business management education | Hairdresser Career Development Systems

Crisis or Opportunity

Crisis or Opportunity

" Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough" ~Og Mandino The Corona Virus has proven fatal in many industries due to the economy shutdown but particularly for salons and hairdressers. Many of our salons will not reopen. Why you might ask? Because many salons were already vulnerable, due to several underlying long-standing obstacles due to apathy, poor business management skills, and other ongoing challenges even before the corona virus hit us, any economic hit was bound to cause complete [Click here to read full article...]

Jon2020-05-17T13:16:57-07:00May 3rd, 2020|

Don’t Worry or Panic

Don’t Worry or Panic

“I have learned that worry doesn’t do any good, I know most of the things I worried about never happened.” Many of my fellow salon owners and hairdressers are rightly concerned with the Corona Virus and how it’s affecting our family, our health, our business, our standard of living and our well being. In my 43 years as a salon owner/hairdresser and and ten years as a business consultant, I had many ups and downs; but I have always stayed positive and moved forward despite [Click here to read full article...]

Jon2020-03-22T10:03:31-07:00March 22nd, 2020|

Time Management for Salon Owners

Time Management for Salon Owners

Time is Money --- Jon Gonzales Do you manage time, or does time manage you? Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed due to lack of time? Get the feeling there is never enough time between business and your family? Don’t feel bad, this is just one of the many challenges of owning your own business. In today’s competitive economy, salon owners must wear many hats. Working salon owner, human resource expert, advertising and marketing expert, bookkeeper, mentor, leader, business person, educator, referee, manage people, working long [Click here to read full article...]

hcds4you342020-02-15T14:58:07-08:00February 16th, 2020|

My Wish List for 2020

My Wish List for 2020

My Wish List for 2020 As we enter a new year, it is my wish that we as professionals take back our profession and our salons and a higher standard of living for salon owners, hairdressers, and beauty professionals. Unfortunately as a profession, we have not adapted to the many challenges and changes we face in the beauty profession. Many of our salons are failing, many more are struggling unnecessarily. Sadly many of our hairdressers are struggling to make a decent living. Until we [Click here to read full article...]

hcds4you342022-04-12T08:40:36-07:00January 5th, 2020|

Salon Owners Summit Conference Cruise Itinerary

Hosted by Jon Gonzales, President of Hairdresser Career Development Systems The purpose of this Salon Owner’s Summit Conference Cruise to the Eastern Caribbean is to open a forum and form a united front in addressing the many deep rooted challenges and obstacles that are affecting our salons, our profession, and our standard of living. You will have an opportunity to voice your concerns in round table discussions of topics with other salon owners that are affecting your businesses. Salon owners sharing their vast real world [Click here to read full article...]

Jon2019-02-03T11:57:53-08:00February 3rd, 2019|

Staying Busy After the Holidays

" Finding ways to keep yourself and your team motivated will be your challenge." Jon Gonzales During the Holiday Season, most salons will be busy,especially if they are well managed. Unfortunately, after the holidays, many salons will experience a slow down period after the holidays. Overcoming the potential slow months of January, February, March and April; this can be a challenging period, especially to our younger workers trying to build a clientele. A tough and competitive economy doesn’t help matters. For this reason I urge [Click here to read full article...]

Jon2019-12-17T15:03:30-08:00January 27th, 2019|

Salon Owners’ Caribbean Summit

Salon Owners’ Caribbean Summit

“Salon Owners Learning from Salon Owners” - Hosted by Jon Gonzales, President of Hairdresser Career Development Systems The purpose of our Caribbean Salon Owners' Summit Conference is to address and create a united front in addressing the many deep rooted challenges and obstacles that are affecting our salons, our profession and our standard of living. You will have an opportunity to voice your concerns,offer your suggestions, and learn from fellow salon owners in round table discussions on topics that are affecting your businesses. Salon owners [Click here to read full article...]

Jon2018-11-18T09:52:46-08:00November 18th, 2018|

Tips for Beauty School Graduates

“Your graduating from beauty school --- now what!" Congratulations for choosing cosmetology as your chosen profession. You have chosen a profession that offers unlimited opportunities provided you know what it takes and have what it takes to be a winner in a profession that can be fulfilling, challenging and potentially financially rewarding. Sadly many new beginners fail to maximize their full potential, due to unrealistic career and earning expectations before they even give their new career a chance to grow, they want to run before [Click here to read full article...]

Jon2018-11-10T14:41:26-08:00November 4th, 2018|

Building Your Championship Team

Building Your Championship Team

"Time spent building your championship team will be time well spent." Jon Gonzales Why is it so difficult to find hairdressers who truly have a passion about maximizing their full learning and earning potential ? Finding and keeping your diamond in the rough will be your key challenge in building your championship team and your business. There are many reasons why it is so difficult to find quality people who are serious about education and building a career in the beauty profession . [Click here to read full article...]

Jon2018-09-17T10:12:12-07:00September 16th, 2018|

Attracting New Clients

Attracting New Clients

Keeping your team busy within the salon should be a high priority, especially during the slow months. If your busy with plenty of customers, you are to be congratulated, but be forewarned: it doesn't take much for salons to fail. I have seen salons booming one year and empty the next during my 43 years as a salon owner. Complacency is your biggest challenge. We as professionals should all work hard to create value in our skills through ongoing self-improvement, so we can create a [Click here to read full article...]

Jon2018-08-31T19:07:30-07:00September 2nd, 2018|

Preventing and Overcoming Staff Turnover

Preventing and Overcoming Staff Turnover

Most of us have lost a staff member from time to time. Some leave because they feel they can advance their career elsewhere, and some are lured by being offered more commissions or booth rental options. Of course client lists are expected to follow when your staff walk out the door. No business can continue to grow with a constant merry-go-round of losing members from your team to your competitors. Any interruption to building and growing your business is a major challenge to salon owners, [Click here to read full article...]

Jon2018-08-16T16:30:55-07:00August 19th, 2018|

Your Journey to Success (Part 3)

Your Journey to Success (Part 3)

For the past few weeks, we've been discussing why some people make it big while others barely get by. Now for our final part of our series, we'll look at the last guidelines you need to complete your journey to success. Your first step towards making your dreams and expectations starts from within and your attitude towards a better life for yourself and your family. Do you have what it takes? Do you know what it takes? Follow these guidelines with an open mind: Business [Click here to read full article...]

Jon2018-08-05T08:42:53-07:00August 5th, 2018|

Your Journey to Success (Part 2)

Last week we reviewed the characteristics of successful people, figuring out together why certain people tend to stand above the crowd. Now that's all mapped out, we continue our journey to success by learning from their triumphs. Like last week, I urge you to follow these guidelines within yourself every day to unleash your inner power. You and only you have the power to be as successful as you want to be. Follow these guidelines with an open mind: Professional Appearance --- are we are [Click here to read full article...]

hcds4you342018-07-22T10:59:26-07:00July 29th, 2018|

Your Journey to Success (Part 1)

Over the years I’ve made it a point to observe why some people make it big while others just get by. What personal characteristics set them above the crowd? I finally figured it out: they all seemed to have true grit, that fierce determination to succeed. I want to share some of my findings, so you too can obtain the same passion it takes to succeed. This is part one of my journey to success series, where I show you the key personal growth characteristics [Click here to read full article...]

hcds4you342018-07-22T10:45:39-07:00July 22nd, 2018|

Keys to Staff Retention

Keys to Staff Retention

Our business growth, stability and profitability depends heavily on staff retention. The performance of our staff and the avoidance of staff turnover and staff instability are keys to your salon's success. No salon can continue to grow and be profitable with a constant merry-go-round of staff turnover. How can we grow our business with constant business interruption? How are we to raise prices in this scenario? Maintaining staff stability benefits our salon, our staff, and our profession. Building and maintaining a truly championship team should [Click here to read full article...]

Jon2018-07-01T10:19:32-07:00July 1st, 2018|

Creating Your Apprenticeship Program

There is a real need for an apprenticeship program in the beauty profession. Unfortunately, not enough owners are aware of the numeral benefits of having such a program in their salon. Apprenticeship programs help combat the high dropout rate of young hairdressers, most of whom leave the profession due to lack of opportunity and experience. More importantly, having an apprenticeship program helps to upgrade the quality of education in your salon, equipping your team to better meet job market and consumer demands. As salon owners, [Click here to read full article...]

Jon2018-06-19T08:53:26-07:00June 24th, 2018|

Why Salons Fail

This past year has been a very difficult year for many salon owners. Sadly, far too many salons have failed while many more will continue to struggle. Unfortunately, 2018 -2019 shapes up to be an even more challenging year as business costs and the high cost of living continues to rise. new labor laws and minimum wage and overtime pay will also cause a lot of hardships as well . It may seem out of your hands, but let me assure you ,there's more [Click here to read full article...]

Jon2021-09-30T12:14:59-07:00June 10th, 2018|

Stay in Touch With Your Customers

What sets one salon apart from another is more than just the quality of their stylists and services. It is how well your salon connects with their customers. Many salon owners and hairdressers take their customers for granted and do not develop a strong personal and business relationships with them. This kind of attitude can be devastating to a business. Customers know there are plenty of other salons and prices to choose from. If they don’t feel a sense of loyalty, there will be nothing [Click here to read full article...]

Jon2018-05-28T21:34:43-07:00June 3rd, 2018|

Cheat Sheet to Owning a Successful Business

Building and growing a successful and profitable business in today’s tough economy by trial and error is just too costly. You don't have the time, energy, or money to be making mistakes. Trying to run a profitable business and adapting to the many changes occurring within our profession is crucial to survive. The following steps will help you meet the growing challenges of salon ownership. Be sure to review my cheat sheet to owning a successful business.Don't make salon ownership so complicated. Follow this cheat [Click here to read full article...]

Jon2019-12-17T15:54:41-08:00May 27th, 2018|

Hairdressers: Before You Jump Ship

Far too many hairdressers change jobs without thinking of the long term ramifications of their decision. In today's tough and uncertain economy, changing jobs can be risky especially with our current competitive business climate. When times get tough, you may want to jump ship, but be careful. It may be the biggest mistake of your career. If you're thinking about jumping ship, I do hope that these few tips will help you think clearly before you make a major decision regarding job change. Consider the [Click here to read full article...]

Jon2018-05-20T10:55:38-07:00May 20th, 2018|

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