You just started as a Brow Stylist and now it's time for the next step. You open your own salon and the growth within your company is going well. It's going so well that you need some extra woman/manpower, but hiring somebody you don't know is quite scary. You have mastered being your own leader, but how do you ensure that your salon runs smoothly with one or more employees? Here are some tips and tricks.
Don’t be afraid to hire someone
When expanding your team, you naturally want to choose the perfect candidate for your salon. Hiring in the beauty industry is a bit more personal, because the service you provide is on a more personal level. This is why you prefer to be careful with the job interview, because otherwise a lot of money will be wasted on a specialist who cannot help you further in your company.
Take your time with the application process. What looks good on paper does not have to be good in person and vice versa. So make sure that you do a phone screen of your potential applicant before doing an in person interview.
If you have a good feeling about the phone screening, invite the applicant for an in person interview. When that is going well ask if they can do a certain treatment on a mannequin and from there you can set up a trial period to see if the person fits in your salon.
Take a chance on recently graduated brow specialist if the fit in your salon on personal level. Especially in the beginning you can learn them your best practices, because their mind is moldable. Plus how can somebody gain experience if no one is giving them the chance to gain experience.
Listen to your staff
Now that your role has taken a shift within the company. It's important that you know what is going on. Be open for feedback and encourage your staff to ask questions, give their opinion and show them that you are listening. You can do this by organizing monthly one-on-one meetings to talk about your employees progress and setting up goals that go together with the monthly targets.
Of course these meetings aren’t your traditional office meetings. Make it more informal by bringing some snacks or drinks into the meeting. This way you’ll be creating a more relaxed environment.
Stay innovative
In the beauty industry trends change seasonally if not on the daily. Today’s trend can be tacky tomorrow. That’s why it’s so important to keep a close eye on the trends, because your salon can respond quickly and be informed when (potential) clients are asking about it. Besides that make sure you create an environment where the staff feels safe to share new innovative ideas.
Improve yourself
Being a leader doesn’t automatically make you perfect. It’s okay to make mistakes and don’t be afraid to show those moments to your team. No matter how strong you are to lead your salon, it doesn’t exclude your weak points. It’s important that you know what they are and don’t hesitate asking the people you work with where you can improve. You don’t always see your own shortcomings, but when you do, make sure you work on them everyday.
Coach instead of demand
As the boss you want everything to operate as smoothly as possible. To get your team to do the things you want them to do, demanding a task may lead to a less engaged team. Start by coaching your staff on how they can perform a task (better) instead of demanding a task. It shows that you are willing to take the time for their personal growth.
Walk the talk
Be an example of your own vision, team values and guidelines. The ethical decisions you make daily, will have an affect on your team and eventually set the standard within the work culture. Keep in mind that what you do or allow, will set the standard within the team.
This also applies to how clean and tidy your salon looks. Make sure that every time a client walks into your salon it looks clean and tidy. It shows a reflection of your leadership and also sets the standard for your client.
From self-employed to a leader won’t happen overnight. Be patient and keep in mind that there is no one way to lead a team. In the end we all want the same thing: a well functioning company with great success.