When you are a hairstylist/owner in a salon studio paying for salon education on your own can feel like a huge burden leading you to feelings of regret or like you’re wasting money if you don’t learn as much as you expected.
Let’s go over the ways you can make sure you don’t invest in bad classes ever again and always walk away from any educational class or online course getting your money’s worth. I’m even going to tell you a hack about how you can make a slightly bad educational experience valuable.
We are in a time where salon education is literally all around us. You can easily learn almost anything with a quick Pinterest search or by watching a video on youtube. From experts to novas’ there are tips and tricks for hairstyling, color, and cutting everywhere. There is even really incredible business educational at your fingertips that is created specifically with the hairstylist in mind!
The beauty industry is definitely known for having a lot of fluff or education that isn’t very good. Nowadays everyone seems to be some kind of Instagram or youtube famous or an educator for a major hair product company trying to push their current promotion on you.
I am of the belief that every class has a lesson hidden in but I want to help you choose the classes that are right for you!
Every single hairstylist that has been behind the chair for at least a couple of years has been through a time of feeling unmotivated. Not wanting to do something is actually how every single person on the planet’s brains are hardwired. So don’t worry you are not alone and it is only natural to gravitate toward feeling stagnant when you aren’t feeding your business the right kind of fuel!
Is the class you are thinking about taking going to move you in the exact direction you want to move in? Are you getting ready to drop $2000 on a balayage class when you aren’t actively working on your building your balayage skills? Even if you are a Balayage Specialist and you want to take as many balayage classes as you possibly can (which you should do if that’s your thing) if you are actually in NEED of a marketing class or any other area of running your business? Don’t get wrapped up in the fun and exciting trendy classes you want to post about on the gram.
Identify your businesses biggest weakness and invest in that type of education!
I recommend reading my blog post about the Salon Customers Journey to Your Chair to see if there are any points of weakness in your business funnel.
Nobody wakes up wanting to run or wanting to eat raw vegetables. Running is hard and requires you to push yourself and be uncomfortable no matter how in shape you are. Even though we all know we always feel on top of the world when we are done our natural tendency is still to not want to physically do it.
This is why if you are wondering if education is a waste of time and money you need to recognize that that is actually what is happening here. Your brain is trying to talk you out of doing the hard thing because it likes to be comfortable. As long as you aren’t going to be in danger or homeless next week it’s just easier to keep going on autopilot than it is to invest in taking a class and then put those lessons into action.
So, why do some people wake up and decide to do the hard thing while others wake up and then go back to sleep? The people that do the work are doing it because they have made a decision to be healthy and it is a non-negotiable for them. They choose a moment of uncomfortable and hard for feeling good and being healthy.
I know I went off on a tangent there and you are probably wondering why this all of a sudden turned into a health lesson when we were talking about education and wasting money. Here are some tips to help you decide to invest in your education.
Taking a class is pretty much only a waste of money if you don’t wake up the next day and decide to do the thing that makes you uncomfortable. If you don’t make implementing what you learned right way while it is still fresh in your mind then the lessons fade away and fade fast! The faster you start to take action on any takeaways from an educational experience the more you will remember as time goes on. Getting through this moment of doing something different or saying something new to your salon customers is only uncomfortable for a moment and then it’s over with.
When you are deciding to pay for a class keep an eye out for the overhype of one specific person. It is a red flag to look out for when someone has been put in the spotlight because they got a lot of likes on one of their selfies. Remember like or followers are not proof of their skills or teaching capabilities. If someone is actually a great educator you will be actively learning from them via free content on their website or youtube video lesson aren’t being mentioned!
Be familiar with the educator’s education style and make sure it is one that you connect with. For instance, I am a very down to earth educator. and speak from my own personal experiences as a salon studio owner. I want anybody learning from me to know that I would never recommend doing something for your business that I haven’t already done myself and had success with. I do have an honest approach and don’t tend to sugar coat my coaching. This is a style that doesn’t work for everyone. Similar to how you would with an author of a book if you are considering purchasing an online course make sure to review the previews. Look up some of the free lessons that are available online from that author and see if their writing and speaking style is one that you connect with.
Investing in your career by continuing your education is not exclusive to the beauty industry. Every single great entrepreneur spends thousands of dollars on advanced education so they can become the leading expert in their field. Athletes spend weeks, months, years crafting their skills so they can compete in elite competitions and get paid top dollar for their achievements.
Education is ALWAYS worth it!
Make the decision to identify where your business’s weak spot is so you can invest in the education you really need. Face your fear of being uncomfortable for a short period so that you can build the business of your dreams. You probably know the answer already because its the topic that makes you cringe when you think about it.
Take action today!