Am I the only one finding it hard to believe in 2 weeks we'll be in 2024?! That's insane, right? While I'm wrapping up my last weeks behind the chair and we're preparing for students to go home for Christmas break I wanted to take a moment to reflect on 5 of the biggest lessons I've learned from 2023.
I hope this can shed some light for hairstylists, future hairstylists, salon owners, and beauty professionals of all kinds on what it looks like to make a major transition in this industry, how much things can change in a year and bring some hope that no matter what you're going through every struggle is just a stepping stone on the path to your ultimate success.
Can I ask you a favor? If you enjoy the show, will you follow us and leave a 5 star review? This helps our show move up in the charts to help more stylists. Thank you!
Am I the only one finding it hard to believe in 2 weeks we'll be in 2024?! That's insane, right? While I'm wrapping up my last weeks behind the chair and we're preparing for students to go home for Christmas break I wanted to take a moment to reflect on 5 of the biggest lessons I've learned from 2023.
I hope this can shed some light for hairstylists, future hairstylists, salon owners, and beauty professionals of all kinds on what it looks like to make a major transition in this industry, how much things can change in a year and bring some hope that no matter what you're going through every struggle is just a stepping stone on the path to your ultimate success.
Can I ask you a favor? If you enjoy the show, will you follow us and leave a 5 star review? This helps our show move up in the charts to help more stylists. Thank you!
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 learned so many lessons in 2023. It's been full, it's been packed full of lessons, but I've narrowed it down to five. And I'm gonna start with how I feel. I've seen my career come full circle this year. This year, I opened Aspire barber and Beauty Academy. My husband and I have dedicated the last year to creating a higher learning platform for students. We've created a curriculum that is second to none, and have designed a space that still takes my breath away every time I walk through the doors, and hasn't come without sacrifice. This year, I made the really hard decision to step away from the chair. I still spend two days a week at my salon, but I'm focused on growing my team instead of growing my clientele. So let's dive into lesson one. It is okay to pivot when something is no longer working. Sometimes we hang on to what we've always done just because it's comfortable, even past the point of value. I have like most salon owners had a career long battle with recruitment. I have owned a salon for 19 of the 20 something years that I've been in this industry and it has only gotten worse. Students are coming out of school completely unprepared for salon life with very little technical skill and even less business and social skills. And COVID only made it worse with them online learning and no actual clients to work on. I was putting even more into training these new hires more work than ever was going into just getting them prepared to take clients. It cost a small fortune to get today's stylists up to speed and Salon ready. If they don't quit before the apprenticeship program is even over. In 2021, I created a state approved and partially funded curriculum and program hoping that it would help and it did some but not enough. I knew that if something didn't change, I was going to have to change it. And I was still working a full book behind the chair with very little time to dedicate to changing anything. I also knew that I alone could not do what needed to be done. So my husband and I took the plunge and dove headfirst into the unknown and created a spire. And my goal is still to eliminate my recruitment goals. Don't get me wrong, but I do however, feel like my mission has changed into something bigger, elevating the industry and how people receive their beauty education as a whole. I knew that the current path was not working for me anymore. There was always so much to do. And I just felt like if I worked hard enough, I could keep it all going. I was running back and forth every day switching gears all day long, with no real structure, teach a class here, meet a stylist there, take a client here, book a class there, I was going crazy. I was exhausted. And for the first time in my life filled with anxiety. behind the chair, I knew who I was, I was comfortable and secure. But honestly my body was breaking down. And it was clear. I could not be the attentive client focused stylus that I once was. I tried cutting back behind the chair and I restructured what my days look like it could work right. But when you are out of alignment with your higher calling, it's really hard to just keep doing the same stuff every single day. You're desperate for more desperate for the next level. But you're trying so hard to keep everything the same at the same time. It feels like chaos and everything is harder than it should be. Instead of feeling fulfilled. At the end of the day you find yourself taking inventory of all the things you forgot all the people you left hanging, what could have been done better. You begin to question everything and everyone. So my advice for a stylist that's feeling stuck. It's feeling like what they're doing isn't working, but they're just too afraid to move on is one of my favorite quotes. Just beyond the comfort zone is where all the magic is. It's true, but so many of us are unwilling to move beyond the comfort zone. For me stepping away from the chair felt like I was giving something up a part of my identity a part of my worth. For you. Maybe it's changing your schedule getting a new certification or B Becoming an educator or mentor to someone else. If you are called to do it, and you keep ignoring it, it doesn't just go away. It lingers in your mind and you find yourself daydreaming about it playing out scenarios in your head of how it could work. This isn't by accident. This is the universe's way of overriding your fear and some of the old thinking and push you closer to your calling. Can you ignore the call? Sure. But you will notice what once made sense what once held joy will feel unsatisfying. Now. My advice? Be brave, be courageous. Is it scary? Yes. Is it worth it? Yes, yes. Lesson Two. This is something I have to remind myself all the time. And that's nothing can get in the way of what's meant for me, except for me, of course, I get in my way a lot. As a stylist and a business owner, I procrastinate. I procrastinate, big time I put things off, I wait till the very last minute. And I don't know why I joke and I say oh, I thrive on the chaos, I do my best work under pressure. And that's all bullshit. I do my best work when I plan ahead and map my day out for success. When I do things in a timeframe, that doesn't create anxiety. For me, that doesn't make me feel like I'm holding back someone's progress because I can't get my own crap together. Another thing I do is make excuses. Especially now I'm busier than I've ever been. And it's like I've created this expectation that everyone should understand. Everyone should be lenient with me, because gosh, she's so busy, she's doing so much. But at the end of the day, I want to work with integrity. If I tell you, I'm going to do something, I want to make sure I do it. And maybe even get it done early. Maybe I sometimes see busyness is productivity, and it ain't. Busyness is just busyness busyness is running in a million different directions with no real agenda. It's just hoping you can accomplish one or two small things within the chaos, it's living in your head. Busyness is not productivity, and you shouldn't confuse it as such. One way that I see stylists getting in their own way is their fear. They minimize the value of what they bring, or could bring to the guest experience because they're afraid. They're afraid to ask. It's just a haircut, right? No, it's the best part of someone's day. It's a potential solution to their problems. It's instilling confidence in them. And it's giving them a listening ear possibly for the first time that day, you got to put aside the fear that thing that's getting in your way and just go for it. Create a process that is repeatable, show up consistently. So many people have these incredible days behind the chair, and you think, Oh, this is it. This is the turning point. But they lack consistency. They show up tomorrow with that old mindset and that old process, old behaviors, old habits, and it brings that average right back down. And it makes that great day, an average day. One thing that you can do to help yourself overcome fear is be completely unattached to the answer. And what I mean by that is my process is that I'm going to hold a proper consultation with my clients so that I can find out what their pain points are. And then I'm committed to offering solutions to those pains so that they can love their hair. There's no reason why everyone can't love their hair. But at the end of the day, she might say no, no matter how nice I am, or no matter how many times I try to convince her that this is what is going to help. She can still say no. And if I make that about me, then of course I'm going to be afraid, right? But it's not about me, we have no reason why the no has been given, maybe it's not in the budget, maybe they're going to come back and get it maybe they just bought something and they want to use it first, I guarantee you, it's going to be a lot of things but it's never going to be about you. So detach yourself from the answer and do your job. You have to give them the same level of service every time this goes back to consistency. If you're showing up this just ball of excitement, this bundle of joy, this funny energetic person on their first appointment and then they come in for the second appointment and you've brought your bullshit in the door with you and now all of a sudden you're quiet. You're not really putting any extra effort in if you think they don't notice that they do and that's why your numbers aren't what they need to be you have to show up consistently consistency is doing it even when you don't freakin feel like it doing it no matter what doing it because it's your job doing it because it's your process. Take the emotion out of it and be consistent Lesson three, you can still be deeply in love with something that it's time to let go of. So what do I love? What am I letting go of? Well, it's my work behind the chair, working with clients that have become so much more than clients. They're my friends, they're my family. It's letting go of how I make people feel behind the chair, how much better they feel, because they spent a few hours with me. I love making them feel pampered and cared for and relaxed. And I'm going to miss that. I love this. I will always love this. Is it possible to separate yourself from something you feel passionate about or even love? And still find the strength to let it go? You can you start to believe in the real possibility that you could love something else as much. And you believe in the evolution that this change will create something new, but just as beautiful. You let go of the limitations that you put on yourself that somehow your worth, it's tied up into what you do. You give others the space to step up and step in. I've placed my clients with the stylist in my salon, and I've been so impressed with how they've stepped up, how attentive they've been to the client's needs, how focused they've been on making sure they have the right formulation for their hair color, it's been a really beautiful thing to watch. And the text messages have been rolling in from my clients thanking me for taking so much time to make sure that they got placed with the right stylist. This is very fulfilling for me. Sometimes you can feel something so deeply that you can almost convince yourself that it's backed. But that is not really honoring yourself. We have to make sure that we have a future that is going to serve us in the long run to take a nice long look down the road into the future. If things stay just the way they are. Would you feel satisfied? Would you feel fulfilled? Is there any real evidence that it won't work out that it would be a mistake? Or are you operating out of fear? This is how you know whether it's emotion, or whether it's fact less than for your body will eventually get tired of your bullshit. But it's always quick to forgive and respond to change. So I was not raised to make health a priority. I grew up super poor, I hated it. We ate a lot of food that had been marked down or even given away by the commissary physical activity was not promoted. And there was no money for team sports or even a bike to ride. I was hard wired early on that this stuff didn't matter, especially if you were poor. Needless to say, my health was never a priority. But changing my financial status was I threw myself into my work determined to change my financial future and that of my children as well. My priority was financial health. But after several years, my weight my health was out of control. I was obese and diagnosed with high blood pressure, pre diabetes, acid reflux, and even fatty liver disease. I filled my prescriptions corrected the issues and went on living the same way I always had. A few years later, I had my gallbladder removed as well as several varicose veins in my leg. Nothing changed. Then I started to suffer from chronic pain every day doing what I could to manage it. So I didn't have to change things. Two years ago, I made an appointment with a new doctor, one that looked me straight in the eye and said, Tracy, you're killing yourself. Everything you're suffering from all the pain, all the disease goes away with weight loss. No one had ever been so brutally honest with me and it was exactly what I needed to hear. I didn't want to die. I have a beautiful life. I have a beautiful family and I have a beautiful future. I will never appreciate honesty from anyone. As much as I appreciate it that day. I have slowly adopted new habits and I continue to work toward new goals for my health. It's not been perfect, but not even once have I considered giving up. My body is responding to the changes. I've lost over 40 pounds and I've cut my medication in half. It almost feels like my body's forgiving me for decades of abuse and is excited about these changes, and it keeps me excited as well. Why does it matter how we take care of our bodies as a hairstylist? Well, being a hairstylist is hard on the body even harder if you treat your temper like a trash can. standing on your feet all day with your arms raised or bent over a shampoo bowl is physically hard, even for the young and the fit and the healthy man If you're not, please take care of yourselves you are worth it. Just as those who love you my best advice on how to honor your body and your mind, step one nutrition. With all the chemicals and GMOs in our food today, paying attention can make all the difference. Now, I am not perfect at this, I am battling a lifetime of bad habits and deep seated unhealthy relationships with food. It's funny how working on your body inadvertedly works on your mind as well. I no longer feel the guilt and the shame of someone who doesn't give a shit about their health. I'm proud of myself, I'm proud of the changes that I have made. I know there is still a lot of work ahead of me. But I'm inspired. I'm lighter, I'm stronger, and I'm more determined than ever to be here. Really here present in this beautiful life with these beautiful people I get to call mine. Lesson five. Never let anyone all the way in. You have to have boundaries with your personal life with your business life, and even your wallet. Building professional boundaries is something I've had to get really good at. Some lessons can only be learned the hard way, but they are the most valuable ones. And letting people in is a beautiful thing. Don't get me wrong, I love my tribe. And I love the relationship that I have with them. But I have had to put up some boundaries where they didn't exist before. A few examples come to mind. finances for one, there should always be boundaries in place. No one should have access to all of your financial information. People you give power to will not always use it well. Never create total reliance on anyone. This place couldn't run without you mentality is not a compliment to you as a business owner or them as an employee. Keep your eyes wide open, you may be really surprised what you see. Look at your business with intention. Look for the things that are going really well. I'm not here to present some doomsday thought process. Like there probably are some things in your business that aren't working well. But identify the things that really are as well. And make sure you congratulate the people that do their part to make that happen. Never blindly trust anyone completely. Like you are going to feel like in this life, you come across people that you can trust with anything. But they'll surprise you. You've got to create boundaries. I'm not here to tell you to throw up walls and not let people in. I'm here to tell you to be smart about it. People usually have their own agenda, and it may or may not support your vision. Don't be afraid to let those people go. There's nothing wrong with them. There's nothing wrong with your vision. Sometimes it's just not a fit. So what advice can I give to a stylist that's trying to build their profession keep boundaries in place. One thing is never over share personal details about your life with clients or co workers. And I said overshare you are going to have clients and co workers that deeply care about you and deeply want to know all the beautiful things that are happening in your life. And I think sharing those parts of yourself with someone are completely acceptable. But with clients shouldn't really be about them anyway, but just a little sprinkling of you mixed in there. Keeping the conversation client focused is a really great way to make them feel important and help you avoid oversharing. With your team, you can open up a little more but try to keep the conversation light and positive as much as possible. They will see the balance and respect your boundaries. Plus no one likes a Negative Nelly. If people are walking out of the break room while you're in there, it might be time for a shift. I encourage you to look back and reflect on the lessons that you've learned in this past year. How would these lessons shaped you as a stylist? And how will they make you a better stylist in 2024
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