Technology And Innovation

It’s not 1982. You could have guessed that, but then why do I still see so many small business owners disregard tech and innovation? 

I’m genuinely confused why you’d choose to ignore things that could improve your business. Even simple, everyday items like credit card processors are missing from some companies.

I’ve asked some owners about their reasoning, “Why don’t you take credit cards?” And, I’ve gotten all sorts of answers ranging from “I don’t want a paper trail.” to “I don’t want to pay fees.” to “The place down the street does it this way, and they’re fine.”

Quick Pro Tip: Doing something simply because someone else did is what got this industry into this mess. Yes, I do believe it’s a mess. An 8% average profit margin is abysmal, but we’ll address that in another post.

Lack of innovation is rampant in the hair world. It starts in the schools and spills over into many salons and barbershops. We’ll wait to shake things up with the schools and licensure in another post (Since drafting this post, I’ve posted about licensure, which you can read here.). It should be a good one that will probably earn me a ton of hate mail, but we’ll still give it a go.

My 2¢ on technology is that you need it to run an optimal business. Systematizing your company will save you time and, ultimately, money in the long run. Those happen to be facts so, feel free to reread that last sentence. Even though I’m injecting a smidge of humor into this post, it doesn’t invalidate my point. Here’s why:

Tech creates a frictionless experience for your clients. In the hair world, there are several areas of focus. We’ll grab some random ones that come to mind.

Booking. Color Management. Payment Processing. Product Ordering.

Let’s break each of those down a bit.

Booking should happen automatically. Your clients should be able to book an appointment easily without you. If they cannot, you’re creating friction. Every step someone has to complete leads to a higher probability of becoming frustrated or, worst-case scenario, not completing the task. You may not need anything robust, but a simple booking system will save you a ton of time; you can then use that time to focus on other tasks.

Color management is essential on many levels. This example might apply less to a traditional barbershop, but you all should still pay attention and take note. This post is less about specifics and more about the concept of innovation. I digress. OK, so color management software will eliminate waste, which is a simple strategy to reduce overhead. If you’re running a business, you’re probably hoping to create profit. With this tech, you’re able to do just that. Oh, and you’re eliminating color waste from going down the drain. Being conscious about the environment is another massive upside.

Payment processing should be as simple as possible for your clients. Trust me when I say it’s part of the experience. The days of cash only or having an ATM in your spot are going away. PEOPLE WANT FRICTIONLESS. Which is simpler? 

1. Telling someone you only take cash. Showing the client to the ATM. Having them slide their card in, enter their PIN, pay a fee, remove their card, grab their cash, go back to you, hand you some money, need change, hand you back some of it for a tip, oh OK, now you can leave.
   
2. Tap card or phone on the reader. Leave.

I know it’s not difficult to do step 1, but it’s not ideal, and when we look at optimizing a business, it’s about creating as few steps as possible. Plus, it’s what people want. People want to use their phones. They want to tap cards. They embrace technology. 

You believing that you’re hiding tips (you aren’t) isn’t a good enough reason for not taking cards, especially for newer professionals who someday want to buy a home or start their own business. We can solve the entire problem by not taking tips; again, that’s another blog post and one that I can’t wait to write!

With the emergence of cryptocurrencies (I’m not quite into but they’re a thing), software that can store clients’ payment information safely, and more, methods for simplifying our businesses exist and should be utilized.

Product orders can be a considerable undertaking for a salon. With the correct software or systems in place, your time becomes protected. For example, our color management software creates our orders. We then use the time saved from avoiding counting and constantly monitoring inventory on higher-level tasks.

These happen to be the first examples that popped into my mind. There are obviously a ton more, and I’ll address them later, I’m sure. The point is that businesses need to move forward with time, or I’m afraid they’ll be left behind.

You’ll notice a pattern in my thoughts in which there’s room for everyone. There is no secret sauce, and I don’t believe in hiding information that could be helpful to someone.  I don’t want to see anyone fail. There are enough hairs to cut. 

If you have questions or need help with anything, feel free to hit me up. Here’s a link to my email.