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What Is Your Job By David Watts
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When I talk to salon owners, a question I regularly ask is, what is your job? Unfortunately, the answer I often hear is - I’m a hairdresser. It triggers me, as it is a dangerous response for those who own a salon.
You are probably thinking, what is he on about?
Well put simply, how you see yourself in your business has a direct effect on how your salon operates. It will guide your decision-making process, it will skew your mindset, it will set you up for success or failure. If you have not made the switch psychologically, it is an uphill battle to manage this life.
It’s a new financial year and it’s the perfect time to make a resolution, one where you redefine what your role is in your business, it’s time to shout in the street that you are a BUSINESS OWNER! Yes, get excited about the fact that you own a business, in an industry you love, you are in control of your own story.
The most successful salon owners are working on sales and marketing, accounting and bookkeeping, leadership and operations, strategy and vision, growth and scale, profit and loss; they are doing this as these things are important to the success of their salon. This does not stop their salons from creating amazing hair, it helps them.
TIP
Schedule time each day for working on your business and do not allow yourself to be distracted from completing the task at hand.
This is not what most hairdressers are working on and nor should they be, these are the “joys” that you as a salon owner need to learn to love. I know some of these things are a tad boring, they aren’t the things that you generally enjoy, in fact even thinking about it will make many of you feel uncomfortable, but that is a good thing. In order to be better, we need a level of discomfort, otherwise you are likely to remain stuck where you are now.
Most of you are in this industry because you are passionate, you love the vibrancy, the excitement, the ability to transform people’s lives with your creations. Personally, I love owning my salon, having the ability to witness the sheer joy a salon visit gives our clients is a privilege, it’s unique to our world.
TIP
You must find within yourself the same passion for being a business owner that you have for hair.
Obviously just changing how you describe yourself is not a magic wand, you must do the work too (SORRY.) This is where you need to understand what this ownership life is about. You need to learn what makes your business tick behind the scenes.
This work is what nobody else sees, it’s the same news I am sure you have heard before, this is you working on your business, not in it. It is knowing your numbers and what they mean, how you can make good business decisions based on the information at hand.
HAVE YOU EMPOWERED YOUR TEAM TO SOLVE PROBLEMS? DO YOU LEAD THEM WITH A CLEAR VISION OR MANAGE THEM WITH A BIG STICK?
TIP
Do not be afraid to ask for help, you don’t know what you don’t know.
If you are looking for a sign to tell you how you may be going as an owner, ask yourself this:
Could I take two weeks holiday and know the business will run smoothly and generate the same income? Could that two-week period pass without me having to deal with messages, email or calls? Would I be anxious or relaxed? Can my team run this business without me?
Realistically many salon owners can’t be gone for a day let alone two whole weeks, they are suffering emotionally from this burden, it is burning them out and making salon ownership feel like a problem. If this is you, it’s time to make the shift in your identity, it’s time to step up as a business owner.
TIP
Be prepared to make some important changes to reach your overall goal. Do not overthink them.
Have you empowered your team to solve problems? Do you lead them with a clear vision or manage them with a big stick? How do they see you in the business? You deserve the best and owning your business is a great vehicle to get whatever your heart desires, but if you are spending a lot of your time being reactive, putting out fires, solving problems then it’s time to STOP IT! Expectations for your team and accountability from your team members is essential to your success. Be a salon owner not a pushover.
TIP
Always be clear, be honest and authentic, establish boundaries and structure.
Start educating yourself about business and start building a network of businesspeople to help you learn more. Spend time with people you may not normally interact with, you will find people love to share their knowledge when asked.
Do something CRAZY like joining LinkedIn and messaging other local business owners. Or even CRAZIER go to a local business group meeting and find out in the flesh what people do in their businesses that is working for them.
Read a book from an entrepreneur, get a coach, read the business pages in the paper (okay that might be a step too far,) talk to your accountant about improving your business brain.
TIP
Be your beautiful self, don’t think you need to behave a certain way for others.
There was a clear motivation for me writing this article, I want to see less stress in our hair community. There are too many owners who are struggling when they don’t need to, there is help available for everyone. The last eighteen months have been bizarre and through all the craziness we have discovered that it is never too late to change anything, including what we do for a job.
So the next time somebody asks you what you do - Stop, take a breath, smile and say I am a business owner!
