3 THINGS TO LEAVE IN THE PAST

3 THINGS TO LEAVE IN THE PAST
 

By AHP Staff
 

• Excuses

Even seemingly legit excuses must go. Holding on to excuses for why something might fail or isn’t currently working provides too many reasons not to try. For every excuse made about why something won’t succeed, you’re eliminating a potential solution before you give it an honest, 100 percent attempt.

For example, if you’re among the legions of hairstylists still holding onto the belief that Amazon is “stealing” your retail business, you’re not going to do any better selling retail moving forward. You’re going to have to turn it into part of the solution for increasing your retail sales rather than the excuse for your dismal numbers. Using Amazon as a scapegoat for your lack of sales skills is so last year; this year we’re going to work with Amazon, learn from Amazon, and be successful like Amazon.

• Preconceived ideas of how things “should” be done

There’s more than one way to craft the perfect ponytail, emulate the perfect sun kiss, or achieve the perfect fade. When it comes to hair, we know that the more techniques in our repertoire, the better hairstylists we’ll be! Knowing that, it’s crazy to see so many hairstylists who get an idea for how success in the hair industry “should” be achieved and turn up their nose at any method that differs.

Sally thinks Susan is crazy because she still carries business cards everywhere and doesn’t have an Instagram account, but Susan’s book is full. Susan thinks it’s unfair Sally has 90,000 Instagram followers and a successful education business when Sally’s only been in the industry for five years. Sam is upset Sandy left her salon in favor of owning a salon suite, while Sandy is upset Sam wouldn’t accommodate her request to rent a chair within Sam’s salon when she topped out of the commission model.

For as often as we love to change our hair, it’s incredible how resistant most hair professionals are to changing salon procedures, systems, strategies, and ideas. It’s time we leave prior notions of how things “should” be done within our industry in the rearview mirror to open ourselves up to the myriad ways things can be done.

• Silo mentality

Within the hair industry, it is so easy to slip into a silo mentality, regardless of where you’re working. We know that filling our chairs, satisfying our clients, and increasing the size of our paychecks are ultimately our own responsibility. That’s a lot of pressure, and it can have the effect of putting us in silos with only enough time and energy to look out for our own interests.

We must devote time and energy to building each other up. Even if you’re the only hair professional in your salon, you are not alone. It’s time we look at every hair professional as a coworker. Community, sisterhood/brotherhood, and camaraderie are the new black. How can we all help each other achieve all our goals? If you want the future to be different, you must be different.

Say goodbye to your excuses, your preconceived notions of how things “should” be done, and any remnants of silo mentality. Those things have no place in your head if your future is to be one of success, growth, and unity.