Fall always seems to feel like the new year — with summer ending and kids heading back to school, it can be a great time to do some organizing and review your salon’s best practices to get ready for the holiday season. The holidays are one of the busiest times in the salon and are a great time to boost your business. To end the year on a high note, Twylla Jane, Sam Villa Ambassador, owner of Lumos Nox Salon and Redken Artist @twyllajane shares 5 things salon owners can do to give salon business a boost!
5 Tips To Boost Salon Business This Season
- Have meetings with your whole team and each person individually. Check-in with team members individually to help them grow, chat about goals, and give them coaching. Also take the opportunity to interact with them in casual settings at work and listen to them, really hear how things are going while they’re hands-on. Staff meetings and outings are essential to keep the whole team connected and focused on the team’s goals and the salon’s vision.
- Hire slow, fire quick. This one took me a long time to realize, and we did it backward a few times and it hurt our culture—as well as my peace of mind as an owner. Take time to hire the right people and get rid of people who rock the boat or bring you grief.
- Stay on top of your budget! We use Summit Salon Systems' budgeting guidelines to help us turn a profit as often as possible. Staying within your budget for inventory ordering, advertising, and payroll can help keep your finger on the pulse of your business. Do we need to promote certain days to attract clients so there is less downtime? Do we need to reassess pricing or coach our team on product usage? Few things cause as much stress as money, so put in the time to do it right.
- Find ways to reward your team. There are many jokes on the internet about pizza parties, but I find that a round of Starbucks and a couple of pizzas on a busy day when people have little time to take a break makes stylists happy. When you run contests ask what the team would like to win (an extra paid day off can be so exciting!). Drop them little messages to let them know they’re doing a great job or you’re glad to have them on your team.
- Allow your staff to express themselves and be individuals. Strict dress codes and micromanaging are unhelpful. It’s important to maintain professionalism for your business, we don’t allow anything that looks like pajamas, but a few tattoos and ripped jeans never hurt anybody when you have stylists serving their highest form of self and their own sense of fashion.
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