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SEARCHWhen it came time to design a multi-level platform training program for their new Hair & Co. BKLYN salon, Shannon and Allyson King draw on years of experience in the martial arts. See how they set about creating their in-house education.
Both Shannon and Allyson King, as well as their daughter Sydney, are students of the Martial Arts.
It’s time to focus!
One of my true passions in life is training. Another huge passion is Martial Arts, of which I have been a faithful student since I was six years old. My mother, who is a 3rd degree Black Belt, instilled the ethics of great solid training within me from an early age. This training paved the way to having a strong desire to study and learn from many different styles of Martial Arts, and it even guided me to obtaining a Grand National Championship. With strong training at the core, many new creative ideas and techniques come to fruition.
Thanks Mom and Dad… you are still my Sensei.
When developing training programs for our salon, we had three key areas in mind:
Start slow and have set goals. Put your training in black and white, so there is no question what your stylists need to complete to achieve their next level. At Hair & Co BKLYN, we relate level jumps that are based on performance AND training, similar to advancing belt levels in Martial Arts.
For example, some goal accomplishments for Beginners or White and Yellow Belts, include:
• Blow Outs – Basic Volume, Curl, Smoothing, and Waves
• Shampoos And Treatment Mastery – All Steps and Prescriptive Products
• Scalp Massages
• Salon Systems- On-Boarding, Booking Guests, Re-Booking Guests, Closing Out Guests
• Color Training - Features and Benefits, Mixing, And Knowledge Of The Brands And Usage
• Hair Care Training- 20 Shampoos
• Styling Training- 15 Blow Outs
• Grass Roots Marketing – 15 Requests
• Performance Metrics – Client Count, Rebooking, Chemical Services, Retail
Continuous Training: As a salon owner, it’s important to stay relevant and aware of fresh new trends and concepts in the industry. Plug into online blogs, magazines, and Instagram stylists that support your taste and style in hair and constantly share with the team. Do the best you can to attend large shows, classes, and hands-on programs to bring that information back to the salon to keep the fire lit. Which academies out there have a buzz and are doing the type of work you want to bring to your salon? Keep the grass green, so you keep growing.
Always Keep Searching for Master Level Learning: All Masters who I know in Martial Arts are 30- year-plus veterans and share two distinct qualities. They are always sharing, and they are always still learning and never set in their ways. Do as much hands-on training as possible, and try to bring training into your salon when possible to make it as close to real time and real life as you can. Break out those mannequin heads and get cracking!
Develop salon challenges for your team, and keep it fun: For example, you can institute a healthy challenge, which would include asking your team to eat healthy for one entire day per week, drink half their body weight in ounces of water each day and meditate for three minutes a day.
Remember, Black Belts must be earned, they aren't given.
Stay tuned on our team’s journey to Black Belts!
Shannon & Allyson King
Co-Owners of Hair & Co BKLYN
After 20+ years of achieving heights in the professional beauty industry, husband and wife duo Shannon and Allyson King decided to open a multi-cultural salon in Brooklyn, New York. As the couple build Hair & Co BKLYN, they’ve blogged about it for Salon Today. Catch up on their past blogs:
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