An Owner’s Life

Putting in the time

You may be leading your team, but you’re still putting in the hours servicing the clients. Eight-eight percent of the salon owners surveyed still perform services. How many hours? Of the 88 percent who still perform services, 56 percent book 30-40 service hours per week and 11 percent booked more than 40 hours per week. That doesn’t mean they shirked their duties on their business—almost 50 percent spend 30 or more hours working on their business each week. 

Owners performing salon services

88% perform salon or spa services

12% do not perform services

Hours behind the chair

6% Less than 10 hours

4% Between 10 and 20 hours

12% Between 20 and 30 hours

56% Between 30 and 40 hours

22% More than 40 hours

Hours on the business

11% Less than 10 hours

26% Between 10 and 20 hours

16% Between 20 and 30 hours

23% Between 30 and 40 hours

24% More than 40 hours

Helping Hands

Next, we asked our panel if they had any managerial help. The majority (72%) of our respondents reported they do not employ a salon or spa manager, and 87% say they do not employ a retail manager.

Where’s your focus?

The four business areas that command the most of attention from these owners are salon marketing/advertising/PR, customer service; retention and referral programs, and salon and spa operations. Here’s how they broke out their priorities.

When focusing on salon business, name the areas that command the most of your attention?

67% Salon marketing/advertising/PR

54% Strengthening customer service

37% Working on retention and referral systems

37% Improving salon/spa operations

33% Measuring and managing staff performance

28% Training and developing new staff

16% Organizing and teaching advanced education

7% Recruiting and hiring new staff

7% Working on charitable events