Three Things I Wish I Knew in My First Year of Business

Wow, I can't believe that this is my 12th year as a hairstylist!

I always know exactly when I started because my middle was 6 months old. In September, it will officially be 12 whole years.

When I think back on all the lessons I've learned, the failures I've made, and the triumphs I achieved, three things stick out that I wish I knew my first year in business.

So, for all you game-changing chance-takers out there, I wanted to do my part in passing along my experience in hopes that it might help you.

The Launch of My Career:
I'm not sure if you knew this, but I started my career as an apprentice, so I did not do traditional hair school. And once my apprenticeship was completed, I immediately went into booth rental.

This is where I learned three crucial lessons:

1) ALL the money is not YOUR money

I already was at about 60% clientele retention and was making decent money. I was "living the life"— but what I didn't realize is that all the money was not my money. I knew I needed to pay taxes, but if I really wanted to understand how the business worked, I needed to put a lot more aside. To be a success, you definitely need a business and a personal checking account.

Easily said, you need to separate your personal and work purchases. Not just for the IRS, but so that you truly understand how profitable or not profitable your business is.

2) Know what a LUXURY service truly means

You have to be that one-in-a-million stylist. Because the only difference between the other hundreds of thousands of hair stylists out there is the service you offer—and that service has to be exceptional.

You have to give your customers a fantastic experience from the moment they find you on social media until after their third time visiting you. That's right—I said the third time. I have learned that it takes about three visits before a customer is truly loyal.

True customer satisfaction is a journey—from the very first moment to the latest interaction. This means you need to make sure that they feel comfortable from as soon as they reach your website to seeing the message on your branding. They need to fall in love from the moment they first learn that you work with their hair type to when you send them home with the perfect product so they can recreate that look at home.

As a bonus, consider adding thank you notes—they have also been a game-changer for me.

3) Lastly, nothing beats a failure except to not try

When I was little, I wrote notes to my parents when I wanted to ask them something—I added in the option to circle YES or NO. I wanted to avoid rejection.

In my first year of business, I didn't want to really create a community or branch out from my current Salon Community. That wasn't my goal. I didn't want to be judged or feel inadequate. But, now I know that nothing beats a failure except to not try!

What do you have to lose?

If you've been in the industry for a while, I would love to know what's one thing you wish you learned in your first year of business?

Not only can we reflect back together on how far you've come, but share these insights with aspiring stylists in our community.

Peace, love, and slay,

Categories: Business Tips