Dear Covid, You Lose.
If you could write a letter to COVID-19 what would you say? I’m sure it would include a lot of capital letters and a few obscenities. The majority of our letters to COVID would involve similar themes: “Why me? Why now? How could you? This isn’t fair!”
There is no denying the massive impact that the pandemic has had on our salons. It has been a very hard year for most and has led to many having to close their doors for good; watching their dreams and hard work come to a crashing halt. For those that are still open, reduced capacity has hindered profitability and has changed the atmosphere and culture you so worked hard to build.
So what can we do? We’re at the mercy of a virus and the restraints that our governments have. How can we make the most of this situation? The silver lining is this: you have an opportunity to take a step back and look at what is important to you and your business. You have the capability to change things that you have wanted, or need to, change. Just because you are operating at a 50% capacity does not mean you still can’t give 100% to your business.
Here are 3 Quick Tips to Get You Into the Right Mindset:
1. Write a Letter About It
Honestly! It sounds cliche, but in reality, writing will help you get out all those negative emotions and anger you have both personally and as a business owner. It will help clear your mind and provide focus.
2. Review Your Goals and Values
You have more clarity now that your anger is laid out on the table. What are your goals? What are you hoping to achieve? We will get to a point where we can operate at 100% capacity, so what does that look like for you?
3. Make the Change
You want to increase your 4 chair salon to 8? Make it happen. You want to meditate more and do yoga? Do it. You want to change the way you price your services and manage your money better? Find a solution.
Take a look at your customers. Is there anything else you can do to provide value? Do they feel safe in your salon even at a 50% or less capacity? What about transparency? Have you gone over in detail why your prices are a bit higher now and how you came up with that number?
These are frustrating times. And you will have more bad days. But my advice to you is to try to find opportunities in a horrible situation. You might be surprised what you find.
