5 Tips for Increasing Your Income

Whether you own a salon, you’re a stylist in a salon or you’re an independent contractor, you have a business brand. Today more than 9 million women own businesses in the U.S., generating more than $1.4 trillion, according to the 2014 State of Women-Owned Businesses Report by American Express Open.

Despite those impressive figures, women’s businesses are still smaller than men’s and start lagging behind at the $1 million mark, says Dr. Venus Opal Reese, CEO of Defy Impossible, Inc. “Society—often our own families, too—measure women’s worth based on how we measure up to their expectations,” Reese says. “So we end up measuring our value on those same expectations, not the values that come from our true, authentic self. That sets up some real conflicts as women build successful businesses.”

 

Reese offers five tips for making the most of your business. Men can try these, too! Healthy Hairdresser has taken these tips and applied them to the work you do as a salon professional:

1. Know your worth in dollars and cents. Have you raised your rates lately? Think about the education you’ve taken over the past two years, all of the experience you’ve had and the wisdom you’ve gained. Clients expect service providers to periodically raise rates. 
2. Trust that you are more than enough. We often look outside of ourselves for validation. You are brilliant! You’re creative and you give your full attention to your clients. Stand up for your own value.
3. Heal your heart. As a hairstylist, you probably lead with your heart. That can be a positive. When it’s not—when you’re influenced by resentment, regret, anger, resignation or fear—you build negative energy that can block you from achieving your earning potential.
4. Invest in yourself. If you own a salon, your reputation is only as good as your stylists, so make sure you have a top-tier team. That may mean raising salaries and offering incentives for continuing education. 
5. Learn how to monetize. You have a skill that can earn you a good living. Take advantage of every opportunity to attract new clients, build each client’s ticket, ensure return business and sell retail. As a hairdresser you have so much control over your paycheck!