Every October my team goes on a company sponsored retreat. We started these events back in 2004 to strengthen the team and to get to know each other out of our salon environment. We have to Williamsburg, Virginia and solved a Magi-quest and enjoyed a day at an indoor water park and played a competitive game of putt-putt. We were in Frederick, MD at a placed called Upward Enterprises where climbed up high on ropes that challenged our spirit, helpe master our fears and gain trust from our team members. We solved a rope course puzzle and we learned a lot about our personalities. We spent a weekend in the Western, Maryland where we have a cook-off and competed in a race through a corn maze. Each event has things in it to support teamwork. And this year we invited a company called LiveLoveBe where our host Eric Manuel engaged us in lots of activities to help us learn about each other and to create new systems to strengthen our teamwork.

What is teamwork? According to Wikipedia it is a joint action by two or more people, in which each person contributes with different skills and express his or her individual interests and opinions to the unity and efficiency of the group in order to achieve common goals.

The essense of the definition is “common goals”. Working in the same space and doing your “own” thing without regard to the goals of the salon is not team work. Too many times in my travels I hear salon owners and technicians say that they are a team. But as I watch their actions I realized that  their meaning of team or teamwork is a bit skewed. Being a team is about doing “whatever” needs to be done even if it isn’t in your job description. Being a team player is contributing to the common goals of the salon. It’s’ “What can I do for the salon?, and , “How can I help and mentor others so we all benefit from our hard work?” Things like folding towels when you are a designer and not an assistant. Sweeping floors even if you are the owner. Answering the phone and taking appointments even if you are not desk personnel. Checking to see what needs to be done first before taking a backroom break. And here’s a big one, helping to build other less experienced, less busy technicians build their books and their confidence through your experience and your team spirit. 

Tell me about your team and what you do to strengthen your team so you can you’re your company goals? What types of things are you doing in your environment to contribute to the overall team? I am excited about hearing from you…

Blog By: Robin Gribbin

Are you finding yourself in a rut with “weekly standing” appointments? Do you feel that because of this type of appointment that you are physically working harder but not making more money? 

 Back in the 70’s when I started in the business we were encouraged to build and fill our book with standings. So I went out in the world and did exactly that. I was busy all the time but began to feel unrewarded and bored doing the same look week after week. I began to resent the guests I had because I couldn’t make more money. I couldn’t use the education I proudly paid money to get and I couldn’t sell anything to them. I also began to lose who I was as a designer because every week it was the same conversation about a gull bladder being removed, a grandchild falling down and skinning their knees or whatever!

I have always believed that the “truth will set you free!” So my approach was to be straight forward with the guests. I knew that they would be disappointed and maybe angry. But sometimes you just have to do what you “gotta” do.  I just knew that if I continued on this course that I wouldn’t be in this profession for more than a couple of years and  so I made the decision that I was not going to do “weekly standings” anymore.

I told the guests that I am no longer taking “weekly standing” appointments and even though I liked them I needed to do what was best for me and my future growth. I could either teach them to do it themselves (best case scenario) or I can recommend another salon that caters to standing appointments. And I did both these scenarios and I am happy to say it was the best decision I ever made.

Today I book appointments 3-6 months in advance with guests. I do allow some guests, (just a handful) that have booking constraints, to book monthly or 5-6 week standings but I never allow any weekly standing appointments. They can pre-book 3-4 appointments out but no more than that in case I need to change a date, take a day off or allow for new guests to get in. It has definitely allowed both my guests and I to have the best of both worlds.

As one of  my business associates has said, ” There is nothing wrong with a standing appointment business model provided that it fits in with your company vision”.  Getting rid of standings will probably be the hardest thing in the world to do emotionally but if this is not part of your dream and your goals and then changing the way you do business will make you and your salon better for it.

Blog By: Robin Gribbin

 We are an Open Book Management Company. For those of you who are not familiar with this concept here is the definition as stated on Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-book_management) -

Open-book management is a management technique pioneered by Michael Phillips in San Francisco in the late ’60’s and early ’70s. The technique is to give employees all relevant financial information about the company so they can make better decisions as workers. The basic rules for Open-Book Management are as follows:

• Give employees training to understand the financial information
• Give employees all relevant financial information
• Give employees responsibility for the numbers under their control.
• Give employees a financial stake in how the company performs.

Our salon has staff “trainings” throughout the year whereby we close the salon for a full day of training on everything from business to client flow to technical skills. Each session is geared towards the need of the staff or the company at the time and/or the quarterly or yearly goals of the salon. Our latest training we focused our energy on the financials. “Ugh!” is usually the response we have gotten in the past when we talk about money or budgets from the staff so we decided to take a different approach this session.

 We opened with an exercise about the CORE. This meaning:

• Curiosity- of what they will learn during the training process
• Open-to being open to the process of learning
• Risks-taking risks and stepping outside the box
• Energy-participating in the process by asking questions and being in the moment

 We then talked about our company tag line which is “YOU salon…just different”

We asked the team, why are we just different? What sets us apart from the rest? It was interesting to hear their responses. We then talked about how each thing they came up with fit into our CORE values. We zeroed in on two of our six core values. The first being, “master of the craft” and the second, “commitment to personal-grounding”.  We wanted to find out what mastering the craft meant to them. And initially it was about learning how to cut and color hair to the best of their ability. But as we dug further they began to realize it was also about mastering client flow, retailing, consultations, building client relationships and eventually about mastering the art of producing more revenue through relationships with their guests. AHA! The light bulb went off!

From this one session the team started to realize what their role in the company was. How, if they committed to personally become grounded in the art of producing more revenue through relationships that our company will be able to achieve their long term goals and that they would be rewarded for their efforts in doing so. And yes we did get into the actual financials and yes they were amazed at how little they had to do individually to make a huge difference in the overall growth of the company.

Blog By: Robin Gribbin

Pre-booking is an essential component of growth in any salon. Without it the salon owner or manager cannot predict the future cash flow to run the business effectively. Always remember when implementing a new strategy into the salon culture that it needs to be a win, win, win change. By that I mean the guests wins, the technician wins and the salon wins.

WIN- WIN- WIN

 “WIN” number one – Many salons pre-book rates are under 30% and technicians wait around every day for the guest to call, and often the guests can’t get the appointment they want because they want it on a particular day their technician is booked or at a busy time of day thus forcing them to wait longer or go somewhere else. Pre-book eliminates this frustration for the guest and allows them to work their appointment into their busy lives.

“WIN” number two - Then there’s the technician waiting around for the phone to ring. Pre-booking solidifies the technician’s future by having appointments booked way into the future and helps to “build” their book much faster. Plus the guest usually comes in more times per year, from 6 times to 8 or more, adding additional income for the technician as well as the salon.

 “WIN” number three – The salon benefits because they can predict future revenue, eliminate congestion at the front desk by way of booking stations in the salon and less time at checkout. It can also limit telephone traffic and may allow for less desk personnel during certain times of the day and saving payroll expenses.

 Implementing the change to a pre-book culture may take a change in mindset. Training and understanding of how it will positively affect everyone in the salon by promoting growth is crucial. A good pre-book % should be 80% and above, meaning 8 out of every 10 guests leaves with an appointment. Technicians need to “create the urgency” to pre-book.  Measuring it on a regular basis through one-on-ones and training in this area is critical to salon growth and productivity. The staff can do most of the pre-booking themselves via a booking station. (If you are computerized). We have this station set up in a separate area from the desk (This was done for under $750, including the computer geek) Booking can be done while the guest is processing for a service and a print out can be given to the guest with of all their future appointments. I say all their appointments because we try to keep them booked 3-4 appointments ahead.

Train your staff to understand that getting the guests on the appointment book before they leave solidifies their future. The guests like it because they always look and feel their best. If the guest has to change their appointment then at least they know they will have to wait, unless they go to a “back up buddy”. Back-up Buddies are other technicians that the regular technician tells their guests to go to when they are unavailable.

If you aren’t already pre-booking get started. If you are under 60% in your pre-booking as a team then you have work to do. To get guests to start pre-booking have a contest. If they pre-book their next 1 or 2 appointments then you will put their name in a drawing for a FREE haircut. Draw this once a month. Give the staff member with the highest pre-book rate for the month a gas card or gift certificate to their favorite coffee shop. Get creative!!! They will love it!

Remember, pre-booking is NOT an option it is a necessity. Pre-booking creates DEMAND. Supply and demand allows you to ask more for what you do. Getting more for your services sparks growth and opportunities and helps eliminate the stresses of worrying whether you can make payroll or pay for supplies. If you are a salon owner it allows you to plan for educational events, build outs, when to hire etc, because you can see the future. Don’t wait for people to beat a path to your door. Be Pro-active. This strategy will never let you down.

Blog By: Robin Gribbin

Motivating Staff

 In these economic times companies have had to learn to do business differently. But sometimes getting staff to do “it” differently isn’t easy. Different equals change and people aren’t always open to change. So how do we as business owners get our staff to make the changes needed to move our company into higher profits? We get them to buy into a new concept by self realization.

Here is an example. We have staff “trainings” throughout the year whereby we close the salon for a full day of training on everything from business to client flow to technical skills. Each session is geared towards the needs of the staff or the company at the time and/or the quarterly or yearly company goals. In one of our sessions we focused our energy on the financials. “Ugh!” is usually the response we have gotten in the past when we talk about money or budgets from the staff so we decided to take a different approach this session.

 We opened with an exercise about the CORE. This meaning:

Curiosity- of what they will learn during the training process

Open-to being open to the process of learning

Risks-taking risks and stepping outside the box

Energy-participating in the process by asking questions and being in the moment

 We then talked about our company tag line which is “YOU salon…just different”

We asked the team, why are we just different? What sets us apart from the rest? It was interesting to hear their responses. We then talked about how each thing they came up with fit into our CORE values. We zeroed in on two of our six core values. The first being, “master of the craft” and the second, “commitment to personal-grounding”.  We wanted to find out what mastering the craft meant to them. And initially it was about learning how to cut and color hair to the best of their ability. But as we dug further they began to realize it was also about mastering client flow, retailing, consultations, and building client relationships and eventually about mastering the art of producing more revenue through relationships with their guests. AHA! The light bulb went off!

 From this one session the team started to realize what their role in the company was. How, if they committed to personally becoming grounded in the art of producing more revenue through relationships that our company will be able to achieve their long term goals and that they would be rewarded for their efforts in doing so. This meant looking for opportunities to make more money through retail, add-on services, treatments and etc.  It means suggesting a professional treatment to a guest that comes in with dry looking hair and solving the problem. It means taking the opportunity to let the guest know about waxing services when their eyebrows are looking like Groucho Marx.

And for the record we did get into the actual financials and yes the staff was amazed at how little they had to do individually to make a huge difference in the overall growth of the company. They now look for opportunities rather then letting them past by and this has made weathering this economic storm a whole lot easier.

Blog by: Robin Gribbin

Culture is defined in Wikipedia as the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution, organization or group.

Are you happy with your culture? And if not, what are you doing about it?

Often leaders find themselves surrounded with a culture that they never wanted. Their “team” is not up to the same standards they themselves are. Why is that? First, most of us in the salon industry that decide to branch off and open a salon are not business people. We are creative by nature. And most of the time, creative and analytical doesn’t live easily in the same brain. We know we don’t like how things are done in our previous place of employment but unfortunately we don’t have a new business model to follow and eventually we fall into the same traps as our former employer did. Second, it has to do with follow through and not compromising on your vision. For example: If you have employees that are late on a regular basis then your culture supports this. If your staff sits in the backroom and reads magazines or gossips all the time, then your culture supports this.

In order to change a culture and move it in the direction you want it to go you have to engage your staff in the changes by establishing your company core values. Core values are the roots to the behaviors that your culture supports. Finding out what they are right now will help you and your team work together to make the changes necessary to move forward.

When we decided to write down and establish our company core values I took advice from a book I read by Verne Harnish called Mastering the Rockefeller Habits. This exercise is called “Mission to Mars”.

We asked our staff to pretend that there is a group of Martian Anthropologists studying American business and they’re trying to understand our corporate culture. The only caveat to this is that the Martians don’t understand our language. They can only learn through observation. We asked the staff to think of 3-5 team members that we could send to Mars that would be able to represent the good things in our company then answer these questions:

1. Why do they stand out?

2. What do co-workers say about them?

3. Why are they important to the company?

Give them about 5-10 minutes to write some things down and collect their thoughts. Start a discussion about the answers to the question and write them down on a flip chart.

From the flip chart you can then start to see a pattern emerge and categories established. Reorganize these categories and after you have all the answers under similar categories have the team together work on what core value each group represents. To help you understand the process further here is what our team values in our culture. When we did this exercise we established 6 company core values and they are;

1. Company and Co-worker First

2. Master of the Craft

3. Superior Work Ethic

4. Does without Reservation

5. Outstanding Customer Service

6. Commitment to Personal Grounding

Remember that changing a culture is challenging, takes time and sometimes the shift will have its rewards and it’s consequences and you may find that some people who are with you now may not be with you in the future. But I know that these changes are worth it in the long run. Have a great mission to Mars.

Blog By: Robin Gribbin

The team at You Salon is already known for our love for education and commitment to customer care but what you may not know is that we also have a passion for fashion and runway caliber hair!

This May, The You Salon Design team held our first photo shoot but before the looks were photographed, months of planning were done by Christa Schroeder (Elite Designer/Make-up Artist), myself, and the rest of the Design Team.

The process of planning a photo shoot involves everything from choosing hair, make up, and wardrobe looks to hiring a photographer who shares our artistic vision.

We began by studying the latest runway trends and high fashion magazines. Pictures were used to construct a ‘storyboard’, which is a visual aid that sets a tone for the entire shoot. Our storyboard illustrated the concepts behind each hair design as well as our inspirations for the make-up and the photographic look.

Early this past November, we found our creative partner in photographer Jill Teague. Her enthusiasm and sharp eye made us all confident that she would be the perfect person to capture our vision.

As the holiday season drew to a close and the team prepared for our bi-annual trip to Las Vegas for the Redken Symposium, we all began to get excited for the springtime shoot. We returned from Vegas feeling inspired and eager to get started on this new creative adventure!

The shoot, which took place on the first weekend in May, was more fun than we could have imagined. The Design team was joined very early on Sunday morning by six models, the photographer and her assistant. Everyone involved spent the day hard at work but having a blast.

Keep watching our website for the final product, a gallery of images will be coming very soon!

By Kristyn Wink (Designer)

Last time we focused on the importance of having a salon vision. Most salon owners I have worked with while doing business education and consulting, believe that education is part of their salon vision and that it is also one of the most important aspects of building a quality team. The problem is that many team members don’t “show up” for a scheduled in-salon educational event because they don’t know “WHY” it is important that they attend.  As a leader we have to always give the why in everything. Why do they need to attend? What’s in it for them?

Low attendence to these events is frustrating to the salon owner and costly for the salon in many ways, not just short term, but long term. No showing for education breaks down the team. The ones that do show up see that there is no consequence for their co-workers behavior and become resentful because they took the time to be there while others get a free ride. And this will happen even if they learned great information at the class.

 Should there be a consequence or disciplinary action for staff who continually come up with excuses not to attend an in-salon educational class?

 Some things that may help in the problem of education and attendance that has and do work for us:

1. Hire with salon educational events as part of the job description – NO Compromising on this. If they don’t attend then they don’t work for you because they obviously aren’t the type of staff member or role model you want for the rest of the team.

 2. Make education important to the growth of your company by planning out the events way in advance. – Have a calendar of events posted so people plan their time around the education.

3. Have education on a regular scheduled work day – Dedicate a full day each month, every other month or quarterly to education. This way they have no excuse, as they work anyway. (The only drawback to this is if you are commission they won’t get paid so their may be some resistance. If you are hourly, as we are, then they get paid regardless).

4. Have a wall of honor for education events they have attended both in the salon and out. If they are your own in-salon then have special certificates made up for them after the class and display them proudly. Your guests will see how much your team is dedicated to education and how your team deserves top dollar.

5. Make it worth it. Make sure that there is something in the education for everyone from the newest team member to the most seasoned, even if you have to break out into different groups.

6. And FEED THEM- Make sure you bring a great breakfast so they have energy for the class and lunch so that they can talk and discuss the events going on over lunch and bond as a team. Keep the discussions during lunch about the learning experience.

Rule#2- Be dedicated to education everyday, every moment. 

Make education important to your culture. Give them the “WHY”. If you want your team to show up, then you need to be totally dedicated to education everyday, every moment. If you have members of your staff that don’t show up then maybe you need to re-assess what YOU want. And if they don’t fit into your vision then get rid of them. The payoff will be worth it.

Blog By: Robin Gribbin

Creating a company vision, adhering to it, and sustaining growth from it is a challenge that every entrepreneur faces, as I have learned first hand when I opened YOU salon, Inc in Ellicott City, Maryland in December of 2003. A vision is a visualization of what you want the future to look like. It’s your mental picture, your idea, your dream.

 Many times at the beginning of forming a company we are faced with the challenge of hiring to fill chairs versus hiring the “right” people. Expenses can be high and profit and productivity low. We are pulled in directions that sometimes we don’t want to go but like Eve, the apple is just too hard to resist. So we hire for the money and compromise on the vision, only to realize that instead of creating our dream we are now faced with personnel who have different dreams, different visions and different standards. How did it happen? When did it happen? How do I get back to the vision?

 I would like to share with you a story about an “expert” in her field; I hired this person shortly after I opened YOU salon. This person was a little “rough” around the edges at times and I believed I could influence change. I believed that with some coaching and mentoring that they would be in line with my vision. Was that ever further from the truth? Some people are so set in their ways that even though they say they understand what needs to change to become more of a team player, they just can”t change.

 Allowing this person to affect “my” vision because I saw the potential revenue they may generate, had its consequences.  We had guests that never returned for any services after having their hair done .  We even had some existing clients that never returned after we had been doing them for years. I guess that was the first red flag. This person came to us with 35% productivity. During her tenure it was still only 35%, even after feeding her new guests. That was the second red flag. Her focus everyday, with every guest was about her life, her kids, her challenges. And this was not MY vision. All the coaching in the world would not change this as  she chose not to. My other team members constantly complained about her “issues” and were looking for me to do something. They were looking for me to lead. So, after 3 years and 3 months I finally decided that this was compromising my vision, my dream.  I had let it go on for too long because I thought I could change her.

 RULE #1- Never think you can change anyone that doesn’t want to change. Change happens from the inside and most of the time PEOPLE DON”T CHANGE. They are who they are.

I asked myself some of these questions approximately 1 year before I opened the salon and perhaps they may help you:

1. What will your company be about?
2. What will you name it and does the name say something about the vision you have in your mind?
3. Will the name stand the test of time?
4. Do you want it to be upscale, trendy or casual?
5. Do you want regular education?
6. Do you want multiple locations?
7. What types of policies and procedures are important to getting your vision to become a reality?

 Write these answers down. Then elaborate on them.

For example: I came up with the answer to the question, “What will my company be about?” during the Christmas holidays in 2002.  I was riding down a duel highway on my way to get our tree. My husband was driving so I was able to look around and as we passed shopping center after shopping center there was almost always a salon in each. Each had a different name. Some where hair related, some had someone’s name on it and others were a play on words, like “Hair Today”. So I asked myself, “If I opened a salon in the future, what would I name it and would the name be what the company was about?” This led me to ask, “What would my company be about?”  I answered, “It’s not about me. It has never been about me”. As a salon owner it would be about my staff, hence if you worked for me, it would be about YOU. As a technician behind the chair it would be about my guest. So if you were a guest it would be about YOU. We added the word salon so people would know what we did by the name as well.

My challenge to you is to discover what your company vision is. What do you want it to be? And ask yourself honestly. Is it where you want it to be? And if not, what do you need to do from this point forward to turn it into your vision?

 Don’t be discouraged if you find that you are way off course, just be REAL. Write down all the things that need to change in order for you to get back on track. It may be your location, your equipment. It may be lack of education or consistency or, OMG, it may be that you have people working for you that don’t fit your vision!

 Next time we will discuss some of these issues. Please feel free to contact me and tell me some of your challenges and I will see what I can do to help.
Until then, A quote from Carl Jung:

 “Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens”

BLOG BY: Robin Gribbin

An associate is a member of our team that is a licensed designer and is going through training at YOU salon for their Master’s Degree in hair design. The associates’ corner is a place for them to write about their experience and what they have learned during their journey to going on the floor. For prospective associates this is a great way for you to learn what it is that you will be learning and doing should you be excepted into our program. We hope you enjoy! Feel free to ask questions from the associates!