I’ve been in the beauty industry for the past fifteen years, and I like to think I’ve learned a thing or two. I recognise how competitive it can be and how we must stay focused on
our goals.
Our industry is full of competition. We have competitors amongst local businesses who seem to be constantly engaged in the art of one-up man ship. Our suppliers are competing against each other for our attention with bigger, better, bolder products. You might run a monthly competition within your salon amongst employees, for who can sell the most.
This month’s magazine is focused on competitions, so we are going to look at your biggest competition: YOU.
Winning requires awareness, discipline, and a willingness to experiment and take risks.
When you look at your business output, are you happy with the results, or do you have room for improvement? Do you think you are limiting yourself?
If you want to succeed in any business, you have to give it 100%.
Competing with others in a friendly manner is a great way to build on your strengths and I implore you to step out of your comfort zone and sign up for a competition.
The other competitors will push you to achieve, but the only person you should try to better is the person you were yesterday.
Why not turn your biggest challenge into a personal competition where winner takes all?
After analysing my own business, I decided to work on regular posting to my social media platforms and scheduling the time in my day to do so. I enrolled in an online course, watched tutorials, read books, and took notes on how to make the most of my social media presence.
If you find yourself overwhelmed by managing your social media, there are companies who can do this for you, such as Hootsuite, Buffer and Social Oomph. They will post across all the popular platforms and you can include photos of your work, your lash space, your knowledge of the industry, funny stories; the sky is the limit, so have fun with it. If you aren’t a little different from your competition, you’re in trouble.
We’ve all heard the old saying, “Time is money!”
This certainly rings true in the lash industry - the quicker we work, the more money we make as we can book more clients in. Is YOUR speed where it needs to be to produce quality work in a certain amount of time?
It’s a good idea to work against yourself by timing your lash sets, using the timer on your phone.
If you could reduce the time it takes for a full set of lashes by 10% over the course of a week or a month, what would that look like for you? Think about what you could do with that extra time. You could add in another client, work on your social media, or continue to build your lash business.
What are your retail goals? Retail should be a must, not an option.
Retail means more money for you, and can increase your credibility amongst your clients. Research has found that if a guest purchases two retail products from you, there is 60% chance they will return. If that same client purchases just one product, there is a 30%chance she will return, however, if you didn’t talk to her about the product, there is just a 10% chance she will return.
The biggest issue people have that prevents them winning is lack of belief in themself.
A belief is a choice, and what you think about you bring about – if you were to replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you will begin to expect and achieve positive outcomes.
You are the competition, you set the standard, so let go of your fears, believe in yourself, and go for it!
Those who win are those who think they can.
Katie is the Founder of The Lash Artist Box, the Owner of Mode Beauty Therapy and an educator for Bella Lash.
Look in the Mirror: That’s Your Competition
By Katie Gross
Lash Inc Senior Journalist
IG @LashArtistBox
