The Danielle K White Show

As trailblazers in the hair industry, the White's are shattering the status quo and are setting new standards with their fresh ideas, proving that if you want to make an impact inside your industry, you can't go with what's already been done. This week's topic? The importance of investing in yourself AND in your business.

In Big Money Stylist, we go over the following formula each month: Week #1: Power Week #2: Production Week #3: Profit Week #4: Protection In This Week's Episode…..PROFIT Point #1: Mom Side Job?

• A lot of women go into hair believing it to be a great mom side job where they're able to create their own schedule, be their own boss, and make good money, which is exactly what Danielle believed. While artists learn the "how to's" of doing hair, no business skills are taught at hair school.
• Not being business savvy, most find themselves "thrown out into the world" to fend for themselves and end up giving away a lot more of their time than they realize, which ends up taking time away from their children – the very reason they went into hair in the first place!

QUESTION

What was the reason you entered the world of hair?

Point #2: Invest In Yourself

• Danielle wanted to give her clients a world-class experience but was unwilling to invest herself, in the business, or in her education. "I don't think I valued myself enough to where I had a price-point where I thought I had leeway to invest in my business."
• Garrett: Human beings operate in this really ridiculous way when it comes to business. We expect others to invest in us, yet we aren't willing to invest in them. Part of the psychology and shift that had to take place with Danielle and the artists that we train was the willingness to invest in themselves.

QUESTION

What do you do to invest in yourself on a regular basis?

Point #3: NBR Is a Feeling, Not a Function

• "If you have shitty hair extensions, most likely, you're going to feel even more self-conscious about your extensions, worrying about how they look and wondering if they're hanging out and showing. But if you have good, customized extensions, you're going to feel like a rock star."
• "As I was creating NBR, one of my goals was to not only have my clients look good in the initial before and after photo, I wanted them to carry the confidence as if theywere growing the hair out of their own heads!"

QUESTION

Why did you initially seek out NBR hair extensions?

Point #4: Invest In Your Business

• Over time, as her business started to grow, Danielle got to the point where she was wearing one too many hats and realized she could no longer do everything on her own. This led her to begin investing in herself by hiring others on her team.
• She learned that in handing things off to others, it actually made her look like more of a professional, attracting a different type of clientele, which made it easier to ask for the price point she was looking for. "It's cool to have an understanding of how it all works, but you've got to realize that not every little thing is going to be your specialty."

QUESTION

When are you going to begin investing in your business?

Point #5: Addicted to Certification, Not Results

• Garrett: There are a lot of artists who hunt down the certification game. Although they continue to get certified, they continue to be shitty and nothing changes inside of their hair business. They're addicted to certification, not results.
• Inside of BMS, we pumped the brakes to assure the quality of the artist AND the quality of the art. If you want a result, then you'll double-down. You'll double-down on yourself, on your family, and on your future.

QUESTION

Where in your world do you know you need to start doubling-down?

Quote of the Week:

"The minute you flip the switch and recognize that doubling down with time, energy and money on you – and then being willing to do the work required to get results – is the path to getting a life that works. There is nobody that can give you this."

–Garrett J White

"You want a leg up in the game? Become a fucking marketer. You've got to learn how to represent your work the way you really feel like it is. Stop telling people how good you are, show them!"

–Danielle K White

Welcome to a new episode of the BMS Podcast with Ani, lead trainer of BMS and Krystal, DKW Salon Manager, as they explore the topic of failure and share stories from Artist's lives as well as their own, demonstrating courage amid the unknown while weighing options between potentially life-changing possibilities.

For Big Money Stylist, we go over the following formula each month: Week #1: Power Week #2: Production Week #3: Profit Week #4: Protection In This Week's Episode…..Power Point #1: Failure

• When the word failure is mentioned, how does that make you feel? What meaning do you attach to it?  One might see failure as not doing anything or not trying. Others might attach a negative meaning to failing when in reality, it can also be seen as growing.
• Krystal believes you have to fail to get good at something because you're never good right off the bat. Both ladies agree that people attach fear to failure

QUESTION

What meaning do you attach to failure?

 

Point #2: It's a Process

• Ani: There's nothing that after three times, you're going to be good at. You're going to be a complete failure. You're going to fail a thousand times over, and not only that, failure's going to be different for everybody.
• At every stage of life, failure is going to look completely different, dependent upon the benchmarks you have in place, what values you have, and what your belief system is.

QUESTION

How has a fear of failure affected your life?

 

Point #3: Sink or Swim

• Krystal feels that ego plays a part in why people attach fear to failure. "You have this pride and ego inside you, which can help you AND also hurt you. You have to find a balance. It's easy to have thoughts like, "Oh shit, I don't want to be a loser. I don't want to fuck this up." 
• Ani: "I feel when you're put inside of that pressure cooker, you either rise or you fucking die; it's either do or die, sink or swim. I also feel like the more successful you are, the harder it is to take any kind of risk because now that fear is ten times greater."

QUESTION

As you look back, how have you handled "sink or swim" situations?

 

Point #4: Complacent No More

• Before her arrival at DKW Salon, Krystal had been with her previous salon for fourteen years. During the last three years there, she had found herself complacent, which is why she joined Mastermind. Although she had personally worn extensions for years, she had never offered them to her clients. "I'm never going to put this on someone else because I can barely make my own look good…and I'm a stylist!"
• It was through searching for something better for herself that Krystal found NBR, got certified, and joined Mastermind. "I was thirsty for more. And even though it was super scary to make that jump, I just knew that I couldn't stay complacent anymore. I had nothing else to lose."

QUESTION

What were the circumstances that caused you to move forward when you were feeling complacent?

 

Point #5: Which One Would You Regret More?

• In response to a recently received email from an Artist who found herself in a less than desirable situation, yet felt paralyzed when it came to taking action, Ani shared the following with her:
• "I'm not here to tell you what to do, but I'm going to ask you this question: Which one would you regret more? Would you regret staying inside of the "shit hole" salon OR would you regret leaving and trying, whether you "made it" and succeeded or failed? Which one would you regret more?"

QUESTION

Where in your world do you currently find yourself in a situation where asking yourself this question would be beneficial?

Quote of the Week:

"I don't look at it as what am I most scared of, or what am I most afraid of. It's which one would I regret more, staying or leaving? This question has always kept me going forward."

— Anianne Rivera

"If you never do anything, you're never going to grow; you're never going to move past that fear. Sometimes you just have to say fuck it and move forward."

— Krystal Coit

It's the best of both worlds in this week's episode of the Big Money Stylist where Danielle and Ani come together to have some candid conversations around the topics of entitled artists, being a business owner, and never giving up – even in your darkest hour. 

For Big Money Stylist, we go over the following formula each month: Week #1: Power Week #2: Production Week #3: Profit Week #4: Protection In This Week's Episode…..POWER Point #1: # The Naive Asshole

• During a recent training inside the BMS network, an artist revealed she was the product of a salon walk-out. Now that she is trying to start her own business, she realizes how much of an asshole she has been.
• Danielle was once that 'naive asshole' who didn't show respect for those who had blazed the trail before her.

QUESTION

How are you currently being a "naive asshole?"

Point #2: It Takes Mad Skills

• While many think they have what it takes to be successful in business, frequently they lack many of the skills necessary to actually do the job that would make them successful.
• Many assume they are to going to walk right in and 'own the world.' But it's never as easy as you think it will be…ever.

QUESTION

In what area do you know it's time to increase your skill level?

Point #3: Risk Takers

• When it comes to owning and running a business, employees tend not to put themselves in the owner's shoes and are so quick to judge, not realizing there are a lot of hard decisions business owners must make.
• At the end of the day, the final say-so will forever fall on the shoulders of the business owners, who are also the ones taking ALL of the risks.

QUESTION

Are you prepared to take on ALL of the risk inside your next business decision?

Point #4: Change the Frame

• Many people equate change with betrayal, no matter how hard you nail it in that a business has to be successful, and that change is sometimes necessary for that success to happen.
• If something is not working, putting blinders on is not going to get the job done. A new frame must be established, and those who want to remain in the old frame and are unwilling to move forward with the new one, must be let go.

QUESTION

What new frame must you step into in order for you to move forward and progress?

Point #5: Letting Go of the Noise

• Ani's experiences over the past few months had thrown her into a state of chaos. She took a step back and found that it was necessary to drown out the opinions and voices of those who were influencing her in order for her to hear her own voice.
• Ani: Is that the person I'm going to be, that the minute it gets hard I give in? I give up? We're all a little bit insane which is why we're changing this industry. Inside of that, I know I am not done here.

QUESTION

Where in your world is it time to separate yourself from the influencing voices of others?

Quote of the Week:

"It's in those dark moments where your true colors start to show up; where you decide you're going to keep going even when you hit those hard corners."

— Danielle White

"It's going to get dark, it's going to get hard, but don't you dare give up!"

— Anianne Rivera

Krystal Coit, manager and backbone of DKW, is Ani’s guest co-host in this week’s episode of the Big Money Stylist. In this episode, the ladies have a conversation around the hiring and firing process, tips regarding communication with your employees, and how to handle emotions inside the workplace. Also, Ani has another whopper of a story to share! Please keep them coming! Send them to [email protected] or dm Ani on IG ani.dkwstyling.

In Big Money Stylist, we go over the following formula each month: Week #1: Power Week #2: Production Week #3: Profit Week #4: Protection In This Week’s Episode…..Production Point #1: Systems & Processes

• Before Krystal moved into her current position as manager of DKW, she was at her former salon for fourteen years. She came into the world of DKW in the midst of a massive transitional period inside the salon approximately eight months ago (at the time of recording this episode).
• In conversations with Danielle, Krystal knew that the salon needed to implement some systems and processes, but what surprised her the most, and what has been the biggest challenge has been everybody’s personalities & emotions. “I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t people’s emotions.”

QUESTION

What processes and systems do you have in place to keep emotions from running wild inside your salon or business?

Point #2: Emotion & Logic

• Ani feels she and Krystal are very similar when it comes to emotions and logic. “I feel like we’re not emotionless and at the same time realize that we are very fact-driven and very logical.” Ani used to think that the older one gets, the more one is able to compartmentalize and separate personal and business life…but that is not the case.
• As it turns out, age nor gender matter when it comes to feelings and emotions. Ani goes on to explain that one of the hardest things is when you have two people inside the same company/building who are dating. A lover’s quarrel brought to the workplace can create chaos and shit storms that affect everybody and everything around them.

QUESTION

What has been your experience with emotions gone wild inside of the workplace?

Point #3: DKW's Hiring Process

• DKW is unique in how they approach the interview process, which involves at least3-4 parts. Rather than soliciting resumes, they request interested parties to submit a video about themselves which is followed up by a phone conversation with Krystal, and eventually, a conversation with Danielle.
• A video allows the team to get a taste of an applicant’s personality. They also get to see how they communicate and see if they are able to follow directions. If you’re in any kind of service industry, Ani feels it’s almost dangerous and risky to invite people in for an interview based solely on a resume.

QUESTION

What questions would you want an applicant to answer in a video they submit to you?

Point #4: Are You a Good Fit?

• Ani: The worst possible thing you could ever do is hire out of desperation. When you do that, you’re going to hate them from the get-go, or when they show up, they’re not going to be what you wanted. The result is frustration all around, which leads to a shit storm.
• Krystal explains how in a salon, appointments sometimes run longer, especially at DKW where standards are high. And if something needs to be corrected, it’s going to happen – even if it means having the appointment run longer. A multi-step interview process allows you to get a feel for someone’s personality to see if they’re a good fit (or not) when situations like this arise.

QUESTION

As a result of this conversation, what changes are you going to make in your hiring process?

Point #5:  Letting Someone Go

• As a business owner, there’s going to come a time when you’re going to have to let people go. For Krystal, “I have to work past my own emotion with it, especially if I have worked with someone for any period of time and have gotten close to them. At the end of the day, firing someone is a business decision, and I can’t let my emotions get involved with that.”
• Leading up to that process, there needs to be some follow-through on your part. It’s really important to be in communication with your staff with weekly check-ins. This helps you keep a pulse on where they are and if they have any concerns or issues, and it also creates a natural opening for two-way communication. Krystal also emphazises that documenting conversations is crucial – for all parties.

QUESTION

Are you being held hostage by someone inside of our business? If you are, what steps can you actually take to rectify that situation?

Quote of the Week:

“If it’s no longer working for you and it’s going to impede the growth of your company, letting go doesn’t have to be some big dramatic thing. Don’t think of it as a collision or an argument; it’s just a conversation. And sometimes it’s the conversation of hey, this doesn’t work anymore.”

-Anianne Rivera

“My advice? Go with your gut instinct when hiring. Make sure you have a process where you can see this person’s personality. If you don’t like them right off the bat, you’re probably not going to like them working for you. And finally, don’t hire out of desperation.”

–Krystal Coit

Welcome to the Big Money Stylist Podcast with co-hosts Danielle K White and Anianne Rivera. This week's episode answers such questions as, "Who do you surround yourself with and why does it even matter? What about feedback? Are you someone who is open to it or do you believe you are above it?" Also, it's storytime with Ani as she shares more salon stories. Keep them coming! Send your crazy, insane or even inspirational stories to: [email protected]

In Big Money Stylist, we go over the following formula each month: Week #1: Power Week #2: Production Week #3: Profit Week #4: Protection In This Week's Episode…..Production Point #1: Who's In Your Tribe?

• Who you surround yourself with truly does dictate what kind of person you are and the direction you go. Inside of business, it dictates whether you're going to grow, progress, push through the ceiling and become someone new OR regress, get worse or never move forward.
  
• When Danielle was in Jr. High, she had some shady friends that her mom said she couldn't hang out with anymore. Some things happened that convinced her she didn't want to hang out with them and moved on to a new group of friends. Looking back at the different directions their lives took, that was a pivotal decision for her.

QUESTION

Who do you surround yourself with?

 

Point #2: Are You Isolated?

• When you're isolated in a bubble, there's only so much you're open to seeing. It's harder to grow, there's no one to give you feedback, you don't get any inspiration from anybody else, and you're alone.
  
• Danielle: As a salon owner, I hold myself to a high standard and expect results from my team which helps everybody to grow together. Working with and training people has upped my game. I feel like I'm setting an example and I refuse to let certain things slide.

QUESTION

Where in your world are you isolating yourself? What's one thing you can do today to change that?

Point #3: Accountability & Feedback

• Ani: One of the things students love inside of BMS Mastermind is the accountability factor. It's very, very hard for people to hold themselves accountable 100% of the time. But what also sometimes happens is once they are inside of the team and are held accountable, they don't like it.
  
• Danielle: Take a step back and ask yourself what the desired outcome is. Once you have that, you might have to reel your ego back in a little bit and find a balance. You have to remind yourself that if you're signing up for education, you're signing up for feedback… and you have to be open to it.

QUESTION

Do you find yourself deflecting feedback or embracing it?

 

Point #4: Ego

• Ani: You can hear someone but not listen to what they are saying, and if you're not willing to listen… you're fucked. It's hard to hear feedback, it's hard to feel like you're being attacked or insulted. And then it becomes an ego thing: how dare you tell me about my work!
  
• Danielle: That happens a lot in marriage. I'll try to give Garrett feedback but I think I come across as if I'm going for the jugular. But even if I try to come across as nice, it's so hard. It's natural for your ego to be triggered and offended.

QUESTION

How do you keep your ego in check?

 

Point #5:  Are You a Team Player?

• Ani: If you're that asshole who's sitting inside of a salon as a stylist or as an owner with an "I'm the best" attitude, you're a fucking asshole. I guarantee you that there is someone in your business that is better than you at doing something…and you have your head so far up your own ass that you're not willing to hear anything from anybody else.
  
• Danielle: I get that I built the business and created the brand, but I can't do it alone. There's this balance in the salon where I feel like I can educate people AND I can also ask my team for feedback. Ani: I tell my students all the time: my job is not to tell you what you want to hear. Being inside the culture we have created is wanting to level up and being able to hear feedback.

QUESTION

As you look inside your life, where are you not being a team player and think you're above feedback?

Quote of the Week:

"How I measure growth is by results. If you're in an education program, you've got to ask yourself how open you are to feedback. As you look at the results you're having, are you seeing improvement? If not, maybe you're not being as open to feedback as you could be."

—Danielle K White

"Between DKW, BMS, and the tribe we've built, everyone who's inside of BMS wants to grow and progress; everybody WANTS to be better. And because of that, everybody keeps growing and moving forward… and that's what we're always looking for."

–Anianne Rivera

 

Today's episode is all about the crazies that have either found their way into your chair or who are trying to get on your books and into your chair…and what you can do about it. Danielle and Ani share more WTF salon stories and want to hear your "dude, you gotta hear what happened" stories, the crazier the better. Send them to [email protected]

For Big Money Stylist, we go over the following formula each month: Week #1: Power Week #2: Production Week #3: Profit Week #4: Protection In This Week's Episode…..PRODUCTION Point #1: What's the Lesson?

• No matter what industry you're in, you're going to have your share of crazy client stories. Danielle is quick to remind us, "If you have a ton of crazy clients, I want you to consider that you might be the crazy one."
  
  
• When you do have those crazy clients, step back and ask yourself what you can learn from them or from the situation. Take a look inside your consultation process, ask yourself what you will or won't tolerate, and look at your policies to see if you need to make an adjustment.

QUESTION

As you think back to some of your crazy encounters, what lessons did you learn? What have you fine-tuned or changed as a result?

 

Point #2: From Fucked Up to Fabulous…Over Time

• When you have a client with really fucked up hair and yet they want an immediate transformation, you've got to have some honest and hard conversations with them and share with them a realistic timeline which includes getting their hair to a healthy place along the way.
  
  
• The better the integrity of the natural hair, the more natural the extensions are going to look. When your client's hair is fried and not in a good place, it needs time to recover. Over time, the look they're going for will be achieved…and they will thank you for it.

QUESTION

What has been your experience with this?

 

Point #3: I'll Do Anything

• A lot of artists are SO excited when they get an NBR lead – a $2k service – that they are willing to do ANYTHING. And they'll take on clients they know they shouldn't because they're afraid to have a conversation with them. "I will tell you from personal experience that it will bite you in the ass!" warns Danielle.
  
  
• At the beginning of her career, Danielle would be so stressed out because she thought she had to service everyone…including doing toe waxing. "When you're seeing a lot of red flags and you're hitting a ton of resistance, that client may not be right for you. It's ok. Don't get so hungry and excited for a lead that, in the long term, could end up costing you more time and stress."

QUESTION

Are you a people pleaser, a conflict avoider, or are you just so damn excited to get an NBR client that you're willing to ignore all the red flags?

 

Point #4: Can You Be Bought?

• A salon hopper is someone who hops from salon to salon until they find someone willing to give them what they want, most of the time ending up with fucking shitty-ass hair because, ultimately, they refuse to listen to the recommendations of the artists. In the end, they find an artist willing to give in and compromise their standards.
  
  
• Danielle has learned from personal experience that it's better to let them go. "We're in the service industry so people think it's almost a given that our time can be bought. There are certain people that cannot buy my time. It doesn't mean I'm a bitch about it or rude, but more matter of fact: I'm a professional, here's what I'm offering and what I'm willing to do."

QUESTION

What are you learning from this conversation?

 

Point #5: Newsflash

• Color is SO important! The biggest no-no with extensions in before and after photos when you have one platinum color extension slapped in and it doesn't match the hair. "We're not in the 90s, we're not in the day of Kelly Clarkson. You can no longer mix a dark brown and a platinum blonde. It just doesn't work."
  
  
• Coming up in 2020: Look for big conventions with Danielle and Ani and the training team, as well as smaller classes. For Mastermind only, Shadowing is officially opening up at DKW Styling Salon and the team of trainers' salons as well. To receive all of the exciting news of upcoming events for 2020, go to bigmoneystylist.com and enter in your email.

QUESTION

What excites you the most about what's in store for you inside of BMS?

Quote of the Week:

"Are you a people pleaser or a conflict avoider? I want you to consider that you're not actually that nice, you're just avoiding conflict and confrontation with your client. And then in the end, when you end up giving them what they want, it fucks you anyway."

— Danielle K White

"Even if the client is sitting your chair, you can still deny them. Just like when people say they wanted to cancel their wedding but it was too late…you can be walking down the aisle and still cancel your wedding because it's NEVER too late."

—Anianne Rivera

Salon life sounds like it would be so mellow but…no! It's insane! It's the most dramatic shit show you've ever seen behind the chair! And the ladies have the stories to prove it! Whether you're part of salon tribe or not, Danielle & Ani want to hear YOUR stories – your crazy, inspirational, 'what the fuck' moments. Send them to [email protected]. Who knows? You may be one of the lucky ones who gets pulled in as a surprise guest on a future episode!

For Big Money Stylist, we go over the following formula each month: Week #1: Power Week #2: Production Week #3: Profit Week #4: Protection In This Week's Episode…..POWER Point #1: Mindfucked & Overwhelmed!

• When you hear the world mindfucked, what does it mean to you? For Danielle, "It's when your mind just shuts down and becomes paralyzed. And oftentimes, it means that you're probably headed in the right direction."
• For Ani, "It's totally insane or out of this world. It also translates into business where you are at the point of I can't fucking do this, it's insane, crazy, out of my league, what the hell…"

QUESTION

How do you define mindfucked?

 

Point #2: Video Tips For Mom

• Danielle's mom is in real estate and recently came to Danielle asking questions about videos & funnels. She's been asked by her company to interview clients and feels a little weird about the logistics of setting up a tripod for the interviews.
• "The biggest mistake I see people make when starting to do videos and create more content is that they act too professional and stiff, which comes across as inauthentic – more like a CNN scenario than a casual conversation – which doesn't allow your viewers to connect with you."

QUESTION

What can you do to make your videos more personable and less inauthentic?

 

Point #3: The Funnel Game

• Danielle went on to explain to her mother the benefits of having a funnel where you provide "free content and value through video that helps people to get to know you and your personality… and where you ask for their email."
• Danielle's mother was intrigued – with an added dash of mindfucked, overwhelm, & lightbulb moments – as Danielle went on to describe in more detail the results of her funnels, as well as the ins and outs of creating and publishing video content – which happens to be a total game changer in the world of hair, initiated by BMS.

QUESTION

Have you started playing the funnel game yet? If not, what's one thing you could begin doing today to ultimately create your funnel?

 

Point #4: More Than a Pretty Picture

• A lot of artists believe that posting a pretty picture on Instagram is all it's going to take to attract business when it comes to their advertising. But the complete saturation in the marketplace tells a different story.
• Danielle: You can't just have pretty pictures anymore…you CAN'T. People are more likely to come to you if they see a video of you and if they feel comfortable and confident with you. You don't have to have a million fucking models on your Instagram anymore."

QUESTION

What results have you noticed with the implementation of more content in addition to pretty before and after photos in your social media accounts?

 

Point #5: What's Your Vibe?

• "I don't care if someone is super chummy, but what I do care about is weird energy." Danielle described an experience she had with an older artist in a different salon where "the outcome wasn't bad, but I was so disappointed in her energy and the experience."
• "On the other hand, I had someone blow out my hair that was super cute, she didn't talk much, her energy was good, she was happy to be there…and the curls sucked ass! But I still tipped her 30%. I looked like Farah Fawcett but the girl had the best energy and I didn't care what my curls looked like!"

QUESTION

What can you do to ensure that the vibe in your salon is on point?

Quote of the Week:

"Don't let yourself get overwhelmed! Sometimes your content is going to be fuckin' stellar, and other times it's just going to be ok. But it's better to be consistent than to not do anything at all."

— Danielle K White

"You need to slow down to go faster. I swear to God, the faster you try to go some days, the slower it's going to make you because you start jacking shit up!"

—Anianne Rivera

 

Danielle's guest this week is husband Garrett J White. They have a conversation about their backstory which segues into the topic of the saturation taking place inside of social media, as well as the importance of becoming an expert in your field while zeroing in on your niche.

For Big Money Stylist, we go over the following formula each month: Week #1: Power Week #2: Production Week #3: Profit Week #4: Protection

In This Week's Episode…..PROFIT

Point #1: Business vs Platform

• Instagram is not a business, it's a platform for distributing a message. That's it. What is marketing? It is the distribution of a message. 
  
  
• Long before Instagram, the marketing and distributing of a message began…and it goes all the way back to Jesus Christ. He had a platform, he taught in parables, and he had thousands of followers who cared about and listened to him. 
  
  

QUESTION

How do you use Instagram to market your message?

 

Point #2: Tribe vs Followers

• As a marketer, just as Jesus, Buddha, and Gandhi were marketers, what are you chasing down? If you have 2.3 million followers but you can't sell 36 fucking t-shirts, that's a problem. You gotta wonder, who exactly is following you?
  
  
• This is the distinction between having a tribe of people who believe in you and your product and services vs having a band of followers. It's also a distinction between getting paid or being popular.
  
  

QUESTION

Do you have a tribe or a following?

 

Point #3: Significance vs Results

• Danielle: More followers give one a feeling of significance. I think we hide behind feeling significant instead of getting results. If I wasn't seeing results in my business, I wouldn't continue doing what I'm doing. When I started seeing results, I started caring less about the social media following.
  
  
• You need a foundation AND you need systems and structures so that as you slowly build up your following, you look like a professional. You don't need a couple hundred thousand followers, but you have to realistically look at your work and services and ask yourself if this is the best you can offer.
  
  

QUESTION

Are you driven more by the accolades of significance and popularity or are you driven by profitability?

 

Point #4: Threefold Game

• There's a threefold game that has to be uncovered: celebrity, expertise, and authority. Expertise sits at the core, authority sits above expertise, and then you have celebrity.
  
  
• Across the game right now, many have skipped the baseline and the core of the game. They're not actually experts and they're not that fucking good. The internet has given you and I the ability to create a "celebrity" brand. But, even the bubble inside of the celebrity is starting to pop & fizzle.

  QUESTION

How strong is your core? Have you skipped that baseline and gone straight to the celebrity phase instead?

 

 

Point #5: Expertise & Niche

 

• As the marketplace becomes saturated, what is your actual stand? How do you create a distinction in the marketplace and clarity for a client to be able to find their pathway directly to you?
• At the core, you must narrow down your expertise. Stop being a stylist and artist that delivers fucking everything to everybody. How in the world on God's green earth could you be an actual expert at everything?
  
  

QUESTION

What is your niche? Where have you taken a stand?

Quote of the Week:

"Slow down, stop worrying about the social media numbers, and start focusing on how you can improve in some old school business tactics to retain clients."

— Danielle K White

"You can build all the social credibility in the world that you want, but if you suck ass behind the chair and you can't get it done, you must make a decision: am I committed to being profitable, or am I committed to being popular?"

—Garrett J White

 

The overall experience for a client inside of any business is paramount and vital to client retention. How do you handle an assistant who yells things from across the room or artists who engage in inappropriate conversations in front of clients? What does it mean if your client wears headphones or works on their phone and doesn't engage in conversation with you? Should you be concerned? Tune in for answers to these and other questions in this important episode of the Big Money Stylist.

For Big Money Stylist, we go over the following formula each month:

Week #1: Power

Week #2: Production

Week #3: Profit

Week #4: Protection

In This Week's Episode.....PRODUCTION

Point #1: Letting Go

• Danielle tells her artists behind the chair that they don’t have time for the little shit. “If you’re already working 80 hours a week, you’re going to need to hire people to take care of things for you like your laundry, cleaning, and shopping.” 
• “The hardest thing for me in letting go was having somebody not do something the way I would do it," says Danielle. "It would piss me off so badly that I just wanted to do it myself. And then I realized I can’t keep operating like that because I don’t  have enough time.”

[mks_pullquote align="left" width="300" size="24" bg_color="#000000" txt_color="#ffffff"]QUESTION[/mks_pullquote]

What do you know you need to let go of in order to free up more of your time?

Point #2: Balancing Act

• When it comes to hiring assistants,  a lot of artists will say they don’t have time to train someone, and yet the reality is, you don’t have time NOT to train someone. They may not always do it exactly how you do it, but understand that as you train them, over time, it’s going to benefit you.
• If your business is solely relying on you, you can only become so successful. The growth of the company actually relies on a team. Although a team effort, it’s still vital for you as a business owner not to step out too far or let go too much because shit can go sideways really fast. It’s a balancing act.

[mks_pullquote align="left" width="300" size="24" bg_color="#000000" txt_color="#ffffff"]QUESTION[/mks_pullquote]

Where in your world are you trying to handle everything? How is that working for you?

Point #3: Keep It Classy

• It’s important for your clients to feel comfortable in communicating with you about the service you’re providing them. It’s also important to give them a good overall experience in the salon. 
• You’re going to have some clients who will not return even though you’ve done a killer job on their hair. Why? Because the conversations taking place all around them have been offensive or inappropriate. Keeping it classy is vital to the retention of your client base.

[mks_pullquote align="left" width="300" size="24" bg_color="#000000" txt_color="#ffffff"]QUESTION[/mks_pullquote]

Where do you need to reign it in a little in order to provide your clients with the best overall experience possible?

Point #4: Twenty Questions

• Reading your client is an important skill to develop. If they have their headphones on they or have given you the heads up that they have some work to do on their phone, give them their space and don’t play twenty questions with them. 
• “That doesn’t mean it’s going to mess up their experience or your connection with them, it just means they have shit to get done AND they want great hair. Check in with them and that’s it.”

[mks_pullquote align="left" width="300" size="24" bg_color="#000000" txt_color="#ffffff"]QUESTION[/mks_pullquote]

What has been your experience with this, either as a client or as the professional?

Point #5: The Art of Framing

• If you have a business where you’re doing work in front of a client, you need to have a conversation with your assistant about the proper way to address things. If your assistant yells things like "We only have this, will this still work?" from across the room, that’s a sure way for your client to lose all confidence in you and in your work.
• Handle concerns you have with the work being done by other artists off to the side, away from the client, and be sure to be careful with the words you use and how you use them. Say things like, “This looks awesome, but let's try this.” Or, pull them off to the side and share what you want them to know. It’s all about how you frame it.

[mks_pullquote align="left" width="300" size="24" bg_color="#000000" txt_color="#ffffff"]QUESTION[/mks_pullquote]

As a salon owner, what can you do to improve the social etiquette inside your salon?

Quote of the Week:

"Be consistent in everything that you’re doing every day. Look back and measure your progression based on your numbers, based on how your hair looks and based on where you’re at in life. And when you see that momentum pick up, it pushes you forward to continue that momentum."

-- Danielle K White

"Watch the shit you say inside the salon. As important as it is to have comradery inside the salon, keep it professional. I’m not saying you can’t have fun, but just remember, there are lines that you just can’t cross."

--Anianne Rivera

Whether it’s cars, boob jobs, or hair extensions, trust is HUGE when it comes to both consumers and professionals. Join Danielle & Ani as they have a spicy conversation on this hot topic in this week’s episode of the Big Money Stylist.