You know that book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People? It’s a great read, but I believe there are specific habits that every stylist can use to become and stay successful! Here are my nine habits of a successful hairstylist!
START YOUR DAY THE RIGHT WAY
Imagine this: your alarm goes off as late as it possibly can. You get up, get dressed, brush your teeth, and grab a quick breakfast on the way out the door. But wait! You forgot your keys — now you’re really late. You’re rushing, you’re not wearing an outfit you like, your hair isn’t behaving, and now you feel stressed and frazzled before you even get your day started!
Now imagine this instead: Your alarm goes off earlier, giving you an extra hour. You make some coffee, cook a nice breakfast, and sit down to plan out your day. You take a few minutes to reflect on your goals, you pick out an outfit that makes you feel like a rockstar, and you know exactly where your keys are because you put them in your work bag the night before. You head out the door feeling calm, capable, and ready to conquer your work day.
Which of these sounds better? I believe that starting the day early with mediation and preparation will set you up for a great day every single day!
SET GOALS
People talk about setting goals all the time, right? But what does it REALLY mean to set a goal? To me, it means writing down the thing you want to achieve, then writing out the ACTION STEPS to make it happen! You can’t achieve a goal without a plan! With a plan, a goal is just an idea.
KNOW YOUR NUMBERS
Quick, without doing the math in your head: how long does it take you to do a hair extensions install? How much do you want to make per hour to achieve your income goal? How much was the hair and the thread and the beads?
Stylists, I’m not a huge fan of math, but I DO know my numbers! Knowing the hourly wage you need plus all of your expenses is KEY when setting your prices! You cannot set your prices just by picking a number that feels right. Instead, you should know all of the numbers behind your price so that you KNOW you are profitable!
CREATE AN INCOME GOAL
Now that we’re talking abut goals and knowing your numbers, let’s talk income goals. What does it mean have a goal income and use a formula to be sure you accomplish this goal daily? It helps to work backward from your end goal: your monthly income.
Let’s say you want to make $5,000 per month (GET IT!). If you charge $1,000 per install, but only profit $500 after expenses, that means you need to do 10 installs per month. Now you can set your goal to bring in 10 new clients per month!
MAINTAIN BOUNDARIES
In this business, we spend so much energy helping our clients feel beautiful inside and out. It takes a lot to pour into others, so you must take care to protect your own energy. Make time to fill your own cup so you can continue pouring into others. It’s tempting to fill your books and take all the late evening appointments when you love what you do. But it’s crucial to make time for friends, for reading, for being alone, or whatever else fuels you! If you don’t create some sort of boundaries, you run the risk of burning, and that serves no one!
MAKE YOUR OWN RULES
This is critical for your own well-being AND for your clients. For example, you may want to set boundaries for yourself like no appointments after 4:00 on Fridays or no appointments on Sundays.
Another rule you should follow for yourself? Never call out or cancel on clients unless its an absolute emergency! Your reputation should be one that tells people if you DO call out, it IS an emergency!
DRESS THE PART
This is one of the habits of a successful hairstylist that is a bit unique to our industry. Dressing professionally and always fixing your hair and makeup is a must. I remember my friend Amanda Craig saying on my podcast, “Do I have the right to give someone beauty advice today? Did I earn that right?” You need to LOOK like someone that your client can trust with making them beautiful!
THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT!
Providing the best customer service for your clients is a key element of maintaining your reputation. You want to be known as the professional you are! Serve with a smile, answer their questions thoughtfully, engage in conversation, and make them comfortable!
ALWAYS BE ON TIME
This could not be more important, Stylists! Think of the last time you were supposed to meet someone for dinner and they were late. Or the last time you had a client who came in 20 minutes late for their appointment. How did that you make you feel? It feels like they don’t value you or your time, right? You don’t want to make anyone feel that way! Being on time is essential to your professional reputation!
There you have it! If you implement these 9 habits of a successful hairstylist, I believe you’ll see yourself crushing your goals in no time!
Cheers to success,
Terra