This post originally appeared on SolaSalonStudios.com
What would you do with a few more hours back in your day? Spend more time with your family? Squeeze in a few more appointments? Relax? No matter your answer, the beauty of being the boss is that your time and schedule is completely in your hands. We’re just here to help you spend less time doing busy work and more time doing what you love.
Follow these 5 tips to save yourself time and give yourself the peace of mind you need and deserve as a go-getting salon owner.
1. Keep it Clean
It’s easy to let things pile up, especially after a busy day in the salon. Keeping your supplies organized throughout the day and tidying up in small doses on a regular basis will eliminate massive, time-consuming cleaning overhauls. Preventing clutter is done best by organizing products by purpose or how frequently you use them.
Best practices also include keeping your cleaning supplies handy, as well as sweeping up excess hair after each client. Wipe down your chair(s), too. At the end of each day, mop the floor and wipe all the countertops - that way you (and your clients) are walking in to a nice and tidy salon tomorrow. Remember, a clean salon is a happy salon!
2. Streamline Stocking Your Backbar
How many times a month are you making trips to the beauty supply store? How many times have you had to wake up early because you realized you were out of color you needed for a client that day or get home late because you had to stop at the store on your way home after a long day?
3. Use an Online Booking System
Having online booking in place can turn your time-consuming, manual appointment booking into autopilot. No more back and forth text conversations or returning voicemails late at night.
4. Schedule Your Social
Eleanor Roosevelt said, “It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.”
So, don’t just wish for more time, make it happen. When you’re intentional about your time, you can literally add more hours into your day. Think about your social media. If you spend an hour every day posting on Instagram, including finding an image to post and racking your brain trying to figure out what to say in your caption, that’s seven hours a week! Instead of taking a small chunk of time each day to do that, save yourself hours each week by bulk content creating and scheduling out all your posts ahead of time.
5. Stick to a Schedule
As a salon owner, you have the power to control your schedule. Even if your schedule varies week-to-week, sticking to a consistent schedule for some of your reoccurring tasks (like ordering your backbar or planning out your social media) will save you many hours in the long run. At the beginning of every month, block time for your daily, weekly and monthly tasks. You can even do this once and set it reoccurring in your calendar so you never have to worry about forgetting to make time for what matters again. Getting yourself on a consistent schedule—even down to daily walks and when you eat lunch—will give you peace of mind and hours back into your day.