On October 18, Vagaro’s Social Media Managers, Shelby & Michelle, had the wonderful opportunity to speak with professional hair guru and TV personality, Tabatha Coffey, for a very special Instagram Live. Be sure to watch the full Q&A below and continue reading to catch Tabatha’s answers to your questions!
What advice do you have for salon owners who are looking to differentiate themselves in a saturated market?
Can it feel like the market is saturated? Absolutely. But I believe there’s a piece of the pie for all of us. What is your secret ingredient, or what makes you unique? It's YOU. We could all be offering the same service, but our values, our vision, who we are—is what makes us special. That is your special sauce. Is there something YOU do that makes your business unique? Maybe a service or even a conversation that you like to have with your clients? Our quirks are our superpower. Lean into that.
How do you recommend salon owners handle the delicate balance between setting high standards for their team's performance and maintaining a positive and motivating atmosphere?
That’s a really hard line, right? You want to create a positive environment, but not at the cost of your business—you have standards that you need to communicate to a team. You must never apologize for your standards, though. The most important piece here is communication. Have those kinds of conversations openly with your employees. When you do, you’re making sure that they’re aligned with your brand’s core values, while fostering an environment built on trust and respect. Let them know the difference that they make, and how they contribute to your business. It’s about helping your employees or teammates rise both personally and professionally. Your employees want a leader who makes them feel like they’re able to fully step into themselves.
What are the top qualities and skills that you believe every successful entrepreneur should possess, regardless of the industry they're in?
Passion seems to be a no-brainer for this one. Beyond passion, however, it’s courage. We all have fear—being a business owner or being an entrepreneur, it can be scary! Courage isn’t about not being afraid, though. No—courage, is about acknowledging your fear and choosing to persevere through it. It’s the only way that you can truly grow. Next, I would say, is honesty. As a business owner, you need to be honest with yourself. What can I do to be better? What more can I learn about my profession? What are my blind spots? These are all honest questions that you should be asking yourself as an entrepreneur to ensure you’re at the top of your game. Be flexible, be focused.
If a hair salon owner is struggling with attracting and retaining high-value clients, what strategies can they employ to enhance their client acquisition and retention efforts?
Here’s what I want you to ponder—why? Why are you struggling to attract and retain the clients that you’re looking for? What is misaligned for you? What isn’t happening? Are your prices not congruent? Are you not marketing yourself effectively? Start looking internally. As you do, you’ll start to identify retention and attraction patterns that you may be falling susceptible to. Better than that, though, ask your clients! They’re your absolute best source for feedback, they want to help support you. Community outreach is incredibly important as a business owner.
How can business owners maintain a healthy work-life balance to prevent burnout and maintain their well-being?
It’s crucial that we maintain balance in life, but balance looks different for all of us. So, identify your balance. For some, hard work is balance—some people might be fine with one day off. That might not be the case for you, however. Prioritize your boundaries—you have to be okay with saying no. That’s where it starts. In order to find the ultimate work-life balance, you need to first set your boundaries, then follow through with them. Ask yourself, is your energy going into something that will deposit into, withdraw from, or eventually be worth your time? Lastly, ask for support. And support looks different for everyone, but never be scared to ask someone for a little help when you need it. After all, we can’t do everything ourselves (even though it feels like we can or should!).
Can you share your thoughts on dealing with online reviews and reputation management for hair salons? How can salon owners effectively handle both positive and negative feedback?
Remember, when emotion is high, intelligence is low. Stay calm, stay collected. It's completely natural for us to want to immediately start typing something back to that review—it’s human. Sometimes negative feedback can be constructive, though. There are certainly times where the feedback may be given aggressively, or in a way that makes you uncomfortable. It can be hard in those times to not take it personally. My advice to you is: Before you make any type of reply, really sit on the feedback that’s being given to you. More often than not, its origins are genuine, or it may point out truths you may not have otherwise found. Learn from the situation and offer a solution! There’s always going to be good and bad, no matter what it is we do, but how we choose to react is what dictates how we grow from these situations.
Can you share your insights on the importance of resilience and mental toughness for business owners and how to develop these qualities?
For me, true toughness is the ability to be resilient. I feel like, oftentimes, we think of toughness as being able to hide the ooey-gooey parts of ourselves that we don’t want people to see. but it’s so much more than that. Think of the hard times not as failures, but as opportunities. Think: What can I learn from this? We don’t want to be so tough that we don’t have any flexibility in our business.
Tabatha Coffey is an absolute treasure to not only the salon & hair industries, but to anyone who may need business advice. Having seemingly unlocked the secrets to leading both an enriching & successful life as an entrepreneur or business owner, Tabatha is always (thankfully!) willing to share that invaluable knowledge with us. If you haven’t seen the full Q&A with Tabatha, check out the video above!
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