I’m not sure where you are in your salon journey right now, you might be struggling or you might be so busy you are out of control.
I’m not even sure you have ever thought of getting outside help to grow or control your salon?
My coach says he helps people get there faster, he knows they will eventually get there, but may take them a few years longer.
- Do you have a business mentor or coach?
- Do you need one?
I’m betting once you stop and think about it, you’ll realize you definitely DO.
Unfortunately, our small businesses didn’t come with an Operating Manual.
We may have joined a direct sales brand and received a shiny new business kit, or decided to venture into being a solopreneur and truly build a business from scratch. Regardless, being a business of one isn’t easy, and the resources we have available often don’t help.
One of the fastest and best ways to reach the desired business outcomes, is to hire a business coach who will guide you to make the right decisions for your business. Business coaches can range from the very casual to very formal, free to paid, group coaching to private sessions, business contact to old friend, meeting only once or meeting frequently, and coach on very broad or extremely specific topics. In fact, you might have different business coaches for different aspects of your business. Maybe you hire a coach for ongoing sessions about social media growth and engagement, but you hire a different coach for one specific session on personal branding. Regardless of the type of business coach you work with, the benefits are largely the same: business outcomes tailored to you.
So let’s dig in.
A BUSINESS COACH:
Sees the Big Picture
A business coach is going to help you see the long view of your business. Sometimes we are so personally and emotionally ‘in the weeds’ that it’s hard to see the horizon of where we are or could be going and how to get there. A coach is going to help see that big picture.
Helps You Define Goals, Action Plan, and Timeline
A coach will help you put your scattered thoughts into goals, actions, timelines, and milestones. If you want to predict your salons turnover for the next year, how many staff you will need to achieve that and when you should employ a new staff member, a coach will guide you to resources to track your plan, timeline, and progress.
Provides Experienced Guidance and Support
The business coach you choose should be someone with more business experience than you, specifically in the areas you wish to grow. In fact, they should have done the work and achieved the success that you are seeking to learn. Any coach should be able to clearly articulate their successes and how that qualifies them to provide coaching guidance. But if a coach can’t tell you what methodology he/she follows in her sessions, show him/her the door.
Asks the Hard Questions
A coach rides the line between consultant (paid to tell you the answer) and therapist (paid to draw the answer out of you). A coach will ask the hard questions to help you address obstacles or blocks, and guide you back toward your goal, action plan, and timeline. What is really holding you back – fear? Lack of resources? Lack of training? Past failures? Let’s bust through that wall and figure out what’s on the other side. I’m betting it’s the great unknown of future potential.
Remains Objective
We are all too emotionally close to our own businesses to be rationally objective. A business coach is detached, and can look at your overall business to see the strengths and development opportunities, and guide the discussion toward those outcomes. A good coach is going to identify your blind spots, and ask the hard questions to address what needs to happen. A good coach will also help pull you out of your own emotional mire to take action.
Has High Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence is the innate ability to read peoples’ emotional states and non-verbal behaviors, and pick up cues that will provide insight into how a person is thinking. A coach who has high EI can use those cues to guide the discussion to outcomes that will best suit your emotional needs. This is the reason I prefer to do all my coaching in person or via video. I need to look you in the eye, laugh with you, and connect personally. This is how I can get in tune with you. Not in a ‘new-agey psychic medium’ way, but in a ‘I want to understand how you think, how you react, how you respond, and what makes you tick’ kind of way.
Holds You Accountable to Outcomes
So you met with your coach and outlined a 30, 60, and 90-day action plan. And then you wake up with a brilliant new idea, and you call her. “Brenda, I have this brilliant new idea!” And Brenda says… “Hold on, we just defined your goals and plan last week. Are you really taking a left turn and derailing all your work so far? Or is your idea something we should be reviewing for a future phase?” And you say “You’re right… I was just so excited.” And Brenda says… “Get back to work, you got this.”
Interested in learning more?
Richard McCabe
‘The Lifestyle Salon Coach’
www.lifestylesaloncoach.com
When you’re ready here are ways I can help you…
1. WORK DIRECTLY WITH ME AND MY TEAM If you own a hair or beauty salon and you’re fed up with having no cash leftover then check out our group coaching programs. If you’re a new salon owner or have less than 2 employees then this just for you CHECK IT OUT HERE
If you’re established and have 3 or more employees this is perfect for you CHECK IT OUT HERE
2. HOW WOULD YOU LIKE A FREE COPY OF MY BEST SELLING SALON BUSINESS BOOK? Just send an email to rmccabe3@me.com with the subject line ‘BOOK’ and I’ll make sure someone gets that to you