the Hello Hair Pro podcast

You've launched your business, and now you're realizing how much work it takes to be successful.

Today, we're going to chat about some common misconceptions about business, the importance of perseverance, and then we'll dive into some things to think about for steering your business toward success.

Common misconceptions: 

• Overnight success
• Get Rich Quick
• Low Risk
• No need for education and experience
• Everyone can be an Entrepreneur
• You get to keep all of the money: This couldn't be further from the truth. 

Importance of perseverance:

Let's take a look at the importance of perseverance when it comes to succeeding in business. 

Perseverance allows you to...

• Overcome obstacles
• A long-term mindset
• Become Resilience
• Learn from failure
• Adapting to change & your ability to pivot

Success in business is not a guarantee, and it takes a lot of time, reps, and determination to achieve. It's also important to point out that perseverance doesn't mean to keep doing the same thing over and over again but to keep moving forward, learning, and adapting to the situation.

Thoughts for success: 

• Develop a Strong Business Plan
• Network
• Seek out mentorship
• Continuously learn
• Be Flexible and Adaptive
• Stay organized
• Recognize your success is independent of others

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It's a new calendar year; now what? 

Objects in motion stay in motion, so DO SOMETHING.  Taking action is more important than the actual action.  Of course, we don't want to waste time but if you're not sure what to do, just do anything. 

All or nothing isn't a good mindset if you're looking to make progress.

The key to client retention.  Hint: It's not about you.

Take a good look at your foundation. Mission, vision, core values. 
Are you living those? 
Is your team living those?

Personal goals

• what do you want to accomplish outside of work this year?
• what does time outside of work look like for you?
• thought experiment - what does a perfect day look like outside of work?

Business goals 

This is where your company vision comes into play. You didn't take the time to create a vision to sit there; you've created these things to guide you.

• financial goals
• staffing
• systems
• educational
• marketing 
• culture
• sale of business

Evaluate your team - complacency check

• if you have a team; now's a great time to check in with them
• what goals do they have?
• how can you help them achieve their goals?

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This week we take a light-hearted look at some of the less desirable parts of running a business.

Building a business is extremely rewarding and fulfilling in so many ways but...

Every business will go through relative challenges.

Less desirable (maybe even negative) aspects of business ownership we talked about:

• Financial risk
• Time commitment
• Stress & Pressure
• Maintaining cash flow
• Competition
• Regulation & Compliance
• Hiring & Managing people

Then we spoke about pet peeves.

Disagreements we've had: dress code, beverages

Why is working as opposites a good thing?

Finally, we answer this question: If you could snap your fingers and have one thing completely erased from the entire industry, what would it be?

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What the hell is everyone looking for?  
Why are salons offering 'sign-on' bonuses?  
Why are businesses struggling to keep employees?  
Why are hair pros salon-hopping?  
Why are owners doing the same thing over and over even though it stopped working 8 years ago?

Today we're chatting about these questions and more!

It's vital to understand what people are looking for so that you, as an owner or employee or self-employed or whatever you are, can give it to them.

Instead of salon hopping, learn to have tough conversations that could lead to an improved situation.

If you try something new that doesn't work or doesn't "fill your cup," what's your next move?

Start with yourself. What do you want? What does your dream job look like? What are you willing to sacrifice?  

People are looking for:

A clear path to opportunities (what does their growth look like?) the path should take into account the quickest line of action. We all want to minimize the time it takes to get from point A to point B, and that's OK as long as we're not trying to force shortcuts that don't make sense.

Flexibility
Scheduling flexibility is an essential thing to today's hair pro.
We still have rules at our salon; a free-for-all isn't the answer.

To work with strong, talented hair pros
Working with a strong team can boost confidence and creativity.

Structure, goals, something to stand for, and a sense of belonging.
Every business needs structure; otherwise, it will fall apart, and chaos will ensue.  

Follow through (no more talking, more action) 
Owners shouldn't need thank you's for every little thing. It's the owner's responsibility to make updates and improvements to the business.  
We are NOT saying that wanting to feel appreciated isn't valid. It is.  

Guidance, leadership, and support
Often a new owner will set out with the purest of intentions. Then they quickly realize how much work is involved and become overwhelmed. From there, promises get put on the back burner as stress builds.  At this point, they're no longer in a position to provide the guidance their employees require.
Owners should actively work on leadership.

Try this:

Toward the end of each year, set yourself by reevaluating how you want the next year to look. Make the changes immediately. Do you want more time off around the holidays? Adjust your schedule now, don't wait until the last minute because you'll be tempted to keep it open.

Owners, don't fall into the trap of complacency. What may work now may not in a year or two. It likely won't work in a decade, and by then, you'll be so out of date it will be difficult (not impossible) to make changes.

Thank you for listening; we wish you the happiest of holiday seasons!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
-Jen & Todd

PS Let's kick off 2023 with positivity, compassion, and growth.

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This week we're talking about ways to avoid being average. Enjoy!

Remaining open-minded

• Holding on to a beginner's mindset keeps things fun and helps you stay focused and sharp
• Helps keep you open to finding new opportunities
• Gives you permission to: NOT have all the answers
• Keeps you creative
• Introduces novelty which helps push off complacency 
• Helps in leadership roles. By asking questions and taking interest in others, you're demonstrating that you value them
• Your experience level doesn't matter. Treat every situation as if you're going to miss something

Avoid settling

• It's easier to stay in a bad current situation which causes long-term problems
• Get out of your comfort zone to feel inspired
• Stay proactive
• Find a mentor or someone who will hold you accountable
• Accumulating knowledge without applying is a waste of your time

Being able to adjust and pivot 

• Most people are too afraid to make changes, and that's the reason why most people will never be as successful as they could
• Most people don't want real change - they want new versions of current things
• Making decisions based on what's best for YOUR business and its target client's

Making things about the client

• Getting engagement (approval to inflate your ego) from other hair pros shouldn't be your goal 
• Passive aggressive posting at clients isn't a solid strategy
• Stop copying other accounts and think for yourself
• Learn how to have conversations with individuals
• Have boundaries, your clients need rules, and every successful business has rules and systems that customers must follow

Jen's challenge to you!

• What's one thing in your business that you could add or innovate for 2023?
• Step out of your bubble!
• How can you step up your game?

Not everything gets done overnight. 
Most things aren't sprints; they're a marathon.
Take small steps.

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If you're the person who is always saying, "Idk what to post!" it's because you're not putting any effort into it, and that's OK.

Just don't keep lying to yourself with, "I want to get better at this!" No, you don't. You don't. 

Do you know how much free material is on the web that literally lays out countless strategies with varying levels of difficulty and/or effort? 

You don't want to get better at it, or you would.

Why use social media?

• It's free!
• It's simple.
• It's designed to get you in front of people.

People need to see your offer multiple times before they consider taking action. 

Seven (7) is the magic number.

With social media, you could potentially reach someone seven times in a single day or week, or month which is something that was out of reach financially for most just a few years ago.

Keep in mind not all touches are the same.

What is an offer?
Your offer is simply telling people what problem you can solve for them.

Stand out - be different - entertainment is big.

Tell stories. Either your or your clients, preferably both.

Effort.  If you don't put effort into things, your return will be lower.

Reps.  No matter what you're trying to improve, getting in the reps is the answer.

Some things to AVOID (if your goal is to gain clientele):

• Don't post to those who aren't your target client.
• Don't post only the back of heads. 
• Don't post without putting effort into your captions.
• Don't post without intent.
• Don't skip the CTA.

Remember - Have fun with whatever it is you're up to.  Our advice is only that, advice.  It's based on what we've seen work and not work during our combined 30-ish years of business ownership.  You're welcome to take or leave it.

Best,
Jen & Todd

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We've got 3 quick topics to touch on today as our mission of brief episodes through the holiday season continues.

This week's topics:
It's OK to pivot.
Planning for a rainy or, in our case, snowy day.
Setting yourself up to conquer 2023!

Pivot
If you've tried things and they didn't work, or you're feeling stuck doing something that you launched and didn't quite work out how you pictured.  Congratulations! 
You're in a position to PIVOT!

First, you should recognize the importance and the value that comes with innovation, and that's what you're doing.

Businesses need to constantly be evolving and adapting otherwise, we become complacent.
Complacency is a silent killer of businesses.

Sometimes owners become stuck in the paralysis-by-analysis stage, constantly thinking, "this could be good, but what if it's not?"
Here's the trick - don't be willing to die on the hill for your ideas.

You're not a martyr, you're a business owner.

If you've implemented something and you've measured it with the metrics that you've laid out, and it isn't benefiting your business...make a change!

Having beliefs is cool, and you should all have your foundations laid out, but if something isn't producing for you, are you willing to lose your business or make less money simply so you can say you did something?

Planning for a rainy day.
We're approaching winter here, and in the Northeast, that means snow, ice, stormy conditions, the whole lot of it.

Salon owners should be sticking aside some funds to cover closures.

Don't be the hair pro that's all pissed off because you braved the weather to come in, and your clients felt safer staying off the roads.
Instead, be the person who is prepared and isn't impacted by a day off here or there.

Setting up for 2023!
Evaluate 2022 before you do anything else.

Get with your accountant and plan.

Go back to the basics - revisit your mission, vision, and core values - how can you drive these forward in the new year?

Write out your goals and then break them WAY down into weekly objectives.

Find someone to hold you accountable!

Best,
Jen & Todd

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In this week's episode, we're touching on some end-of-year thoughts.  Our goal is to keep episodes brief through the holiday season because we don't want to hold everyone up with our rambling.  ;)

"No matter how brilliant your mind or strategy, if you're playing a solo game, you will always lose out to a team."
-Reid Hoffman

Thoughts we touched on:

• Your impact on the economy as an entrepreneur
• The importance and responsibility that comes with being an entrepreneur
• Launching something new
• Price increases
• Goals!

Thanks for listening!

Cheers,
Jen & Todd

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"Most entrepreneurs are trying to be artists instead of operators."
-Gary Vee on why most people won't succeed

In this week's episode, we chat about busy times and how to leverage them for continued growth.

Don't hide behind the fact that you'll be busy during the holidays (or any time). 

Instead, continue taking action to grow your business. 

The holidays will come to an end, and you'll be right where you were when they began.

This isn't the time to take your foot off the gas if you're trying to build or make progress. 

You can 100% enjoy your holidays; no one is taking away from that. In fact, you should take time around them to enjoy yourself with friends and family, and you should guard that fiercely by having boundaries with clients and work, but that's another topic for another day. 

The trick is to stay focused on the details. Don't skip the little stuff because you're busy, or you won't STAY busy.
 

"Plans are useless, but planning is essential."
-Dwight D Eisenhower

Another thing we should consider is planning ahead for the upcoming year. If you experience an influx of clients and you find yourself a lot busier around the holidays, take the time to identify slower times of your year and plan accordingly. 

Save some money, maybe. 

We need to get out of this just deal with stuff as it happens mindset. Too many people will accept being slow and hope they make it to the busier times. 

When a tiny amount of time planning could be what gets you ahead and allows you to build something that's actually stable. 

Skipping the fundamentals because you're busy is never a good game plan.  

We've seen people do it at our salon. A hair pro starts to build a bit, and suddenly the details start to take a back seat.

-Jen & Todd

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When we talk to other hair pros, one of the common things we hear is, "how do I find more clients?" and that's an OK question but not the one you should be asking. The question should sound more like, "How do I find the right clients for my business?"

So today, we're going to break down some strategies and thoughts that will help you gain more "seed clients" remember, seed clients are the clients who pay your prices, don't complain, respect you, and treat you how you deserve to be treated.

You have to believe in yourself and your offering SINCERELY, from your pricing to your work. This all starts with your state of mind.

The second step is to think about how things look through other people's eyes. You are not the main character in other people's lives; they are. They likely don't care that you took another certification by a popular cleaning product. They care if you're the best solution to their problem. That's it. 

Think outside of social. Social is cool, and it's free, and we recommend utilizing it. But we must use other platforms and strategies we'll dive into soon. Since we are still using social media, here are a few things to consider.

You need to create for the target audience: if you're not an educator or trying to be an educator, you probably shouldn't be posting formulas. You should prob post before & after pics (show the face!), show people being happy, and show their eyes.

You need to learn a touch of photography, even if you're using a phone. In fact, especially if you're using a phone. You need to understand a little bit about lighting, composition, and on and on if you want to stand out.

You need to be different on social (and any marketing efforts), or you won't stand out. Stop copying everyone and posting the backs of heads repeatedly–it doesn't play to how potential clients think.

Demonstrate your business's strategic differences.

Reviews & Social Proof

Online Booking

Make the process as frictionless as possible. 

Digital Marketing

Website

• Contact info: hours, location, current photos and videos (yes, videos)
• CLEAR CTA
• Online booking 
• Bio page
• Vibe and branding should be true and consistent

Other possibilities to explore:

• podcast
• blog 

Retention is HUGE!

Client experience should be a focus for every salon business.

Connection to your brand.

Follow up

Referrals 

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Should you do this or that? Is it worth paying attention to the systems everyone's arguing about online? 

In this episode, we'll run through a few systems to consider.

"People think innovation is just having a good idea, but a lot of it is just moving quickly and trying a lot of things." – Mark Zuckerberg.

At the end of the day, it's YOUR business, and you should do what's best.  Our opinions and thoughts come from our personal experiences.  Before making changes to your business, it's important to weigh the pros and cons and do LOTS of learning on the particular topic.

Systems we touch on in this episode:

•  Pricing structure
• Discounts
• Tipping
• Cancellation policies
• Booking deposits
• Closed books or always accepting new clients
• Promotions and deals
• Retail
• Marketing 
• Sales
• Retention 
• Rental or commission 

Want us to dive deeper into a specific topic?  Let us know!

Best,
-Jen & Todd

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This week we're talking about the messy middle! Something every biz owner deals with at some point. We finish the episode with some light, fun, random, unrelated to hair or business, questions.

When you start out, everything is amazing. Everyone tells you how awesome you are, how talented you are, and how successful you will be. Then like a freaking truck, it hits you!

The honeymoon wears off, but you also haven't reached your goals

This is 100% going to happen to ALL of us.

For hair pros, this is where you realize your technical talent isn't going to carry you any further because technical hair skills and biz skills are two completely unrelated things

What the messy middle may look like:

• Things begin to pile up
• You start questioning everything
• Everything feels uncertain
• Things feel unpredictable
• Revenue plateaus or drops
• You start to freak out internally
• You start micromanaging if you have a team and if you're independent it might manifest as passive-aggressive posts toward clients
• You're focused on what others are up to - and it's tempting to shift gears and do something that feels safe 
• You may experience feelings of wanting to give up, stuck like you're spinning your wheels
• You begin looking at money; differently, & suddenly not as freely spending as you were when things felt good - this may happen even if the money is still there
• You feel like things are going up and down - you're not just riding the high of opening anymore 

How do we deal with this?

• Recognize where you are in your journey and appreciate how far you've come - I know it isn't easy when you're stressed out, but please try.
• Recognize that you ARE capable of making it through the storm
• Recognize that you're NOT alone
• Recognize that you're going to need both sides of your brain - the logical side AND the creative side
• If you haven't, you need to start learning about business
• Evaluate and consider what you could improve
• Is there anything that you can pass off so that you can focus on higher-level tasks?
• What changes will bring in some money - it doesn't have to be crazy but little wins compound
• What changes will ease your mind
• What changes might keep your team or clients engaged - it's quite possible that things aren't as bad as they seem to you
• Take SMALL or even TINY steps - this isn't time for an overhaul, you may have a ton of changes to make, and that's ok - do not try to fix everything at once 
• Be good at pivoting - when you're small, you can take advantage of how nimble you actually can be. this is freeing when you think about it because you can make little changes and test things without shaking things up too much or upsetting too many people

If you need to chat please reach out! We mean it.

Enjoy,
-Jen & Todd

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Are you uninspired at your salon?  That's the topic we're covering in this week's episode.

Why do hair pros stay where they're not happy?  (This isn't just our industry but a problem most will face at least once in their career.)

• Most people will stay at a job they’re not happy with because at least it’s familiar. Change is scary.
• Influenced to stay put by family.
• Embarrassed by client comments.
• Pressure from salty owners.

Reasons hair pros may feel uninspired:

• Many people feel loyalty to the salon owner and take on responsibilities that are not there’s. And bad owners eat it up!
• Culture breakdown.
• You've been lied to.
• Treated poorly.
• Feel unappreciated.
• Drama and bad colleagues.
• Not seeing opportunities.
• Not feeling challenged.
• Everything is always the same: no novelty.
• Fake support from leadership.
• Forced to focus on things they aren’t interested in.
• No foundations: core values, mission, vision.  
• Changes are always "coming soon."
• Not feeling successful.

How to break the cycle and find a salon you can thrive in!

• Have a real convo with yourself to figure out if it’s you.
• What does your perfect day look like?  It's important to do this exercise.
• Understand that it’s ok to leave somewhere.
• Finding your fit may take a few places, but that's OK.
• Shadow if appropriate.  We get it; the industry can be catty.
• Get a service at a salon you may be interested in to feel it out.
• Ask friends who are hair pros at other salons.
• When you decide to take an interview, make sure I’m you’re interviewing the owner. Don’t be afraid to dive deep! They should be happy to answer any questions you have.

At the end of the day, you don't owe anything to anyone but yourself.  Do what you need to do and be where you choose to be. 

Reach out if you'd like to chat.  We're here to help!
EMAIL JEN & TODD

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This week we're talking about creating consistency within your business and some tactics for making lasting changes.

Why is this important?

If you’re going to be a leader you’ll need to create consistency. If you’re walking around saying “oh I’m just not good at x” then your team will do the same.

With yourself

• Keep your ego in check. Just start
• Define what you’re after
• Set a goal
• Create scenarios for success
• Focus
• Don’t go crazy. Build slow
• Schedule things. Use a calendar
• Stay positive. I CAN do this is just as powerful as I can’t do this
• Use accountability
• Celebrate wins
• Give an honest effort

With a team

• Remove stress
• Keep it as simple as possible
• Create opportunities
• Celebrate often
• Utilize systems

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In today's episode, we chat about some systems we believe every business needs.

We break down these systems:
1. Pay/Profit
2. Marketing
3. Sales
4. Retention & Client Experience
5. Owner Plan for Ascension
6. Driving Company Vision

Then lighten things up by chatting about where we go, as business owners, to find inspiration.

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In this episode, we're talking about innovation, and then we dive into some dated practices that should go away.

Disrupting for the sake of disrupting isn't helping anyone.
Disruptive innovation is a thing.
Innovation is what drives industries forward.



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Book:  It's All About the Guest by Steve DiFillippo

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We cover multiple topics in this week's episode!

Perspective & Evolution

• Changing how you view scenarios is the easiest way to shift a mindset.
• It's work, it's putting in the reps, it's not easy, but it is simple, and you CAN do it!
• Instead of thinking don’t fail, you should think win.
• Perspective is a really big piece of the puzzle. Be optimistic.
• Eventually, what got you to where you are won’t be enough to progress. 
• The team that takes you from 1 to 10 won’t be the team that takes you from 10 to 100.
• Most people won’t succeed because they’re not willing to stop doing the thing that got them to where they are...when it’s no longer the thing. 
• Where do you want to be, and what does it TRULY take to get there?
• Nothing will change if you just keep pushing down a path that isn't working because of some confirmation bias.

Time to math!

• Step one is to keep an open mind.
• Step two is to decide what metrics we'll measure and have a defined method for doing so.  Basically, you need a "why"
• This industry MUST stop looking at challenges with a short-sighted view.
• We also have to look at what we DO have and forget about what we DON'T have!
• Let's look at the lifetime value of a client.
• We're going to work in terms of how we price at our salon; if you price differently, that's cool; you'll still get the point.
• We'll use a fake hair pro that charges $100/hour and name him Benjamin.
• Benjamin's average appointment is 2 hours
• His average client comes in every 6 weeks
• Benjamin's average client is with him for a duration of 5 years
• $100x2= $200.
  Take a year, 52 weeks, and divide by 6 weeks; we get 8.6 visits per year.
  Now we take those 8.6 visits and multiply them by 200 because that's how much Benjamin makes each visit.
  We get $1720 per year.
• OK, now this is where things get fun.
• Let's conservatively increase Benjamin's rate by $10/hour per year
• This means year 1 is $1720 per client
• Year 2 goes up to $1892
• Year 3 is $2065
• Year 4 is $2236
• Year 5 is $2408
• If we add those numbers up, we get $10,320 lifetime value of the client
• Now, instead of looking at a client as $200, if Benjamin is able to look at each client as $10K what do you think happens?
• He steps up his game, for starters!
• He is willing to invest in himself.
• OK, so now ask yourself, and be honest!
• What sets you apart from the other hair pros in your town?
• Treat people kindly 

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Today we're talking about responsibility.  

Before we get there, we discuss some tips about sponsored ads for Instagram.

Todd was reading through a report from Modern Salon, and it sparked a thought about responsibility.  

We run through a couple of the graphs from the report and chat about them.

Why do people struggle to accept responsibility?

Ego. At least, we think that's a big part of it.

So what are the owner's responsibilities? 

Here's a short list we came up with:

• Building the business and assuming the risk
• Lifting others
• Creating opportunities
• Management and leadership
• Safety
• Quality
• Staying on track, i.e., mission, vision, core values
• Staffing
• Training
• Marketing
• Money
• Budgets
• Processes
• Systems
• Operations
• Inventory
• Taxes
• Insurance
• Rent
• Agreements
• Evaluation
• Innovation
• Technology
• Compliance and regulations
• Educating the public
• and a whole lot more

Now let's chat about some things that are not your responsibility as an owner.

We understand many more examples exist; this isn't meant to be a comprehensive list.  

Some things a business owner is NOT responsible for, such as happiness or building someone's book. 

Owners (should) want you to be happy and doing what your love. But that doesn't mean they're on the hook for your happiness. You find a way to be happy and bring it to the party.

They're also not responsible for building your book. You are. Owners could feed you clients all day long, but if you're not doing your part and they're not coming back to see you, that's on you. 

You'll make progress when you genuinely take responsibility for the things that happen in your business.

If you're not sure where to start, that's OK! But don't sit around waiting.

Take action. If you cannot figure it out alone, that's also OK! Find someone who can help guide you along.

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the Hello Hair Pro podcast celebrates its first birthday!

We talk about some of the things we've learned about podcasting over the past year and then dive into how to take your business idea from napkin (concept) to reality.

Keep in mind these are examples; your business will look different

• Concept: Get everything out of your head and down on paper.   We're not spending a ton of time on each item and how they'll apply. Just jot things down, and you'll organize them later.
• Strategy: This is the WHY. This is where you'll write down why this whole thing is going to work. This 'should' come before your plan so that you can leverage it to create the plan.
• Plan: This is your game plan.  This is your to-do list; this can include research, any testing or proof of concept, or marketing thoughts, it's all of the steps that you'll take in order to make progress.
• Agreements: handbook, systems, roles and tasks, software, forms, SWOT.
  Strengths are what you can take on, especially if you're bootstrapping. Be sure to keep that ego in check, though, because a strength can quickly become a weakness if we're not careful
  Weaknesses are things you'll want to pass off as soon as possible. We talk about numbers quite often and while they're super important, if you struggle with them, find someone who can make sense of them for you. Weaknesses can even be things you don't want to do, such as offering certain services because you don't want to do them.
  Opportunities will present as often as you'd like and even more.  You can put yourself in the position to receive countless opportunities, but they don't come without work.
  Threats can come in almost any form. This isn't just competition.
• Business plan: Executive summary (mission, vision, values, structure, what services or products will you offer?)
  Market/ing analysis: Who's problems are you solving? How are you solving them? What's the competition doing already? What are your strategic differences?
  Marketing plan: this is your social media strategy and other marketing avenues. What sort of supplies or materials, or content do you need to create or have created?  How will you get it in front of potential customers?  Staff training? 
  Outcomes and how you'll measure them: What milestones are you aiming for? How will you determine if you're successful in hitting them?  What metrics are you using?  Any math you may have, we'll include it here.
• Registration: State and start-up registrations. Business registered. Accounts setup.
• Support team: The big ones for us are accountant, lawyer, and mentor

BONUS TIPS for success!

• JUST START!  
• It doesn't need to be perfect; it needs to be viable.
• Don't be afraid of failing at stuff
• Celebrate often
• Be OK asking for help

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In this episode Jen & Todd are chatting about some of the lessons they've learned along the way. 

Failure to fully plan

• Business foundations and their importance
• When planning you should do your best to have the most information possible
• Being prepared is always a good thing

Paralysis by analysis 

• Get your idea down on paper or wherever it is you make notes or build things.
• Create a plan and a strategy for launching.
• Do the work.
• Move quickly but not recklessly. 
• Launch.
• GET TO ASSESSING!
• There's value in being first, there's value in improving something, there's value in accomplishment and achievement, know where there's no value?
  Never launching.

No, sally, you're not a perfectionist.

Avoiding numbers

• Todd used to avoid numbers because it stressed him out. What quickly happened was he inadvertently added stress to his life.
• Not knowing your numbers puts you at a massive disadvantage.
• Understanding the math is possible by being honest with yourself and looking hard at every dollar that moves through your business.
• Make a plan with your accountant and/or bookkeeper or a financial advisor.
• Become like really freaking excited about understanding your numbers and how you can use the information to do things like predict your next year.

 Trying to be for everyone

• Todd skipped creating avatars and rolled with the if he build it they will come method with my gym.
• Jen's last salon, under some extremely terrible advice, also tried to be for everyone.  It didn't end well.
• In the beginning of Todd's business career he  avoided most marketing and what he did do had very little focus.

A couple of links with cool stuff that happens when you click them:

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Links and Stuff:
Our (weekly) Email List

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Hello Hair Pro Website