How to love being a salon boss
Building a successful salon business takes time, perseverance and a lot of hard graft, but there are ways to love being a salon boss. I know from experience that as CEO of a busy salon it’s easy to get trapped in the cycle of working all the hours in the day, involving yourself in every aspect of salon life to ensure your business runs smoothly.
What if I told you there was another way? That actually, you don’t need to be involved in the minutiae of your business in order for it to thrive. That you can love being salon boss, and that it’s entirely possible for you to take time off to do the things you enjoy, without having to check your emails and be on-hand to answer requests every minute of every day.
As a salon owner, it’s time you start building a business with intention, taking back some freedom and hopping off the hamster wheel so that you can REALLY build a business – and a life – that you love.
Below are my three top tips to help you build a business that supports you financially and lets you take time out for yourself, too.
1. Build a strong team, then delegate
Having a strong team in place is key to building any business. Even more so in a client-facing business like a salon! If you make sure to hire the right staff, and that they are in line with your vision for the salon, you will be able to delegate work. You’ll free up more time for you to concentrate on the more strategic growth goals, as well as time out for yourself.
To start building a strong team, you need to make sure you have a clear set of goals for them to work from. Putting systems in place to train and reward staff is also key, as this will help them to feel in alignment with your business. Acknowledging staff successes and empowering them to take on new responsibilities and manage their own workload will mean they feel far more invested with the business as a whole – a win-win for all concerned.
2. Create a client care program
In a successful salon, client care goes above and beyond purely ensuring they have a great hair cut. From managing their bookings to keeping client files and setting up a payment gateway, you should set systems in place which ensure everything runs smoothly.
Taking time to set up and maintain client records will ultimately save time on the day-to-day running of your business. Meaning more free time to enjoy!
Your clients are your number one asset, so setting up rewards system to track how many appointments they’ve had, and even key dates like their one year anniversary at the salon, will make you stand head and shoulders above your competitors.
3. Make time for you
As a busy CEO, it’s vital you take time to prioritise self-care without feeling guilty about leaving the salon. If you have well-trained and engaged staff, together with an easy-to-follow client intake and retention system in place, then in some respects the salon should be able to take care of itself – if you can bring yourself to let go.
Whilst you understandably don’t want to completely let go of the reins, it’s worth it.
Taking quality time out for yourself will ultimately better the business, your sanity and profit.
If you’re tired and burnt out, then this will have a knock-on effect to both your work and home life, which is something that you want to avoid at all costs.
Whether it’s taking a day each month to turn off all electronic devices and head out into the countryside, scheduling in regularly massages, or finishing early so that you get some quality time with the kids each week, self-care isn’t self-indulgence. It’s smart business.
Here’s an exercise to try when you feel like you’re caught on the hamster wheel.
Think about your to-do list that’s sitting heavy on your shoulders.
Take your top 3 to-dos and ask yourself this, for each one: Will it drive my business forward?
Yes or no?
- If it’s a loud yes, push on and make the time to get it done. I suggest booking a dedicated time into your calendar to ensure you’ll get on to it. Get out of the salon where you’ll have no interruptions, if you can.
- If it’s a no, then right quick, move it to DELEGATE, DELETE or FORWARD.
It’s hard as a business owner to loosen then reins now and again, but wasn’t that half the reason you started into business in the first place? So that you could have freedom, and quality time to spend with friends and family, doing the things you love?
Focusing on things that will move your business forward and allowing yourself to enjoy your leisure time completely guilt-free will enable you come back into work refreshed, full of zing, and ready to go!
