All You Need Is Love

All You Need Is Love

March 18, 2013Nina KovnerGROW

“I have decided to stick to love…Hate is too great a burden to bear.”

Martin Luther King Jr.

 

All You Need Is Love

Here is the audio version of this post. Click below to listen. Thank you.

All You Need Is Love

Passion is defined as a strong and barely controllable emotion, be it love, or hate. And squared is a multiplier, meaning taking a number and making it bigger (well that is my way of understanding the meaning of squared at least). When you look at the Passion Squared logo, there is a heart, symbolizing LOVE. My purpose and the purpose of Passion Squared is to multiply love and empower awesome in people and business (with love).

You see, I am a big believer in love. Love of self, love of animals, love of people, of business and the planet. I believe that love is the answer to everything.

The Esteem Epidemic
One of the greatest challenges I see when working with people in the beauty industry is not that of love, but of insecurity and unloving actions. When I speak with hairdressers unhappy in the workplace, and sadly there are many, the same theme comes up over and over. Which is so strange as you would think in the business of beauty it would be the opposite. But there is a reason.

There is an alarming level of low self esteem or what is known as “other esteem” in the beauty biz. The reason I know this is because if everyone had strong esteem and were love focused, there would not be so much negativity and bullying.  But the thing is when we do not love ourselves, we cannot love others. No matter how much external praise or false sense of awesomeness we feel, it is not real.

There is NO reason in the world to put others down to feel better. There is NO excuse to be mean or bully others in the workplace. There is NO reason to be hateful to others just because you are unhappy with your own self. Think about it.

I Have A Dream
My dream is to have an industry that is love centered. But there is still a lot of work to do. And it begins with each of us. You see, love is an inside job. And if each of us focuses on being more loving, to ourselves and others, we will all be amazed what can happen in our businesses. There needs to be more discussion around this incredibly important issue, and I am committed to doing my part to help make our industry a more love centered place.

What are you going to do today to be more loving to yourself and others? Please share your thoughts in the comments below. It matters. You matter. Want to share your thoughts with me? Click here. I am listening.

(shared with LOVE from Nina)

Harlem Shake Original

Why I Love The Harlem Shake

March 11, 2013Nina KovnerENGAGE, GROW

 “Dance as though no one is watching you. Love as though you have never been hurt before. Sing as though no one can hear you. Live as though heaven is on earth.”

Souza

 Harlem Shake Original

Here is the audio version of this post if you just want to listen. You’re welcome.

Why I Love The Harlem Shake

Dance Like Nobody Is Watching
I love the Harlem Shake. I just cannot get enough. All of them, the good, bad and the ugly. Why? Because it speaks to something that I believe is so important in today’s world; people dancing like nobody is watching.

There is so much we can learn from this latest YouTube craze. That people love watching others live with abandon. How much we all crave fun, play and creativity. How its many times the simplest of things that can have the most impact and resonate with a global audience on the web.

As I watch many people begin to bash this craze, I have thought a lot about why that would be? What could possibly be wrong with people having fun and sharing it with the world? Aren’t we supposed to live out loud. Share our art. Dance like nobody is watching?

Here is one of my fave salon versions from a good friend, amazing hairdresser and industry leader Fernando Romero.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mz69k6UL09M

What We Can Learn
When I see high school students get suspended from school for creating their own version of the Harlem Shake, it takes me back to my school days. And they were not pretty. I struggled with topics such as math, history, English, well OK, all of them. I was bored out of my mind, and it reflected in my grades. I was suspended myself two times before I reached the 7th grade.

What I saw in those suspended high school students was future artists, producers, directors, choreographers, and clothing stylists. I saw future leaders, managers, entrepreneurs. I saw a bunch of fearless young people having fun, and learning about themselves in the process. What could possibly be wrong with that?

I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Please share them in the comments or with me, I’m listening.

(shared with LOVE from Nina)

Promote what you love

I Can See You

February 25, 2013Nina KovnerENGAGE, GROW

“What happens in Vegas stays on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube…”

Eric Qualman

Promote what you love

Here is the audio version of this post if you are not into reading. You’re welcome.
I Can See You

Much of my week is spent on the social and digital web researching, learning, listening, building relationships and joining in on some amazing conversations with my mentors, peers and friends. I love how these platforms empower relationships, people and business.

Promote What You Love Instead Of Bashing What You Hate
I have been noticing many leaders in our industry posting content that feeds right into the stereotypes that people have about salons and hairdressers on their Facebook pages. And of course, with those posts come thousands of comments, some from beauty professionals and not so shockingly from salon clients. Booooo.

What appears to be happening is that many are forgetting something very important about business pages on a platform like Facebook, they are PUBLIC. Which means, everything you are saying, the good, bad and the ugly, is seen by your clients and potential future clients. When you may think you are using your “inside voice”, you are actually creating a permanent footprint with your words.

This YouTube tutorial gone very wrong has been flying at the speed of light around the web. I am sure you have seen it. What blows my mind is the comments and shares from professionals about this.

This video, with over 5 million views, is an opportunity to educate clients. But what I saw mostly was a lot of bashing, teasing and laughing. And what is worse is that it was all done in a public forum, Facebook. Yikes! How could we use this video to educate our clients, instead of trying to make them afraid? You follow?

Hair Tutorial Gone Wrong

Here are a couple super professional responses and shares on that video that I love. Reason being, both Kristen and Gordon used this as a empowerment tool, not a bashing opportunity.

Hair Tutorial Response Hair Tutorial Response

Your Story, One Post At A Time
In today’s world we are all telling a story. My awesome friend and industry leader Fabio Sementilli just posted his awesome Fab Friday blog on the amazing  The Hair Nerds, and he spoke to the branding of you, as an individual, and the opportunities now for all of us to become brands in the social era. Fabio says so well, “Tomorrow’s small business will have a global profile.” The only thing I would add is Today’s small business. As this is happening, now.

Every status update, Instagram pic and Tweet are telling a story for the world to see. What do you want your story to be, sound and feel like? What do you want your clients and future clients to see? Always be mindful of how you choose to engage. We are watching you.

What Happens On Facebook Stays On Google
One of the many joys I have each day is the vibrant conversations I get to have with hairdressers around the world. This one is one of my recent faves. My buddy Damien Laliberte, of CrossCheck TV and Over Directed, was wondering how to get his photography to become more discoverable. Since I have studied this at length, blogged about it and even done a webinar on the topic, I immediately shared my thoughts. Well he is a super smart guy, and clearly challenged my advice, well, in fact, he just did not believe me. Until I saw this post last night on Facebook.

Facebook Conversation with Damien Laliberte

You see, everything you post on a business Facebook page is public, and much of what you post on a personal Facebook page is public, unless you set your privacy settings super tight.

One of the many cool things about engaging on the social and digital web is becoming more discoverable. So clients can find you, and if they like what they see, and read, do business with you. How awesome is that?

As always, I would love to hear your thoughts and comments, you can share them below, share them on Facebook or share with me directly. I am listening.

(shared with LOVE from Nina)

Contribute

Stop. Start.

February 18, 2013Nina KovnerGROW

“Blame is expensive, empathy is free.”

Joshua Fields Millburn, The Minimalists

 

Contribute

Here is the audio version of this post if you are not into reading. You’re welcome.
Stop. Start

Our Dirty Little Secret

I am proud to say I have been in the beauty and wellness biz my entire life, since my first day of beauty school. I love this industry, the people, the passion, and the ability to make another persons day better. But what I have witnessed over the last decade or so is actually not very beautiful at all. Something that many choose not to talk about. And that is lack of leadership, blaming others, insincere motives, hype and fluff and BS, lack of authenticity, insecurity, low self-esteem, mental health and addiction issues, short term thinking and expectations. Unfortunately the list could go on forever, but I will not waste any more words.

Blame is Lame

It seems so easy to blame everyone but ourselves for the state of our industry. But its lame. And not very productive. Let’s make a decision together, as an industry, to focus our energy on what we can do, to help small businesses learn to be better, to help people achieve their dreams and live their passion, to be a contributor, to be a hard working team member, to be honest with those who trust that we know better, and I mean really honest.

All the positive thinking, quotes and motivational seminars in the world will not get us there. Looking in the mirror will. And I mean all of us.

This may be a good start.

Stop. 

Complaining

  • Blaming…

    • The industry

    • The manufacturers

    • Diversion

    • The salons

    • The Hairdressers

    • The schools

    • The distributors

    • Your team

    • Your teammates

    • Your circumstances

    • Your location

Dropping the ball.

Start. 

Contributing

  • Caring

  • Taking responsibility

  • Following up

  • Leading with love

  • Discovering your why

  • Taking action on your ideas

  • Helping those in need

  • Looking in the mirror

  • Focusing on what you can control

  • Building people up

  • Making good art

  • Showing up

  • Sharing

  • Challenging the status quo

  • Changing the systems

  • Creating value.

 Your Choice. Choose wisely. (Particularly if you call yourself a “leader”, “expert”, “icon” or “guru”.)

A super big shout out of gratitude and love to Joshua Fields Millburn and Simon Sinek for inspiring me to create this post. You guys ROCK my world!

(shared with LOVE from Nina)

Are You There Salon? It's Me, Client.

Haircuts For Sale On The Internet

February 11, 2013Nina KovnerENGAGE, GROW

“Your job is to not embrace new technology with arms wide open, but instead understand it and learn which disruptive technologies separate you from existing and potential customers.

What’s unique about “connected” consumers is that they find and share information differently than their more traditional counterparts. They make decisions differently than the everyday consumers you’re used to engaging as well.

But keep in mind, the connected do not displace your traditional customer, they simply expand your opportunity to grow your business.

Brian Solis

5.5 Vidal Sassoon Scissor 635

(image via Hairbrained.me ProShop)

Many of us thought it would never happen. With all of the changes in our industry, the one thing that gave us comfort was that our services would never be able to be sold online.

Well I am here to tell you those days are over, and today, you can buy a haircut, a color, a style, and a reservation online.

Does this scare you or excite you? Your reaction means a lot about how you thrive in the era of social business and the connected customer.

Intent. Search. Discovery.
My biz hero, mentor & crush Brian Solis says it all begins with intent and search for the connected customer. And I will add discovery.

You see, in today’s world, people are looking for haircuts, colors, facials, session stylists, make-up artists, educators, how-to videos all online. Your job is to become a discoverable business. And you become discoverable by engaging online, via your website, your Facebook page, YELP page, Foursquare page, Instagram page, etc, etc.

Can I Make A Reservation?
Whether I am an existing client looking for convenience, or a new client looking for a salon, can I engage with your business on my terms or yours? My terms are I want to engage book when I want to book, and that may mean at 11PM when you are sound asleep.

Mitzi Spallas Hairstylist

(image via Mitzi Spallas.com)


Can I Buy A Haircut?
Most salons do not think they are in the e-commerce business. But I would disagree. You can be in e-commerce if you choose to be. You have so many awesome things to offer for sale and the technology available to offer them.

Here are just a few things you can offer online…
1. A reservation
2. A gift card
3. A package or series of services

How Do I Sell Online?
This is the awesome part. There are so many platforms that make it so easy for us to sell our products and services online. If you are a larger salon with a POS system like MindBody, Millennium, or STX, it’s quite likely they offer online booking, gift card sales and package sales.

If you are a smaller salon or independent stylist without a formal POS system, there are platforms like Schedulicity, Style Seat and more. Many of them also offer custom Mobile Apps and Facebook Tabs where a client can book their reservation inside of Facebook or from their phone or tablet, awesome, right?

Play The Discovery Game
This is a fun and easy way to assess how discoverable you are on the Web and how easy or difficult it is for the connected customer to do business with you. Try it.

1. Take a good, hard look at your website.
Does it make it easy for me to engage with your business? One or two clicks to a reservation? Images of your salon? Can I learn about the owner, the team, and read your story? See your work? How to engage with you both online and off?

2. Google yourself and your business.
Can I find you? Try different keywords like “best salon in Los Angeles”, “hair color experts”, etc. Of course, use the keywords that most fit your business, story, etc.

3. Search for your business on YELP. (and Google Places, CitySearch, etc.)
Do you like what people are saying about your business? Can I see pictures of your salon, your work, the team? Can I find your website from YELP? Your hours?

4. Search for your salon using Facebook Graph Search
Can I find you? Do you like what your Facebook page says about you, your brand?

You can continue doing what you are doing, and getting what you are getting. And if you are happy with that, awesome. But for the rest of you who are ready to grow, engage, and evolve, the sky’s the limit with the evolution of social business.

I would love to hear your comments and feedback on this post, please feel free to share on here or reach out to me directly.

(created and shared with love from Nina)