Salon Protocol

by beautyschoolremix

Do Hairstylists Have Hairstylists?

I love getting my hair done! When I travel I make an effort to book a hair appointment wherever I am going. I’ve had my hair done in Belize, France, Dominican Republic, Ireland, England, and most of the United States.

But you know what? I have learned that most hairstylists never schedule appointments for their own hair. Instead the experience is usually something like this:

Get it done when you have a free minute at work, and when (by the grace of God) one of your co-workers has a free minute too.
Coordinate to come in on a day off and do your co-workers hair while your own hair is processing.
Or worse still, we sometimes take matters into our own hands.

Because of that a lot of hairstylists (especially seasoned ones) actually grow to hate having their hair done. And that is a problem. By not carving out time in your life to actually set up an appointment to get your hair done in a salon like a normal client you are missing our on a bit opportunity for professional development.

by beautyschoolremix

Lady In Waiting: The Art of Running a Successful Wait List

Is there anything worse than watching a gloriously busy, beautifully booked-up week start to fall apart with last-minute cancellations? It’s as if you’re watching your paycheck fly away.

In the hair industry, the most sought after advice tends to be: “How to Grow Your Clientele”. However, keeping a full schedule is not all about growth and sourcing new clients. Keeping an active Wait List is the rest of that conversation. Once you have a great client base, a Wait List is how you make sure to stay 90-100% booked all the time. I’m going to show you:

Why a Wait List needs to be easy, accessible and quick to manage
How to successfully use it
How to work it into your verbiage when re-booking a client
Why I don’t charge for cancellations
How that “frequent cancellation” client can just live on your Wait List
What to do if you have a gap but you have no one on your Wait List

It doesn’t matter if you are a new hairstylist or a seasoned behind-the-chair rock star, a properly executed Wait List will help you keep your weeks fully booked. Nobody wants a gap in their day. Let’s dive in!

by beautyschoolremix

The ABC’s of LLC’s

A few years ago I vividly remember starting a things-to-do list and “Form a LLC” was at the top. I have learned a lot since then. If you are an independent salon owner like me (or are planning to become one) you will need to figure out a few things about the type of business you are forming and operating. I am not the person to guide you through all of the options, but I can share with you the options I chose, why I chose them, and how much they cost. Here’s what I’m talking about:

LLCs
S Corps
Registered Agents

First I created a LLC

The very first step to starting my business was creating a LLC (Limited Liability Corporation) for it. My LLC releases me from being personally liable for my business’s debts and obligations, and keeps me legally separate from my business. How so?

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by beautyschoolremix

I Fought the Law

If you are remotely interested in opening a home-based business, you need to get educated on what (if any) zoning regulations are in place. For example, the State of Virginia allows home-based businesses, and in 2016 I built a single chair salon in my basement. But a business in a residential area has to conform to pre-set “Standards” that a business in a commercial area would not have to.

Those “Standards” are the rules a business like mine needs to follow. I live in the Town of Herndon. They have written their own standards, which supersede the State and County Standards. Meaning: Regardless of what the State of Virginia says about home-based businesses, I must adhere to what my town has written. This is actually a very good thing because if you find yourself unable to follow a Standard, the appeal process should be relatively simple because everything can be done on the local government level (as opposed to the county or state level).

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