Embarking on a new journey can be difficult, especially when you’re sat there wondering where to start and how to make your mark. There are so many things to focus on that sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming.
Not to worry!
Below you’ll find some helpful tips and advice to guide you through a successful career as a salon manager, whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been in the business for years. These refreshing tips will have you running the place like a pro in no time.
Let’s get started!
1. Create Your Vision
First things first; your vision. The vision you have for your salon is the heart of your success. What are you looking to achieve in your first year as a salon manager? Do you want to be nominated for major awards, generating a certain percentage of retail sales, or maybe you just want to find the perfect team to work alongside every day?
Whatever it is, make it known and don’t forget it! Write down your vision and place it somewhere it will be seen every day as a constant reminder of your goal. Don’t forget to share your vision with your team either! People can’t get involved and be a part of your goal if it’s only in your head.
2. Create a Plan of Action
Along with the perfect vision, you then need to create a detailed action plan. This action plan will turn your vision into a reality. When creating your action plan, it’s important to be extremely detailed in what you want to achieve, as well as a reason why. Having a plan of action will help you stay focused which will have a positive impact on both the team and revenue.
3. Recruitment
It’s no surprise that recruitment is one of the most important steps when succeeding as a salon manager. It’s also no surprise that it can be a lengthy, time consuming process, but it is absolutely essential for your business. Ensure that the recruitment process in place is efficient, and if not, put your own mark on it. Don’t forget that whilst you are interviewing potential employees, you should be showcasing why they should want to work for you – recruitment is a two-way street!
4. Budgets & Targets
Budgets and targets will be a key part of your plan of action. Ensuring you have clear budgets and targets set will make it super easy to track decisions made within the salon. Every decision you make should be a financial one; your budget is the key to your success.
It’s now more important than ever to have a robust set of targets in place to ensure your salon is reaching its full potential, and Shortcuts’ salon software are here to help.
Everyone loves to feel like they’re being heard from their employer! They also love to be recognised for when they’ve done a great job. Hosting one-on-ones with your staff to check-in with them and see if there’s anything you need to work through or towards together are a great way to ensure you, your staff and the salon are meeting and exceeding targets.
It’s so much easier to have these conversations when you have some clear insights into their performance as well. Shortcuts latest feature, Targets, is a dashboard in the cloud where you can set targets for all of your employees.
Your team can then track their own individual targets from their mobile device so they can see where they’re winning-big and where they need to up their game. And don’t stress! Employees can’t see each other’s targets within the dashboard.
5. Get Close, but Not Too Close
A successful salon manager will find a good balanced relationship with their staff, maintaining equal parts friendly and strict. Being involved with your staff will ensure that you are always aware of what’s going on and any problems that may arise. Working well with your team will create a good team morale amongst your staff, creating a fun and friendly working environment. You know your team better than anyone, so find that balance and you’ll be on your way to successful salon employee management!
6. Observe
If you really want to succeed as a salon manager, one trick that most people forget about it understanding your team. You don’t want to be seen as the big scary manager, do you?! Your employees are way more likely to behave the way they normally would if you work as part of the team. This can include getting involved with smaller tasks such as working on the reception desk, washing hair, folding towels etc. By doing this not only will you build honest relationships, but you will also fully understand how your team works and where improvements can be made. The key is to observe with the aim of making positive changes for the better.
7. Listen
A good way to find out what is happening within a salon is to listen to what people are saying. A great way to get started with this is to look at reviews. Take a look at complaints, both customers and employees and see how these are dealt with. Understanding how others view the salon will massively help you to make any necessary changes. It will give you an overall feel of the business and how the customers and staff are looked after.
8. Take a break
Although it’s common sense, it’s very common to feel guilty for taking a real lunch break or feeling the need to spend your personal time away from the salon ‘catching up’ on business emails, social media and so on. When you’re so dedicated to your business, switching off seems like a fairytale. The truth is, you would be so much more productive if you just took 10 minutes away from the phone, tablet or whatever it is you’re working on and take a proper break. Taking a break allows you to recharge, re-centre, and refocus. It’s so super simple yet so many people don’t have any real down time – I bet you’re guilty of multitasking whilst trying to eat your lunch!
Challenge: Take one Friday off to spend time with your family, your pooch, and especially yourself to take a breath and get your mind back on track. If you’re looking for a sign, this is it!
