Building a Team with Talent Match ft. Stef Fox

Are you ready to take your salon + your team to the next level? If you’ve ever struggled with staffing or building a team, or you are a stylist hoping that dream team will come along, read on because I’ve got some amazing tips and insider information straight from the lips of one of the best – the one and only, Stef Fox!

Stef Fox is a true powerhouse in our industry. A former salon owner and a board member of the National Association of Women Business Owners, she’s also a motivational speaker, a leadership expert, and the founder of Talent Match.

Never Stop Learning

Even though she dropped out of college, Stef is a self-described “education junkie.” So much so that her biggest piece of advice for anyone in the industry, especially students looking to start a career within it, is to learn as much as possible.

So, how do you keep learning post-graduation? Stef’s advice is this:

Try reaching out to people you admire and who are more established in your field. We can learn so much from those that have come before us. Build a network and find a mentor.

If you’re nervous about sending a cold email or DM, try to push through it and just shoot your shot. You’ll be surprised by how generous people are with their time and expertise.

And if *ahem, when* you snag that coffee meeting, here are a few questions you could ask:

●      What do you think I should focus on at this point in my career?

●      What’s your take on this problem I’m struggling with?

●      What has surprised you about your career path?

Don’t Be Afraid to Be a Data Nerd

Have you ever been surprised when a team member quits? You’d be shocked at how easy it is for a toxic salon environment to go unnoticed by the salon owner.

Stef found this out the hard way when she was blindsided and left heartbroken after she lost a couple of very valued staff members at her own salon. This led to the realization that her team had been struggling for a while, yet she had zero knowledge of it.

She decided to dig deeper in order to get to the bottom of and correct this problem. Using data, she started to keep track of how her team members were feeling at work. And if there was something they needed or wanted from her that she wasn’t giving, she did everything she could to deliver.

You can do the same thing by doing performing periodical check-ins with your staff to find small problems before they grow into bigger issues. Talk to your staff, and try asking them these kinds of questions:

●      How do you prefer to receive praise and criticism?

●      How could I support you in your career goals?

●      Do you feel like we’re all working together as a family here? Why or why not?

Identify Your Dream Team

Stef’s deep dive into this type of data revealed one key thing – most people want to work with people that they love on a team that feels like family.

You spend so much of your time at work, so it is so important that you work with and for people that care about you and support you. After all, you don’t want to hire people who don’t care about you, because that means they probably won’t care about your business either. At the same time, you don’t want to work for someone who doesn’t value you, as that leads to a toxic work environment and a decline in overall happiness.

And no matter which side you fall on, no one has time for that!

If you’ve been struggling with finding the right people for your team, ask yourself these questions about potential hires before extending an offer to join your team:

●      Do I feel a connection with this person?

●      Would I feel passionate about helping this person grow?

●      What does this person want from a salon, and am I a good fit?

Listen to Your Team

Stef’s advice for salon owners? Be flexible! Adapt to the needs of your workforce. Listen to the wants and needs of your team, and try to accommodate them as best you can. These days, people are focused on a healthy work-life balance. It’s about the quality of work. So, if you push too hard against what your current team and the trends of the workforce are telling you, you won’t attract the best talent.

So stop blaming your team and start embracing change. It takes courage to evolve. The most successful salon owners are brave and ready to make changes in order to fit their team's preferences.

Want to Work with Stef Fox and Talent Match?

Ready to create the supportive team you’ve always wanted for your salon? You can connect with + follow Stef at @stef_fox on Instagram and on Clubhouse, or you can learn more and get free access to her research by visiting her website.

Listen to my full conversation with Stef here!

Managing Expectations

Sometimes, there’s so much going on that life feels heavy and out of control. We get too busy and overwhelmed and it’s difficult to regain control. We start to feel inadequate, incapable of achieving more. What do we do? Well, one way to help avoid this is to manage expectations. Let’s talk about how.

Managing Expectations With Ourselves

We are our own worst critics, often the ones who stand in our own way from moving forward and being our best selves. Because there’s just so much pressure, isn’t there?

Take social media, for example. We scroll through it and see people killing it; posting great content and beautiful photos. Their lives seem amazing. And here we are trying to figure out what we want to post, getting stuck.

If you're working on a goal in your life, whether you're looking to lose weight, launch a course, become an educator, or get really good at doing social media: it takes time. But when we look at what other people are doing, we want that instant gratification of, “Yes, I'm doing it and I'm perfect at it.”

That's just not going to happen. You have to be okay with slowing it down and putting one foot in front of the other. Otherwise, you’ll get stuck thinking and never start doing.

So the second that you're scrolling on Instagram and you see that other people are doing amazing reels and you think to yourself, “I want to do that, but I’m scared,” stop and say to yourself, “I can do this.”

Ultimately, regardless of how things go, you’ll grow as a result, because we learn from our mistakes. It's not going to go well or perfect the very first time. Whether you’re trying to launch a course, go on a diet, or become an educator, mistakes will be made.

Stay focused on your intentions. Why do you want to create these reels? Why do you want to become an educator? It's got to be more than just, “I want people to know who I am.” What about the impact that you can make on people's lives?

Because you never know when a fun, silly video of yourself talking about proper ways to do makeup, brush your lashes, or shampoo your hair will change someone’s life. It may sound silly, but you have to focus on those who you are able to help. When you're putting yourself out there, really focus on your intentions of why you're doing it.

So no matter what it is, the important thing is that you just get started. You have to start somewhere. You can't just have these outlandish dreams and do nothing with them. You’ve got to get to work.

 So what if people look at your beginning stages and think, “What is this person doing?” People will judge. There will be haters. But if your intentions are in the right place, then everything will fall into place for you. So give yourself grace and take small steps each day towards your goal, towards your dream, towards your vision.

Managing Expectations with Clients

As fun as this industry is, it can also be draining. There are always red-flag clients who cross boundaries and suck the life out of us. That’s why it’s crucial to learn to manage expectations with clients.

Start by putting boundaries in place. For example, maybe you’ll only text clients for communication during certain hours. Maybe you prefer that all appointments need to be rebooked at the time of their appointment. Maybe you want to only work on certain clients.

And when you say no to the wrong clients, you’re going to make room for the right clients for your business. The more crystal clear that we can get on the customers that we want to serve and the services we want to give, the more the law of attraction will bring those customers into your chair.

With the clients you do have, it's important that you are communicating exactly how you want to work. Maybe you want to inform your customers of how to prepare their hair or skin when they arrive. Or about your policies about showing up late or canceling.

It’s also important to educate and set expectations around the services and products you’ll be offering. Everyone knows how want to look or feel with their desired result, but they don't really know what service would be the right one for them. So it's really important that we come from a perspective of education. Anytime a client comes in and they say, “I want highlights or I want balayage or this type of extension,” don't take it literally because they probably don't speak the same language as you do.

So show them photos. Talk about the reality of what timing, costs, and maintenance your client can expect. Always under-promise and over-deliver. Lead with education, lead with transparency, and get on the same page as your customer so they can love what you do.

Managing Your Team’s Expectations

Another area to manage expectations is with your team. If you are a solo entrepreneur, you probably have an accountant, an attorney, a sales rep for your products, a mentor, or a coach. If you’re in a salon environment or a booth rental situation, you will have co-workers, managers, or staff. This is your team, and managing expectations with them is incredibly important.

Think about what type of environment you’re creating. How is your teamwork? Can you work together for the common good and rise together? Even if you're not a leader, you can still lead by example as a teammate. And if you are a leader, how much time are you able to give your team to support them, whether that's education or one-on-one coaching, or group outings? These are all important expectations to manage.

Managing Expectations with Friends and Family

Everybody has friends and family that are asking at the last minute, “Can you fit me in for my color? Can you fit me in with my haircut? Can you fit me in for lashes or makeup?” Our industry is very fun, and a lot of our family and friends may think that we do this as a hobby, but what they don't realize is that it's still time, and if you're not charging them, and if they're not paying you, then they might not respect you at a surface level.

So we need to manage the expectation and we need to put a stop to that because it can really lead to burnout, making you feel overwhelmed or drained because you're always giving your time, your talent, and energy to everybody else.

If you haven't carved out time for yourself, physically, emotionally, and mentally, then how can you give your time for others? That’s why it's so important that we set strong boundaries and manage expectations - with ourselves, our clients, our teams, and our loved ones.

Making Massive Progress in your Business

Feeling stuck?

Today we are going to discuss how you can:

●      Become more intentional.

●      Make more money than ever.

●      Achieve your financial goals.

Ready to make massive progress in your beauty business?

You’ve come to the right place…

Start With the End in Mind

You know that feeling when you are always busy, you are just going through the motions, and the days start blurring together?

I often joke with my team that I don’t know what day or even what week it is. It’s so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day of running a beauty business!

But it’s important to stop, take a step back, and get really intentional about what you want.

Start thinking about how you can create your dream work schedule that is going to give you the income you need to support the lifestyle that you want.

We all need a purpose as to why we work. We all need a vision. What’s yours?

Change Your Relationship With Money

There are so many people who have been hairdressers their whole lives and who run their own businesses that appear to be successful but are actually struggling.

 They often have no money in their bank accounts, no savings, and no retirement fund. Salons are closing left and right because of this.

 That’s why you need to ask yourself:

 ●      How much money am I making right now?

●      Where is that money going at the moment?

●      What financial goals would I like to achieve? 

Think about this:

 If you set aside $100 per week, in one year, you’d have $5,200 saved up. And in five years? $26,000!

That’s a serious amount of money that could help you pay off your debt, or serve as a downpayment for a house, or pay for your kid’s college.

Or it could simply be an emergency fund that gives you peace of mind!

And guess what? You probably could save $100 per week if you put your mind to it. Sure, you might need to cut some unnecessary expenses (e.g. Starbucks lattes), but the odds are you could do it.

So really think about your relationship with money. Become intentional about how you are spending it. Write down your financial goals. What do you want to achieve?

I’m not saying that you necessarily have to be frugal, but at least be mindful. Your future you will thank you.

Bring Your A-Game

Okay, so now you have your financial goals written down, but how can you make more money?

You need to step up your game:

●      Be present with each guest so that you could ensure top-quality service every single time.

●      Figure out what complementary services or products you could offer to each guest.

Say, if they are getting a color touch-up, what else they might be interested in? Some highlights? Some balayage? Some skincare? You get the idea.

●      Become an expert on the retail products that you sell. Learn everything you can about them. You need to be excited about these products if you want to be persuasive when selling them.

Also: Charge what you’re worth.

 I used to charge $30 for a haircut, now I charge $100. And guess what I learned?

People will have more respect for you once you start charging more. It’s crazy but it’s true!

Want to Learn More?

In the podcast episode, I go into detail on everything we have discussed in this article, with some super practical tips that you can apply to your beauty business immediately.

Moreover, with Christmas just a few months away, I tackle this hypothetical scenario:

You want to make an extra $1,000 for Christmas presents. You have two months to do that. How can you make it happen?

Sound interesting? Make sure to listen to the podcast! 😉

And remember…

Tell yourself:

“I’m here to do a great job. I’m here to do beautiful work. I’m here to make money.”

-    Jennifer Jade Alvarez -