Blog – Page 2 – Your Salon Sanctuary

Tribe Series: Your Tribe

May 9, 2018June 13, 2018 Angela

Working with salons we always talk about the team. My question every time is what do you call your team? Are they your employees, your staff, your team, or your tribe?
I move through the levels then, if you have employees or staff wouldn’t you rather have a team? If you have a team wouldn’t you rather have a tribe?
An employee or staff are exactly that, you dictate everything to them. You tell them what hours they work, you tell them what you pay them, you tell them what to do and there’s generally nothing inspiring about being an employee.

A team, which is what most of us have, will help you with your business. You welcome their ideas, you work together for their schedule, pay and what they want. You help each other and work together and have goals. They will be inspired and have passion but they may not be 100% in sync with you and the salon. They could disagree with things that are happening in the salon or don’t get along with other team members.

A tribe should be your ultimate goal. A tribe works together for the same mission they have the same values and similar vision. There’s an understanding, they want what you want. These are the people that will give you their Blood, Sweat and Tears and they will work with passion, love and drive. A tribe will continuously look for inspiration and motivation, they will bring ideas and help execute them. They will be loyal to a fault and your guests will comment on the salon atmosphere, ‘you all get along so well, it’s always a pleasure to visit ‘ They will all get along and bring their best selves everyday.
A tribe will make it easier to have a culture, to be branded and to make money.

Education is also a big role in these types of people. Employees will take education if it’s paid for and may not even show up the whole time. A team will want some education and want to improve, especially on a technical level. A tribe will be constantly taking education, growing themselves, the salon and eachother. They will take any education to improve themselves, technical, business and personal growth.

So what do you have? I know a lot of you will say you have a few of these, a mixture of two or even three. I’ve experienced all three as well, but here’s what I know, they will never reach a tribe status if there are others in the mix. An employee, over time will pull the team down, a team member, over time will pull the tribe down. It is very hard to juggle a mixed culture and usually the people you are grateful for become less inspired and less passionate. You get further away from tribe every day.

I am not saying give up on your people, but we do need to take a hard look at what is best for the tribe, offer them a chance to change and do what is necessary to help them. As long as there is growth from them you know you are heading in the direction of tribe, if there is still resistance then perhaps the best thing, for the both of you, is for them to move on because, let me tell you, they are not happy in that situation either.

How can you achieve tribe? This is what a tribe wants: equality, leadership, structure, loyalty, honesty and direction. You can have rules but they must be for everyone, you must treat everyone without judgment and from a kind and loving place. (Insert your values here) Competition should always be with oneself and there should always be goals to reach. (Professionally and personally) A tribe wants to belong together and grow together. A tribe is unstoppable!

I hope you are working towards having a tribe. Life will infinitely change at the salon, tasks become easier, happiness will be present and guests will be attracted to the salon when you achieve tribe status.

Angela

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Goals or Whatever You’re Calling It

March 28, 2018June 13, 2018 Angela

I feel like this word has become apart of our every day language. It’s a word we use often but rarely put into action. Many have changed the word to a different name like target or intention, some have even tried to make it sound better by spiffing up the name like smart goals. Whatever you want to call it, when you get right down to it, a goal is something you want to accomplish in a specific amount of time.

We talk about goals all the time at the salon and I think stylists think “yes I have goals”. And that’s really great, but, tell me, what are you going to do about it? How are you going to accomplish your goals?

I want to share some strategies on how to execute your goals, so they don’t just remain floating around your head for years to come. Let’s start achieving these goals!

#1. First and most importantly, write them down! I know that you’ve heard this a million times; but it’s true, writing them down makes a goal more tangible.

#2. You need to sort your goals. Maybe you have two goals, maybe you have ten goals or maybe twenty-five? You need to put them in order! Sort them by importance or by time of execution or perhaps some of your goals will help accomplish a greater goal? Maybe you want to order them from easy to hard! Easier goals that you know you can accomplish can create a momentum; so that when you get to the harder goals you will have less fear and you will love that feeling of accomplishment you’ve become accustomed to. Whatever it is, sort your goals in an order that makes sense to you.

#3. Once you’ve written them down and decided on an order you want to complete them in, decide on a specific time you want to execute your goals by. This gives you a time limit and helps you put action into your goals.

#4. You should assess where you are currently with your goal. You cannot know how to achieve your goal if you don’t know where you’re starting from!

#5. Look at each goal and think about how you are going to accomplish it. Write your strategy down of how you can reach your goal.

#6. Write down the things that will be better in your life because you’ve obtained your goals. It is just as important to know why you are working towards the goal and what it will do for you and your work, life ect.

Now you have a path to complete your goal! Follow your steps and you will find yourself full of accomplishment, pride, happiness and perhaps addicted to obtaining goals!

To all the leaders of the salon, it is your job to help blueprint goals with your tribe! Do not write them down for them but rather talk about what goals they want to reach, how they are going to reach them and what it will do for them as a stylist. Check up on them, ask them how things are going and if they need any help. (A great place to do this is in One on Ones and Follow Ups)

Most importantly, it is your job to remain positive, cheer them on and remind them of why they are achieving their goal! (And don’t forget to goal for yourself as well!)

Let’s stop talking about goals, setting goals and saying goals, let’s start accomplishing them!

Here is an Example Goal:

Goal: Average Retail Per Guest: $15

By: June 2018

Where I am : $9.68 per guest

Average Guests Per Day: 10

Average product cost $22

I already sell 4.4 products a day. To get to $15 per guest I must sell 3 more products a day. ( equaling 7 products)

7 x $22 = $154 ÷ 10 = $15.40

This goal will help me get more money in education dollars and will help my guests with their hair at home. I will feel more connected to my guests and more professional and confident.

Let’s Succeed at Many Goals, Resolutions, Intentions, Targets or Whatever you want to Call It!

Angela

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Finding Your Vision

March 12, 2018June 13, 2018 Angela

Finding Your Vision is one of the most important things for you as a salon owner. Your Vision is your compass, the thing you can look back on and know you are heading in the right direction. It’s where you’re always headed and it makes decisions at the salon very easy!

We discovered our Values and our Mission and I hope you have had a chance to reflect on yourselves and your tribe. Do you feel good about yourself as a leader?

Now that you know what your tribe looks like you can again look back to yourself and ask the ultimate question; Why did I open a salon? Really think about your answer, write it down on paper and read it out loud a few times. Are you remembering your dream? Maybe it was twenty years, ten years, or 30 days ago? However long ago it was; you had a dream of opening your own salon and that is your Vision!

One salon said they want a salon to help educate new stylists, one salon said they want to be an owner that was understanding and giving because their last owner treated them like she was a drill sergeant. Another salon said they want to own the top grossing salon in their City. What ever your Vision is; know that this is why you own your salon!

Congratulations! You have now discovered a lot about yourself and your salon, but as always, there is more work to do when building your salon culture.

We must consider a few things after we find our Vision:

1. Do your values coinside with your Vision?

2. Does your tribe of people by your side believe in your Vision?

3. How will you make your Vision a reality?

Without your Vision your salon will not be as successful as it could be and your Mission will likely not exist. Your Mission will help you execute your Vision, your Values will help you determine all of this!

Angela

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What is Your Mission?!

February 14, 2018June 13, 2018 Angela

Your Mission is your why.

As Simon Sinek says;

People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it!

A mission is a passionate statement about why your salon exists (why you do what you do).

Most salons know their mission in the back of their minds but rarely recite it out loud, have it written down, or hear it on a regular basis. Every salon meeting should start with your Mission, the tribe needs to reflect on why they do what they do, it will give their passion a boost.

Your Mission will unite your tribe and have them remembering why they are apart of your salon. It will build trust, compassion and happiness.

‘What we know matters, but who we are matters more’

A quote from Brene Browns book, Daring Greatly, Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston. She teaches us about vulnerability, authenticity and bravery. Everyone wants to belong to something, we want to find our tribe and work towards something meaningful, however, we all know this is hard to find!

Your Mission statement will attract your tribe, it will give your tribe meaning and the salon will have a passionate purpose.
This will then attract the perfect guest and will create the perfect happiness culture.
I ask you again, What is your Mission?!

Angela

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How to find your Values!

November 22, 2017June 13, 2018 Angela

Do you have a vision? A mission? Do you know your values?

If you do Congratulations! That is the first step to a happy healthy culture in your salon. If you do not or think that you do some where in the back of your mind I challenge you to sit down and write out these three things. It is so important to your business and your tribe that you have a clear view of what you want for your business.

Start with the easiest part – your values. To find your values you must first understand what that actually means, lets take a look at the official dictionary definition.

val·ue

ˈvalyo͞o

noun

plural noun: values

1.

the regard that something is held to deserve; the importance, worth, or usefulness of something. “your support is of great value”

synonyms: worth, usefulness, advantage, benefit, gain, profit, good, help, merit,

helpfulness, avail;
2.

a person’s principles or standards of behavior; one’s judgment of what is important in life. “they internalize their parents’ rules and values”

synonyms: principles, ethics, moral code, morals, standards, code of behavior

“society’s values are passed on to us as children”

verb

3rd person present: values

1.

estimate the monetary worth of (something). “his estate was valued at $45,000″

synonyms: evaluate, assess, estimate, appraise, price, put/set a price on

“his estate was valued at $345,000”
2.

consider (someone or something) to be important or beneficial; have a high opinion of. “she had come to value her privacy and independence”

synonyms: think highly of, have a high opinion of, hold in high regard, rate highly, esteem, set (great) store by, put stock in, appreciate, respect;

Truly all of these definitions can be applied to the salon, but lets focus on the noun 2.2 and the verb 2.2. The noun is what we want to have for our business, your principals and standards will set the bar of what you want for your salon. The verb applies to the tribe you hire to work with you.

So how do you go about finding your beliefs and values?

Vishen Lakhiani, creator of Mindvalley, one of the top places in the world to work offered an exercise that will help you figure out what values you deem important.

Make a list of as many qualities as you can of a hard working person, a person that you want working with you in the salon. What does your list say? Punctual? Honest? Trustworthy? Leadership skills? Happy? Helpful? Did any of these appear on your list? I bet they do! Those and many more. These are your values, it’s really that simple.

After you discover your values comes the hardest part.

When you look at this list can you honestly say you are all of these things? If you want a tribe with the same values as you, you must first make sure that you are everything you value too. It is okay if you are not all of these things, because guess what? Now that you know what you want you can change to become that yourself!

Look at the list again, do any of your tribe members possess these values? Maybe they only have some of these qualities? But could they have all of these if they knew what you valued? Try doing this exercise at your next tribe meeting, you might be surprised that your tribe has similar values to you. Now that your values are a part of your business your tribe will feel united and happier.

Author/Speaker Simon Sinek, in his book Start With Why says people do not buy what you do, they buy why you do it. In a salon this should be the start of every decision you make, your tribe should know why, they should know your values. That is the start of a happy culture. Then what will happen is, guests will feel it from you and your tribe; which will produce productivity which equals profit.

Once you find your values it is easier to start your next steps; finding your vision and your mission.

So tell me, what are your values?

Angela