The saying is true you can’t help anyone else unless you first help yourself which is why I think personal development books are so important for salon studio owners. Today I am going to share with you 5 of my favorite books on not only personal development but business and entrepreneurship that have greatly help me grow as not only a business but a business owner!
Not only do we have the responsibilities of taking care of our customers we have to run every aspect of our business. Even if you have gotten to a point in your business where you are outsourcing certain jobs you are still overseeing that it is taken care of properly there for you responsible for it.
This level of responsibility requires more work than most jobs which is why you are constantly consuming education to stay up to date with trends and crafting your skills as an entrepreneur which is a task that is never finished. The markets are always evolving there for you must also be constantly evolving and doing what you can to stay ahead of the curve!
If you have read any of my posts you have probably picked up on how into personal development I am. I will be honest, not a single one of these books I have actually sat down and read! Actually, I take that back…The very first one only comes in digital or paper format and was one I was very interested in so I did buy the digital download and instead of listening to it on the train on my way to work I read it, word by word. I will explain why when we get into the details of why I love each of these books!
I am a huge advocate of education and learning but I am not a huge fan of wasting time and although I don’t consider reading a complete waste of time I feel in my life I can get more done by listening to it while I am walking, jogging or commuting into the salon to work. Audible (Affiliate Link) is where I get and listen to all of my books. I love it because I can switch between listening on my phone, computer, or not even with my amazon fire stick through my TV and they are all connected so I don’t ever have to look up where in the book I am and scan until I get there!
I talk a lot more about productivity in my post where I challenge you to ask yourself if you are actually being productive or just wasting time during your day. You can read the full post HERE!
Although I love to listen to a book verse read it, I do feel like we have a tendency to glaze over parts by drifting off in our head or in my case getting graced by the obnoxiousness of the other riders on the train I take into the city every day. For this reason, I always listen to a book twice! Not only do you catch those little lessons you might have missed it gives your brain the ability to fully absorb!
With all of the hats we wear in our business’ and our forever dedication to evolving with business and the fast-pivoting that is needed with technology these days I also want to touch on what can happen in our personal lives. I don’t know if maybe you are some sort of superhuman that is never affected by anything in your personal life but if you aren’t that then you know exactly what I am talking about!
Life happens, our childhood pet dies, we get betrayed by our best friend, we have a falling out with a family member, we have to change cities with no notice because that is LIFE! Everybody has a different capacity to handle stress and the to be expected lows of life but no matter how good you are at this it can sometimes get bad enough to affect your business and that is a no-go in my book!
No matter how hard life gets I am the kind of person who says YOU MUST CHECK THAT BAGGAGE AT THE DOOR!
Have I ever had to take a mental health day or gotten emotional the absolute second a client walked out of my salon studio? YES!! Absolutely yes because I am human! I do not, however, let these times linger for too long. I give myself grace for the times I can’t do it and go harder when I am on my game.
I think of it as goodie karma points!
One of my clients who I happened to be 5 minutes late for said to me when I was profusely apologizing that it was totally fine with her because in the 7 years I had been doing her hair I had never once been late so I had quite a bit of karma points racked up so not to worry!
I loved it and now remind myself of this when I get that human feeling that everyone goes through where I feel like I am dropping more balls than I am actually keeping in the air. I also remind myself of this when I need the push to go harder when I already feel like I am giving something my all. I am pretty competitive, especially with myself so these little boosts of motivation really get me going!!
People ask me all the time how I stay so motivated and personal development books are the answer. When I feel like I am drowning from an emotional time in my life I let myself feel whatever I need to and when I have finished my deserved personal pity party (in my opinion) I purchase a new book or relisten to one that has helped me before. Like the ones here on this list!
Now that I have explained why I think personal development books are so important to us as salon studio owners, let’s talk about my favorites that you should give a read or listen to before the year is over!
Grow 4: Marketing – Anthony Whitaker
This is not just a personal development book but direct education for salon owners on marketing! Grow 4: Marketing is by far one of those reads that I felt solidified what I already knew about marketing but wasn’t actually practising in my business AND had a few light bulbs turn on to new ideas! Anthony Whitaker is am educator specifically for salons which is what makes this book on the list one of my ABSOLUTE must-haves. As I mentioned before I did actually buy the digital download of this book which I wanted to read on the train but there is so much solid information I am definitely going to also be picking up the paperback version too!
You are a Badass at Making Money – Jen Sincero
You have probably heard of Jen Sincero for her other book called “You are a Badass!” which is undoubtedly a gem of a ready but today we are talking specifically talking about her money-making or better yet money mindset book all about creating a healthier relationship with money. What do I mean a healthier relationship with money? I mean, if you feel like you are walking in the footsteps on your parent’s bad money habits or you hate money because it is only a source of stress in your life and never bring you any relief or joy…YOU HAVE A BAD RELATIONSHIP WITH MONEY! You are a Badass at Making Money (affiliate link) challenges you to talk to yourself differently when it comes to not just how much money you don’t have but how much money you want to have. I love Jen Sincero’s quick wit and dry sense of humor which makes any of her books make my must-read lists but this one is especially recommended for us salon studio owners!
5 Second Rule – Mel Robbins
If I had to only take one lesson I learned from all of the books I have read this year, which let me add in is way more than I have listed here, I would without a doubt say it was the 5 second rule! In The 5 Second Rule (Affiliate Link) Mel Robbins is a motivational master and it is one every person on this planet needs to read! She has developed a tool to help you get out of your damn head and stop listening to the bullshit stories you are telling yourself about why you can’t do something and leap into a moment of courage where you just take action no matter what. I absolutely love this book. I use the 5 second rule every single day and can honestly say it has helped me face fears and start doing tasks that quickly turned into daily habits and have changed my life for the better!
Crushing It – Gary Vaynerchuk
When it comes to a kick in the butt Gary Vaynerchuk is the one you will definitely get it from! In Crushing It (Affiliate Link) Gary goes deep into what it takes to be an entrepreneur. If you think being in business for yourself was going to be all rainbows and big paydays then you had a rude awakening and this book isn’t going to sugar coat the work you will need to put in to get yourself to your dream salon studio. It will however, push you to think outside the box and remind you that even if you have to miss your best friends summer BBQ to put in some weekend work on your salon studio’s newsletter (or whatever you have on your to-do list) because you know this is going to take you from a $1000 week to a $1500 week, that it is exactly the decision you SHOULD be making! I know that my lifestyle is one that is hard for my friends and family to understand. I am a workaholic! I love what I do and it is reading books like this one that helps me push their negative voices out of my head so that I can focus on what actually matters, the fact that I work hard now so I can live the life of my dreams later!
Girl, Wash your face! – Rachel Hollis
I may have learned lessons I needed to get my butt moving from Mel, got a dose of reality from Gary, some actionable marketing strategies specific to the beauty industry from Anthony and gotten a grasp on my money mindset from Jen BUT the book of this summer really needs to go to this lady right here! In Girl, Wash your Face (Affiliate Link) Author Rachel Hollis is the everyday woman that has truly built an empire from the ground up! Not only did she publish this incredible New York Times Best Seller but her community of humans are all about empowering women to embrace their greatness and shoot for the stars and THAT is what I am all about! This book will make you laugh and then switch it up and have you in tears by the next page. The beauty is really how Rachel take all aspects of being a woman and helps you break through the barriers others have put on us and that we have put on ourselves! This is an all-around great personal development book that will remind you no matter what you are going through YOU ARE NOT ALONE and you can and will overcome it!!
DANG, I really want to give every single one of these books 50 more reads but besides knowing reading personal development books is important, even more important, is putting the lessons taught in these books into action!
If you are needing help when it comes to learning how to speak to your ideal client or even if you aren’t sure who your ideal client is and creating goals for your business and actively working towards them, you should definitely check out my 5 Day Workshop, Attracting your Ideal Salon Clients and Mastering Momentum! I know this 5-day workshop will not only be used once but over and over as you and your business continue to evolve and uplevel!
Do you read personal development books? Help a girl out by telling me your favorites in the comments below!! <3
Cheers,
