DAY TWO: WORKING IT AT THE WORKSHOPS #SalonSmart19

It was time to get practical at the Salon Smart workshops – a chance to regroup and drill down those important business issues and convert the learnings into actions to implement and improve your salon business.

Divided into two, delegates had the opportunity to attend a duo of workshops; one a business clinic and the other a voyage through the salon ecosystem.

Taking the popular Creative HEAD magazine monthly column Ken’s Clinic with 3·6·5 Education director Ken West live and in session, Ken tackled solutions to key salon questions submitted by delegates prior to the event. It was all in from the get-go, with delegates quickly challenged on their knowledge and perception of key performance indicators (KPIs) and business standard expectations before Ken set everyone to work with two collaborative tasks – one to identify key result areas or aspects of salon businesses that have a direct influence on business performance, such as retail, reception or financing, and one to set KPI minimum expectations for three tiers of new staff members.

“Most stylists leave because of lack of opportunity,” Ken explained. “Find out what people want and help them to achieve it.”

He took the example of setting expectations, both minimum and aspirational, from a staff member’s first day, which gradually scale up over 6, 12 and 18 months. “Act on fact,” he insisted. If you can’t see growth, stop kidding yourself. People need to understand that there are consequences, but equally you shouldn’t hold people back when they’ve done everything you’ve asked of them.”

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the corridor, delegates were up and on their feet to begin The Review workshop, hosted by Cardiff salon owner Ken Picton and business educator Simon Shaw. Each delegate had to find someone in the room that they did not know and share with them something they had learned at Salon Smart, and something they hoped to learn.

Then it was time to get down to some reflection of the habits we learn in the salon. “Everybody’s behaviour is governed by two things – your personality and your environment. So if you want to change the behaviour of your team in the salon, which is easier to change?” asked Simon Shaw.

Time and staffing issues were mentioned by many guests, and Ken Picton revealed changes he had made to solve these problems. “I asked my clients if they would like more of my time, so I increased my prices by 25 per cent and gave it to them,” revealed Ken Picton. “Then I realised how lovely it was for me, so I made it the same across all of my staff”.

Simon Shaw discussed how important respect is in making a salon work and encouraged delegates to keep working on their vision “Maintain an idea of your next goal to stay motivated,” he said.

And Ken Picton revealed that, after 22 staff pregnancies in 2 years, that he has an open recruitment policy – “Too often we wait until there is a hole in the business, when we should be making room for the right people,” he said.

The workshop finished with a final word on the importance of the team. “he success of my salon relies solely on the attitude and ability of the people that work in it. An engaged team gives great service and generates profit – that’s the profit chain. If your team are engaged, they have a heightened sense of what the client wants.”

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