“How Are Business Coaches Helping the Industry?„

One business coach and two stylists discuss the role of business coaches

LIZ MCKEON, FOUNDER OF SALON BUSINESS SCHOOL

1 “When people ask what I do, I always rephrase the question to why I do what I do. Before I trained, I had different businesses and I found that when I needed help, nobody understood my industry and I would waste hours telling them how the hairdressing industry worked. The biggest thing for me is that there isn’t a problem or issue that I haven’t experienced, and I think if you’re a business coach it’s important to have that understanding.

I love when people contact me at the start of their business journey because we can shape it from day one. People tend to come to me 18 months or two years down the line, and by that point we can’t get back the money they’ve lost. There should be more time set aside for training and business support in the curriculum to teach people how to run their businesses. I trained twenty years ago, and I have definitely seen an increase in people needing help. I’ve also noticed that people are burying themselves too much, they need to put the brakes on and come up for air. When I check out the wealthiest and most successful people in the world, they will always thank their mentors. At that level of entrepreneurship, they’re still putting their success down to their mentors, surely everyone who owns a small business needs that help? People invest so much in training their staff, but if they gave themselves permission to invest in their future, they’ll find their business will be better.”

MICHELLE SUMMERS DAVIES, MD HAIR, PEMBROKESHIRE

2 “I prefer business courses to business coaches because I like learning in bite-sized chunks that I can process and adapt to my business. During lockdown, I took the Boss Your Profits course, which focused on pricing. It was a real wake-up call and made me realise how much we should be charging. I also believe in learning from real experiences. I listen to my clients, pay attention to what they’re asking for, and react quickly by adjusting services and training my team to be more productive. I have attended quite a few business courses but haven’t always come away with more knowledge, it really depends on who is on the panel. There are many great salon business coaches out there, but in my opinion, some are in it for the money – some have even gone under and now they’re selling advice based on their mistakes. The right business coach can be helpful for struggling salon owners who don’t know where to start. I believe many owners just need guidance on the basics of upselling, staff management, and client communication. When choosing a coach or course, consider the relevance of the information to your current business. Early on, I couldn’t relate to many of the business strategies taught, but now that my salon has grown, I see the value in those approaches. The key is to find the right information at the right time. Adaptability and listening to my clients have been the best business education I could have received.”

COREY TAYLOR, NOCO HAIR, BRISTOL

3 “We’ve worked with a number of coaches since starting our business. As hairdressers, we realised we didn’t know anything about running a business and needed to learn fast! We began with a salon specific coach which was great for understanding the fundamentals of our industry. It also allowed us to become part of a network of other salon owners. During lockdown we joined a larger coaching firm, this wasn’t industry specific and offered more comprehensive business knowledge and mindset coaching which we found to be really beneficial. It made us look at how other businesses operate and what we could implement to strengthen ours. Throughout our salon journey we have worked one-onone with a mindset coach. This has allowed us to talk through any struggles we are facing or ideas we are stuck on. You do have to have your wits about you, with everyone claiming to be a coach make sure to look at their credentials. Can they back up their methods? Do they have proven results and are they the right fit? Consider what you want to get from a coach or a course and whether you have the discipline to learn for yourself or are you looking for someone to hold you accountable? That will help you to determine if it’s an investment or an additional cost. Whilst a coach may question you and give you a new direction, you need to work with someone that understands your goals and is passionate about helping you to achieve them.”