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: I have been at
this a while over two decades,

and I've been a salon owner for
all but three of those years,

I've worked at two other salons
in my career, and I've had to

leave both of them for similar
reasons. Failing leadership or

substance abuse was a big
problem. Both were very

unprofessional environments
where my business and my

reputation were being affected
in a very negative way, and

honestly going out on my own
felt like a means to survival.

Most commission salons with
strong leadership will have a

clear path for growth. With
benchmarks in place certain

metrics and numbers that you
need to hit or promotion to jump

up to the next level charge more
for your services. These are in

place for your own good trust me
I have spent good time and money

making sure that I'm up to speed
on current industry standards so

that I know when it's the right
time to promote my stylists, and

when they're simply just not
ready. If I do it too soon,

clients can be lost in the
stylist income could suffer

instead of grow. So what are
some of the top factors that

normally play into when a
stylist leaves their salon? And

how do they know if it's
actually time to move on? Well,

it used to be about the money.

simpler days. As stylists that
doesn't really understand the

business side of beauty may feel
like a commission salon owner

keeps too much of their money,
you know that the commission

split is too high. A stylists
will often forget about the

amazing education their
leadership provides or how nice

it is to have a professional at
the front desk, booking your

appointments, calling your
clients when you're sick, and

checking in the guest and
checking them out so that they

can move on to their next
client. They don't understand

how expensive it is to keep that
big color bar stocked and all

the taxes and other bills paid.

And when you don't understand
that I'm sure that does seem

like an unfair split. Now I'm
seeing a shift in what younger

stylists are looking for. They
want balance and control of

their schedule. They want good
vibes and a drama free

environment. They want to
express themselves through

fashion instead of adhering to a
strict dress code. What does a

strong exit strategy look like?

Well make sure you're prepared.

Make sure that you've done your
research on other perspective

salons and that you will
actually be better off because

you're going to lose 30 to 50%
of your clientele when you move.

So you better make sure that the
salon you're looking for has the

new business to replace those
clients. Definitely give notice

out of respect for your current
employer and the clients you

hope to take with you. Two Weeks
Notice is a minimum. Now a lot

of salon owners won't let you
work out notice it's

uncomfortable and cringy. And
they just rather not do it. I

don't agree in hopes of
retaining the clients on that

stylists book. I'm going to take
the high road and let them stay

those two weeks. Unless there's
animosity, no, that's totally

different, right? If it's an
uncomfortable situation, maybe

there's anger involved or
resentment involved, like maybe

it won't work out. But
otherwise, I think you should

definitely try to let the
stylists stay and you should

definitely give two weeks
notice. And of course I do have

stipulations. The stylist is
welcome to walk the guest out at

the end of their appointment and
let them know of their plans,

but not in the salon. That kind
of conversation makes everyone

uncomfortable and it's just a no
for me. So how can you explore

other salons while you're still
working at your current salon?

Like what if your boss finds out
I mean the chances are your

current boss will find out
people love to talk so just be

ready to have the appropriate
conversation when the time is

right. That should not in any
way stop you from doing your

research and thoroughly checking
out alternative salons the fear

of your current boss finding out
cannot paralyze you and lead you

to make a rash decision. You do
need to do your research. I

would book an appointment or
schedule an interview or even

zoom with leadership at your
prospective salons. But never

never never make a hasty
decision and leave without a

plan. So what about your
teammates? Are we going to let

them know that you're leaving?

Also tricky and as a salon
owner, I'd like the courtesy of

hearing it from you instead of
another stylist so please give

me the courtesy and sit me down
out and let me know what your

plans are, instead of me having
to hear it from another team

member. And honestly, like, it
just adds this really weird

energy in the team. And I just
rather avoid it if possible.

What if the relationship could
be saved? I mean, should a

stylist talk to their current
salon owner before making the

decision to leave? Absolutely.

Especially if you have a really
good relationship with them, and

you like the team and you like
the environment. I personally

love the opportunity to grow and
be a better leader. So these

conversations for me are
invaluable. Plus, you never know

what's possible until you ask.

I've definitely been able to
shift things around for a

stylist that I really value. And
I'd like to keep and if you know

what you bring to the table,
chances are the salon owner does

too. So let's talk about the red
flags like how I personally can

tell that a stylist is thinking
about leaving. For me, it starts

with their numbers, they really
stopped like trying to hit their

goals and it shows up in their
sales and in their pre booking

and other metrics that used to
be really, really strong are

starting to slip. They also
typically stop posting on social

media regularly, or they might
even stop tagging the salon or

sharing the salons posts. If the
salon socializes a lot outside

of work, they're probably going
to stop attending these events.

Stylists obviously will have
expectations of what their salon

owner or their future salon
owner should be providing, you

know, marketing, walk ins, that
kind of thing. And I think it

depends on what type of Salon
you go to. If your expectations

are getting clients put in your
chair, a full spectrum of

professional products, free
education and possibly even

coaching, then you're going to
want to go to a full commission

salon, commission salons should
and usually do facilitate all of

these things with their part of
the commission. But it is up to

you to make sure I get asked a
lot about salon drama. And is

that just a normal part of the
culture? Not for all salons? I

can't stand it. And I am quick
to dismiss anyone who disrupts

the piece at my salon. Not to
say it's perfect not to say we

don't have bad days. I mean,
we're all human right? But I

protect my salon culture with
everything I have. So what kind

of expectations should salon
owners reasonably have of their

stylist? Is a stylist that's
thinking about leaving? Are they

pressured? Are they feeling like
they can't possibly live up to

the salon owners expectations,
because I can tell you every day

coming into work with that
nervous energy, it's not going

to last you're not going to want
to stay at that salon very long.

And when it's all said and done,
though your success is your

responsibility. My salon offers
a lot of benefits and a clear

path to success. But without an
eager and motivated participant.

None of that even matters. I do
offer flexible scheduling. So my

expectation when it comes to the
schedule is that all my

employees dedicate their time
and energy to their work when

they are at work and your
downtime. I want you expanding

your skill set practicing your
craft and creating really good

social media content. You also
need to be folding towels and

assisting your fellow team
members. This is what successful

people do. They are not sitting
around in the break room

bitching about a cancellation
they're using this time to

contribute to their success. I
can't want this more than you

do. You absolutely have to do
your part. healthy boundaries

are so important in every
relationship and especially in

business salon owner should care
as much about boundaries as

their employees. A well ran
salon should have a thorough and

effective employee handbook that
clearly states what all the

expectations are around
scheduling, meeting your goals

and guest excellence. Special
Situations will arise. And if

the expectations are clear, the
boundaries won't get crossed. I

mean, I care deeply about my
team and I do have personal

relationships with all of them.

But business is business. And
I'm proud to say that I have

been able to find the balance.

Why would you even want to work
somewhere where you can't grow.

I mean, like any other field, if
you're not growing, you're

dying. This industry is so fast
pace and you have to evolve and

grow or your clients are gonna
get bored and they're gonna

start looking elsewhere. If
you're not growing and you're

not expanding, then you're going
to also stunt your financial

growth. There's no way you can
make more money if you're not

bringing more to the table. A
salon with growth in mind will

have a clear path for you. It's
advantageous to you both to

promote and become successful as
possible. I'm never sitting up

in my office trying to think of
ways to hold my staff back to

limit their potential, but you
do have to do the work and it

will show up in your numbers.

There are a lot of life lessons
when you're part of a diverse

team, you will gain a stronger
understanding of how special it

is to learn and grow from people
that are different than you. I

love to see when one of my more
mature and seasoned stylists

takes one of our new stylist
under their wing, there's so

much opportunity for them to
learn from each other. There's a

lot of wisdom to be gained and
competence to be built in these

relationships. They're vital to
the salon success. So how do you

find a salon that's aligned with
your vision and your mission?

Because that's what really
matters here in your career,

your vision of what your success
needs to look like? Well, first,

you need to be clear about what
you're looking for. Make a wish

list of all the things that your
dream salon would have. How do

they dress and present
themselves? How do they treat

the guest and each other? Write
it down? Book an appointment for

something small, it's salons
that appeal to you most? You're

going to have to spend some time
there so that you can see what

it feels like. Does their
mission align with yours on the

things that matter to you? Most?

They certainly should. So how do
you ensure that the salon you're

leaving tells your clients where
you're going? Well, you can't.

They should. I do, but we don't
own people, and it's likely that

the stylists will reach out to
them anyways, I like to let the

guests make that decision. I do
offer a discount to encourage

them to stay and try another
stylist. Unless they came for

that specific stylist it's
likely that my marketing efforts

are what brought them through
the door anyway, you should

leave on good terms whenever
possible. Again, give notice

handle this professionally. Be a
kind and contributing member of

the team while you're still
working out your notice. Once

you're gone, don't trash talk,
especially if you were treated

with respect. I like to leave
things on a positive note and

you should do a best case
scenario for me as a business

owner when stylists decide it's
time to move on is that at least

half of the client stay and try
someone else. Again, if a

stylist builds a full book
during their time with me, I'm

doing something right to get
clients through the door. I will

do everything in my power to
create an amicable separation,

it's likely that our paths are
gonna cross again and I don't

want it to feel cringy when I
run into you at a class or at

the supply house. My final piece
of advice to a stylist finding a

salon where they can grow and
thrive is research multiple

salons. You may be surprised
what conclusion you come to when

you have all the information and
trust your gut. What's the

energy in your prospective
salon? Does it match yours? Or

does the search continue?

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