You graduated from beauty school with a dream in your heart. Here you are, a beauty professional at the top of the commission scale, and nowhere else to go but into business for yourself. It’s time for you to spread your wings, go for your dreams, and open your own beauty business! Now what? 

You will be excited, motivated beyond belief, and stretched to the breaking point on many days. As you forge ahead, expecting these wild swings will reduce the shock factor when they occur. What got your attention before (producing beautiful results) is now going to change drastically. You are responsible for the results everyone produces, and they all link back to your name and reputation. This can be terrifying, or it can be a thrilling challenge. 

The increase in new business filings since the onset of the COVD-19 pandemic in the United States, many in the beauty sector, demonstrates the strength and determination of the entrepreneurial mindset. Your preparedness is key to your success. Your flexibility and willingness to accept support are crucial when things become turbulent. 

TIME & ENERGY DEMANDS

Take note of all that you are doing. Create a time budget for yourself. Build in a lot of cushioning, especially up front. Anything new will take more time the first time. Protect yourself and your family by planning. Time traps include creating your business plan, scouting for a new location, building your website and social pages, creating your marketing plan, opening bank accounts and credit card processors, interviewing, training, collaborating, researching, and more. Keep notes on everything. Your notes will help you remember what works and what you don’t want to spend time trying again. Repeat what works. You will save more time each time as you refine your systems and processes. 

RELATIONSHIPS

When you become a business owner, everyone is introduced to a new and more focused version of you. Stay close to those who support you. Accept their support in a healthy, open, and appreciative way. Authentic feedback and guidance are necessary. 

Create a trusted circle of advisors, mentors, a coach, and people who want to see you win. Solving problems is a big part of growth. Not everyone is able to commit to their own vision, let alone yours. Clear boundaries and thoughtful communication help to avoid drama in this area. Be fair, respectful, and engaged with your staff to reduce chaos.

YOUR HIGHER PURPOSE 

It is easy to neglect your family, health, fun, faith, and even your mission and vision for what you are building, as you get caught up in the daily demands of your new business. Develop a morning ritual that begins with gratitude. Your free time is about quality, not quantity. 90 minutes of engaged connection with your family means far more than three hours of your kids watching you text.

YOUR BLANK CANVAS 

Your daily actions, habits, thoughts, reliability, and leadership are being driven by meeting the needs of your staff and clients. Grow your business by being so outstanding that you are referable. Guaranteeing client satisfaction will immediately point you to where you need to improve your processes. 

Cultivate a healthy staff to help you realize your goals. Meet on a regularly scheduled basis. Measure the goals your whole team wants to achieve. Have clear due dates. Be realistic; you can likely resolve one to two problems each week. Be pleasantly surprised as you work towards certain goals together. Positive, unexpected, and fulfilling results happen along the way. 

At the age of 19, Dorothy Andreas sold her car, left college, and bought a hair salon. Over the next four decades Andreas started and scaled nine companies, employing over 1,000 people, and winning over 80 awards for business excellence.  A keynote speaker since 1995, she has helped countless salon, spa, and general business owners find peaceful solutions while growing their endeavors.  Her innovative introduction of online gift cards, decades ago, transformed the way business is done in the beauty industry. Andreas is the author of three books, most recently, “Build a Million Dollar Beauty Business”. In 2018, she formed Streamline Success Consulting to help entrepreneurial clients scale to seven figures, by implementing strong business growth systems and mindset transformation.  Building her companies while raising two young sons, mostly as a single mother, she also served in a leadership capacity on several boards of governance. She is most proud of her work with domestic violence and cancer care facilities. Today, Andreas is a business growth consultant, author, keynote speaker, volunteer, wife, mother, and a lifelong learner.