When I took the leap of faith and left my full-time job to start my own beauty consultancy business at the end of 2018, I knew I would have to turn my hand and become a specialist in social media, optimising Google SEO, accountancy, HR consultant, IT specialist, website designer and entrepreneurship all rolled into one. And with 95% of new start-ups failing in the first year I had to learn fast and keep my eye on all the ‘stuff’ that keeps a business driving forward and not just focus on my love of helping people succeed with their chosen goals and dreams for their business.
I had to practice what I teach…that…FOCUS IS THE KEY TO A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS, so I went back to basics and asked myself 3 key questions I ask my clients during a ‘getting to know each other’ call:
1) Are you a salon owner that’s also a beauty therapist working in the salon?
2) Are you spending and making the most of your time wisely?
3) Do you want to grow your business?
By self-evaluating I could see that I needed to stop what I was doing and find myself a mentor to help me focus on the bigger picture and stop sweating the small stuff. It wasn't easy to admit that I needed help as I thought in doing so I would be failing and that it would prove to some that I wasn't the real deal. I'd read a lot of inspirational autobiographies by my favourite business icons to know that they had all worked with business coaches and mentors along the way to UPSCALE their businesses and if it was good enough for them, well what was I waiting for? I accepted that I didn't have to do it all and by being so hard on myself I was in danger of self-sabotaging my dreams. I knew that working with the right mentor for my business would ACCELERATE MY BUSINESS GROWTH and I could FOCUS on serving my clients effectively and get back to doing what brings me the most JOY.
Let’s face it running a successful business takes a lot of hard work and focus and if you don’t always have the spotlight on running a successful business, then you are bound to find growing your business almost impossible.
Salon owners working full-time in treatment make great beauty therapists, but what time do you then have to make sure your business is running smoothly. When do you find the time to invest in attracting new customers, up-scale your existing ones or implementing new ideas and campaigns for continued growth?
We get good at what we focus on, so if you are always focused on the treatments then that is where you will excel. But at what cost to FUTURE-PROOFING your business?
You may feel resistance hearing this and that’s quite normal. Your reputation may already be recognisable and bring you in enough money to get by. It’s true that most salon owners are the busiest therapist in the salon, but no matter how you are currently doing research shows us that without a real competitive edge and continued growth in your business, it’s unlikely to last. Our industry is saturated with up-and-coming salons appearing regularly and without continued growth to contend against your competitors that are doing it right it can become challenging very quickly.
You might say you are the only therapist in the business and must do it all but if you’re motivated to grow your business and have your own team a Beauty Business Coach mentoring you can help you take your business to the next level.
Almost all successful business owners share one thing in common; they worked with a mentor to build their business which can make you 5 times more likely to succeed. A mentor can help you get started on the right foot and help you grow. They have experience in business and can help connect you with information and contacts and avoid obstacles they have experience of.
A good mentor won’t tell you how to run your business. They will share their personal experience and give you feedback. Most won’t do the work for you unless they provide additional services to complete the work on your behalf. What they will do is help you engage with more clients and get MORE REPEAT BUSINESS.
They will make suggestions and help you through different options, but they won’t make decisions for you. A good mentor will ask the difficult questions and hold you accountable. They are your TRUSTED ADVISOR not a business partner and ultimately you will decide what is best for you and your business but they will support you through those decisions.
They will use their experience to help you avoid common mistakes and show you how to overcome potential problems. A mentor will help you stay focused on your goals for your vision for your business and help you INCREASE YOUR INCOME.
A mentor provides support by coaching you, acting as a sounding board, offering constructive criticism when necessary and being your advocate.
Best of all, a mentor believes in you and your dreams for your business and will listen to your ideas or concerns you have and look to find SOLUTIONS to suit you and the needs of your business.
Flexibility is important to ensure you are getting the right support and with this in mind there are several ways you can work with me.
Hi, I’m Alison, a certified business growth specialist, mentor and mindset coach and have been in industry for 20+ years. I work with beauty salons and aesthetic clinics who want to grow their business. For more information drop me an email at info@kickstartbeauty.com or find me on 07725 105782.
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