When you’re a stylist, the winter holidays are a great time for making money, but they’re not a great time for much of anything else. You and everyone you know in the beauty industry will be working completely ridiculous hours. You’ll see all your regulars at least once, to say nothing of all the extra walk-in traffic. Everyone wants to look their best for that holiday party, after all!

Trying to fit in your own shopping and socializing can be a real struggle at the holidays, as can finding time to spend precious moments with your family or working on your salon business model. Please don’t take this article too much to heart for now. Come back in early January after you’ve finished off the eggnog and champagne and are ready to start those resolutions, because that’s what we’ve got for you here today: Salon Owners’ New Year’s Resolutions. Whether you have an enormous salon at the mall with many chairs or you’ve just made the jump to owning your own mini salon suite in Lawton, these will help you and your business thrive in the coming year!

Prioritize Work-Life Balance

They say to pay yourself first. It’s also good to make time for yourself first. (That’s why this one is the first on our list.) All work and no play sure is a recipe for failure over time, especially because the work day for a health or beauty industry professional doesn’t always start at 9 AM and end at 5 PM, nor does it always obey a Monday-Friday schedule. With odd hours, repetitive physical motion, and long stretches on your feet, you must make time for yourself if you regard salon work as a career, not just a job. Resolve to exercise and to recharge your batteries, whatever that means to you. Put a Zumba class in your planner, schedule drinks with friends, make time to sleep 8 hours. You cannot run the business if you’ve run yourself down. Make it a priority this year!

Make a Salon Business Development Plan

It’s true that we live in an electronic age. Even so, writing things down makes them, well, real. Business development experts across all industries are hammering the importance of making plans, setting goals, listing things you need to accomplish. The truth is, when you see everything in front of you, it’s a lot less overwhelming. When you have a plan, you’re acting instead of simply reacting. And when you can see where you’ve come from, you’ll know better where you’re going. Keep a written record of how your plans worked out or otherwise. Doing analysis will help you use your resources wisely in the future!

Communicate Better with Your Clients

When you work in the salon industry, you have to be a good communicator. That said, there are always ways to improve! All of your clients want to leave your space feeling their best, but the similarities end there. Do you know who wants to grow their bangs out, who is going through a divorce, or who is trying to graduate in the spring? The thing that turns clients into regulars is communication, so make communication one of your 2019 goals. Remember what your clients say about their personal lives as well as about their personal health and beauty goals. Build a relationship. See where it goes!

Promote Your Salon Business Regularly

While we’re talking about communication, here’s something that takes little effort and costs next to nothing but can earn you a lot of dollars in the long run: Promotion! People can’t walk in the door if they don’t know about you! We know how hard it is to make the time to promote your salon in Lawton. Those tasks always seem to get pushed to “the next day,” but this year, make promotion a priority. Make a plan and stick to it. Don’t be afraid to use social media. It’s your easiest and cheapest option for marketing and promotion, so spend some time there tooting your own horn instead of retweeting or reposting someone else’s.

Learn Something New

It’s interesting how education is such a major part of our lives when we’re younger, and then it seems to taper off as we grow up, get jobs, and settle into adult life. But it doesn’t have to be that way, and it shouldn’t be, especially for people working in the health and beauty industry. There’s always something new to learn when you work in the beauty biz, whether it’s a new technique, a new style, or a new product. Figure out a way to stay up to date this year. You could subscribe to an industry periodical or even gather with other professionals to discuss new and exciting trends in a monthly coffee-and-conversation group. Or you could simply take a class!

Keep a Better Watch on Your Money

This isn’t as much fun as taking a new class or posting your greatest hits to Instagram, but it’s so crucial. Money in the bank is power. Money pays for rent, supplies, marketing, advertising, décor for your mini salon suite in Lawton, and the gas in your car. Resolve to keep a closer eye on your funds. Maybe download your bank’s app to your phone so you can bank and even deposit checks on the go. Maybe separate your personal and business banking accounts. Reach out to an accountant to handle your taxes and payroll.

Drop What’s Not Working

Some things aren’t worth the trouble. Some battles aren’t worth fighting. This year, make like Elsa and learn to “let it go.” Unreliable supplier? Find someone else. Client who won’t keep her appointments? Tell her you’re booked out for the foreseeable or implement a cancellation policy. Maybe your current marketing or advertising just isn’t returning on your investment. Try something new! Or maybe the problem is where you’re working. If you’ve been stagnating at a job in a salon where you can’t achieve your personal and professional goals, it may be time to start your own salon business in Lawton!

Start the new year off with a bang and open your own mini salon suite! Salons de Beauté in Lawton is a great way to transition from being a stylist in a chair to a small business owner. Contact us today!