Owning a successful salon facility is a journey and the learning process simply never ends. David Bickle of The David Salon in up-scale Orange County, California knows from first-hand experience and is a shining example of how well the evolution can work.
After much research and consulting with others David found that his already busy salon could improve its color business, both in eliminating color waste and in providing a more efficient facility to accommodate the growing market.
To minimize color waste, David decided to become a certified HeadMapping salon. The HeadMapping system specifically defines areas of the head into sections, creating a “map” that determines exactly how much time, product and cost is required to perform each service. Stylists can then dispense the right amount of color for specific color techniques as well as amounts of hair being colored. In addition to minimizing waste, it helps clearly define pricing for color services.
As far as improving the facility itself, David found that the space allocated for a large color dispensary, nails and spa treatments could instead be used to allow expanded and more effective color services. It made sense to his bottom line to drop nails and part of the spa services to accommodate the growing color market.
The plans were drawn up and David moved forward with the renovation. He had the 217 square room foot enclosed color dispensary room, employee break room and laundry facility that originally floated in the center of the salon removed and instead opened it up into a spacious color bar. The laundry facility was moved into a former massage room and the break area into an enclosed nail space. Three of the walls of the dispensary were removed completely and in its place a seven-station, island-style color bar was added.
“Years later we’re still very pleased with the change,” states David. “ The color bar was the perfect solution for us not only offering the best use of space, but also opening the salon up visually and offering yet more opportunity to interact with our clients. The place looks so much larger and we are so much more efficient even on our busiest days.”
He adds, “Doing our homework, seeking the professional advise of others and always looking ahead has really made a difference in the effectiveness and profitability of the salon. The lesson here is that we as salon owners are never done growing and changing. To be successful in any business one has to evolve as needed and should always be searching for how to make improvements. There is ALWAYS room for improvement. Being in the beauty business we proudly preach change to our clients, but must lead even this part of business by example. Our business is a living, breathing entity and like our clients, is in need of a new, fresh look once in awhile.”
Photo credit: Taggart Winterhalter for Purely Visual A Revitalized Color Business
Owning a successful salon facility is a journey and the learning process simply never ends. David Bickle of The David Salon in up-scale Orange County, California knows from first-hand experience and is a shining example of how well the evolution can work.
After much research and consulting with others David found that his already busy salon could improve its color business, both in eliminating color waste and in providing a more efficient facility to accommodate the growing market.
To minimize color waste, David decided to become a certified HeadMapping salon. The HeadMapping system specifically defines areas of the head into sections, creating a “map” that determines exactly how much time, product and cost is required to perform each service. Stylists can then dispense the right amount of color for specific color techniques as well as amounts of hair being colored. In addition to minimizing waste, it helps clearly define pricing for color services.
As far as improving the facility itself, David found that the space allocated for a large color dispensary, nails and spa treatments could instead be used to allow expanded and more effective color services. It made sense to his bottom line to drop nails and part of the spa services to accommodate the growing color market.
The plans were drawn up and David moved forward with the renovation. He had the 217 square room foot enclosed color dispensary room, employee break room and laundry facility that originally floated in the center of the salon removed and instead opened it up into a spacious color bar. The laundry facility was moved into a former massage room and the break area into an enclosed nail space. Three of the walls of the dispensary were removed completely and in its place a seven-station, island-style color bar was added.
“Years later we’re still very pleased with the change,” states David. “ The color bar was the perfect solution for us not only offering the best use of space, but also opening the salon up visually and offering yet more opportunity to interact with our clients. The place looks so much larger and we are so much more efficient even on our busiest days.”
He adds, “Doing our homework, seeking the professional advise of others and always looking ahead has really made a difference in the effectiveness and profitability of the salon. The lesson here is that we as salon owners are never done growing and changing. To be successful in any business one has to evolve as needed and should always be searching for how to make improvements. There is ALWAYS room for improvement. Being in the beauty business we proudly preach change to our clients, but must lead even this part of business by example. Our business is a living, breathing entity and like our clients, is in need of a new, fresh look once in awhile.”
Photo credit: Taggart Winterhalter for Purely Visual