It is important to choose a salon that has a culture that aligns with your goals and who you are.
We all want to work in a place where we feel supported and comfortable to be ourselves, but what else should you be looking for?
Here is a step-by-step guide to finding the perfect salon for you.
KNOW WHAT YOU WANT
Make no mistake, the person interviewing you is carefully evaluating how you can benefit their salon. You need to be clear about your own expectations and what you want to achieve through the salon you are interviewing with.
Ask yourself…
- What kind of environment do you want to work in? Inclusive? Respectful? Flexible?
- Are you looking for leadership and coaching?
- Do you prefer a small, intimate workspace or do you prefer a larger, formal salon setting?
- Is there room for growth within the salon?
- Can you express your artistic self within the parameters of the salon?
RESEARCH
Social media provides a window into the culture of a salon. Spend some time researching the salon account as well as the accounts of stylists working at the salon. Read the comments.
Review the salon’s website carefully. Does the way the salon represents itself to align with your professional goals and desired work environment?
LOCATION
Locations are key to your future success and happiness. Proximity to your home is important, but more importantly, does the location of the salon provide you with access to your target demographic?
Does the salon provide parking for clients?
The Edge Style Council is conveniently located in the heart of downtown and is pleased to be one of the very few salons that offer ample free and convenient parking to their clients.
TRAINING AND EDUCATION
We all want to advance our skills and stay fresh. Not only does this build trust with our existing clients it also provides an opportunity to service the needs of new clients. Furthermore, it feeds our artistic self. As stylists, we want to be mastering new techniques and foster awareness of new products and services.
Post-COVID 19 we have seen tremendous growth in online education making it more affordable than ever for salon owners to provide access to training. Look for a structured outline for how you will access training.
All of the stylists working at The Edge Style Council regularly engage with leaders in our industry through formal, virtual education. The entire team is committed to creating art through knowledge and Inspiration.
CULTURE
What are the core values of the salon and are they represented in their mission statement and culture?
Do those core values align with yours?
Are conversations within the salon space fun, well-mannered, respectful?
Can you be yourself with your clients and team members in this environment?
The Edge Style Council is committed to cultivating a comfortable environment FOR EVERYONE by providing pricing based on length in an inclusive and safe space. We are in the business of creating a comfortable and fun environment and maintaining genuine connections with our clients, friend to friend.
There is a lot to be learned from your initial contact. Your interactions over the phone, how you are greeted when you arrive, how the team appears to work together and how harmonious the environment feels all speak to the ACTUAL culture of the salon.
Ask how long other stylists have been working at the salon. This will give you valuable insight into staff culture and turnover rate.
Find out what the other stylists like about working there.
Is the salon supportive of a team environment?
Finally, ask if you can spend some time in the space. You can see if the salon’s values and mission statement align with its everyday activities. Salon’s that are confident in their representation of core values will welcome the opportunity to spend more time with you as well. Ask if you can bring a client in for a service.
PROS AND CONS OF WORKING IN A STUDIO VS. RENTING
When we think of renting a chair in a small studio space we immediately think of freedom and flexibility. There are definitely perks to being your own boss but there is also a downside just as there is a downside for working in a salon vs. renting a chair.
Working within a salon means you are working under specific rules and guidelines. As a freelance stylist, you are typically self-employed and make your own rules. Let’s explore the pros and cons of each together.
PROS of Being Freelance
- 100% of your revenue is yours…after education, colour, tools, utilities, rent, insurance, professional fees, assistant, and taxes.
- Product flexibility, you choose which products you use and sell.
- Flexible hours.
- Flexible pricing.
- You can’t be fired…unless a client fires you.
- FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, you set your own dress code.
CONS of being freelance
- Everything is on you. Your purchase and stock your own supplies.
- You are responsible for acquiring new clientele. Walk-ins are no longer a part of your business model.
- LOGISTICS – you book and confirm your own clients, organize, and maintain your bookkeeping, hire your own assistant as required, clean and restock your workspace.
- STRENGTH IN NUMBERS – you are no longer part of a cohesive team which means if you are late, your client is standing at your door waiting for you rather than sitting comfortably in reception drinking a latte or having her hair washed in preparation for your appointment.
PROS of working as a salon stylist
- Entitled to minimum wage, overtime and other benefits and protections that you won’t get as a freelance stylist such as WCB, EI and CPP (we all get old eventually)
- No overhead working costs.
- Access to walk-in traffic generated by the salon’s marketing efforts, location, large brick-and-mortar presence etc.
- You are part of a team. If you’ve chosen well, you are working at a salon with a group of like-minded stylists who have your back, should you need it.
- That same team provides creative inspiration and new ideas. The team feeds off each other’s creative energy.
CONS of working as a salon stylist
- UNFLEXIBLE HOURS – you must operate under the employer’s schedule
- Policies AND DRESS CODE
- NO PRODUCT FLEXIBILITY
- PERCENTAGE of your wages goes to the salon owner.
Let’s chat about these for a bit.
What if you could work for a salon that offers flexible hours that suit your lifestyle while still presenting as professional and convenient to your clients?
What if you were free to express yourself through your wardrobe in an environment that supports creativity?
What if you were part of an inclusive and supportive team that supports each other?
What if you did your research and chose to work at a salon that supported the same product lines that inspire your work?
What if the percentage of your sales were used to maintain and support that creative and beautiful workspace so that you didn’t have to worry if the bathroom is clean or the sidewalks are cleared etc.
What if those funds were used to provide all of the supplies necessary for you to continue your creative work without distraction?
What if those funds were used to enhance your education which allowed you to create using new technology, products, and techniques?
What if those funds were used to market the creative space you work in so that you are able to connect with new clients?
FINALLY, what if you could work in a salon that offered all of this along with the ability to rent a chair and work as a freelance artist when the timing is right for YOU?