Habits of Successful Salon Owners – Part 2
In this 3-part series, we shine the spotlight on areas that can help you be a better business leader in your salon.
Habit 3: Make Time for your Staff Team
If your staff are not happy, your clients won’t be happy – that’s simple logic. Making time for your team can be done in many different ways, from a quick daily chat to scheduled feedback sessions and performance reviews. If you suspect something is bothering one of your stylists, have a private chat with them ASAP and find out what’s causing it, which will give you a better picture of any action you can take to help fix it.
Performance reviews should be done periodically – every few months – and this gives you a chance to discuss your employees’ work performance, look at the numbers of regular clients they have, whether their turnover / earnings have increased, and also find out what their challenges are, and their needs and goals are in terms of training. These are very valuable and can help you to pick up on small problems before they become major issues. Performance reviews should always be done in private, one on one, and should be done in a positive way where the employee is left feeling motivated even if there are areas that need addressing. Always write notes after a performance review so you have a record of what was said and agreed to.
Habit 4: Don’t Pursue what Doesn’t Work or Wastes Time
Inevitably in your business, you’ll find there are certain things that do work and certain things that don’t. This also applies to your allocated time. Spending hours and hours on business activities that don’t get results, won’t make you money. Running a salon is a very time consuming task – so focus on activities that work, don’t keep trying things that don’t, and use technology to free up as much of your precious time as you can. That way you can spend more of it doing the leisure activities you love.
Remember though, that it is essential to ensure that all the important tasks are up to date! These include paying your taxes, UIF, insurance, Bargaining Council fees, EOHCB fees, and all the other business expenses. Priorities that ensure your business is compliant, are never a waste of time and if you don’t have the time, you need to find someone who can help – for example, a bookkeeper / accountant. The money you pay them will be more than worth it in terms of the saving on penalties for late tax payments, etc.
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