You started your career solo and just like that, you transformed from a beginner to a champion lash artist. In retrospect, you notice how far along you have come, from practising your lashing skills on family and friends to building an active client base who pay you for your fantastic eyelash extension work. That journey must feel almost surreal.
But lately, with your growing clientele and busy schedule, you’ve been overwhelmed by your work. Are you booked out? Have you been struggling to juggle between tasks and appointments? Are you fighting to find time out for yourself? If you have answered YES, it means you need help. How does hiring another team member sound? Recruiting your first employee is a testimony to your success but can also cause anxiety. To take the right step, you need to tick the checklist. Let’s step through the process of when and how to hire a team for your lash salon.
When is the right time to hire?
There are many signs that indicate that it is time you need to grow your team. Here are a few:
- You can only fit in so many appointments in a day, and despite working extra hours, you still have been turning down clients or are trying to accommodate them outside work hours.
- The waiting time to get an appointment or delays in appointment times due to a chaotic schedule have been causing customers to call out on social media or leave you negative Google Reviews. As a lash artist, you cannot negate the importance of client reviews. You may also be missing out on booking appointments because you cannot attend calls/queries on time.
- Because of your work pressure, you are not following a process, making more mistakes, and focussing on finishing each appointment rather than building a solid client relationship.
- You have many expansion and marketing ideas for your business but you haven’t had the time to plan and execute them because you spend all your time doing lashes.
- You have referred to your finances and are confident of the number of staff you can afford to add to your team.
- As a solo entrepreneur, you have been a jack of all trades, but lately, you have noticed you need someone with more specific skills to benefit the business.
- You haven’t had a break or gone on vacation for over a year because you are snowed under.
How to hire for your Lash Salon?
Taking that first step of hiring a lash artist can be quite a rollercoaster. So before you start the process, you need to identify what kind of help you are looking for. Is it to run the daily errands? Or is it to help with the administration or operational part of the business? Or do you need another lash artist? This will help you create the perfect job description and set the expectations for the role.
- The finances
Hiring is a significant investment; if your profits outweigh the constraints of hiring an employee, it is an indication you can afford to bear the direct (salary) and indirect (time to train) costs of employing them. Seek professional financial advice if you need to ensure your business can afford to bear the costs and weigh the risks.
Consider your cash flow and if taking a loan from the bank will help you make the profits and pay off. Decide if you want a full-time employee or a part-time one. Have a two-month salary ready to credit as a rule to smoothen the payroll process and let your business run seamlessly.
- The interview processes
Hiring the right person is not only about one who has all the skills but also someone who aligns with your business and adds value and growth. Apart from the specific job role, list the things you want in a person with whom you are willing to share your salon. Be transparent about your expectations, vision, and culture. Ask them questions to help you understand their personality traits and decide if they are what you are looking for.
- The policies
As a solo artist, you are your own boss. But when you are growing and involving more people in the business, you must provide guidelines for your employees (even if they are just one) and have a business policy ready for them to refer to. This will help your new employee effortlessly settle into the role, learn the vision and goals you have for the business, and provide consistency in team performance.
- Training a lash artist
Hiring someone means getting the help you want but you must set aside time to accommodate, train, and facilitate them to manage their role. This also means you value their presence and want to invest time and effort to help your new hire grow.
Training leads to greater efficiency and job satisfaction among employees. Creating a process that will aid them in providing customers with a similar experience and quality of service they had with you, will not only alleviate your workload but will help you build your brand and elevate your reputation as the business you want to be. It is also important that your new lash artist has ample knowledge of the various products you prefer to use for creating beautiful lash extensions and for lash aftercare.
How to manage the team?
When onboarding an employee, you may feel at ease managing your salon. However, people management needs training, skills, and experience. As an employer, delegating work to your employees isn’t the only job; keeping them motivated and happy is also important to get a high return on investment. You will have to now step up as a leader.
- Lead by example
If you insist on your employees being punctual, you can’t be traipsing into the salon an hour later after the opening time. If you are a business that promotes equality and inclusivity, ensure that you practice what you preach for your employees to build trust in your leadership.
- Team building and scheduled catch-ups
To make sure your team is on the same page, it is imperative to have meetings where the team can address their issues and challenges to find a solution. Taking your team member’s opinions and advice to resolve problems makes them feel valued and promotes responsibility and care for each other.
- Be observant
Sometimes, employees may not address their distress or problems with you; as a leader, you need to be more observant and look after your employees. Have a one-on-one meeting to ensure your employees work in a supportive and safe environment.
Growing your team is an exciting time, and we are confident you will do a great job. But, remember, as Ronald Reagan once said, “The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.”
If you want to know more about improving your lash business or how to become associated with Prolong Lash, discover how to become a partner with us today. With the right people, tools and eyelash extension care accessories, your lash business will be set for success!
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