Choosing Your Business Model: Employee or Independent Contractor
A business model is best described as a schematic that defines all of the working features, components and capabilities that will drive the business. If you want your business to deliver consistent...
View ArticleWhat is the best commission rate to pay salon or spa staff?
This question is routinely posted in discussion forums. And just as routinely, and with the best intentions, the same old responses begin piling up. Some suggest 45%, some 50%, and some even 60% and...
View ArticleAnatomy of Payroll Expense
If you have a business, you have payroll expense. Even if you work alone, after all the expenses are paid, you are the payroll expense. Machines and computers may automate, speed and simplify many...
View ArticleMaking Peace with Performance Reviews
Do you do quarterly performance reviews at least once a year? That’s a line from my No-Compromise Leadership book that always gets an unsettled chuckle. Why? Because there’s something about conducting...
View Article2015 Team-Based Pay Award Winners
The first annual Team-Based Pay Awards were held September 27, 2015 at the Westin Chicago Northwest in Itasca, IL. The awards ceremony ran concurrently with Strategies Team-Based Pay Conference at the...
View ArticleHow Employee-Based Salons Will Endure Rental & Suites
There are those in our industry who believe that the popularity of booth rental and suites is going to mark the end of days for employee-based salons. Sorry, but this is not the case. Is there a...
View ArticleWhat California Bill 1513 Means for Salons and Spas on Commission
Note: Although CA employment attorneys were consulted when researching this article, we highly recommend that you contact a legal representative to discuss your rights and responsibilities on this...
View ArticleWhy Retail Commission Does Not Work in Salons & Spas
For an industry that is so dependent on professional products, we still haven’t broken the secret code to get professional service providers to sell. Even with the advancement and sophistication of...
View ArticleWhen Salon & Spa Employees Choose to Leave
When service providers decide to quit a salon/spa, it is anything but, “Go gently into that good night.” All too often, the process plays out with clandestine plotting and close teammates swearing...
View ArticleThe Dirty Truth About Salon & Spa Service Payroll Costs
Warning: The following may be a tough pill for many salon and spa owners to swallow… but it’s one that needs to be swallowed nonetheless. Ready? Let’s talk salon and spa service payroll costs: The...
View ArticleTeam-Based Pay Case Studies
The following is a continuing series of salon and spa case studies, highlighting winners of Strategies 2015 Team-Based Pay Awards. We will be featuring businesses of different shapes and sizes...
View ArticleOwning an Employee-Based Salon or Spa
There are many voices that say, “Commission salon/spas are a thing of the past.” What I don’t understand is why “commission” … a method of compensation … is used to describe an employee-based business....
View ArticleSalon & Spa Interviewing and the PAY Conversation
A phone call comes in for a position you want to fill. The prospective employee says, “I’m interested in the [service provider] position you have open. What commission rate do you pay?” I have never...
View Article2016 Team-Based Pay Awards Winners
The second annual Team-Based Pay Awards were held September 18, 2016 at the Westin Chicago Northwest in Itasca, IL. The awards ceremony ran concurrently with Strategies Team-Based Pay Conference at the...
View ArticleThe Danger of Who Gets the Credit
I was in a Barney’s New York store looking for new suit. I narrowed the selection to a suit I really liked and was ready for some sales help. About ten feet away, two sales people are having an...
View ArticleBrand Building for Team-Based Pay Salons & Spas
Being busy doesn’t create a brand. Filling chairs and treatment rooms doesn’t build a brand. Building client loyalty to “stylists/estheticians/massage tech/etc.” is more anti-brand building than...
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