Dianne Pajo
After you complete cosmetology school and get your hairstylist license, you can choose between working at a salon or starting your own business. Many hairdressers choose to start their own business for more decision-making power over their schedule, clientele, and services, such as the haircuts they offer and scissors in their toolkit. Becoming a business owner offers lots of perks, but it also means if you make a mistake, everything comes back to you. Keep reading to learn about the mistakes to avoid making as a hairstylist with your own salon.
Forgetting About the Business
Most hairstylists start their careers because they love working in the beauty industry and helping people. When they start their own salon, they focus on what they love that lead them there. Unfortunately, that can mean the behind-the-scenes business side of things can suffer. You might start accidentally double-booking clients, miscalculating taxes, or making other mistakes. If you want to be a successful hairdresser, you have to balance the business side of things with the fun of helping people.
Refusing Constructive Criticism
No one wants to hear a laundry list of everything they’ve done wrong, but sometimes it’s good to listen to criticism from people who want to help you. If a client or fellow hairstylist has constructive criticism for you that you know they’ll deliver kindly and truthfully, then make time to listen. Refusing to listen to constructive criticism and focusing only on your strengths, not your growth areas, can leave you underdeveloped as a professional.
Staying Comfortable for Too Long
The more you work as a hairdresser, the more you’ll find where you’re most comfortable. Maybe you love working with kids or discover a knack for helping brides stay calm on their big day. It’s great to find and stay in these sweet spots for a while, but you should do your best to not get comfortable doing one style for too long. If you want to grow as a hairstylist and continue expanding your business, you need to step outside your comfort zone and either learn new skills or hire people with different skills.
The biggest mistakes to avoid as a hairstylist with your own salon are forgetting about the business side of your salon, refusing constructive criticism, and staying in your comfort zone for too long. Once you can confidently handle all parts of your business, grow from feedback, and comfortably challenge yourself, you’ll go to the next level of success.
