Keep Your Salon Buzzing
How do you find great stylists to work in your salon? My answer is always the same:
Concrete Accountability
After several years as a salon owner, Zilinski decided to enlist her staff in the training process with an accountability program that makes stylists responsible for addressing a particular salon issue, presenting it to the rest of the staff and ultimately implementing positive changes in salon procedure.
The Case for Team-Based Pay
In a recent post to SALON TODAY's LinkedIn page, reader Joann Lefebvre posted the following question: "Any ideas on how to handle commissioned employees when a salon/spa offers promotional pricing for services and products?" I couldn't resist the opportunity to join the online dialog to talk about the benefits of team-based pay.
by Neil Ducoff
Dealing with Disgruntled Staffers
How do you deal with a disgruntled employee? Remember that your employees are the first customers you need to make happy. So once you find out what the issue is, think about how you would resolve the issue with a customer. Modify that resolution to work with your employee. Of course, there are certain situations that may require some tough love, or a difficult decision, but as a business owner, it's important to face the harder situations head on. they don't get better if you ignore them.
Effective Team Building
The term 'team building' has been so misunderstood over the years that it often conjures up images of tug-of-war exercises and awkward group outings. The real concept of building a team, however, is critical to every business, especially those in the salon industry, where each member of the team must work independently—and in unison—to allow the salon to reach its full potential. The goal is to create an effective, strong team environment—without drama, disruptions or misunderstandings.
Achieving Business Balance
October's SALON TODAY In-Depth feature focuses on what we've dubbed, Yin Yang leadership, the payoff of establishing unity between business and creative thinking in the salon. In helping us with this article, Tom Kuhn, owner of Qnity, ...
by Stacey Soble
What Your Employees are Afraid to Tell You
The usual talk among leaders is about needed conversations with employees regarding behavior and performance issues. And for those conversations that are guaranteed to raise your blood pressure, there are some fine books available, such as "Fierce Conversations" and "Crucial Conversations" to help you through. But what happens when employees need to tell you about issues with your behavior and performance as their leader?
by Neil Ducoff
What's on your Compromise List?
Every leader has one. It's that list of leadership projects, tasks and responsibilities that you prefer to avoid, ignore or bestow with your highest level of procrastination. It is truly amazing how you can find a zillion low-level things to do rather than tackle your compromise list and check off a few items.
by Neil Ducoff
Employees Quit Leaders Not Companies
From the calls we’ve been getting at Strategies, it seems like the employee revolving door is spinning a bit faster this summer. It sounds something like, “My salon/spa lost $160,000 in sales because these technicians quit and went down the street.” And then there’s all the drama, ugly words and feelings of betrayal. It’s like that voice in your head keeps saying, “How could they do this to me after all I did for them?”
by Neil Ducoff
Salon Today 200: ADVANCED EDUCATION
Learning never ends, and these ST200 honorees prove that advanced education fuels the creative and technical fires. They bring in high-profile educators, support their staff’s outside educational pursuits and encourage the sharing of new knowledge with both the team and the clients.
Talent Show
The future of your salon lies squarely on the shoulders of your very youngest stylists. The best way to assure they truly are up to the task is to grow them yourself.
by Stacey Soble
Who Is Your Industry Mentor
Who inspires YOU?
Who Is Your Industry Mentor?
We asked top stylists, many of them mentors themselves, to talk about who inspired them.
Setting up Structure
Structure ensures efficiency, productivity, consistency and predictability. Lack of structure ensures chaos, conflicting agendas, dissension, stagnancy and, worst of all, uncertainty.
by Neil Ducoff
Protecting Top TALENT
A non-compete agreement helps one salon retain staff and protect its investment in education.
Combating Catastrophe
A fire, a walkout, tropical storms—three first-hand accounts demonstrate that emergency action plans can protect salons from devastating loss and pave the way for new beginnings.
by Stacey Soble