Category: Salon Business

It is a given that hair stylists possess creativity and talent to attract and keep their clientele.  Clients will always expect a great cut or color from their stylist.  Sometimes it is the little things that have nothing to do with how you style hair that keep your customers coming back.  Here are some salon success tips that will help your salon provide service that is a cut above the rest.

1) Start at the Beginning

If at all possible, have a real person answer the phone and schedule appointments.  Make it easy for clients to find you – whether that’s online booking, a direct phone or text line, or an assistant/personal receptionist managing your schedule. From the customer’s perspective, it is so much easier to simply interact with a representative who can determine what times are available and answer a few simple questions.  Making the appointment setting process simple and efficient helps your clientele feel you value their time.

2) Don’t Overbook

If you are a great hair stylist, eventually you will double book your appointments to fit in your clientele.  However, if you regularly make your customers wait 20 or 30 minutes every time they come in, eventually they will move on to another stylist who is ready to help them right away.  Most individuals lead very busy lives.  Often they have to coordinate with the babysitter and/or juggle multiple schedules just to dedicate time at your salon.  Respecting your customer’s time shows you put their needs first.

3) Cleanliness Counts

It is difficult to keep your salon atmosphere neat and clean when swamped with appointments, but customers appreciate establishments that take the time to keep up with basic housekeeping.  If your assistant is not taking phone calls, have them sweep the floors, straighten the magazines and pick up any trash left.  Most individuals expect a little pampering when they visit a salon and a clean atmosphere adds to their experience.  If your studio regularly gives the impression that dirt and grime are constant fixtures, it will give off a negative vibe to your customers.  Keep your clients comfortable and happy in a clean and beautiful environment.

To summarize, salons that offer their customers a great look, along with a hassle-free experience in positive surroundings have a winning combination that is hard to beat.

Congratulations!  You’ve decided to open your own Image Studios 360 salon.  One of the exciting things about owning your own salon is adding your own personalized decorating touches.  It helps you feel comfortable and at home in a place where you spend a great deal of your day.  In addition, it creates an inviting atmosphere for your clients so they can feel pampered and special.  Whether you’re decorating for the first time or just need a little studio sprucing for the new year, here some key tips to follow.

• Focal Point
  • When decorating your salon, focus on making a statement with large items such as mirrors, lighting and comfortable seating for guests.  If you focus on decorating with small items, along with the necessary clutter from your salon tools, the overall picture will overwhelm the senses and take away from the relaxing mood you are trying to create.  If you want to decorate with bold colors, that’s fine, but it is better to wow your guests with a pop of color here and there than to overdo it.  In fact, a bold piece or two will do more to add polish than to overpower your salon with bold colors everywhere.

• Surrounding Environment
  • Evaluate your community surroundings when determining what kind of theme you would like to offer your clients. If your salon is located in or near a historic district, consider finishing touches that go hand-in-hand with the local neighborhood.  If your main clientele consists of mostly men, they will most likely feel more comfortable in a more masculine environment.

• Self-reflection 
  • With so many different styles out there, how do you choose? The best advice is to stay true to yourself. Your studio space should reflect who you are and your own creative style – you will be the one in it the majority of the time anyway! Let your creative side take charge and reflect who you are in your own way.

If you’re looking for more salon-themed inspiration there are lots of ideas online.  You can simply search for “salon ideas” in your favorite search engine or visit a site like Etsy or Pinterest for great ideas. Check out some of our very own pro’s studios for inspiration!

 Alter Ego – South Jordan                                                                      The Beauty Room – South Jordan

                       Wax Me Too – Draper                                                         Alchemy Studio – Fort Union 

Creating customer loyalty is a crucial way of being a successful business. A loyalty reward program is a great way to get your customers coming back for more. One that is poorly understood is a VIP program.

What Is A VIP Program?

VIP programs are those that your customers have to pay to join. These programs offer a variety of benefits that are unique to paying customers, such as access to unique services, discounted prices, and more.

Example Of A Good VIP Program

While it might be hard to imagine a good VIP program in action, consider Amazon Prime. This program requires users to pay just $99 a year to receive a variety of high-quality benefits.

For example, people who pay for this program get free two-day shipping on all their orders. They also get access to unlimited streaming of certain movies and mp3 albums. Customers who use Prime spend double of those who don’t, more than making up for potential losses.

Creating Your Own VIP Program

While your business likely can’t absorb a large loss, a VIP program of some time can still be used. For example, in your studio you could offer a VIP package that includes free bang trims, product discounts or simple touch ups between appointments for your VIP members.

This will cost you a little money, but if you charge a fair VIP price (such as $50-100 per customer), you can gain back some of the loss and likely gain loyal customers who will come back to you and create client loyalty.

Check out more ideas on #BehindtheChair loyalty programs here.

The holiday season represents cherished family memories, thoughtful gifts, jolly festivities and of course, a more prosperous time businesses. Wondering what can help prepare and capitalize your salon business during the holidays? Here are 4 tips for salon professionals and how to gear up for the busy holiday season:

#1: Devise a Plan with your Assistants

Prepare your assistants or staff for the busiest shopping season of the year. Conduct weekly meetings, develop marketing strategies together, discuss products and help keep their spirits up during this overwhelming work time. Don’t forget to show them a real appreciation for all of their hard work. When your staff has a set goal, stays happy and feels in the loop, you increase your chances of heightened sales and success.

#2: Update your Mailing List Promotions

Make sure to update your clientele contact list and keep them updated on all of your time-limited holiday promotions, as well as other events. Inform them of important dates, times, special discounts, etc. Inform them of all the amazing deals that you are offering during the season. Also, don’t be afraid to actively promote on social media, blogs, and other local websites as well. The clients who accidentally miss your e-mails are less likely to also miss out on your other posts as long as its out there.

#3: Advertise Gift Certificates

Follow suit with other businesses and boost your own advertisement for holiday gift certificates. Let your clientele know that instead of buying cookies and wine as gifts, they can give the wonderful gift of an invigorating, pampered experience to someone special. Most people want gift cards and salons who sell more gift cards gain more clients. In fact, half of customers trying a salon for the first time are more likely to return back because they received a gift card and enjoyed their luxurious visit. Create a unique gift card offer and advertise it vigorously. Stock up on  gift certificates and order here.

#4: Host a Holiday Party

Invite your clientele to a holiday party where they can try out numerous products, participate in raffles, games and receive take home goodie bags with samples to try. Decorate your salon with festive, fun, holiday cheer and present tasty baked goods and snacks. Get to know your guests, their preferences, offer them gift ideas and find out what products they love and dislike. Make them feel that their invitation was personal and intended to cater to their needs. They’ll be more enthusiastic to return to your salon for their next appointment and recommend your salon to their friends too.

When you begin running your own salon suite, you will feel so fulfilled and so grateful it is only natural to want to share some of this feeling through giving back to your community. For those who are taking control of their lives and business and want to incorporate this amazing element into their business model, we’ll look at some examples of giving back – why and how.

John DiJulius, in his book Secret Service, “encourages salon owners and stylists to embrace giving back as a critical part of the way they do business.”

Note that making it a critical part of your business emphasizes that it’s a part of your whole brand and image, and actually built into your business, not just a one-time thing. In order to maximize your salon suite franchise opportunity you want to have it known that this is a core value to your salon and its employees.

This gives you external exposure for public relations and business generating purposes, but more importantly it attracts the type of people who value these types of efforts, and shows that you are one of these types of people as well.

Mark Bustos, a barber from New York, spends his day off each week giving free haircuts to the homeless on the streets of New York, approaching them and saying, “I’d like to do something nice for you today.” He uploaded pictures of some of his homeless clients on Instagram, but did not know it would go as viral as it did.

This is why we do quarterly events within the community, such as a cut-a-thon this last April to prepare kids for their picture day, and to generate donations for clothing and hygiene products.

At Image Studios 360 we believe “it can be so easy to just donate money and be disconnected to the issues, but when you give of your time and talents, you can remember that real beauty is within.”

In another example of how to get involved using your skills , “Matthew Landis and a group from Image Studios participated in Cuts for Kids at Midvale Elementary and Copper View Elementary,” working with underprivileged kids to give them free haircuts, and help raise awareness for school supplies they need, as well as inviting the community to join in and donate as well.

Once you jump in and get your salon suite involved in your community, you will see and feel how using your talents to help others in need will be worthwhile in and of itself, as well as being a benefit to your own business.

In the aftermath of the recent recession, some people could never imagine not having a steady paycheck. Believe it or not, it’s actually riskier to have a source of income that you ultimately have no control over. No matter how hard you work, if there is a layoff, your job and your only source of income is instantly gone. That’s why it’s more lucrative and in some ways safer to go into business for yourself. Here are three reasons you make more money being your own boss.

1. Work Harder, Make More Money 

When you work for yourself, all of your hard work is seen directly and immediately in the profits you reap. When you work for a corporation, you see a very small percentage of the profits you created for them if any at all. When you work for yourself, a new deal may mean hundreds of thousands of dollars for your business. If you were to accomplish something of the same magnitude for a company, you may get a few thousand dollars at best. Working for yourself is a much more efficient way to make more money in a shorter amount of time.

2. Less Overhead When Working For Yourself

Working for a company can be expensive! You have to have a reliable car to commute for hours per day, you have to pay for gas, a corporate wardrobe and don’t forget all of those fancy lunches and lattes. If you think about it, even getting up in the morning and getting ready for work is time that you could have been spending making more money. When you’re your own boss, you call the shots on expenses vs income. You also determine your pricing. Click here for a starter guide to making more money and raising your prices.

3. Do it Better Your Own Way & Make More Money 

Have you ever worked for a company and become frustrated with their inefficient practices? Do you constantly come up with new ideas to improve business yet get shot down by the bureaucracy of your company? If so, entrepreneurship would be perfect for you! With your own business, you can do things your own way on your own time and as a result make more money. There’s no one holding you back from implementing your genius ideas.

There are several pros and cons to being your own boss but if one of your major goals is to make a ton of money, entrepreneurship is the best solution.

Does entrepreneurship sound like something you would be interested in? If so, check out our incredible franchising opportunities. And make sure to read other articles on entrepreneurship on our blog.

Americans spend $75 billion on beauty services and products each year in the United States. That is a lot of haircuts, pedicures, botox treatments and eyebrow waxings.

The salon and hair care industry in the United States is growing rapidly at 14% per year, with a 31% job growth rate. There are currently 1.1 million Americans working in the beauty industry in some form, whether they are hairdressers, massage therapists, aestheticians, barbers or nail salon technicians. Most Americans want to look their best, and they are willing to pay for it. However, beauty industry businesses make up only 9% of the total franchise establishments nationwide. This offers a huge opportunity for industry growth over the next several years, and Image Studios 360 is poised to grow exponentially, as they expand their markets along with their brand and duplicate their high-end salon concept across the country.

The company only began franchising in 2015, and currently has six salon units in Utah. They opened the first salon in Salt Lake City, and are on track to open ten to fifteen more units over the next year. Image Studios 360 has created a dynamic salon experience, and interested franchise investors are starting to take notice.

“Our salons are sleek and sexy, as well as modern and classy,” states Ariana Spiers, Director of Franchise Development for the company.

The concept is to build out high-end, and high-energy, locations that attract a variety of salon professionals who don’t want to take on the cost of owning their own brick and mortar salons. Instead, they want to lease a space, among other professionals offering beauty services to a higher class of customer. This allows beauty professionals to own their own businesses with lower overhead expenses, and also allows them to work in a beautiful space that attracts a clientele willing to pay more for their beauty treatments.

Franchise owners of an Image Studios 360 Salon are in the unique position of owning their own business without the need for employees or product inventory to warehouse. Other than a property manager, franchise owners will be trained thoroughly on how to attract and market the salon spaces to local beauty professionals, and how to manage tenants, utilizing corporate branded marketing materials, and a proven business model.

Spiers states, “We provide the space, and the franchise owners provide the talent.” As for the outstanding branding program provided to salon owners and tenants of Image Studios 360, Spiers goes on to say, “Even if the salon tenants have their own branding or logo, they still love to co-brand with us.”

Onboard training for a new Image Studios 360 franchise owner begins with instilling the company’s culture and values. Owners are given extensive training on the Image Studios 360 business model and brand during their Discovery Days at the corporate office in Salt Lake City, Utah. For three to five days, franchisees are walked through the entire process, from the day they sign their franchise agreement, to site selection and build out of the salon, through marketing and tenant acquisition, and finally to the grand opening of their salon.

Interested franchisees are given three options with regard to the size of the business that they want to acquire. A small salon will house 16 to 19 salon suites. An average sized salon will encompass about 5,000 square feet of salon space, with 26 to 30 individual salon businesses, and a large salon will hold 36 to 40 salon businesses in a 9,000 square foot space. This allows for flexibility with regard to the market size, as well as the available spaces for lease in a desirable location.
“We are not just in the business to sell the franchise. We are in the business to create successful franchises,” states Spiers.

The concept of Image Studios 360 is a simple one, “We provide an incredible space and atmosphere through our franchise system; our people bring the passion, talent and clientele to their space.” The company was founded by two brothers, Jason and Shaun Olsen, and with their amazing team of talented professionals, Image Studios 360 is definitely a franchise organization to watch, as they become the leader in the luxury beauty salon industry.

About Image Studios 360
Image Studios 360 was designed for industry professionals, making it possible to have a salon and be your own boss. Concept is simple: provide an incredible space and atmosphere – you bring your passion, talent, and clientele. Together create an intoxicating formula for success.

About Franchise Training Series
With staying true to our goal of making you more successful at your job, The Franchise Training series encompasses a wide variety of franchise topics designed to help franchisors and potential franchisees gain knowledge of business practices.

http://www.latitudelearning.com/blog/article/1379684/image-studio-360-on-the-cutting-edge-of-the-beauty-industry

It’s that time of year again! Pumpkin spice has returned, s’mores have peeked out of their holes, and the leaves are turning every shade of a bonfire. Halloween season is upon us, and if you don’t know what to wear, don’t worry about it. Just check out these ideas, and see if you find something that appeals to you.

3 Halloween Fashion Ideas to Make You Stand Out

#1: Skull and Bones

Halloween is, at its core, a celebration of a changing season. A time when the dead and the living walk side-by-side, able to glimpse one another in the brief moments as summer gives way to winter. As such, Halloween is a time that you can get away with anything that features bones. Whether it’s a simple mourning dress with a silver skull pendant, tee-shirts featuring a grinning reaper, or the full painted face ensemble, skeletons never go out of style.

#2: The Adams Look

While it’s been years since the Adams Family was on TV, the show left an indelible impression on our popular culture. Kooky, unusual, and clever, every member of the family had a distinct weirdness to them. This Halloween season, why not channel that? Whether you want to imitate Morticia’s dress, Wednesday’s deadpan demeanor, or ask what happened when Pugsley finally grew up, there’s a lot of potential in this classic.

#3: Superheroes

While Marvel and DC are still clashing at the box office, as well as on the small screen, superheroes aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. And while a full set of spandex tights might be a strain on the budget, there are other, more creative ways to bring out the hero (or villain) in you. One of the best ways, if you need a last-minute costume idea, is to go as your favorite hero’s alter ego. Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent, Tony Stark, and others are all fairly easy to dress the part of; the rest is just getting the voice and mannerisms down.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BKbL4IpAhPi/?taken-by=jillmariemakeup&hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/p/BC6MjOoTKSZ/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BLXp_4OD9mU/?taken-by=beyondbeautiful.llc&hl=en