If you’re anything like me, you opened your salon because you love doing hair and you knew that being your own boss would give you the life you dream of. Setting your own schedule, working the way you prefer, and, of course, unlimited earning potential. You have the vision, the drive, and the talent, which…

While the world of marketing has undoubtedly changed in recent years, there is one thing that will always remain consistent no matter how much changes in the face of technology: If you don’t talk about your business, nobody else will. We all have to start somewhere and somewhere usually begins with word of mouth, but…

Imagine with me for a moment and picture yourself here: You’re yelling from behind your chair to have someone help the person who came through the door three minutes ago and is standing at the front looking awkward. Your stylists need constant hand-holding on how to best utilize their downtime. You’ve lost track of how…

Holiday time for me is a time where I get really creative. I love spending time with my family but as much as I love to hang with them all – I can’t help but slip into this crazy, creative business zone – The space and downtime allow me to think. I dream up all…

It’s officially the crazy manic time of the year, Christmas!  I remember so painfully and clearly that when I was standing behind the chair every December, I would always tell myself “this is my last year doing clients”, next year would be different for the salon. I hated Christmas with a passion, it took me away…

Have you ever heard the saying, “try and please everyone, you’ll end up pleasing no-one”? The same goes in business. We all want to make our clients happy, but there is always one client, it doesn’t matter how hard you try, nothing will ever please them? They aren’t your ideal client. Yet, there are some…

You need a strong team in order to grow your business. Your team can be the strength or the weakness of your salon. So finding and hiring the right people is paramount to your success – right? I reckon I’ve employed more than 110 people in my time as a salon owner. When I sold…

Hi, I am a complete stranger. Give me money! Let me guess, the first thing that comes to mind is, “Um…no.” Well, this is exactly what you are doing if you are not building relationships with your audience and prospective customers. Think about it – would you rather buy from someone you know, someone you…

As a salon coach the Number One problem we are asked to solve is to help a business attract more customers, yet often I find the free Google My Business listing is neglected or under utilised. I like to attribute a huge part of my salon success to this amazing tool Having a Google listing…

I was talking to a salon owner that had contacted me over the weekend about some issues in her business that she needs help with. One of her major issues is that she feels very intimidated by a staff member. She often feels like she is treading on eggshells and she is constantly giving into…

Hairdressing is one industry that Prue Tonkinson doesn’t see slowing down anytime soon, so to make sure that she can be ahead of the game and she ensures her clients are getting the service they need, 24/7 – With the help of SalonBot she takes us through it all. Meet our featured client, Pure Tonkinson…

You only have one life. Your job isn’t to work yourself to the bone ‘til you’re *lucky* enough to retire. Your job is to craft a life you love, live it well and on purpose. “On purpose” meaning you don’t leave it up to life’s circumstances to direct your journey; instead you take steps to…

You’ve probably heard Larissa, the Freedom & Profit coach, express “work smarter, not harder” before, but what does that mean exactly? When your inbox is packed, there’s a giant stack of to-do’s and the client messages keep piling in, how are you supposed to get it all done smarter?   The truth is many of…

It’s time to do some financial year preparation and get proactive with your new goals coming into the next 12 months so you can review how far you’ve come. Tax time can be daunting and frustrating – but so rewarding when you see growth. So many business owners set goals at the start of the…

Do you have some stylists who seem to have a tough time connecting with clients? Thus making it difficult to get rebookings? How about stylists who are afraid of selling? You’ve got incentives in place, but it doesn’t seem like enough, and you need those sales numbers to keep up your profits. This is the…

There’s a saying when it comes to getting things for free. If you aren’t paying for the product, then you are the product. Free software can be great for personal use, but when it comes to your business operations where you need efficient and streamlined solutions, free isn’t always the best option. Yes, it’s critical…

What is your salon’s customer experience? Samantha Jones takes us through her story and phase’s she now recommends for the perfect Salon Customer Experience.  Most salon owners believe it’s what you offer when your client arrives in to receive their service, and although that’s correct to a certain degree, a truly seamless salon customer experience starts…

In case the title of this post didn’t give it away, we have some big news…The Salon Owners Collective Coaching team is growing! In addition to Sam, whose story you’ll get a glimpse of here, we’ve also welcomed Louise to the coaching team. We are so thrilled to be able to bring their expertise to…

Oh, how tides are shifting and our team is growing here at the Salon Owners Collective! In addition to welcoming Louise May to our salon coaching team, we also recently welcomed Sam Jones as a coach as well, and are eager to be able to help more salon owners in our community with 1-on-1 support,…

As business owners, we’re never truly done learning. Whether it’s a new skill to add to our tool belt or way of looking at or operating our business, change is the only constant we can count on. When it comes to business growth and expansion, one of the most significant pieces we have to continually…

The salon owners I work with talk to me about it often, I see it pop up more and more in Facebook groups that I’m a part of, and I’m experiencing the surge in my inbox. I’m talking about messenger marketing. Salon owners are spending more time on their phones, and it’s starting to creep…

“Ugh! Facebook changed its algorithm…AGAIN!” Sound familiar?Your salon’s Facebook marketing efforts can feel like an uphill battle, but that’s where most business owners are getting it wrong. Instead of trying to fight the Facebook algorithm, you need to get friendly with it.   In fact, treating Facebook like the virtual venue for your salon’s dinner party…

Recently I had a salon visit – it was 2pm and my stylist announced she hadn’t eaten anything yet, because she was ‘living the salon Christmas-Cray-Cray again!’ This is an all too familiar cry as the busy Christmas season commences, you barely have time to step away from the chair, let alone grab a bite to eat.…

Running a salon is a huge job. You often learn a lot – hard and fast. Whilst the potential for growth is massive, there is also the danger of working yourself into a state of overwhelm –  managing a team, looking after clients, marketing and client attraction you can easily become the victim of your…

As a business owner, I’ll bet you know that feeling of overwhelm all too well. Your mind gets so full it starts to feel fuzzy, and just when you need to get to work, you lack the clarity you need to actually get shit done! At times like this, you feel like a hamster running…

The problem is that our clients and our potential clients are becoming tired of jaded and traditional marketing tactics. The days of leaflet drops and selling steak knives and deals at Grab one have just worn thin and if anything it turns our clients off coming to us. If you’ve been big on marketing your…

You are the most important part of The Salon Owners Collective so please Celebrate with me in reaching 10,000 Podcast Downloads and also reaching one year in business! Already, in putting this blog together, we’re now closing in on 12,000 Downloads already. To celebrate Nicola and I reviewed the top 5 most downloaded episodes and…

Did you set up your own business with dreams of more freedom and time, and now find yourself wondering when you’ll next get to take a day off? You’re not alone! Unfortunately, as an industry, we’re not making much profit and the old 80:20 rule is actually more like 95:5.  Despite so many hugely talented…

You’re sick of your team running a muck, making you feel like you’re a prisoner in your own business. You just get things sorted and under control and then the next thing happens, a baby is due, she’s giving up her trade or off on her big OE … just moments after she qualifies! This…

Your website should be your biggest and most important online sales tool. Yes, a sales tool. It should be bringing you new clients (and helping your existing ones stay connected with you). But remember, your website is not an online sales tool for your business… Your website is an online buying tool for your Client!…

Life in a salon is fast paced, full of constant excitement and change. But without great communication and structure, managing a team in this environment can become stressful to say the least. Constantly putting out fires that your team throw at you the minute you walk in the door can wear you down. So how…

How To Build A Click-Worthy Brand For Your Salon Social Media We live in a digital age, and having a strong online presence for your salon is increasingly vital for growth and success. This week over on the podcast we chatted with Stacey from The Social Clique about building an enviable online following which will…

Being a parent and a business owner is an emotional cocktail that can drive us for success or drive us mad. A salon business is built around making our clients happy – we’re in the service industry after all. Too often this translates into saying ‘yes’ to everyone. Yes to the needs of your team,…

Growing a profitable business while maintaining work-life balance is an enviable position for some, but for most, it’s more than an elusive dream. As a serial entrepreneur or business owner, and especially if you have a family to consider, this is always the goal.   Over on the podcast, we chatted to Kelley from Wellington…

From humble beginnings back in 2005 Chelle from Urban Betty, Texas, opened her salon with 6 chairs and just one contractor, she shares her story of surviving a thriving salon with a team of over 30. I absolutely loved my chat with Chelle. Like me, Chelle, had had no formal business training and found herself…

Your website is the window into the soul of your business. Your digital home and it should be used for driving new clients to your salon by turning them into paying clients as well as retaining the loyalty of those that already love you. In this blog post, we look at the three things your…

Finding your Area of Expertise, your signature service is vital to ensure your business stands out in an overly crowded space, and few have done this better than Jazz Pampling.   Jazz is a world-renowned Brow Artist specialising in brow shaping, and has worked with celebrities such as Paula Abdul, Naomi Watts, Aussie model Samantha…

I chatted to Mia DeVries from The Fox and The Hair, over on the Podcast, to find her top strategies for growing a whopping 66.6K Social Media Following and turning them into paying Clients – one of the key strategies to the salons current success. The salon started their social media presence on Facebook, and…

For many salon owners, the thought of passing over your clientele to spend more time on business building can be fraught with fear and uncertainty, but if you take the important jump of stepping away from the busy work of your salon floor, your business is bound to benefit.   Janine bought her first salon…

You want to attract more clients, but Social Media is just not working for you… And you’re tired of posting at random & feeling the pressure of what to post and when. If this is you, then this blog is just for you! Having spent years honing my experience in digital marketing, both whilst running…

I spoke with Christy Laurance over on the podcast, she’s an Instagram extraordinaire and creator of Plann, a scheduling app for Instagram which enables you to create a strong visual presence, based on a solid salon Instagram strategy. She shared her top tips to help you develop a strategy that will work for your business, and…

I spent the new year in a camping site surrounded by rain and a rocky beach and dear I say it, NO WIFI! But as a result of that trip, I created Salon Owners Collective. I think I hardly spoke to the Family I was so busy scheming. So it feels right that I should…

I’m starting to realise how important it is to do our bit to protect the planet, whether it be buying recycled products or recycling our waste, and many of us are starting to implement strategies to help us live more sustainably in our daily lives. But as a business owner, have you considered what you…

Working as a stylist in a busy salon, then stepping into the role of owner or manager, where you want to build your salon dream team, is a whole different ball-game and can feel daunting. Having the right team behind you, as your salon grows, is vital.   Your team can make or break a…

Starting a business is hard graft, but once you get going you’ll get to the point where you’re ready to scale it up, or even wanting to exit in order to pursue a new dream. Without the right tools in place, this can be harder said than done. Recently I was privileged to interview Tracey…

Earlier this year I met Emma and Carla, aka The Merrymaker Sisters, two awesomely fun sisters who have built a strong & loyal Instagram following of over 60 thousand for their health and lifestyle business! We had a great time recording the interview – you can listen here on the Get Visible Podcast I’m always…

As salon owners, it’s easy to get so caught up with the day to day running of your business, seeing to clients’ needs and keeping the salon ticking over, that you can forget how important it is to maintain your presence online. Once your website is up, it’s vital you don’t just leave it there…

Success is not usually an accident. It usually follows a formula. But before you even get to a formula, you need to be clear what you want to be successful at! Sure, we all want to be successful in business, of course, otherwise, why did we get into business in the first place. Success needs…

Successful salon owners often get asked, ‘what’s your salon secret formula for success?’ There are so many factors at play when it comes to going it alone and setting up your own salon, it’s easy to look at other successful businesses out there and think that there must be some magic bullet that will take…

I often get asked: ‘what’s the secret to creating a successful and long-lasting salon business?’ The answer? Create an exceptional client experience that will keep them as lifelong partners for your business. Thinking of your clients as potential partners is key. The stats say 85% of customers come from referrals, and in just the same way…

  Social media is a fantastic way to get more people knowing about your salon. Platforms such as Facebook and Instagram work really well for salons, they are very visual so you can post high-quality pictures to bring your brand to life. Knowing what to post onto your social media to have the most impact…

  It’s likely that you know what a blog is, and working in the salon industry, you may even have some favourite bloggers you follow for beauty tips and advice. But perhaps you’re unsure as to why it’s a good idea to start a blog for your salon. If you’ve not come across the idea…

  Once upon a time you could get away with a  website, a contact page and some great photos. But if you haven’t thought about digital marketing, you’re really missing out on gaining and retaining new clients. As more and more people turn to Google and social media for information, reviews and shopping choices, it’s…

6 months after I qualified as a hairdresser I opened my first salon in a suburb in Wellington New Zealand. I had not long turned 20. I quickly fell in love with  being a salon owner and running a business. A few years later I opened my 2nd salon in Wellington CBD. After a year or…