There seems to be a growing contempt and jealousy towards anybody who is successful in our society. Surprisingly, salon owners are also victims of this contempt.

I was recently reading some chat room comments where hairdressers were commenting on their salons and owners, and I was alarmed by the degree of animosity and negativity directed towards salon owners and managers.

Some of the comments I read included “Salon owners are greedy”, “Why should they keep half of everything I make?”, “They drive fancy cars”, and “They don’t appreciate my hard work.” The list goes on and on.

Where and why are these attitudes formed? Was it in beauty school, gossip in the backrooms of our salons, lack leadership and poor people management on the part of salon owners?

I’m sure some of these comments may be justified, but many were simply a result of poor communication between staff and management. A lack of understanding of each other’s needs is a major challenge facing salon owners.

I can assure you that most salon owners are not rich. I also have yet to meet a salon owner that wants to see their team and salon fail. Most hairdressers do not have an understanding of what it takes to run a business. If they did, I think they would be more supportive of management.

It is equally important for salon owners to respect the rights of their staff. Without profits how can salon owners provide you with a benefits program, spend money on advertising for more customers, and provide job security?

It is my wish that hairdressers will gain a better understanding of the duties and responsibilities salon owners face daily. It is also my wish that salon owners become better leaders in helping their team reach higher levels of excellence —personally, professionally, and financially.

We are all in this together.

Salon owners should be applauded for the following:

1. Creating Jobs

In today’s tough economy, we should be thankful to salon owners to have jobs, and the opportunity to maximize our full learning and earning potential. Salon owners also take on a lot of risk while helping young hairdressers gain experience. While new hairstylists gain experience in meeting consumer demands, many owners are risking losing money and customers. Learning by trial and error is risky and costly.

2. Making Sacrifices

Many salon owners sacrifice time and money to provide a better life for themselves and their team. They also have the courage to take risks, in many cases investing their life savings in opening a business. Cutting back on time with their families, many salon owners are usually the first to work and the last to leave. Their business is always on their mind. Their hard work and sacrifices benefit you and provide you with a job and an opportunity to reach higher levels of excellence.

3. Spending Money and Time on Advertising

Salon owners are always working hard to attract more customers, which is very costly and time consuming. To do this, they must work to maintain business stability. Without steady profits, there is no money to advertise or promote their salon to potential customers, provide incentives, or benefits package.

4. Providing Mentoring and Guidance  

As a salon owner, I personally felt a moral responsibility to grow my business and help my staff raise their standard of living, by educating them, and helping them reach higher levels of excellence. Most salon owners aren’t willing share their vast experience and skills in helping you grow your career. Many offer guidance, education, moral support and ongoing mentoring. Most top salons also invest in educating and training their team.

5. Trying to Create a Positive Work Environment

Many salons owners work hard to create a fun and positive team environment, but they still have to work hard to overcome staff turnover, and to maintain job stability for their other team members until they find a replacement. When turnover occurs everyone loses. How can we expect to create a positive and professional salon environment and improve our standard of living in a negative atmosphere?

These poor attitudes towards salon owners are one of the leading causes of staff turnover and misunderstandings. Perhaps a class on business at the beauty school level on what it takes to own your own business would help change some of these attitudes. Remember, you may not think you have the perfect boss at times, but, then again, you may not be the perfect employee at times either.

Published with permission from Jon Gonzales. Gonzales is a business consultant, trainer & speaker to salon owners and hairdressers. Visit his blog for more free business tips: https://hcds4you.com