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.

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.

“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

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.

There seems to be a growing contempt and jealousy towards pharmaceuticals, oil companies, financial institutions, wall street, rich people, or anybody who is successful. Surprisingly salon owners are also victims of this contempt

I was recently reading some chat room comments where hairdressers were commenting on their salons and owners

I was alarmed by the degree of animosity, misunderstandings, and negative attitudes towards salon owners and managers in their efforts to grow their business and improve profits.

These are some of the comments I read from some hairdressers : Salon owners are greedy, why should the keep half of everything I make, they drive fancy cars, they don’t appreciate my hard work and the list goes on and on. Where and why are these attitudes formed? Was it in beauty school, gossip in the backrooms of our salons, lack leadership and poor people management on the part of salon owners?

I’m sure some of these comments may be justified, but many of these comments and attitudes simply result from poor communication between staff and management.

Lack of understanding  each others needs is a major challenge facing salon owners. I can assure you that most salon owners are not rich. I have yet to meet a salon owner that wants to see their team and salon fail.

Most hairdressers  do not have an understanding of what it takes to run a business;if they did, I think they would be more supportive of management. It is equally important for salon owners to respect the rights of their staff.

Personally I as a salon owner  felt  a moral responsibility to grow my business  and help my staff raise their standard of living,by educating them, and helping them reach higher levels of excellence.

Perhaps a class on business at the beauty school level on what it takes to own your own business would help change some of these attitudes. These types of attitudes towards salon owners are one of the leading causes of staff turnover and misunderstandings. When turnover occurs everyone loses. How can we expect to raise prices, advertise for more customers, maintain job security, create a positive and professional salon environment and improve our standard of living in this negative atmosphere?

It is my wish that hairdressers will gain a better understanding of the heavy duties and responsibilities salon owners face daily. It is also my wish that salon owners become better leaders in helping their team reach higher levels of excellence —personally, professionally, and financially. We are all in this together.

Let us examine some of good aspects of most salon owners.

Salon owners should be applauded for the following:

Salon Owners Create Jobs — in today’s tough economy we should be thankful we have jobs, and the opportunity to maximize our full learning and earning potential. Many salon owners sacrifice time and money to provide a better life for themselves and their team, as well as  the courage to take  risks, in many cases investing their life savings in opening a business.

Salon Owners Make Sacrifices — T o achieve success requires sacrifices and hard work. Many owners sacrifice time with their families, usually the first to work and the last to leave. Their business is always on their mind. Their hard work and sacrifices benefits you and provide you with a job and an opportunity to reach higher levels of excellence.

Spend Money and Time on Advertising — salon owners are always working hard to attract more customers, which is very costly and time consuming.

Provide Mentoring and Guidance — most salon owners are willing share their vast experience and skills in helping you grow your career. Many offer guidance,education, moral support and ongoing mentoring.

Education and Training: most top salons invest in educating and training their team.

 A Positive and Professional Salon Environment. — many work hard to create a fun and positive team environment.

Struggle to Make a Profit — without profits there is no money to advertise or promote salon for more customers or provide incentives and a benefits package. If the salon fails— no job security

Risk of Losing Clients — while young starters gain experience in meeting high job market and consumer demands,many owners risk losing money and customers while helping young hairdressers  gain experience. Learning by trial and error is risky and costly.

Provide Job Opportunities — allows hairdressers the opportunity to grow their talent and careers by providing jobs.

Owners Must Maintain Business Stability— many owners have to work hard to overcome staff turnover, to maintain job stability for their other  team members until they find a replacement.

Let us join together to be more supportive of each others needs.

For informative business and career tips click here

It is getting more and more difficult to find quality education that meets job market and consumer demands. How do hairdressers and salon owners find unbiased education that focuses on their educational and business needs?

Innovation  in education is needed if we are to keep pace with other professions. Learning by trial and error is just unacceptable anymore. Tomorrow’s business minded professional will have to know more than how to cut and style hair if they want to compete ae higher levels of excellence.

As a concerned hairdresser, salon owner, I formed Hairdresser Career Development Systems to fill this educational void.

Unfortunately many of our hairdresser’s standards of living are not keeping pace with the rising cost of living. Equally disturbing is that many salon owners are finding it difficult to maintain and grow their business. Finding answers and quality education that is focused on your educational and business needs is hard to find.

If we are to raise the standard of living of hairdressers and salon owners, we must raise the standards of educational excellence.

Most well managed salons are now developing their own educational programs  in training and educating their team.

Far too many of my colleagues are  spending time and money on education that are nothing more than product hype disguised as education.

Before you invest your hard earned money on education, here are some tips to follow when seeking information

References — before you make a decision on paying your hard earned money for education, ask for references from other salon owners or colleague

Backgrounds of Educators — what are their backgrounds? How can someone tell you how to own a successful and profitable business, who never owned one? Is their background consists of just sales, and unrealistic promises. How much experience do they have in owning their own business? Is the education designed to make you feel good  a few days, or does this education present you with long term value and benefits.

Easy to Understand — most owners work long hours behind the chair, leaving very little time to practice what they have learned. Make sure you use common sense and seek out education that is practical and easy to understand.

Defining the Type of Education — before you spend money on education, write a list of your priorities, for example if you need more customers, them focus on marketing and advertising. If you want to improve staff performance, then focus on the educational needs of your staff. Do you want more artistic training? Do you want more product knowledge? Business management? Personal growth? Clearly define your educational needs.

Value for Your Money — are you measuring the results? Did your investment and time get you the results you wanted in growing your business? Have your sales gone up

Deep Rooted Obstacles — a education will not be effective if turnover is a continuing challenge. What are the causes of our challenges and obstacles? Turnover, poor leadership skills on the part of the owner, outdated education not responding to job market and consumer demands, too much bureaucracy and regulations, staff pirating, commission and price wars, and the list goes on and on. We must address theses challenges, if our education is going to be meaningful.

Outside Resources —don’t follow the crowd, sometimes you have to go outside our profession to find quality education. Social media could be a great start.

You tube offers great how to videos, and their free.

Avoid Glitter and Hype — clearly define your educational needs by working smarter, not harder. Seek out only quality education,education that you can take back to your salon for immediate benefits. Many of the hair styles we see at many of our trade shows are not realistic for the average consumer.

As you continue to grow, seek out the type of education that will help you make informed education decisions based on fact ,not hearsay.

Make sure you seek out education that will be focused on your educational and business needs.

For more information, click here.

I am well aware of the many challenges of salon ownership. For over 43 years I also faced the same challenges you face as salon owners, but I also have been able  to enjoy the benefits of owning my own business. I certainly know about the peaks and valleys of owning your own business.

I am sure that everything that has happened to you has happened to me over the years, many a time I had to ask myself if making all these sacrifices was worth owning my own business. Yes there were times I wanted to quit, but my motivation to continue was my family, it was sink or swim.

I not only was able to survive the blood, sweat and tears and learn from my mistakes, of owning my own business, I was able to survive, and was able to retire financially independent.

I formed Hairdresser Career Development Systems first as a hobby  but realized I was able to help and impact the lives of my colleagues. I have everything I need; now I have an opportunity to have a purpose in my life to help others. It is my wish by providing lessons learned and mistakes I was able to overcome, I can give you a short cut and make your journey easier than mind.

It is my wish that the following tips will help you gain a new found passion to succeed in spite of the many deep rooted obstacles you face daily.

Get Help — learn from people who have probably experienced your pain and has found ways to overcome the same obstacles you face everyday. I formed my educational company as a guide in helping you meet these challenges with confidence. I want to create a truly educational company you can trust and count on,free of any special interest groups.

Keep an Open Mind — our profession has changed dramatically in the last few years, business practices that may have worked before are now outdated. Keep an open mind to opinions of others then do what you feel is right for you.

Don’t Follow the Crowd — of glitter and hype. Sadly I had to go outside my profession to find education that was not biased towards the needs of the product companies and special interest groups. Information is available, sometimes you have to go outside the profession to learn.

Education — find quality education that will help you get results, especially in the area of business. Salons that are well managed will always be in demand.

Perseverance — when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Never and I mean never give up. Owning a salon offers both rewards and sacrifices. Nobody ever said owning a business would be easy. You’re not alone any more. I formed my educational company to help you meet these challenges and obstacles head on.

Financial Planning — very sad that it seems many  owners and hairdressers only talk about what is the best products, they get involved in all the glitter and hype of many of our hair shows, yet focus little on how to plan their financial security and future.

I was able to retire because I learned early in my career to save and invest my money, educating myself by attending educational classes on financial planning.

As we prepare to enter what I think is going to be a very difficult,yet promising 2012, adversity will always present fantastic opportunities.  I do hope that you start the New Year following these few tips. Please take a look at my educational programs ,I know they will be a big help. Click here

Owning your own business can be daunting especially after the holidays  during a slow economy.

Why is it that some salons thrive in a good and tough economy? Why is it that some salons are thriving while others are struggling just to survive?

There are many reasons, poor staff selection, poor planning, salon gossip and pettiness, lack of leadership skills, poor business management skills and the list goes on and on.

Unfortunately far too many salon owners are waiting for the economy to improve, while others are in denial, and refuse to develop their business management skills because it requires hard work and effort.

Nobody ever said owning your own business would be easy.

Here are a few tips that can help you overcome the after holiday slow downs:

Be innovative — put on your thinking cap and find ways to stand above the crowd to gain that all important competitive edge. What is your competitive edge? Why should I patronize your salon over all the others in the community? You may want to consider writing a blog post to increase visibility of your business.  Perhaps send a little personal message to your clients wishing them and their family a happy holiday season. Maybe renew your efforts at excelling at customer service.

Self-Improvement — a recent survey showed that 94% of all business failures were due to poor business skills on the part of the owner. Learn everything you can about the business aspect of salon ownership. Your probably a very good hairdresser, now learn how to be an astute business man or woman. Work hard to renew your passion to succeed. Make sure you attend Jon’s intensive business seminar when one is held near you.

Monitor Your Customer Return rate — all the adverting in the world will be useless if customers are unhappy and never come back. Losing just one customer and her family can be devastating to your salon’s growth and profitability. Negative word of mouth is the worst kind of advertising.

Get Help — learn from people who have experienced  the same struggles as you, but were able to survive and overcome the many challenges of salon ownership.

Learn the Power of Social Media — you spent much of your time developing your artistic skills. Now it’s time to learn how to increase salon traffic cost effectively. Just go to Google, type in facebook then tutorials, same for you tube, twitter etc. Learn the power of social media.

Educate Your Team — show your team how to double and triple their income. Educating your team will be the best investment you will make in growing your business. I will soon be releasing my schedule for my motivational personal growth success seminar for hairdressers.

Did You Make a Good Profit in 2011? — It is important that you review the customer return rate and referrals of your team. Review your profit and loss statement.  Did you know the easiest way to improve profits is by cutting expenses? Numbers don’t lie, that’s your real score card.

Renew Your Passion — develop a strong competitive spirit, and, never give up.

You’re not alone, help is available.

2012 will be a very challenging year for salon owners and hairdresser’s alike. I do hope that these few tips will be helpful especially during the slow period after the holidays.

I will be presenting my first all day business seminar in San Diego at the Town and Country Hotel Circle North on Monday,March 26,2012.Call me for for reservations and information. Make sure you follow me for ongoing information .Click here

Improving staff performance and productivity will always be a major challenge in taking your team and your salon to  higher levels of excellence.  As coach of your team you need to help them stay motivated as professionals . You must show them how to maximize their full learning and earning potential,by helping them learn self motivation guidelines. You must make them aware that they must take full responsibility for their own success or failure.  If you can’t motivate yourself, how can you expect to motivate your team? Excellence does start at the top.

The following tips will help you take your business and team to a higher level.

Leadership —one of the key components of leadership is to be able to create a team environment where everyone shares  the same vision and goals. As a salon owner work hard to inspire and motivate your team by always showing a caring and sensitive attitude toward their growth and development. As leader of your team you must develop powerful leadership skills if you want to earn the trust and loyalty of your team.

Make Their Jobs Fun — create a positive and professional salon environment based on trust and mutual respect, where it’s fun to go to work every day. Create incentives and contests that challenges team to higher levels of performance. Work hard at helping your team maximize their full learning and earning potential.

Earn their Trust and Loyalty — You get the best of others when you give the best of yourself. Work hard to earn the trust and loyalty of your team. Let your staff know your door is always open if they have a question or problem. Always let your staff know you invite feedback.

Provide a Positive and Professional Work Environment. — in order to create this environment,work hard to create conditions that foster loyalty and respect,not fear and intimidation.

Education— give your staff the educational tools to perform at higher levels of excellence.Invest in your salons greatest profit potential; invest in educating your team.

As coach of your team, the more you are able to provide quality education, the higher their confidence and self-esteem. It is your challenge to help your team achieve success.

Keep them Busy — too much down time will diminish their self-confidence. Work hard at marketing and promoting your business, making sure you monitor their referral and customer return rate

Give Praise —sometime a little pat on the back for a job well done will go a long way in motivating your team . Always give praise when warranted, show appreciation for their hard work and accomplishments. Make your staff feel like champions.

Incentives — keep challenging your team by providing targets and incentives.Team contests for the most referrals or individual rewards for selling the most retail are examples.

2012 will be  a challenging year for your business and your team. Please visit my web sites for information about my educational resources and special success seminars for your team.