how to manage hair salon | Hairdresser Career Development Systems

Keys to Influencing Customers

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...]

Jon2020-03-14T12:16:50-07:00March 15th, 2020|

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|

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|

Crafting Your Employee Handbook

The key to employee training begins with your employee handbook. As our economy struggles, salon/spa owners are being stymied by government regulations that make it difficult and challenging to own a small and profitable business. Compounding the many challenges salon owners face is how to avoid turnover and improving staff performance and productivity. You can avoid a lot of hardship and protect your rights as an employer, as well as protecting the rights of your employees, by drafting a well thought-out employee handbook. How can [Click here to read full article...]

Jon2018-04-15T10:10:13-07:00April 15th, 2018|

Winning Back Lost Customers

Winning Back Lost Customers

Winning back a lost customer will always be a challenge. As a salon owner, losing a valued customer can be frustrating and disheartening. The key to winning back a lost customer depends on your ability to find ways to turn a lost customer into loyal, long-time customers who will refer friends, relatives and business associates to your business. The consequences of losing customers can be devastating . You lose potential referrals, your salon's reputation, and potential loyal customers with each dissatisfied customer. Losing just one [Click here to read full article...]

Jon2018-06-26T10:24:47-07:00October 15th, 2017|

Tips on Avoiding Staff Turnover

Tips on Avoiding Staff Turnover

Avoiding staff turnover is a major challenge to building and growing a profitable salon No salon or day spa can maintain continued growth and profitability with a constant merry-go-round of staff turnover and business instability. How can you expect to raise prices and build a high end business in this environment? With so many salon owners finding it difficult to find quality hairdressers, staff turnover will always be a cloud that hangs over your head. In my 43 years of real world experiences, I have [Click here to read full article...]

Jon2022-04-12T08:25:38-07:00May 15th, 2016|

Combating Poor Work Habits

"The chains of habit are usually too small to be felt until they are too strong to be broken."Many of us are creatures of habit, some of us are able to form good work habits, while others develop poor work habits. This is a challenge many salon owners face everyday. It is much easier to prevent bad habits than to break them, especially when you are trying to instill a team culture in your salon. Tardiness, absenteeism, negativity, keeping customers waiting, poor customer service, salon [Click here to read full article...]

Jon2022-04-12T11:27:57-07:00January 27th, 2013|

Combating Rising Business Costs

Combating Rising Business Costs

"The easiest way to improve profits is to cut wasteful overhead expenses." Jon Gonzales As we exit from the holidays and begin a new year, the cost of owning your own business will escalate; rising taxes, fees, and operating business costs, and what many see as a slowing economy will bring many challenges to business growth and profitability. As business costs rise, profits are lower or nonexistent. This coupled with your personal living expenses, costs such as food, gas, etc. will require you to start [Click here to read full article...]

Jon2013-01-13T10:00:28-08:00January 13th, 2013|

Tips to Growing Your Business

Tips to Growing Your Business

" A trial and error approach to growing your business in a tough economy is just too costly." Jon Gonzales As we approach the end of summer, it is time to plan for the rest of the year and into next year. As we try to grow our business in the middle of a very volatile and uncertain economy, many salon owners will struggle to not only survive but also to improve profits. Despite these challenges, I believe salons that are well managed will flourish. [Click here to read full article...]

Jon2022-04-12T09:59:11-07:00August 12th, 2012|

Time for Educational Reform

Time for Educational Reform

"Develop a passion for learning and self improvement. if you do,you will never cease to grow." As I travel throughout the United States and Canada conducting my presentations at major hair shows and conducting my business seminars for salon owners, I am always asked the same questions. How can I prevent and overcome staff turnover? How can I compete with booth rental salons? Why can't we as salon owners not have an equal playing field? How can I find committed hairdressers? Why do many [Click here to read full article...]

Jon2022-04-12T09:37:11-07:00May 27th, 2012|

Tips for Developing Your Salon Coordinator

Tips for Developing Your Salon Coordinator

" The easiest way to find more time is to organize and delegate." 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 [Click here to read full article...]

Jon2022-04-12T09:35:51-07:00April 27th, 2012|

Guidelines to Owning a Successful and Profitable Salon

Guidelines to Owning a Successful and Profitable Salon

" Many people will argue that education is expensive --- try Ignorance!" A recent government study showed that 94% of all business failures were due to poor business management skills on the part of the owner. Although 2012 will be a very challenging year for salon owners, I feel 2012 can be a great year for well managed salons. Salon owners who develop powerful business management skills you will learn how to work smarter, not harder and succeed. Salon owners who know how to identify [Click here to read full article...]

Jon2012-01-07T22:33:58-08:00January 7th, 2012|

Honesty and a Code of Ethics

" Integrity is the essence of everything successful. " Richard Fuller. Many hairdressers and salon owners are working hard and experiencing many challenges in trying to provide a better life for themselves and their families. In order to make this a reality, we must join together as professionals and address a topic that is hurting our salons, our profession, and our livelihoods.It my hope that this article will help bridge the gap between salon owners and hairdressers, so we can provide a better dialogue and [Click here to read full article...]

hcds4you342022-04-12T08:47:14-07:00November 13th, 2010|

A Commitment to Excellence Must Start at the Top

"As captain and leader of your team, you and only you must provide the leadership in taking your business and your team to higher levels of excellence". Do you know what it takes to be a leader? Do you have what it takes to be a leader? Do you know how to develop a winning team that shares your business goals, vision, and expectations? Have you made a commitment to developing excellence within yourself ? Do you have an open mind to seeking [Click here to read full article...]

hcds4you342022-04-12T08:42:21-07:00October 31st, 2010|

Financial and Retirement Planning

'"Becoming wealthy is not a matter of how much you earn,who your parents are,or what you do --- it is a matter of managing your money properly" --- Noel Whittaker One of the pitfalls we face as hairdressers and salon owners is that, more often than not, our jobs do not provide us with pension plans, medical insurance, paid vacation, or other benefit packages like other professions. As a result, many in our profession end up living paycheck to paycheck and seldom take the time [Click here to read full article...]

Jon2022-04-12T08:36:51-07:00September 26th, 2010|

Compensation Guidelines for Salon Owners and Hairdresser’s

I’ve been fortunate to have traveled throughout the US and Canada meeting thousands of salon owners and managers, as well as hairdressers and educators. Many times, I’ve been asked about compensation. Suffice it to say, there can be a large gap between the opinions of salon owners, managers, and hairdressers about compensation. In this article, I’d like to attempt to bridge the gap between salon staff and management, and offer a few tips to help clarify the many misunderstandings about compensation. "There is no Universal [Click here to read full article...]

Jon2022-04-12T08:17:51-07:00September 18th, 2010|

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