To Infinity and Beyond
“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”
Harriet Tubman
PASSION
pas·sion n.
A powerful emotion, such as love, joy.
Intense, driving, or overmastering feeling or conviction.
Boundless enthusiasm.
SQUARED
squared v.
To raise (a number or quantity) to the second power.
We all understand what passion means, quite frankly, I think our industry invented the word. One of the gazillion awesome things about hairdressers (you) is the beautiful passion that you have for your art, clients, team mates, community and business. But what does Squared mean?
True Story
I will never forget the day, many years ago, when my incredibly awesome mentor and hero, John Paul DeJoria, said to me “I would rather have a passionate bitch working for me than someone who doesn’t care.” I love that man, always have, always will. I took it as a compliment. And he meant it as one. I have always stayed true to my beliefs. My passion has served me well. Yes, at times it gets me into trouble, but I will always be me, and if at times, people see that as being a “passionate bitch”, so be it. I care. And that means more than anything.
Do I Have to Do Math?
Squared has many meanings. The math one is what trips me up sometimes, and when I’m tripped up, I call Gordon (which I did last night), and he clears it all up. But this is not about a math lesson, this is about understanding the power of taking our passion and multiplying it via the social web.
Social Squared
The social platforms we play on are allowing us to share our passion like never before. And big stuff, big changes and shifts can happen when people around the world have the ability to connect and engage. In the old days (10 years ago), we did not have the ability like we have today to engage people and share with people. Today, we can get online and educate and inspire the world. This is powerful stuff.
How are you using social platforms to share your passion? To live your dream? To make your dent in the universe? Click here or hop on over to our Facebook page to share your story. We want to hear from you.
(shared with LOVE from your passionista Nina)
It’s About People. It’s Always Been About People.
“We are massively underestimating this culture shift… We are in the era of the humanization of business. We’re living by small town rules again.”
Gary Vaynerchuk
Watch Gary Vee as he passionately shares his thoughts on the social revolution and what it means for our businesses. Listen at your own risk, lots of f-bombs and passion inside.
What excites us most about the social web for salons is most salons have always acted by “small town rules”. Salons and hairdressers are social by nature. Many of you have always cared deeply about your clients, your team and your community. A big first step is to take all of those values and principles you practice every day and apply them to the web. Ta-Da!
The social web is…
1. About people.
2. About listening.
3. About caring and loving.
4. About building relationships.
5. About meaningful conversations.
6. About giving a sh#t!
7. About authenticity.
8. About saying thank you.
9. About providing valuable + engaging content.
10. About building and growing word of mouth, referrals, organic discovery and your business.
The social web is not…
1. About selling.
2. About spamming.
3. About self-promotion.
4. About collecting likes and fans like baseball cards.
5. About asking people (over and over) to like and follow you.
6. About getting before you give.
7. About hype.
8. About bragging.
9. About posting just to post.
10. About outsourcing. (Can you really outsource listening to your clients? Think about it.)
Now you may be saying, wait a minute, I have to make money to pay my bills and I have to sell more stuff to do that. We understand, trust us, we have lots of bills too. With the new social economy and the connected consumer, you must first deliver value on your social pages, just like you do in your salon every day. You have to earn the business in the social space, not expect it because you have a website and Facebook page.
The first step is to understand, practice and consistently execute Steps 1-9 on the first list.
It takes time, but it is well worth it when you build an engaged community that loves you, what you stand for, the results you provide and they become raving fans on the web which turns into word of mouth and referrals! How awesome is that?
If you are looking for help to better understand the power of the social web and how it can help you grow, click here. We look forward to hearing from you and growing with you.
PS: This blog post was inspired by two of our social + digital heroes, author of The Thank You Economy Gary Vaynerchuk and author of The End Of Business As Usual Brian Solis. A big shout out of thanks to these two leaders who speak their truth, how refreshing.
(shared with LOVE from your passionistas Nina + Gordon)
What’s Your Story?
“Success means never letting the competition define you. Instead you have to define yourself based on a point of view you care deeply about.”
Tom Chappell, Tom’s Of Maine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpc57XUzKzQ
Meet Woody Lovell Jr., owner of The Barbershop Club at Farmers Market in Los Angeles. Woody clearly knows the why + what + who of The Barbershop Club brand, and in this video, communicates it brilliantly in 1 min. 9 sec. WOW. Can you clearly communicate your brand why + what + who in 1 min. 9 sec?
Once Upon A Time
Both offline and online, whether you are marketing your salon or yourself, it all begins with knowing why you are, what you are, who you are, who you are targeting and clearly communicating your “story”.
In the online world, we all have 24/7 access to decide which brands speak to our hearts and minds. Does your online presence match your offline presence? If I go to your website, Facebook page or Yelp page, will I want to pick up the phone or book an online reservation? While it may seem a bit overwhelming, this is what it takes to engage with today’s connected consumer.
Ok, I know what you are saying, I get it, I get it, but where do I begin?
Start With Why
Simon Sinek, a great author and biz leader we love, has an awesome book called Start With Why. Simon says (lol) “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”
So lets begin building your story. Get out a piece of paper, or laptop or iPad, and answer the following questions. Be sure your mind is clear and rested before you start this very important process;
1. Why did you open a salon? Why did you become a hairdresser?
2. Why would a client want to come to your salon? To you?
3. What is your promise?
4. What do you want to be known for?
5. Who is your target market?
6. What do you want clients to say about your salon, both online and off?
By answering these 6 questions, you have begun to develop your brand story. And people buy stories way more than products or services. Think about it, think about your favorite brands and how you have bought into their “why”, their “story”.
Check Out The Brands You Love
The next step is to find the brands you love, Google them, check out their websites, Facebook pages, Twitter feeds, Yelp page, Pinterest boards, etc. How are they telling their story? Do you understand their “why”? Now go back to the 6 questions, would you answer them differently after studying your favorite brands?
If you are serious about building your salon or personal brand both online and off, we offer one-on-one coaching to help you craft your story and bring your brand to life. To learn more about Passion Squared Coaching, click here. We look forward to helping you ignite your passion and live your dream.
(shared with LOVE from your passionista Nina)
What Are You Waiting For?
Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So… get on your way.”
Dr. Seuss
