Best New Year's Resolutions For Stylists

It is that time of year when thoughts turn to New Year’s Resolutions and we take stock of the year gone by. With the pandemic still raging, saying you survived 2021 is a pretty good victory, but it is also time to reflect on everything you did well and the things that could be improved for 2022. As a salon owner, no doubt you have moments of pride, as well as some items of your business that you want to work on in the coming year. FHI Heat has you covered with an easy list of reminders and recommendations for where to expend your effort, in order to build a successful business in the coming year. 

Learn new tricks in the new year

With a limited amount of time and resources each day, one thing that tends to get lost is the time needed for continued education. But if you want to be on the cutting edge (pun intended), you need to invest both time and money in current trends, the latest educational events, and trade shows so that you know for certain you are offering your best to your clients. Although each region of the country offers its own events, you only need to research to find continuing education and trade shows that will benefit your business and your clients. 

Even something as simple as learning about new products and how they will improve your clients’ lives is a great resolution to put forth in the coming year. For instance,The Innovator Collection from FHI Heat, consisting of The Polisher and The Curve, is a dynamic duo that will allow your clients to create amazing hairstyles in their own homes. Taking the time to learn and understand the intricacies of these products will be a win-win, especially if you subscribe to the Pro Commission Program. 

Capitalize on downtime

There are three basic ways to use downtime effectively. Although some salon owners get twitchy when there are holes in the schedule, it can actually be a blessing. Use your time wisely and you can set yourself up for success later in the week, month, or the life of your business. 

One way to use your downtime wisely is to research. Spend this time looking into current trends, researching techniques and classes, and finding the latest products and tools for your clients. This will pay dividends down the road as your clients know you can be counted on to show them the best of the best. 

Secondly, use downtime to clean up your online space. Make sure your business page is in top shape and updated accordingly, create an email campaign or promotion that you can run in the new year, and focus on creating traffic to your social media sites. This will pay dividends in keeping customers loyal and creating new ones. 

Finally, use your downtime to take care of yourself. Fifteen minutes for gentle stretching, deep breathing, and a cup of tea will go a long way in taking care of the best tool of all: yourself. Starting the new year by taking care of your own health is a great way to ensure that both you and your salon will thrive in the new year. 

Solidify your social media

If you want to get more clients in the door, you need to meet them where they are: social media. To that end, you also need to have an understanding of how the algorithms work. Obviously, content that has a lot of “likes” gets shot to the top, but you still need to have some meat to your content. Instead of asking a reader to like or comment, which tends to upgrade more “fluffy” content, create fantastic content that organically gets comments and likes. Videos will almost always do better than still shots. 

Let your clients do the hard work as well. Create a fun selfie spot in your salon, and have your clients post and tag away. These organic references to your salon and the good things happening there will drive traffic to your site, increasing both your online presence and naturally bringing more clients to your door. 

Sell more products and tools

One of the easiest ways to grow your business is to use FHI Heat’s Pro Commission Program to boost sales of products and tools that your clients desire. Because the process is so easy, this is basically free money. You will have your own special code that you can share on social media and in email blasts. When clients purchase $100 in products, you earn a 20% commission. The most amazing part of this program is that you don't have to worry about any inventory. The products are stored and shipped at FHI Heat, and the company does the hard work for you. In order to entice your regulars to try it, you can also offer your customers a 20% off coupon so that they will feel good about jumping on board. Not only will you gain the commission from these products, but you will also gain your customers’ trust for recommending tools and products that work so well. 

Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” The new year is an important time to pause to see how things are going in your salon. After another rocky year living inside a pandemic, it is certainly time to look past all of 2021’s shortcomings and move confidently in the direction of the new year. With these helpful tips in tow, you are bound to make it a bigger, better year for your business, your clients, and yourself.