October 23, 2024 • 28 mins
What if you're unknowingly repelling top talent from your salon? Discover the secrets to transforming your salon into a magnet for the industry's best hairstylists. On "All About Hair," we unpack the often-overlooked aspects of salon management that could be holding you back. Drawing from a candid conversation with a hairstylist friend, Danise sheds light on the critical impact of first impressions and how something as simple as cleanliness and branding can make or break your chance to attract top-tier stylists. This episode promises to equip salon owners with actionable insights into why a professional environment and a cohesive team dynamic can be the game-changer you need.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
So the other day I was having lunch with a friend
of mine who, yes, just happensto be a hairstylist, and she was
telling me she was looking fora new salon, and she was telling
me that she was having adifficult time finding a hair
salon.
Isn't that funny, right?
(00:22):
As hair salon owners, all Ikeep hearing all over the
internet is I can't findstylists, I can't find stylists
who want to work, I can't findany employees.
I mean, it's everywhere, right,that everybody's struggling
with the same problem.
(00:42):
And then here I am, thateverybody's struggling with the
same problem.
And then here I am.
Actually, there's one or twopeople, three people off the top
of my head, who are fabuloushairstylists, fabulous, and they
cannot find a place to work.
And it made me wonder why isthat?
Because there's obviously lotsof salons out there hiring.
(01:02):
So what is it?
And so I asked her.
I said what?
What is it that's making younot want to work there?
And first impressions, firstimpressions of the salon, and it
could be anything.
She walks in the door and it'sa mess.
Maybe it's cluttered, maybethere's dust bunnies all over
the place, maybe no one greetedher, or maybe somebody who
(01:25):
greeted her made her feel small.
You know what I'm talking about, right?
Or maybe you walk in and youget the impression that the
salon doesn't stand for anythingbecause there's 15 different
product lines of just like oneor two products from each line,
and it's just like what is goingon here, right?
Or maybe there's no rhyme orreason to the decor, so the
(01:51):
branding is off.
Do you see what I'm saying?
There's, there's so many thingsthat hairstylists are looking
for and, as salon owners, weneed to be aware of that and
give it to them.
Don't complain that there's notstylists out there that want to
work, because there are plentyof hairstylists out there that
are trying to find a hair salon.
(02:11):
Why do you think that peopleare going to these suites?
It's because we are not livingup to the standards of what is
expected.
So, as a hair salon owner, as aformer hair salon owner, we
need to dive deep into ourself-awareness and say, okay,
what is it about my salon thatis not attracting talent?
(02:37):
Okay, so?
So today we're going to look atsome reasons why leaving a good
first impression is essentialfor salon owners when you're
hiring.
And then, what are the reasonswhy maybe stylists don't want to
work for you.
Okay, this is going to be agood one, so hold on tight.
(02:58):
Welcome to All About Hair, thepodcast for anyone who loves the
hair industry.
I'm your host, denise Kylitz, aformer stylist educator and
owner of four award-winningsalons with over 30 years of
experience.
Whether you're refining yourskills or expanding your hair
knowledge, you're in the rightplace.
Join me for expert tips,industry insights and practical
(03:23):
advice to help you thrive in theworld of hair.
This is all about hair, allright.
So, as a hair salon owner, youunderstand the importance of
attracting and retainingtalented professionals, right.
But when it comes to hiring newteam members, leaving a good
(03:43):
first impression is crucial.
The initial impression you makeon potential hires can
significantly impact theirdecision to join your salon.
There's a lot of opportunitiesout there, right?
So today we're going to explorefive reasons why leaving a
positive first impression isessential for you as the salon
owner when hiring new talent isessential for you as a salon
(04:08):
owner when hiring new talent.
First of all, attracting top,top talent.
Not just hairstylists, but youwant to attract the top talent
because our beauty industry ishighly competitive.
There's a lot of people outthere who could do beautiful
hair, right.
They're just looking for theplace to land to build their
business and they have a lot ofjob options out there.
But not everybody wants to gorent a suite.
(04:30):
There are actually people thatwould love to be part of a team,
a part of a team environmentand have that atmosphere of of
the excitement of being in asalon.
There's something about that,and when you go to a suite you
do not have that.
You are in there by yourselfwith your client and I don't
know.
(04:50):
Sometimes that could be awkward.
So, as a salon owner, here youare.
You have a salon.
You got like five empty chairs.
What can you do to attract toptalent?
First of all, you need to havea warm and professional
atmosphere.
You got to pique the interestof these individuals and make
them more inclined to chooseyour salon over any other salon.
(05:14):
So what is a warm andprofessional atmosphere?
Kind of what we were talkingabout before.
It needs to be clean.
I would think that's the firstand utmost clean.
No dust bunnies, no crap allover the place.
You know what I'm talking aboutRandom stuff.
Maybe the front desk is justfull of stuff.
(05:35):
Maybe your retail space is justfull of stuff.
I don't know about you.
But when I walk into a salon andthere's just stuff everywhere,
I kind of get anxiety.
I'm like what?
What's going on here?
Or maybe maybe there's justrandom stuff in there.
Like like one time I went intoa place and they had a um, I
(05:57):
don't know like a dog bed kindof thing sitting there and I was
like what is this?
This is a hair salon.
I didn't understand what youknow.
So take a look around yourspace, clean it up, get rid of
stuff that doesn't belong orisn't your brand or you know how
(06:17):
it is.
Sometimes, when we're in ourown space, we don't see it
anymore.
So maybe walk out and walk backinto your salon using the
eyeballs of a client or apotential hairstylist and look
at it differently.
Open your eyes.
What would they be looking atIf you don't do anything else?
Except that you're above a lotof people, because I've been in
(06:41):
a lot of salons and this, thisstylist that I was talking to
has been in a lot of salons andit is just, it's just a cluster
out there, if you know what Imean.
And we're better than thatright as an industry as a whole.
It's kind of funny.
You either got these mom andpop shops that don't seem to
care, or they're just busy doinghair and they don't have time
(07:03):
to think about that.
Or you have these huge brandsthat are over the top and,
frankly, a little um, notpersonal enough, so there's
gotta be a medium.
Okay, all right, let's.
Let's talk about the secondreason reflecting your salon's
culture and your values.
Okay, so, during the hiringprocess, you have this unique
(07:26):
opportunity to convey yoursalon's culture and values, and
what I'm talking about.
That is this allows you toshowcase the positive aspects of
your salon's work environment,such as your teamwork,
creativity and professionalism.
Now, if you're questioning whatI'm talking about here, then
you need to probably questionwhat's going on in your four
(07:47):
walls, because you do needteamwork, creativity and
professionalism, and they haveto align with your salon's
visions and your values, andyour potential hires are looking
for this.
Now, they might not be able toput their finger on what this
I'm doing that in air quotes is,but there's something about it.
(08:07):
When you walk into a space andyou can feel it right, you can
feel that vibe.
You can feel if it'sprofessional, you can feel if
the team gets along.
You could just feel it.
Now, if a potential hairstylistwalks in and it's looking for a
new space.
Does your salon reflect all ofthat?
Ask yourself that, becausethey're looking for that.
(08:28):
I guarantee it, guarantee itAll right.
So the third reason firstimpression.
It's going to build trust andconfidence.
So, just as your clients arelooking for trust and confidence
in their hairstylists, yourpotential hires, they're looking
for these things too.
Okay, a good first impression,meaning the moment they walk
(08:51):
into your salon and it looks,looks the part.
Right, you got that first onedown.
This establishes trust andconfidence in your leadership
and your management abilities.
So think about that.
If they walk into your salonand it's a mess, a cluster, like
we were talking about, whatdoes that say about your
management ability?
Or even, if you care as aleader, when you create a
(09:12):
positive and an organized salonand an organized interview
process like not just fill outthis application, but you have a
process you are giving yourpotential hires that feeling
that they are feeling assuredand that they're considering a
(09:33):
reliable and reputable salon.
This totally increases theirconfidence in your salon's
ability to provide a fulfillingwork environment.
Yeah, so if you're having aproblem with, like, if you don't
have an interview processbecause, hey, you know you're
busy.
You're busy behind the chair.
(09:53):
Sometimes I remember being thereyou kind of just would hire
anybody who's breathing right.
You just need help and fromwhat I'm understanding out there
and what I'm hearing online,people need help.
We need it right.
As salon owners, we are justcomplaining that there's nobody
to hire.
You've got to understand thereare people out there looking for
(10:16):
you, but you have to shine andyou have to give them that first
impression that you are theplace that they want to be.
Okay, so leaving a goodimpression also reduces your
employee turnover.
Have you thought about that?
When people accept a job andthey feel motivated to help out
(10:37):
with your salon success, they'regoing to stay and it just sets
a positive working relationship.
Have you ever thought about howmuch it costs to recruit and
train new staff members?
Oh my gosh, come on, if you'veever hired somebody new, and
even if they're experienced,they have to learn your color
(10:57):
line.
They have to learn whereeverything is, your culture,
your way of doing things.
I mean it takes energy, ifnothing else, but you would much
rather keep your employeeshappy and satisfied.
You'd much rather keep them atyour salon than them to see if
the grass is greener on theother side, am I right, right?
(11:18):
Another reason why firstimpressions are important is
because, in our industry, whyfirst impressions are important
is because in our industry, wordtravels fast, right?
Oh yeah, word travels fast fromstylist to stylist.
They know people that they wentto beauty school with.
They know other stylists, andpotential hires often seek the
advice from current or yourformer employees, and if they're
(11:43):
out there talking bad about you, you're probably not going to
get a lot of people walking inyour door wanting to work for
you.
It's a small community, I haveto say.
It just is.
So if you feel like you need toclean up your act, clean up your
salon, clean up your systems,clean up how you lead, whatever
it is, you need to look withinside yourself first and not
(12:06):
blame the industry for nothaving enough good candidates to
hire.
I'm just saying, just saying um, I've talked to so many people,
too many people, that justcan't find a place.
That's heck.
That's how I bought one of mysalons.
I just I was ready to get backin the industry and I just could
not find a salon that I wantedto work at.
For these reasons, I would walkin and it would either be
(12:29):
terribly dirty or or the frontdesk staff would look at me like
who are you?
What do you want?
You know it just didn't feelgood.
So I ended up buying, buying myfreaking own salon because I
wanted to establish all of thisand have a place that stylists
(12:49):
felt good coming to work andhaving a place, that they got
educated, that it'd be fun, allthose things.
And I'm sure, as a salon owner,when you first started out, you
felt the very same way.
But it's easy to get burned outand burned, especially if you
had a walkout, cause a lot of my, my salon owner friends they're
(13:11):
they're experiencing that rightnow.
Uh, it hurts, it hurts and it'shard to pick yourself up off
the ground and continue beingpositive and continue being
reputable and continue justcontinuing period.
So, all right, let's exploresome reasons why a stylist might
(13:32):
not want to work at certainhair salons.
Okay, and this is just takenfrom me asking questions from
actually from old employees,from actually from old employees
, from friends, from all kindsof people.
Okay, so let's, let's thinkabout this.
(13:55):
So, first of all, a poorreputation.
If your salon has a poorreputation within the industry
or with it, with your clients.
Trust me, stylists are notgoing to want to work for you.
Reputation plays a huge role inattracting talent, and stylists
prefer to align themselves withsalons that have a positive
image and a positive trackrecord.
So if you are experiencing this, I would find some way to turn
(14:19):
your reputation around.
I don't know if you need totake management classes or
hairstyling classes or what itis, maybe have an education
program I don't know, buteverybody's different but if you
have a negative reputation, Iwould definitely try to turn it
around.
Another reason why peoplewouldn't work at certain salons
(14:43):
is just the lack ofopportunities, because
hairstylists are reallypassionate about their craft and
they want growth anddevelopment.
So if a salon doesn't offerthese opportunities like if you
don't offer ongoing education,advanced training or staying
updated with you know trends,things like that you might not
(15:04):
appeal to most stylists.
Now there are some stylists whoare out there and they don't
mind just showing up doingtouch-ups or whatever, but most
of the younger, especially thenewer generation, they're eager
to learn and you need to providethat education period.
You need to provide thateducation period, all right.
(15:27):
The third reason I wrote downwas just an unsupportive work
environment.
Yeah, the work environment hasa direct impact on the stylist's
job satisfaction.
So if you don't have a salonthat is supportive and that the
team collaborates with oneanother, or if your team members
don't feel valued or respectedfor whatever reason, this can
(15:51):
discourage stylists fromconsidering employment there.
Negative or toxic workenvironments can drain
creativity and enthusiasm.
I had that happen one time, I'mjust going to admit, and it's
hard, you know.
You've heard the expression onebad apple, you know, rots the
(16:12):
whole tub of apples.
I guess, yeah, that happens.
So if you have somebody who youknow in your heart of hearts is
bringing the team down and ifyou know it, everybody else
knows it, so it is it's hard,but it's much better to let that
one bad apple go so you canhave a wonderful culture and
(16:37):
team and they'll they will thankyou.
What happens is if you don'ttake care of it, because it's
hard, it's hard to have thatconversation, confrontation,
especially if they're um highproducing person and their ego
gets in their way and you'relooking at the bottom line and
you're sitting there going, wow,if I let this person go, wow,
(17:00):
I'm going to lose all this money.
No, no, no, no, no.
You'd much rather lose moneyfrom one stylist than to lose a
whole team.
Yeah, so think about that.
And if you need help withconversations or anything like
that, there's books, fierceConversations, wonderful book.
Get your hands on that or reachout to me I'll help you walk
(17:23):
through it.
No problem, all right.
So the fourth reason why astylist might not want to work
at your salon is that you mighthave limited opportunities for
advancement.
Do you have a clear career pathor room for growth for your
stylists?
Have you even thought about it?
Or do you just hire them andsay, okay, I don't.
(17:45):
I'm going to use this as anexample 50% commission Doesn't
matter what you do.
You know that gets old after awhile.
You should have a career path,meaning you know, set goals for
your stylist, set opportunities,because everybody likes that
carrot in front of them.
You know, if they startbuilding the books and selling
more retail and doing all thethings that they need to be
(18:06):
doing, that should open up tomore opportunities and it could
be price increase.
It doesn't have to be acommission increase.
We never did that.
Everybody was on the samecommission rate, but their
prices increased, so in turn, itgave them a raise.
So maybe they get a priceincrease, maybe they get to opt
into health insurance, or maybethey get some extra days off
(18:30):
paid.
I don't know.
I don't know what, what that is, but if you need help in
developing your career pathbecause you don't have one,
reach out to me.
That's what I do.
I help salon owners not onlywith their salon design, but
also the systems you need tooperate a successful salon.
So, yeah, don't, don't be shy,I'm right here, all right.
Another reason is lowcompensation or benefits.
(18:53):
Compensation is a huge factorin a stylist decision to join a
salon.
If your salon offers like lowwages, like minimum wage or a
commission structure that that'sjust really low, you're not
going to attract very manyexperienced or skilled stylists.
There's too much opportunityout there and, plus, if you
(19:15):
don't have any benefits for yourstylist, like health insurance,
retirement plans or paid timeoff, stylists might not want to
work for you because they'relooking for a career, not a job,
and they're looking forstability and long-term
employment, and that's what youwant to give them.
Right, right, all right.
(19:35):
Another reason is if yourequipment in your salon isn't
well-maintained or if it's notmodern.
Yeah, I know, it's one of thosefactors that we have to always
look at.
But if they walk in your salonand you still have, my goodness,
I don't even know, um, old, uh,hair dryers or I don't know,
(20:01):
old, old looking chairs or oldlooking sinks, they might not
want to work there.
Outdated technology there's.
We changed our industry just asfast and and you gotta be in
there.
Outdated technology.
We changed our industry just asfast and you got to be in there
.
So you might not be able toafford everything, but if you're
looking at your salon andyou're like, wow, I really need
(20:22):
to update something.
Update it.
People will take notice andthen take pictures and put it on
social media and say, look,what I'm doing, people are
looking at that.
Okay, now the final thing thatis the reason why stylists might
not come to work at your salonis if you don't have any
marketing.
Marketing efforts are crucialfor your salon success.
(20:44):
Now, if you struggle to attractand retain a steady flow of
clients, this is going to affectthe stylist income and their
job satisfaction, actually.
So you need to make sure thatyou have a marketing strategy
and that stylists see you outthere, meaning it could be
something that you're doing inthe community.
(21:05):
It could be your social media.
It could be, um, I don't know,a um, a sandwich board outside
of your salon, or balloons, orwhatever.
They just need to see that youare making the effort to get in
new clients.
And what about your client base?
Have you been in business for10 years and you're still
struggling with an establishedclient base?
(21:27):
That's a problem.
You need to ensure to this newstylist that there's a
consistent stream of clients andopportunities so they can
showcase their skills right.
They're looking for you, okay,so there are stylists out there
looking for your salon, wantingto work somewhere.
(21:50):
So, in conclusion to this, okay, I just want to back up a
little bit.
You need to leave a good firstimpression.
It is essential for hair salonowners who are trying to hire
new talent.
You're going to attract topprofessionals.
You're going to reflect yourculture.
Shout it from the rooftops.
(22:10):
Your first impression will helpbuild your trust and confidence
in your salon.
And then also, if you have anorganized hiring process, you're
going to enhance your employeeretention and develop a positive
branding.
I mean, people are going totalk about that.
You need to invest inshowcasing your salon as an
(22:31):
attractive and reputable placeto work.
You'll have to.
And then also stylists areconsidering all these different
factors whether or not they wantto work for you.
Do you have a poor reputation?
Clean it up.
Answer those Yelp reviews.
There's so many ways you canclean up your reputation.
Do you have lack ofopportunities?
Well, consider how you canclean up your reputation.
Do you have lack ofopportunities?
(22:52):
Well, consider how you can makeopportunities for growth.
Do you have a great culture ordo you have an unsupportive work
environment?
Clean it up.
Collaborate, enjoy each other'scompany.
I mean, you get a lot furtherwith a team than just all by
yourself, right?
Do you have advancementopportunities?
(23:12):
What about your compensation?
Have you looked at that?
Is it fair?
What about your resources?
Are they up to par?
Are they old?
And then look at your marketingsupport.
Look at all of that.
I know it's a lot.
Owning a salon is a lot.
It is not for the faint ofheart and it takes a special
(23:36):
person to run a salon.
I kid you not.
Not only do you have to knowhow to do great hair and teach
how to do great hair to youremployees or your stylist, but
you got to know all of this.
We didn't come out of beautyschool knowing all of this you
got to learn, and if you don'tknow where to find that
information that's what I'msaying Reach out to me, get on
(23:58):
my mailing list.
Go on my website.
You can sign up for a freeguide.
That'll get you on my mailinglist.
You'll get free support in yourinbox every week, in your inbox
every week.
Listen to the podcast, watch theYouTube videos.
I can help you be a salon owner.
I can help you have the salonof your dreams.
(24:19):
Just reach out to me.
I would love to help andremember when you know better,
you do better.
Thanks for tuning in to AllAbout Hair.
Here's what I'd love for you todo next Take a screenshot of
this episode and share it onyour Instagram stories.
Tag me at Denise Keilitz so Ican see you're listening.
(24:40):
Sharing helps more peoplediscover the podcast and if
you're really enjoying the show,please leave a review on Apple
Podcasts.
It really helps others find us.
Thanks again, I'm Denise Kylitz, and remember when you know
better, you do better.
See you next week.
So the other day I was having lunch with a friend
of mine who, yes, just happensto be a hairstylist, and she was
telling me she was looking fora new salon, and she was telling
me that she was having adifficult time finding a hair
salon.
Isn't that funny, right?
(00:22):
As hair salon owners, all Ikeep hearing all over the
internet is I can't findstylists, I can't find stylists
who want to work, I can't findany employees.
I mean, it's everywhere, right,that everybody's struggling
with the same problem.
(00:42):
And then here I am, thateverybody's struggling with the
same problem.
And then here I am.
Actually, there's one or twopeople, three people off the top
of my head, who are fabuloushairstylists, fabulous, and they
cannot find a place to work.
And it made me wonder why isthat?
Because there's obviously lotsof salons out there hiring.
(01:02):
So what is it?
And so I asked her.
I said what?
What is it that's making younot want to work there?
And first impressions, firstimpressions of the salon, and it
could be anything.
She walks in the door and it'sa mess.
Maybe it's cluttered, maybethere's dust bunnies all over
the place, maybe no one greetedher, or maybe somebody who
(01:25):
greeted her made her feel small.
You know what I'm talking about, right?
Or maybe you walk in and youget the impression that the
salon doesn't stand for anythingbecause there's 15 different
product lines of just like oneor two products from each line,
and it's just like what is goingon here, right?
Or maybe there's no rhyme orreason to the decor, so the
(01:51):
branding is off.
Do you see what I'm saying?
There's, there's so many thingsthat hairstylists are looking
for and, as salon owners, weneed to be aware of that and
give it to them.
Don't complain that there's notstylists out there that want to
work, because there are plentyof hairstylists out there that
are trying to find a hair salon.
(02:11):
Why do you think that peopleare going to these suites?
It's because we are not livingup to the standards of what is
expected.
So, as a hair salon owner, as aformer hair salon owner, we
need to dive deep into ourself-awareness and say, okay,
what is it about my salon thatis not attracting talent?
(02:37):
Okay, so?
So today we're going to look atsome reasons why leaving a good
first impression is essentialfor salon owners when you're
hiring.
And then, what are the reasonswhy maybe stylists don't want to
work for you.
Okay, this is going to be agood one, so hold on tight.
(02:58):
Welcome to All About Hair, thepodcast for anyone who loves the
hair industry.
I'm your host, denise Kylitz, aformer stylist educator and
owner of four award-winningsalons with over 30 years of
experience.
Whether you're refining yourskills or expanding your hair
knowledge, you're in the rightplace.
Join me for expert tips,industry insights and practical
(03:23):
advice to help you thrive in theworld of hair.
This is all about hair, allright.
So, as a hair salon owner, youunderstand the importance of
attracting and retainingtalented professionals, right.
But when it comes to hiring newteam members, leaving a good
(03:43):
first impression is crucial.
The initial impression you makeon potential hires can
significantly impact theirdecision to join your salon.
There's a lot of opportunitiesout there, right?
So today we're going to explorefive reasons why leaving a
positive first impression isessential for you as the salon
owner when hiring new talent isessential for you as a salon
(04:08):
owner when hiring new talent.
First of all, attracting top,top talent.
Not just hairstylists, but youwant to attract the top talent
because our beauty industry ishighly competitive.
There's a lot of people outthere who could do beautiful
hair, right.
They're just looking for theplace to land to build their
business and they have a lot ofjob options out there.
But not everybody wants to gorent a suite.
(04:30):
There are actually people thatwould love to be part of a team,
a part of a team environmentand have that atmosphere of of
the excitement of being in asalon.
There's something about that,and when you go to a suite you
do not have that.
You are in there by yourselfwith your client and I don't
know.
(04:50):
Sometimes that could be awkward.
So, as a salon owner, here youare.
You have a salon.
You got like five empty chairs.
What can you do to attract toptalent?
First of all, you need to havea warm and professional
atmosphere.
You got to pique the interestof these individuals and make
them more inclined to chooseyour salon over any other salon.
(05:14):
So what is a warm andprofessional atmosphere?
Kind of what we were talkingabout before.
It needs to be clean.
I would think that's the firstand utmost clean.
No dust bunnies, no crap allover the place.
You know what I'm talking aboutRandom stuff.
Maybe the front desk is justfull of stuff.
(05:35):
Maybe your retail space is justfull of stuff.
I don't know about you.
But when I walk into a salon andthere's just stuff everywhere,
I kind of get anxiety.
I'm like what?
What's going on here?
Or maybe maybe there's justrandom stuff in there.
Like like one time I went intoa place and they had a um, I
(05:57):
don't know like a dog bed kindof thing sitting there and I was
like what is this?
This is a hair salon.
I didn't understand what youknow.
So take a look around yourspace, clean it up, get rid of
stuff that doesn't belong orisn't your brand or you know how
(06:17):
it is.
Sometimes, when we're in ourown space, we don't see it
anymore.
So maybe walk out and walk backinto your salon using the
eyeballs of a client or apotential hairstylist and look
at it differently.
Open your eyes.
What would they be looking atIf you don't do anything else?
Except that you're above a lotof people, because I've been in
(06:41):
a lot of salons and this, thisstylist that I was talking to
has been in a lot of salons andit is just, it's just a cluster
out there, if you know what Imean.
And we're better than thatright as an industry as a whole.
It's kind of funny.
You either got these mom andpop shops that don't seem to
care, or they're just busy doinghair and they don't have time
(07:03):
to think about that.
Or you have these huge brandsthat are over the top and,
frankly, a little um, notpersonal enough, so there's
gotta be a medium.
Okay, all right, let's.
Let's talk about the secondreason reflecting your salon's
culture and your values.
Okay, so, during the hiringprocess, you have this unique
(07:26):
opportunity to convey yoursalon's culture and values, and
what I'm talking about.
That is this allows you toshowcase the positive aspects of
your salon's work environment,such as your teamwork,
creativity and professionalism.
Now, if you're questioning whatI'm talking about here, then
you need to probably questionwhat's going on in your four
(07:47):
walls, because you do needteamwork, creativity and
professionalism, and they haveto align with your salon's
visions and your values, andyour potential hires are looking
for this.
Now, they might not be able toput their finger on what this
I'm doing that in air quotes is,but there's something about it.
(08:07):
When you walk into a space andyou can feel it right, you can
feel that vibe.
You can feel if it'sprofessional, you can feel if
the team gets along.
You could just feel it.
Now, if a potential hairstylistwalks in and it's looking for a
new space.
Does your salon reflect all ofthat?
Ask yourself that, becausethey're looking for that.
(08:28):
I guarantee it, guarantee itAll right.
So the third reason firstimpression.
It's going to build trust andconfidence.
So, just as your clients arelooking for trust and confidence
in their hairstylists, yourpotential hires, they're looking
for these things too.
Okay, a good first impression,meaning the moment they walk
(08:51):
into your salon and it looks,looks the part.
Right, you got that first onedown.
This establishes trust andconfidence in your leadership
and your management abilities.
So think about that.
If they walk into your salonand it's a mess, a cluster, like
we were talking about, whatdoes that say about your
management ability?
Or even, if you care as aleader, when you create a
(09:12):
positive and an organized salonand an organized interview
process like not just fill outthis application, but you have a
process you are giving yourpotential hires that feeling
that they are feeling assuredand that they're considering a
(09:33):
reliable and reputable salon.
This totally increases theirconfidence in your salon's
ability to provide a fulfillingwork environment.
Yeah, so if you're having aproblem with, like, if you don't
have an interview processbecause, hey, you know you're
busy.
You're busy behind the chair.
(09:53):
Sometimes I remember being thereyou kind of just would hire
anybody who's breathing right.
You just need help and fromwhat I'm understanding out there
and what I'm hearing online,people need help.
We need it right.
As salon owners, we are justcomplaining that there's nobody
to hire.
You've got to understand thereare people out there looking for
(10:16):
you, but you have to shine andyou have to give them that first
impression that you are theplace that they want to be.
Okay, so leaving a goodimpression also reduces your
employee turnover.
Have you thought about that?
When people accept a job andthey feel motivated to help out
(10:37):
with your salon success, they'regoing to stay and it just sets
a positive working relationship.
Have you ever thought about howmuch it costs to recruit and
train new staff members?
Oh my gosh, come on, if you'veever hired somebody new, and
even if they're experienced,they have to learn your color
(10:57):
line.
They have to learn whereeverything is, your culture,
your way of doing things.
I mean it takes energy, ifnothing else, but you would much
rather keep your employeeshappy and satisfied.
You'd much rather keep them atyour salon than them to see if
the grass is greener on theother side, am I right, right?
(11:18):
Another reason why firstimpressions are important is
because, in our industry, whyfirst impressions are important
is because in our industry, wordtravels fast, right?
Oh yeah, word travels fast fromstylist to stylist.
They know people that they wentto beauty school with.
They know other stylists, andpotential hires often seek the
advice from current or yourformer employees, and if they're
(11:43):
out there talking bad about you, you're probably not going to
get a lot of people walking inyour door wanting to work for
you.
It's a small community, I haveto say.
It just is.
So if you feel like you need toclean up your act, clean up your
salon, clean up your systems,clean up how you lead, whatever
it is, you need to look withinside yourself first and not
(12:06):
blame the industry for nothaving enough good candidates to
hire.
I'm just saying, just saying um, I've talked to so many people,
too many people, that justcan't find a place.
That's heck.
That's how I bought one of mysalons.
I just I was ready to get backin the industry and I just could
not find a salon that I wantedto work at.
For these reasons, I would walkin and it would either be
(12:29):
terribly dirty or or the frontdesk staff would look at me like
who are you?
What do you want?
You know it just didn't feelgood.
So I ended up buying, buying myfreaking own salon because I
wanted to establish all of thisand have a place that stylists
(12:49):
felt good coming to work andhaving a place, that they got
educated, that it'd be fun, allthose things.
And I'm sure, as a salon owner,when you first started out, you
felt the very same way.
But it's easy to get burned outand burned, especially if you
had a walkout, cause a lot of my, my salon owner friends they're
(13:11):
they're experiencing that rightnow.
Uh, it hurts, it hurts and it'shard to pick yourself up off
the ground and continue beingpositive and continue being
reputable and continue justcontinuing period.
So, all right, let's exploresome reasons why a stylist might
(13:32):
not want to work at certainhair salons.
Okay, and this is just takenfrom me asking questions from
actually from old employees,from actually from old employees
, from friends, from all kindsof people.
Okay, so let's, let's thinkabout this.
(13:55):
So, first of all, a poorreputation.
If your salon has a poorreputation within the industry
or with it, with your clients.
Trust me, stylists are notgoing to want to work for you.
Reputation plays a huge role inattracting talent, and stylists
prefer to align themselves withsalons that have a positive
image and a positive trackrecord.
So if you are experiencing this, I would find some way to turn
(14:19):
your reputation around.
I don't know if you need totake management classes or
hairstyling classes or what itis, maybe have an education
program I don't know, buteverybody's different but if you
have a negative reputation, Iwould definitely try to turn it
around.
Another reason why peoplewouldn't work at certain salons
(14:43):
is just the lack ofopportunities, because
hairstylists are reallypassionate about their craft and
they want growth anddevelopment.
So if a salon doesn't offerthese opportunities like if you
don't offer ongoing education,advanced training or staying
updated with you know trends,things like that you might not
(15:04):
appeal to most stylists.
Now there are some stylists whoare out there and they don't
mind just showing up doingtouch-ups or whatever, but most
of the younger, especially thenewer generation, they're eager
to learn and you need to providethat education period.
You need to provide thateducation period, all right.
(15:27):
The third reason I wrote downwas just an unsupportive work
environment.
Yeah, the work environment hasa direct impact on the stylist's
job satisfaction.
So if you don't have a salonthat is supportive and that the
team collaborates with oneanother, or if your team members
don't feel valued or respectedfor whatever reason, this can
(15:51):
discourage stylists fromconsidering employment there.
Negative or toxic workenvironments can drain
creativity and enthusiasm.
I had that happen one time, I'mjust going to admit, and it's
hard, you know.
You've heard the expression onebad apple, you know, rots the
(16:12):
whole tub of apples.
I guess, yeah, that happens.
So if you have somebody who youknow in your heart of hearts is
bringing the team down and ifyou know it, everybody else
knows it, so it is it's hard,but it's much better to let that
one bad apple go so you canhave a wonderful culture and
(16:37):
team and they'll they will thankyou.
What happens is if you don'ttake care of it, because it's
hard, it's hard to have thatconversation, confrontation,
especially if they're um highproducing person and their ego
gets in their way and you'relooking at the bottom line and
you're sitting there going, wow,if I let this person go, wow,
(17:00):
I'm going to lose all this money.
No, no, no, no, no.
You'd much rather lose moneyfrom one stylist than to lose a
whole team.
Yeah, so think about that.
And if you need help withconversations or anything like
that, there's books, fierceConversations, wonderful book.
Get your hands on that or reachout to me I'll help you walk
(17:23):
through it.
No problem, all right.
So the fourth reason why astylist might not want to work
at your salon is that you mighthave limited opportunities for
advancement.
Do you have a clear career pathor room for growth for your
stylists?
Have you even thought about it?
Or do you just hire them andsay, okay, I don't.
(17:45):
I'm going to use this as anexample 50% commission Doesn't
matter what you do.
You know that gets old after awhile.
You should have a career path,meaning you know, set goals for
your stylist, set opportunities,because everybody likes that
carrot in front of them.
You know, if they startbuilding the books and selling
more retail and doing all thethings that they need to be
(18:06):
doing, that should open up tomore opportunities and it could
be price increase.
It doesn't have to be acommission increase.
We never did that.
Everybody was on the samecommission rate, but their
prices increased, so in turn, itgave them a raise.
So maybe they get a priceincrease, maybe they get to opt
into health insurance, or maybethey get some extra days off
(18:30):
paid.
I don't know.
I don't know what, what that is, but if you need help in
developing your career pathbecause you don't have one,
reach out to me.
That's what I do.
I help salon owners not onlywith their salon design, but
also the systems you need tooperate a successful salon.
So, yeah, don't, don't be shy,I'm right here, all right.
Another reason is lowcompensation or benefits.
(18:53):
Compensation is a huge factorin a stylist decision to join a
salon.
If your salon offers like lowwages, like minimum wage or a
commission structure that that'sjust really low, you're not
going to attract very manyexperienced or skilled stylists.
There's too much opportunityout there and, plus, if you
(19:15):
don't have any benefits for yourstylist, like health insurance,
retirement plans or paid timeoff, stylists might not want to
work for you because they'relooking for a career, not a job,
and they're looking forstability and long-term
employment, and that's what youwant to give them.
Right, right, all right.
(19:35):
Another reason is if yourequipment in your salon isn't
well-maintained or if it's notmodern.
Yeah, I know, it's one of thosefactors that we have to always
look at.
But if they walk in your salonand you still have, my goodness,
I don't even know, um, old, uh,hair dryers or I don't know,
(20:01):
old, old looking chairs or oldlooking sinks, they might not
want to work there.
Outdated technology there's.
We changed our industry just asfast and and you gotta be in
there.
Outdated technology.
We changed our industry just asfast and you got to be in there
.
So you might not be able toafford everything, but if you're
looking at your salon andyou're like, wow, I really need
(20:22):
to update something.
Update it.
People will take notice andthen take pictures and put it on
social media and say, look,what I'm doing, people are
looking at that.
Okay, now the final thing thatis the reason why stylists might
not come to work at your salonis if you don't have any
marketing.
Marketing efforts are crucialfor your salon success.
(20:44):
Now, if you struggle to attractand retain a steady flow of
clients, this is going to affectthe stylist income and their
job satisfaction, actually.
So you need to make sure thatyou have a marketing strategy
and that stylists see you outthere, meaning it could be
something that you're doing inthe community.
(21:05):
It could be your social media.
It could be, um, I don't know,a um, a sandwich board outside
of your salon, or balloons, orwhatever.
They just need to see that youare making the effort to get in
new clients.
And what about your client base?
Have you been in business for10 years and you're still
struggling with an establishedclient base?
(21:27):
That's a problem.
You need to ensure to this newstylist that there's a
consistent stream of clients andopportunities so they can
showcase their skills right.
They're looking for you, okay,so there are stylists out there
looking for your salon, wantingto work somewhere.
(21:50):
So, in conclusion to this, okay, I just want to back up a
little bit.
You need to leave a good firstimpression.
It is essential for hair salonowners who are trying to hire
new talent.
You're going to attract topprofessionals.
You're going to reflect yourculture.
Shout it from the rooftops.
(22:10):
Your first impression will helpbuild your trust and confidence
in your salon.
And then also, if you have anorganized hiring process, you're
going to enhance your employeeretention and develop a positive
branding.
I mean, people are going totalk about that.
You need to invest inshowcasing your salon as an
(22:31):
attractive and reputable placeto work.
You'll have to.
And then also stylists areconsidering all these different
factors whether or not they wantto work for you.
Do you have a poor reputation?
Clean it up.
Answer those Yelp reviews.
There's so many ways you canclean up your reputation.
Do you have lack ofopportunities?
Well, consider how you canclean up your reputation.
Do you have lack ofopportunities?
(22:52):
Well, consider how you can makeopportunities for growth.
Do you have a great culture ordo you have an unsupportive work
environment?
Clean it up.
Collaborate, enjoy each other'scompany.
I mean, you get a lot furtherwith a team than just all by
yourself, right?
Do you have advancementopportunities?
(23:12):
What about your compensation?
Have you looked at that?
Is it fair?
What about your resources?
Are they up to par?
Are they old?
And then look at your marketingsupport.
Look at all of that.
I know it's a lot.
Owning a salon is a lot.
It is not for the faint ofheart and it takes a special
(23:36):
person to run a salon.
I kid you not.
Not only do you have to knowhow to do great hair and teach
how to do great hair to youremployees or your stylist, but
you got to know all of this.
We didn't come out of beautyschool knowing all of this you
got to learn, and if you don'tknow where to find that
information that's what I'msaying Reach out to me, get on
(23:58):
my mailing list.
Go on my website.
You can sign up for a freeguide.
That'll get you on my mailinglist.
You'll get free support in yourinbox every week, in your inbox
every week.
Listen to the podcast, watch theYouTube videos.
I can help you be a salon owner.
I can help you have the salonof your dreams.
(24:19):
Just reach out to me.
I would love to help andremember when you know better,
you do better.
Thanks for tuning in to AllAbout Hair.
Here's what I'd love for you todo next Take a screenshot of
this episode and share it onyour Instagram stories.
Tag me at Denise Keilitz so Ican see you're listening.
(24:40):
Sharing helps more peoplediscover the podcast and if
you're really enjoying the show,please leave a review on Apple
Podcasts.
It really helps others find us.
Thanks again, I'm Denise Kylitz, and remember when you know
better, you do better.
See you next week.
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