From Drowning in Problems to Swimming in Solutions: A Salon Owner’s Survival Story.

By Dwight Hodge

When faced with Challenges and, at times, situations that seem unsurmountable, one thing sets those who fail apart from those who succeed.

Be it a problematic or dissatisfied client, team issues, or financial pressure, your focus plays a pivotal role in shaping the situation’s outcome.

Unfortunately for most people, they focus on the problem.

Like Sue, who is struggling to keep her head above water. She is busy with her clientele, and although her other two team members have a few gaps, the appointment book looks pretty full for about four weeks in advance. The problem is Sue lost a team member 12 months ago and hasn’t been able to replace her.

Sue paused for a moment, holding her breath, and then let out a “Ha” before pausing again. “Why didn’t I think of that?” and not only that, she began to catastrophise the situation and everything that was going to go wrong in the future.

For Sue, the problem is not a lack of clients but a lack of qualified stylists to take care of them. And consequently, the flow-on effect is impacting cash flow.

Every day, she feels like she’s swimming against a never-ending current. She is so focused on just getting through the next day that she forgets about her upcoming quarterly tax bill. Clicking on an email from her bookkeeper and seeing that her tax is due in six weeks floors her, adding to the emotional burden she is already carrying.

For days, all Sue can think about is, “How am I going to find $10,000?” Her thoughts were stuck in a whirlpool, spinning from “I am already so busy I can’t fit any more clients in” to “How can I possibly find $10,000 in such a short period!” to “I am going out of business, the team will be left high and dry, how will I pay my mortgage, and what about all my clients”?

Sue was embarrassed to find herself in this situation. She thought she should know better after being in business for years. She was scared and fearful of what others might think, but she confided in a friend who was also a business owner.

After listening to Sue’s plight, Marnie asked her a question that seemed to break Sue out of the deepening spiral she had fallen into on seeing her tax bill.

“What possible solutions have you thought about?”

Sue looked at Marnie, a little shocked. “Solutions?” she questioned.

“Yes, what are your options to get this bill paid?”

“What?” asked Marnie.

“A solution!” exclaimed Sue. “I have been so focused on not having the money and being unable to pay my tax bill that instead of working through my options and potential solutions, I have been catastrophising the end of my business, reputation, and life as I know it.”

Curiously, Marnie said, “Okay, that’s a great realisation. So, what might one solution be?”

It was difficult initially, but Sue came up with a list of potential solutions. Not every one of them was going to give her $10,000; in fact, none of them would. However, the more Sue focused on solutions, the better her ideas were.

After implementing a few of her ideas and speaking to the Tax Office to explain her situation, Sue felt a wave of relief. The conversations with Marnie and the tax office had given her a plan, and now, Sue could finally breathe easily.

Sue’s journey underscores the crucial role of focus in our lives. It reminds us that where we choose to direct our attention can significantly impact our experiences.

WHERE FOCUS GOES, ENERGY FLOWS.

Remember, your focus is a powerful force. It’s where your energy flows, and what you focus on is what you’ll attract more of. Sue’s story is a testament to that.

Sue initially focused on her problem—a $10,000 tax bill. By continuing to focus on this, all Sue could see were more problems,

After confiding in Marnie, Sue experienced a significant shift in perspective. She went from focusing on the problem to considering a possible solution.

Nothing else changed. Sue still owed the tax office $10,000. She was still short of qualified stylists. After shifting her perspective from focusing on the problem to the solution, Sue stopped spiralling into even greater catastrophising and despair and began to see a way forward.

For so long, Sue had felt like she was swimming against the current, and now, after focusing on the solutions, it felt like she was swimming with the current. Where she had only seen challenges and problems, Sue now saw opportunities.

Be aware of what you’re focusing on, and if need be, shift your perspective.

Dwight Hodge is an experienced leadership coach and mentor. His career spans over two decades as a business owner, company director and coach. He founded The Creative Leader, a leadership coaching practice that assists salon owners and independent stylists in propelling their leadership capabilities and business to the next level. Dwight is a salon owner, a member of the International Coaching Federation (ICF), holds qualifications in Business and Personal Coaching, is a Master Coach of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Sculpture) from the Victorian Collage of the Arts (VCA)

dwight@dwighthodge.com