12-05-2004, 10:22 AM | #17 (permalink) |
Join Date: Jan 3 2002 Location: USA
Posts: 1,686
Rep Power: 23 | your welcome ~ Ohhhhhh Neon - you have no idea how hard it is to NOT BREATHE when I am posting..... I can only type as long as I can hold my breath ~ otherwise, it will always be a novel Over the course of the day yesterday .... it became so clear to me WHY wars start. It’s not just Religion or Politics..... there is no ONE way to speak, type, communicate that EVERYONE will UNDERSTAND with the same level of comprehension...... Bob, (Tanu01) is one of the most fair, middle of the road kinda guys. If he is not eloquent, he certainly is passionate about this industry - he is a warrior of a type, one that watches out for us smaller businesses and is the watchdog against vendor spam..... and yet his message and advice to all of us has been the SAME message that Dot Com and Dennis (our new guy that found a very hostile reception) have been trying to communicate!!! Smaller Salons can succeed if they make plans to GROW, if they make the EFFORT to gain the largest amount of AVAILABLE customers as their clients, and if they USE the income to buy a new bed or two and ADVERTISE to the people..... You don’t NEED to grow to the size of a 20-bed salon. In some areas, it might be BETTER to open a second location-- (remember, 2 locations paying for the Advertising instead of one) .... In some locations - only ONE salon is viable, but the DRIVE and DESIRE to have that ONE salon be the place that your population uses is key to stop being a Salon Slave. Now - not everybody with Smaller Salons is in despair ..... some areas of the country do WELL no matter what the season, no matter what the weather.... but again ~ Dennis was invited here because he is that Self-Made Successful Salon Owner... the guy with 3 beds and a head of lettuce in the fridge. Not the shiny shoes a MBA .... he is a REGULAR kinda guy..... but he has a wonderful need to challenge himself. Hindsight and perhaps a little LESS of a stubborn disposition would have done me personally a world of good if I had someone like Dennis mentoring and advising me during my tenure as a salon owner .... It is refreshing to hear HOW simple math coupled with some effort can indeed lead to a Happy Salon Owner. And it can be you. |
12-05-2004, 12:51 PM | #18 (permalink) |
Join Date: Jan 3 2002 Location: USA
Posts: 1,686
Rep Power: 23 | Ok..... had my coffee, and the quarter is IN------ Now on to differences in How to Advertise and how this expense should be as NORMAL as your lotion bill and lamp changes.... cuz if you don’t sell lotions and you don’t change your lamps - you can EXPECT to fail I have been told by a special guy in California, that I need to stop fighting.... (oh, not just with YOU guys... but the CARDS that this industry has been dealt by the FDA and the FTC). While I AM a true believer in the benefits of indoor tanning and natural sunlight - - and I TAN for control of S.A.D. and general crabbiness ~ ~ there ARE successful salon owners that feel it’s A-OK to sell based only on the COSMETIC value of a tan...... that the POWERS that BE (FDA/FTC and Sun-Scare Anti-Tan zealots) are not worth the time and effort I have taken away from focusing on growing my business.. In many ways, they are right. For over 5 years immense amount of time, and aggravation was wasted on trying to ‘unite’ an un-uniteable industry to fight for our rights and the rights of our clients to access tanning. To try to force a better standard of practice for ALL salon owners, so that we COULD finally show we EARNED the respect we are demanding as a professional service provider. To try and educate ourselves and the general public on the How's and Why’s of the benefits and the truth about the bodies NEED for adequate sunlight - and how to be responsible on getting it. Had that SAME time been spent in MY more immediate future (one that plans and follows the goals to survive and grow from year to year) and not on the seemingly inevitable FUTURE as the industry as a whole ..... I probably would have avoided many of the pitfalls that led to me getting OUT of the salon. **special note to Bob and Neon: While participating ONLINE can be personally rewarding --- remember that it does NOT pay the bills, or even give you a ‘gold star’ to wear with those sassy cowboy boots....... I am the worst to advise this (as I am the worst offender) but I sincerely suggest that YOUR businesses require more of your time that you give so freely on here Back to Advertising..... and YES ~ I broke ALL the rules.... never got closed down by the FTC ~ and that would have been a DAY in COURT to be remembered but it all comes back to HOW MUCH do YOU BELIEVE that your business and the HEALTH of your clients matters. There is a man in this industry that is working on a form of Advertising that is BETTER than your fliers on the cars, better than the Post Card Mailers and certainly better then having just another Smart Tan Certificate stuck to your wall. If I had decided to stay and move the salon---- I was going to use his services - SunPages by Todd Theisen *1- it is a ‘magazine’ style publication *2- it is custom made for YOUR salon promotion *3-it is classy looking, with tons of room for real personalized News Letter style info *4-it comes complete with positive articles that are currently coming to light on the BENEFITS of sunlight *5-unlike the flyers and postcards, it is normal page sized - you choose 4 pages to 12(???) and *6-it can be done for around the SAME price as the oversized post cards depending on the amount of pages you choose. Get a mental picture of YOUR salon featured in this Mag that takes the responsibility for sharing the positive benefits of Sunlight - yes!! the NEED for sunlight to remain healthy.... and your salon photos, specials, staff highlights, CONNECTING with complete strangers sitting in the local Subway, students on a campus, people waiting for their Doctors appointment (remember - it’s up to YOU to get them in there) and in my eyes, this is killing two birds with one stone. A fab way to BRAND your salon name and services - and smacking back against Anti-Tan |
12-05-2004, 01:23 PM | #19 (permalink) |
Join Date: Jan 3 2002 Location: USA
Posts: 1,686
Rep Power: 23 | Back in the 80’s ..... Tanning was a BOOMING new business. And like ALL business - it attracted some people that were only interested in the Cash Cow, and ignorant about the Dangers of providing this service in an irresponsible manner .... Sure, there were ‘Facial Lamps’ that people could buy for home..... that literally BLISTERED faces, eyelids, and lips in just a few minuets..... Same type of lamp technology is being used TODAY by researches in Anti-Tan to PROVE that UVR is ‘dangerous;’ Time and Science marches on. This industry is EVOLVING into one that (for the most part) understands the need to provide this technology in the safest way possible. That we are RESPONSIBLE for the education of our clients and that in most cases - WE are the only ones that DO take the time to educate each client on how to use Sunscreens properly, and how their skin best responds to reasonable exposures. You will often see salon owners complaining about the nasty practices of some in their areas.... not just the Nail place with one dirty bed, or the gym that allows self-service tanning.... but established tanning facilities that just are sh*tty operators. Here is an interesting note: Did you know that the City of Los Altos, California CONTROLS the number of Nail Salons in their city? That right after granting an APPROVAL for a new high end Euro Style salon to open (after quite a few small Vietnamese shops were denied) the city council claimed that only HIGH END PROFESSIONALS could expect to be granted approval to open a business...... obviously, the Asian community is having a fit...... Now - put yourself in those shoes. You might be the owner of a nice 12 bed salon, relaxed, friendly atmosphere, clean and making money....... and you FEEL that the 2 beds at the Barbershop is a sh*tshack....... BUT, will that Mega Corporate Store with 25 beds and a waterfall someday use political clout to have YOU DEEMED a sh*tshack? It could happen.... in fact, I am convinced that indoor tanning is going that path. It’s all how it’s presented on the plate..... and in any Metropolitan Area (the ones where the Big Corporate Stores will want to be)..... They will have enough money and power to sway and shake the local trees. If I were going to do it - I would first convince the world that Indoor Tanning needed to become (and run) by Corporate Business styles.... that the smaller Mom & Pops were detrimental to the professional image of Indoor Tanning - and work to stamp out all sh*tshacks The moral of the story is to create your own professional image, and STICK BY IT. It is not just a matter of getting em out of their clothes and tanning em ....just like going to the GYN is not just a matter of getting em out of their clothes and into the stirrups .... Dignity and Respect of your self, your business and most importantly - your customers will help you sink your ROOTS deep and help you survive any hot winds that may someday blow thru your town. |
12-05-2004, 01:43 PM | #20 (permalink) |
Join Date: Nov 30 2000 Location: Ontario Age: 61
Posts: 38,594
Rep Power: 107 | "**special note to Bob and Neon: While participating ONLINE can be personally rewarding --- remember that it does NOT pay the bills, or even give you a ‘gold star’ to wear with those sassy cowboy boots....... I am the worst to advise this (as I am the worst offender) but I sincerely suggest that YOUR businesses require more of your time that you give so freely on here" You got that right, at least in my case. |
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