June 18, 2024 • 29 mins
Join us as we chat with Sarah McGee, the innovative owner of Thirty Hair Salon in Columbia, Maryland. Sarah, a second-generation hairstylist, opens up about her unique journey and the effective hiring strategies that set her salon apart. Discover how she leverages a strong team culture to not only attract top talent but also ensure long-term success in leadership and business growth.
You'll learn Sarah's meticulous hiring process that ensures the right fit for a team-oriented business. Her insights into playing the long game in hiring, even if it means short-term sacrifices, offer actionable tips for anyone looking to enhance their own hiring processes and company culture.
Conversation highlights:
0:00 Sarah’s ‘secret sauce’ for creating a strong hiring pool
7:03 Optimizing your social media presence to attract clients AND employees
12:55 Detailing Sarah’s hiring process to sharpen company culture
20:00 Sarah’s fail-proof interview questions
23:28 The qualities of an ideal candidate
Watch the video version of this episode: https://youtu.be/UOigUDBoryg
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right, welcome to the Beauty Business Strategies
Podcast.
I am Michael Yost and I'mjoined today with a phenomenal
friend and great business owner,sarah McGee.
Sarah, how?
Speaker 2 (00:10):
are you?
I'm all right, Michael.
It's nice to see your facethrough the screen today.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Yes, it is.
It's great to see you as well.
So, sarah, tell me a little bitbefore we get into anything
deeper.
Tell me a little bit just aboutyour business.
Where in anything deeper?
Tell me a little bit just aboutyour business, where you're
located, size of business, focus, things of that nature.
Give the listeners a sense ofwho you are.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Sure my elevator speech.
I haven't done this one in awhile.
My name is Sarah McGee.
I own 30 here in Columbia,maryland.
We're between Baltimore andWashington DC.
We are hair focused.
I have done spa and all thethings, but we are hair focused.
We love a singular focus.
I currently have 11 stationsand 11 hairstylists.
We have grown very quickly overthe years.
We love what we do with hair.
We are a Veda and we havetechnically been in business
(00:57):
between different versions ofwho we are my whole entire life.
I'm a second generationhairstylist and I love this
business and I love what I'vecreated with my team.
I have a wild, crazy group andthere are, I think, 16 of us and
everyone except for one isfull-time.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
Today we want to talk about an always popular topic
hiring.
You can't go wrong when youtalk about hiring and there's
always questions and we arealways looking for more info.
And again I think it's great tohear from another business
owner because again we can getsome real boots on the ground,
real life.
You know what's happening outthere and what Sarah's doing to
(01:36):
really try and attract.
And so, sarah, I wanted tostart right out when we talked
about doing a podcast, out whenwe talked about doing a podcast,
this was one of the areas thatyou especially were like hey,
listen, I'd love to talk abouthiring and especially, you know,
what you put in the in ourconversation was how to create a
strong hiring pool.
So let's kind of start therewith the question when you think
(01:59):
about a strong hiring pool,what, what does that look like
to you?
Speaker 2 (02:03):
So so often I hear salon owners talk about and I
used to feel the same way whereyou just hired the warm body and
you took whoever could apply.
And I hear constantly frompeople like I cannot find a
hairstylist, I cannot find frontdesk staff, I can't find people
who want to work for me or whowant to work in general.
And I get that.
I do.
(02:23):
I'm not saying that everyapplicant we get is a great
applicant for us, but one of thethings we've really worked on
and I guess cultivated is theright word is getting quality
hires and quality applicants.
I'm really fortunate that wehave actually been able to press
pause on hiring at timesbecause we are so full and busy
and that we have so many peopleapplying that we get to pick who
(02:45):
we want to hire.
And isn't that the dream youget to pick the people that
truly fit your culture, insteadof picking that warm body that
might kind of know how to cuthair and might kind of know how
to show up to work on time, butmost of the time probably
doesn't and becomes a difficultperson for you.
So I think it's just reallyimportant to have that piece of
the puzzle because it makes yourleadership job easier, because
(03:05):
you don't want to be having totrain people on how to show up
to work on time right Like thatshould already be something that
they have instilled in them andthat they should already match
your core values on many things.
I don't want to have to teachthem how to behave by my core
values.
I want them to embody themanyways, because that's who they
are.
But I can teach them how to dogreat customer service, or I can
teach them how to be do greatcustomer service, or I can teach
them how to create a greatbeautiful blowout and those
(03:26):
technical skills I love to beable to train on, because I want
who they are to already havematched up with us, like I want
them to want to be in oursandbox.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
I love that.
So you mentioned the fact andI'm sure a lot of people that
are listening like, hey, how didshe create this, this pool of
people as you talked about?
You're saying create this poolof people as you talked about.
You're saying man, right nowyou have a strong list of
applicants and that seems to beso opposite of what, in general,
we're hearing.
What do you find is the secretsauce when it comes to creating
(03:58):
that pool of applicants?
Speaker 2 (04:01):
I really think and I know there's a lot of companies
out there talking about rightnow a lot of it has to do with
how we present ourselves onsocial media and how we present
ourselves in the community.
It doesn't just have to be howyou are on Instagram, it's also
how do you treat the guest infront of you and how does that
ripple effect of those words getto other people.
I don't go to the schools a lot.
We don't have a ton of greatschools around us and it's not
(04:23):
that they don't have good applike good students in there, but
they a lot of them don't wantto come to Aveda because they're
not used to Aveda.
Um, we have a lot of PaulMitchell around us for schools,
or they just already have thisidea and this notion in their
head where they want to go.
Um, the right ones at theschools find us.
I go in and teach probablyabout twice a year to the
schools and sometimes go tocareer fairs.
(04:43):
I don't always.
I probably should do better atthat, but really I focus a lot
on our culture and how wepresent our culture, our social
media.
We have found when we'rescrolling through Instagram and
paying attention to like how thealgorithm works for us.
Our best liked and mostinteracted posts are all about
my team.
It's all about our culture, whowe are and what we do.
(05:04):
The hair pictures get likes.
They come in and you're likehey, I saw this picture you
posted of this hair and I wantthis hair, so we get that.
But the people who are playingwith us are seeing our culture.
They're seeing the things I'mposting about what we do.
That's fun.
What makes 30 hair different?
You know what our traditionsare.
Our crab feast we have everysummer is one of those
traditions that everyone knowsabout, and it's a thing where
(05:26):
people are like I want to workin an environment like that.
I want a boss who's going totreat me with respect and
integrity.
I want a boss who's going tocare that I feel comfortable and
safe at work, and those areimportant things that we try and
really portray.
And personally, I am behind thechair probably about 10 to 15
hours a week these days, but mysocial media, my professional
(05:46):
Instagram, is super focused onour company and our culture.
I post hair probably everythird or fourth post, but the
majority of my posts arecelebrating my team, celebrating
our wins, celebrating what yourexperience as a guest is and
celebrating who we are and whatwe do, and I think that that
really helps people find us.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
Yeah, I agree actually.
Yeah, I was going to say andit's funny because obviously I
follow you and so it isinteresting I don't sometimes we
don't realize the things thatwe see and what we're seeing.
But you're exactly right, as Ithink about it now, being a
follower, I think to myself,you're exactly right.
It's like how often I see waymore about who you are and we'll
(06:26):
just say from just for thisdiscussion, more about the
culture overall of the businessand who you guys are and and
those what's going on and thingsof that nature.
Then I really see a lot of thetechnical side, not that that's
not there, but, like you justsaid, it makes me realize we
don't really we don't thinkabout sometimes the messages
that we send.
So I find it interesting, youknow, to you know, I guess to
(06:50):
summarize what you just, youknow, were just saying there,
it's hey, listen, we're reallymaking sure one of the things we
do is really put out who we arethrough our social media and
really our presence in ourcommunity and really our
presence in our community.
So the follow-up question hasto be again, just because I
think it's something that wouldbe interesting to hear from your
(07:11):
perspective how often are youdoing social media.
What's that look like?
Speaker 2 (07:17):
So I am a little bit controversial and have things a
little different.
And we have educators andthey're like wait, you do what?
So it's required to have aprofessional page if you are a
stylist for us or if you're inour training program.
I have, as part of ourbroadband or part of our like,
how we track things for thosewho maybe don't know what
broadband is, how we trackthings and how you get raises
(07:38):
and how you grow in our company,one of the metrics is Instagram
posts and they must post twicea week.
One of the metrics is Instagramposts and they must post twice
a week.
That is a bare minimumrequirement, part of our culture
and who we are Sometimes like.
Last month, I was sending areminder to everyone
individually, encouraging them,sending them some numbers and a
few of them who already do areally good job with social
media and I can tell it's easy,easy for them.
(08:01):
I challenged them to double it.
I was like I challenge you todouble it for two months and see
what happens, see, see whattraction we get and see how it
helps us grow our company indifferent ways.
Um, so they're required astylist individually to do a
minimum of two a week I do umhave our operations manager
handles our social media and shedoes typically between four and
(08:22):
five posts a week, sometimes alittle less, sometimes a little
more, depending on what it is.
And then we're doing stories aswell.
I do contests for the teamwhere they can get a double.
So in April for Earth Month, ifthey did the no wash contest
with Aveda for the reel, theygot two posts for doing one reel
.
So I do give them some timeswhere they can work with it.
(08:43):
But we also we work really hardto make sure we're getting
fresh content out there all thetime and I think that keeps us
relevant, not just for theclient and the guests, but it
keeps us relevant for those whoare in the stylist community.
And one really big thing aroundsocial media just because it's
something that's really like I'mvery passionate about, I do
have a few rules around whattheir social media can look like
.
And one of the really bigthings that I have is we are
(09:07):
never, ever in any posts that wedo ever to shame or mock our
guests or our industry.
So we are not allowed to doposts and things where we're
making fun of somebody for beinglate all the time or making.
There's a reel that was out nottoo long ago, a trend that was
like the client who says theywant this huge change, right.
(09:27):
And then they're like and Ionly want this much cut off and
like this tiny little bit.
You know, I, I want a hugechange but, by the way, you
can't cut more than a quarterinch off and I don't want any
layers or banks.
We all know that type of guest,right.
What was a reel?
That was really popular and itbit us in the ass because I had
two clients do that.
Excuse my French, but that'swhat happened and a client got
really upset and wrote a reallynasty review about it and
(09:49):
thought we were shaming andmocking them.
We weren't, it was just timing.
But that doesn't need to go outto the universe.
And if we're doing that, whatdoes that say about who my
company is, my culture?
So I'm really strict on ourcore values should be embodied
in our social media and who weare and what we do, because
people see that and when theysee that, they see the type of
company they want to work for.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
Yeah, I love that and you know again, sometimes we
just sometimes it's how we learnright, we learn those things
and sometimes we learn thoselessons that way.
But I think that's a greatshare of that way, before we get
away from social media, becauseI think it could be you know
something for someone listeningmight want to say, hey, listen,
I want to tune in more to whatSarah's doing.
(10:29):
If you want to shout out youruh, your social media, your
Instagram or whatever, why?
don't you do that.
That way, people listening cango cool.
What's the follow?
Speaker 2 (10:38):
Yeah, the salon's Instagram is at 30 hair all
spelled out 30 T H I R T Y hair.
And then my my professionalpage is Sarah S A R A H 30 hair,
also spelled out, and you'llsee all my team from there and
things like that.
They love getting follows.
We sometimes do contests evenon them, growing their followers
and growing their reach.
(10:58):
I also, just as a reward if youneed this as an owner, cause
you're struggling with themgetting engagement at staff
meeting I every so often willpull out five twenties and come
out to staff meeting and alreadylooked at who's posted the most
or who's gotten some reallylike somebody got a viral hit.
And at staff meeting I willhand out twenties to people who
I feel like they've reallyworked hard and hustled or
(11:19):
embodied our culture and do inthe heart, because hard work is
one of our core values.
They've embodied our cultureand social media.
And I do surprise rewards andpeople love that.
They love getting a surprisereward and who doesn't love 20
bucks in cash?
Speaker 1 (11:32):
I would love 20 bucks in cash right now, so I'd be
down with that.
I love that.
So you know we talked aboutsocial media aspect of it really
, and again I think for me tosummarize it in my brain is
staying with it, simply becauseof the fact that you know it's
so important to relaying thatsense of who you are and that
(11:53):
attracts people.
Seeing your culture and thingslike that.
That's an attractor.
What else, when it comes tobuilding that pool of people,
what other aspects do you thinkhelp to grow that um, and might
be a key part that other peoplecould take something away from?
Speaker 2 (12:13):
I think a lot of it goes back to the energy and how
you, how you take care of thosewho are in your building.
Um, they all know people right,and I wouldn't say that not all
of my hires have come fromknowing someone else Most of
them actually haven't but whenthey all get together because we
know hairstylists talk and weknow we all have our friends
from hair school.
I've been out of hair schoolfor 20 years and I still am
(12:35):
girlfriends with several of myhair school classmates.
We talk, right.
We talk about what ourcompanies do for us, what
happens when you have a tragedyand how does your boss handle it
.
When you're not the boss, likeas an employee, you're talking
about those things and I thinkthat that energy put out to
others and hearing what that'slike that comes back around and
(12:57):
people hear that and they seethat I didn't know until
recently.
One of my stylists moved herefrom Virginia and her really big
thing was she wanted to staywith Aveda because she had
always been Aveda but she wasvery much a stickler for she
wanted a team.
She wanted to work for someonewho was actually active in the
company and behind the chair,because where she had worked
prior.
(13:17):
The owners were not involved.
They didn't really show up.
They had massive turnover ontheir managers and those were
things that were reallyimportant to her to feel like a
family and a team and to haveher boss and the owner truly be
a part of things.
So to me being active andposting about that, that's how
she found us and she has beenwith us for three years this
June and she sings our praises,I would say, at least once a
(13:40):
month.
One of her posts is about thatand it's about the culture of
our company and how she feels sograteful to work with us and to
be a part of our team and shehustles because of that, because
there's a buy-in to belief ofour culture and who we are.
Speaker 1 (13:53):
That's awesome.
That's awesome.
So let's take this a stepforward now.
You know we've got to.
You know you share some greatthings about building a pool and
starting to try and grow a baseof applicants and how to
attract.
That's really working for you.
So let's move forward to theidea of all.
Right now it comes time thatyou are ready to hire.
You've reached that point whereit's like, yeah, you know what.
(14:15):
I have the need, I have theopportunity to hire, I'm looking
for someone.
Give us a little bit knowingthat again, your business and
being familiar with yourbusiness is a team-based
business itself.
Talk to me about what your justthe hiring process looks like
for you.
We don't have to go into againI know that we can get a lot of
(14:38):
detail, but give us the 30,000foot view of what does a hiring
process look like for you.
When it comes now to saying,hey, listen, I've got three or
four people want to find thatright match for my company.
What's that?
What does that look like?
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Sure, I was actually just talking about this with a
friend who just recently openeda massage therapy business and
we were chatting about what thislooks like.
So, no matter what positionyou're applying with us, in
first off, we have a resumeupload spot that they can do on
our website and or they couldemail it into us or stop by.
I just had someone stop by thisweek with their resume.
Once I receive their resume, Isend them a Google form that is
a specific stylist or front deskassistant role application.
(15:15):
They're two separate forms.
Those forms have basic thingson them, such as what their
available hours are, whatthey're looking for pay-wise,
what their background is.
I ask for their social mediahandle.
And then I actually have twoother segments that talk about
things such as what is theirconnection to the beauty
industry or what is theircustomer service background.
I ask them what products theycurrently use, because that
(15:38):
gives me some good insight intothem, and I ask for their
references.
Once I see that, I can decideis this even somebody that's
going to be an opportunity forus, or do I need to kind of have
that conversation on?
Hey, you're right now.
You're applying for a positionthat we need nights and weekends
and you're looking to only worknine to 12, monday through
Thursday, and so I can kind ofsay, hey, love that you applied.
(15:58):
But this isn't going to be afit right out of the gate unless
you're open to being more openon schedule, availability or
things of that nature.
And then we get into doing aninterview.
I like a phone interview forthe desk team and I like an
in-person interview for thestylist team.
For the first officialinterview, the desk team is
because I want to hear theirbone voice and I give them
(16:21):
specific instructions on.
Here's my phone number.
We set a date and a time and itis their responsibility to call
me.
I want to see that this personcan time manage and can be
responsible enough to pick upthe phone and call me Just as
simple.
And I want to know that theycan read instructions and follow
through on it.
The stylist side we set a timethey come in and meet with me.
First interview is always withme because I really try and get
(16:41):
a read for who they are and whatthey believe in.
So our first real interview isall about culture and about who
they are, what they believe inand what matters to them in life
what's their priority.
If they get through that firstinterview, I normally can tell
I've been really good over theyears.
I've been doing this for about20 years now.
I normally can tell by the endof the first interview if
(17:02):
they're going to be somebodythat works for me or not.
Even if I give them a secondinterview, I can typically tell
you if they're going to make itand I actually have a pretty
good instinct on how longthey're going to stay in my
company.
It's been a little weird andeerie over the years.
I guess I've been doing it longenough to start to see some
things.
My my second interview afterthat is typically a shadow
interview and we have them comein and we jokingly say you're
(17:24):
coming to play in our sandboxand let's see if you like what
the sandbox looks like.
Let's see if our playgroundthat you're coming to has the
slide that you want to slide on.
Or do we not have any slidesand your favorite thing to do at
the playground is a slide?
Think back to when you were akid, like you had that favorite
playground.
Are we the right playground foryou?
Do we treat each other the waythat you want to be treated, and
(17:45):
if not, that's okay, causeinterviewing is a two way street
.
And then after that, if wereally like them, we like how
they operate during that, wetypically do a third interview.
It really depends on thesituation as to how we go about
that.
Sometimes it's back with meagain, cause everyone's met them
at the shadow.
I always make sure it's a verybusy day for the shadow so they
can see us at our quote unquoteworst or busiest, because if you
(18:07):
can tolerate that, then you'regood.
Third interview if I'm stillunsure or feel like culturally
I'm not really sure, or maybetheir work ethic might not match
up, I will bring in two of myleadership team and then
somebody specific that works inthe same side of the field,
whether front desk or a stylistand have them do an interview
and they'll do a smallerinterview.
(18:28):
We pinpoint questions ahead oftime and we encourage the
interviewee to bring questionsfor them.
I jokingly say listen, theyhave to be honest because
they're being paid to be honest.
So when you interview with themwithout me in the room, I want
you to ask them the toughquestions that you're scared to
ask the boss.
Please go ahead and ask it,because they will tell you the
truth, and I know that.
And if they don't, they don'tbelong here either, and we can't
(18:50):
always laugh about it.
But I really want them to havethat piece of the puzzle for
them, and sometimes it's nice totake the pressure off the boss
being there.
If I already feel comfortableand happy with where things are
and everybody says yes, thisperson seems like a winner, I'll
typically do a third interviewof coffee or even take them to
breakfast or lunch.
I want to see how they treatthe server.
I want to see how they handlethe situation.
(19:13):
Do they know how to put anapkin on their lap, which seems
silly but like little etiquettethings?
Or like do they know to not bemean to the server who forgot
our water Right?
Or how do they respond right?
And in that interview a lot oftimes we really just are talking
logistics, we're talking aboutschedules, we're talking about
training program, we're gettingto know each other even better.
But we're also talking aboutcompany culture and laying a lot
(19:35):
of the framework so that on dayone they are not surprised when
I tell them if you are late forwork more than three times in a
month, you will not get bonusand if you continue to be late
you will not work for me.
Like you will not get bonus andif you continue to be late you
will not work for me.
Like I am very strict aboutsome rules and I try and lay
that framework during theinterview process and I let them
know a lot about our culture,how we pay and what we do during
that process.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
I love that.
So, again, a lot of claritythat goes on through that whole
entire process.
Here's a couple of things thatjust kind of hit me as you were
giving us that bigger overview.
Are there one or two questionsfor you that you always ask that
you find, man, I get great.
You know, this is what I'mlooking for.
Here's a, again just thinkingabout sharing a question or two
with the audience that'slistening in, to be like what's
(20:18):
a cool interview question thatyou might use?
And why do you ask it?
Because what are you lookingfor out of it?
Speaker 2 (20:23):
Yeah.
So my number one question thatI ask everyone is give me three
words to describe yourself.
And, by the way, theinterviewee normally hates it
because it's not easy, but Iwant to see them kind of be a
little uncomfortable because sooften in interviews everyone's
like I'm so good, I don't haveany bad faults, I can do
everything beautifully andperfectly.
(20:44):
Okay, Well then tell me threewords about yourself and tell me
why.
And think about it.
Michael, it takes a minute.
It takes a minute to thinkabout what are the three most
important words to who I am andwhat I do.
I love to see if they happen topossibly align with our core
values and I don't blatantlytell them our core values before
I ask that question.
So I'd love to see what theyare.
I out, poke some questions andkind of poke at those answers
(21:09):
when they give them to me tojust find out a little bit more
like tell me a story about whyyou feel that being respectful
and respect is an important wordfor you and that's who you are.
So that's probably my numberone question that I always ask.
I know I do Every so often.
I will ask them about management, leadership, especially if
they've worked in other salonsor if they've been around the
(21:31):
block a few times.
When it comes to jobs, I willask them what type of leadership
style is best for them.
How do they do best withconstructive criticism?
Are they someone that needs itin writing?
Are they someone that needs tohave that conversation and then
follow up a day later?
Because they need to processthat and think of it and I'll
ask questions around that justso I can understand.
(21:52):
Like, if there's somebody whois completely different than my
leadership style, that doesn'tmean I'm not going to hire them,
but it means that I'm going toalso be very intentional in my
leadership with them and I'malso going to be upfront with
them on.
This is my style and I'm goingto try and meet you where you
are.
But I'm going to ask that youalso meet me a little bit and we
(22:12):
work together to make sure weboth succeed.
Awesome.
And a little side note forthose of you who are struggle
with interviewing and feel likeit's a hard thing for you I
actually encourage you tocontact your local high school
and offer to come in for theirinterview day.
In the state of Maryland, wherewe are, the high schools are
required to do that during theydo a resume and then they do an
interview day and they requireit.
(22:33):
Some the county we're in isjunior year.
My daughter's county issophomore year.
It is first off.
It is amazing to give back inyour community but I rapid fired
in under two hours 12interviews and it taught me a
lot about questions to ask andit also just got me in the
community getting comfortablewith waiting for them to respond
because they're teenagers andthey're like thinking through
how to respond.
(22:53):
But it gets you comfortablewith a lot of the interviewing
process and it's kind of thatdouble whammy You're giving back
but you're also learning andlearning how to interview and I
have taken away a lot from itand actually I've gotten
applicants out of it.
I've gotten hires from goingand doing that, from kids who
were planning on going tocollege.
They remembered me and cameback later on, so I highly
encourage that for multiplereasons.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
That's a cool.
I love that recommendation.
That's a cool tip.
So again check out your area.
Maybe locally you havesomething like Sarah's just
talking about.
It's a great way to againrefine your skills, but also,
who knows where it leads downthe road you mentioned, which
intrigued me.
You mentioned the fact that youknow for the most part you know
.
At the end of the firstinterview you probably have a
(23:34):
pretty good idea about if thisis going to be a you know
someone, that's you know thatcomes on, or not.
Is there one trait that youmight look for?
What's that one thing you mightbe looking for that gives you
that feeling of like yep, thislooks like a win or no?
What's that one thing?
Speaker 2 (23:53):
So I could, of course , say all six of our core values
and say any of those would.
There's a humbleness that Ilook for because we are a team.
We're not meant for egos.
We check our egos at the door.
That's not who we are.
So a humbleness of someoneapplying, saying I want to grow
and I cause growth, is a bigpart of who we are.
(24:15):
When they're talking, andthey're talking about how
they're so good, they're sogreat, all their clients follow
them.
They sent me like that's great.
No, but what happens when youhave a tough guest?
What happens when you'rerunning behind and you have to
figure it out for the day?
Or what happens when you'rehaving a bad day and you still
have to come to work and SallySue is difficult?
Are you still going to be ableto give your best experience?
(24:37):
And what happens when maybe youdon't know what you're doing?
Are you going to ask for help?
Or, if somebody else needs help, are you going to take over and
like overshadow the stylistthat was originally booked with
that service, while you'retrying to be a team member and
help, or are you going to stepback and just give that
assistance and help?
That humbleness also typicallycan tell me are they willing to
(24:57):
do the laundry, are they willingto help clean out the hair
traps underneath the sink?
Because that typically, if withan ego sometimes you're not
willing to do the tough stuff.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
I love that.
So, again, that's so beautifuland again, tying into the things
you're looking for, things thatfit your values and the traits.
Like you said, when everythingisn't perfect in the example you
gave, when everything isn'tperfect, what are we going to
react to?
How are we going to react tothat?
Because, again, everythingevery day, as we all know, is
(25:29):
not perfect.
As we wrap things up, is thereone last, one last thing you'd
like to share that maybe you'relike, is in your brain that we
haven't talked about?
You know?
So that last, like that last 30second tip, or that last
thought anything, or, like man,I really wanted to make sure
that people, as we think abouthiring this.
(25:51):
Is that one last thing?
Speaker 2 (25:53):
So hiring is a lot like dating, and for those of
you who have dated, you knowthat the first and second date,
normally you're putting on afront for them, right?
You're wearing your bestclothes that they feel good in.
They do a lot of things thatyou wouldn't always show up the
same way.
Not everyone is authentic rightout of the gate and willing to
show who they truly are.
They put their best faceforward.
(26:16):
It's part of why we do multipleinterviews, because I want to
see how they show up.
Do they get more comfortableand then they become more of who
they are, and do the wheelsstay on or the wheels fall off
during that process?
So to me, it's really importantto play the long game, because
the long game typically meanssuccess and retention.
I have and I don't know my exactstats, but I have super high
retention.
I know that the only reasonpeople don't work for me is
(26:39):
because we're not the rightculture for them, and so for me,
making sure I take that longgame to make sure that they
truly belong in my company, evenif we are in dire need of
someone, we do not have somebodyanswer the phones.
I am not grabbing that warmbody.
I am going to suck it up,figure it out, maybe work those
extra hours or find somebody onthe team who can kind of step
into that place and play thelong game to make sure that
(27:01):
person truly belongs with us.
Because every time I do a newhire in our company it actually
costs us about $15,000.
$15,000 to hire someone newbecause of the amount of
training and benefits I put intothem right out of the gate.
So I want to make sure I'mspending like that's a good
investment.
I don't want to throw thatmoney away.
That's not fair to myself, tothe clients or to anyone else on
(27:21):
the team.
So play the long game and knowwho you are and don't be afraid
of being honest during theprocess.
We tell new hires during theinterview process.
It's not always easy workingfor us, One of our core values
is hard work and it is going tobe the truth.
You are going to work hard here.
You are going to getuncomfortable and have growth in
our company, but you will bewildly successful and you will
(27:43):
surpass anything you've everdreamed of doing while working
for us.
That's awesome stuff and thatscares a lot of people.
Speaker 1 (27:50):
Yeah, it does.
But I love it because that'spart of what I think attracts is
just.
I mean, already if you'relistening to this podcast or if
you're watching this, you know,on YouTube and you're looking,
you're already you can feel thepassion and sense what this is
about and that's such a magnet.
(28:10):
You know, maybe some of you aregoing like, well, I wonder what
I might want to go work for,sarah, right now.
You know, but that's it, that'sthe attractor, that's that
magnet that we, you know just Ijust mentioned.
So, Sarah, this has been afantastic conversation.
Thank you so much for takingtime out of your day to talk
with us and share just thesecool things around hiring.
(28:32):
We really appreciate it, sothank you for that.
Speaker 2 (28:35):
Sure.
Thanks everyone.
Anybody has any questions?
Please feel free to reach outto me on Instagram.
I'm happy to answer questionsand I will tell you.
Strategies changed the game forme, so it's worth the
investment and it's worth thechance to check them out and
learn from them, because wedon't know what we don't know.
Speaker 1 (28:51):
Well, man, I appreciate those kind words and
if you are interested in anykind of follow-up conversation,
like you know, check out Sarahon her Instagram.
You can talk with her.
Or if you want to get more intosomeone really diving in and
coaching and working with you,or just having a conversation
with you, hit the link below inthe descriptor and you'll find a
(29:12):
way to connect with one of ourgreat coaches.
Just have a conversation aroundcould be about hiring or any
other aspect of your businessthat you feel like.
Man, I want to see some growthand improvement in.
So until we see you at the nextpodcast, have a great day.
Thanks everyone.
Speaker 3 (29:28):
Thanks again for listening to the Beauty Business
Strategies Podcast.
If you liked this episode, besure to hit follow To learn more
about how strategies can helpcreate more fun, profit and
growth potential for you, yourcompany and your team.
We invite you to schedule afree 60-minute strategy session
by clicking the direct link inthe description of this episode.
All right, welcome to the Beauty Business Strategies
Podcast.
I am Michael Yost and I'mjoined today with a phenomenal
friend and great business owner,sarah McGee.
Sarah, how?
Speaker 2 (00:10):
are you?
I'm all right, Michael.
It's nice to see your facethrough the screen today.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Yes, it is.
It's great to see you as well.
So, sarah, tell me a little bitbefore we get into anything
deeper.
Tell me a little bit just aboutyour business.
Where in anything deeper?
Tell me a little bit just aboutyour business, where you're
located, size of business, focus, things of that nature.
Give the listeners a sense ofwho you are.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Sure my elevator speech.
I haven't done this one in awhile.
My name is Sarah McGee.
I own 30 here in Columbia,maryland.
We're between Baltimore andWashington DC.
We are hair focused.
I have done spa and all thethings, but we are hair focused.
We love a singular focus.
I currently have 11 stationsand 11 hairstylists.
We have grown very quickly overthe years.
We love what we do with hair.
We are a Veda and we havetechnically been in business
(00:57):
between different versions ofwho we are my whole entire life.
I'm a second generationhairstylist and I love this
business and I love what I'vecreated with my team.
I have a wild, crazy group andthere are, I think, 16 of us and
everyone except for one isfull-time.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
Today we want to talk about an always popular topic
hiring.
You can't go wrong when youtalk about hiring and there's
always questions and we arealways looking for more info.
And again I think it's great tohear from another business
owner because again we can getsome real boots on the ground,
real life.
You know what's happening outthere and what Sarah's doing to
(01:36):
really try and attract.
And so, sarah, I wanted tostart right out when we talked
about doing a podcast, out whenwe talked about doing a podcast,
this was one of the areas thatyou especially were like hey,
listen, I'd love to talk abouthiring and especially, you know,
what you put in the in ourconversation was how to create a
strong hiring pool.
So let's kind of start therewith the question when you think
(01:59):
about a strong hiring pool,what, what does that look like
to you?
Speaker 2 (02:03):
So so often I hear salon owners talk about and I
used to feel the same way whereyou just hired the warm body and
you took whoever could apply.
And I hear constantly frompeople like I cannot find a
hairstylist, I cannot find frontdesk staff, I can't find people
who want to work for me or whowant to work in general.
And I get that.
I do.
(02:23):
I'm not saying that everyapplicant we get is a great
applicant for us, but one of thethings we've really worked on
and I guess cultivated is theright word is getting quality
hires and quality applicants.
I'm really fortunate that wehave actually been able to press
pause on hiring at timesbecause we are so full and busy
and that we have so many peopleapplying that we get to pick who
(02:45):
we want to hire.
And isn't that the dream youget to pick the people that
truly fit your culture, insteadof picking that warm body that
might kind of know how to cuthair and might kind of know how
to show up to work on time, butmost of the time probably
doesn't and becomes a difficultperson for you.
So I think it's just reallyimportant to have that piece of
the puzzle because it makes yourleadership job easier, because
(03:05):
you don't want to be having totrain people on how to show up
to work on time right Like thatshould already be something that
they have instilled in them andthat they should already match
your core values on many things.
I don't want to have to teachthem how to behave by my core
values.
I want them to embody themanyways, because that's who they
are.
But I can teach them how to dogreat customer service, or I can
teach them how to be do greatcustomer service, or I can teach
them how to create a greatbeautiful blowout and those
(03:26):
technical skills I love to beable to train on, because I want
who they are to already havematched up with us, like I want
them to want to be in oursandbox.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
I love that.
So you mentioned the fact andI'm sure a lot of people that
are listening like, hey, how didshe create this, this pool of
people as you talked about?
You're saying create this poolof people as you talked about.
You're saying man, right nowyou have a strong list of
applicants and that seems to beso opposite of what, in general,
we're hearing.
What do you find is the secretsauce when it comes to creating
(03:58):
that pool of applicants?
Speaker 2 (04:01):
I really think and I know there's a lot of companies
out there talking about rightnow a lot of it has to do with
how we present ourselves onsocial media and how we present
ourselves in the community.
It doesn't just have to be howyou are on Instagram, it's also
how do you treat the guest infront of you and how does that
ripple effect of those words getto other people.
I don't go to the schools a lot.
We don't have a ton of greatschools around us and it's not
(04:23):
that they don't have good applike good students in there, but
they a lot of them don't wantto come to Aveda because they're
not used to Aveda.
Um, we have a lot of PaulMitchell around us for schools,
or they just already have thisidea and this notion in their
head where they want to go.
Um, the right ones at theschools find us.
I go in and teach probablyabout twice a year to the
schools and sometimes go tocareer fairs.
(04:43):
I don't always.
I probably should do better atthat, but really I focus a lot
on our culture and how wepresent our culture, our social
media.
We have found when we'rescrolling through Instagram and
paying attention to like how thealgorithm works for us.
Our best liked and mostinteracted posts are all about
my team.
It's all about our culture, whowe are and what we do.
(05:04):
The hair pictures get likes.
They come in and you're likehey, I saw this picture you
posted of this hair and I wantthis hair, so we get that.
But the people who are playingwith us are seeing our culture.
They're seeing the things I'mposting about what we do.
That's fun.
What makes 30 hair different?
You know what our traditionsare.
Our crab feast we have everysummer is one of those
traditions that everyone knowsabout, and it's a thing where
(05:26):
people are like I want to workin an environment like that.
I want a boss who's going totreat me with respect and
integrity.
I want a boss who's going tocare that I feel comfortable and
safe at work, and those areimportant things that we try and
really portray.
And personally, I am behind thechair probably about 10 to 15
hours a week these days, but mysocial media, my professional
(05:46):
Instagram, is super focused onour company and our culture.
I post hair probably everythird or fourth post, but the
majority of my posts arecelebrating my team, celebrating
our wins, celebrating what yourexperience as a guest is and
celebrating who we are and whatwe do, and I think that that
really helps people find us.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
Yeah, I agree actually.
Yeah, I was going to say andit's funny because obviously I
follow you and so it isinteresting I don't sometimes we
don't realize the things thatwe see and what we're seeing.
But you're exactly right, as Ithink about it now, being a
follower, I think to myself,you're exactly right.
It's like how often I see waymore about who you are and we'll
(06:26):
just say from just for thisdiscussion, more about the
culture overall of the businessand who you guys are and and
those what's going on and thingsof that nature.
Then I really see a lot of thetechnical side, not that that's
not there, but, like you justsaid, it makes me realize we
don't really we don't thinkabout sometimes the messages
that we send.
So I find it interesting, youknow, to you know, I guess to
(06:50):
summarize what you just, youknow, were just saying there,
it's hey, listen, we're reallymaking sure one of the things we
do is really put out who we arethrough our social media and
really our presence in ourcommunity and really our
presence in our community.
So the follow-up question hasto be again, just because I
think it's something that wouldbe interesting to hear from your
(07:11):
perspective how often are youdoing social media.
What's that look like?
Speaker 2 (07:17):
So I am a little bit controversial and have things a
little different.
And we have educators andthey're like wait, you do what?
So it's required to have aprofessional page if you are a
stylist for us or if you're inour training program.
I have, as part of ourbroadband or part of our like,
how we track things for thosewho maybe don't know what
broadband is, how we trackthings and how you get raises
(07:38):
and how you grow in our company,one of the metrics is Instagram
posts and they must post twicea week.
One of the metrics is Instagramposts and they must post twice
a week.
That is a bare minimumrequirement, part of our culture
and who we are Sometimes like.
Last month, I was sending areminder to everyone
individually, encouraging them,sending them some numbers and a
few of them who already do areally good job with social
media and I can tell it's easy,easy for them.
(08:01):
I challenged them to double it.
I was like I challenge you todouble it for two months and see
what happens, see, see whattraction we get and see how it
helps us grow our company indifferent ways.
Um, so they're required astylist individually to do a
minimum of two a week I do umhave our operations manager
handles our social media and shedoes typically between four and
(08:22):
five posts a week, sometimes alittle less, sometimes a little
more, depending on what it is.
And then we're doing stories aswell.
I do contests for the teamwhere they can get a double.
So in April for Earth Month, ifthey did the no wash contest
with Aveda for the reel, theygot two posts for doing one reel
.
So I do give them some timeswhere they can work with it.
(08:43):
But we also we work really hardto make sure we're getting
fresh content out there all thetime and I think that keeps us
relevant, not just for theclient and the guests, but it
keeps us relevant for those whoare in the stylist community.
And one really big thing aroundsocial media just because it's
something that's really like I'mvery passionate about, I do
have a few rules around whattheir social media can look like
.
And one of the really bigthings that I have is we are
(09:07):
never, ever in any posts that wedo ever to shame or mock our
guests or our industry.
So we are not allowed to doposts and things where we're
making fun of somebody for beinglate all the time or making.
There's a reel that was out nottoo long ago, a trend that was
like the client who says theywant this huge change, right.
(09:27):
And then they're like and Ionly want this much cut off and
like this tiny little bit.
You know, I, I want a hugechange but, by the way, you
can't cut more than a quarterinch off and I don't want any
layers or banks.
We all know that type of guest,right.
What was a reel?
That was really popular and itbit us in the ass because I had
two clients do that.
Excuse my French, but that'swhat happened and a client got
really upset and wrote a reallynasty review about it and
(09:49):
thought we were shaming andmocking them.
We weren't, it was just timing.
But that doesn't need to go outto the universe.
And if we're doing that, whatdoes that say about who my
company is, my culture?
So I'm really strict on ourcore values should be embodied
in our social media and who weare and what we do, because
people see that and when theysee that, they see the type of
company they want to work for.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
Yeah, I love that and you know again, sometimes we
just sometimes it's how we learnright, we learn those things
and sometimes we learn thoselessons that way.
But I think that's a greatshare of that way, before we get
away from social media, becauseI think it could be you know
something for someone listeningmight want to say, hey, listen,
I want to tune in more to whatSarah's doing.
(10:29):
If you want to shout out youruh, your social media, your
Instagram or whatever, why?
don't you do that.
That way, people listening cango cool.
What's the follow?
Speaker 2 (10:38):
Yeah, the salon's Instagram is at 30 hair all
spelled out 30 T H I R T Y hair.
And then my my professionalpage is Sarah S A R A H 30 hair,
also spelled out, and you'llsee all my team from there and
things like that.
They love getting follows.
We sometimes do contests evenon them, growing their followers
and growing their reach.
(10:58):
I also, just as a reward if youneed this as an owner, cause
you're struggling with themgetting engagement at staff
meeting I every so often willpull out five twenties and come
out to staff meeting and alreadylooked at who's posted the most
or who's gotten some reallylike somebody got a viral hit.
And at staff meeting I willhand out twenties to people who
I feel like they've reallyworked hard and hustled or
(11:19):
embodied our culture and do inthe heart, because hard work is
one of our core values.
They've embodied our cultureand social media.
And I do surprise rewards andpeople love that.
They love getting a surprisereward and who doesn't love 20
bucks in cash?
Speaker 1 (11:32):
I would love 20 bucks in cash right now, so I'd be
down with that.
I love that.
So you know we talked aboutsocial media aspect of it really
, and again I think for me tosummarize it in my brain is
staying with it, simply becauseof the fact that you know it's
so important to relaying thatsense of who you are and that
(11:53):
attracts people.
Seeing your culture and thingslike that.
That's an attractor.
What else, when it comes tobuilding that pool of people,
what other aspects do you thinkhelp to grow that um, and might
be a key part that other peoplecould take something away from?
Speaker 2 (12:13):
I think a lot of it goes back to the energy and how
you, how you take care of thosewho are in your building.
Um, they all know people right,and I wouldn't say that not all
of my hires have come fromknowing someone else Most of
them actually haven't but whenthey all get together because we
know hairstylists talk and weknow we all have our friends
from hair school.
I've been out of hair schoolfor 20 years and I still am
(12:35):
girlfriends with several of myhair school classmates.
We talk, right.
We talk about what ourcompanies do for us, what
happens when you have a tragedyand how does your boss handle it
.
When you're not the boss, likeas an employee, you're talking
about those things and I thinkthat that energy put out to
others and hearing what that'slike that comes back around and
(12:57):
people hear that and they seethat I didn't know until
recently.
One of my stylists moved herefrom Virginia and her really big
thing was she wanted to staywith Aveda because she had
always been Aveda but she wasvery much a stickler for she
wanted a team.
She wanted to work for someonewho was actually active in the
company and behind the chair,because where she had worked
prior.
(13:17):
The owners were not involved.
They didn't really show up.
They had massive turnover ontheir managers and those were
things that were reallyimportant to her to feel like a
family and a team and to haveher boss and the owner truly be
a part of things.
So to me being active andposting about that, that's how
she found us and she has beenwith us for three years this
June and she sings our praises,I would say, at least once a
(13:40):
month.
One of her posts is about thatand it's about the culture of
our company and how she feels sograteful to work with us and to
be a part of our team and shehustles because of that, because
there's a buy-in to belief ofour culture and who we are.
Speaker 1 (13:53):
That's awesome.
That's awesome.
So let's take this a stepforward now.
You know we've got to.
You know you share some greatthings about building a pool and
starting to try and grow a baseof applicants and how to
attract.
That's really working for you.
So let's move forward to theidea of all.
Right now it comes time thatyou are ready to hire.
You've reached that point whereit's like, yeah, you know what.
(14:15):
I have the need, I have theopportunity to hire, I'm looking
for someone.
Give us a little bit knowingthat again, your business and
being familiar with yourbusiness is a team-based
business itself.
Talk to me about what your justthe hiring process looks like
for you.
We don't have to go into againI know that we can get a lot of
(14:38):
detail, but give us the 30,000foot view of what does a hiring
process look like for you.
When it comes now to saying,hey, listen, I've got three or
four people want to find thatright match for my company.
What's that?
What does that look like?
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Sure, I was actually just talking about this with a
friend who just recently openeda massage therapy business and
we were chatting about what thislooks like.
So, no matter what positionyou're applying with us, in
first off, we have a resumeupload spot that they can do on
our website and or they couldemail it into us or stop by.
I just had someone stop by thisweek with their resume.
Once I receive their resume, Isend them a Google form that is
a specific stylist or front deskassistant role application.
(15:15):
They're two separate forms.
Those forms have basic thingson them, such as what their
available hours are, whatthey're looking for pay-wise,
what their background is.
I ask for their social mediahandle.
And then I actually have twoother segments that talk about
things such as what is theirconnection to the beauty
industry or what is theircustomer service background.
I ask them what products theycurrently use, because that
(15:38):
gives me some good insight intothem, and I ask for their
references.
Once I see that, I can decideis this even somebody that's
going to be an opportunity forus, or do I need to kind of have
that conversation on?
Hey, you're right now.
You're applying for a positionthat we need nights and weekends
and you're looking to only worknine to 12, monday through
Thursday, and so I can kind ofsay, hey, love that you applied.
(15:58):
But this isn't going to be afit right out of the gate unless
you're open to being more openon schedule, availability or
things of that nature.
And then we get into doing aninterview.
I like a phone interview forthe desk team and I like an
in-person interview for thestylist team.
For the first officialinterview, the desk team is
because I want to hear theirbone voice and I give them
(16:21):
specific instructions on.
Here's my phone number.
We set a date and a time and itis their responsibility to call
me.
I want to see that this personcan time manage and can be
responsible enough to pick upthe phone and call me Just as
simple.
And I want to know that theycan read instructions and follow
through on it.
The stylist side we set a timethey come in and meet with me.
First interview is always withme because I really try and get
(16:41):
a read for who they are and whatthey believe in.
So our first real interview isall about culture and about who
they are, what they believe inand what matters to them in life
what's their priority.
If they get through that firstinterview, I normally can tell
I've been really good over theyears.
I've been doing this for about20 years now.
I normally can tell by the endof the first interview if
(17:02):
they're going to be somebodythat works for me or not.
Even if I give them a secondinterview, I can typically tell
you if they're going to make itand I actually have a pretty
good instinct on how longthey're going to stay in my
company.
It's been a little weird andeerie over the years.
I guess I've been doing it longenough to start to see some
things.
My my second interview afterthat is typically a shadow
interview and we have them comein and we jokingly say you're
(17:24):
coming to play in our sandboxand let's see if you like what
the sandbox looks like.
Let's see if our playgroundthat you're coming to has the
slide that you want to slide on.
Or do we not have any slidesand your favorite thing to do at
the playground is a slide?
Think back to when you were akid, like you had that favorite
playground.
Are we the right playground foryou?
Do we treat each other the waythat you want to be treated, and
(17:45):
if not, that's okay, causeinterviewing is a two way street
.
And then after that, if wereally like them, we like how
they operate during that, wetypically do a third interview.
It really depends on thesituation as to how we go about
that.
Sometimes it's back with meagain, cause everyone's met them
at the shadow.
I always make sure it's a verybusy day for the shadow so they
can see us at our quote unquoteworst or busiest, because if you
(18:07):
can tolerate that, then you'regood.
Third interview if I'm stillunsure or feel like culturally
I'm not really sure, or maybetheir work ethic might not match
up, I will bring in two of myleadership team and then
somebody specific that works inthe same side of the field,
whether front desk or a stylistand have them do an interview
and they'll do a smallerinterview.
(18:28):
We pinpoint questions ahead oftime and we encourage the
interviewee to bring questionsfor them.
I jokingly say listen, theyhave to be honest because
they're being paid to be honest.
So when you interview with themwithout me in the room, I want
you to ask them the toughquestions that you're scared to
ask the boss.
Please go ahead and ask it,because they will tell you the
truth, and I know that.
And if they don't, they don'tbelong here either, and we can't
(18:50):
always laugh about it.
But I really want them to havethat piece of the puzzle for
them, and sometimes it's nice totake the pressure off the boss
being there.
If I already feel comfortableand happy with where things are
and everybody says yes, thisperson seems like a winner, I'll
typically do a third interviewof coffee or even take them to
breakfast or lunch.
I want to see how they treatthe server.
I want to see how they handlethe situation.
(19:13):
Do they know how to put anapkin on their lap, which seems
silly but like little etiquettethings?
Or like do they know to not bemean to the server who forgot
our water Right?
Or how do they respond right?
And in that interview a lot oftimes we really just are talking
logistics, we're talking aboutschedules, we're talking about
training program, we're gettingto know each other even better.
But we're also talking aboutcompany culture and laying a lot
(19:35):
of the framework so that on dayone they are not surprised when
I tell them if you are late forwork more than three times in a
month, you will not get bonusand if you continue to be late
you will not work for me.
Like you will not get bonus andif you continue to be late you
will not work for me.
Like I am very strict aboutsome rules and I try and lay
that framework during theinterview process and I let them
know a lot about our culture,how we pay and what we do during
that process.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
I love that.
So, again, a lot of claritythat goes on through that whole
entire process.
Here's a couple of things thatjust kind of hit me as you were
giving us that bigger overview.
Are there one or two questionsfor you that you always ask that
you find, man, I get great.
You know, this is what I'mlooking for.
Here's a, again just thinkingabout sharing a question or two
with the audience that'slistening in, to be like what's
(20:18):
a cool interview question thatyou might use?
And why do you ask it?
Because what are you lookingfor out of it?
Speaker 2 (20:23):
Yeah.
So my number one question thatI ask everyone is give me three
words to describe yourself.
And, by the way, theinterviewee normally hates it
because it's not easy, but Iwant to see them kind of be a
little uncomfortable because sooften in interviews everyone's
like I'm so good, I don't haveany bad faults, I can do
everything beautifully andperfectly.
(20:44):
Okay, Well then tell me threewords about yourself and tell me
why.
And think about it.
Michael, it takes a minute.
It takes a minute to thinkabout what are the three most
important words to who I am andwhat I do.
I love to see if they happen topossibly align with our core
values and I don't blatantlytell them our core values before
I ask that question.
So I'd love to see what theyare.
I out, poke some questions andkind of poke at those answers
(21:09):
when they give them to me tojust find out a little bit more
like tell me a story about whyyou feel that being respectful
and respect is an important wordfor you and that's who you are.
So that's probably my numberone question that I always ask.
I know I do Every so often.
I will ask them about management, leadership, especially if
they've worked in other salonsor if they've been around the
(21:31):
block a few times.
When it comes to jobs, I willask them what type of leadership
style is best for them.
How do they do best withconstructive criticism?
Are they someone that needs itin writing?
Are they someone that needs tohave that conversation and then
follow up a day later?
Because they need to processthat and think of it and I'll
ask questions around that justso I can understand.
(21:52):
Like, if there's somebody whois completely different than my
leadership style, that doesn'tmean I'm not going to hire them,
but it means that I'm going toalso be very intentional in my
leadership with them and I'malso going to be upfront with
them on.
This is my style and I'm goingto try and meet you where you
are.
But I'm going to ask that youalso meet me a little bit and we
(22:12):
work together to make sure weboth succeed.
Awesome.
And a little side note forthose of you who are struggle
with interviewing and feel likeit's a hard thing for you I
actually encourage you tocontact your local high school
and offer to come in for theirinterview day.
In the state of Maryland, wherewe are, the high schools are
required to do that during theydo a resume and then they do an
interview day and they requireit.
(22:33):
Some the county we're in isjunior year.
My daughter's county issophomore year.
It is first off.
It is amazing to give back inyour community but I rapid fired
in under two hours 12interviews and it taught me a
lot about questions to ask andit also just got me in the
community getting comfortablewith waiting for them to respond
because they're teenagers andthey're like thinking through
how to respond.
(22:53):
But it gets you comfortablewith a lot of the interviewing
process and it's kind of thatdouble whammy You're giving back
but you're also learning andlearning how to interview and I
have taken away a lot from itand actually I've gotten
applicants out of it.
I've gotten hires from goingand doing that, from kids who
were planning on going tocollege.
They remembered me and cameback later on, so I highly
encourage that for multiplereasons.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
That's a cool.
I love that recommendation.
That's a cool tip.
So again check out your area.
Maybe locally you havesomething like Sarah's just
talking about.
It's a great way to againrefine your skills, but also,
who knows where it leads downthe road you mentioned, which
intrigued me.
You mentioned the fact that youknow for the most part you know
.
At the end of the firstinterview you probably have a
(23:34):
pretty good idea about if thisis going to be a you know
someone, that's you know thatcomes on, or not.
Is there one trait that youmight look for?
What's that one thing you mightbe looking for that gives you
that feeling of like yep, thislooks like a win or no?
What's that one thing?
Speaker 2 (23:53):
So I could, of course , say all six of our core values
and say any of those would.
There's a humbleness that Ilook for because we are a team.
We're not meant for egos.
We check our egos at the door.
That's not who we are.
So a humbleness of someoneapplying, saying I want to grow
and I cause growth, is a bigpart of who we are.
(24:15):
When they're talking, andthey're talking about how
they're so good, they're sogreat, all their clients follow
them.
They sent me like that's great.
No, but what happens when youhave a tough guest?
What happens when you'rerunning behind and you have to
figure it out for the day?
Or what happens when you'rehaving a bad day and you still
have to come to work and SallySue is difficult?
Are you still going to be ableto give your best experience?
(24:37):
And what happens when maybe youdon't know what you're doing?
Are you going to ask for help?
Or, if somebody else needs help, are you going to take over and
like overshadow the stylistthat was originally booked with
that service, while you'retrying to be a team member and
help, or are you going to stepback and just give that
assistance and help?
That humbleness also typicallycan tell me are they willing to
(24:57):
do the laundry, are they willingto help clean out the hair
traps underneath the sink?
Because that typically, if withan ego sometimes you're not
willing to do the tough stuff.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
I love that.
So, again, that's so beautifuland again, tying into the things
you're looking for, things thatfit your values and the traits.
Like you said, when everythingisn't perfect in the example you
gave, when everything isn'tperfect, what are we going to
react to?
How are we going to react tothat?
Because, again, everythingevery day, as we all know, is
(25:29):
not perfect.
As we wrap things up, is thereone last, one last thing you'd
like to share that maybe you'relike, is in your brain that we
haven't talked about?
You know?
So that last, like that last 30second tip, or that last
thought anything, or, like man,I really wanted to make sure
that people, as we think abouthiring this.
(25:51):
Is that one last thing?
Speaker 2 (25:53):
So hiring is a lot like dating, and for those of
you who have dated, you knowthat the first and second date,
normally you're putting on afront for them, right?
You're wearing your bestclothes that they feel good in.
They do a lot of things thatyou wouldn't always show up the
same way.
Not everyone is authentic rightout of the gate and willing to
show who they truly are.
They put their best faceforward.
(26:16):
It's part of why we do multipleinterviews, because I want to
see how they show up.
Do they get more comfortableand then they become more of who
they are, and do the wheelsstay on or the wheels fall off
during that process?
So to me, it's really importantto play the long game, because
the long game typically meanssuccess and retention.
I have and I don't know my exactstats, but I have super high
retention.
I know that the only reasonpeople don't work for me is
(26:39):
because we're not the rightculture for them, and so for me,
making sure I take that longgame to make sure that they
truly belong in my company, evenif we are in dire need of
someone, we do not have somebodyanswer the phones.
I am not grabbing that warmbody.
I am going to suck it up,figure it out, maybe work those
extra hours or find somebody onthe team who can kind of step
into that place and play thelong game to make sure that
(27:01):
person truly belongs with us.
Because every time I do a newhire in our company it actually
costs us about $15,000.
$15,000 to hire someone newbecause of the amount of
training and benefits I put intothem right out of the gate.
So I want to make sure I'mspending like that's a good
investment.
I don't want to throw thatmoney away.
That's not fair to myself, tothe clients or to anyone else on
(27:21):
the team.
So play the long game and knowwho you are and don't be afraid
of being honest during theprocess.
We tell new hires during theinterview process.
It's not always easy workingfor us, One of our core values
is hard work and it is going tobe the truth.
You are going to work hard here.
You are going to getuncomfortable and have growth in
our company, but you will bewildly successful and you will
(27:43):
surpass anything you've everdreamed of doing while working
for us.
That's awesome stuff and thatscares a lot of people.
Speaker 1 (27:50):
Yeah, it does.
But I love it because that'spart of what I think attracts is
just.
I mean, already if you'relistening to this podcast or if
you're watching this, you know,on YouTube and you're looking,
you're already you can feel thepassion and sense what this is
about and that's such a magnet.
(28:10):
You know, maybe some of you aregoing like, well, I wonder what
I might want to go work for,sarah, right now.
You know, but that's it, that'sthe attractor, that's that
magnet that we, you know just Ijust mentioned.
So, Sarah, this has been afantastic conversation.
Thank you so much for takingtime out of your day to talk
with us and share just thesecool things around hiring.
(28:32):
We really appreciate it, sothank you for that.
Speaker 2 (28:35):
Sure.
Thanks everyone.
Anybody has any questions?
Please feel free to reach outto me on Instagram.
I'm happy to answer questionsand I will tell you.
Strategies changed the game forme, so it's worth the
investment and it's worth thechance to check them out and
learn from them, because wedon't know what we don't know.
Speaker 1 (28:51):
Well, man, I appreciate those kind words and
if you are interested in anykind of follow-up conversation,
like you know, check out Sarahon her Instagram.
You can talk with her.
Or if you want to get more intosomeone really diving in and
coaching and working with you,or just having a conversation
with you, hit the link below inthe descriptor and you'll find a
(29:12):
way to connect with one of ourgreat coaches.
Just have a conversation aroundcould be about hiring or any
other aspect of your businessthat you feel like.
Man, I want to see some growthand improvement in.
So until we see you at the nextpodcast, have a great day.
Thanks everyone.
Speaker 3 (29:28):
Thanks again for listening to the Beauty Business
Strategies Podcast.
If you liked this episode, besure to hit follow To learn more
about how strategies can helpcreate more fun, profit and
growth potential for you, yourcompany and your team.
We invite you to schedule afree 60-minute strategy session
by clicking the direct link inthe description of this episode.
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