For many of us – with the exception of the romance of Valentine’s Day – February is, quite bluntly, the dullest month of the year. The fun and frivolities of The Holidays already seem a distant memory; but we have hopefully given ourselves a well-deserved pat on the back for making it through January, with New Year’s resolutions motivating us to be better people for ourselves and others.
That leaves the long, cold and dull days of February looming ahead with the bright, warm summer days still so far away … well for the UK, that is certainly the case! For the lucky ones, we know from the trading patterns of the last couple of years that February is likely to see the green shoots of the new tanning season sprouting and, of course, a repetition in 2024 would be fantastic!
For the rest of us, we need to focus on being positive about what the rest of the year ahead will undoubtedly bring. As such, we need to make the most of the opportunity that February provides. It is a fabulous window of time to effectively get everything in the salon in tip-top shape to ensure we can fully maximise the potential of the coming months.
Salon owners should use suppliers’ knowledge, experience and expertise to help build the future success of their businesses.
A salon deep-clean; tanning bed servicing; lamp replacements as necessary; the new season’s lotions ordered; new tanning beds ordered (if not already done!); salon protocols re-visited; staff training refreshed; marketing plan in place; budgets and expenses reviewed to ensure you are on the best tariffs available. These are just some of the tasks that we all need to ensure are in place to run our businesses effectively and successfully, yet sometimes there simply are not enough hours in the day to make this happen. February gives us an entire month!
It is also a great time for salon owners to talk to industry suppliers about their plans going forward. A good relationship with reliable suppliers is a key factor for salon success. Responsible and reliable suppliers will be about so much more than delivering products and you, as salon owners, should use suppliers’ knowledge, experience and expertise to help build the future success of your business. It is safe to say there probably is not a single scenario or situation they will not have seen or heard about. Building a relationship with your suppliers enables you to tap into this deep knowledge pool to help you make the right decisions for your business.
I certainly believe it must be more than a coincidence, that when you look at successful salon operators, whether as a single-site owner through to national chains and almost without exception, these businesses have established and built excellent relationships with their product suppliers.
Also know that to a responsible and reliable supplier, the smallest piece of business is always important! Being involved with and supporting the growth of a salon’s vision is such an exciting part of this industry. From the humblest of beginnings, truly amazing things happen.
So as we plough through February, think of each completed task as a step closer to being where you want to be. And before you know it, take a deep breath – because the 2024 season will soon be upon us!
