“It took a long time to get to this level of dysfunction,” says Melissa Ryan, co-owner of Festoon Salon with locations in San Francisco and Berkeley, California. That was before she enrolled in Coaching Club through Salon Training International.

Having been in business for 17 years, Melissa found that managing her staff of 50 presented quite a challenge. “We never got our groove back from opening a second salon,” says Melissa, “and because of this, our internal structures, communication and trust were compromised.”

Melissa now reports that with the help of her coach, Julie Shepperly (who doubles as the Vice President of Education for Salon Training International), she is on track and focused. With Julie’s help to define what the most major business challenges were, Melissa has created a new direction for her business and now knows what is required to get there.

Needing to be with a team that shares her vision of wanting to grow and do great things, Melissa found it necessary to take control of her business by through streamlining operations and putting new structures in place. “I have had to have some tough conversations, but now we can go forward in a manner that is professional rather than emotional,” says Melissa. “In many ways, when the management team is working with too much dysfunction, it slows down the progress of the company.”

Melissa admits that before coaching, it was difficult to define the direction of her business. Through coaching, however, Melissa has successfully developed a team of leaders who support the transition from what she describes as a “garbled mess” to clearly defined goals and expectations, accountability, directorship and effective communication.

In this industry, thorough coaching inspires businesses to grow and change, an effect which more often than not, spills over into the lives of business owners. For Melissa, “I have discovered my voice and I think it’s great! I now have the gift of leadership, and now that we are working together as a well-oiled machine, we can do amazing things.”

A sharp businesswoman, Cassandra Archibald sought coaching before she purchased her New Hampshire salon in 2004. She was discovered at a hair show in 2004 by Steve Gomez, who is now her business coach.

“At first, I thought I was organized, but tracking my progress is important so I know how far I’ve come from where I began,” says Cassandra. “Steve is an awesome coach. He made me do my homework and I remember the moment when I realized that the systems were taking effect.”

Having purchased the salon where she originally worked as a booth renter, with Steve’s coaching, Cassandra began to track her numbers from the previous year. A year and a half later, Cassandra now realizes the importance of tracking numbers, discovering that while her client base decreased by 56 customers, Galleria Salon still grew by $50,000 while increasing its retail figures by 15%.

When asked about the program, Cassandra begrudgingly admits that she likes being held accountable the most. “I hate my homework, but I love it because my business has grown significantly. I am a business owner who is knowledgeable, organized and I am running my business with integrity.”

With the YBN philosophy in full swing, Cassandra now works smarter, not harder: She operates her salon, manages staff and offers superior service to her clients with only two days per week behind the chair. Cassandra also reports that through her coaching program, she has empowered herself to handle the details of operating a salon business, including delegating responsibilities, effectively managing time and handling upsets.

Beyond the daily rigors of running a business, Cassandra credits the coaching program with helping her set up for success. “This is exactly what I wanted. In fact, the program exceeded my expectations,” she says. “I follow the budget that my coach and I outlined, I am better educated about what is necessary to run my business profitably, and I know my staff views me as a leader.”

We all know that the 2005 hurricane season devastated the lives of many people in our industry. Many salons and spas wee wiped out and struggle, still today, to get back on their feet.

With that, we are proud to tell the story of STI Client, Sue Santsche from The Spa at Personal Choice.

Sue and her team got involved 1^st hand to help a fellow salon owner put their business back together with a fun, engaging activity that inspired us and the spa’s clients.

In February, The Spa at Personal Choice sponsored a fellow spa, “Belladonna Day Spa” Belladonna Day Spa had been in business for 16 years in New Orleans before hurricane Katrina took its toll. Today, Belladonna is busy setting up a temporary spa in Baton Rouge, LA to serve many of their clients that fled to this area.

In honor of their efforts and courage, the Spa at Personal Choice held a “Mardi-Gras Spa Party” where all proceeds from services went directly to Belladonna Day Spa. Sue and her team were able to raise over $1000 to help Belladonna Spa with start up costs.

The Spa at Personal Choice also celebrated Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday by wearing “Be a new New Orleanian” tee shirts. Staff members donated money in order to wear the tee-shirts to work and the team raised another $500 in relief money.

So we at Salon Training International would like to recognize Sue Santsche and her team for their amazing generosity and commitment to the spa community! You are truly an inspiration!

If you would like help creating a fundraising event to support a cause you believe in, please email us at info@salontraining.com or call 760-929-2600.

Stats:

Salon Name: City Cuts Hair Salon

Owner: Susan LeBeau

Est: November 2002

Location: Greenfield, WI

# of Technicians: 5

City Cuts Owner, Susan LeBeau was in a pinch, she needed staff to fill empty chairs in her salon! Typically, when owners have an empty chair, it’s pavement pounding time to get anyone in to keep the revenue flowing. Susan had a different idea and didn’t want to settle for a “warm body” occupying a space in her salon. She also wanted a more timely approach than the typical newspaper ad listing and screening process.

Susan sat down with her STI coach and created a recruiting plan that would not only fill the immediate openings that she had in her salon, but also put a plan in place for continual recruiting for when the need for a new technician came again. Susan called a reputable beauty school in the area and asked for a time to come talk with the students. With only 15 minutes to present, Susan decided to bring her best sales pitch, a current employee in her salon!

Through STI’s coaching program Susan’s staff had learned many of the systems needed for them to be successful and make great money. The salon employee was a walking billboard for the great employment opportunities at City Cuts and had the class excited about creating and increasing their average ticket! Susan also left an income planning worksheet for all the students and a salon tee-shirt, which left a lasting impression.

The outcome was overwhelming. Susan chose from a great pool of candidates that knew what her salon was up to and continues to have inquires for more job opening s in her salon. Imagine having qualified applicants calling you!

Owner: Dawn Blom

Est: June 1986

Location: Danbury, CT

# of Technicians: 40

After participating in Salon Training International’s consulting program for 16 months, Dawn brought STI in for a private in-salon training for her staff. The training provided the direction her staff needed and the immediate results she was looking for. As a bonus, her staff nominated her for the “Entrepreneur of the Year Award with Excellence in Client Philosophy,” which she later won at the 2004 Academy Awards of Hair.

Owner: Mailin McLeod

Est: Sept. 1, 2002

Location: Hillcrest, CA

# of Technicians: 8

Mailin's created the ultimate incentive program, an all frills, all expense paid trip to the ISSE Hair Show in Long Beach, CA. With the help of STI, Mailin's team determined what they would need to sell to cover the expense of the reward. The team was so fired up by the prize they created for themselves, they surpassed their goal by $6,754.47. After the implementation of the first incentive program the business saw an increase of $15,000.00 and is forecasted to DOUBLE their revenue from 2003 to 2004! Mailin's is hooked on incentives!