How You Get Paid Is Irrelevant

How You Get Paid Is Irrelevant

February 9, 2015Nina KovnerENGAGE, GROW

“Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends.” Walt Disney

In the world of professional salons, it has always baffled me how there is so much focus on how people get paid. Commission, salary, commission plus salary, team based, self-employed, independent, 1099, ugh, the list goes on and on…

And to be clear, this is not a debate on booth rental or commission salons, which is the better model or who is right or wrong, that is not a debate I choose to engage in, this is about what really matters to clients.

To me, it does not matter how you get paid, or what business model you choose to create, lead, manage, or work in.

Here is what matters…

#promisesmatter
Can you deliver an awesome experience consistently? The key word here is consistently? If you promise me a 5 minute scalp massage, trust, I know when you decided 3 minutes would be ok this time, guess what, its not ok.

#iamtheclient #ouch
Are you available when I want to get my hair done? Remember, I am the client, so my availability is more important than yours.

#myterms #notyours
Can I book with you 24/7?

#areyoudiscoverable
Do you have a website? Can I find your story online?

#referrals
How are your YELP reviews? Are there several, posted consistently over time?

#socialstatus
Can I find you on Instagram or Facebook? If I can’t, I don’t think you exist.

#ifnotgoodluckseeingmeanytimesoon
Do you pre-book my next appointment as a convenience to me?

#reducenoshows
Do I get a text or email reminder of my appointment?

#itmatters
Do you make my days brighter, my hair awesome and most importantly my heart fuller?

#selflove
Are you loving and kind? Authentically, kind and loving. To yourself, and those around you?

#omg #fail
Do you support & cheer on the people around you? Opposed to having a nasty attitude and talking shit about those around you and many times in front of me?

#notagoodlisttobeon
Is your space clean? I mean really clean? Or could your salon end up in a Buzzfeed list on grossest salons?

#youareresponsibleforthernergyyoubring #thankyou #sage
Is your energy clean? If it’s not, take care of that shit before you get to the salon.

#beginnersmind
Are you passionate about learning and trying new things?

#listentome
Are you really, really listening to me? Sometimes I think you aren’t. I said I loved that product you used on me, but you never offered it to me to take home.

#purpose #givemeareason
Do you know your why, and more importantly, do I know your why?

#valuematters
Is the value you deliver more than the price you charge? It better be. Because if its not, I will look for a less expensive option.

#wordofmouth #referrals
You see, if you do all these things, consistently, over time, you can create an awesome business + life. Because when you do all those things, consistently, I get excited. And when I get excited, I tell my friends.

Let’s stay focused on what matters, just like Mr. Disney did. #waltwisdom

Love + Awesomeness-
Nina, a salon client

Sticks + Stones

Sticks + Stones

October 20, 2014Nina KovnerENGAGE, GROW

“Without knowing the force of words, it is impossible to know more.”

 Confucius

 

Sticks + Stones                                                                            (image via Google)

Here is the audio version of this post. Thank you so much for listening.

Have you ever heard the nursery rhyme “Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me”? OMG. That was actually something we put into children’s minds.

I like to think we have evolved more intellectually and emotionally to know how incredibly damaging that message is. But sadly, that is not always the case.

Words matter… in business and in life.

  • They create an awesome experience. Or create a not so awesome one.

  • They help build confidence. And they can destroy it.

  • They build relationships. And break them.

  • They build trust. Or create doubt.

  • They can excite me. Or they can bore me.

How much time do you spend choosing the words you are using in your business communications, both online and off?

How much care do you use when choosing the words you use when coaching a team member or speaking to a colleague?

How conscious are you of the words you choose when talking to yourself? (and please don’t even tell me you don’t talk to yourself. We all do. Whether we are conscious of it or not.)

Some wander through the social web, through business, and life, using words that have the potential to cause damage. But some choose to use words that empower, enrich the conversation and create awesome experiences.

Your choice. Choose wisely.

(shared with LOVE from Nina)

Mad Love for Larisadoll

Mad Love For @larisadoll

October 13, 2014Nina KovnerENGAGE, GROW, PASSIONISTA PROFILE

“Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four hour days.”

 Zig Ziglar

 

Mad Love for Larisadoll

 

Here is the audio version of this post. Thank you so much for listening.

Social listening and healthy stalking does have its privileges. And that is exactly how I discovered and met one of the most passionate and inspirational hairdressers I have ever known, Larisa Love aka @larisadoll on Instagram.

If you read my blog or listened to my Masters Series interview with Winn Claybaugh, then you have heard me speak of this awesomeness creator. I have been watching and listening to her for almost a year now.

One of the most awesome things I get to do at Passion Squared is connect with the best of the best, study them, learn from them, and many times actually meet them offline, then carry that message to my clients and community.

I’m not gonna lie, I am a big fan, and when Larisa and I set our date to meet, I got butterflies in my tummy. Why? Respect. Plain and simple. I knew this girl was special, but I also knew I only knew her online persona. And awesomely enough, she also works in the most beautiful bungalow at Butterfly Loft Salon in Encino. So butterflies were for sure an appropriate emotion.

Larisadoll

So what did I learn about what makes Larisa so awesome?

1. Authenticity
Larisa is the real deal. As beautiful inside as out. This is probably the most important thing to learn about her success. Authenticity is everything in today’s world, and you can be Insta famous, have a gazillion followers, but fall flat offline if you are not truly authentic.

2. Focus + Direction
Larisa has such insane clarity of direction and focus for such a young (in years) human. People often ask me what is one of the most common challenges I see working with small businesses in the beauty and wellness worlds. My answer. Focus and direction.

3. She Knows Her Why
Larisa is crystal clear on her why, promise, purpose and target market as a brand. She is consistent in her work, her brand identity, her boundaries, and how she presents her brand and creates stories that matter on Instagram. She knows her brand why. Remember, as the awesome Simon Sinek says, “People don’t buy what you do, they buy WHY you do it.”

4. Instagram Can Build A Business
Larisa learned very early in her short 4-year career as a hairdresser that Instagram would be the platform to engage, connect, build relationships and ultimately grow a business that has her booked until 2016 with 800 people on her waiting list. She chose one platform, she chose to focus intently on it, and she has never wavered. She spends at minimum 2 hours a day creating content, posting and engaging with her followers. You may think 2 hours is a lot of time. My question back to you is are you happy with your marketing plan and how it’s helping you grow your business?

5. Consistency
This could be Larisa’s middle name. Her beautiful work speaks for itself. But what matters even more is her consistency. In branding, in hair, in engagement, in posting, in content creation, and in voice.

Can every stylist have 40K followers and an 800-person waiting list? I don’t really know. But what I do know, is the above traits and actions are just some of the reasons Larisa has been SO successful, and it also happens to be traits and actions I see in many others creating awesome in their business.

As I have said before and I will always say, there is NO secret or magic pill. Creating awesome takes commitment, courage, consistency and most of all caring. And Larisa is all of those things and so much more.

If you are not already, follow @larisadoll and learn. Then go out and create your own kind of awesome.

A big shout out of gratitude and thanks to Larisa, her beautiful, kind and talented BF @dylankelly and David and Alexis, the awesome owners of Butterfly Loft Salon for such a special evening. I am in awe of all of you and so grateful to know you.

(shared with LOVE from Nina)

(awesome photos courtesy of @larisadoll)

The Wake Up Call

October 6, 2014Nina KovnerENGAGE, GROW

The Universe is not short on wake up calls. We are just quick to hit the snooze button.   -Brene Brown

 

Here is the audio version of this post. Thank you so much for listening.

Many of us have had them. Some of us don’t know we have. And some of us just hit the snooze button when they happen.

Wake up calls happen all the time, in business and in life. The opportunity for us is to listen for them and to them, if we want to create an awesome biz + life.

Wake Up Call #1
A few team members are asking for raises all within a few days of each other. To me, that is a sign of something deeper. Meaning, it’s time to connect with those team members to see where they are in their career and life. Something is behind the desire for a raise. What is it?

 Wake Up Call #2
A slew of social posts about a particular company seem to be gaining momentum and people are just not happy. Will that be a wake up call, or is that company not even listening?

Wake Up Call #3
People begin not showing up to meetings, or come in late to work. Do we build resentment or decide to dig deeper into why that is.

Wake Up Call #4
Sales begin to slowly drop, less new clients are coming in, and staff is leaving. Do we see that as a wake up call or do we hit the snooze button and blame the month, season, weather or staff member.

Wake Up Call #5
A series of not so awesome YELP reviews are posted about a business. All saying similar things. The front desk staff is not nice, nobody answers the phone, the bathrooms are dirty. A wake up call? You bet. But only if the business is listening.

Wake Up Call #6
A feeling of stress and overwhelm continue to fill our bodies. Is this a wake up call? You bet it is. It’s time to look at our lives and begin to create space to breathe and get to the source of the stress and overwhelm so it can be fixed.

Awareness is the key in listening for wake up calls. It is so much easier to hit the snooze button versus dealing with issues, problems or wake up calls. It takes a ton of courage to listen for them and deal with them. And until we do, be prepared for that alarm to keep ringing.

Do you have any wake up calls you have ignored only to have them come back bigger and louder? I would love to hear your thoughts. I’m listening.

(shared with LOVE from Nina)