January action list for improving your salon business

January is a great time to review what’s working well for your salon business, what needs to change and what you need to do more of to set yourself up for a good year. Salon management consultant, Ryan Fox, offers some suggestions on what to focus on in 2015 and gives an example of why it’s important to take action. Decide what to focus on first Every salon situation is unique so you need to decide what your own priorities are for which you may need help, but here are some of the key business trends that salon owners should be focused on for 2015:

• Improving retail product sales
• Improving staff communication
• Implementing a workplace pension
• Developing a salon training plan
• Boosting income with the right salon marketing
• Raising client service standards
• Getting your finances straight
• Organising your salon computer

Then take action One of the key goals I set myself last January was to implement a digital marketing strategy. This included improving the content and look of my website, developing a search engine optimisation (SEO) strategy to make my Google rankings higher and driving more traffic to my web site by using digital marketing such as email. I had a website last January but I didn’t really have a strategy. So I went and did some research, found out what I needed to do, found the best tools to use, then took action by implementing the strategy over first three months of the year. Don’t expect instant results Unlike doing a great hair cut or creating a wonderful colour for someone, business goals take longer to show up. I spent three months doing work that had no instant reward or income at the start of last year and believe me, I often questioned if it was all worth it as I was having to learn new skills while still running the business day to day and caring for my clients. You’re worth it With a few up and downs I stuck with the strategy however and, as the second half of the year arrived, things started to fall into place. Suddenly I was doing less implementing and the hard work was starting to pay back with more new client enquires starting to come from email and my web site. Then, when I looked at my results this year I had managed to double my revenue on the previous January. So it made me realise that the hard work was worth it and that taking action was the key to the success. Next Steps Don’t be afraid to get some help and inspiration whether that’s by using some industry resources such as HJi, the NHF, Habia or The Fellowship for British Hairdressing, talking to some fellow salon owners about what has worked for them or doing your own research. For some pointers as to what you can do about the areas above you may find my tips and advice blog a useful starting point www.umbrellaconsulting.co.uk/tips-advice Ryan Fox is a hair and beauty salon consultant who improves salon performance through training and innovation. For further details visit www.umbrellaconsulting.co.uk/tips-advice