You’re the owner of an employee-based salon/spa.

From operations, employee management, and culture building, to finances, planning, training and marketing, you have more “responsibility hats” than you know what to do with.

Owning and leading a salon/spa can be tough and exhausting work that continuously piles onto your shoulders.

So much so that when I hear owners say, “I’m bored,” I struggle to understand where that boredom is coming from.

I’m a business owner and know those leadership responsibility hats all too well. Strategies is over 26 years old and I’ve never experienced boredom.

As a business owner, I have experienced excitement, fear, frustration, pride, anger, extreme confidence and an occasional lack of confidence. But never boredom.

That’s why I’m puzzled when owners say, “I’m bored.”

As a business and leadership coach, it’s my job to drill down on the “I’m bored” statement to determine where it’s coming from.

It just takes a few questions to start drilling for answers. Almost always, the “I’m bored” comes down to the following two causes:

1. The owner feels “stuck” not bored. Feeling stuck is another word for frustration or, even worse, procrastination to avoid work/tasks/responsibilities that need to be done. If you don’t want to address some issues in your company, and/or, you’re procrastinating on stuff that needs to be done, don’t complain about being bored.


2. Fear to step into the unknown. Growing a business is about taking risks and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. If you don’t want to take any risks or challenge yourself, don’t complain about being bored.

1. What is your BHAG (big hairy audacious goal) for your company? Come on, look deep inside your mind, find it, then say it out loud. Going after your BHAG is what owning your own company is all about. There is nothing in the way except your willingness to take that first amazing step into the unknown. Maybe you’ll achieve your BHAG and more. Maybe you’ll come close. Maybe you’ll miss it entirely. You’ll never know if you sit around saying, “I’m bored.”


2. What is the state of your salon/spa today and what do you want it to look like in five or ten years? Do you want your salon/spa to be in the same place five or ten years from now? Of course you don’t. You’ll never know if you sit around saying, “I’m bored.”


3. What are the two most important growth initiatives that you want to bring to fruition in 2020? Important growth initiatives take time to plan, implement and perfect. It’s up to you to define those initiatives, rally your team, lead the charge, and keep everyone motivated and on task. The clock is ticking. 2020 is just a few weeks off. Those two big initiatives will never happen if you sit around saying, “I’m bored.”


4. Looking at all of the business and leadership responsibilities you have on your plate, if you could eliminate all but four, what would those four remaining responsibilities be and why? Owners are notorious for keeping their plates overflowing with stuff. Often times it’s because of trust issues. Other times it’s the fear of letting go of control. Maybe you’re just bored because you’re tired of carrying the entire weight of your company on your shoulders. Now, imagine how you would feel about your work if you could focus on just four major responsibilities. Imagine what you and your company could accomplish. You’ll never know if you sit around saying, “I’m bored.”


5. What is the one thing you do in your company that feeds your passion and gives you a sense of fulfillment? Maybe it’s training and educating new talent. Maybe it’s servicing clients. Maybe it’s marketing, customer service systems, and customer retention. Maybe it’s cash flow and financial management. Maybe it’s team building. Maybe it’s remodeling or opening a new location. You’ll never know if you sit around saying, “I’m bored.”


6. On a scale of 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest), how would you rate the level of loyalty and support you feel from your employees? If your number is a six or lower, you’ve got a ton of leadership and culture building work to do. It’s hard to keep yourself motivated when you feel that 40% or more of your employees are working against you. Get into coaching. Commit to developing and becoming the leader your company needs you to be. You’ll never know what true teamwork is if you sit around saying, “I’m bored.”


7. If you could sell your salon/spa today, what would it realistically sell for? If you’re so bored that you can’t stand working in your own company, then sell it and get out. But before you do that, you better figure out exactly what your business is worth. Salons and spas have a history of poor profit, staff turnover and lack of systems. So, before you put that “for sale” sign up, you better get seriously real on what your salon/spa can sell for. If you want your business to fetch the highest selling price, you have a lot of value creation work to do. You’ll never sell your salon/spa for very much if you sit around saying, “I’m bored.”


8. Based on that selling price, how much would you net after paying off the debt? Let’s pretend a buyer does make you a fine offer. Before you accept and pack up your personal stuff, take a look at the Liabilities on your Balance Sheet. If you see a list of payables, taxes, credit card debt and loans, you’re not going to walk away with much cash, if there’s any cash at all. Again, you’ve got a lot of financial disciplines to learn and master before you can cash out in style. You’ll never know if you sit around saying, “I’m bored.”


9. What would or could you do if you sold your company? Even if you could net some decent cash from a sale, it’s probably just a year, or maybe a few years, of income. Did you prepare for retirement? If you want to find a new career, what marketable skills do you have? If you want to start another company, how about building the one you already have. You’ll never know if you sit around saying, “I’m bored.”


10. After answering the previous nine questions, how the heck can you still feel bored? Being bored is a state that you choose to be stuck in. Snap out of it. Prioritize what you should be working on and get going. You’re squandering your opportunities by sitting around saying, “I’m bored.”