Good Habits Breed Salon Success
Successful people tend to rise early to focus on their morning rituals without interruptions. But what are those rituals and how do they help prepare for the challenges of running a beauty business? We asked some of the industry’s best-known salon owners to describe how they begin each morning.
Allyson King
Co-owner of Hair & Co BKLYN, Brooklyn, NY
Since reopening after the pandemic, the first thing that we focus on in the morning at the salon is our “Three Things and Do Them Better Than Anyone” list. These three things consist of:
- Employee Goals – what do they want in life and how do we help them get there?
- Celebrate Wins
- Consistent Sales Growth & Profit Growth
Mallory Zenner
Owner of Craft House Salon, Atlantic Highlands, NJ
As a salon owner, clear communication with my entire team is my first and number one priority daily. I start my day by checking with the staff through a group app. I like to set up each day for success by communicating wins or challenges so that we are all on the same page. Metrics of our salons are part of a regular conversation; software like Vish helps me narrow our focus to specific areas, like bringing down color waste. Communicating how we need to measure or be mindful about our color mixing to avoid waste is trackable, with Vish providing real-time feedback for our team to see and discuss.
Jessica Arrindell
Co-owner of Luscious & Co Beauty, Shelton, CT
One of the most challenging aspects for a business owner can be the absence of a boss. Becoming my own accountability coach started as a morning routine and has since become a ritual that sets me up for success as a leader of my team. After waking up and getting ready, I record myself in my bathroom making the following commitment.
- My goal today is:
- I will accomplish this by:
- I may experience _________ as an obstacle.
- I will overcome that by ______.
This practice has helped me gain clarity and accountability and prepared me for the best and worst of what may come. We believe our team deserves the best leaders, being prepared helps us show up as our best selves.
James Alba
Co-owner of B-Hive Organic Salon, Hillsdale, NJ
I start my morning as low-tech as possible with a notebook and pen. As someone that has always been a list maker, I have come to adapt my daily to-do list to incorporate home, life, and work into that short “today” list. This list may have ideas I thought about, reports for work, workout schedules, school items for the kids, and the occasional “call Mom”. It may not be meditation, but it clears my mind so that I don’t miss anything at home or work.
Karen Welch
Owner of SoZo HAIR by Bajon Salon & Spa, West Chester Township, OH
The first thing I do every morning, which is related to business and all aspects of life, is exercise/stretch. It gets my day going with a healthy mindset and energizes me for whatever comes my way. Life, work, and business can all be quite stressful. Being active is so very important for me to get through it easier. At work, I’ll check my tech systems, including Vish. I just LOVE Vish. I’m so glad we found it. Every day it saves us time and money, reduces waste, and keeps our color formulas up to date so we don’t have to remember to write them down when on a tight schedule.
Luke Huffstutter
Owner of Annastasia Salon, Portland, OR
I start my day with a coffee and a 15-minute review of my scheduled meetings vs my to-do list. I aim to have only to-dos that I can get done that day. That way, at the end of the day, I don’t feel like I have failed. You can only get done what you can get done. I use a to-do list organizer called Trello to keep organized so I can easily move a to-do from my “Do Today” column to “Do This Week” or even “Do This Month.” Further, I take 30 minutes every Friday to move things from my “Do This Week” column to “Do This Month.”
Lastly, I spend one hour on the last day of the month reviewing my “Do This Month” and deleting things that I did not complete. I figure, if it’s important, it would have gotten done, and when it’s urgent, I’ll put it back on my list. I hate having lists with dream projects from months and years ago. Makes me feel like I’m doing a bad job or need to work overtime, but was it really important anyway?
