Happy New Year to all of our past and present students and to all of our followers on Instagram and facebook business pages and anyone else who follows our page or website.
I am hoping you have all been safe and well over the festive period and enjoyed your time with family and friends. It has been a while since I wrote my last blog, sometimes I have to really try and find something useful to write about, it doesn’t always come easy at times.
I know I wrote about another award, we have the new logo award to upload, which we are really very proud of especially still remaining open due to the pandemic and covid hitting many many businesses. I really wanted to just congratulate any small salon or home based salon that still managed to stay open during these hard and difficult times, you truly are an inspiration to have kept a business running and this is something to truly be proud of.
I sincerely hope that your business has gone from strength to strength and something to celebrate in 2022 but even to celebrate for 2021 and making it through the other side. On another hand my heart really goes out to the Salons/businesses that have sadly had to close as this is very heart breaking for you too indeed and not a decision that you would have taken lightly. So I am wishing you all of the success in any new venture or new job that you have had to undertake because of the last 2 years with Covid and the devastation it has had on many business owners.
What has that taught you? How resilient you are whether you stayed in business or if you decided to close your business as that takes real strength too. How your services were of paramount to your clients, how your services made your clients feel good about themselves, how your clients really value you and what you stand for as regards to good ethics and the great standards of service you offer.
What makes a good therapist?
That is the million and one question? Do you remember a time when you went to a salon and had a beauty treatment carried out by a therapist that was new to you? You had previously been to another salon and you may not have been very happy, you decided to try the salon down the road from your previous salon, you booked in for a gel manicure.
During the treatment this therapist you have never met before, welcomed you with a lovely friendly smile, she asked you about your day? When performing the treatment she explained all about the treatment and what each product does ie the benefits of the products she/he is using on you and why? During the treatment, the therapist gives you some vital aftercare advice which can improve your condition at home in between having treatments. All of these steps and effort makes all the difference, caring compassionate therapists are what will keep your clients keep coming back for more.
I know I write about this quite a lot in my blogs. How someone makes you feel leaves a lasting impression. The client doesn’t really look that much into the treatment you have done even if the treatment was mediocre or really excellent, they won’t really remember that in 4 weeks time, however what they will remember is the way you have made them feel and how you treated them.
Which proves my point that the ‘Customer Experience’ is really what your clients are paying for ultimately. How do we value that Customer Experience in our businesses, it really is food for thought? Though provoking yes? Identifying your customer needs and your target audience is key to any successful business.
Start with writing a list of what you expect going into a Spa or a Beauty Salon for the first time. Make a list of 5 important factors ie. Friendly, professional, good integrity, excellent interpersonal skills, professionally skilled.
You could write even more than just 5 important factors as to why you would go to X, Y and Z Beauty Salon, the list could be endless.
Are you starting to get the jist now. These are the fundamentals of a great business and for attracting the right clientele for your business.
National Awards
As you know now we won another award for Best Training Organisation in 2021/22, please see image below. What stands us out from the crowd or the other training academies in the UK. Well I have to say there are many outstanding training organisations who have also won these prestigious awards too.
Would I train with a training academy who has won multiple awards or an academy who hasn’t won any awards at all? Well it depends on your values ultimately. I know where my vote would be, with an academy who has been recognised for their outstanding commitment to their industry and one that has put their students interests above all.
I firmly believe that each and every one of our students are valued, all of our tutors give out their own mobile numbers to students after any course, so that we can all be contacted if the student has any queries or just needs advice, I too myself the MD of West Midlands Nail & Beauty give out my personal mobile number, that shows that we are always on hand within certain hours of the day of course to answer and support all of our students. I still get images of past students sending in their work for feedback. We love nothing better than to see all of your hard work and progress, because we love to see your success.
What our tutors and myself give is the excellent business advice of us all running and owning our own beauty salons or home based beauty businesses, we love to tell a good tale or two of our own personal experiences of when we set up in industry and how challenging business can be in the early steps etc.
Taking time out- Me Time
I also want to raise some valuable tips for your mental health & well being as a therapist within this amazing industry we all work in.
Clients off load a lot of their personal issues and problems on to us as tutors or beauticians, nail technicians, massage therapists and so forth as they confide in us so much. However, you need to protect your energies, this can sometimes leave you depleted of energy yourself. What can you do about this? It can drain you at times.
Doing a good meditation which rebalances your energies or just off loading this negative energy and chanelling it in an appropriate way that is good for you. It could be doing a good yoga session or an aerobic workout at your local gym, a good Hot Stone Massage, Aromatherapy, Reiki treatments to de stress and to rebalance our energies or talking to a therapist yourself, ie another beauty therapist and off loading this, because although we love our clients to share these feelings and thoughts with us because we are that listening ear to them, we also need to offload what weight that we are carrying for them.
This is just so important to prevent any workplace stress and anxiety which can show as illness in the body. Having and implementing some self care time is paramount to our healthy minds and body. Protecting your energies and your Chakras in our body can keep our bodies healthy and stress free.
2022 Goals
Whatever your goals are for 2022 we wish you every success with them. It could be getting fitter and healthier, it may be to reduce your stress levels, train in a new career by having more job satisfaction.
Whatever your goals are write them down, keep looking at them daily, say them out aloud reinforce those positive affirmations daily. Write down how they can be achieved, put a time frame on the goal or goals. Then re visit them each week to see what progress you have made to achieving them.
If your goal doesn’t scare you then it’s not a goal. Be prepared to push yourself out of your comfort zone. By doing this we achieve our goals. You have to put a lot of effort into goals to make them a reality.
So go on set yourself a new goal for 2022 if you haven’t already.
Whatever you decide you will smash it with the right ‘I can do attitude’, let us know what they are on our Instagram page @wmnailandbeauty or our facebook page: West Midlands Nail & Beauty Academy, please follow our pages for up to date information on courses and government updates for beauty industry.
Have a wonderful week and I really hope it is filled with love, joy, good health,happiness and goals.
Lyndsey xx