Why Hairstylists Quit the Industry Within 2 Years of Graduation

Did you know more than half of hairstylists, barbers and beauty professionals leave the industry within two years of graduation?

As an educator, this statistic devastates me, but nevertheless it's the truth. In this episode we're unpacking why so many hairstylists leave the industry and how you can prepare yourself to succeed in this industry. 

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The Aspiring Stylist with Tracey Franklin is a product of Morgan Franklin Media.

Transcript

Morgan Franklin: 0:02

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: 0:35

Overnight success is a myth, no one becomes wildly successful overnight. Even when it appears that way you have to remember, you're only seeing a glimpse, not the whole journey. I see a lot of stylists come out of school with some unrealistic expectations, not saying it's their fault, some things just have to be learned. And I'm not here to crush any dreams, you can most certainly have an incredible first year behind the chair, and an even better second year, but you're gonna have to work for it. What your first year behind the chair looks like depends on a few things. All start with the type of Salon you go work at. Is it a well established salon that markets well and properly trains their employees? If so great, you're probably in the right place. A salon like this sees a lot of new faces every month. And as the newbie with more availability than everyone else this is going to be great for you is your salon and a high traffic area with lots of walking business, this could be great too. But if you're in a salon that most people have never heard of on some side road on the outskirts of town, you could have problems. No matter how many clients you think you're going to have. I promise you, you're going to need more. So choose wisely when it comes to your salon home. Unfortunately, I don't think enough schools properly set their students up for success in this ever evolving industry. As much as this industry changes, not enough schools are willing to change with it. We can't ignore the fact that this industry has gained real traction. It's more popular than it's ever been. And I can understand why the beauty business is a blast. But it is still a business. And things like social media, attracting your ideal clientele. And tracking your income versus expenses should always be part of the curriculum. But often it's not. And that's one of the many reasons I knew I had to open a spire. Being a successful stylist for two decades gives me a real advantage. As you can imagine, I've seen it all survived at all. And that kind of real world experience has given me invaluable Intel. And my mission is to share it with the world, with my students with my team and with you. I understand the importance of honing in on my skills, skills are important friends, you can be an awesome person with the best personality. But if you can't cut hair for shit, people are coming back. I'm sorry, they're not. And on the other hand, if you can foil like nobody's business, but don't connect with your clients or recommend new products or services, and actually treat this like a business, you're probably going to lose them anyway. It all matters, clients want it all. And we can give it to them. But it requires dedication and self discipline. No matter what business model you choose, you will never keep 100% of what you make. You won't even keep 50% of what you make. Most stylists have no idea what it really costs to perform a color service, or to get a new client through the door. I've had a lot of stylists lead to go the independent route, I get it. A lot of people want to be their own boss, they want to call the shots, I get it. But if you're making this decision, because you think you're going to make more money, I urge you to do your homework because most of the time that isn't the case. When you're considering leaving a commission salon, I want you to look back at the time that you've spent there. And then I want you to open your appointment book. How many of those clients came in just for you? Half of them one in five? Well, that's because the salon markets to the public and has built a reputation in their community. new clients are coming in every day because of that and that makes building your clientele a whole lot easier. In a suite or chair rental this will all be on you. Every client who sits in your chair is on you to recruit while maybe when you leave most of your clients come with you. Okay, great. Statistically only half do but anyway, at some point they will drop off and need to be replaced. So I want you to be sure you understand this and you have a marketing plan in place for yourself. So over time, you're not actually losing money. Social media serves such a strong purpose and it really is so beneficial. But again, it can be deceiving. Most people are If and only play the highlight reels of their life, making it all look so easy, so glamorous. But it's not easy. It takes a lot of work. Becoming a six figure stylist doesn't happen overnight, but it can happen. I think stylists are shocked by how hard it is to build a full book and how long it takes how much commitment it takes to actually be a profitable stylist. Building a full book can be up to a two year process. And maintaining a full book is a career long one. Again, clients are going to drop off for various reasons, the more successful you become, the less available you will be and the more expensive your services will become. And this is all wonderful, this is what we want. But we can't ignore the fact that that is why some clients found you in the first place, because that's what they prefer, affordable and available. Eventually, they will seek that out and you will be down a client. And that's okay, this is the natural progression. But now you understand the importance of marketing yourself even when you're busy. So I've mentioned Salon Marketing and the importance of a strong social media presence. But is that enough? Probably not. So what else is there? Well, I love my community. I really love my community and I try to be as present as possible for the people and the causes that matter to me most. There is immense value in just getting out there and being seen and your community. Some of the things that I've done through the years are going to pop up markets, setting up booths doing complementary services, like hand massages, makeup, touch ups and styling tutorials. This has been such a win for me as a stylist and as a salon owner. I also love to go to charity events and learn how to support causes that I didn't even realize were important to me. A great idea is to find small business groups to meet with for lunch and attend after our cocktail parties. All of these have been super beneficial for me. There is no shortage of ways to be present if you choose to be. Another thing we don't often talk about in this industry is this is hard emotional work, mentally and physically. I don't think stylists are properly prepared for the emotional pressure of working with clients on services that are so personal. I mean, I've shaved a woman's head when she found out she had cancer. I've done countless brides on the most important day of their life. And I've met clients at the salon on a Sunday afternoon to style their hair for their dad's funeral. We are there for the highs and we are there for the lows. And I really do find it all so beautiful. But there's no denying the weight of these emotions, the pressure you feel to get it right to say the right thing to do the right thing. And as far as our bodies go, we talk about carpal tunnel, lower back pain and all the other physical evidence that comes with the job. But we don't always talk about this. We don't always talk about the mental weight, the emotional weight. Building a clientele can be hard for new stylists because the clients are calling the salon with all these expectations, right? being the new kid on the block isn't always easy. clients call the salon and use words like experienced stylist or seasoned stylist. They probably had a bad experience with a new stylist at some point. So they think this will give them better odds. But a lot of times those stylists are booked, they're booked out and they decide they're going to take a chance on you. I'm so proud of the training program we have in place in my salon. It gives the newer stylist the skills, and more importantly, the competence to change the guests mine to deliver a great experience and a great service no matter what experience level they're at. I recommend a training program for any stylist who doesn't feel quite ready to hit the salon floor running. I know you just graduated and you're excited to get started. But a good apprenticeship is well worth the investment of your time. You know, stylists get really discouraged and new stylists get discouraged the most, I think and it's because they don't know what they don't know. They don't know it's normal to have cancellations. So they take it really personally. They don't know it's impossible to make some people happy. So they think they suck as a stylist. They don't know it's normal to have a second job while they build their clientele. So they think it's always going to be this way. They don't know it's harder some days than others. So they don't think they have what it takes. Have I ever wanted to give up? Hell yeah. I think at some point, or for some of us at many points in our career, we wanted to give up. I certainly did. But man, I am so glad I didn't. So maybe you're listening to this podcast right now and you're thinking Tracy, that's me. I'm ready to give up. Well, I don't think you are. You're here, aren't you? If you're here and you're listening listening to this podcast for little nuggets grasping at Hope, then you still have some fight left in you, you are stronger than you're giving yourself credit for. So keep going. Do it for the dreamer who signed up for beauty school. Do it for the person who loves making people feel good luck. Good. Mostly do it for the future version of you. The one who's wildly successful, who loves going to work every day, that version of you is counting on you to not give up. So maybe you're just thinking about becoming a stylist or maybe you've recently enrolled in a program. Well, if you're looking at schools, remember the things I mentioned earlier? Are they offering all the important things? Will you learn both the technical and the business skills you're going to need to be successful. And if you're already in school, be dedicated. Start showing up as the stylist you hope to be someday. style your hair, fix your face. Ask questions and demand that your instructors give you the education that you're paying for the education that you deserve.

Morgan Franklin: 11:04

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