So, “What is it that you want to achieve now?”
If you are a salon owner think back to when you began on this journey of starting your own business. You probably had a dream of what you wanted, and it was probably based on what your salon was going to ‘look like’, the visual representation of the business.
As hairdressers we are good at the visual representation, the ‘what it will look like’. And while that’s important, it’s only the beginning. It’s the dream that got you started on this journey, but on its own it’s not enough.
So, “What is it that you want to achieve now?”
’The What’ is the start point, the middle point and the end result. It’s the guiding light, it’s your compass, your true north, the thing you are trying to achieve, the dream, the goal. Call it what you want, but it’s the ‘What’ you are trying to do..
‘The What’ is the thing that gets you up in the morning, it’s the thing that gets you through the tough times… It’s where your energy, determination, passion and ability to lead and inspire others comes from.
It’s the, ‘how big’, the ‘how many’, the ‘how much?’ It’s the what it will ‘look like’, what ‘it will ‘sound like’, what it will ‘feel like’, it’s the when and the where and the how. It’s the end result.
The ‘What’ is the vision that you have for your business.
If you are a salon owner you need a ‘What’ or a ‘Vision’ for your business.
And do you know something, for many salon owners there is no ‘what’, there is no vision for what they are trying to do. Because for many salon owners their vision has become just about survival, just about getting to the end of the week, end of the month or year. It’s to, ‘just to keep on going’ and hope that it gets better.
Your business needs to be about more than just survival, it needs to be built around a clear and compelling vision.
A defined and easily understood business vision is the very cornerstone of your commercial success, not just for you and your staff but for anyone that has a vested interest in your business. Your vision is the starting point for setting clear objectives and targets, and for creating a detailed business plan that gives purpose to your training, marketing, financials and branding.
The vision delivers shared goals into the hands of your team members and gives you something with which to align your business and benchmark your success. So, what is your ‘what’?
Once you have defined it, what is the next step?
Your vision can’t be a secret. Communicating what the the vision is, is an essential part to bringing it alive in your business and making it happen. But you can’t communicate it until you define it.
So, what do you want to achieve, what will you represent, who do you want to be in the minds of your clients, your team, your community?
When you can describe that vision to a team of people and then get their buy-in to the big picture, it will give them a sense of ownership which will also help guide their actions and behaviours. That feeling of belonging is a powerful force and encourages your team to embrace and build on your vision.
So why is it that so many salon owners have no vision beyond simply surviving. I think it’s because once they open their salon, they become bogged down in the day-to-day operations of the business and stuck behind the chair servicing a full column of clients.
They don’t make the time to step back and to constantly be re-evaluating and say ‘this is what we are trying to achieve’. That lack of perspective robs them of their opportunity to see their business objectively and build a realistic and long term vision.
So ask yourself, where and what is your vision? The dream, the excitement the hunger the passion… where is it now? Do you still have it? If not, why, and how do you get it back?
So here’s 10 practical steps that you can do to help develop your vision.
Thank you for watching…
If you haven’t already got it I recommend that you get my book ‘GROW 2 Management' there is more in there about defining your business vision.
If this has been helpful and you would like to find out more about what we do visit growmysalonbusiness.com
Don’t forget to follow me on my Facebook and Instagram page @growmysalonbusiness
Have a great week!