Sustainability and Your Salon: It Doesn’t Need to Be Overwhelming !

By Jay Chapman

Climate change, carbon footprint, green energy, clean energy… It’s no wonder we get overwhelmed with knowing where to start to reduce our impact on the environment.

It can almost feel like a “would be nice” area of the business to focus on when we wear so many hats! I can guarantee our future generation will thank you for your efforts now. Let’s unpack some SIMPLE and EASY ways you can make your business more green-friendly.

1. Make the Switch

As time goes on, more and more power company providers are offering greener options. Apart from saving our planet, the great news is that a lot of the time, these options can actually save you money! Win-win?

• Lightbulbs: Swap all your lightbulbs to energy savers.

• Water-Saving Taps: If you are a hair salon, consider water-saving wash basin taps.

2. Marketing Materials

The future is here! And our marketing needs to follow suit. Yes of course, with the power of social media and digital marketing our recycling is EASY! However, I still strongly believe a physical printed referral card, or a personalised new client follow-up letter still has great merit. If you must invest in print media for your business, try to stick to recycled materials where you can.

• Hot hint! Your software provider has hundreds of ways to market digitally to your clients, and the best news? Zero… carbon… footprint!

3. Ride Sharing

If you have a team of 10, that’s 10 cars to find places to park at your salon, spa, or clinic. Apart from carpooling being great fun, it just makes logical sense. But even better, walk or take public transport.

4. Cool Down

The number of times I walk into my clients’ salons, spas, or clinics, and they have the air conditioning set on the Antarctic setting or in the winter, you feel like you have walked into a sauna is astounding! Adjusting your climate control by 2° can lower your power bills by up to 30%. Cha-Ching!

5. Client History and New Client Info

Going paperless makes sense, doesn’t it? Part of the reason we don’t is that it seems like a lot of work. The good news is that it’s not! By changing a few easy habits, you can go paperless in next to no time. Entering your client histories via a tablet and handing an iPad to your new clients to fill in the details is not only more professional, but it will save you time as well.

6. Recycling

Surely you don’t have just one bin in your salon? If so, where have you been for the last 10 years?! With the amount of consumables and product packaging we chew through in our industry, it just makes logical sense to separate your waste.

• Hot hint! Live in Australia or New Zealand? Contact Sustainable Salons, and they will take all the hard work out of it for you! (Cheeky plug!)

7. Salon Towels

Whether you wash your towels at home or in the salon, make sure your washer and dryer have a high star rating for energy efficiency. You may not be aware, but most power companies have peak and off-peak energy consumption times. Most washers and dryers have timers so you can set them to use at the most cost-effective times.

• Hot hint! Research suppliers in your local area for disposable and recyclable single-use towels. YES, I know they are not the same! Like when your pet goldfish died when you were six years old – you’ll soon get used to life without fluffy towels.

Now I wouldn’t be a business coach without talking to you about other forms of waste in your business.

• Turn Down the Heat: Have frequent and open communication with each team member one-on-one.

• Reduce Inefficiencies: Have a plan for how you spend your time working on the business and in it. We waste so much time swapping hats from one to another. Time to fix this once!

• Consistency in Service Delivery: Ensure a consistent level of service across every team member to avoid hot and cold results.

• Client Retention : Stop wasting time inviting new clients into your business without working on your retention. Ensure that for every new client coming through the front door, you don’t have a lost client leaving out the back.

So…. in an ideal world, we would have all of these things plus some in place, right? However, the reality is that we wear many hats and are busy spinning many plates to keep our salons running smoothly. My Advice? Just choose one of the above points to focus on and implement into your business this week. Keep it simple and get the team on board to support you. Team accountability is when things get done, and the magic happens. Go GREEN!

Jay Chapman is a specialist salon coach at Your Growth Coaches. Subscribe to his brand new podcast “Your Growth Coaches The Podcast” on all good platforms.