Managing your team

A salon business is only as good as the team that represents it. Team members from the receptionist to the most junior stylists are the frontline of your business, projecting your salon culture and ethos to the client - so ensuring they are motivated, inspired and feel valued is essential to the success of any venture.

Staff training is paramount to creating a motivated workforce.

Not only does it provide them with the knowledge and skills to do a better job, but it shows them your are committed to their development.

It's important to ensure that any training course a staff member attends has a positive knock- on effect for the team as a whole, however - where appropriate make sure staff returning from a course pass on some of the knowledge they have gained so that the entire team is boosted by their renewed passion for their job.

Other areas to be aware of include:

• Staff appraisals
  
  It's important recognise the needs of individual team members and how their strengths can be developed so that they make an even greater contribution to the team as a whole.

• Communication
  
  Maintaining staff morale is often about simple but effective communication on an on-going basis.

• Thinking outside the box
  
  Often it's by looking outside the hairdressing industry that you will fine inspiration. 

• Goal setting
  
  Staff are motivated by being given achievable targets rather than being penalised for falling short of unachievable goals.