Of The Best in 2017. In 2026, Plush Paws was also recognized by Newsweek as one of its Most Loved Pet Brands. Alongside her work in pet care, Laura has developed an interest in commercial real estate and has been involved in property transactions connected with the continued growth of her business.
Laura attributes her success to authenticity, kindness, strong people skills, artistic ability, sales expertise, and genuine care for both clients and animals. She views pet grooming as both a technical discipline and an art form and believes that how clients and their pets are treated is fundamental to long-term success. She encourages aspiring pet professionals to obtain accredited training, gain hands-on experience, seek out knowledgeable mentors, and understand that business ownership is a separate skill set that develops with time. Her career reflects the combination of passion, technical expertise, entrepreneurship, and a commitment to creating a trusted and welcoming experience for pets and their owners.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Laura
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to the genuine energy I bring to every interaction and to the way I treat people and the animals entrusted to my care. Skill is important, but I believe the way you make people feel the moment they walk through the door matters just as much. I lead with love, kindness, and authenticity, and I believe those qualities have helped me build lasting relationships and take my career very far.
I am also very people-oriented and naturally enjoy connecting with others. My background as an artist has been valuable because I see grooming as a form of art. Combined with my strengths in sales, customer relationships, and grooming, those qualities created what I consider the perfect combination for my career.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice is to start small and learn as much as possible wherever you begin. Make sure your training and skills come from an accredited institute rather than learning only informal techniques from someone who may not have the proper professional foundation.
Get the appropriate accreditation and certification, gain as much hands-on experience as you can, and surround yourself with people who genuinely know what they are doing and are willing to mentor you. The business side is a completely different part of the journey, and much of that is something you learn over time through experience.
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