Miss Salon™ would like to wish all of our clients, friends, supporters, fans, would-be salon owners and hardworking salon owners a truly prosperous new decade!
Keep on keeping on, we are here to support you all the way!
MISS SALON™ xxx
Friday, 1 January 2010
Monday, 9 November 2009
Miss Salon to assist at the Clothes Show Live 2009!
We are very excited, for the 4th year in a row, to assist GOSH Cosmetics and Superdrug during one of the worlds largest fashion and beauty events; The Clothes Show Live!We will also be providing superb manicures, makeovers and hair on the fabulous Superdrug show bus located in the PINK ZONE. Come along, meet the team and enjoy one of the best fashion events of the year!
From the 4th - 9th December, at the NEC, Birmingham. For more details about the Clothes Show visit www.clothesshowlive.com. Click here for more details on how to hire Miss Salon Associates for your event.
Monday, 5 October 2009
3 Steps to more confidence in business decision making!
(Article written for Professional Beauty Magazine August 2009 issue)
As the only owner of my salon business I was always left to make all the decisions, big and small. I had to deal with ‘do we go ahead and open another salon’ to ‘should we introduce the latest greatest airbrush machine’ to ‘how should we handle a member of staff who is a great operator but keeps taking an unlimited number of breaks every day!’ I was often under pressure to respond quickly… I was often under pressure period! No one else but you really understands the number of different things that you have to consider at every moment. It’s similar to when children ask (demand!) another ice-cream from their mum; they don’t know that you may be thinking about their teeth rotting, the dwindling budget, the tone of the request and the fact that they’ll spoil their appetite for dinner! To them it may seem that the only factor to consider is whether you’ve got £1.50 on you or not! Simple!
To be honest with you, I ran around like a headless chicken for the first year and half of my business, just trying to please everyone. Always wanting to have a solution, an answer to every problem and request. I soon realized it was an impossible task and that I needed to become more strategic about the business and therefore what all the businesses decisions were to be based on. My solution, through study and research, was to create a Strategy Statement; a statement about the business that outlined the goals of the salons and how we were going to go about achieving those goals. That way, when a new issue arouse I would refer back to the strategy statement and make my decision based on whether or not it was inline with the plan!
Ultimately the thing about making decisions is that they are supposed to bring about the results that you are looking for. So as one of my famous mentors Stephen Covey says in his book ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’, “Begin with the end in mind”. Think first about where you are trying to get to and plot your way back.
Being strategic and running your business with your end goal in mind is sure to keep you in business for longer and help you maximize your profitability. I found that I became much more careful about how much I spent on shop-fits, new equipment and stock for example. Also I was able to keep the team focused on a goal and therefore better prepared mentally to maintain standards and hit those all-important targets!
So here are my the 3 steps to more confidence in business decision making…
1. Have a business strategy; long-term and short-term - understand what you actually want from your business on a day-to-day, year-by-year basis.
2. Don’t get distracted from your goal when new things are thrown at you. Understand what impact the new issue will have on your goals and priorities problem-solving accordingly.
3. Be cool… you don’t have to answer or decide things straight away… you can say “Let me get back to you on that”
Kick-Start Your Salon Into Profit booklet
Open Your Own Salon... The Right Way! handbook
GOOD LUCK!
Ego Iwegbu-Daley
ego@misssalon.com
As the only owner of my salon business I was always left to make all the decisions, big and small. I had to deal with ‘do we go ahead and open another salon’ to ‘should we introduce the latest greatest airbrush machine’ to ‘how should we handle a member of staff who is a great operator but keeps taking an unlimited number of breaks every day!’ I was often under pressure to respond quickly… I was often under pressure period! No one else but you really understands the number of different things that you have to consider at every moment. It’s similar to when children ask (demand!) another ice-cream from their mum; they don’t know that you may be thinking about their teeth rotting, the dwindling budget, the tone of the request and the fact that they’ll spoil their appetite for dinner! To them it may seem that the only factor to consider is whether you’ve got £1.50 on you or not! Simple!
To be honest with you, I ran around like a headless chicken for the first year and half of my business, just trying to please everyone. Always wanting to have a solution, an answer to every problem and request. I soon realized it was an impossible task and that I needed to become more strategic about the business and therefore what all the businesses decisions were to be based on. My solution, through study and research, was to create a Strategy Statement; a statement about the business that outlined the goals of the salons and how we were going to go about achieving those goals. That way, when a new issue arouse I would refer back to the strategy statement and make my decision based on whether or not it was inline with the plan!
Ultimately the thing about making decisions is that they are supposed to bring about the results that you are looking for. So as one of my famous mentors Stephen Covey says in his book ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’, “Begin with the end in mind”. Think first about where you are trying to get to and plot your way back.
Being strategic and running your business with your end goal in mind is sure to keep you in business for longer and help you maximize your profitability. I found that I became much more careful about how much I spent on shop-fits, new equipment and stock for example. Also I was able to keep the team focused on a goal and therefore better prepared mentally to maintain standards and hit those all-important targets!
So here are my the 3 steps to more confidence in business decision making…
1. Have a business strategy; long-term and short-term - understand what you actually want from your business on a day-to-day, year-by-year basis.
2. Don’t get distracted from your goal when new things are thrown at you. Understand what impact the new issue will have on your goals and priorities problem-solving accordingly.
3. Be cool… you don’t have to answer or decide things straight away… you can say “Let me get back to you on that”
Kick-Start Your Salon Into Profit booklet
Open Your Own Salon... The Right Way! handbook
GOOD LUCK!
Ego Iwegbu-Daley
ego@misssalon.com
Tuesday, 25 August 2009
Managing your team… without losing your mind!
(Article written for Professional Beauty Magazine July 2009 issue)
Managing your team has absolutely got to be the toughest job of any salon owner or manager! I tell you, in my first years in business, there were days when I thought I was going to lose my mind! If it wasn't absenteeism it was lateness, if it wasn't lateness it was moaning and complaining about something or other.
Hoping that everyone else in the business would just use 'common sense' to get on with things was a big mistake! For example, there was a day when I walked into the salon to find one of the nail stations covered in nail filings, a used paper towel and an open bottle of cuticle oil, just lying there for all to see; and about three technicians doing nothing! Could it be that they didn't see it, or did they think it wasn't their job to tidy up after a service or could it be that to them it wasn't unsightly? At this point however, it is difficult to handle the situation in a rational manner; especially of you’re a bit hotheaded like me!
Well I learnt the hard way that people management, especially in a service driven business, is a tough job and that I needed to re-evaluate my skills and my approach... fast! The fact is that nobody (except a golden few) will love your business the way you do. You are the person to decide and, crucially, train your team in the ways of your salon. You might already know that and think that it is an obvious statement to make but what I am talking about is the very big difference between ad-hoc, on-the-spot, as-and-when training and the 'dishing-out' of instructions versus a structured training programme and mapped-out processes for your salon!
After my first year and on the verge of opening my second salon I decided to dedicate a few months to studying how stores like Topshop and Selfridges (where my shops were located) managed so many people; how they chose and brought new people into the business, the information and instructions new starters received, how daily tasks were completed, how responsibility was distributed and so on. I created station-start-and-end checks, staff handbooks that formed part of their contracts, a training programme, a salon operations manual, health & safety inductions, new-starter packs and more... and OMG how things changed for the better! Since then these documents and many more have been perfected and are available to you through www.misssalon.com.
So get organised and start to reap the rewards of an 'emotionally stable' team! Here are 3 things you can do today to get going:
1 - Choose the right people from the start! Have a clear and robust recruitment process that includes crucial criteria for every candidate. Be selective, image you are choosing a flatmate!
2 - Create a ‘task-rota’ so as to reduce the need for your daily input into delegation and empower the team to function without you.
3 - Have regular, inspiring team meetings to praise openly, check on the team and talk about the future and direction of the business.
Join us on facebook!
Good luck and be cool!
Ego Iwegbu-Daley
Managing your team has absolutely got to be the toughest job of any salon owner or manager! I tell you, in my first years in business, there were days when I thought I was going to lose my mind! If it wasn't absenteeism it was lateness, if it wasn't lateness it was moaning and complaining about something or other.
Hoping that everyone else in the business would just use 'common sense' to get on with things was a big mistake! For example, there was a day when I walked into the salon to find one of the nail stations covered in nail filings, a used paper towel and an open bottle of cuticle oil, just lying there for all to see; and about three technicians doing nothing! Could it be that they didn't see it, or did they think it wasn't their job to tidy up after a service or could it be that to them it wasn't unsightly? At this point however, it is difficult to handle the situation in a rational manner; especially of you’re a bit hotheaded like me!
Well I learnt the hard way that people management, especially in a service driven business, is a tough job and that I needed to re-evaluate my skills and my approach... fast! The fact is that nobody (except a golden few) will love your business the way you do. You are the person to decide and, crucially, train your team in the ways of your salon. You might already know that and think that it is an obvious statement to make but what I am talking about is the very big difference between ad-hoc, on-the-spot, as-and-when training and the 'dishing-out' of instructions versus a structured training programme and mapped-out processes for your salon!
After my first year and on the verge of opening my second salon I decided to dedicate a few months to studying how stores like Topshop and Selfridges (where my shops were located) managed so many people; how they chose and brought new people into the business, the information and instructions new starters received, how daily tasks were completed, how responsibility was distributed and so on. I created station-start-and-end checks, staff handbooks that formed part of their contracts, a training programme, a salon operations manual, health & safety inductions, new-starter packs and more... and OMG how things changed for the better! Since then these documents and many more have been perfected and are available to you through www.misssalon.com.
So get organised and start to reap the rewards of an 'emotionally stable' team! Here are 3 things you can do today to get going:
1 - Choose the right people from the start! Have a clear and robust recruitment process that includes crucial criteria for every candidate. Be selective, image you are choosing a flatmate!
2 - Create a ‘task-rota’ so as to reduce the need for your daily input into delegation and empower the team to function without you.
3 - Have regular, inspiring team meetings to praise openly, check on the team and talk about the future and direction of the business.
Join us on facebook!
Good luck and be cool!
Ego Iwegbu-Daley
Friday, 19 June 2009
Why Can Managing A Salon Team Be So Difficult?
Looking at the typical salon setup, where the business owner is also the salon manager, the job of management as well as leadership falls on one person.
Why is that worth pointing out? Well, because the skills and personality attributes required to manage and those required to lead are quite different but when properly combined can be the key to successfully owning a profitable and smooth running salon.
A manager is task orientated, they have daily jobs to complete, so they delegate tasks, tell people what to do, handle issues, complete paperwork and maintain processes. A leader on the other hand decides, based on an overall view of the business and its direction, what those jobs will be. A better way of explaining this is the ladder and wall example - The manager works out how best to climb the ladder and coordinates the climbing of the ladder while the leader makes sure it's leaning against the right wall! But there is something else a leader does, away from the ‘operations’ of a business, and that is to instill enthusiasm and passion in his/her followers; followers being people that have bought into their idea and want to be part of it.
Many salon owners, myself included, have not been to management school and so find themselves in deep water when faced with a full team of people as well as a salon to run and promote! It is usually a very steep learning curve! In my case, I learnt quite early on that I was a better leader than a manager and as such spent time seeking out people with skills that complemented my own to create a balance. I was lucky to have found some of the best managers and together we created salons that were both exciting and as well as organized.
Ultimately the best managers and leaders are the ones who realize that their team members are their 'customers' and that it is their job to help their people succeed in doing the work. By thinking in this way, managing the team is less about dishing-out instructions or being endlessly busy with paperwork, but more about winning hearts and minds and effectively sharing the work through planning, fair delegation and training. Be a better manager and leader today, try some of our products!
Why is that worth pointing out? Well, because the skills and personality attributes required to manage and those required to lead are quite different but when properly combined can be the key to successfully owning a profitable and smooth running salon.
A manager is task orientated, they have daily jobs to complete, so they delegate tasks, tell people what to do, handle issues, complete paperwork and maintain processes. A leader on the other hand decides, based on an overall view of the business and its direction, what those jobs will be. A better way of explaining this is the ladder and wall example - The manager works out how best to climb the ladder and coordinates the climbing of the ladder while the leader makes sure it's leaning against the right wall! But there is something else a leader does, away from the ‘operations’ of a business, and that is to instill enthusiasm and passion in his/her followers; followers being people that have bought into their idea and want to be part of it.
Many salon owners, myself included, have not been to management school and so find themselves in deep water when faced with a full team of people as well as a salon to run and promote! It is usually a very steep learning curve! In my case, I learnt quite early on that I was a better leader than a manager and as such spent time seeking out people with skills that complemented my own to create a balance. I was lucky to have found some of the best managers and together we created salons that were both exciting and as well as organized.
Ultimately the best managers and leaders are the ones who realize that their team members are their 'customers' and that it is their job to help their people succeed in doing the work. By thinking in this way, managing the team is less about dishing-out instructions or being endlessly busy with paperwork, but more about winning hearts and minds and effectively sharing the work through planning, fair delegation and training. Be a better manager and leader today, try some of our products!
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