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Time Management for Salons

Managing a salon is a time-consuming job, and salon managers tend to take on more workload than any other employee. In some cases, the manager of the salon is its owner too, adding to their responsibilities.

There are so many aspects of the business you need to take care of when you’re the manager. This makes time management the number one concern when it comes to salon management. New salons often find themselves struggling to cope with the amount of work they need to complete before the day ends.

Here are some time management tips for salon owners and managers:

Take time to plan

You may feel that taking time out to plan the day ahead is a waste of time. But always remember, time spent planning isn’t time wasted. Organizing yourself ahead of time will mean that you’re one step ahead and can tackle things in order of importance. You won’t find yourself flustered about what to do next. Panicking over what to do next actually wastes more time in the long run.

Finish one task on your list and swiftly move onto the next. Over time, you’ll  see your return on investment go up. Whether you’re training staff or reordering inventory, have a clear cut to- do list that you draw up each day and assign a realistic time frame for.

Delegate

As a salon owner, you need to be an expert on delegating tasks; you can’t complete every task yourself. Training your staff to do those tasks for you can greatly boost productivity. Make sure you give important tasks to staff members who have a good track record in terms of attendance, coming in on time, and completing each day’s work.

Have one member take care of social media queries and phone calls, have another keep track of inventory, while you create a team for the maintenance of the salon.

Take breaks

At the end of the day, you’re only human. You need short breaks here and there to refuel and recalibrate. Staying on your feet for over twelve hours a day will only cause you to burn out. Not to mention the negative effects on your health.

Take a few breaks a day to have coffee or a snack. You’ll be able to concentrate on the rest of the tasks you have for the day better this way.

Switch off to run your salon business better

Your brain shouldn’t be active all day long. It can get over-stimulated with the amount of work you’re doing, coupled with all the social media, texts, and emails you’re checking. This only causes you to feel more exhausted. This is one of the main reasons why we feel tired the next morning even after a good night’s sleep. The blue light radiating from our screens keeps our brain active as we sleep.

Avoid latching on to your phone whenever you get some free time. Allow yourself certain hours in the day to catch up with social media and reply to emails, but limit it to that.

Don’t multitask if you’re losing focus

While most people pride themselves on their ability to multitask, the idea of multitasking is a delusion. Hopping from one task to the other isn’t as beneficial as you think it is. In the long run, you end up spending more time on each task while thinking you saved time.

It takes some practice to get used to, but you’ll find that you are able to complete tasks quicker when you only focus on one task at a time.

Salon meetings are a waste of time

You may think that speaking to your staff every morning is a great way to start the day. In reality, it slows everyone down. Your day is more likely to start off sluggish if you begin with a briefing. Instead, note down each day’s shortcomings and positives and speak about it to your staff once a week. This strategy will help them focus more time on work.

Feel less overwhelmed in your salon

As a salon owner, your business is probably always on your mind. You’re constantly thinking of new ideas to make your salon or spa successful. You could be worrying about bills and meeting overheads too. Running a business is daunting, no doubt, but don’t let the idea of its success consume you.

It’s easy to use your downtime to respond to emails and keep up with your salon’s social media accounts. But make it a point to keep work at work. Once you’re home, spend it with your family, friends, or even alone. You need time to recharge to start off the next day with high energy.

Optimize the space in your salon

Most salons are tight on space. There’s only so much floor space you have to fit in a nail bar, brow bar, makeup station, hair styling station, manicure and pedicure spots, and skin treatments. You need to make the most of the space you have.

Keeping in mind the history of your salon, note down, in order of popularity, the services you provide. Make sure you have a larger capacity for services that have high demand. Let’s say your salon is most famous for its pedicures, make sure you have more pedicure stations and comfy chairs to accommodate more clients at a time. That way, clients won’t have to wait in line for their pedicure and their experience will markedly improve.

You could also design your salon to multitask. When you’re short on space, you can create stations in a way that multiple services can be provided there. Your hairstyling bar could be used for hair dying, makeup, blow-drys, and haircuts too. Make sure all the products you need are in arms reach. You don’t want your staff shuffling around to get items. Have separate storage sections on wheels placed nearby. Don’t forget to make it look pretty!

Looking for more advice on making your salon a success? At Salon Income Booster, we cater to businesses and help them increase hair and beauty salons income and salon retail merchandise for optimum growth. We provide everything from marketing strategies to income generation, we provide end-to-end solutions to all salons.

We also assist new businesses in the industry with their investment plans by offering consultation.