Does this sound familiar? "I just work, work, work. It feels as though I can never get away from work. How can I make sure that things get done at my company and still manage to have a life?”

I hear this all the time. Owners feel consumed by their businesses. But finding balance between your business and your personal life is necessary to avoid burnout.

When you need to handle every aspect of your business, there will only be one outcome: exhaustion!

Here are five tips to run a great salon or spa and still "have a life":

• First, divide your company into departments. Think marketing, education, human resources, hair, spa, medspa, customer service, staff retention, budgets, etc.


• Now, assign a person in each department to be the department head.


• Work with your department heads to develop systems for every area of your business. Think about the most common services and situations. Ask department heads to solicit input from all staff, so there’s buy-in from the start and a sense of inclusion.


• Have department heads write down the steps involved with each system. After reviewing them and making necessary changes, include the processes in one place, such as a binder.


• Now you have a how-to manual for every area of your company. Work with your key staff to ensure team members are properly trained on each system. (You may want to develop skill certification for primary skill areas. Strategies can help you with this.) The end result? You can take time off knowing that your systems will guarantee impressive customer experiences and the business will operate efficiently.