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We believe that strong technical skills get you into the game but it is your business and personal skills that lead you to success. In over 27 years of owning salons, we have countless examples of stylists with great technical skills that struggled connecting to their client and consequently had a difficult time building clientele. On the other hand we have known many extremely successful stylists with average technical skills who understood how to provide an incredible experience and build a great client relationship. If you can do both, watch out because you’ll be a star!

Having a plan is critical. Whatever your destination, to get there you need a plan. It starts with deciding what you want. It is important to be specific, write down what you want and make it measurable. Then, set a deadline to accomplish your goals. Identify any obstacles that may be in your path. Determine any additional knowledge that you need to acquire. Determine who can assist you in reaching your goals. One sure fire way to find success faster is to find a mentor. We have found that successful people are usually very willing to share how they found success. Get advise from others who have taken the same path. Now, declare what your dream is and starting taking action!

We would say many salon owners feel, if wages are met and most of the bills are being paid on time they they have a successful business, and that is fine in the early stages, but they should be planning on a point in time when planning a budget and reaching profitability also has to be equally as important.

Unfortunately most salons are owned by stylists who have little to no business training or experience. Having a passion for the salon industry is a great starting point but is only one of many necessary ingredients. The ability to be a great hairdresser is completely different from the ability to be a great business owner. Why do most businesses fail? They fail because of a lack of knowledge and preparation.

We believe that it is important to follow your passion. If you love it, you will figure out how to be great at it. However, it is difficult if not impossible to work full time behind the chair and still expect to have the time to develop your staff. If you are planning on continuing to work full time behind the chair, then you will need a great Manager and great systems. Only you can decide where your passion lies, just realize that to be successful you must put your full time and best efforts towards your goals. Dividing your focus leads to mediocrity and mediocrity often leads to failure.

The relationship between the salon and stylist should be win-win, where the salon is doing all they can to assist the stylists growth and the stylist wants the salon to succeed as well. With that being said, building a clientele is the stylist’s responsibility. No one cares about your career as much as you do, and no matter how much advertising or marketing your salon owner does, nothing compares to what you do! This is a relationship business, you are in control of your own destiny. Too many people believe that building a clientele is like sitting in a fine restaurant and waiting for the waiter to take your order, when in actuality it is more like a great buffet where you have you get out of your seat and go get it. If you want a great clientele, you need to make it happen!

Speakers, authors and trainers love to tell us that there are secrets to success, but the truth is that there are no secrets. There is no revolutionary new information. The same things it takes to be successful today are the same things it has taken throughout history. There are only universal principles and timeless truths, and one of the greatest truths is that quality systems are critical. Systems allow us to stay organized and consistent. Tracking your numbers allows you to know how you are doing. It is just as important as ever to know what your retention rate is, what your referral rate is, how you are doing on retailing and what percentage of your clientele is receiving chemical services. Using systems to track our progress gives us the knowledge we need to improve. Doing business without systems is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know what you want to accomplish but no one else does.

Yes, we believe the most important role of a Salon Owner or Manager is to coach their staff. As an owner, if you want a successful, profitable salon, it is your job to make sure that your staff is being trained and encouraged to reach their full potential. Telling people to “do more – sell more” is pretty ineffective without the “here’s how to do more and do it better” training. You don’t know what you don’t know. It is the Salon Owners job to be a mentor, to show the staff what is possible.

We still believe that no one should know your client and their needs better than you, their stylist does. A personal recommendation from a knowledgeable stylist is still the best avenue for clients to know the correct and most effective product for them. Selling products is still triple win, the clients gets better results and as a result will be more loyal, you make more money and the salon does too.

Being an educator, one thing that we’ve noticed is that the most successful Salon Owners and stylists are teachable. They never stop learning. They are always striving to improve. The ones who struggle are the ones who think they already know everything. Continuing education inspires us and motivates us to improve. Listen to those who have earned the right to speak. Learn from the people who have already proven their success, people that can help you reach your goals faster. Newton D Baker said, “The man who graduates today and stops learning tomorrow is un-educated the day after.” Focus on what you do well now, don’t expect to be perfect, study the masters and remember that the road to success is always under construction.