You've heard this time and again and I'm saying it again now,

"If you want to build your business, you've got to pay yourself properly".

I estimate that around 70% of the salon owners I meet could not afford to pay themselves if they followed the same pay structure as the rest of their team.

Some of you might be thinking that paying yourself more is an odd way to be successful. But it isn't. Giving yourself compensation for the many things you do is what pushes you forward and motivates you in the longer term.

As business owners, it's only natural to think of ourselves last. We see some kind of prowess in sacrificing our own time and sometimes even our own pay. We are willing to do anything to ensure the success of our business. While this trait may seem admirable, you still need to pay your bills and buy food to eat

Initially, you may not be able to afford to pay yourself properly and that's perfectly fine. Just as long as you're compensating yourself for the work that you do, even if it's just enough to get by. However, as your business grows, make sure your pay grows with it too. Make sure to give yourself competitive and fair pay.

As the business decision maker, you have complete control over your finances. You decide how much money to allocate to operations, on marketing and, of course, how much to pay yourself. And with no one to tell you what to do, you may give yourself a hard time seeing the fine line. The line that separates between taking profits to reward yourself and re-investing in your own business.

You need to pay yourself properly to have the financial motivation to make great business decisions for continued growth. I have here a three-step process to give yourself the proper pay rise. Let's get you started on earning what you're worth!

Busy and overwhelmed is a default state for many of us and it actually hinders us from getting more of the important work done. Have you ever dreamt of doing less work but still winning in life? It is possible and it can happen if you focus only on the real priorities in your life.

When you're feeling overwhelmed you become unreasonable. Additionally, it makes you deal with stress in an unhealthy way. You yell at your kids, get in a fight with your partner and you get wound up easily. The best way to avoid feeling exhausted and overwhelmed is through self-care. Take time to practice self-care and understand your challenges.

I'm a small business coach, an entrepreneur, and a father. I don't always get the balance right. There times I feel stressed and pressured too. Feeling this way is perfectly okay and it's normal. But, what you do and how you deal with it is what's important.

Getting More Done

Learn to prioritise - Make sure you list things based on their priority. Make time for tasks that can create a bigger dent towards your goal.

Create small, attainable goals - Break up your goals into tiny ones. Doing so will help you go through them easier and faster than you think.

Learn to organise - When we're unorganised we become overwhelmed with getting more done. Create a system to help you find things better. It could be a simple system when answering emails or returning phone calls.

Unplug regularly - Take a mental break from everything. Profound things happen when you take a break. Make time for building relationships and spending time with the people you love.

There are more ways to help you get more things done. So if you really want to learn how you can avoid feeling overwhelmed, you need to check out the 3 ultimate tips I have in this video.

What happens when you realise that your charging for services that are just too cheap? A lot of salon businesses have salon pricing that isn't making them enough profit to grow their business.

Time and again, I've been getting coaching questions on what salon owners can do about their pricing. These salon owners are scared that their customers are price sensitive and will stop doing business with them.

Most new salon businesses will always have this kind of 'marketing tactic' - to price their services lower than everyone else. They think that customers will instantly flock towards their salon. But this is a very bad idea and you'll definitely have a hard time making ends meet in the long run.

I've been very clear about my feelings when competing on price. Pricing low against the increasing salon competition is a race to the bottom. Pricing your services properly is one of the trickiest parts of growing any kind of business. If your salon pricing is too high, customers may be hesitant to try your services. On the other hand, if you price is too cheap, they'll think that you're inexperienced or devalue what you do.

Getting to that sweet spot of salon pricing is challenging but not impossible. If you're not constantly reviewing your pricing strategy, you'll most certainly have problems covering your overheads.

There is no secret formula to salon pricing. You will find yourself tweaking your service prices every now and then. This goes along with experience and the growth of the market. In this video, I have some tips to help you price your services properly and get the profit you need without necessarily increasing your prices.

In previous broadcasts, I've talked to you about how to motivate your team and recruit the best people to help grow your business. But this video will be different.  I'll talk more about how we can shift the focus and help you stay motivated. Motivation is one of the key aspects of succeeding in any kind of business. However, there may be instances that you may find it hard staying motivated. As a business owner it's only normal for you to face different challenges on a daily basis. This makes it even harder to stay energised and motivated. We've all had that experience where we lose focus due to the obstacles we're facing. Remember how it used to be? Do you remember all that energy you had when you were starting out?  That feeling of restlessness and excitement all packed in one?  And how you felt a surge of motivation going through you as if you're never going to get demotivated. In the beginning, it's only natural for you to be focused on growing your business. You were able to accomplish a lot of things at a very limited time.  Results were fast.  However, after being able to successfully stabilise the business, many encounter the problem of staying motivated. To be blunt, as an entrepreneur, it's important that you seek out motivation on a daily basis.  You need to constantly look for things and people that will inspire you.  Staying motivated as a business owner will not only help you become successful, it'll also help you grow your team.  In short, you have to keep at it against all odds. In this video, I give you about 3 things you can do to stay motivated as a business owner.  What's more, not only will these tips help you become motivated but will also help you power through tough situations.

I spend most of my time traveling and consulting with salon owners. Most of these clients ask for good,  profitable financial strategies. In this video, I will talk about tiered pricing and how you should leverage this tool to get better profits, give more value to your customers and provide your employees with a better way to build clientele. Most salon owners don't see the value in tiered pricing.  To be blunt, this is why some of these businesses fail. You have to remember that a big part of running the business you deserve, is generating the profits you deserve. You have to consistently revisit your pricing structure.  And see if you're leaving money on the table.  While you create an environment where employees strive for something more. Tiered pricing isn't just about gaining the profits your business deserves. It is also about being able to carefully provide recognition to your employees who are excelling. You are also able to provide loyal employees with incentives that will continue to motivate them into providing good services. Additionally, it also addresses the injustice that high performing employees may feel when they charge the same rate as less experienced employees. Show your employees that you have a clear vision for them.  That you want them to progress in this industry.  It will work wonders for a growing business! Here I want to give you the top 3 reasons why I think you should be introducing tiered pricing into your hair or beauty salon.

We get the same message again and again.  Know your "one thing".  Focus, and stay focused.  Be determined.  When everyone else makes 10 calls, make 20.  Stay the course.  Commit fully and never give up. But surely, there has to come a time when you question whether your "one thing" is the right thing?  Being persistent and taking strong consistent action is great - but what if you're pushing hard in the WRONG direction?  Just HOW persistent do you have to be before you finally wash your hands and walk away?  Here are my thoughts.  As always, I'd love to hear yours too.

I do a LOT of non-fiction reading.  I love reading the biographies of entrepreneurs and leaders.  And naturally you start to see recurring themes in their message.  One very subtle theme that crops up again and again is how the super-successful feel fulfilled. It seems that at some stage in their career, it isn't enough to make more and more money or gain growing market share.  Almost without exception there comes a time when the most fulfilling thing an entrepreneur can do is to start giving back.  Buffett, Gates, Branson - they all plough millions or even billions back into good causes.  It brings a renewed sense of purpose.  It helps contribute to your "why".

You have invested everything in your business.  Time, energy, money.  What can possibly go wrong?

What I work on goal setting with my clients my aim is to improve their relationship with themselves. It's not about hitting the gym, meditation or yoga. I'm talking about scheduling some time to kick back and to do stuff that you actually like. Or how about scheduling some time with no agenda? What do you think it will look like having an hour or two in your calendar to waste? Contrary to what you think, it's not really a wasted time. It's your time to improve your relationship with yourself. And it's a beautiful investment! Believe me, this has transformed my business.

I can help you in overcoming procrastination and getting more things done. Are you: 1. An expert at putting off and delaying things? 2. Brilliant at doing the fun stuff first?  But leaving no motivation and energy for the things you're supposed to do? 3. Running your life in a panic mode for a lot of the time? A big part of the business is getting the right stuff done. You CAN get the right stuff done without working right up to a deadline in a very stressful way.  And you know that feels so much better! Thing is, a lot of us are our own enemies. We're procrastinators!! We put things off and then end up with a huge rush of tasks when it comes to the deadline. These tips that I have are based on my very own experiences as a big procrastinator. I have worked really hard to make sure that I'm performing at a level of high-productivity.  Basically I have had to deal with my procrastination in a very effective way! 1. Break things down - there may be times that you feel overwhelmed.  When you have so much to do in your mind that it becomes impossible to see a way forward. You need to get to grip with the projects and planning.  In short, break things down into smaller chunks. But don't spend excess time on planning, it's mostly about implementation. 2. Reward ourselves - crossing tasks off a list can feel like a reward in itself.  Or even something as basic as making a cup of tea.  Whatever you use, make sure you deliver, or you'll have a hard time motivating yourself second time around. 3. Forgive yourself - show yourself some kindness. In short, don't be too hard on yourself!  Procrastination can be a product of low self-esteem - don't feed that beast! Finally, for more personalised help why not drop me an email: [email protected] - I'd love to hear from you!