Successful vs. Struggling Salons

Over the course of my career, I’ve chatted with thousands upon thousands of salon owners about their salons, and cheered them on through their successes and grieved their losses with them.

When you’re immersed this deeply in the world of salon ownership, you start to notice TONS of patterns, so I thought I’d pass along a few secrets I’ve learned along the way on what differentiates successful salons from salons that struggle, and sometimes fail😬

Psssst… each one of these topics (and way more) is extensively covered in Salon Owner University and Babes in Biz’s mentorships, so if you’re needing some direction from struggle to success in these areas, our door is open.

⚡️MANAGEMENT⚡️

Successful salons function with a secure chain of management, meaning each person at the salon knows exactly what they should be doing, and can be trusted to do their job. This means the salon owner is able to step away when needed for breaks without fear the place is going to burn down😅

Struggling salon owners either have to micromanage their management team, or have to make up for their lack of performance to lack of structure, meaning no actual load is taken off their shoulders.

👩‍💻TECH👩‍💻

Every salon I know that’s wildly successful has one thing in common - an impressive online presence that makes clients decide to visit. Whether it’s an engaging Instagram account, a stunning website, or a highly ranked Google Business Profile, it’s a necessity. Oh, and online booking is a must as well. Don’t pass up on the opportunity for clients to book appointments while you’re asleep.

The salons I see struggle typically struggle to get their business out there, and suffer in clientele, hiring, and revenue. Do NOT neglect your online presence!

👯‍♀️HIRING👯‍♀️

Salons with stellar teams don’t just happen that way… They’re painstakingly created through years of nurturing existing stylists with advancements and education, plus a set of core values that outline the exact type of stylist that’s a good match for the salon!

Those that struggle to keep good stylists typically don’t offer opportunities for them to grow career wise, and don’t draw in new stylist applications through their online presence.

🧠MINDSET🧠

Salon owners that make it big have two key traits when it comes to their mentality: they learn from their mistakes and keep an eye on the big picture at all times. Salon ownership is a near constant sh*tstorm of tasks, conversations, and problem solving, and in order to do it really well, you HAVE to find the positives in negative situations, and not let today’s problems cloud your long term judgment.

The salon owners I see spiral and burn out tend to catastrophize every issue that comes across their plate, and really struggle to recover from problems. If this is you, please remember to keep your head up - you got this. Taking a deep breath and tackling your problems head on will save you so much time, money, and heartache.

📈MARKETING📈

I saved one of the most important aspects of the salon for very last. If you can’t get people in your chair, there’s no possible way for you to have a successful salon. Those who really rake in profit from their salon utilize EVERY means possible to bring new clients in - Instagram, email marketing, in person events, collaborations with other businesses in their niche, you name it.

Salon owners who are afraid to put themselves out there tend to be the ones that struggle to get their schedule booked out (shocking, I know). Low quality marketing - a boring Instagram with low quality pictures and incomplete profiles or websites - can hurt more than they help🙃

Now that I’ve spilled the beans, it’s time for a hard hitting question:

Which group did you identify with more… the successful salon structures, or the struggling ones?Be completely honest with yourself.

It’s totally okay if you’re not there yet, hell, nobody starts out that way, and the Babes in Biz community is always here to help🫶

When you’re ready to start making your way from burnout, overwhelm, and constantly treading water to streamlined systems that keep your team happy and your chairs full, your FREE strategy session is ready and waiting.