If you were to look at Meg Gilbert’s Instagram, you would see a confident, experienced hairstylist with stunning mermaid hair who thrives in her environment. But what you wouldn’t see is the difficult experiences that Meg has had to get through to arrive at this point. Starting out in a toxic salon environment, Meg managed to break free and establish a positive, happy work environment - but it wasn’t easy.

 The truth is that being in a toxic salon environment isn’t unique to Meg, with 90% of responders on one of Meg’s Instagram polls saying they had been in one, too. If you can relate to her story, I hope that you can learn from Meg’s experience that she so bravely shared with us here in order to break free the way she did.

What Does a Toxic Salon Environment Look Like?

When Meg first started at her commission salon, her boss was amazing, offering lots of one-on-one education. But eventually, things went south, with the boss not showing up to work or for her stylists.

Meg wasn’t getting paid on time, was being mistreated in the break room, and was even having panic attacks every morning before work not knowing what would happen that day. The toxic environment hurt Meg both mentally and physically. Thankfully, she was able to recognize it and get out.

To help you recognize a potential toxic salon environment, here are some red flags to look out for:

●      Lots of gossiping between stylists

●      Managers/owners being condescending or harsh

●      Pressure about timing that stops stylists from being able to do their best work

Leaving Commission Salons

Often, leaving a toxic salon environment means leaving a commission salon in order to shift to booth rental or salon suite, which can be intimidating and even scary for some stylists. But the way that Meg sees it: If you’re thinking about it, do it. What’s the worst that can happen?

If you’re worried about money, you should know that Meg made what she made in two weeks in only the first four days of being in a suite.

And if you don’t have enough clients, you can always go back to a commission salon and build from there.

Remember, at the end of the day, it's a job. It's a career. It doesn't have to define you. It doesn't have to mean it's your whole life. Just go ahead and make that decision.

Reaching Your Target Market on Social Media

As Meg has proven firsthand, one of the best ways to succeed in a booth rental or salon suite is by using social media to reach your target market. 

Here are some of Meg’s best tips for social media marketing success.

●      It’s social media. Be social. Interact with brands, other hairstylists, and clients.

●      Be active and consistent on your stories, which are a great place to have lots of interaction with your followers. One of Meg’s favorite things is posting polls on her stories.

●      These days, everybody can do hair. The number one thing that is going to bring clients into your salon is your personality. Show your personality online to help people feel connected to you.

Have Coffee With Meg Gilbert

If you think you could benefit from some one-on-one mentorship with Meg (who wouldn’t?), you can actually meet with her on Zoom to talk about social media, branding, pricing, formulas, or whatever you’d like for $75 an hour.

 Just like Meg, you can be the game-changer.

Want to listen to the full Beauty Business Game-Changers podcast episode? Click here!