Tina Hollis – aka The Lonely Boss Lady – runs courses in business and colour, as well as mentoring salon owners in how to get the most out of their small businesses. A passionate and experienced colourist, Tina holds the Wella Master Colour Expert qualification and a six-month waiting list! Tina breaks down the tried and tested ways to grow your business, even during tough times…
As an industry, we are about to enter our busiest time of the year. Our clients are feeling the financial dread of the next few months as much as we are, BUT it’s down to us to remind them that having their hair done can be worked into the budget; that it’s not just a haircut that we provide, but a stress-free, feel-good experience too. Christmas should be a time of fun and laughter, of positivity and feeling glam, so let’s remind our clients of this and get them leaving the salon with some seasonal joy!
How can you grow your business during these tough times?
Be open and honest with your team! As the salon owner, it’s natural to want to keep things back, to not let your staff know your financial worries. However, this secrecy can lead to great levels of stress and self-doubt, creating a noticeably tense atmosphere within the salon. Honesty is the best policy. Everyone knows the cost of living is going up, so be open about your weekly target, and work positively together as a team to ensure you hit it.
By making your team feel involved in the “business”, you will see who really cares and who doesn’t. But don’t let that get you down, it’s natural to have some team members more motivated than others; so be sure to focus your energies on those that attempt to thrive in a team, as well as individually. The biggest mistakes we make as the “boss” often result from focusing our time on the wrong team members.
Rebook, rebook, rebook!
I can’t stress this enough! My salon’s annual rebook rate for 2021 was 83.79%, which has increased to 85.5% so far this year. In this way, we can ensure that most of our time is fully utilised, allowing the salon to pay the bills and the staff to have some security. Yes, people will cancel or rearrange appointments, but they are far less inclined to do so when they know how busy you are.
It wasn’t always like this for my salon though, I remember when we used to sheepishly ask our clients if they wanted to rebook, and then immediately change the subject if they hesitated at all. Since then, I have learnt that rebooking is an essential factor in growing your business. It doesn’t have to be awkward, simply explain that you are a busy salon and run your customer service with care to ensure all of your clients’ needs are met. This means ensuring their hair looks good all year round, and that their appointments fit into their busy diaries, as well as yours. I now encourage my team to book at least two appointments in advance, that way we know we have financial security over the coming weeks – PLUS, my team are hitting targets for commissions, win win!
Team goal setting
One thing I encourage my team to do at the start of every year is goal setting. I set myself a personal goal and a work one, including things like going on holiday or entering some work competitions. I remember one year, a team member set the goals of becoming a colour specialist and purchasing a white BMW by the end of the year. She realised that money was required to meet both goals, so we worked out a monthly financial target to hit – she was enrolled on a colour specialist course by the summer and bought her own white BMW by the autumn!
So, sit down with your team in January, set your 2023 goals……AND SMASH THEM!
See more from Tina Hollis HERE
