Is one of your goals to become a business owner? Or do you want to know a little bit more about my journey? If you are a beauty professional, what about going independent, or opening a salon? This was always my goal when I switched careers in my late 30's. Don't get me wrong, I'm so glad I did! However there are some things that I took with a grain of salt and didn't fully understand the impact it would have on my life! Read on to learn from what I have, so hopefully you can have a smoother transition, be inspired to take the risk, or just understand more about the commitment I have to Lash Honey B.H.
Your Business Model Will Change
Trends come and go, just like every idea for a new business, they change and evolve. My original business plan changed even before I opened up the 1st location, then again in 6 months it evolved again! I have had to pivot about every 9 months since opening. Between 2020 closures, rebuilding clientele, launching training, taking on employees, and then wanting to simplify, there has never been a dull moment. I have learned that to remain current you should analyze the current trends, but not jump on every one because you can spread your resources too thin.
It Takes a Lot of Time, the Grind is Real
One of the first things I do when I wake up is grab my work phone. I check emails, texts, that days schedule, all social media messages, and respond. This is usually when I have my coffee! I do the same thing before 9 at night, that's usually my hard stop. In between those times I'm a service provider, mom, and salon manager, so needless to say its always a busy day! It takes time to get to this point, it also takes time for business to develop, there is no such thing as overnight success or going viral accidentally. It all takes effort, which coincides with time put in! Also the time it takes to run a business and make it look easy can be overwhelming and exhausting for some and that level of stress is simply not for everyone, the grind is real. I'm lucky my career before this prepared me for what I want out of a work life balance, and helped me recognize my desire to succeed, and achieve that success in healthy ways.
Remaining Authentic and Professional
If you have visited our Hive you know how personable it is. Think a barber shop for the lash crowd! Stories are shared, the good, bad, and ugly, and the downright ridiculous. We laugh, cry, support, all while lashing and waxing. It's always been important to me to have that kind of environment, but it can clash with the fact that I am the head of every department. HR, customer service, marketing, social media manager, content creator, banker, tax advisor, policy enforcer, etc.. The seriousness of these jobs can create issues on some level if professionalism isn't maintained, with clients and other service providers. Boundaries are incredibly important, I just think that I didn't take into account how many avenues they were needed.
Leading Others to Success
This is directed more towards other industry providers or business owners. The financial dependency and success of others in your influence is an incredibly heavy burden to shoulder. Having a salon and being a trainer seems like a dream and goal to achieve to most in my industry. I know I wake up every day giving it 200% because my daily effort affects the others in my circle, positively and negatively. Training others isn't something to be taken lightly, every student I have, I am invested in their future success. The same thing can be said for my salon co-workers, if we have a slow month, it is my responsibility as a leader to create a strategy to build the business back up with them. This isn't to be taken lightly and is often overlooked in the beauty industry.
The Future....
If you've read this far, thank you! Even after all the obstacles I've had to overcome, I wake up every day thankful that I get to influence and guide others to reach success while making a good income. If I had to pick the most rewarding thing about my career it would be a tie between seeing people that I have influenced flourish and seeing my clients feel their best (mind and body) when they leave Lash Honey!
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