[00:00:00] Antony Whitaker: Hello and welcome to another episode of the Grow My Salon Business Podcast. I'm your host, Antony Whitaker, and it's great to have you here with us today. This is the weekly podcast for ambitious stylists and salon owners everywhere. Every week, I either bring a guest on the show or I'll dive into a new idea or revisit the foundations of what it takes to succeed in the salon industry.
[00:00:27] Antony Whitaker: I'll feature both new people, new tech for the salon industry, and ideas as well as initiatives from established people and brands. Some of them might at first sound a bit too niche, but we'll explore why they're worth keeping an eye on, how they'll reshape client expectations, and how they'll be central to the future of the salon industry, and in some cases, perhaps even become the new normal.
[00:00:54] Antony Whitaker: Importantly, with every episode, I aim to bring you practical and actionable opportunities that you can run with today. We aren't sponsored, and so when we feature products and services, we do so because we think that as salon owners, it's in your interest to have a wide exposure to what's happening in the industry.
[00:01:14] Antony Whitaker: We really do appreciate the reviews for the podcast. And if you haven't yet left this review, then I'd be really grateful if you did over on either Spotify or the Apple podcast app, the ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show and to help other people to find the podcast.
[00:01:34] Antony Whitaker: And I also love to hear what's been helpful for you. All you need to do is go to the Apple podcast app, search grow my salon business, scroll to the bottom of the page and leave a review and we would be very appreciative. So with that said, on with today's show, whether it's on social media or on other people's podcasts or articles that I read, it seems to me that the goal of many salon owners is to leave a review.
[00:02:03] Antony Whitaker: and to step away from being behind the chair. Now I don't think it's inevitable, but there seems to be a point in the lives of many salon owners where They say that they want to step away from being behind the chair. They usually say that they want the salon to not be so reliant on them. Sometimes they say it's because they've lost their passion for doing hair all day.
[00:02:27] Antony Whitaker: Other times it's for reasons of physical health where their body aches at the end of the day and they just know that something has to change. And other times it's because they want to spend more time on building the team and developing the business. And all those reasons are totally valid. But there is a problem.
[00:02:49] Antony Whitaker: And the problem is that often, the reason that they can't step away from being behind the chair is because they are the salon's number one earner. Meaning that they're the busiest. They do the most clients. They do the most retail. They do the most color. They have the most rebookings. They generate the most money.
[00:03:07] Antony Whitaker: I'm sure you get the idea. In fact, I can sense some of you nodding your head in a mixture of frustration and agreement at this very moment in time. So what's the solution? Because there is a solution, there has to be a solution. But first we need to go back and look at how you ended up in this position in the first place.
[00:03:32] Antony Whitaker: So to start with, you are probably a hairdresser. And so there was a day where you decided to open a salon of your own. Nothing wrong with that, but the problem is that from day one of opening the salon, your skills and knowledge were the skills of the hairdresser, not the skills of the business owner. So what you did, and I dare say what I and many others have also done, is open a salon With the assumption that you were good at doing here and you would attract others that were also good at doing here, and then together you'd build a business that would be profitable and where everyone would work hard and you'd all live happily ever after.
[00:04:15] Antony Whitaker: But business isn't like that. People aren't like that. And over the years, your staff have come and gone. You employ more, some stay, some move on, but you've been the constant. Maybe you have a team now of six, seven or eight other people. But the reality is that the business has become reliant on you. In fact, in many ways, The business has become you.
[00:04:42] Antony Whitaker: And so you start to feel trapped. The problem is that in reality, a salon needs to reach a certain size before the owner can even consider stepping away. From doing clients, and the reality is that most salons are not big enough, and therefore they simply don't generate the revenue needed to enable the owner to step away from being behind the chair doing clients.
[00:05:09] Antony Whitaker: In most cases, even with an eight person salon, you can't step away. It's just not big enough to produce the revenue to pay you. For the work that you would do as a manager and generate the profit that you need to see owner as well as pay all the team and all the costs incurred in running a salon business.
[00:05:31] Antony Whitaker: And even if with a salon that size, you are almost making it work, then as soon as one or two staff members leave, well, there goes 25 percent of your business, and that will probably force you straight back behind the chair. So you either recognize that being an owner operator, working behind the chair in a small salon, is your reality.
[00:05:55] Antony Whitaker: Or the alternative is that from the day you open your salon, you have a vision to build a business. A proper business with 10, 15, 20 staff. And so that when one or two or three people leave, and they will, it's just a speed bump in the road. So is it easy to build a business with 10 or 15 or 20 people on the team?
[00:06:17] Antony Whitaker: Definitely not. In fact, many people would say it's harder now than ever. But it is possible and plenty of people still do it and I have done it too. But if you are to do it, Then you need to build the business from the beginning with the intention of creating a proper business. A business that is not a part of you, but apart from you.
[00:06:42] Antony Whitaker: And part of that process is recognizing from day one that the skills that you have as the hairdresser are not the skills that you need to build a business. The skills needed to build the business of the skills of management, marketing, financial control and leadership. And so from day one, you need to be transitioning from the skills and knowledge of the hairdresser to gradually developing the skills and knowledge of a business owner.
[00:07:12] Antony Whitaker: Because if you open a business and build a business with the intention. Oh, but becoming a seven-figure business and you put all the systems and processes in place that will enable that to happen. Then you're giving it the best possible chance that it will happen. But even if you don't necessarily want to have a seven figure business, at least by putting those systems and processes and structure, et cetera, in place, at least you're Giving yourself a business that can work without you, a business that isn't dependent on everything having to be done by you, a business that enables you to go on holiday, a business that enables you to take time out, a business that enables you to delegate things to other people.
[00:07:57] Antony Whitaker: And so the business can run whether you are there or not. And if you do that, then your business will grow. Sure, it's going to teach you lots of lessons along the way, and it doesn't happen overnight. In fact, it's a journey that takes years of constant learning and evolving as a person and as a business owner.
[00:08:18] Antony Whitaker: And at times it will be one step forward and two steps back, and at times it will frustrate the hell out of you. But if you had the vision, if you had the commitment, if you had the determination, and if you're prepared to put the work in. Then you can build a business that will enable you to gradually step away from being behind the chair, which will then enable you to devote your time and energy to building that business that isn't reliant on you to do all the work, but instead becomes a business that can run without you having to be behind the chair.
[00:08:56] Antony Whitaker: Now that journey starts with you recognizing that with salon  ownership, you have a different role. With salon ownership, success is not measured by how busy you personally are or how much revenue you generate behind the chair. As an owner, your success is measured by how you attract and nurture a team.
[00:09:18] Antony Whitaker: Your success is about how you define and evolve your business vision. It's about developing the systems and the processes so that your business is not dependent on you. It's about defining your values and creating a great culture. It's about how well you organize your time, your resources, and how you train and lead those on your team.
[00:09:40] Antony Whitaker: All that is the job of the business owner. The job of the business owner is to be a leader, to have a vision and a plan to make it reality. I don't just talk about it, I've actually done it. And you can do it too. 
[00:09:56] Antony Whitaker: So if you'd like to start by downloading a free salon management checklist, then visit growmysalonbusiness.com forward slash management hyphen checklist. Now I know that's a little bit of a mouthful. So I'll also put that link in the show notes below wherever you are listening to this.
[00:10:18] Antony Whitaker: Now, I also have a free masterclass coming up shortly. It's titled four essential lessons in salon management to set you up for success. You'll see dates and times and a link to register in the show notes of today's podcast.
[00:10:34] Antony Whitaker: So if what we've covered today resonates with you, then make sure you register via the link in the podcast show notes to attend the free live masterclass, where I'll dive in deeper about what it takes for you to get the success that you deserve.
[00:10:50] Antony Whitaker: So to wrap up, thank you for listening to this week's episode of the Grow My Salon Business Podcast. Until next week, be safe and take care of yourself.