Does Leadership and Team Work Apply to Booth Renters/Independents?

Article Published in Stylist Magazine, August 2013

For beauty professionals who work alone, the concepts of salon leadership and teamwork don’t apply. Not to minimize the challenges of business ownership, but individuals providing services in the privacy of their own salons cannot demonstrate salon leadership or contribute to a team. In effect, they’ve isolated themselves from other beauty professionals, for whatever reason. Many individuals would explain that they made a choice between working alone or with a dysfunctional group of coworkers. If those were the only options, that would be understandable. Instead, this is a false choice based on personal experiences and/or a generalized conception of salon life. 

We’re all familiar with the stereotypical salon in which the owner is either clueless or a tyrant, and the workers are crazy, nasty, dirty, lazy, incompetent or otherwise “toxic.” How many reality shows exploit this premise for dramatic effect and ratings? More than I can count, and none that I watch. It doesn’t matter what kinds of services (hair, skin, and/or nails) are offered, if this describes your salon, I cannot sympathize with you. How does someone tolerate that level of dysfunction and sustain his or her professionalism, integrity and passion? Is this the best the beauty industry has to offer? Of course not, but this conception may be so pervasive that many cannot envision the possibility of a suitable salon environment.

My first experiences after beauty school and licensure involved working in five different hair salons over the course of five years. In each case, the salon owner was a licensed cosmetologist who worked full time, and the other professionals would rent stations. None of those salon owners had any specific training on ownership, though they had good intentions. When searching for a station to rent, I don’t remember ever being asked to complete an application, submit a resume/job history, demonstrate my work or provide evidence of my competence or compatibility.

Each of us was responsible for handling our individual businesses: purchasing supplies, marketing services, scheduling clients, maintaining insurance, paying taxes, etc. We did these tasks independently as the owners took a hands-off approach to their role. While we supported each other through referrals, our efforts were not coordinated to represent the salon as a whole. There was very little, if any, leadership or teamwork. For example, the only salon meetings I can recall were held in response to some immediate crisis or simmering tensions, and they usually devolved into unproductive gripe sessions. Some would blame the salon’s problems on a lack of communication, but a more substantive problem was the lack of structure, specifically clearly defined roles and expectations (job descriptions, duties, rights, responsibilities, policies and procedures, etc.). Moreover, some coworkers were not as professional as they could have been. Behaviors that would be cause for dismissal in other work settings (tardiness, substance abuse, theft, poor workmanship, insubordination, etc.) were often tolerated. Lesson learned: no one individual is so important that they can be allowed to disrupt the entire salon team. 

Sound familiar? Just because many salons “function” a particular way doesn’t make it right; unfortunately, the most common practices within the beauty industry are not the best. Most valuable lesson learned: doing the right thing can be expensive and inconvenient, and likely means ignoring what other salons do. Needless to say, none of these salons was ideal, but instead of being discouraged, I credit the owners/coworkers for helping me build my business and giving me the confidence to work alone, and later take on employees.

Thus, I can certainly relate to those who choose to work alone. Technology makes that choice seemingly more acceptable; we can connect with others through social media, texts, emails and video, in addition to reading trade magazines and attending beauty shows, networking events, and classes. However, despite its convenience and affordability, technology cannot replace the quality and depth of interaction that a continuous working relationship can provide. While avoiding conflict and having control may be reason enough to work alone, some would acknowledge that they feel lonely, uninspired and burdened. In that very real sense, their independence may limit their professional growth and decrease their job satisfaction. Working collaboratively with other beauty professionals could be the change you need to reignite your passion for the industry.

If you’re waiting to discover the perfect salon, business partner, boss, employee or coworker, why not consider how you could create that experience for yourself and others? I’ll never be the perfect salon owner, but as I look back over the last 20+ years, I’m grateful for the mistakes I’ve made. There's no amount of time, training or money that qualifies someone as a “good” salon owner; there’s only progress towards creating the best possible environment in which professionals thrive, clients receive excellent service, and the owner meets all their financial and legal obligations. 

By Jaime Schrabeck, Ph.D.

Working Around the Rules

Article Published in Stylist Magazine, July 2013

Salon owners face many decisions as they compete for clients, like which services to provide, products to use, hours to operate, prices to charge, etc. These decisions are unique and personal to every owner, giving consumers many choices when they seek beauty services. However, there’s one choice that neither owners nor consumers should have, and that’s engaging in unlicensed activity. Any beauty service(s) provided by an unlicensed individual or in an unlicensed location represents unfair competition and threatens our professionalism.

Regardless of where you live, unlicensed activity affects your business. It’s unfortunate that unethical individuals/salon owners perform services illegally; some manufacturers sell prohibited equipment/products; the media publicizes individuals/salons/services, legal or not; too many consumers compromise quality and safety for low prices and convenience and government agencies don’t have the resources and/or political will to enforce their own rules.

How can ethical salon owners compete under these circumstances? Why should we? Since when is compliance optional? Our responsibility as professionals is to understand and follow the applicable federal and state rules, not work around them. I’m not an expert on every state, nor do I have to be because I work in California only. In this state, any business that provides hair, skin and/or nail services regulated by the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology (BBC) must obtain a valid establishment license before it opens (a measly $50!), and renew it every two years. This applies to any kind of business, whether a salon, day spa, hotel, medical office or gym. Likewise, any individual providing regulated beauty services must have a valid BBC license (another measly $50!), specific to a course of training and scope of practice, and renew it every two years. (Note that the following services are not regulated by the BBC, and thus do not require a BBC license: natural hair braiding, styling wigs, threading, permanent makeup, tanning, massage and body treatments like wraps and scrubs.) Your state will likely have different rules, for which you are responsible; ignorance of the law is not an excuse for breaking it.

We could complain that consumers, manufacturers and the media should know better and state governments should do more, but that’s not reality. I don’t expect consumers to understand the rules, but they should understand, at a minimum, that service prices must reflect the costs of operating a legitimate business (licenses, overhead, compensation, taxes, insurance, products, education, etc.). In a perfect world, consumers would demand quality services from licensed professionals in licensed establishments only.

And don’t rely on the media to educate consumers. We have them to thank for misrepresenting the facts and scaring consumers into believing that having your nails done professionally is dangerous and UV gels cause skin cancer, among other things. Even our own professional publications do us no favors when they promote unlicensed activity by referencing, quoting and/or profiling individuals and business that do NOT have valid licenses. (I won’t name names here, but I do report you to California’s Board of Barbering and Cosmetology.) And no matter how many articles you’ve read about it, doing mobile services is not legal in California, except under very specific conditions which do not apply in these cases. If these publications wanted to serve nail professionals, they might start by ensuring that they feature individuals and salons with valid licenses, and clarifying that the services/products mentioned and/or advertised may not be legal in your state. Do your research!

Manufacturers know our industry, and yet some still take advantage. For example, when medical procedures are beyond our scope of practice and false advertising is a problem, why are callus shavers and detox foot soaks available? Because they sell. Before investing in any new equipment/product/service, confirm that it fits within your scope of practice, does not violate any existing rules and will be covered by your liability insurance. (And if you don’t already have liability insurance, or paying too much, check out the coverage provided by Associated Hair Professionals as a membership benefit: www.insuringstyle.com.)

If we expect others to act ethically, we apparently expect too much. Voluntary compliance obviously wouldn’t work because compulsory compliance doesn’t seem to either, thus far. Of course, the problem of unlicensed activity is not limited to nail services. In fact, one of the best examples I could provide involves skin care. In February, 2010, I discovered multiple articles online about vagina facials and immediately alerted the BBC. At the next board meeting (April 18, 2010), I presented the following statement and later emailed it to every member of California’s Business, Professions and Economic Development committees, both Assembly and Senate:

Vagina Facial, Anyone?

The fundamental challenges facing California’s Board of Barbering and Cosmetology can be summarized in just two words, vagina facial; or perhaps you’re already familiar with its trademarked name, The Vajacial™, a new service advertised by a licensed establishment in San Francisco called Stript Wax Bar. Having spoken to someone who works there, I learned that this service includes extractions, a mask and exfoliation for $60, and can be done immediately following a Brazilian bikini wax. Whoever developed this service is much more than a marketing genius; besides being titillating and garnering lots of publicity, the vagina facial can be performed without any concern for BBC regulations. That’s because body treatments, such as scrubs, masks and wraps, that are provided in many salons and spas are not regulated at all. The Barbering and Cosmetology Act does not define scope of practice to include the entire body, with the exception of hair removal. Through omission, existing law allows these services to be performed without any consumer protections to ensure health and safety, or to avoid potentially inappropriate behavior. Never mind the fact that during these services clients are generally naked while having cosmetic preparations applied to their bodies.

If vagina facials weren’t disturbing enough, let me address the fact that Stript Wax Bar operates two additional locations, one in Palo Alto and the other in Oakland, but according to the BBC website, it only has a valid establishment license for its San Francisco location. If true, this business will prove to be yet another example of unlicensed activity, a problem that undermines our professionalism, cheats our economy and places consumers at risk. Unlicensed activity warrants more severe penalties than are currently enforced, and the names of the violators should be publicized as a deterrent. Perhaps if the risks outweighed the benefits, the BBC could achieve greater compliance with its laws and regulations.

While the BBC was receptive and acted on my complaint, not one politician even bothered to respond. Why doesn’t that surprise me? Three years later, Stript Wax Bar has expanded to 3 more locations, according to its website (www.striptwaxbar.com); the above-mentioned Palo Alto and Oakland locations received their establishment licenses effective April 22, 2010, according to the BBC website (www.barbercosmo.ca.gov). Congratulations!

By Jaime Schrabeck, Ph.D.

Top Ten Business Tools

Article Published in Stylist Magazine, June 2013

As a salon owner and manicurist, I use no fewer than 10 different “business tools” on any given day. They’ve become such an integral part of my business that it’s difficult (read: frightening) to imagine functioning without them. Granted, some of the functions could be outsourced, but I choose to do most of it on my own with my most trusted tools:

1. A computer/laptop, wireless internet access and a smart phone. For most people, computer technology has integrated with our daily lives, regardless of the work we do. We’ve adapted quickly to interacting electronically, both professionally and socially. Increased dependence on technology may be resisted by some, but it’s a powerful trend that’s not likely to be reversed. Twenty years ago, these devices and capabilities may not have been necessary for salon ownership, but there’s no denying that without them, the following would not be feasible.
2. Accounting software. I’ve been using Quicken by Intuit to track my business and personal finances for more than 20 years. As a Mac user, that hasn’t always been easy or convenient, like the time I upgraded to Lion OS X without first checking that my software was compatible. It wasn’t, and a workaround was necessary until Intuit fixed the problem. The usefulness of Quicken is most apparent at year’s end when I can immediately produce the information my certified financial planner (CFP) needs to prepare my taxes. To ensure that I don’t lose any data, I save and backup a copy every day. If you’ve ever used accounting software and lost your data, you’ll understand why.
3. Online access to business and personal checking account(s). This may seem obvious, but it was not that long ago that bank customers would rely on printed monthly statements to reconcile their accounts. I need to know account details on a daily basis to manage my finances. In just a few minutes each day, I can confirm and plan the flow of deposits and payments from my accounts.
4. Online bill payments. I hardly ever write checks anymore; it takes almost a year to use 25 of them. Instead, I prefer the immediacy and reliability of paying bills online. It doesn’t cost anything (no envelopes/postage) and can be scheduled in advance to avoid any late payments. For recurring bills like utilities, automatic payments make the most sense as I don’t have the time or patience to review and process monthly statements. Moreover, opting to receive electronic billing statements reduces the amount of paper I have to handle and store.
5. Salon management software. This is the first tool in my list designed specifically for salon owners, but that doesn’t make it any less important. If it didn’t exist, I’d be limping along with a paper schedule and index cards, or patching a calendar program and address database together with some random point-of-sale (POS) software. Why bother when I could use a single, targeted software that combines these functions and more? In my salon, STX handless scheduling, client records, inventory control, employee time clock, credit card processing, gift card tracking, email appointment reminders and other functions I don’t even use.
6. Email and voicemail. Email is my preferred means of communicating, particularly when I need to attach photos/documents or archive an exchange. Voicemail, a simple and often underutilized technology, remains important also. My employees and I don’t answer the phone while providing services; the ringer is off anyways. Instead, we discretely retrieve and respond to email and voicemail between clients. We don’t text message with clients because it’s too informal in my opinion.
7. A professional website. I’ve written extensively about the advantages of maintaining a professional salon website; it’s the most cost-effective way to reach potential clients. Through my website, I can also promote my industry activities beyond the salon, like my monthly articles published by the Stylist, upcoming classes/beauty shows and product recommendations.
8. Social media. Lumping different platforms together may be unfair because I find some more useful than others. For example, I frequent Facebook and NailTech, browse certain blogs and dabble with Twitter. Other platforms, like YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Yelp and Pinterest, don’t play any role in my business at this time.
9. Online payroll services. After eight years of faxing payroll every other Monday and not knowing the details until two days later, I’ve changed service providers to Intuit and could not be happier. Not only is the service more technologically advanced, it’s more affordable, about half the price. Moreover, I was able to transfer my existing workers’ compensation insurance policy without disruption.
10. Manufacturer websites. Printed product catalogs and mailings have become less important as manufacturers make it convenient to research their products and shop online. I don’t have time during “normal” business hours to place orders by phone, so I much prefer the 24/7 availability of these sites.

By Jaime Schrabeck, Ph.D.