Your company culture is the foundation of your business and it’s important to keep it healthy. Have you ever tried to use a developer that’s expired? Spoiler alert: The results aren’t great. Just like lifting your hair, your business needs the right fuel to transform and evoke change. Without it, there will be no growth.
What is Culture?
Salon Today Magazine perfectly describes salon and spa culture as “an invisible, yet tangible, energy that binds and propels a team and attracts clients.” Harvard Business Review has decided upon 6 crucial elements that make up a business culture:
- Your Vision: What’s your mission and purpose?
- Your Values: What guidelines or mindset do you need to achieve your vision?
- Your Practices: How will you reinforce your values through actions?
- Your People: What type of people do you want to surround yourself with?
- Your Story: How did you get here?
- Your Environment: How will you design your space to embody all of the above?
Whether written as a mission statement, spoken or merely understood, culture dictates the actions of salon and spa owners and employees, as well as the success of the business.
How Your Culture Affects Your Business
The culture of your salon or spa affects productivity, morale, goals, values and much more. Furthermore, studies show a healthy business culture increases employee motivation, openness to change, involvement, teamwork, improved relationships, and happiness. Culture can make or break your business. An unhealthy company culture can lead to:
- Bad attitudes
- Poor customer service
- Repressed creativity
- Lack of motivation
- Lack of trust
- High employee turnover
- Low client retention
- Stagnant business growth
If any of the above bullet points sound familiar, you may need a culture reboot. When people realize and recognize that their current business culture needs to transform to support the organization’s success and progress, change can occur. But change is not pretty and change is not easy.
Company Culture: Where to Start
While a strong business culture takes time, energy and commitment to build (or rebuild), it has the power to turn your salon or spa into an unstoppable force. Keep in mind that revamping your culture doesn’t just happen overnight. Rushing the process may leave you with a company culture that is not true to your brand.
Even the healthiest business cultures are a constant work in progress, because as a business evolves, so does every working part. Take the time to nurture your company culture. Exemplify it in every way so your team can follow suit. Need help improving the vibe of your business? Download our free guide for 5 ways to improve your culture.
Coffee Talk: Conquering Business Culture with Suzy Tryall
With one of the highest industry turnover rates, a salon’s culture is a critical element to business growth. Why? Culture affects several aspects of a business including employee retention. An unhealthy culture can be detrimental to a salon’s bottom line, as it can cost up to 20% of an employee’s salary to replace them. Check out our Coffee Talk with Suzy Tryall, owner of Sage Tryall Salon, as she discusses how you can conquer your culture to empower employees and create a thriving business. Sit back, relax, and watch here.
