Things I Have Learned as a Salon Owner

Yesterday, was the first day I actually considered throwing in the towel.  Closing the doors to my salon.  This was not because business is bad or we are losing money.  It is quite the opposite.  We are booming.  The reason for my feeling of defeat is due to employee problems.  A lack of good employees problem.

I have since shook it off, but I am not the same salon owner any more.  I have become one of “THOSE” salon owners now.  I am now not willing to want to give a chance to a new nail tech.  I am sick and tired of training them for months, only to have everything go in one ear and out the other.  I am sick and tired of them doing a crappy job, having to redo their work, having to give refunds, having to compensate clients for services they are unhappy with.

I have just experienced having a young tech in my salon for nearly six months.  We tried to mold her into a nail professional like the rest of our awesome staff.  We took her to classes, spent countless hours mentoring her, teaching her.  Still, she wasn’t getting it, applying product and polish with the hand flat on the table.

After six months, numerous complaints and requests from clients to not ever be rebooked with her again, a line was drawn with her.  Shape up or ship out.  The choice is yours.  YOU are in charge of your destiny.

Well, long story short, she decided to ship out.  She saw the writing on the wall.  She gave some lame excuse about school being so demanding this semester.  She is a collage student.  It was okay, I had my out.  I didn’t have to fire her and she could leave with some dignity.  She gave a two week notice.  It was very easy to reschedule the few appointments in her column after those two weeks.  We didn’t really schedule anything new for her.

Week one came and you could tell she was doing an even crappier job than normal.  She just didn’t care.   She works two days a week.   Final week comes and she is on day one of her final two days and announces to me that she can’t work the following day, her last day, due to school.  We have no where to put her few people.  She has left me high and dry.

I will now alter how I do things as a salon owner.  I will no longer employ someone who is going to college.  Period.  You are either in this profession or you are not.  You are not going to work for me while you go to college.  I want committed nail techs that want to make a career out of this.

I will never again honor a two week notice.  I am going to be one of those salon owners,  who tell you to get your things and go when you give two weeks notice.  A lot of people diss salon owners for this, but I NOW understand.  I will not allow you to do a crappy, bang up job for two weeks because you just don’t care any longer and you will never see these clients again.  I will not allow you to leave me high and dry at the last minute.

It is a sad state of affairs when a really good, compassionate salon owner is turned into a cold hearted bitch.  Future techs can thank the sins of irresponsible techs of times past.  As a salon owner, I have lived and I have learned. 

Signed – Live and Learn, Crash and Burn