Managing your salon well is key to success. UK hairstylist and salon owner Sean Hanna is consultant for L’Oréal Profes- sionnel. In India for to conduct special training for the brand, he shares some important tips to get the logistics right for your salon
Sean Hanna owns and runs a number of successful Sean Hanna salons. Switching from a career in accountancy to hairdressing, he has been a leader in the field for the last 30 years. Visiting Mumbai as consultant for L’Oréal Professionnel. He shares tips on salon management with Salon India.
Dynamic leadership Good salon management requires dynamic leadership. The manager should be a source of inspiration to the whole team. It is essential that each member of the team have a clear understanding of his or her goals and expect- ations. After identifying these, give them the help to cont- inually develop their careers.
Training for hairdressers I believe you should start with the basics first. Stylists should have control over their tools. They should be taught about classic shapes, then how to progress into personalized shapes and textures. Color training needs to start with product knowledge and then develop into creative techniques and solutions. Retail training is important for stylists to know the best products and how these can really contribute to their creativity.
Attend workshops
We recommend that stylists are exposed to some type of workshop on a regular basis to ensure that they are continually educated and motivated. Once a month is perfect. Workshops should be separ- ated into informative, educational and inspirational.
Develop retail areas
In years gone by, retailing used to be considered to be simply an ‘add-on’ but now its true to say that retail is an integral part of a salon’s business. Typically a reasonable salon could expect a boost in profit of at least 20 percent from developing a progressive retail culture. This figure could be a lot higher in many instances.
Staff retention
Staff retention is key to the success of any salon business. Keep your stylists motivated, one of the tools to do this is through education. It can be helpful to create artistic opportunities along with regular salon work. Hairdressing is a creative business — give your team a truly creative outlet! They should feel proud of the salon in which they work.
Equipment and hygiene
Hygiene is the major concern in every salon. There should be clean towels, clean brushes and sterilized equipment. Every salon must have hair brushes, hair dryers, scissors, straightening irons, and a range of professional products. I use brushes from Big Brush Company and Tigi Hardcore, GHD straightening irons, chairs and salon equipment from Melvyn Allen, and Asahi scissors. Our colors are from L’Oréal and the retail ranges are from L’Oréal and Kérastase.
Staff uniforms
It’s good to have a specific type of clothing and uniform as it mirrors the salon’s image to the clients. It can also help stylists to look professional. However it’s also important to ensure that we do not take away a person’s individuality.
Salon design
When designing a salon you should ask the question: ‘What does your design say about you’? Your design will help you attract both clients and stylists. If you want a young, cutting edge salon then this must be reflected in how you project your image. At the same time it’s important to ensure your that it is practical. It’s no good having a wonderful looking salon which is unable to cope with your client’s needs.
Success depends on…
The success of any salon not only depends on the excellent business management skills but qualified hairdressers, ambience, customer service, etc.
