Broken Promises Sold by Salon Owners
I already know I am going to get a lot of flack from this title, so let me be clear: Not All Salon Owners Break Their Promises…but there are a ton that do! The amount of Hair School Grads that call me a few months after graduation and say, “Robert, the salon owner said they would train me, and it’ll take 6 months to get on the floor. It’s been 3 months, and I have had no classes, and now they are saying it’ll be another 6 months!!! What should I do?” is astounding! This is a problem. If you promise to train and promote to the floor and do not keep your word, then you are breaking your promises, which is seriously messed up! I don’t want to believe they are lying to get the hire, but that is what some of them have thought. Are we supposed to excuse Salon Owners for breaking their promises because we empathize with their burden of running a business? Should Rising Stylists be expected to know what they don't know or is it our job to guide them and inform them? Do I see victims more than I see casualties of the business owner's burden? Yes. Too harsh? Or Truth? What do you think?
No, seriously…I know some salon owners who have lofty ideas about training and promoting people, but they have no capacity or actual process to do so which makes apprentices hard to retain. I do, actually, empathize with the owner who cannot accomplish all of their goals, but I feel for the Rising Stylist more. The last thing anyone wants to hear is that their career has been stunted, and they are being held back because you have too much on YOUR plate…Either build a program, design a process, put something together, and stay true to your promises or stop hiring newbies…like, SERIOUSLY?!...right?
Leave a comment below and tell me I am way off; I need to hear some other perspectives; please lmk!
Of course, we could have another conversation and blame it on the rising stylists. However, if you look at the statement above, these young people consistently come back saying that they were promised training, and after 3 months, they had no training. They were also told, once they questioned the salon owner on this lack of training, their timeline was being pushed back. How infuriating!
We have talked plenty about realistic expectations, educating the young on building a business, the importance of education, and how to be professional. So, I am calling out something I consider to be unconscionable; promising Rising Stylists what they need and want in order to decide to work for you and not deliver. We should not relent on our expectations of the younger generation, but as I mentioned in the last post, if we all took 1 day out of our year to volunteer our time at a local school, that would mean that all Rising Stylists would have visitors regularly! Then, we can all explain the value of professionalism, salon etiquette, customer service, and good communication. It is very hard for schools to teach all of this when they are bogged down with teaching them how to hold shears, section the hair, the anatomy of the head….not to mention how to pass the state board.
If you are a salon owner that hates this line of blame, I really want to hear from you. I am open to hearing other perspectives and changing my mind. Just ask yourself, “Do any Rising Stylists deserve to be held back because I cannot deliver?” If education is important to them, which is important to over 80% of polled rising stylists, and you are not going to provide it within the first few months, you should be clear about that. If you are not going to be actively engaged in their growth and they have a high level of personal responsibility, then you should be clear about that.
The biggest problems that Gen-Z and Salon Owners have seems to come down to clear communication of expectations. We all need to be better about being clear, honest, and realistic about what we can offer and what we expect from others. Now, I sound like my Nana, lol…
All of this and more will be discussed in the upcoming “Hairdresser Town Hall” Event in DC on February 19th…yes, we changed the date for various reasons. Save the date and participate in this conversation and other talks on generational differences and changes in the industry on Sunday, February 19th, 2022, in Washington, D.C.
Robert, a 20-year veteran, has worked passionately, for the bulk of his career to empower stylists, democratize the industry, and shift the power dynamic to be more equitable for the hairdresser.
