Giving Can Be Its Own Reward

Article Published in Stylist Magazine, October 2011

Nearly every week at my salon, some “great opportunity” presents itself in the form of an advertising solicitation. The companies soliciting my business would have me believe that I need to spend money on advertising to be successful. From print to internet, from AdWords (Google) to Yelp, the options for gaining exposure seem limitless. However, having realized the limitations of traditional advertising (especially print) many years ago, I haven’t wasted my money. For example, when a local weekly paper contacted me to advertise in a special beauty section, I offered to write an article instead. That article, which advised consumers about selecting a reputable salon, proved much more useful to the paper, its readers and my business than any ad would have been. Sharing my expertise costs me nothing and has greater impact.

Instead of spending to advertise my salon, I prefer to give to promote my salon. One of the most rewarding ways to give is to contribute to worthy causes within the local community. Very few non-profit organizations have adequate resources to solicit donations from small businesses like mine. I make it easy for them by regularly scanning local papers and magazines for their announcements/advertisements. The words “auction” or “door prizes” usually catch my attention. I then contact the organizers to donate a $100 gift card, good for either products and/or services with no expiration date. Even if the upcoming event doesn’t include an auction or door prizes, I’ll donate anyway; organizations can always use gift cards to reward hard-working volunteers and staff members. If I have the time, I’ll drop off a gift card to the organizers for greater convenience; otherwise, I’ll arrange for it to be picked up. Either way, the presentation of a gift card must be attractive. My presentation, which costs less than $3.00, includes a custom plastic gift card in a metallic gift card box (labeled with the salon logo) placed in a metallic kraft paper bag (also labeled with the salon logo) with a brochure and tissue paper. (Instead of paying to have the salon logo hot-stamped on boxes and bags, I save money by buying custom-made labels that can be put on almost anything.)

In exchange for making a donation, my salon is listed in the event program, linked on the organizer’s website and later printed in newspaper/magazine ads thanking sponsors. I may not be able to afford $500-a-plate dinners, but my business can be represented to people who can. And that’s the point.

For tax purposes, I organize all my donation information in a binder filled with sheet protectors. Each event is contained in its own sheet protector, including the donation form and the confirmation/thank you letter confirming receipt. I also keep a spreadsheet updated with the gift card number, the amount, the name of the event, the name of the organization, its tax identification number, etc. Once a donation is made, the organizers know to contact me so I can donate again in the future.

To promote these organizations and their events, I share information with my clients. This encourages them to participate, either by attending, volunteering and/or making donations of their own. Likewise, I encourage clients to suggest organizations/events that I may not be familiar with. Given my work schedule, I don’t have much time to volunteer, but I do make an exception for the Sunset Center (www.sunsetcenter.org), a unique performing arts venue with a rich history in my town. In addition to my time, I also donate money to sponsor the program that’s distributed at all performances. This year, the Precision Nails advertisement will be double its previous size, and still will not include any special offers or discounts. The primary purpose of the ad is to demonstrate support for the Sunset Center, not attract new clients. The ad lets people know that money spent at my salon gets reinvested in our local community.

During past holiday seasons, I’ve shown appreciation to my best clients with gifts. Last year, after losing two clients to ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease), I didn’t feel giving gifts to certain clients was appropriate. Instead, I donated that money to the ALS Association (www.alsa.org) on behalf of the salon to honor those two wonderful women. The client response to this decision was so affirming that I never plan to buy client gifts again. Each year, I’ll donate to an organization whose cause holds special significance.

You can give in many ways: your expertise, time, money, products, hosting and more. Whatever your interests (education, the arts, sports, health care, disaster relief, the environment, animal welfare, military/veterans, etc.), there are organizations in your local community that need and will appreciate your support. Which organizations you choose and how you support them, if at all, are very personal decisions. If I could make one suggestion, I urge you to consider organ donation. There’s no tax deduction or other financial benefit, but sometimes giving is its own reward. To become a donor in your state, register online at www.organdonor.gov.

By Jaime Schrabeck, Ph.D.

Continuing (Mis) Education?

Article Published in Stylist Magazine, September 2011

Whether your state requires continuing education or not, any discussion about it presumes that the basic education provided in beauty schools produces licensed manicurists capable of working competently and safely. If this were true, why do so many licensed manicurists lack basic skills and fail to follow heath and safety regulations? And if it's not true, what will a few hours of continuing education accomplish after hundreds of hours spent in beauty school? California, Oregon and Washington do not currently require continuing education, but in states that do like Ohio and Texas, are manicurists more informed and consumers safer?

Our careers as nail professionals begin with beauty school, where we can spend as few as 200 hours (Ohio) or as many as 600 hours (Oregon, Texas and Washington) to qualify for the licensing examination. These variations in time confirm the fundamental problem with time-based curriculums: the quantity of time is valued more than the quality of the instruction and the competency of the student. To suggest that beauty school students spend all their time in technical instruction and/or providing services (practical operation) defies reality. Beauty schools rarely devote more than 90 minutes to direct instruction during the day, nor can they possibly supply enough clients to keep students busy.

Some states have considered increasing the hours required in hopes of improving compliance and consumer safety. For example, California’s Board of Barbering and Cosmetology recently proposed an increase from 400 to 500 hours. As an expert educator, licensed salon owner and manicurist, I strongly opposed this proposal. Requiring more hours would likely discourage individuals from becoming students, produce a significant financial burden on those who do and unnecessarily delay their entry into this profession, without ANY guarantee of increased competence or consumer safety. Given the time already wasted in existing curriculums, why would school instructors need more time? Students could learn how to properly disinfect equipment, including what can and cannot be disinfected, in 60 minutes or less. The failure of licensees to follow health and safety regulations after they leave school suggests that either they didn’t learn what to do or weren’t convinced that it wasn’t optional.

As long as "nail care" is considered distinct from "health and safety,” students will dismiss the latter as unimportant when in fact it should inform everything they do. These are NOT separate subjects; beauty schools should teach nail care procedures based on acceptable health and safety practices. To be very simplistic, "nail care" is what licensed manicurists do, and "health and safety" is how it must be done. A well-designed manicuring curriculum must be based on scientifically accurate information and promote best practices, not perpetuate misinformation and low standards. I consider the competent performance of the following tasks fundamental to manicuring, regardless of "trends:"

• shaping the nails (trimming, filing and buffing);
• conditioning the skin surrounding the nail (eponychium, not "cuticle");
• conditioning the skin of the hands and feet (exfoliating, moisturizing and massaging);
• smoothing (not removing) calluses;
• applying and removing polish;
• applying and removing artificial nails, including natural nail repairs;
• and most important, doing all of the above in a manner that protects the health and safety of consumers and the licensee.

Manicurists who have not been trained properly are more likely to deviate from accepted standards of practice, like performing pedicures on clients with questionable health conditions. While students, they likely worked on many elderly and/or unhealthy clients who should have been refused service and referred to a medical professional. It's unfortunate, and potentially very dangerous, that the most inexperienced practice on the most vulnerable with little or no direct supervision. Manicuring students need to understand the scope of practice of their future license, and how to determine who can safely receive nail services. Students should realize that making money is not worth risking a client’s health or losing their license.

In my experience as an expert witness, I’ve observed that many consumer complaints involve pedicures, but another common problem is the improper use of drills/electric files. In California, using a drill is not prohibited, but it’s not included in the manicuring curriculum or licensing examination either. If it were included, the thought of students practicing on clients without the proper training or supervision makes me wince! Given how many complaints arise from drill damage, this may be one of those instances where special certification through continuing education should be required, like in Colorado.

The exceptionally poor work done by some manicurists undermines our professionalism and poses a serious risk to consumers.The average consumer mistakenly believes that a manicuring license proves technical competence. Why do states allow incompetent individuals to obtain licenses? Has the focus on “safety” obscured the benefits of requiring licensees to demonstrate quality work? If we continue to accept mediocrity as our standard of practice, we will continue to produce an incompetent workforce incapable of meeting the demands and expectations of consumers.

By Jaime Schrabeck, Ph.D.

Making Technology Work for You

Article Published in Stylist Magazine, August 2011

While writing this article on my laptop, I’m willing to acknowledge that technology makes it possible. If I had to hand write, it just wouldn’t happen. I have neither the patience or time necessary to draft and edit using only pen and paper. And my handwriting isn’t all that legible anyways; there are times when even I cannot read my own notes. My typing skills aren’t much better than my hand writing, but at least I can read what I’ve typed.

The work of a licensed manicurist does not require any particular technology skills, but those skills are very relevant to the work of a salon owner. My responsibilities would be overwhelming if it weren’t for technology. There’s so much to do that I can rationalize my dependence on technology as productive rather than addictive. I manage my business using a smartphone, a laptop and desktop computers, printer/fax machine, internet access and numerous applications. All this technology gives me the control and functionality I need to:

• Track finances
• Pay bills
• Report taxes
• Communicate through email, texting, and phone calls
• Design marketing materials
• Plan travel to shows and other industry events
• Promote our salon and services
• Research new products, techniques and sources
• Order supplies
• Network with other businesses
• Write content for articles, blog, etc.
• Maintain a website
• Develop and deliver presentations
• Keep client and employee records
• Schedule clients
• Control inventory
• Sell products online
• Process credit card transactions
• Donate to charitable organizations
• Analyze performance reports

In my twenty years in the nail industry, technology has proven itself the best investment I’ve ever made in my business. While not infallible, overall it’s more reliable than most people I know, including myself. Choosing which technology to invest in, and how much time to spend using it, depends on your needs. Many years ago, while still working alone, I chose to make what most manicurists in my position would consider an unnecessary and expensive purchase, salon management software. After all, most salons at the time used large appointment books and pencils (and lots of erasers) to schedule clients. I don’t doubt that many salons till do, despite the obvious limitations. Even without any immediate plans to work with or employ other manicurists, I understood that I needed the same technology that larger, more successful salons use, and it was more affordable than I expected.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that salon management software transformed my business. Clients recognized that their money was being reinvested to improve their salon experience. The efficiency of the scheduling process was the most obvious improvement. No more counting every four pages to schedule a monthly standing, or hand-writing appointment cards. The software does just about everything (email appointment reminders, online scheduling, integrated credit card processing, gift card tracking, automatic remote data storage, etc.) except self check-out. Years later, as my business grows and the software evolves, I appreciate the technology even more.

Not every investment in technology has been worthwhile. When I designed my current salon, I had satellite radio receivers installed at each station so clients could listen privately wearing headphones. Music played throughout the salon on an additional receiver. What a waste of money! Clients wanted to interact us, not isolate themselves. So I ditched the service as soon as my contract expired and have been much more satisfied using Pandora on my computer. Sometimes simpler is better.

A simple and often underutilized technology, voicemail has replaced a receptionist in my salon. We don’t answer the salon phone while providing services because our clients deserve our full attention. However, just hearing a phone ring makes some people anxious, even when it’s not theirs. Last holiday season, I silenced the ringer to reduce disruptions. Not only did our clients seem more relaxed, we were too so the ringer has stayed off. We can discretely retrieve and respond to voicemail messages between clients. Existing clients know its best to schedule in advance and notify us of any changes via email. But potential clients don’t know any better, so a detailed outgoing message informs callers that we don’t answer the phone while providing services, and that more information about our salon and services can be found on our website.

Speaking of our website, it eliminates the need for any other advertising, as far as I’m concerned. Twenty years ago, I was paying the phone company for an ad in the Yellow Pages. Every year, I was encouraged to purchase a larger one, like it was some kind of contest. Thanks to technology, I haven’t paid for print advertising in more than 15 years. A well-designed and regularly updated website is the most cost-effective way to reach potential clients. If you don’t already have one for your salon, get one, but do yourself a favor, and have yours professionally done. Like most technology, you don’t need to understand how it works, just how to make it work for you.

By Jaime Schrabeck, Ph.D.