What Owners Need to Focus On To Grow Their Biz

Veronica Cabrera

Owner
Sage & Oak Salon 
Pleasanton, California

@sageandaok.salon @ronihairstyllist

Veronica opened her first salon in October of 2021. Before opening her salon, she started her process 6 years prior. She connected with two mentors that helped her with her first business plan. The location Veronica found to open her salon ended up being a full salon build-out, which means there wasn’t a salon there prior. She had to bring the building up to code and hire contractors to turn it into a functional salon.

The salon build-out was projected to take 6-8 weeks but ended up taking 8 months. During this time Veronica actually reached out to Nina for business coaching. She wanted to work with a coach that understood the business and what it took to run a salon in California specifically. Currently, Veronica is training one stylist and is in the process of interviewing/hiring other stylists and bringing on renters.

She has learned so much through this process & can’t wait to see what the future holds! Get to know a little more about Veronica and her take on business, as a growing salon leader.

As always we hope this interview inspires you! Be sure to give Veronica a follow on IG @sageandaok.salon @ronihairstyllist

1. WHAT HAS BEEN THE HARDEST PART OF BEING IN BUSINESS FOR YOURSELF AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO WORK THROUGH IT?

The hardest part about being in business for yourself is that self-saboteur! It always pops up when growth in business is about to happen or in the middle of making a huge decision. It has popped up in my career hundreds if not thousands of times.

In the beginning, it was borderline crippling. It would eat at me, and I’d give in because of the “what if’s” & insecurities. Then one day I was so annoyed with myself that I didn’t listen to my self-saboteur and guess what?? Everything was fine. I didn’t die and my business didn’t crumble. What did happen? Growth! I felt so good. My confidence grew & my business grew. Now when that self-saboteur starts to surface, I know I’m doing something right. It’s a sign of growth and going out of my comfort zone. Plus, there’s no such thing as failure, as long as you get back up and keep going. So, in reality, what’s the worst that can happen??

2. WHAT ARE THE TOP 3 THINGS STYLISTS/OWNERS NEED TO FOCUS ON IN ORDER TO BUILD A SUCCESSFUL SALON BUSINESS?

Here are the top 3 things I feel future salon owners should focus on when building a successful salon:

For starters finding a business mentor and a business coach will help you see blind spots which will help long term. Both mentors & coaches provide tools that will help your business substantially.

The second priority is building a business plan and understanding your why. A business plan is a roadmap to your future success. It helps you understand what your getting into, and it keeps you focused and on track. It’s a non-negotiable.

Lastly to help build a successful salon you need to understand your numbers & the why to the numbers. You can’t run a successful business off of feelings. This sounds a lot “scarier” than it is.

I also wanted to share my personal points on building a successful business as a stylist. There is so much when it comes to being successful as a stylist but I’ll share just a few points:

Deliver value! Stop giving discounts or doing things that actually hurt your business. This will lead to burnout and eventually make you second-guess your career choice. There are so many ways to deliver value that will make each appointment special for each guest. Here are a few examples that worked for me.

Listening to my guests, it’s the guests/client appointment, let them decide what to talk about. Silent appointment, sometimes guests/clients don’t want to talk and that’s okay! Show up to attract your target market, and save the lazy / gym attire for after work. Be consistent & reliable. There are so many ways to deliver value that are simple & won’t cause burnout.

Work in a salon that aligns with your brand & values as a stylist. Doing this will help attract target market clients. You want where you work to be an extension of your business. Not hold you back.

Have Determination & boundaries. You won’t make everyone happy every single time and that’s okay! Learn from those experiences and continue to show up. Those experiences will help you grow as a stylist and help set healthy boundaries so you don’t get taken advantage of in the future.

3. AS A BOOTH RENTAL OWNER. WHAT ARE SOME TIPS YOU HAVE FOR OTHER OWNERS THINKING OF OPENING A BOOTH RENTAL SALON?

I’d love to share a few tips for other future owners thinking of opening a booth rental salon!

There is so much to “know” but don’t let that cripple you and hold you back. You will learn as you go.

When you feel ready to open a salon, seek out a mentor that has done what you are wanting or is currently doing what you are wanting. Mentors don’t make your dreams happen but they are a reminder that your dreams are possible on the hard days. Next, start your business plan. This is a road map to your business and a nonnegotiable, it will answer questions and prepare you for upcoming steps in your business. While you’re building your business plan seek out a business coach. They will help you in other ways a mentor can’t, to name a few like understanding your “why” to opening a salon, helping you minimize expensive learning experiences, helping you understand business numbers and they are just another layer of support for the hard days.

Veronica Cabrera’s Beautiful Pleasanton Salon Space!

4.  WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO ATTRACT NEW CLIENTS? WHAT HAS WORKED FOR YOU IN DRIVING NEW TRAFFIC TO YOUR BUSINESS?

I love attracting new guests with my marketing funnel. If you don’t know what a marketing funnel is, it’s the steps my target market takes when finding me, which leads to target market guests sitting in my chair.

Also, word of mouth is still one of the best ways I’ve attracted new clients. Even if a new client is referred to me they still check out my reviews and check out my social to see my work and to see what others are saying. Clients want to invest in a stylist that fits their brand also.

Lastly, staying in communication with your guests is important. Whether it’s on a social media platform, with email updates, or review platforms like Yelp or Google.

5. HOW DO YOU KNOW IT’S THE RIGHT TIME TO VENTURE OUT ON YOUR OWN? WHAT SHOULD STYLISTS HAVE IN PLACE FIRST BEFORE GOING INTO A SUITE, RENTING A CHAIR, OR OPENING THEIR OWN SALON? 

I personally jumped right into it. I graduated from beauty school and went straight into a rental salon. Would I recommend that, nope not at all. It was hard, I survived but it was hard!

Everyone will have a different path but now that I know what I know, I’d recommend waiting to go on your own until you have a few things lined up. Don’t just do it because it sounds nice. It needs to make sense.

A few questions to think about before venturing out on your own.

Do you have the clients to support your business & a strong marketing funnel to feed you new clients?

What is your current retention percentage?

Do you know what you can afford?

Do you know how much it will cost to run your business? Also, depending on where you’ll run your business, you may need a business license.

If you know the answers to these questions & you can support your business then you are most likely ready to venture out on your own. I always recommend everyone have at least one mentor and a business coach to help along the way, especially if you have no idea what the answers are to those questions!

5. WHAT WOULD YOU TELL STYLISTS THAT ARE FEELING LIKE THEY WANT TO GIVE UP? TELL ME ABOUT A MOMENT YOU FELT LIKE GIVING UP AND WHAT DID YOU DO TO PUSH THROUGH? 

The moment you’re about to give up, you are literally one baby step from your goal. Don’t give up. Keep going! It will work out, you’re just going through growing pains.

When I was wanting to open a salon it was difficult to find the perfect location. It was discouraging most days & I basically gave up and thought it wasn’t the right time. I would talk to my mentors often about it and they told me there’s no such thing as perfect. You just have to put a steak on the ground and keep moving. They were basically telling me I was in my own way. Sometimes we get in our own way & we set ourselves up to give up because it’s easy. So don’t give up and keep moving one baby step at a time.

Psst! Free resources are a click away!

View More Articles