5 ways to prepare for a brexit deal or no deal in your salon

There is so much uncertainty around Brexit for your clients and for your business. Salon consultant Ryan Fox from umbrellaconsulting.co.uk offers his five steps for preparing for Brexit and weathering the storm, whatever the outcome.

1. Give clients reassurance about Brexit 

The Brexit issue has knocked consumer confidence which is having an effect on client spending. What they seek from you is reassurance that you are still their hair expert and they are in safe hands, so double your efforts to create the right look, give great advice and provide your clients with a consistently excellent service. Your clients might have tightened their budgets, but they will still be prepared to pay for a professional cut and colour if they love your salon experience and the end result.

2. Continue to make key business decisions

Brexit has also affected business confidence, so investment decisions are being put on hold, which is understandable. However, indecision stops a business from moving forward so strip things back to basics and focus on the fundamentals. Ask yourself in a worst-case scenario, what do I really need to keep on trading and make a list. Don’t cut back on the essentials that you need to deliver your service and keep making day to day decisions to keep your salon running, otherwise you won't run at all.

3. Keep a stock take

Stock should be high on your essential business decisions list. If you don’t have the right colours and products in stock you can’t deliver the level of service that your clients expect. Do a formal stock take and order double what you normally stock in case some items are held up at customs in April.

4. Take back control

You can't control everything so try not to get bogged down in the frustrations of the uncertainty and focus the positive actions you can make, such as continuing to make your clients look and feel great. Many stylists don’t talk enough about hair to clients, so it’s a great time to take control of the conversation and keep topics about hair as opposed to Brexit!

5. Maintain a dedicated and focused team

Finally, plan for the worst and work to your best. Calculate your stripped back financial breakeven point so you have a plan B survival position should you need it. This will give you a comfort factor which will help to boost confidence. Work out where you would really like your team to be performing, set them goals in one-to-ones and hold a goal-setting team meeting. You might be surprised about what you can achieve this year with a focused team. Ryan Fox is a salon consultant who helps salons to set and achieve goals. For more advice visit umbrella consulting.co.uk.