Smart strategies and trends you should know
You’re finally in charge of your own salon. Congratulations! Running your own self-care business is a thrilling, rewarding endeavor. It’s also far more challenging than many people realize. Hiring and managing a team, ordering supplies, setting the service menu, keeping your appointment calendar booked — it’s a lot to handle even for the most experienced salon professionals.
To help you develop leadership skills and manage your responsibilities with poise, we’ve put together a crash course in salon management. Use this guide as you navigate your new role and lead your salon to success.
Leadership 101: What to expect as a salon manager
Knowing your responsibilities
What does a salon manager do, exactly? When you’re in charge, you’re responsible for the “big picture” of your salon. In addition to much of the same day-to-day work as your stylists, you’ll also handle a number of operational duties, including:
Scheduling: When creating work schedules, you’ll have to balance your employees’ requests and preferences with having adequate coverage for appointments and walk-ins.
Customer service: Client relationships are everything, and it takes exceptional customer service to foster and maintain those relationships.
Reporting: Ready to crunch some numbers? You’ll need to prepare financial reports for investors or stakeholders and track your salon’s progress.
Inventory: From gloves and color to salon chairs and professional equipment, you’re in charge of making sure your providers have what they need. If your salon has a retail component, you’ll be in charge of keeping those shelves stocked as well.
It’s important to understand that your compensation for these responsibilities varies greatly based on your experience, the type of salon you run, and your experience. According to Indeed.com, the average base salary for salon managers is $25.95 per hour or $63,181 per year. However, if you have an ownership stake in the salon or earn tips from services, that will impact your take-home pay as well.
For more details, read Salon Manager Survival Guide - Resources to Carry For Your Whole Career.
Hiring and inspiring your team
Salons don’t run on strong management alone. Keeping a self-care business thriving is a team effort, and you’ll need stylists, assistants, and receptionists backing you up. As the business grows, you’ll need to round out your management team in order to delegate strategically.
Attracting the best talent starts with preparation. Post job listings on professional boards, but don’t be afraid to reach out to your own network as well. Schedule interviews and be prepared to answer questions about the salary range for the position, expected duties, and your work culture.
No matter the role, you need to have a formal onboarding process for your employees. This helps set them up for success while introducing them to your salon and your policies. Make your expectations clear, especially when it comes to client interactions and customer service. Ensure there are no questions about how the booking process and employee schedules work to avoid friction down the line. Set aside training time to show new hires how to use your salon management software to keep things moving along smoothly.
For more hiring tips, check out Job Roles in a Beauty Salon: How to Hire and Manage a Lean Staff.
Leading by example
Your management style will ultimately serve as a template for your team’s behavior. Your stylists need to see you engaging with clients in a professional but welcoming manner so that they can follow your example. The tone you set at the front desk will inspire your front-of-house team to deliver the same level of service. And when everyone’s overwhelmed during an unexpected rush, you need to be willing to step in and lend a hand — otherwise, how can you expect anyone else to go above and beyond?
Part of leading by example is being able to communicate clearly whether you’re talking to employees or clients. Hone those communication skills by speaking clearly and concisely; get straight to the point to avoid creating confusion. It’s also important to consider your audience, as the way you chat with your stylists as you’re cleaning up after hours is likely going to take a different tone than your interactions with clients.
Finally, remember that communication is a two-way street. Don’t just speak; listen. If your employees are struggling with aspects of the job or your management style, hear them out. By managing with transparency and respect, you’re setting a strong example for your team.
Get more helpful advice in the full article, How to Be a Good Salon Manager: 6 Tips to Master the Trade.
Knowing your trends
A major facet of salon management is being in touch with the latest trends. That doesn’t just mean what’s hot on TikTok (though that’s part of it); you also need a strong understanding of business-related trends to meet client expectations.
For example, the modern client is tech-savvy and online. They embrace digital life and want businesses to meet them where they are — these days, that means their phones. Mobile-friendly salon websites with intuitive self-booking have become popular enough that clients have come to expect them. If your online presence isn’t meeting these expectations, you’re likely to lose business to your competitors.
Another dominant trend to be aware of is the expectation of personalized service. This means not just utilizing client profiles to keep track of unique details from appointment to appointment, but recommending the appropriate products from your retail offerings. Rather than giving your customers a hard pitch, work these products into the conversation organically (more on that later) and only suggest products that work with their particular needs and lifestyles.
Learn more about industry trends and statistics in 20 Salon Trends and Industry Statistics You Need to Know.
Technology 101: Choosing the right scheduling software
It’s hard to understate the value of having the right technology in your salon. Smart scheduling software is essential for meeting client expectations for a seamless online booking process. It also saves your team time and hassle — no one wants to spend hours staring at a calendar trying to figure out the best way to make all of those appointments fit.
But what does “smart scheduling software” actually mean? To find what you’re looking for, prioritize these features:
Intuitive interface: First and foremost, your scheduling software should be easy to use. The more intuitive the platform, the more quickly your employees will learn how to use it — and you don’t have time for a learning curve. Look for options like color-coding that make it easy to see which appointments belong to which stylists at a glance.
Client profiles: Scheduling software should do more than log entries into a calendar. Client management features like integrated profiles allow you to deliver more personalized service, which leads to better long-term relationships.
Easy self-booking: Think about the client experience when they first consider your salon. You want them to be able to schedule the appointment at the touch of a button, ideally from your website and social media.
Automated communications: Cut down on no-shows and last-minute cancellations with automated texts. That way, your clients will get appointment confirmations and reminders when they book their appointments — and your front-of-house team doesn’t have to lift a finger.
Find out more about choosing the right scheduling platform in What to Look For in Modern Salon Scheduling Software.
Sales 101: Boosting retail revenue and improving profit margins
As a salon manager, you should always be thinking about ways to boost revenue. According to Gitnux, the average salon revenue in the United States is $245,000 a year. This includes earnings from both services and retail products.
This will vary depending on the size of your salon, its location, and how much business you pull in. You should aim for a profit margin of at least 8.2% to ensure that your business is operating successfully.
If you’re not meeting that profit margin, there are a few things you can do to change course. First, consider offsetting credit card fees by adding them to your clients’ bills. Credit card companies charge between 1.5% and 3.5% of the total cost of each service to process those transactions, and those fees add up. For example, Boulevard Offset, which adds a 3% credit card fee to clients’ bills at checkout, saves users $9,600 a year. Just be transparent about the fee and what it’s for to avoid surprising your clients.
You can also experiment with pricing until you find the right balance between profitability and client satisfaction. That doesn’t mean you should slash your rates; in fact, that can have the opposite effect and cause clients to think your services are lower quality. Instead, try experimenting with add-on services; with the right strategies, add-ons can increase the average ticket value by 63%.
Finally, you can boost your earnings by upping your retail game. There’s a fine line between making helpful suggestions and being pushy, so approach retail strategically. Set aside time for staff training so that your providers can make informed recommendations to their clients, and stress that those recommendations should be an organic part of the conversation. For example, a stylist might tell the client about the product they’re using during the appointment, and your front desk team could ask if they want to take some home at checkout.
Your salon retail display should also be able to speak for itself. Create a visually appealing, brand-right setup that puts your products in the spotlight. You want to draw clients toward this display but not overwhelm them, so be smart about what you offer. And if your salon layout allows it, keep your retail display near the waiting area to give clients something to browse before their appointments begin.
Get more revenue-boosting tips in How to Improve Your Salon Profit Margin and 5 Ways to Sell More Salon Retail Products.
Salon management isn’t for the faint of heart, but as challenging as it is, it’s also incredibly rewarding. With some sound strategies and the right salon software, you’ll be well on your way to running a thriving self-care business.
