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...]

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

Keys to Influencing Customers

"You never get a 2nd chance to form a positive first impression."                          Jon Gonzales In today’s tough economic environment, building an upscale clientele begins with developing a positive first impression. The following steps will help you earn the trust and long term patronage of your customer. You never get a second chance to form a positive first impression. Keep in mind that today’s consumer has many choices and price ranges to choose from when searching for a hairdresser that meets and exceeds client expectations. [Click here to read full article...]

2020-03-14T12:16:50-07:00March 15th, 2020|

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...]

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

Seven Tips to Achieve Financial Security

"A big part of financial freedom is having your heart and mind free from worry about the what-ifs of life." - Suze Orman To many people in the beauty profession, sadly this topic will be ignored this topic will probably be ignored. Financial planning does not sell tickets, sadly glitter and hype does. Even worse, far too many of our hairdressers are struggling to make a good living, while far too many of our salons are failing. This need not happen to you. Many hairdressers, [Click here to read full article...]

2020-01-25T15:00:29-08:00January 26th, 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...]

2022-04-12T08:40:36-07:00January 5th, 2020|

My Christmas Wish List for Salon Owners and Stylists

"Let Christmas play and make good cheer, for Christmas comes but once a year!" - Thomas Tusser I personally want to wish all my friends and colleagues and their families a very Merry Xmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year. I do hope 2019 was a very good year for you and your salon. As we prepare to enter a new year with new challenges, I put together a personal wish list in the hope of making 2020 a better year, a year that [Click here to read full article...]

2019-12-21T12:51:13-08:00December 22nd, 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...]

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

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...]

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

Thank You From Jon Gonzales

 "Appreciation and Thank You are two  of the rarest but one of the most beautiful virtues."  Jon Gonzales Thank you for following my weekly blog and for your interest in Hairdresser Career Development Systems. My informative blog posts are my way of  saying  thank  you for your support. My goal is to help you meet the growing challenges of owning a successful and profitable business,  so you can make informed business decisions based on fact, not guesswork. As a fellow salon owner/hairdresser,  I certainly understand [Click here to read full article...]

2018-10-05T13:05:04-07:00October 7th, 2018|

When a Good Worker Turns Bad

" When a good work refuses to be part of your team."  - Jon Gonzales When a good worker drifts away from your efforts in building and growing a successful business-- the question is --how do I turn this person into a team player? The key to owning a successful and profitable business is to make sure everyone on your team contributes and  shares your vision and goals of your salon. Business stability and growth will be your reward. Business will not continue to grow [Click here to read full article...]

2018-09-30T09:15:13-07:00September 30th, 2018|

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...]

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

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...]

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

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...]

2018-08-05T08:42:53-07:00August 5th, 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...]

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

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...]

2018-07-01T10:19:32-07:00July 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...]

2018-06-19T08:53:26-07:00June 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...]

2021-09-30T12:14:59-07:00June 10th, 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...]

2019-12-17T15:54:41-08:00May 27th, 2018|

Happy Mother’s Day!

"To the world you might be one person, but to one person you might be the world." -- Anonymous This message is dedicated to all the mothers who work in the beauty profession. As a hairdresser, educator, and salon owner, I certainly understand the sacrifices you make daily in trying to earn a better living for yourself and your families. Trying to be a wife, a mother, or a single mother working to help yourself and family to a better life is truly inspiring to [Click here to read full article...]

2018-05-12T11:07:28-07:00May 13th, 2018|

Raising Prices

Salon owners are struggling to make a profit and combat rising business costs in this tough and competitive economy. Unfortunately, far too many salon owners are trying to find solutions to these challenges by trial and error. Many salon owners have resorted to any number of the following: recruiting top stylists from their competitors; paying commissions that are too high; or renting stations just to survive. While the cost of  living and business will continue to rise, salon owners will have to find ways to [Click here to read full article...]

2018-04-19T16:23:38-07:00April 22nd, 2018|

Title

Go to Top