Bringing your salon brand and business together

Brian MacMillan, director of F&M Hairdressing, shares his top tips for keeping your salon brand and business aligned. As a salon business owner in such a creative, fast paced industry, it is easy to get caught up in the madness of events, salon demands and the opportunities that hairdressing presents. We are such a fun, friendly, incredibly busy industry that sometimes you can lose track of where you want to be and your journey to that end goal, and take a slight detour off the path. When we founded F&M Hairdressing back in 2001, it was a dream of both myself and Kevin’s. Although not experienced in the hairdressing industry, I brought the business experience and Kevin brought his creative hairdressing experience, making it a partnership for success. When looking at opening our very first salon, myself and Kevin knew that brand and business had to go hand in hand – this was the beginning of something very special to us both and they had to be in sync, to allow for a solid, identifiable and structured business. Having discussed our brand at length, this was solid. We knew how our brand was to look, to be perceived and the values we wanted to underpin the F&M name. However, making sure this was in line with the business, and continued to be, was something we put a lot of effort into, ensuring that both went hand in hand.

Ensuring Business And Brand Share The Same Goal

This is something that is vitally important when bringing together your salon business and brand. In order to succeed as a whole, and also across both areas, your common goal must be the same and stay consistent. This allows you to put in place a plan and structure to achieving this ultimate goal – and ensure you are on track at all time. Being in sync is your number one priority.

Look At Your Brand Values

Your brand values are something else that underpin the business and how it is perceived by clients, other local businesses and the wider hairdressing industry. Are your values a true reflection of you, your team and your overall brand – do they reflect that of the salon, its structure and its image? If you have two different sets of values for different areas of your business this is a red flag – one set of values is enough for all and should be true to the team and salon.

Consult With Professionals

As a salon business owner, you will never be an expert in every area, so consulting professionals in specific fields is a fantastic idea and can influence your business decisions in such a positive way. This is beneficial for any business owner as it allows you to focus on the areas that you are confident in and means you are receiving professional and direct advice on areas you may not be so clued up on.

Constant Evaluation

Evaluation, as we all know, never ever stops in a business. Evaluating constantly allows you to track the success of your salon business and ensures you are on track to achieving your goals. This also is a great way to make sure business and brand are on the same page. I personally evaluate at every stage of business to make sure our brand is where we want it to be, our service is as high as it can be and that our business is on the up.