The Aspiring Stylist with Tracey Franklin

Morgan Franklin: Welcome to the
Aspiring Stylists Podcast with

Tracey Franklin. Where to begin,
grow and aspire to become the

best stylist you can be. Whether
you're thinking about becoming a

stylist opening a salon, or
developing your skills as an

experienced stylist the next
step of your beauty career

starts here. Each week we'll
discuss strategic ways to

design, plan and execute on
becoming a stylist that excels

behind the chair and above the
bottom line. Here's your host,

Tracey Franklin.

Tracey Franklin: Oh, y'all, I
cannot wait to dive into this

topic. As someone who spends a
lot of time trying to motivate

others, I know the secret is not
in my motivation. But in their

own, they have the secret sauce,
not me. At the end of the day,

if someone doesn't want to do
something, I cannot make them.

They have to decide. They have
to decide to show up for

themselves to show up strong for
the person that they were in

beauty school with all the
dreams. And the ability to self

motivate is the key. Being self
motivated shows up in a lot of

ways and one of them is being
willing to keep up with the

trends. You have to make it your
job to keep your eye on the

forecast that fashion forecast
what's going on in our industry.

I mean working on a high end
clientele comes with more

expectation. You better know
those clients are keeping up

with the Kardashians and you
need to as well, at least on a

hairstylist level, I mean, you
can take it all in however you

like fashion magazines, social
media, TV and movies. However,

it doesn't matter. But you have
to keep your eye on what's going

on in Hollywood because they are
the ones who dictate it all. So

furthering your education. This
takes time and it takes money

and you could be behind the
chair. It's not something that

anyone's really forcing you to
do. But continuing your

education is non negotiable. And
honestly, it's such an energy

boost. Why would you want to I
mean, staying inspired and

excited and a little
uncomfortable is the most

effective way to motivate
yourself. That's going to come

from learning from a new
certification to a cool new tool

that makes your life easier.

It's fun, and it keeps working
behind the chair fun. I mean,

not to mention the amazing
energy, the buzz of being around

a bunch of hairstylist. I just
love it. In fact, I'm headed to

Minneapolis next week for Aveda
Congress and I am so excited.

There's going to be hard days in
any job. But hard days behind

the chair can be specifically
challenging because really, it

all comes down to you and
staying motivated and

understanding what drives you
through those hard times. That's

the only way you're gonna make
the hard day's worth it. You're

gonna make mistakes, not
surprising information I know.

But seriously, you're gonna grab
the wrong tube of color, you're

gonna run late, and you're going
to forget really important

information about your client's
life. But if you stay open to

that lesson that's tucked inside
that mistake, then nothing's

wasted and you're better for it,
and you're far less likely to

make that same mistake again. So
how does motivation work for

people who have different
employment statuses? What if

you're self employed? Does that
change? I mean, if you're self

employed, are you holding
yourself to the same

accountability that like an
employer would hold you to? Are

you spending the same amount of
time behind the chair? I mean,

what motivates a stylist may
differ depending on their goals.

A stylist working at a
commission salon is probably

still building their clientele
and working a set amount of

hours every week. We're an
independent stylists may have

more flexibility and may work
more days but less hours. As a

salon owner. I've recently
started placing my clients with

other stylists in my salon so
that I can focus on growing my

team and focus on Aspire. And
I'm working less behind the

chair now than I ever thought I
would. But I had to accept a

hard truth. I can't do it all.

Well, I can't do it all well
anyway. And I'm not going to let

myself show up average. So I had
to make some hard decisions in

my time behind the chair was the
obvious choice. And independent

stylists will average far fewer
new bookings and a stylist and a

commission salon. I mean
commission salons typically have

more stylists and more
availability, so they get a lot

more phone calls. They also mark
it more so they have a greater

chance of attracting new
bookings. It is really hard to

be self motivated as a stylist
when it comes to product sales.

It's not easy even when you have
a boss or mentor reminding you

all the time how important it
is. So being an independent

stylist, they may really
struggle here. I try to make

retail fun at my salon, we have
contests and the winner or

winners or in a group challenge.

You know, they win great prizes
and education dollars to spend

on classes or tools necessary to
perform their services. But at

the end of the day, we are the
professionals and if we're not

making professional
recommendations about products

to our clients, then we're doing
them a disservice and they're

left to order something online
or pick up something at TJ Maxx

that may not be the best choice
for their hair. I want to talk

about appearance and I want to
talk about stylist presentation,

I will be honest with you, I
feel like it is taking me a long

time to get where I am today
with my salons dresscode. We

switched from all black a few
years ago, and I find myself

making more and more
accommodations than ever with

work attire. But here's why it
matters more to this generation

of stylists. They want to
express their selves with

fashion and to be real, I'm kind
of enjoying myself. I mean, no

more funeral blacks, right. And
we still have rules around what

we wear. But for the most part,
I let them get creative, and I

let them have fun with their
looks. I know when it comes to

my attitude and how I present
myself, I show up stronger for

my clients when I know people
are watching, I'm sorry, but

it's true. When I'm setting an
example to my team, I'm more

accountable. And sometimes we
all need that. So I like being

part of a team. I like being
around people that make me want

to be better. So let's talk
about some of the typical

obstacles that stylist and
beauty professional space. I

mean, it can deplete your
motivation, and how are we going

to work through these barriers?

And how are we going to make
sure that it doesn't impact our

performance? And how are we
going to make sure our clients

stay happy? Burnout, goof
burnout gets us all eventually

I'm sorry. You can't lend
yourself in service to others

all day every day like stylists
do, and not get hit with it

eventually. And trying to
motivate yourself during a

season of burnout feels
impossible. But it will not last

if you don't let it but it's up
to you to change the narrative.

Everyone is inspired by
something. For me, it's learning

something new or a different way
of doing something old, it

doesn't matter. I just have to
keep learning. And whenever

burnout tries to show up, I book
a class. For you, it might be

something totally different, I
don't know. But what I do know

is it's your ticket out of the
pit. So you better find it, then

there's financial stress, right?

We're trying to build a
clientele, but we're still not

able to pay our bills. Trying to
stay in love with an industry

that doesn't immediately pay my
bills is hard. But please hang

on, it really is worth it. You
know, I get asked a lot what's

the best career choice right out
of school. And to this day, I'm

still gonna say for a new
stylist, it's a bigger

commission, so on. And here's
why you mission salons are more

likely to have an apprenticeship
program or a mentor program,

these programs are going to make
you a stronger and more

competent stylist. So they are
worth the investment of your

time. I know we're eager to get
to work after graduation. And we

want our own chair and we want
to start doing our own clients.

But there is a lot more to
learn. So please be patient, big

salons market to the public on a
regular basis. So the influx of

new clients is far greater, but
you are not off the hook, you

still have to do your part. And
that looks like having a

referral program, a strong media
presence and a pretty smiling

face and a stack of business
cards in your purse everywhere

you go. Clients. Yeah, your
motivation is gonna take hits

from clients, because clients
can be exhausting, I can get up

in the morning and I can take a
look at my book. And I can tell

you right then and there, what
kind of day I'm going to have,

if I'm going to need that extra
little bit of motivation from

myself, from my mindset from my
team, from the people I'm

accountable to like, I know by
who's on my book, what kind of

day I'm going to have, because
I've been serving these clients

for a long time and your
services with these people over

and over again, they get a bit
predictable, clients can make

your job really, really great
and really pleasant and really

rewarding. Or they can make it
really hard and really difficult

and really challenging. So
honestly, I mean, you just have

to learn to temper your
expectations on what you expect

from people. If you have a
client that shows up on your

book time after time and they're
continuously difficult, then you

need to make a hard decision.

You need to maybe look at them
and say hey, I don't know if I'm

the right stylist for you. I
can't seem to get this right.

I'm so sorry. I just want you to
be happy. I wonder if maybe you

need to try someone else. Or you
just learned to push through

honey, you just get through it
and you just realize that okay,

she's gonna take a little bit
more than the next person and

you show up with the extra bit
for that client that day. What

about the team you work with?

I'm just here to tell you and my
team we're such a close knit

group of people that when
somebody's in the break room and

they're in a shitty mood and
they're being a little bit

negative like that gets all over
us whether we like it or not, it

just does. So I love my team but
sometimes I stay out of the

break room for that very reason.

I'll go sit outside get a breath
of fresh air. I'll stay out

there talking to my client. I'll
check in with the front desk

bolts and towels. It doesn't
matter like for me if I know one

of my stylists is on one. I'm
just gonna avoid the break room

at all costs because my working
environment does affect my

motivation and I'm pretty sure
it affects yours too. So what is

proactive goal setting look like
for a stylist that is highly

motivated. That looks like
knowing how much money you need

to make and looking at your
schedule and seeing what the

difference is and figuring out a
way to make it up. If you need

to make $500 a day and you've
only got $300 and services on

the book, a highly motivated
stylist is going to figure out a

way to serve their client to a
higher capacity. Now, before you

get on to me, I'm not upselling
I don't even like that word, I'm

talking about adding value to
someone's appointment by

recognizing the holes in their
service plan and filling those

holes and filling your
pocketbook at the same time. I

mean, that's what we're trying
to do here, right. And if you're

walking around every single day,
and you're showing up, and you

don't know how much money you
need to make, you need to sit

down and you need to put pen to
paper because you can hit a

target that you can't even see,
you know, a very motivated

stylus is going to show up
differently every day to work

because they've got their eye on
the prize, and they've got

action steps in place. And they
know exactly what they need to

do. Because they wake up every
day with intention. And they set

a goal for the day. And they
know what they need to do to get

there. So what about those days
when you just can't? When you

just can't You can't find the
motivation, you can't get in the

swing of things. What are you
going to do? I mean, I think you

have to give yourself some
grace, I'm sorry, but you're not

going to show up a rock star
every single day. Now, I mean, I

do feel like your clients
deserve a level of

professionalism. No matter how
rock bottom, you are that day.

So you need to pull it together.

And you need to show up your
clients and you need to turn out

some good hair. But I don't
think there's anything wrong

with having those days where you
just give yourself a little bit

of grace, and you just show up
how you are and you can even ask

for grace. You think in my 20
something years behind the

chair, I haven't had to show up
to a hair appointment and say,

Hey, I'm sorry, I'm just having
an off day. Please forgive me.

And my clients are like, Yeah,
girl, I got you. I come in here

all the time. With off days, I'm
gonna let you have one now. So

you know, don't beat yourself up
about it, do what you can turn

out good work regardless. But
maybe just have a little bit of

transparency with your client
and just say, Hey, I'm just

having a hard time today. What
about finding inspiration?

Inspiration is tricky, because
it's like we're looking for this

thing that you can't see, you
know, it's just this invisible

magic fairy dust that all of us
wish that we had a crap ton of

you know, and we just don't I
mean, I don't think that you can

wait to be inspired by
something. I think you have to

find the inspiration in
yourself, and that's gonna look

different. It's gonna look like,
Hey, I gotta make up some lost

traction. I didn't have a great
day yesterday. So I gotta be a

baller behind the chair today.

You know what I mean? It's like,
sometimes the only inspiration

you can find is out of
necessity. So stop looking for

the magic and create the magic
in yourself. What about finding

a support network? What about
finding that within your own

tribe of stylists, I think
working with a team of really

motivated people is, you know,
it's gonna get all over you. And

so I think it's important to
encourage each other and to be

there for each other, and maybe
hold each other accountable.

When I need accountability. I
asked for it. I say, Hey, if you

haven't heard from me by 5pm
today, please reach back out. I

can't trust myself to return
this message. You know, I always

tell people like, Hey, if you
haven't heard from me, it's

never intentional. Reach back
out, I'm gonna get back to you.

And so for me, it's that
accountability of saying, Hey,

you're not hurting my feelings.

You're holding me accountable. I
said, I'd give you an answer by

five today. And you deserve that
answer by five today, I just

forgot, I think leaning into
each other and saying, Hey, I

just need a little bit of extra
support. Today, I'm having a

hard time finding my
inspiration, my motivation,

whatever it is, and ask them to
loan you some of theirs until

you can find yours. I mean,
that's what being a part of a

team is. That's what having a
salon family looks like. So

let's talk about the muscle of
motivation. It's a powerful one.

And I think on the days where
you're feeling really burnout,

and on the days that you just
can't seem to get it together.

If you will force yourself to
just put one foot in front of

the other and make some small
move in the right direction,

then you're going to strengthen
that muscle a little bit. Now

it's not like you know, doing 20
sets of bicep curls, okay, but

you're going to strengthen a
little bit. And then the next

time you do it, the next time
you crawl out of bed when you

want to call in sick and you
take your ass to work and you

work really hard, you strengthen
that muscle a little bit more.

And every time you do this every
time you choose excellence

instead of settling for less you
strengthen that muscle, it gets

stronger and stronger and
stronger until it is just who

you are. It's just who you show
up as every single day. This

super buff motivational goddess
every single day. I'm a big

audio book person. I absolutely
love a good motivational audio

book. I'm listening to these
books while I'm driving to work

I'm listening to them while I'm
walking or working out or

Cleaning whatever it is, like
I'm trying to constantly put

good in, so that I can flush
anything negative out, because

that's what light does, right?

Light flushes out the darkness.

So when I need that extra boost,
that extra sprinkle of the good

stuff, then I turn on some Tony
Robbins or some Zig Ziglar or

something like that. And I get
that little rush of motivation

that I need, you know, in with
the good, it helps flush out the

bad or the negative. So I just
want to encourage you to

identify your own personal
barriers to motivation and

figure out what steps you can
take to overcome them. We've

talked a lot about things that
can get in the way ways that

your motivation can take a hit.

But brands we can't always wait
to feel motivated to do

something, we just have to do it
because it's our job. And

because we're grown, and because
our clients and our future

selves are depending on us, it
will always be up to you to do

the internal work that
motivation requires. I mean, you

just have to remind yourself of
your why what is your why behind

the work that you do. Because in
order to grow in this industry,

you have to do the work. So what
is the work that you can start

today, let me leave you with an
action step that I know will

help you if you're willing to
believe it will. I want you to

write down 10 things that you
absolutely love about the work

you do. I want these to be
things that really lights you up

and put a smile on your face.

And I want you to tape it to the
bathroom mirror for 10 days. And

I want you to read each one of
them out loud in front of that

mirror. I want you to feel into
the gratitude that you have for

each of these things. Meditate
on it and let it be what fuels

you. Keep this list handy for
the days that nothing else seems

to work with a motivated
mindset. Nothing is impossible.

Morgan Franklin: Thank you for
joining us on this episode of

anytime soon. The Aspiring
Stylist Podcast with Tracey

Franklin. If you enjoyed
listening and you want to hear

more, make sure you subscribe on
Apple Podcast, Spotify or

wherever you find your podcasts.

The Aspiring Stylist Podcast
with Tracey Franklin is a Morgan

Franklin Production. Today's
episode was written and produced

by Morgan Franklin editing and
post-production by Mike

Franklin. Want to find out more
about Tracey and the Aspiring

Barber and Beauty Academy go to
aspirebarberandbeauty.com