Every other month, our Cabinet of Thought Leaders comes together to talk business and discuss ideas among peers. It’s an informative and often thought-provoking session, leaving many ideas and feedback on the table for all to consider. In our most recent session, we asked what business-enhancing resources and tools the Thought Leaders implemented in 2023 and what they look forward to most in 2024. Here’s what they had to say:
Jarrod Ryan of Steel & Lacquer in San Francisco, CA, is looking forward to Rosy’s new Online Booking and prioritizing his business’s financial health in the new year.
“I am a Summit Salon Business Coach, but I just started using Summit Salon Financial Services in Q1 of this year (2023). They handle all of our bookkeeping, and they help us budget. They give us monthly reports to make sure that we are staying in line with what Summit suggests as a budget guideline across the United States and our specific salon company and market,” said Jarrod.
“Being with them for a full year in early 2024, we are really going to be able to take a look at exactly where our spending is and dial that in. I’m looking forward to getting more of a grip on the overall Financial Health of our company.”
“As far as what I’m bringing in next year – I have been a Salon Ninja member for a while. I meet with Derek weekly on these bite-size increments, so I look forward to continuing training with him and figuring out what Salon Ninja has to offer – because there is a lot! I haven’t fully launched it into my company because I don’t want to launch something I am not well versed in yet. So, I want to continue that journey through the end of this year and then slowly start to launch pieces next year.”
Cindi Quinn-Ventura of Katherine Drew Salon in Livonia, MI, has recently started implementing a virtual assistant (VA) through Girl Fridays to help answer calls in the salon. The training is near completion, and the salon’s phones are set up so the VA can pick them up when she’s working and turn them off when she’s not.
“Using a Virtual Assistant to do minor tasks and answer the phones has been fabulous for us,” exclaimed Cindi. “She has already gone through and taken care of all the dupes in my system. And her price is over $3 less than our minimum wage here in Michigan.”
Cindi is also dabbling with Online Booking, testing it out with three stylists, and is looking into memberships for her salon.
“Memberships are something I’m doing a lot of research on right now. I want to do a blowout membership and potentially a color membership. For the third, we’ve added an infrared sauna to our business so we have a bigger group of people that we can go after even if we don’t do their hair care needs; maybe we can do other health care needs for them. The last and final thing is I’m going to get on Jarrod’s calendar to talk about Summit Salon.”
Randy Hazaert of Paisley & Plaid in Brookfield, WI, is focusing on budgeting and a recruitment strategy for 2024.
“The one thing I am looking at right now is minimizing our purchasing and keeping a buffer. I usually keep a 6-8 month buffer for any bill that could come in, and I don’t touch those assets at all. I think the idea is really just looking at budgeting and asking yourself, ‘Do I need that cute new 120-piece comb set?’ We look at things so much, and we see the pretty, shiny things and forget what makes a business, a business,” Randy reported.
Randy’s plans for 2024 include how he recruits talent for his salon. It’s something he’s rather passionate about, especially in light of the surge of suite renters with newer stylists and fresh-out-of-school service providers being groomed to go out on their own too soon.
“So many that went out into the world of “suite ownership” felt duped by the delusional mindset of: ‘I’m a rock star and will make $100,000 working two days a week.’ The approach I want to take with recruitment for 2024 is really targeting that person who is missing the elements of leadership. And the flexibility, guidance, and forecasting down the line about what this business can be as opposed to being in it for less than five years and bailing because they didn’t make it. That’s my heavy focus right now.”
Niki Davis of ND Artistry of Jacksonville Beach, FL, is also looking forward to Rosy’s new Online Booking for 2024 and continuing to offer her salon’s clients the opportunity to book online 24/7, now with an enhanced user experience. Niki also mentioned a new phone system she’s implementing into her two-year-old business and how it has helped her manage incoming communications.
“I started using a new cloud-based phone system. I imported my number over, and it’s like $50 a month with eight seats,” mentioned Niki, continuing: “There is a virtual receptionist, but I’ve gotten to the point now where my stylists are handling their own stuff. They each have their own seat on the system, and it rings on their phone; we can all text from it as well. They are able to jump on it, and I don’t have to wait for a front desk person to go back and forth. My team can also write a ticket for a push notification if they need help. Whether commission stylist or booth rental – my new cloud-based phone system has helped make my stylists accountable while ensuring they are on top of their games and that the clients are getting communicated with.”
Chloe Masters of Vista Belle Salon in West College Corner, IN, reported her experience using a color management system in 2023 and how she wants to take her role in the salon in a new direction in 2024.
“We started using Vish this year, which has been amazing. It has really helped our stylists stay consistent with their formulations and just be better with waste. So, if anybody hasn’t tried that, you definitely should,” said Chloe.
“Finally, after almost ten years of owning the salon, I am getting to the point where I can cut back on my clients, and I’m starting to focus on training. We just got three new employees: one is an esthetician, and the other two are stylists. I’m going to start training them more, and that’s what I’m looking forward to in 2024: totally transitioning my job title. Instead of being a stylist and an owner and trying to do it all, I’m going to focus where I need to focus.”
So, what tools or resources did YOU implement in 2023, and what are you most looking forward to in the new year?
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