There are no quick fixes in this industry; no ‘fad diets’ and no ‘one size fits all’ to build a successful salon or spa. It’s a long-haul game, and those that realise this are the ones that stay true to their beliefs and their core values. As time goes on, these salon owners’ lives will get easier, and because their team will have been built on the right values, their business is going to be as strong as an ox.
Listen to the audio version of this blog, and subscribe to the Phorest Blog Podcast here:
Why The ‘Fad Diets’ Just Don’t Support Sustainable Growth
Taking a salon from adolescence to maturity is a no-brainer; but it has to be done well, and the problem is that many salon owners try to skip the hard work of building proper successful salon systems and hiring staff that fit their culture.
As your salon moves through rapid growth, it can be tempting to skip the hard work. Don’t. This is not a time to shy away from the roles you dislike. Instead, surround yourself with experts in their fields or learn what you can about the subjects you find difficult.
Growing Your Business: The Easy Way Out Of Issues Is Not The Way
Take staff for instance – picture this scenario. You open your salon with one or two assistants, which you train so that when ready, they can look after your clients your way, and embrace your vision.
But then, things get a bit crazy. Your client base is growing faster than the apprentice’s skillset, and you need to keep up with demand. The money you are losing turning clients away is having you skip the in-house training. You go look for experienced help.
Following this new hire, the craziness eases for a while. Things seem to be back under control. But the apprentice’s training is still on the back burner and it seems as though the new staff member reins in the chaos, and creates order.
Unfortunately, you find out a few months down the road that the staff member wasn’t the person you thought they were and the cracks start to appear. Little do you know, they are slowly going to kill the core beliefs that made your salon so popular.
Related | Building A Great Salon And Spa Culture: Ideas & Resources
Knock On Effects…
Staff members begin to grumble – working in your business used to fun, but now things have gotten serious, and not in a positive way. Some start feeling sorry for the apprentice, their work mate. The apprentice feels used and deflated; he or she even feels like giving up.
You have the clientele side of things under control, but you seem to be now putting out fires ignited by staff who’ve started complaining about silly little things. The passion has vanished and the team’s creative magic seems to have walked out the door too.
We all know what’s coming next: the new staff member feels left out, so you have words with the old staff. You ask them to be more accepting and welcoming. They feel like you don’t see the full story, and cracks are now becoming gaping holes.
It’s now a ‘you against them‘ game, and there can only be one loser.
And this all happened because corners were cut.
Listen to the Richard McCabe on Phorest FM Episode 39, as he discusses how to systemise business operations and build salon culture:
Don’t run before you can walk. Take the time to grow and support your team, create better operational systems, look at your salon staff rota and if needed, get help from a business coach to identify the best long-term move when you’re stuck in a rut. As for the hiring example, make sure you always have a bank of potential candidates that fit your culture. A wrong hire will do more damage than no hire.
Sign Up For The Free, 6-Week Salon Management Course
The Salon Management Course is a free six-week program hosted by Business Strategist Valerie Delforge and designed to develop your managerial & leadership skills.
How It Works
Each week, you will receive an hour long presentation that you can watch in your own time, along with a workbook that will help you put new ideas and plans into place. Think of this course as a practical step-by-step gameplan to review your current doings, identify things that can be improved on and take action.
The course is powered by Phorest Salon Software, but you do not need our software, or any salon software in fact to take part. Given the entire course is hosted online, anyone with a laptop and an internet connection can sign up! Click here to register!
Richard McCabe is also on the Salon Mentorship Hub! If you’d like to discuss a specific topic, you can click here and book a free 15 to 30 minute consultation with him. Got feedback? Let us know either in the comments below or tweet us @ThePhorestWord! (Pssst! We’re on Instagram too!)
Thanks for reading! #LetsGrow
Featured imaged shot on location of Aviary Lane, Dublin. © 2017 Phorest Salon Software.
