Month: January 2023

There are, of course, beautiful sides to any social platform. How this loaded information gets strained through is another matter.

Gone are the days of having to show up in a classroom to get the hands-on experience you’d need to perform a more advanced task. We now have Google, Instagram, and Youtube to show licensed hairdressers how to perform straighteners- perms- and double processes. The stress begins with this education not being barred from the weekend hair warriors. As far as anyone is concerned, if you can watch it – you can do it.

We need more than ever to pay attention to the education being delivered and who is pushing said advice. For the younger stylist launching into our field, the only requirement to get advice is that you and your model must be pretty. And for the older stylists, we are trying to find the real artists through the haze of wanna Be’s.

These are my top three most significant problems with Social Media knowledge.  

1.)   Stolen Valor ( my personal pet peeve 🙄)

2.)   The wrong education in the wrong hands

3.)   The marketing launch

Stolen Valor is particularly one of the most prominent problems stylists have these days. Owning a shop does not make you a Master of anything. Yet, I often see master stylist – master colorist- master blah blah blah stamped multiple times on bios in any given salons website.

My advice – IF you have ‘Master’ anything listed on your BIO, and you have not earned it – take it down immediately. Invest in Vidal- get the courses. THEN you may say you are Vidal qualified. Earn IT. Watching one class online does not make you Vidal certified. This advice goes for ANY qualification you have listed. Instead, I offer you a simple fix – jot down – ‘I am currently working on getting more certification in the field of blah blah blah.’ Do not belittle someone else’s hard-earned education and money put into it TO get that permission to say it for real. In other words, do not try to be something you are not.

Wrong education in the wrong hands is another worrisome subject. It all begins with the push for girls/guys to be seen and heard. I am not the only hairdresser who has had to suffer through a terrible video of a non-licensed hair guru teaching me How to double process. Hairdressers are not the only ones looking for coloring advice- so is the public. We cannot stop the ever-growing wanna Bes stylists out there –

My advice, get involved with your staff and have meetings on this subject. Sit down with your team, go over WHO they are following, and see if your staff is getting the wrong advice.

I do need to note here- there is of course a great possibility your staff can show you owners something new and noteworthy!

The marketing Launch- again, everybody wants to be the pretty face for the product, and all the young stylists want to be that pretty face. For the marketing side, this type of social media is just the sort of launch pad they need to launch their unknown products. These newer products may need to be more chemically compatible with our chemicals. A horrible side effect is always a significant concern for us stylists, so don’t be fooled by a market slather.

In closing, be aware of social media scams – propaganda and knowledge. For your older stylist with some background in hair and marketing, make sure you are teaching your staff about the pitfalls encroaching on our professional arena. Have a meeting – ask each girl to write two – third person bios. One on their current qualifications and another on what they wish it would read. Helping them achieve their goal is an excellent way for you to connect with your staff and keep them from making huge mistakes.  

Salon Owner Heather Lea Ryan

Owner of BookPressed™ WWW.BOOKPRESSED.COM

#SocialMediaInSalons #TeachingBetter #HairdressingAdvice #HairLoftOnLinden #BookPressed #ThinkSmarter #SalonManagement #SalonOwners #SalonBusiness

I don’t know who needs to hear this information, but here it is.
Nothing is forever~
Change is the only constant, yet it is the hardest thing to accept.

*Nothing can stay the same while every day is different.

Way back in the 90s – I was working in a salon on Long Island, New York. I loved working there; I loved all of it. The atmosphere was alive and buzzing with clients’; the phones never stopped ringing, and walk-ins to the point of standing room only.
A smile drapes my face when I reflect on how fun hairdressing was in that shop. If memory serves me correctly there wasn’t any drama. My Boss was incredible, her sister was creative, and her cousin, meh, was ok. Our front desk girl was definitely on some pill or powder at any given time, but she knew how to work our schedules.
Those were the days. And then I blew it- I left.
So why did I quit? Honestly, it wasn’t so much the shop as it was the relationship I was in. My cool Boss was kind and supportive when I said I needed a job closer to home.
Looking back -I tried to change everything but myself, and by doing so – I lost that Cool shop by leaving it for another shop. I thought all shops would be the same crazy busy. I’d get my assistant back- the phone would be ringing – but no- it was a huge letdown.
I would have gone back to that excellent salon. I left on great terms, but I was out of the relationship and moving to a different state, so off to find another salon I went.
It was the beginning of my understanding that finding another shoe (shop) that fit me would be challenging.
Two things I hope you caught there.
I would have gone back to that shop… and not every shop is the same.
First – If you want change-
You will get change-
Second – Never leave a job on bad terms – try not to burn bridges.

Hairdressers, when considering leaving a job, there are three no’s.
Never cause chaos to justify why you want to leave.
Don’t recruit others in the same shop because of spitefulness or your insecurities about being the only one to go, and finally leave in a way that you could be welcomed back. No one likes a scene.

Bosses have just as big of a role to play in changing the guard/stylist. Understand How you react to a stylist leaving your salon is a big deal. No doubt your feelings were hurt, or maybe not, but other stylists are watching how you handle the situation. Handle it with a behavior in keeping good taste and propriety. When you began your journey as an owner, you knew that people would come and go. For every girl/guy leaving, there will be another artist new or old who is so excited to get the chance to work in your shop. People/ stylists/ you name it, change constantly.
The point of this article is to let you know this business is no different than any other. You work for your money and go home and have a life. Our business is about producing visible changes that represent our talent. Our talent is not just subjected to our art but also our attitude.
So Bosses be ok with change. It won’t kill you, and stylists stay professional.

Salon Owner -Owner of Bookpressed.com – Heather Lea

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