This week’s blog posting is dedicated to all  Mother’s working in the beauty profession.

Trying to earn a living or owning your own business is a gigantic challenge for all women ; especially single mother’s  who want a better life for yourself and your family.

It is my wish that my blog from my new book I will be publishing soon, A Women’s Guide to Success and Happiness, will brighten your day, a day that should be special every day of the year.

A few thoughts on your special Mothers Day:

Excellence Begins Within: unleash the power within, you control your own destiny; always believe in yourself, take the word I can’t out of your vocabulary and replace it with I can.

Stop Worrying — stay positive,stop worrying over things you have no control over,when you’re a little down on yourself or are having a tough day,always remember other people may have bigger challenges than you.

Set High Standards — live up to your own expectations, not the expectations of others. You control your own happiness.Never accept mediocrity personally, professionally, and financially.

A Special Hug -– give your mother a special hug and let her know how much you appreciate all the sacrifices she’s made for you as your mother. Let her know you love her unconditionally.

Pamper Yourself — It’s okay to be a little selfish and pamper yourself once in awhile. Take a walk on the beach,or treat yourself to a relaxing massage or a special day at the spa. Appreciate the natural beauty that surrounds you,the bottom line is,enjoy life every moment.

Pride in Yourself — You are special,when you respond to yourself with compassion rather than anger,guilt,sadness,or disappointment,you will be evaluating yourself as the imperfect person you are. It’s okay to fail once in awhile, learn from your mistakes and move on.

Take pride in all that you do.

When working as a professional in the beauty industry, women must wear many hats when trying to be a good mother and add financial support to their families.

As a fellow professional, I have the utmost respect for all of you. It is my wish that these few comments will brighten your special day. Happy Mothers day.

Without a doubt, compounding these challenges even further is our current recession. Virtually every industry and every profession – especially those of us in sales and service-oriented fields – has been affected, in some cases quite drastically. These indeed are challenging and troubling times. That’s the bad news.

Now here’s the good news:  Despite the unique challenges these difficult times may bring, I see windows of tremendous opportunities for salon owners and hairdressers who are well informed, committed to their business, and willing to go the extra mile to seek a better life for themselves and their families. Remember, when the going gets tough the tough get going.

Overcoming the Doom and Gloom Crowd

Have you noticed that everywhere you turn these days all you hear is doom and gloom? The media headlines veritably scream the dismal news on a daily basis:  “Unemployment Rises to Unprecedented Levels”, “Foreclosures at a Record High”, “Consumer Confidence Plummets as Spending Decreases for 4th Straight Quarter”…. These are actual headlines I’ve heard or read just in the last couple days alone. It’s enough to make you want to cancel your newspaper subscription and throw your television out the window!

It’s no wonder that most people fall into this gloomy mainstream mindset, which in turn leads to a negative attitude when it comes to everything else in your life, including your job.

While we may not be able to change the overall state of the economy, you can control one very important thing – your attitude. You can either follow the doom and gloom crowd looking for excuses to fail, or you can view these challenges as money making opportunities. I can tell you with absolute certainty after 43 years in this business, that attitude really is everything. Your attitude in the face of adversity will determine your own success or failure in your business.

In other words, if you believe you will fail, you probably will. Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you are right.” That’s a powerful statement to keep in mind when it comes to how you choose to approach each day!

Everything is cyclical, including our economy. In my four plus decades as a working hairdresser and salon owner, I have seen my share of tough markets. Not only was I able to overcome these difficult times, I was actually able to prosper, improve profits, and expand! How did I do it? I’ve been asked that question at least a thousand times during my career and now as a professional speaker in our industry, and I always have the same answer: ATTITUDE.

This is more than just thinking positively. It really has several elements. The biggest factor in dealing with adversity is probably your competitive spirit, your willingness to commit 100%, and even make sacrifices when necessary. If you take full responsibility for your own success or failure, you will take control of your own destiny.

Keeping a positive outlook will also allow you to see things differently from the doom and gloom crowd. Suddenly you will see ways to turn adversity into fantastic money making opportunities.  Have you ever noticed the most successful real estate moguls and sales professionals are the ones out there expanding, trying bold new marketing tactics or buying as much as they can right when the market is at its weakest? The same kind of mentality works in our profession.

I’m not saying you should go out there and bet the farm during these troubling times. But keeping an open mind and proactively seeking out knowledge that will help you make informed decisions about your business or hairdressing career is critical in difficult markets.  Many people will argue that education is expensive; I say, try ignorance!

Far too many of our colleagues will follow the doom and gloom crowd, refusing to take full responsibility for their own success or failure. This will ultimately eliminate many marginal salons or hairdressers not willing or able to view adversity as an opportunity.  This may be bad news for many in our profession, but it presents a fantastic opportunity for those of us with the initiative and passion to succeed. And with less competition will come more customers and more prosperity. When the market starts to improve again (remember, everything is cyclical), you’ll be so far ahead of the game it’ll be difficult for those doom and gloomers to ever catch up!

When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Adversity will separate winners from losers. Remember, you and you alone hold the key to your own success or failure.

Have you ever felt overwhelmed as a salon owner due to time restraints? There always seems to be little time to meet the challenges of salon ownership.

How do I monitor customer feedback?

How do I find time to monitor staff performance?

How do I find time to balance my personal life and business?

How to I find time to promote and market my salon?

How do I find time to manage my team?

The questions go on and on.

Salon owners wear many hats; in an effort to ease these heavy duties and responsibilities of salon ownership; you may want to consider a salon coordinator.

A well trained salon coordinator can save you time, money, and stress by helping you manage your salon more effectively.

They will also help you improve the quality of your life by easing the heavy burdens and responsibilities of owning your own business.

Your coordinator will also act as a liaison between you and your team.

Please follow the following tips:

You’re Personal Assistant — act as an extension of you the owner, where her loyalty is to you and the growth and profitability of your business.

Act as Your Goodwill Ambassador — making customer service a high priority

Monitor Customer Feedback — customer loss and and negative word of mouth is devastating to your business. Your salon coordinator will help you in your client retention efforts.

Monitor Referrals and Customer Return Rate — make sure you monitor the performance and productivity of your team and salon.

Improve Customer Service — make sure your customer service exceeds your clients expectations

Improve Your Retailing: by personally reminding customers of your retail products and their benefits.

Bookkeeper – handle payroll, paperwork etc.

For complete information on how to develop your salon coordinator click here

Building a successful hairdressing career will require patience, perseverance, ongoing education and a fierce determination to succeed.

With over 40 years’ experience I certainly understand the many challenges of building a successful hairdressing career; I also know the rewards of success.

The following educational tips will help you overcome the many peaks and valleys to your growth and development, as you climb the ladder of success.

I urge you to follow these tips with an open mind:

Don’t Follow The Crowd — of glitter and hype. There are other skills you must develop such as people and communication skills, self-management, how to promote yourself through social media, to name a few. Focus your skills on understanding and exceeding client expectations

Keep An Open Mind — learn from people who are successful, they probably have experienced and overcome the same challenges as you

Be Patient – especially if you’re just starting your career. Building a hairdressing career is a journey, not a sprint. Develop a solid learning foundation for your long term growth and development.

Seek Out a Mentor — find someone you respect and ask for help. Check out my Hairdresser’s Guide to Excellence C.D. Click here.

Seek Out quality Education — make sure education is not a sales pitch for products. Find quality education that focuses on your educational needs.

Develop Personal Power Within – bring out your competitive spirit and believe in yourself always.

Take Personal Responsibility — for your own success or failure. Eliminate your excuses to fail. You can’t always blame your boss if you’re not busy.

Develop Powerful People and Communication Skills — developing powerful public speaking skills will open up fantastic opportunities for your growth and development.

Stay Focused — achieving success will be difficult because you will have to overcome many distractions for your time.

Our profession is going through many changes; those who are committed and truly develop a passion for excellence within will flourish, while others will just get by. Click here for educational resources.

Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed? Do you sometimes lack the energy to perform at peak performance? Do you sometimes feel tired with no energy?

Do you sometimes feel all stressed out, and worry about your bills? Do you find yourself sometimes feeling bored at work?

Burnout is usually caused by physical and mental exhaustion caused by stress and worry, fatigue and other factors.

Signs or symptoms from burnout can be caused by many factors, either at work, your personal life, or financial difficulties.

First of all, most people experience some form of burnout from time to time, the difference is some people handle burnout better than others.

As hairdressers and salon owners, burnout can hinder our performance at work, can severely undermine our ability to perform and affect our standard of living.

The pressures of owning your own business or the challenges of building a successful hairdressing career  can also lead to burnout as well.

You can easily combat burnout by recognizing the warning signs by lack of motivation, stress, fatigue, complacency, and depression.

When you start experiencing these symptoms, your body is telling you to slow down.

Follow these tips:

Take a Break —start the day with a positive attitude by taking about ten minutes of meditation, making sure you tell yourself every day I can. learn self motivation techniques.

Do Something out of the ordinary — take your child to the zoo, visit your grandparents, or even go to a movie in the middle of the week.

Exercise and Rest — go for a walk, a little exercise, eat healthy ,or simply read a book. Maybe get a massage or facial.

Read a Motivational Book — read a book on self-motivation and personal growth.

Seek Out Help — ask your boss for help,perhaps ask your boss for a day off ,let them know how you feel,this will improve your productivity.

Regain Your Passion –- develop a competitive spirit, work to be a fierce competitor.

Seek Out Self-improvement —  ongoing education will help you renew your passion to succeed. The door to education and self-improvement is never closed and is an excellent way to overcome burnout.

Have Fun and Laugh a little — Get away and have some fun, count your blessings, like good health, family, etc. always look at the positives in life.

Everyone experiences burnout from time to time, your body and mind is simply telling you to take a break and enjoy your life. You can and you will overcome burnout if you follow the above tips. You may want to listen to my new CD on A Hairdresser’s Guide to Excellence. Check it out. Click here.

If you can’t manage yourself, how can you expect to manage your team? Whether you like it or not, you are captain of your team.

If you expect excellence within your staff, then you must lead the way in developing excellence within yourself as a salon owner.

It’s important to understand, that your teams winning attitude starts with you. Your ability to develop a team spirit where everyone shares your vision and goals will be a key leadership skill.

It is your challenge and responsibility to take your business and your team to a higher level.

I formed Hairdresser Career Development Systems to help you and your team succeed personally, professionally, and financially.

Follow these tips with an open mind:

Set Positive Examples — lead by example. A good leader not only knows where he’s going, but he can persuade people to follow him. Learn self-control before attempting to manage others.

Give Your Team Educational Guidelines — invest in your salon’s greatest profit potential — educate your team. Give them the educational tools to succeed. how can you expect your team to grow if they don’t know your expectations and how your expectations will be measured. Click here

Create a Team Culture — salon owners must work hard at being a positive influence in creating a team spirit within their business. A house divided will never grow. 

Work Hard to Educate Your Team —-  if you can show your team how to double and triple their income, they will double and triple profits

Create Conditions that Foster Loyalty —work hard to create a positive and professional salon environment. Create an atmosphere of trust, not an atmosphere of fear. Let your team know your door is always open if they need help or support. 

Praise,Incentives and Rewards — rewarding your team for their hard work by praise,incentives and sometimes just a little pat on the back can do wonders.

Whether you like it or not,it is your responsibility to take your team to a higher level, and that level starts at the top. I urge all owners to develop powerful leadership skills, help is available. Click here.

For too long, salon owners have struggled in meeting the many challenges and obstacles of salon ownership in isolation. Your not alone anymore.

As salon owners we share a common bond in trying to build and grow our businesses. Many of our associations that are well intended are not addressing the deep rooted challenges  that are causing hard ships on owners or helping salon owners grow their businesses. Far too many salons are struggling while many more are going out of business. We have no voice. The only people that can force changes are the salon owners themselves. With a united front ,we can make these changes by addressing the many deep rooted challenges facing salon owners.

Staff turnover, finding positive minded hairdressers, price wars, staff pirating, an unequal playing field, an educational system that needs reform, rising business costs, and the list goes on and on. My question is why?

Finding solutions to these challenges individually is just too costly. As fellow salon owners, let us unite and learn learn from one another and share our vast experience and form a support group free of any special interest group. Owners learning and helping salon owners,will be powerful. Our success will bring success to everyone in our profession.

We must address the many challenges  affecting the growth and stability of our salons and the livelihoods of our hairdressers as well.

How can we implement an apprenticeship program within our profession? How can  we  can prevent turnover? How about a benefits package for our staff? These are just some of the challenges we must address together.

To start this grass root movement,I suggest calling salon owners in your community and share this message. Who better understands our educational and business needs than salon owners who work daily in the trenches. You’ll also find your fellow salon owners are nice people too!

Owners Helping Salon Owners Will Be Our Theme!

Many of you will fear that you will be helping competing salons that will affect your business. The opposite is true.

First of all there is a great need to develop upscale salons; there are more than enough customers for everyone. Today’s consumer is crying out for well managed and upscale professional salons.

By joining together, you will be able to form a support group of entrepreneur salon owners who are demanding quality information and educational guidelines. a new approach to meeting the many challenges facing salon owners.

A few goals for our new grass roots movement:

A Voice — now we will have a united voice in addressing our educational and business needs. We do have the power to make this industry to demand changes anfd make this industry more responsive to our needs.

Obstacles and Challenges — let us Identify and address the many deep rooted challenges and obstacles affecting our salons. What are the causes of these challenges.and how can we prevent and overcome these obstacles.

Combat Turnover — why not form a pact with one another and refuse to recruit each others staff member.

Instill Honesty and a Code of Ethics — what goes around comes around. Let us all play by the same rules and quit fighting among ourselves. If we continue to fight one another, our struggles will only get worse,while the franchises will continue to grow. There is a market for both.

Form a United Front — let us form an alliance and take back our salons and our profession. There is power in numbers.Let’s make this industry more responsive to our educational and business needs.

Form a Support group — let us help and learn from one another in time of need. Some day you may need help and support.

Join us for and be a charter member of our Salon Owner Alliance Network and be a part of  our 7 Day  Salon Owner’s Summit Conference aboard the Princess Cruise lines to the Eastern Caribbean Feb.3-10 , 2013 Make your reservations now to guarantee this great rate, prices will rise.

Click here for complete information.

There will be no product companies involved, the emphasis will be on you and our new grass roots movement. This is your conference. Salon owners learning from salon owners will be powerful. Your voices and concerns will be heard.

I need your help and support , I am donating my time and money in putting this together in an effort to help salon owners  form a united front. Please share this information with other salon owners. Feel free to call me at 1-800-390-4237 or email me at jon@hcds4you.com if you have any questions.

“We live in a difficult and uncertain economy. Every day the cost of business and living continues to rise, as evidenced by rising gasoline prices. Everyday you read  about people who are having financial worries because they did not plan for their future or save their money;many more  are struggling because of layoffs. Many seniors are  having to go back to work because they lost many of their retirement investments. We should learn from their misfortune, this  doesn’t have to happen to you when you get older, or are unable to stand on your feet long hours just to make a living.

Sadly, the beauty profession rarely talks about financial planning and financial security. I suppose this topic doesn’t sell tickets to many of our trade shows. Most hairdressers and salon owners follow the crowd of glitter and product hype and rarely think about their financial future.

How many of you can afford to miss work due to unforeseen illness or accidents.

Most salon owners and hairdressers have no pensions, retirement plans, or health insurance compared to other professions. The question is why? The lesson here is do not trust anyone with your financial future. You and you alone will have to take full responsibility for your own financial security. I was able to retire financially independent, because I followed the following guidelines. It worked for me, I know it will work for you.

Follow These Tips:

Create Value in Yourself — through education. The more education, the more income and opportunities will come your way. Work hard at self-improvement so you can create a demand for your services.The more you learn, the more you earn.

Financial Planning — learn how to work smarter, not harder, learn and read books on financial planning and money management. Suze Orman has great advice for women, go to her web site. She offers a wealth of information.

Avoid Wasting Your Money — before you spend your hard earned money, always ask yourself; do I really need this? Instead put your money where it will earn interest through compounding.

Ira or Roth I.R.A. — a great way to save on taxes or watch your money grow by compounding. Any financial planner will tell you to take advantage of these opportunities.

Stay Out Of Debt — causes stress and worry ,prevents you from taking advantage of the many opportunities that will  be available to you  as you gain experience and improve your money making opportunities.

Invest in a Home or Condo — great time to buy, your young, the housing market will grow again. Take advantage of low interest rates.

Save Your Money — get in the habit of saving money even if it’s just a little bit.

I do hope that these guidelines will get you started or at least get you thinking about your financial future. Start now, the sooner,the better.  I even put a chapter in my book about financial planning for hairdressers. Click here

The inability to hire the right people when adding a new member to your team is one of the leading causes of staff turnover and business interruption. Our business is such that we must rely heavily on the performance and stability of our staff to keep growing our business.

No business can grow and improve profits with a team that do not share your goals and values. A house divided will never grow.

How can we expect to grow our business and raise prices without a team spirit where everyone contributes to a professional and positive salon environment?

Far too many salon owners hire people out of desperation just to fill a chair or out of desperation when they experience turnover.

Every salon should develop their own staff development program to make sure you hire the right people.  Take preventative action and always have a plan in place to overcome and combat turnover.Your best prevention is to make sure you hire the right people who share your goals and vision. Make sure you have plenty of applicants in case may need a replacement.

Here are a few tips:

Recruitment Brochure — As an owner, recruitment of talent was as important to me as marketing for customers. The more applicants, the more opportunities you have in finding that diamond in the rough.

Develop Your Own Staff Development Program — certain qualities you should look for when  deciding who to hire when adding a new member to your team.  A professional appearance, positive attitude, personality, desire for self-improvement, history of job stability, and  compatibility with your other team members. The key point is, will they contribute to your team culture.

Probationary Period — a 6month probationary period to make sure they are following your quality control guidelines

Employee Handbook — your employee handbook should be the foundation to employee training, including terms of employment.How can you expect them to perform if they do not know your expectations and how they will be measured?

Training and Education — A salon orientation program is essential in  making sure they are following your own quality control standards. You want to establish positive attitudes and strong work habits in the beginning of their employment. The higher your standards,the higher your rewards.

I will be covering this important topic at my upcoming seminar in San Diego. Click Here

Monitor Performance — measure their performance including referrals, and their customer return rate. You must be aware of the damage of customer loss.

A trial and error approach to learning on paying customers is just too costly.

For more detailed information, my book Creating Your Salon will be extremely helpful. Check it out! Click here

I believe in the course of trying to grow a successful business we as salon owners, sometimes forget the personal and professional needs of the people that work in our salons.

We cannot expect our hairdressers to have the same motivation as ourselves. Not everyone has the same motivations and goals. Your challenge as a salon owner and leader of your team is to understand their needs and blend all these different needs into a team culture.

Many of our staff just want to do a great job and spend time with their family, others want to to work in a positive and professional environment,while others are are more ambitious ,committed to maximizing their full learning and earning potential.

Our business is such that we must rely heavily on our hairdresser’s ability to keep our customers coming back time and time again. We also must address the challenges of avoiding staff turnover and business interruption.

Why do many hairdressers keep changing jobs? There are many reasons, perception that they can earn more money elsewhere, unwillingness to contribute to a team culture,inability to communicate with the owner, salon gossip and negativity, poor hiring decisions on the part of the owner. and the list goes on.

Sometimes we as well meaning salon owners also must share in the blame in not understanding the needs of our staff. Are we not the leader of our team?

As a salon owner myself I have always tried to understand the educational needs of my team by investing in my salons greatest profit potential — educating my team.

I do hope the following tips will help us as salon owners, bridge the gap between staff and management, by being more sensitive and understanding to the personal and professional needs of our team.

Follow these tips with an open mind:

Recognition and Support – sometime a little pat on the back and praise for a job well done can be a great motivator. Perhaps a little note saying I appreciate your hard work.

Positive and Professional Salon Environment — create conditions that foster loyalty by working hard to create a working environment where it’s fun to go to work every day. Make sure when you add a new member to your team, they will be compatible with your other team members. Work hard to create a working environment based on trust not fear, make their jobs fun and fulfilling.

 Ongoing Education — invest in educating your team. As leader of your team, your responsibility is to give them the educational tools and support in helping  them   maximize their full learning and earning potential. Click here.

Mentor -– offer guidance and support by helping them improve their skills and self confidence. Show them how to be successful. You get the best of others when you give the best of yourself.

Sometimes it’s good to bring someone from the outside to show your team you care about their growth and development.  My Hairdresser’s Guide to Making Money seminar will be appreciated. Click here for sample flyer.

A Busy Salon — of course our hairdresser’s want to stay busy. As salon owners we need to work hard at promoting and marketing our business. Of course you must make sure you measure the customer return rate and referrals of your staff.

Invite Employee Feedback — let your staff know that your door is always open if they have concerns. Let your team know you value their suggestions and opinions. From time to time on a one to one basis,ask them, how am I doing as your boss?

Clearly Define Their Job duties —how can you expect your team to perform if they do not know your expectations and how they will be measured. Your employee handbook should be the foundation of training and educating your team. Click here.

Our profession is experiencing difficult times in today’s tough economy, as leaders of your team it will be your responsibility and challenge as their mentor to take your team to the next level and being more sensitive to the needs of your team.