Become a Coach 
It’s the only commodity we can’t get back or get more of. Once it’s gone it’s gone. In my line of work as a business coach, I quite often experience the salon owner and even the team give the old age excuse of “I don’t have time”. Time needs to be respected just as much as we do our money.
So why is it that some people seem to have more hours in the day than others?
Most salon owners spend 45+ hours working on and in their business, so, let’s look at the hard facts. The average Aussie sleeps 8 hours per night, 7 days a week, right? So that totals 56 hours; add the 45 hours working and that equals a total of 101 hours out of our week already! My question is ‘What are you doing with the other 67 hours in the week that you have left over?
Yes, there’s some huge variables here; travel times, children, sport and extracurricular activities- I even have a client that spends 30 hours per week on dialysis and still manages to work full time and run a very successful business. I would like to share with you my advice on how to reclaim the time to have true balance.
1. A SOLID FOUNDATION:
Laying the foundation for positive time management isn’t just all work and no play. A healthy body and mind is where we need to start to get the best performance out of us.
Setting out the right amount of time to get adequate sleep, maintain a healthy diet and exercise are crucial steps to make sure you set yourself up for success. Starting with a healthy lifestyle that is balanced both physically and emotionally is paramount.
2. WORKING ON AND IN THE BUSINESS:
In my experience the golden number that allows a salon owner to achieve a quality life balance and headspace is a total of 28 hours total working on and in the business. That in my opinion in the MAXIMUM that a salon owner with a team of 3+ on team should be working towards.
Some of you are thinking ‘yeah right!’ But what I will tell you next is a starting point. Start by scheduling in at least 5 hours per week of working on your business, in business hours and you have to respect this time as much as you would if you were cutting hair or doing facials. Schedule tasks in your diary or even your salon appointment book as appointments.
It might read something like this:
- 9 to 9:45 am stock count and ordering
- 9:45 to 10:15 am social media planning
- 10:15 to 10:45 am in-salon marketing and promotions, etc
The truth is that most salon owners do not group their tasks together and it is very difficult to gather and maintain momentum when these tasks are scattered throughout the week in between clients or resentfully executed on a Friday night after work. It does not work!
3. URGENT, IMPORTANT, NICE:
Every single business owner chooses what and when they are going to do their day-to-day tasks with a different line of thinking. Most of this decision making is unconscious. I want to challenge you to bring your schedule to life by categorising your weekly task in the following categories: ‘urgent’, ‘important’ and ‘nice’.
Urgent tasks can be seen as the non-negotiable things that need to be scheduled at the same time, same place every week. For example, they may be things like wages, stock ordering, paying accounts etc. Without completing these tasks, the business (or your home life) simply cannot run.
Important tasks are exactly that: important, however, if these tasks are not completed on that exact time and day the world will not fall apart and you might have a bit more room to move with these.
Nice may be watering your lawn, date night, washing your car, walking your dog or going to gym. Whatever it is that you enjoy doing with your free time. Book it in the diary now as there is more chance this will become a reality.
4. DELEGATE LIKE A PRO:
I have published content on this topic before as it is something I am very passionate about, and good at too! It wasn’t always like this. I often thought that if you could win an award for hogging the ball, I would have a wall of accolades.
A starting point is to keep a list of all the tasks you complete for at least 2 weeks. The list might include, stock take, grocery shopping, cleaning the salon etc. What is it that you can delegate to other team members to spread the load? And more importantly, why haven’t you done this already?
It will take you time to write up systems to follow, but in the long run you will be much better off.
Make the tasks you delegate S.M.A.R.T.
S- SPECIFIC
M- MEASURABLE
A- ACHIEVABLE
R- REALISTIC
T- TIME FRAMED
I often hear “it is quicker and easier to do it myself”, however this mindset will not change the situation you are in now. I challenge you to think bigger and past today to fix this problem for the last time. Where do you see yourself in 6 months’ time, once you have delegated those tasks evenly across your team? How much time would that free up for you?
5. PICTURE PERFECT:
They say a picture is worth a thousand words and this advice is going to save you a lot of time. Your team don’t wake up and think “what can I not do right to annoy the boss today?” They need direction and this tip will cut out so much work for you.
If you like your front desk area to be left certain way when they day is finished simply take a picture of how you would like it to look and place the picture inside the desk drawer. Simple! This isn’t just for reception either. My clients apply this concept for the colour room and how they want all the developers and tints to be put away and ordered. It saves so much time and frustration for you and your team.
Take the guess work out of the simplest of tasks by taking a picture and showing your team how you want things done. They will appreciate it just as much as you do.
6. LEARN THE ART OF SAYING NO:
Saying no is harder for some than others. Firstly, don’t make up rubbish reasons why you have to say no in the first place. I love the saying that you have to have an excellent memory to be an exceptional liar, and it is very true!
After you have weighed up in the first place if it is in your favour to say yes or no to an opportunity, be completely honest and reply with something such as the following “To be honest my plate is full at the moment, so I will have to say no. If I take anything else on, I won’t be able to do everything I need to do well” The person asking for your help will respect you for being honest and not making up some long-winded story.
If you are not able to think on your feet and give an answer right away, buy some time by saying “Can I get back to you on that?” This will allow you some time to think clearly on the decision you are going to make so you don’t regret the outcome and miss opportunities.
7. DISCONNECT TO CONNECT:
We live in a very connected society. The average Aussie spends 12.5 hours per week on Facebook alone! Wow! In our pockets, we have devices that can access any information super-fast which can save us time, however a quick glance at our phones can soon turn into precious minutes and hours out of our day.
Practice not answering the phone, emails texts or messages just because they pop up on your screen. When you say yes to instantly getting back to people right away, you say no to what you are working on right now. Instead, schedule a time in your day answer emails, texts and phone calls.
As Jim Rohn Quotes – You can run the day, or the day runs you.
Jay is a specialist ZING salon coach. For more salon wisdom, email ZING at Jay@zingcoach. com.au, visit the website, find video tips on YouTube or read ZING leader Lisa Conway’s brand new book: Your Salon Team – the salon owner’s guide to finding, motivating and keeping great staff. www.zingcoach.com