Revamp By Sarah Garner Crafting A Culture of Generosity By Elle Wilson

CRAFTING A CULTURE OF GENEROSITY

By Elle Wilson

As the world is changing, so must we. Often there are parts of us that love change and other aspects that fear it. That is SO normal. If change is looming, I love to take a moment to look back and find a time when it was exhilarating. I take this feeling and move, without overthinking, into the future, guns blazing. It makes for a smooth transition into the next. Overthinking is so overrated, right?

With a world that is going through a huge acceleration right now on so many different levels, including uncertainty, we need to find ways to stay not only connected to our clients, but to build something that meets more of their needs.

It’s time to open up our minds and look at beauty business with new and fresh eyes. Let’s look at what we are probably already creating but just not with a level of awareness or deliberateness, yet. And therefore, we are not using it as a powerful resource in our businesses that we want to build and grow for years to come.

Culture crafting is our topic today. We will pull this powerful and insightful skill apart and really get to understand it. Its power, its rewards and finally, its ability to build a great and very profitable brand/business.

Whether we are culture crafting for our internal teams or our clients and prospects, we need the codes to do this really well and enter the new digital world of beauty. Now let’s look at the foundational code that works every time without fail.

Our clients and prospects are often seen as frequent visitors to our salon and women or men that we communicate with via social platforms. We may nurture them via email campaigns but ultimately we see them as separate to each other.

Now, I am going to challenge you to go way beyond that and embrace what is really happening in the beauty industry. Sure, you’re a salon owner with clients, but you are so much more; you are a culture crafter.

You are building a community, a tribe of women or men that are like-minded, adore the values of your brand and most definitely, think you are the ant’s pants. They may even refer clients to you, but did you know that the fastest way to create an amazing community is to connect people to each other? and whether they belong to your Facebook group or email list, they truly feel as though they are coming home each time they enter your space. They know the moment they leave, they will feel better and often look fabulous. The beauty industry offers us the opportunity to explore often very dear and intimate relationships with our clients. We get to help them with some of their most challenging problems and help them feel better about themselves. However, we don’t often go the entire way and connect them with each other.

To belong and feel a part of something bigger than ourselves is what culture crafters understand to be a deep, unconscious need of each human being. The value is in the culture crafter having awesome values and a love for humanity and then you have something so very special to build on. It is where all the magic happens.

Having built several international communities from ground zero, I realized there are codes; codes that make communities work. Often you will find that some communities don’t really

engage but convert very high. After all, you’re culture crafting to build a community that knows, likes and trusts you as their beauty expert. The field of expertise isn’t the point, ultimately what matters is how you embrace these human beings and how you take care of them for your business’s success.

Often, we are so busy we send emails or messages to our clients when we have something to sell them; a special offer.

I call these booty calls. Honestly, they’re awful and have no authenticity that extends nor builds trust and loyalty. So, you may ask, what codes do build loyalty and trust?

Let me begin with you... Each person that embraces your brand, steps into your studio, what do they mean to you? What is your purpose in their world, their life? How do you think about them in your own mind? These seem like simple questions but the answers will change dramatically depending on where your perspective is oriented. If you are in survival mode, you will see these prospects, clients as dollar signs. That’s okay, but in the current climate it will get you so far and then - BOOM! You get to face the music of your inner state of being. It doesn’t matter what words are being spoken, if the vibe isn’t quite right, it can be the end of something that may have been truly beautiful. The perspective you hold in your mind vibrates out and into your environment. This is universal law and we are all somewhat aware of it. Some of us possibly more than others, but nevertheless we can’t ignore its power.

Survival mode simply isn’t the frequency you want to fill your space with. It is the antithesis to culture crafting because it lacks soulfulness.

The code for success in small business is the opposite to survival mode. Huge corporations who have millions of dollars to spend on marketing, billboards, fancy magazine advertisements can work for the dollar and even put profits above the well-being of their clients, but for a bricks and mortar beauty salon, this perspective hasn’t got legs. Ultimately, it produces client attrition because there simply isn’t enough BELONGING to keep clients from exploring other options.

Your clients and future clients are looking for a home away from home. When we step out of survival mode for a moment and remember what our dream was when we first began, it will most probably be to create our own financial freedom whilst adding value and extending powerful results to our beloved clients. business’ in the first place. Let’s now go back to considering the fact that you are a culture crafter.

Let’s take a look at what the thesaurus has to say... Culture - ideas, value of a people Crafter - has the ability to create, to craft.

Isn’t that just simply beautiful? The digital age is upon us and just because you are a beauty salon doesn’t mean that you cannot use the resources it offers to extend the sense of belonging, the power of your expertise to your clients… Oops, I meant to say community!

Private or VIP social media groups and valuepacked emails campaigns are NOT for the bigger salons, they are NOT for influencers, mentors or coaches, they are a place where you can shine and extend the values of your brand, the callsto-action from time to time and most importantly, where your clients connect with each other and get to feel like a family; a community.

Share your knowledge, your inner light with the tribe you are building everyday - you used to call them your clients.

Elle Wilson Brow and Business Guru www.truebrow.com

Benchmark Salon Sales are the only salon dedicated business brokers in Australia with outstanding brokers in each state delivering over 500+ sales for clients around the country. We continue our series of articles from some of the specialised business brokers to get you salon sale ready!

THE PERFECT FIT OUT By John Kasapi

As my Nanna always said, “Only ugly people say looks aren’t important”, which is a strange thing for a woman sprouting long course white hairs from her chin to say, but that’s not the point. Unfortunately, we live in a superficial world where people make up their minds about things within a few seconds of looking at them. So, who can blame you for wanting your salon to look hotter than Chris Hemsworth six pack (don’t pretend you haven’t noticed it!), when looks do matter so much?

The look and feel of your salon sends a lot of messages to clientele; as the old saying goes, “A picture paints a thousand words”. A salon filled with wooden artifacts, earthy tones, oil burners, bamboo and stone features sends a different message and attracts a different market to that of a black white and silver minimalist fit out.

Before you go burning through your bank account buying the exact same furnishings as seen in Palazzo Versace, or gold plating all the basins, check out this handy guide to getting it right!

Budget

It’s tempting for some to buy nothing but the best of the best to create their dream salon, but before you break the bank, you need to ask yourself, “Is it going to be worth it?” If you’re in a small salon which simply cannot service hundreds of clientele a week, you shouldn’t pay out huge amounts on a fit out. You’ll never make your money back and you won’t cover the cost of the fit out on your salon sale price should you choose to sell one day. To avoid losing money, you should make a salon price list (if you don’t have one already). Then assess how many team members you’ll have working and the potential forecasted income of the salon. Be realistic about how long you’re willing to work in arrears to recoup the money spent on fit out. Work out how much you’d get for the salon if you sold it the day after fit out was complete. A clear knowledge of these figures will give you an indication of how much you really can afford to spend on salon beautification.

Always aim to spend less than your budget.

Fit outs are notorious for blowing out beyond your budget. If you aim to spend only 75% of your total budget, in a scenario where something ends up costing more than originally quoted or anticipated, you’re not left penniless, or with a half-finished job.

Don’t be a bargain basement Betty!

The flipside of blowing the budget is going too cheap. Quite often cheap items look nasty, don’t last, and in the end make your salon unattractive to high end clientele. Buy the best gear you can reasonably afford without blowing the budget. Seriously, you’ll thank me later!

Secrets of Attraction

Research your salon suburb’s target demographic and match the fit out to their tastes. Sure, it’s important you like the look and feel of the place, but it’s a million times more important that your target market love it. A young funky demographic will be attracted by a different look and feel than one which will appeal to the Grey Nomad Brigade. It’s also vital you don’t send mixed messages. Don’t bother trying to be everything to everyone – you’ll send yourself mad or broke or both! Ask any politician; it’s impossible to please all the people all the time. If you’re going for earth friendly, natural, and fresh, then stick with it! 100% commitment to the theme will result in a far more impressive finished ‘picture’ than a mish mash of modern, earthy, colourful, young, conservative, avant garde, kitsch and antiques. Having a clear theme will also make it easier to create branding and marketing campaigns later down the track and in the end will send a more understandable message to the market.

The Architecture of Desire

Always consult an architect/shop fitter before undertaking any major works. It will save you time and heartache down the track and ensure that your fit out is of a high quality. A good architect/shop fitter who understands salons will also give you a design that is ergonomic and efficient to work in, making the work environment a real pleasure once it is completed and increasing the efficiency of your team. Work closely with your architect/shop fitter to focus on things such as client flow through the salon, the efficiency of the workplaces such as basin areas and colour stations, storage for stock, technology and towels etc. Also check that you have all of the relevant council approvals to undertake the work. This will ensure that the tradesmen you have hired have clear directions and no excuses to make anything up as they go along!

Be a Control Freak

I’m giving you permission to be a control freak – just this once! Dealing with trades people can be quite stressful, especially if you are not an expert in each particular trade. But there are a few tips you should know that will help make the fit-out process easier. • Have a written contract with all of your trades people which clearly lists your expectations and the obligations of the company doing the fit out for you. • Never pay the full fit out amount until after the job has been completed to your satisfaction.

You have a right to withhold a percentage until a certain period after the work has been done to ensure all work lasts and is effective. For example, you can make it part of the contract to withhold 10% of the total charge for 3 months to ensure workmanship. A tradesperson is more likely to accept a term like this on a big job. • Drop in regularly and ask questions to clarify and learn as much as you can about the process. Be present as much as possible or have a project manager who can be around to deal with questions. • If you are responsible for providing any materials for the tradespeople, ensure that you have the materials there well in advance of when you are expecting the work to begin, to avoid any delays. • Regularly check with the architect’s plans to ensure that construction is sticking to the plan. • Budget for and allow time frames at least 25% more than you would like! Carefully consider the order you book tradespeople to do their part of the job. Poorly timed jobs result in damage and repair bills. An example would be to paint the walls before laying any floor covering to avoid paint splash on your new floors. • Consider parking issues and site access.

Tradespeople will take up car park spaces and depending on access may be blocking loading zones or streets. Depending on your location you may need to organise parking permits. • Try and get references for tradespeople before hiring them and ask what other similar jobs they have done before.

Finally, remember not everything always goes to plan. Unexpected problems may come your way during fit out, so stay cool, calm and under control so you may solve the issue. Nothing was ever solved by freaking out during a fit out!

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