You know you’re a Hairstylist when Tuesday is the first day of the week.
-TheSalonBusiness.com
Ok guys, here is the answer you will never hear elsewhere. You won’t hear it elsewhere because Hairstylists for some reason just won't talk about it.
If you are a SUCCESSFUL Hairstylist you will work 2, 3, or 4 days a week IN your business ...and about ½ to 1 full day a week ON your business.
Have you heard that before?
Do you understand what I am talking about?
Working IN your business versus working ON your business?
Working IN your business is the time that you spend delivering services, and doing amazing haircuts and color. (2, 3 or 4 days/week in the salon)
Working ON your business is the time you spend making a website, putting together policies, creating a Social Media page, working on an email newsletter, running to the beauty supply, reaching out to and getting back to clients, taking notes on the services you performed, and going to classes. (1 day/week not doing hair)
You work ON your business 1 day to fill up your books for the 2,3, or 4 days you work IN your business.
So back to my original point. If you are a SUCCESSFUL Hairstylist you can actually work a 4-day week. However, you are only being paid for 3 days. This is the reality of entrepreneurship, and what it takes to be a successful Hairstylist.
You have to work ON the business first before it works for you.
-Anonymous
Let’s take Sahara as an example. This week Sahara works Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. She is booked from 9 in the morning to 7 at night. This means she has three 10-hour workdays; a 30-hour work week that she is behind the chair doing haircuts and color. She works 3 x 10-hour days because her husband can cover the kids on those days, and that leaves her Monday, Wednesday and Friday to have full-time mom duty.
So, in one way, Sahara works a 3-day week, 30 hours, or a little more than part-time. She is only being paid for the clients that come in and the services she does those 3 days a week. However, that is not the full picture.
Sahara also spends Wednesdays in between errands and nap time, going to the beauty supply, making Social Media posts, texting her clients, and DMing the potential clients reaching out to her on her Social Media. When all is said and done, she ends up spending around 5 or 6 hours on Wednesday taking care of her Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday business.
The problem you might face as a Hairstylist is that no one has taught you the good habits of working ON your business versus working IN your business.
In fact, the majority of Hairstylists treat their career like a minimum-wage job. They come in the door of the salon as their client arrives, they do the services that are on their books, if there is a gap, they run out and go shopping, and then they leave and go home. They are “working” (yeah, right.) a “five or six-day” week because they are constantly just popping in and out of the salon, never really working a full day.
When a Hairstylist is struggling, and not building a clientele, I can guarantee that they are not working ON their business.
As a Master Hairstylist myself, I worked IN my business 2,3, and on occasion 4 days a week throughout my career and made a 6-figure income. I understood I had to work ON my business 4 to 8 hours a week in order to have a full schedule of clients. I learned over the years to work ON my business during my salon downtime. I knew what needed to get done, and I would come into work early, or stay late, I would work ON my business while my clients were processing, or if I got a last-minute cancellation. I didn’t sit in the back room gossiping or go out to lunch, I used my downtime to minimize the amount of work I needed to do on my “day off”. I understood that to be fully booked, you have to take care of your business and work ON your business.
Sure, life might have disappointments…but going to a job to help transform the way people feel about themselves is not one of them. Hugs, smiles, laughs…stylists don’t have to go to work, they get to go to work.
-Behindthechair.com
Personally, I love the “control” that I had over my business. I loved not having a boss tell me what I could and couldn’t do. I loved being the one to decide when I would work, and I loved being in charge of how much money I made.
Working ON your business needs to start the day you step out of Cosmetology School. That’s right, you must start working ON your business before you even have a business. In fact, when you first graduate from Cosmetology School, the majority of your time should be spent working ON your business. It actually makes me sad that so many brand New Hairstylists don’t know this. When you’re a brand New Hairstylist, working ON your business looks like practicing the hair services that terrify you, posting them on your social media, and scouting potential clients everywhere you go, with everything you do.
Do you know why you work ON your business?
When you work ON your business you will consistently deliver a quality of service that will supersede all of the other Hairstylists. Clients know the difference!
When you work ON your business your confidence, your value and the number of clients you have will increase and go up. I know, because it worked for me, and the other successful Hairstylists I know. And did I mention …You will be a SUCCESS! Absolutely!
Elevating The Industry,
Karen Spinelli
Cosmetology Students and New Hairstylists My intention with every post is to give New Hairstylists all over the world the tips, short cuts, and tools they need to quickly achieve success. I would love to hear from you! You can reach out here, on my site, Instagram, or Facebook. Sign up for my newsletter to receive my weekly blog sent to your inbox.
Cosmetology Schools and Teachers I would love to talk to your students! To book Karen as a speaker at your Cosmetology School, click here.
Karen Spinelli is from Pasadena, California. She was behind the chair for thirty five years, as well as Salon Director of Education for New Hairstylists for the last twenty years. Karen loves Hairstylists! She loves to be a part of “AHA” moments, and to watch New Hairstylists grow in their confidence and skills.
