Chasing service and product sales is one of a salon and spa owner's biggest responsibilities, but grow too fast and it may compromise the valuable culture you've built. How do you grow a company and its culture simultaneously? 

Liz and Jess Arrindell, owners of Luscious and Co with two locations in Connecticut recently examined this in their own business, resetting their goals and making important shifts to their leadership team. Liz penned the following blog about their efforts: 

In winter of 2023, our business was getting prepared for its 10^th anniversary. Building a salon from scratch was an intentional process while on a search for deeper connections, authenticity and purpose. The foundation of our brand was deeply rooted in those core values which has made Luscious & Co a success for guests and employees alike.

Like many businesses, we designed a structured growth plan that focused on three key areas: skill, speed and service. However, after several explosive growth seasons, we discovered our success exceeded that infrastructure. 

We doubled in size in a relatively short period of time. Despite the accolades, revenue, and growth, our tenured team members felt disengaged from our core values. Growth became so easy that the team lost touch of the depth of connection and service. While we had a waitlist of new guests wanting to work with our team, our existing clients were also disengaged, resulting in a decline in client retention, frequency of visit and average ticket.  We knew it was time to redesign the growth cycle through a new leadership infrastructure. 

In early 2024, the restructuring took place. Two key positions were added to our leadership line up: A Guest Relation Director and Dedicated Growth Coach. While the Guest Relation Director’s role was to oversee and assure the highest level of connection to the guest, The Growth Coaches’ role was to work on an intimate level with the individuals of the team. The Growth Coach was not to just to focus on the salon’s overall growth, rather the unique growth goals of the team members; sparking a growth connection with each person. 

A Salon Director was hired to take my place, as I stepped into the role of Growth Coach. As co-founder of Luscious & Co, I felt it was my responsibility to tackle this role as it would require a deep connection to the team, a direct yet kind communication style, and an eagerness to solve problems. The true impact of a Growth Coach is the ability to understand the future through the lens of the individual’s perspective, then tying it back to the company’s core values. This process would not only spark growth but gain a deeper understanding of which team members were the right fit for our culture. 

We announced this organizational change at our 2024 kickoff. The team was thrilled to discover the new relationship. While appreciative of this growth, they too felt a disconnection to an overall purpose. A new interactive framework was used to gain insight on how the team measured success. Using this understanding, we created individual growth plans called “Accelerator Club” to help them reach new heights with purpose. 

A mutual admiration of growth was born through understanding what that means for each person. By shifting our focus from speed to depth, the culture was strengthened and the team’s understanding of growth standards aligned with purpose. Our clients felt this reconnection, and thus, results improved.

It has deepened our success. And as a result, a 15% increase in average ticket and an 11% increase in client retention was seen by Q3. By Q4 we are tracking an increase in the Frequency of Visit to pre-pandemic heights.

The fire to grow is now a flame in which each team member uses to light their own torch. Growth is a unique journey, but with the right plan, it can feel more like an adventure.