I have a game plan............

So, along with this big color project, I've got an actually game plan in place to get me to being a Board Certified Hair Colorist. Step 1: Make up hair swatches and test out all the color I currently have access to, at work, at home, and at my cosmetology school. Make notes and learn from this. Step 2: Try out new coloring methods on my friends to get the hang of them. Step 3: Purchase copious amounts of education to take me to the next level. (I've already done or am in the middle of doing these things) THE NEXT LEVEL..................................................................................................... Step 1: When my taxes come back next year, purchase all the materials needed from a professional website http://www.certifiedhaircolorproducts.com/ to use to educate myself and get familiar with the testing method to be NATIONALLY CERTIFIED in hair color. Step 2: Spend all of 2011 experimenting and studying for the exam, learning how they want things done, getting ready for the next level. THE NEXT LEVEL.................................................................... Step 1: When my taxes come back in 2012 (provided the world doesn't come to an end by then...) Step 2: go to http://www.haircolorist.com/ , purchase the study kit, which also makes my appointment for the exam, and Step 3: TAKE THE DAMN EXAM!!! (which requires me to locate the exam site, a hotel to stay at, etc. Someone will be going with me, they just don't know it yet!!) My goal is to pass the stupid thing the first time. The study kit (which, technically, I'll already have) has everything in it I'll need to learn their methods so I can successfully take the exam. Oh, by the way, I'll be raising a teenager at the same time. I think I'll need copious amounts of both therapy and DRUGS to get through it all!!!

Improvements....

As I have said before, I keep track of what I do for services each month. And, I compare it to this time last year. I use a 6 column ledger to do this. For this year, I allotted 2 full pages (front & back of 1, really) for this. We are headed into the last week of April...I'm not sure I'll have enough space to track everything!! :) This time last year, I saw 28 clients, 6 of which were clients who requested me (this is important). As of yesterday, I saw 50 clients, 32 of which requested me! WOO HOO!!!! A client asked Ginger (as they often do) if the salon was busy. Her standard reply is "Well, I'm always busy, booked every 1/2 hour all day long. However, the salon isn't busy." Very soon, I'm going to have the actual numbers in front of me to speak up and say " Well, compared to last year, I've almost doubled how many clients have been in my chair, and I'm currently $100 ahead of what I did for service sales this month last year, AND, my requests are over 4 times what they were last year." Just to be a smarty pants. Oh, yeah...and took in 15 new clients, most of which asked for my card so they can ask for me when they come in/call back. Yee frickin' Haw!!! I'm also still working on my color project...I think I mentioned how I'm collecting hair to make swatches out of??? As of right now, I've got everything made up. I do have duplicate colors...apparently everyone in this area is either a level 5 (lightest brown) or a level 6 (darkest blonde). I actually have a 5 x 7 envelope FULL of level 5, on top of the envelopes I have made up that I take to work with me every day, in the hopes that I can get some of these swatches colored at work, too!! I'm a big believer in my version of "Murphy's Law". Instead of "If anything can go wrong, it will", it's "If I bring something with me to occupy my time, I will fill in with clients." It's worked so far!! :) An example: I started Friday with one client...one of my sweet little old ladies that I absolutely ADORE. Then, I filled in with 5 more haircuts, a bang trim, and a brow wax. WOO HOO!!! I didn't leave until almost 8pm!! ( I never used to be there that late!!) On the "snothead" side of things: Evelyn is still not booked every day. Ginger must've said something to her, because now she is taking down clients addresses to send them a note (I'm presuming here) to find out where they've been. She's also been doing the call back list (something she NEVER used to do), as well as a lot of the cleaning. (washing the dishes, making the coffee...wait, brown water posing as coffee..even folding some laundry) The down side of things?? Poor Chrissy is getting terribly discouraged. She's not filling in very quickly. I've talked to her about what I do to get my clients in (send them reminder note cards), but, I guess she's not feeling that one. I have started passing out HER cards, too. We had a potential client come in the other day, asking about our skin care services. So, I gave her Chrissy's card (after writing her hours on it) and a brochure, so she could look things over at her leisure. I love Chrissy to death, don't get me wrong. I think she expects clients to just materialize out of thin air. Ever since I started, I've made sure my clients don't forget about me. There are some who do not respond to my cards, for whatever reason, but most do. And, that's how I keep my book somewhat filled. I'm thinking that's why Ginger is getting Evelyn to do this, as well. And, lastly, I have this fabulous client, who comes in every week to get her hair done. "Miss Georgia" is a wonderful lady who only has her hair dealt with in the salon. She's from Connecticut, and always points out (nicely, mind you) when I do something very different from what her other hairdresser does. Well, this very nice lady has fine hair that is not terribly abundant. So, she gets it colored every 5 weeks, it gets washed and styled (including TEASING) every week, and wants her hair permed every 3 months. So, I permed her hair yesterday. What a mistake that was. Her hair was fragile before I permed it, now it's even worse. This is SO not what I got into hairdressing to do. I get to have the talk with her this week about choosing her chemicals because her hair just cannot support all she's had done to it. She also takes medications for various things, and this all plays into the god-awful condition of her hair, even before I permed it. Right now, for the next few MONTHS, I'll be setting her hair on rollers and putting her under the dryer instead of blowing her dry and using the curling iron...her hair is THAT bad...chemical haircut waiting to happen. When I talked to Ginger about it, she, again, made the comment "well, you should've done this..." after remarking about seeing her hair. I wanted so badly to say to her, AGAIN, "so, why didn't you step in and say something???" Like she's done COUNTLESS times before??? So, I'm suspecting that Ginger is letting me make these mistakes, intentionally not stepping in until after the fact. Need to remember that. So. That was my week. How was yours???

A funny thing happened in the salon last week...

Ginger has been talking, for quite some time now, about doing some interior changes in the salon. I've talked about this before. We have 5 stylists and only 4 chairs. I think, back when she built this salon to be bigger than the last, she didn't take into account she'd grow. Between Chrissy and I, we are bringing in more business than the woman that I ultimately replaced. And with Evelyn not pulling her weight... So. This past Monday, Ginger went to a class on salon/spa design. They take your salon's measurements, enter them into a computer, and reconfigure your space to make it work. It should be interesting to see what they come up with!! Saturday, the three of us (Ginger, Evelyn, & I) goofed off and measured the salon..a bit incorrectly, because Ginger averaged out her measurements (I don't think she can read a ruler, really). After Evelyn finally gave up and left, Ginger and I got to talk about a lot of stuff. I suggested maybe ripping down the manicure room wall, since that room is mostly used for a storage locker, and open up that space for the dryer chairs, opening up that space for at least one more station, if not two. Room for Chrissy to have her own station, and for the ability to hire someone else. Ginger liked that idea, a LOT. I also suggested moving the wall back at the tanning room, creating more space at the reception area for retail shelves, and asking for a cabinet (one with solid doors that looks more like a piece of furniture than a cheap cabinet) to secure all the JUNK that amasses behind the desk. She also liked that idea. HOW EXCITING!! Chrissy and I had a class on Monday, also, about pedicures & manicures. We came back with ideas rolling around in our heads, to make improvements to the pedicure and manicure business, the room the stuff is in, and even in Chrissy's facial room...painting, pictures on the walls, fans for Chrissy's room for air circulation. Ginger is being VERY receptive to all of this, which is even more exciting! It will be interesting, as all of this continues to unfold, how Evelyn takes all of this. Her nose will probably be bent out of shape for quite some time, especially if I'm apart of all the physical work to make this happen (I already offered up my services for painting, etc). I've even been drawing out on graph paper, my "vision" of the salon. Ginger told me, while discussing paint colors, she wanted a "classy" look for the salon. I wanted so badly to comment on the mismatched fixtures and the lawn chairs posing as the waiting area chairs as not being classy, but, I held my tongue!! (close your mouth. It's not attractive to be agape and agog) Stay tuned!!

Random stuff

Took a phone call yesterday " Um, hi. My hair is brown and I bought a box of blonde hair color, used it, and it turned my hair yellow. How much will it cost to fix it??" "Are you wanting to take your hair back to brown??" "Oh, no! I want to be blonde, just not yellow." "Well, the thing with box color it that the developer is at a low speed, and that's why you turned yellow...that's as far as your hair can lighten with that box of color. To fix your color, we'd really need you to come in so we can look at it and figure out what's the best thing to do." "So, you can't give me a price?" "Not without seeing your hair first. We'll need to look at the color and condition of your hair to best assess what needs to be done." "um, uh, oh, okay, thanks. 'Bye." Now, I realize I didn't give her the answer she was looking for. I get that. However, here's the thing. 1) Telling me your hair is brown doesn't mean a thing. Truly, all hair is a shade of brown. Be more specific. Chocolate brown, tan, light brown, dirty blonde...something DESCRIPTIVE...use your adjectives, people!! 2) "My hair turned yellow"..again, describe: inside a banana yellow?? Lemon yellow?? Orangey-gold?? While I know I'm supposed to be asking these questions, realize I'm still trying to absorb what you've just told me. This past Sunday was Easter. Not a big holiday, in my book. I'm not religious, so the significance of Easter doesn't do it for me. I know the significance, just not interested. So, anyway, it means a get together at my mother's. Which includes my brother. I've never told you about my family, and those that do know my family, well.... My mother grew up in the 40's & 50's...when girls worked hard to do their hair. As an adult, she also permed her own hair, my grandmother's hair and my hair (good ol' Lilt home perms!!). She set my Gram's hair every week in pin curls, too. Really, she's always been a frustrated hairdresser. She also has a very set opinion of hairdressers, and my accomplishments in cosmetology school did nothing to change that. She feels they're dumb party girls who don't do a damn thing all day long, except "do hair"...how tiring is that?? I made the comment on Sunday that I was tired. By the end of my work week, I'm worn out. Right now, I know I need new shoes..working on that. Also, as a hairdresser, you are always "on" for your clients. It's mentally exhausting, and, by the end of the day, as Beth Minardi says, "My charm tank is empty". Sunday, for me, is a day of rest, in more ways than one! The comment my mother made?? "How can you be tired?? All you do is stand behind someone and do their hair. Your job is about as strenuous as mine." ( she works at Walmart, in the cash office, so she sits and counts money for her entire 4 hour shift) To which I replied, in a pissed off tone of voice "I'll trade with you, any time." She then tries to make it up to me by asking me how many clients I do a day. So, I have to explain to her (actually, I don't have to, I choose to) how I don't have daily clients, I have monthly clients. However, I also take every walk-in that comes in the door, as does Chrissy. Mom dropped it after that. Did I mention I dislike being with my family?? It causes a lot of internal tension that I just hate trying to deal with. I also have a teenager, now. Which means, if given the choice, she would stay in bed all day long, doing NOTHING. I remember it well. What's especially entertaining is when she knows the rules and thinks I'll bend them, every time. Example: Get out of bed before 6:30 and I'll be happy to cook you something for breakfast. However, roll out of bed at 7:15?? Not happening. There's enough in the fridge to feed yourself with. Get busy. She's also thoroughly convinced that I'll be doing all the things I do now when she's 25. Thinking NOT!! Okay. I'm done complaining, for now....thanks for reading!!