Have you ever wanted to get your biggest business questions answered by Britt? Today’s your lucky day because we’re pulling some of the latest questions from the Thriving Stylist podcast iTunes reviews to get her perspective!
We’ll go through several of the questions that were submitted in the iTunes ratings and reviews, and get them answered, rapid-fire style.
Before we get down and dirty, if you want to get your questions submitted for the show, go to iTunes and leave a rating and a review with your question. Your question might just be selected to be featured in the next post!
Question 1
I’ve been at the same commissioned salon since I graduated cosmetology school eight years ago. I really like working there, but I’m tired of driving an hour each way. I’m looking for salons closer to home, and there aren’t any commission salons that I’m interested in working in. There is a booth rental salon close to my home. I like the vibe, the owner, and the management. I know some of my guests will follow me, and some of them won’t, but I have some fear around the move because everyone I currently work with talks about how stupid it is to leave commission and do booth rent. Do you have any advice on how to make this transition?
If you’re done with making that hour-long commute, it’s a great idea for you to move closer to home, especially in the long-term. But know only 10 to 15% of your clients will follow you because asking your clients to make a one hour commute to see you is a big ask. They’ll stay in your current salon and find other stylists.
Here’s what you need to do to successfully move: rebuild. The opportunity to rebuild, while daunting, is a chance for a fresh start.
If you decide to make a move, build up your business six months before you go. Determine your brand and target market not just on the surface level but with a deep dive.
Then re-brand everything – including your website and your social media – so when you move to this new town, everything is flawless.
Also, figure out your pricing because chances are you’ve made some mistakes. Iron out those details.
Now let’s get to the real issue: you’re not sure if you should leave or not because everyone in your salon told you it’s stupid to go booth rent, right?
Let’s be real: it’s a cultural feeling. When you’re in that culture and announce you’re going booth rent, you’re probably going to be iced out. But that’s okay because you didn’t get into the industry to make friends, but to create a beautiful, wealthy life for yourself, right? Friends are the icing on the cake. You should make lifelong friends, but that’s not why we do it.
Don’t get that twisted because when you’re 85 years old, you don’t want to look back and think how glad you are that you stayed at that commission salon because nobody got mad. Or do you want to say you made the leap of faith and worked at a salon where you knew you could grow in your own backyard? Even though you did lose some relationships over it, you strengthened your family, made more money, saved your sanity, and got some time back.
Do the deep dive to set yourself up for success, then do your research on booth rental. It is expensive to be a stylist, so while you gross more money as a booth renter, your net is sometimes less. Plus, your taxes increase.
There are a lot of things to think about, but it’s an option worth exploring. It doesn’t have to be big and scary. Just educate yourself to see if it’s a great decision for you.
Question 2
How do you handle clients that want a refund when they say they aren’t satisfied with their hair? Do you ever recommend giving back their money to avoid a bad review?
Yes, and let’s dive into why: every single redo is the stylist’s fault. If there is a crazy client in your chair, don’t work on her. Cut it off at the consultation, so you don’t set yourself up for a redo later. Because if you don’t, you’ll have somebody sit in your chair for four hours to get this huge process done, and, four days later, want a redo, meaning three more hours of your time.
It might seem worse to do a consultation, decide it’s a mismatch, and have a four-hour gap in your day. But it’s way better than investing an additional three hours of free time to fix something for a mad client.
You have to get better at consultations because when a redo occurs, it’s due to miscommunication or a mismatch. You might not have consulted properly, so you missed the mark. Either you need to ask 3000 questions to be 100% certain you will hit the mark, or you cut it off before you touch the hair. Those are your two choices.
Every time you have a redo, take a moment, and consider where you went wrong. Should you have blessed and released the client? Did you not ask enough questions? Was your gut telling you that you were off, but you went with it anyway?
Everyone’s entitled to a mistake, but nobody’s entitled to an ego. If you did a good client dirty, invite them back in so you can get them taken care of. There is a no more loyal client than someone who, when you do them dirty, gets it made right for free.
Then there are clients where you probably shouldn’t have done their hair, but you definitely don’t want them in your seat again. Or they’re angry, even though you tried to make it right. You don’t have to have somebody sit in your chair and verbally assault you. If they do, bless and release.
Sometimes giving the money back is a bless-and-release technique. If you choose to not do a redo and to fire a guest, the money goes back because then they have nothing over you.
Does it stink that you had to do hair for free? Absolutely. It stinks to lose that money, but it’s less painful than being verbally assaulted by a guest or having them waste another three hours of your time.
You have to pick your battles. And sometimes it is worth refunding the money.
Question 3
I would love to hear how to get started. I will begin as a booth renter coming out of cosmetology school. I am overwhelmed about what I need and how to thrive from the beginning.
When you graduate cosmetology school, you have a license to do business, but nobody tells you actually how to do business. There’s this tremendous gap.
While working for a commission salon right out of cosmetology school is a common choice, it doesn’t always mean it’s the best one. The reason we like to go to a commission salon is we think that it’s more financially secure, but that is a misconception. Sometimes when you go to a commission salon, you have an hourly pay base buffer, so you can assist and make an hourly wage. Or, if the commission salon is run legally, you make money whether you take a client or not.
Being an employee working as a stylist is like being employed as a waiter. You are guaranteed an hourly wage whether you take a table or not. As a stylist, you are guaranteed an hourly wage, whether you take a guest or not. It’s the same. If you’re being paid legally as a commission stylist, that financial buffer is amazing.
That being said, it can also be your Achilles heel because it creates complacency. You get a paycheck one way or another. Sometimes the paycheck sucks, and we complain about it, asking how am I supposed to live on this? You’re not. You’re supposed to get out there and market yourself.
It doesn’t matter if you’re commission or a booth renter to start. The path to success is the same through the hairstylist marketing funnel. Clients follow the same road map to your chair every time, whether you’re the newest stylist on the block or you’ve been in the industry for 40 years.
When you come straight out of the cosmetology school, figure out your target market because you don’t want just anybody to sit in your chair. Think about what your dream clientele looks like, what they search on social media, and how to best connect with them.
If you don’t have a target market and brand, killer website, great social media, don’t bother. Who wants to be directed to a mediocre-looking business?
Once you decide who you want to work on, what kind of clients you want to attract, and what those clients are looking for in a stylist, start building that brand around yourself. Shamelessly put yourself out there, and don’t be scared of the no. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there because what if they tell you yes, but that fear causes you to miss the opportunity altogether?
Don’t be afraid of the no, continue to put yourself out there, and invest in a program, something that helps you to build and grow sooner than later.
Question 4
I’m 56, and I still look and dress young. I make great connections with my clients and coworkers. I’m moving soon, and I’d like to build one more clientele and go out in a blaze of glory in about five years. Is it realistic, or should I set my sights elsewhere?
56 is still incredibly young. It’s definitely not too senior in the industry to rebuild and start over. Can you rebuild one more time? Yes. All you need is a strategy.
If you decide you want to do this, go for it, babe. There’s a lot of advantages to being a more senior stylist. Clients want to sit in the chair of someone they’ll connect with, so clients in their forties and fifties probably won’t want to see a stylist in their twenties.
Those clients are your sweet spot. You could also connect with some stylists who are considering retiring and become their go-to referral stylist. There’s a lot of potential for you. Always think about the greater opportunity in making this move.
Question 5
I’m struggling with standing out in a salon full of 20 plus stylists, which is great, but with being here for five-plus years, I’m not where I want to be. I still see big gaps in my day. I heard the segment about embracing open time, and I’m willing to take on the challenge, but I’m having a hard time standing out. I lack confidence and wonder if, in a smaller salon, it would be easier to build that. Help.
It can be difficult to stand out in a noisy space. But let’s debunk the myth that it’s no easier to stand out in a small salon than it is to stand out in a big one. The key to standing out is finding the gap. Figure out what it is you’re good at.
If you think you’re good at nothing, you are a liar. You were put on this planet to live a big life. Do you know the odds of you being born are slim to none? You should wake up every damn day and be so thankful for the fact that you’re here. And the reason we’re here in this lifetime is because you’re supposed to be amazing. The challenge of this lifetime is to figure out what it is you’re amazing at.
The hardest part is the things we’re amazing at are difficult to see because they feel easy for us. But to everybody else, those things are hard.
Ask people what you do that they think is exceptional. People can see things in you that you can’t see in yourself. It sounds scary, but it is the most incredible and humbling experience you’ll ever go through. Listen and accept the feedback with an open heart and mind, and think about what you can bring to the table that nobody else can.
To stand out in a crowded market, find your sweet spot gap, and double down on it.
If you’re lacking confidence, embrace the idea that confidence comes when you’ve already put in the work, already educated yourself, and have the skills you need to master whatever it is you’re trying to become more confident in.
If you want to be more confident as a stylist, what do you need? More education as a business? Is it consultation education? Skills education?
If you’re not feeling confident, dig deep and ask yourself where you are lacking in confidence and who you can look to for guidance. Because confidence comes when you’re educated. Once you’ve mastered a skill, you’re naturally confident.
Do some journaling and figure out where you feel like you are less than okay and get serious. It’s hard to do that deep work, but you can overcome anything. You just have to be willing to put in the work, the time, the energy, the knowledge to do it.
Want to get your top business questions answered by Britt? Head over to iTunes and leave a review of the Thriving Stylist podcast with your questions there! Your question might just get featured on the next business questions answered post!
