For salon/spa owners that spend all, or most, of their time behind the chair or in the treatment room, it’s a simple case of leadership compromise.

By leadership compromise, I’m referring to the time an owner is working on clients while their business is begging for attention.

The issue gets more complicated when the owner’s service sales represent a significant percentage of the company’s total revenue.

• In such cases, the owner’s revenues are essential for not only funding operations — but for the owner’s personal income as well.

1. Getting paid as a leader: A major challenge in commission salons/spas is what happens to your income when clients move to other service providers. FACT: You can’t keep taking the same paycheck when employees are getting commission on the services you previously performed. This is one of the major reasons owners are forced back to doing services. This is also one of the advantages of Team-Based Pay. As clients transition to other service providers, overall productivity rate increases while payroll allocation stays the same. This gives the owner time to adapt to his or her new leadership role, dial in the systems and cultural behaviors, to grow the salon/spa. Remember, the intent of full-time leadership is to grow the company and create more opportunities for all employees.


2. Transitioning clients: There is no foolproof method to make clients jump for joy that you’re no longer doing services. You can explain that it’s time to devote your full-time attention to your company. Some clients will understand and others will have a fit. OPTION 1: Cut back one day per week every one, two or three months until you no longer have a column on the appointment book. OPTION 2: Pick a date 90 to 120 days out at which time you will no longer service clients. Both options will require a scripting system and training for all employees. KEY #1: Your employees must have clarity on why you are stepping back from services. They must participate in and support the process. KEY #2: The more Team Based your salon/spa becomes, the easier it is to transition clients. Lastly, it is likely that the business will lose a portion of the clients you serviced.


3. Don’t squander your time: As a service provider, your days were managed by the appointment book. The biggest danger for busy service provider owners that transition to full-time leadership is squandering time and getting nothing done. KEY: Owners must replace their service appointment book with a calendar that schedules blocks of time to get leadership work done. Doing service, you worked hard not to run behind. You must be committed and disciplined to work your leadership schedule the exact same way. WARNING: It’s going to require a heck of a lot of discipline to stick to your leadership schedule, than working on clients. So, think of that next task you have scheduled as though it were a client getting impatient for you to start working on her/him.


4. Being present and visible: The mistake too many owners make is to stay in their offices (or work from home) where they can finally “work on their business.” The unspoken reason they stay out of sight is to avoid “their” clients. KEY: The worst thing an owner can do during this transition is not be present and visible for employees and clients. Become your company’s maestro by engaging with clients and coaching employees. Get into the daily nooks and crannies to truly see how your company functions and where improvements need to occur. Guide clients to your team members. Sell time on the appointment book. Make stuff happen. You can’t do this sitting in an office.


5. Pick two BIG initiatives: Too many owners have unrealistic expectations of what they can accomplish if they were leading full time. The result is that many of the new projects you wanted to implement crash and burn shortly after launch. If you had six important initiatives to launch over the next year, that would be one new initiative every two months. Initiatives require planning, training and fine-tuning until they stick. KEY: Just pick the two BIG initiatives that you feel will have the most positive impact on the performance of your salon/spa. Plan it out. Schedule it out. Get employees involved to seed that precious sense of ownership. Make it stick by giving it a chance to stick.


6. Drive four outcomes: The Four Business Outcomes we teach and coach at Strategies are Productivity, Profitability, Staff Retention and Customer Loyalty. These outcomes are your first priority and responsibility. When each outcome is performing and dialed in, your salon/spa becomes easier to control, cash flow improves. Employees bond with a more defined and refined culture. And your brand identity and service consistency across the board drives client retention. KEY: The Four Business Outcomes represent the true focus and work of leadership. The better you get at creating the outcomes you want for your company, the greater the opportunity for you and your team.


7. Finding new self-worth: That jam-packed appointment book filled with clients and all that money your two hands brought in made you feel accomplished and proud. More clients than you could handle wanted YOU. In many ways, this level of service success creates a box that many owners cannot escape or let go of. Your role as leader is more complex and requires a very different skillset. FACT: The rewards of leadership and growing a company happen at a very different pace than that of a service provider. It is very common for owners to feel a lack of self worth and contribution as a leader. KEY: Transitioning to full-time leader, you will be testing your tenacity to become as good a leader as you were a service provider. Remember that growth comes from being uncomfortable and mastering new skills. The self-worth will come.