I don’t work behind the chair anymore…

It all started in 2015 when a business coach I was working with said, “so when are you going to stop doing hair?”. I was so irritated. I was confused. I started a salon to have a place to work…NOT to stop doing hair.

After my coach said this to me I couldn’t get the statement out of my head…it was clear that it was something I was supposed to hear. I started to observe other salon owners who were no longer behind the chair and I learned that the healthiest salons did not rely on the income of the owner to survive (I have MANY friends that own salons that love being behind the chair. It is amazing if an owner works alongside their team because they want to and find joy in it! My previous statement is not meant to insinuate that an owner doing hair means a salon is not healthy or successful!). 

I also started to listen to my mental state when I was behind the chair and I started to recognize a feeling of overwhelm as the salon grew because I had so many responsibilities to the business and to the team. While I was with my clients, I would find myself distracted with many other responsibilities and needs of the team.  Over time, I could tell it was essential to cut back on my hours behind the chair in order to run the business well according to my standards.

In 2015 I cut my schedule back dramatically. It worked for a while but I loved all of my clients so much, I found myself unable to say “no” and I would add appointments and squeeze things in to get everyone on the books. After a while I could tell that it was time for me to make an “all or nothing” decision. In 2017, I decided to retire completely from behind the chair and exclusively manage the salon. 

I gave my clientele a six month notice and carefully matched each person with a hairdresser I thought was perfect for them. Over those six months, I would sometimes schedule the hairdresser I was referring the client to -  to work with me during the appointment so I could show them how I did that particular client’s hair (I would compensate the hairdresser as if they did the appointment). This made everyone feel cared for and made me feel like I was taking care of all of my people.

I cried on my last day on my way to work, it was so bizarre and so surreal. I moved into taking models and doing photoshoots only. I did this for about two years (more on this in a future blog). Then in early 2019 I ran into a salon owner that I think of as a mentor. He told me that most of the people that worked at his company had no idea that he ever used to be a hairdresser. I got freaked out by the thought of that and decided to go back behind the chair one day a week. Once the pandemic happened, I stepped away all together and entered into management only. 

I am very at peace with this decision now but it did take me a long time to feel ok with it. Sometimes I am still a little bummed that I am not creating the new haircut trends on clients in my chair but I have made peace with the fact that my clients are now my team…and more specifically my managers at this mile as a salon owner.

There is no right or wrong answer to this! This is just my story and how it worked for me. I do believe generally that if an owner is behind the chair it is best if the owner wants to not because the owner needs to. However, if a salon is small and the structure is built for the owner to be a service provider - do what is right for you and your brand!

So much love to you salon owners out there!

Melanie 

xxoo