Hair's My Experience

Owning your beauty salon, suite salon, or beauty business is the best thing you can do for yourself and your family. You will find that it’s the most rewarding experience you’ve ever had. But have you considered whether or not if your salon business is in shape? Or are you just winging it?

My recommendation comes from thirty-plus years of experience in the beauty industry. From owning my salon, barbershop, and boutique; to managing a couple of high-producing corporate salons, so I have a lot of gems to share with you.

There are many variables to think of, but today we will discuss six. Read on to learn some vital information you should take into consideration.

How To Not “Wing” Your Beauty Business 

Niche Down

The term “niche” is a fancy term that stands for specialized. Is there something you offer in the beauty business that you do very well? Or would you consider yourself good at every service you provide in your salon?

If there is something that you are at and know you do well, that’s your golden ticket. But if you’re good at everything, then honey, I recommend you try to niche down. When you niche down, this will give you an edge over the competition.

When it comes to your experience, take a good look at what services you are excellent at providing. These services may be one service or up to three different services. Or ask yourself these questions when diving deep to niche down. First, what do I do well? Then, become laser-focused on perfecting that one thing.

What is it that you would say you specialize in? What is your specialty? If you are good at growing hair, then that is your specialty. When you provide your customers with beautiful balayage color techniques, that is considered your specialty. What you are known for doing your best would be regarded as your specialty. 

How much time is it taking to complete that one thing you do well from start to finish? Not sure how long it is taking you, well, time yourself. Niching down means cutting your menu down to doing what you do best; your specialty! Offering too many services is a waste of time and talent. This will be the key to making your income grow.

Identify if there are any businesses nearby offering what you specialize in. If you find a company offering what you’re offering and is nearby, book an appointment with the salon and see where they may be missing the mark. Is there something they are doing that you can do differently? Or is there something you can improve upon that the company is doing?

Niching down is probably the most difficult of all the things you will have to do, but you got this!

Respect Your Beauty business  

If you are starting with your beauty business or working towards revamping one, you must respect your beauty business in that you must know when to say yes and when to say no.

Customers will always haggle with your pricing. Some customers will even ask you to provide a service for them on your day off. Others will give you a sob story to get you to work them in right now. 

There will be many other instances where you will have to know when to say “NO!” Doing this will show your clients that you respect your business, and they, in return, will respect you. 

Think about a time when you went out somewhere and received excellent customer service. I think you gave your server a nice tip and wanted to let the manager know how fantastic the service was. First, think about the service you received on that visit. Then, learn from the experience by treating your clients the way you’d like to be treated.

Setting Boundaries in the salon

What does it mean to set boundaries, and how do you do so? Boundaries are limits, rules, and guidelines that you set to help you communicate what makes you comfortable and what you’re not satisfied with within your establishment. This will create a good foundation for your business. And with a good foundation comes much success.

Let your customer know what you expect of them while they’re in your establishment. For example, do you allow children who are not receiving a service to be present? Or do you have a designated eating area or no eating in your establishment at all? Communicating things like the two examples stated here ahead of time is crucial to the success of your business.

Proactively setting boundaries will create an atmosphere where your clients are happy to patronize you. They will look forward to their appointments and will not haggle about the price you charge because they’re paying for the ambiance that comes with the service.

The beauty Guest Experience

As the saying goes, “First impressions are lasting impressions.” A great guest or customer experience is vital to a successful business. The customer experience can make or break your business reputation. What they experience while in your salon or establishment will determine whether they return and what they tell others about your beauty business.

So what is the first thing your customer hear when they call your phone to make an appointment? Can they hear your smile through the phone?

According to NPR.org, there is scientific backing to prove someone can hear a smile through the phone. It’s all in the tone of your voice. When you smile while speaking on the phone to your guest, the mood you exhibit is contagious. So if you’re happy, your guest will also be happy.

What is the first thing your customer sees when they enter your establishment? Is it clean and tidy? Is your salon welcoming? No one wants to sit in a filthy salon. I know I don’t, and I’m sure you don’t want to either.

Old magazines, dirty towels, dirty brushes, combs, and tools are just a few things that should be at the top of your list when keeping your salon clean, tidy, and adequately sanitized. With COVID-19 still on the scene, keeping a superbly clean establishment must be at the forefront.

Looking for ways to give your customers the best experience possible should be your goal. Today’s savvy customer loves to shop, and if their experience isn’t 

Time Management in the salon

Your customers love your work, and they love you too, but they have busy lives. No one wants to spend the whole day in the salon unless they receive a complete make-over or significant color correction.

Knowing how to plan and organize the time spent on each client is beneficial to growing your salon income. The idea is to approach each task to accomplish more in less time. 

Getting feedback from your customer is crucial when managing your time effectively. In addition, this information will help you to understand how to serve your clients best. 

“But why do I need to know what my customers think of me and my business? If they don’t like what I’m doing here, they can go somewhere else! I’m my boss!”

Have you heard this before? I sure have. I was that person, but I’ve learned that you must get feedback from your customers to run a business successfully. Did you know that 90% of today’s customers place a high value on the quality of the customer service they receive, and 58% of that population do not mind going someplace else? So you see that getting feedback is so important.

“But how do I go about getting customer feedback?”

The best time to ask for feedback is right after you’ve completed the service or right after a consultation. But before asking for your customer’s feedback, you must know what questions to ask. If you’re not sure what to ask, do some research on the topic. I’m sure you’ll come up with ten to fifteen great questions to ask your guests to make their experience a better one in the future. 

Beauty business Website

Does your business have a website? If not, why? Did you know that you can create a website for free? Setting up a website for your business helps establish credibility for your business even if you’re not selling a physical product.

Since we’re discussing service-oriented businesses, you need a website to sell your services to a broader audience. Setting a website up isn’t all that complicated either. If you’re on the fence about setting up a website for your business, I suggest you read this article, “Five Reasons Your Beauty Business Needs a Website.”  It will give you a better perspective on why you must set up a website for your business.

So, if you are wondering whether or not you are winging it when it comes to your beauty business or if your business isn’t in great shape, I have given you five things to think about when looking to upgrade your business or possibly start a new business.