Question: The focus on education has increased in the last several years. Can you share your thoughts on continuous education?
Everyone wants to see his or her business succeed but not everyone is willing to invest in the process. Every industry, especially the beauty industry, should participate in continuing education. Beauty trends, maintenance, tools, and business best practices are all changing on a daily basis. What was once the most popular style or method five years ago might now be considered prehistoric. We live in one of the most innovative eras, which requires us to invest in consistent education in order to keep up with the times.
It’s amazing to me that there are people who are resistant to the thought of investing in their employees and themselves by providing continuous education. If you don’t adapt, someone else will, and it will greatly impact the health of your business. By investing in the success of your employees as well as yourself, you are investing in the success of your business.
There are various forms of continuous education depending on what makes sense for you and your business. Manufacturers offer onsite education to help train your team on new styles and techniques. Even software companies like Millennium Systems International offer onsite business education to help you understand how to better leverage business tools for growth. Industry events like tradeshows offer classes at little to no additional charge ranging from craft to business. In addition, most industry brands also offer annual events specific to the product or service they provide.
More and more brands and stylists are sharing how-to videos, blog posts, white papers, and webinars, making continuing education available to everyone. A lot of times people are hungry for education but haven’t allocated a budget for it. Fortunately, the web has made education accessible to anyone at little to no cost.
Recently, Millennium has focused on the importance of business education for salon owners by creating an entire educational library for our clients through a community portal. We have also started creating white papers and webinars, as well as blog posts, which are available to everyone through our weekly newsletter The Business Side of Beauty.
Education is the foundation for success. Invest in yourself and your team by spending the time to provide them with educational resources and watch the overall health of your business improve.
John Harms
Millennium Systems International, Founder and CEO
About: John Harms, Founder & CEO of Millennium Systems International, creator of Millennium Software, has been designing industry leading salon scheduling software and educating the beauty & wellness industry since 1987. Today Millennium is utilized in thousands of businesses in over 38 countries and operating with approximately 150+ employees worldwide. Millennium currently runs its corporate headquarters out of New Jersey and its international office is based in the U.K.