Many salons get their start when a stylist decides that they want to open a salon. The beautiful part of this is that you have a business owner who understands the needs of their team because they are also a hairdresser. The hard part about this is that when the hairdresser turned salon owner tries to balance how to “do it all”. Many times the owner is still taking clients at least part time and now they have added in all of the responsibilities of growing a business. What usually comes last is the actual leading of the team. 

Leadership is the easiest thing to put on the back burner because other things feel more urgent. The clients we have to take or the payroll we have to run.

But in reality the failure to focus on ourselves as leaders and on the actual leading of our team creates problems that exist long before they truly surface in front of us. 

Flash forward a decade and many salon owners have stepped out from behind the chair a bit to put more energy on “running the business”. They’ve likely been through at least one major staff turn over and they’re in the space mentally where it’s easy to feel frustrated and taken advantage of by employees. In 2023 this is a big reality because the shift in needs of the workforce feels like it came upon us so swiftly that the leaders in professional beauty have barely had time to catch up to all of the changes. 

You can’t go back and do things differently but you can look forward and imagine a different way of “running the business”. A strong focus on leadership is almost a guaranteed ticket to success in your salon. Why, you might wonder? 

Teams that have strong leaders in place feel more connected, cared for, and they place more trust in the salon. This results in them being more loyal and oftentimes more productive. While it’s easy to give leading last place on our to list- especially if we find ourselves burnt out- it’s actually imperative as salon leaders that we put it first on our list. A few tips to do this:

1. Plan time with your team regularly. Block this on your calendar so it’s a priority.
2. Get intentional about feedback to help your team reach their goals.
3. Focus on gratitude and appreciation so your team knows that you see them working hard and that you appreciate it. 
4. Create some self-development goals for yourself in 2024 so that you grow your leadership skills

The talent coming out of cosmetology schools today is very aware of the connection between a great leader and their success.

Tap into this and watch your business thrive.