Unlock the full potential of your salon with the secrets we reveal in this transformative episode! We're handing you the keys to a training program that doesn't just educate—it revolutionizes the way your stylists flourish. From hiring the right talent to creating an environment ripe for growth, we've laid out a blueprint that ensures your team won't just fit in, they'll stand out. We tap into the magic of the pH balance analogy to help you find that perfect equilibrium for your salon's culture and discuss the significance of a training program meticulously tailored to engage and evolve your stylists' skills from day one.
Roll up your sleeves and get ready to craft a training journey that promises to captivate and inspire. We dissect the ideal timeline for a hair program that balances skill development with practical application, ensuring your trainees are buzzing with excitement and not waning in interest. A detailed career roadmap awaits, illuminating the path from novices to salon virtuosos, with hands-on experience from the get-go. And yes, we even spill the beans on how to keep your prodigies productive, with a sprinkle of real-world practice that sets them up to shine.
The final piece of our salon mastery puzzle? A robust training program that serves as the backbone of your service goals. We guide you through the art of reverse engineering these objectives to align with a yearly education calendar chock-full of continuous learning opportunities. And it doesn't stop there—we delve into the essentials of mindset and financial literacy, ensuring your team isn't just hair-savvy but future-ready. Embrace the power of mentorship to escort your trainees into the ranks of fully productive stylists, and watch as your salon becomes a beacon of excellence and a magnet for top-tier talent.
Do you have a question for Blondes in Business: Luxury Beauty Business Podcast? Send a text or leave a voicemail at 855.650.3445 or send us an email to hello@thephdprogram.com. We would love to hear from you. Start growing in business and leadership with powerful tools, advice and resources in your inbox every week: Learn more about The PHD Program Events:
Unlock the full potential of your salon with the secrets we reveal in this transformative episode! We're handing you the keys to a training program that doesn't just educate—it revolutionizes the way your stylists flourish. From hiring the right talent to creating an environment ripe for growth, we've laid out a blueprint that ensures your team won't just fit in, they'll stand out. We tap into the magic of the pH balance analogy to help you find that perfect equilibrium for your salon's culture and discuss the significance of a training program meticulously tailored to engage and evolve your stylists' skills from day one.
Roll up your sleeves and get ready to craft a training journey that promises to captivate and inspire. We dissect the ideal timeline for a hair program that balances skill development with practical application, ensuring your trainees are buzzing with excitement and not waning in interest. A detailed career roadmap awaits, illuminating the path from novices to salon virtuosos, with hands-on experience from the get-go. And yes, we even spill the beans on how to keep your prodigies productive, with a sprinkle of real-world practice that sets them up to shine.
The final piece of our salon mastery puzzle? A robust training program that serves as the backbone of your service goals. We guide you through the art of reverse engineering these objectives to align with a yearly education calendar chock-full of continuous learning opportunities. And it doesn't stop there—we delve into the essentials of mindset and financial literacy, ensuring your team isn't just hair-savvy but future-ready. Embrace the power of mentorship to escort your trainees into the ranks of fully productive stylists, and watch as your salon becomes a beacon of excellence and a magnet for top-tier talent.
Do you have a question for Blondes in Business: Luxury Beauty Business Podcast? Send a text or leave a voicemail at 855.650.3445 or send us an email to hello@thephdprogram.com. We would love to hear from you. Start growing in business and leadership with powerful tools, advice and resources in your inbox every week: Learn more about The PHD Program Events:
Well, hello, hope you're having a beautiful day so far. We are excited to be bringing a topic that is near and dear to so many people's hearts inside of this industry. You know, I think education is one of the key backbones to creating an amazing salon company and helping to produce some thriving stylists and service providers inside of our industry.
Speaker 2:
So today it's going to be all about mastering your master's program. Yes, you've heard it right we're going to really be diving in deep into creating a training program that's going to set you up for success as a salon company and also your trainees up for success. So at the end of the day, when the program ends, everyone feels like it's a win-win situation and that you're truly in the business of growing beautiful people.
Speaker 1:
Yes, I love that. And so, you know, speaking of growing beautiful people, I think that that is, you know, the key secret sauce in having an exceptional master's program is to really think about. You know, how are we going to bring on the right people that are going to be the perfect fit for our master's program? You know, and so I think really, you know, step one to having the most amazing master's program possible is really just hiring the right people. And so you might be thinking to yourself well, how do I know If they're the right people or not? You know, and we actually have a really cool free resource on. You can find it under our assets button, on our social media highlights, or you can also find it on our website, thephdprogramcom.
Speaker 1:
But it really dives into, you know, some great interview questions to determine if somebody is in what light of life, as we like to call it. You know, and so are they in the green lights of life or the yellow, or the red lights of life? And you know, we don't use this as a tool for judgment, but more for just assessment to see like, hey, you know, you really, inside of a master's program, you're helping the able be more able. And so how do we find able people so that we can help make them more able? So if they're not able to move forward or, you know, do anything like that, then hey, doesn't mean they're bad people, it just means they're not going to be the right fit for our master's program and that's okay. They're going to go on to find a beautiful career somewhere else. But really nailing that interview and hiring the right people, I think is step one to mastering your master's program.
Speaker 2:
I love that. You said that, lenz, and we like to call that our pH a perfect tire. And you know, one thing you can always do, too, is think about someone that you've hired Maybe they're currently in your training program or they've been in your training program Like, how did they show up? Someone that you really love, that did exceptional things during your training program? How did they show up? What did they look like Like, what was their language? How did they dress?
Speaker 2:
Because I think if you paint that crystal clear picture of exactly what your brand image is and exactly who you want to bring on board, that helps to eliminate any questions or any resistance when it comes to being, oh, I'm not sure they look like a great person. I think I might give them a try. I'm not sure I don't know about you, but I've been there before. It's like, oh, it's a 50-50 for me, but like you want to create so much certainty in your hiring program that there's no more 50-50. I'm 100% certain that this person is going to be a great fit for our culture, they're going to be a great fit for our training program, and I think that's when you really grow and prosper.
Speaker 1:
Totally. I love that, you know. And still, when you do find that perfect pH balance I love that you call it the pH, the perfect tire when you find that perfect pH balance, you know, occasionally life is going to happen and we just know, hey, statistically we're not going to keep every single person that we hire and that we bring through our training program and that is okay. It's just making sure that we're protecting our culture and really, you know, empowering a positive place so that people can grow and thrive and have amazing careers. And so once you master that hiring portion, you know the next step is really creating an exceptional experience when you're going through the onboarding process. And so you know, maybe you have worked at a company over time where you've had some sort of a formal onboarding process, or maybe you have not. You have not, and either way that's okay.
Speaker 1:
I think years ago I worked at Dillard's and the shoe department and it was when I was headed to class metology school and I remember sitting in this little back office and watching all these videos from 20 years before and thinking, you know, it kind of smells like dust in here and you know it's hard to relate to these videos, but I really still took away a lot of valuable information and honestly, I can still remember to this day some of the stuff on the videos. Like you know, if somebody brings you a pair of shoes, you should find them another one like it and take it out to them. And you know, it's stuff like that that I would have never thought about. But you know, I was excited about that position and I loved working there. I loved I love shoes. I still love shoes, so it was a perfect, natural fit.
Speaker 1:
But really creating some sort of a formal, you know, onboarding process is such a key element to having a prosperous company, you know, can kind of set that, that foundation for your gold promise, and really help expand somebody's ideas and knowledge. As it comes to, you know, selling in every part of your company you're selling. Whether you're selling the values or the products or the mission or whatever it is, it all comes down to that selling. And so that onboarding process is one of the keys to creating that foundation and to giving somebody some some added bonuses right away to know how to show up well in your environment.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, and you know, the greatest human need is for people to feel important.
Speaker 2:
So during that onboarding process, like, what are the little elevated opportunities that you can really put in place to make somebody, your new hire, feel super special on day one?
Speaker 2:
And remember, you know, I think one of the most riskiest things that you can do is throw a new person into the fishbowl and say good luck, hope it works out for you. It's like to really love on them from an extraordinary way, where they feel like, wow, I've never felt like this working at any other place and maybe it could be their first job, but like, wow, I didn't know that working could be this fabulous. And so, you know, thinking about having an onboarding gift for them where, if they're going through the training program, maybe it's a mannequin, maybe it's a branded bag, maybe it's a branded t-shirt. It's going to be a thank you, thank you for choosing us. A card in their notebook, maybe it's their favorite candy or their favorite coffee. So I think that your first impressions really help them to see the elevated, co-created experience that you create for your guest and that, in turn, helps them to visualize hey, wow, this I really made the right choice, because when someone knows they made the right choice, they are 100% in Mm-hmm I love that.
Speaker 1:
That is a beautiful vision that you just created for what an exceptional experience could look like when you're onboarding, you know, and you might be thinking to yourself, hey, that could cost me a ton of money if I was to do all of that. And really, wherever you're at inside of your journey as a salon owner, just start wherever you're at. If it's something small, like getting a favorite candy in a card, that is a wow factor. Most people have never experienced something like that. And then, as you grow, maybe you can add on things like letting them be able to try some of your products. So maybe they get to take home a shampoo conditioner. That's something that we love to include in our onboarding gifts is they get to pick out a new shampoo, conditioner, styling product and then something from our makeup or skincare line. And it's great because then a lot of times, if it's somebody who's fresh out of school, maybe they haven't even tried some of the products that you carry in your space, and so to get that to experience it, well then you know they understand why you love it and why you, you know, choose that brand for all of your guests, you know. So it just helps them feel like gosh, I fit in here right away. You know they already are creating this exceptional experience and you know it just makes it feel incredible. So those are some great ways to elevate that.
Speaker 1:
But then also giving them some fun little nuggets in the beginning is great. Of course you're going to want them to know some, some of your history. You know your mission statement, your heartbeats and really fully understand those. But then also you know giving them a few little nuggets right away in the beginning about. You know if somebody's within five feet of you, be sure you know to smile and to say hello. They're within 10 feet of you, make sure you still smile and make eye contact with them. You know it's little things like that that really do, you know, help elevate people as human beings and they start to see wow, this is a. You know this place is unlike any other place that I've been before. I see why the guests love it, why the team loves it. You know I can really see a big vision here.
Speaker 2:
Mm-hmm, I love that and you know, one thing that I think works really well for us too is when someone comes and it's their first week, is not have them spend a six to eight hour shift with you on day one or day two, because it's a lot of new data, a lot of new information and they can come from a place of being overwhelmed. So you know, to shorten those shifts. I think there's power and shortness and a shift, especially when they're new. So think about that too. Maybe it's a three or four hour shift of going through, like Lindsay was saying, the heartbeats, and maybe on the second day it's like what are your two powerpieces, what are the two parts of your goal promise that you need to implant into them right away?
Speaker 2:
So maybe it is your signature shampoo. For us it's our signature shampoo and our brand of language, like we want. We want them to get to know that right away. So after we've given them our Y, our heartbeats, then we're going to really start working with them, but we're never just going to really toss them to the wolves and say good luck, get back there and start highlighting with that educator, because it can create chaos for the guest, it creates chaos for the educator and it creates chaos for the new trainee as well.
Speaker 1:
Yes, such a good point to make, jen. And so really defining what that map looks like for the associate I think is a key thing, especially when you've reached the stage where you don't just have one associate trainer anymore, there's multiple teammates that are in that role of associate educator. I think having that map so that everybody is creating that same experience and so that everybody kind of has the same expectations and understandings really does just help relieve a lot of unknown stress that we would carry not knowing hey, am I doing the right thing, am I not doing the right thing? And so when you can define that and then create that map that people are just able to walk down, you know that it's heading in the right direction. And so once you've kind of gone through that onboarding process, you know I think another key element is to have someone experience.
Speaker 1:
You know working on your guest experience team or as a hospitality host whatever you might call that position in your salon or spa company. You know to where it's like that front desk role where they're checking people in and out. You know with your branded language, and you know really understanding what that hospitality role is and how you know they get to serve guests in that way, and you know I think there's lots of powerful things that happen there. One of them is, you know, they gain a lot more confidence because you know our goal is for them to after two weeks of being inside of the salon. We don't ever want this to happen, but we want them to feel like, hey, if I was the only one here right now, I would be confident to do a lot of the things that need to happen around here. So we want them to know the basics of it. We don't ever want that to necessarily be their story, but if it was, we want them to feel that confident.
Speaker 1:
It's just about that feeling, you know, and so so going through the hospitality role is huge, and the other part that it can give them back to is, you know, if the front desk ever makes a mistake on their books or on a ticket or something like that, they're a lot more understanding because they know how many hats that front desk team is wearing in that role. And so they're like you know what? I totally get it Like. Mistakes happen it's. It eliminates any frustration. I know that points in my career I have, you know, witnessed that before where people can get frustrated with somebody on the guest experience hospitality host team and you know, just remembering how all encompassing that role is just kind of helps make them understand that a lot better. So I love keeping that in our associate, like in our in our master's program for our associates to be able to learn and feel confident In that space as well.
Speaker 2:
All right. So we've kind of gotten that perfect first couple of weeks in, and so you're probably thinking well, we've heard different things how long should age training program be? What's the magic number? And is it four months?
Speaker 2:
Back in the day, when I started, it was like I feel like 20 years, I think sometimes and so this is just in my opinion and I'm sure it's similar to Lindsay's too is that I think sometimes there is so much power and I'm just having their hands and hair so much that if you really create that space for them, a four to six month timeframe is a beautiful place for them to start growing rapidly.
Speaker 2:
And I think once they get past that six mark timeframe, they actually get a little bored, and your educator usually gets a little bored with them as well. You know, I've experienced that being an educator as well. So like you want to make sure that you have that crystal clear map, to like a training program career map, just like you do for your service providers, is like hey, this is what your expectations are at month one, level one in the training program, this is what your expectations are at level two or month two, whatever you may call it, and so like really having that certainty, so they know exactly what their expectations and requirements of them, helps them show up in a much better place too.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, I love that. And it's almost like you can hit that overrun stage where you're like, I mean it's like almost like if you were like a baby bird and you were learning to fly and your mom was like, calm down, you know like, don't, you can't go above. You know 10 feet in the air and you're like, but I know I can go to 50, you know like you don't want them to hit that space where they're, they're feeling like they're pushed back down and they're stifled, and so I love that. You said you know that is the spot, that sweet spot to where they really can fly. And you know they have the confidence to do so because you know they've, they've gotten to experience so much together with their associate educator that they know, hey, if this happens I can handle it, if this happens I can handle it. And so it really does give you that confidence to move forward and to fly and and and really experience some amazing things.
Speaker 1:
And so, having that mapped out during that time because of course they're going to be working hands on hair right away, you know, like Jen said, we love to have that, you know, signature shampoo really locked down quick in their associate training.
Speaker 1:
So, week one, week two you know we want them to be confident in giving an amazing shampoo right away. So they're doing that and then helping with blow drying, helping with every single part except for the cutting portion, you know, and then really that truly is what's going to build that confidence and, you know, it's going to create that that really great synergy with the associate trainer and the associate, because they're they're going to, you know, kind of rely on each other to create an incredible day, and then they're also going to have the opportunity to see what's truly possible, what their numbers and on their books and the people that they serve, and it's going to be a wildly different experience from what they had in school or wherever they came from before. And so I think that that is a really great spot to really truly create some amazing synergy.
Speaker 2:
I love that you said that lens on there. You mentioned them seeing their own clients or having their own books too, and I think that's one vertical to view as well as, like you know, I believe that after 30 days and they have your service standards down, it's okay to open up their books. And I know a lot of you are probably freaking out right now, but you know I just sometimes it's okay to let go and you know, just let them experience, because it's the only way that they're going to learn is is through lessons, and if something doesn't go right, pull that lesson from the guest experience and see how you can you be better and elevate it next time. So I just feel like the people that we're hiring now are ready to get their hands and hair right away, so they want to be able to practice and be able to start utilizing the tools. It's like a big, beautiful bird would fly away, like they want to start utilizing those tools right away.
Speaker 2:
So, and I would also say too was like well, how do you get from month one? Or how do you know that the training program only needs to be four months or six months? So a hot tip would be like have productivity goals or service goals, just like you would for your career map for your service providers, maybe at month one or level one in your training program. Maybe it's there at 40% productivity on their opportunity day that they're going to get in that four week timeframe after being there, and maybe their service sales are usually like $1,200 or $800. You'd have to do some reverse engineering on the math to figure out what's possible. But you know, that's how someone that gives them the freedom to know hey, I really have the skills I can get out of this not get out but I can transfer, transform into the level one If I can do it in four months by hitting these goals or these requirements.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, and, and you know, it sets them up for a career of success. It doesn't allow any bad habits to to grow and blossom inside of anyone, you know, and it's not like people then sit around and wait for the busy bus to show up. It's they are creating that busy bus. It's showing up all the time because they're working together with someone who is experiencing, you know, around 90% productivity, and they know what that feels like and they see, hey, this is great and I've got a team of people that can support me around me and, you know, can pull some really great information from everyone around me. You might also be thinking, hey, how am I going to get all the education in that we need in four to six months? And you know a lot of it's going to happen with hands and hair and working together, you know, and I think then you also would want to have a yearly education calendar that then could support whatever additional tools you know are necessary for your team to thrive. And so you know, for us at, you know, level three and below, we have in-house education a great calendar. Once you, you know, graduate from that level, then it's your choice which in-house education you attend, unless we bring in an artist, which we bring in several a year.
Speaker 1:
At that stage, you know, we note, hey, we're going to work on makeup applications or short haircuts, or formal styles or, you know, bollayage whatever your key services are.
Speaker 1:
You know, come up with a list of 12 to have throughout the year so that you know we're getting those foundational things locked in. You know, I think when we did our education survey for 2023, one of people's favorite classes was when one of our service providers so it's, you know, all led by other teammates who are great in different areas, which is super fun because you get lots of great perspective and every single person on our team got some sort of a shout out for our class that they did in our survey, which is always exciting. But one of the favorites, too, was when we did a vivid colors class and they got to do some stuff on swatches and you know it was like really locking in a lot of things that they knew to be true, but then seeing it was just, you know, transformational for a lot of people. So, having that education calendar for the year that they can support the additional tools that you might not have the opportunity to teach or you might inside of your master's program is going to be a key for sure.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, and I think another opportunity is, in addition to the skill set classes, the you know mindset classes as well, as you know being new, a lot of times the biggest gift that you can get someone is helping them grow their confidence is, you know, working with new people in our industry, you know they're there's a lot of times they're just have that uncertainty about themselves.
Speaker 2:
So just including some classes of having you know one on one growth sessions with them each month, just like you would a service provider, or having a leader perform that you know growth opportunity is what our growth session with them as well, I think is also good. And just having, like we do a money in mindset class to really start teaching them about financing, helping them to understand retirement in the very beginning. I mean Lindsay said this before, but wouldn't be beautiful as salon owners if we taught our industry how to be millionaires when they retired? I mean, I think that's the difference that we can make in this world is giving people that knowledge, and I feel like it's never too early to give someone that knowledge.
Speaker 1:
I love that, jen. You know, and we also have that complimentary resource available. If you would love a copy of our retirement calculator, feel free to go to our social media, go to our website you can find a free download there and it really is amazing. It really opens up so much when you're not just hiring, you're retiring, and it feels like a beautiful ecosystem and you know the impact that you're making, and so does your team. They can feel that the super high exchange that they're in, and so they want to do great things because they know you're doing great things for them in return. So you know, once you've gotten someone to the stage where they are graduating from the associate program, you know it really can present an amazing opportunity for what's next. You know, and I think, jen, you have a really cool program inside of your salon company that you do for your new graduates. You want to talk a little bit about that.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, we do what we call our mentorship. So we have, when someone graduates, we still buddy them up with a mentor, one of our educators, so they still have that connection point with them once a week. Because you know, when you work with the educator you go from being very productive to being level one. There's going to be some more holes of opportunity when it comes to productivity. So still being able to have that connection point with that buddy or that mentor to you know it takes 10,000 hours, they say, to be a master of your craft. So to keep designing and working on the master of your craft, I think really just give someone that extra support, that extra love, and help them to really showcase what's possible.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, that's incredible. And you know, I think it's just amazing what having that little touch point at the end can just feel like, okay, I've really am anchoring in it even more. And I think that's truly it's like, if you think about, you know, one of the life cycles that I talk about with a, with a new team member, is, you know, when you start school, you think you know, you're so excited when you walk in and then you start learning all these things and you're like wait, I didn't know I was going to have to know nail diseases and disorders and skin diseases and disorders and all this stuff you know, and chemistry, and math, and you know all this stuff. And you're like I just came to do hair, I just came to be a massage therapist, I just came to, you know, do whatever. And then you're like, okay, I see why I need this, you know. And.
Speaker 1:
And then your confidence is low when you first start performing services and then, towards the end of school, you're like I know it all, I can't wait to get out of here, I need to get out of here, you know. And then, as soon as you graduate, you're like bam, it's like you hit a brick wall. You're like, wait, did I learn anything in school? I don't know that I did, and the truth is you did. You learned amazing things.
Speaker 1:
You know, and truly that's what having a master's program does is it helps bridge that gap between school and career and really anchors in all of those lessons. They see how it's working in the real world. You know the the, the guest experience is different than in most cosmetology schools and it really does just help them master that so that they do have that confidence. And then, jen, like you said, it just takes 10,000 hours and then you're really a master at it.
Speaker 1:
And so you know, I think that there's, it's it is just a fun ride and a fun journey to be on and it is just such a. You know it's like it's like infancy and parenthood. You know it's like one of the most fun and special times because that you know, when they're in the master's program, it's just fun to see how many light bulb moments they're getting and and how much, how many wins they're getting and just what all is sinking in. And so it is just such a beautiful opportunity to get to serve it in an amazing way inside of our, our industry, when you are offering a master's program, especially when it's incredible and it's a win, win, win for everybody.
Speaker 2:
Awesome, all right guys. So remember it all goes down to hiring the perfect person and the pH the perfect hire. Creating an incredible onboarding week, setting up classes, having a career map, creating even something extra special for them once they complete the training program. And when you have all those verticals in place, that's when magic happens and that's where you have people knocking down your door to be part of your training program. Because words spread fast and when that one person has that great experience, they're going to tell all of their friends about it. Awesome.
Speaker 1:
If you took something great away today, we'd love for you to introduce us to one of your salon or spa owning friends. Maybe they would have the exact same experience as you, and we look forward to seeing you again soon. All right, bye.
