Welcome to the 30 day challenge. I’ve put together a comprehensive way to approach your business…new or seasoned in the biz! Never stop learning and stay hungry. Let this challenge be a template you come back to anytime even after completion!
Day 1
You need to hit the ground running. Don’t sit in your chair. It’s time to set up a foundation for your business. Whether you’ve been in the business for many years or you’re just starting out, you need the right tools. Do you have business cards? If the answer is no, order them and you’ll have them in less than 7 days. In the meantime you could make your own business cards temporarily by buying the card stock & printing them up. So, Day #1 is establishing your business on paper.
Day 2
Create a vision board. Get yourself a poster board and start cutting out pictures from magazines and connect the dots with what YOU want. If you want to be a color specialist, focus on various looks involving color. If it’s haircuts, follow the same idea. Your vision board will put your ideas in order! Just make sure it’s in a visible area, and you can see it on a regular basis.
Day 3
Create your Facebook business page. Don’t know how to create one? There’s numerous YouTube videos on how to do this, however check on the most current one. In order to do that go to the filter section on YouTube and go to upload date. That’s where you’ll find the most current. Quick Tip! Don’t mix your personal Facebook Page with your Business Page or vise versa. If you’re posting about your business use your Facebook business page. If you’re posting about your trip to Disneyland use your personal page. Don’t be afraid to make an announcement though on your personal page about your “new Facebook business page.” This may be a quick way to get new people to your page right away.
Day 4
Create your Instagram business page. Not sure how to create one? There’s plenty of sites searching Google to walk you through it or YouTube videos. The nice part about using Instagram is you can share your post to Facebook after it’s created. Keep in mind the type of social media platform Instagram subscribes to is a visual one. It’s all about pictures and video. Go for quality, not quantity. Keep filters you use consistent and your page congruent.
Day 5
On this day, I challenge you to contact 5 people, friends or family, and let them know you’d love to do their hair. Let them know your current working schedule. You need to plant the seed & start establishing yourself. You need to let people know YOU are ready to do some hair!
Day 6
Create a YouTube channel. If you’ve got a gmail account, that’s the 1st step! This is a great way to show your work. You could do a YouTube live just like Facebook or Instagram and save it to your channel. You could create videos explaining the products you use and the benefits of them, as well as educating your audience on the latest trends or video explanations of you performing a haircut.
Day 7
You’ve set up your Facebook Page, Instagram Page, YouTube Channel, & now you need a Twitter account. Whatever profile picture you use, try to use it for all of them and make it congruent. You can use Twitter to advertise different platforms, or talk about what’s happening right now! Hashtags are huge on Twitter. They will lead people to the conversation. So now you’re on all the big platforms! Not sure about some things….Google it 🙂
Day 8
By this day, you’re going to need a game plan for posting (Good for most platforms). You can always deviate from the structure, but having a structure will make it easier in the beginning. Here’s a simple template to work from. Monday – Motivational Mondays (A quote or thought related to hair.) Tuesday – Takeover Tuesdays (Before & After pics) Wednesday – Wow Wednesday (Acknowledge different things. Maybe a class you took this week. Wish a client a birthday message, etc.) Thursday – Throwback Thursday (Maybe a throwback style or funny image) Friday – Fab Friday (Keeping it current with the latest trends) Saturday – Super Saturday (Do a Facebook live & talk about product knowledge. Mess with Instagram filters and put out hair pics and make em fun, while sharing them to Facebook etc.) Sunday- Sunday Funday (Keep it light & pose questions. Create audience engagement. Example – a “caption this” photo
Day 9
Okay, this may take a little bit of thought here but you’re going to come up with your own hashtag. That’s right, a hashtag that’s yours and only yours. That means you actually put the hashtag in the search bar of Facebook and notice there is nothing for it. That means you put a hashtag in the search part of Instagram and find there’s nothing for it. Now in the case you really like a hashtag someone else is using, if you do decide to use it, you need a lot of content to trump theirs. Remember a hashtag is a hyperlink. It will take you from one place to the other where others are having similar conversations. So think of Instagram like a cocktail party with all these different tables. Each table having different conversations. So, if you’ve got 20 different tables, you’ve got 20 different hashtags going on. #ItsNotThatDifficult
Day 10
On this day, I challenge you to contact 5 new people to promote your business. This time instead of friends or family, you’re going to focus on people in your every day activities. If you start out your day with a cup of Joe at the loco cafe, tell your barista. If you’re getting gas, tell the attendant. If you’re going to the bank tell the teller. We meet people every day. And while we know what they do, our job is now to spread the word of our business. It’s as simple as starting a conversation. “Hey, I’m not sure if I’ve ever mentioned I do hair, but I’d love to do your hair, when you need it done. Here’s my card with my hours and location. And feel free to contact me for any questions you might have.” Simple and to the point!
Day 11
Start thinking of yourself as a brand. Ask yourself “what is your mission statement?” “What is my expertise?” “How do I want to be represented?” Think of other big companies like Nike, & people like Madonna or Michael Jordan. All brands! Yes, you are a brand.
Day 12
Get yourself a Canva account. Canva is a great template builder. It’s free, but you can purchase templates they sell as well. When putting together pictures as a collage or advertising your business, it serves as an effective way to promote yourself! Start posting using Canva today!
Day 13
Follow 3 people in your industry related to your niche. If it’s updos you’re capitalizing on or short cuts, find 3 people on Instagram to follow. Look at what they’re doing and pay attention to their posts with the most engagement. Imitate one of their posts, but make it your own. Change the wording and the images, but pay attention to the detail that makes that post stand out.
Day 14
Blogging is essential to creating authority online. You become the expert, and the people reading your blog put their trust in you and your words. You can blog about anything, but the hardest part is starting. Topics you cover are endless but you need a platform to write on. Start on something simple like WIX or Blogger or even WordPress. You may have to find what platform you’re most comfortable, but while there are similarities, there’s differences too. Again there’s a lot of YouTube videos to instruct you on each one of these.
Day 15
On this day, I challenge you to contact 5 new people to promote your business to…specifically people who are having birthdays on Facebook. Here’s a great opportunity to invite someone in for a complimentary cut based on their special day.
Day 16
Were about halfway through and I want you to consider your progress. Keep negativity at bay. It can be easy to let it creep up, if you’re not getting the results you want. Don’t use words like “hope, can’t, or wish.” Use positive words and talk in the now. So instead of saying “I hope it’s a good day” say “it’s a great day and I’m abundantly busy with customers.” Switch your thoughts. Change the way you look at things, and the things you look at change.
Day 17
PLR stands for private label rights. If you’re having trouble looking for material for your website, blog, or Facebook postings, you can buy PLR material. There’s plenty of sites out there that allow you to buy a handful of articles or e-books, at which you can use what they say or alter them. Start using them today for your biz.
Day 18
Google reviews are great for your business. Wherever you work, people pay attention to the search and reviews. If your name ends up in the review enough, you will be considered a go to person for that business. The other side of that coin is if it’s a bad review someone has left, they may not leave a good review, and it’ll work against you. Take the time today to tell a few people to leave a review for you that you’ve serviced.
Day 19
Cross promote with a local business. The city you work in has a bank, a coffee shop, a shoe store, ice cream place, etc. Go into any of these and speak with the manager. Tell them who you are and how you would like to work a cross promotion with them. Heck invite the manager in for a free haircut. It’d be a great way to get them in your chair. Point being, it’s time to do the foot work and hustle to get your name out there.
Day 20
Sign up on nextdoor.com. This site is an untapped market right now, so take advantage of it. Fill out your profile in full, and put a post out there that you’re looking for models to put together a lookbook for. Your goal is acquiring five new people. Do before & afters on all. Make sure they’re ok with it and mention either of putting them in a lookbook or allowing to post online on social media. Doing these haircuts for free, will immediately get you attention. Don’t think of them as just free though, it’s an investment you’re making. The payoff is worth it!
Day 21
Get yourself a good motivational book or audio to start working with. Get familiar with names like Tony Robbins, Zig Ziglar, Grant Cardone, Gary Vee or Martin Lindstrom. There’s a lot of people out there, so start exploring and utilize the information and start adding their techniques to your business. Never stop learning!
Day 22
To add to your branding, get yourself a sticker made for your car of your profession, or go online and start thinking about ideas for shirts & mugs that represent you. Maybe you have a slogan or mission statement you can add to something. You don’t need to buy a bunch of shirts or mugs either. There loads of print on demand sites out there. You simply take an image and upload it to the print on demand site and add it to different things like shirts, hoodies, mugs, ties, etc. Teepublic is a great site to use for this.
Day 23
By now you’ve gotta lot of platforms you’ve attached your name to, but don’t forget LinkedIn. This platform is definitely business orientated, but if it’s serious minded like you’re looking for, it’s great to make those strong connections. You never know where those connections can lead. From clients to possible job hires, don’t neglect LinkedIn. Use current information and current pictures, as a lot of times people don’t update either. So don’t use a picture from 10 years ago
as your profile picture.
Day 24
Commenting on people’s Instagram is crucial to building your page. Find people to follow in your same niche and pay attention to their posts. Mention something about their work or even ask a question. Remember questions keep the conversation going. Make sure they know you’re there.
Day 25
Start a Facebook Group. Yes it’s work to put one together, but keep in mind having your own group has power. Your group could involve local businesses in your city and advertising. This will give others the opportunity to be reminded of what you do. Your group could be a network of hairdressers or barbers, seeking out hires or learning new techniques in the business. Whatever you decide on for your group, the purpose is to give you leverage and let them ultimately know who YOU are! Yes, it’s about you…the authority!
Day 26
Let’s talk about blogging again. You may say I’m still having trouble blogging about a topic. I
want you to pick 3 products you like and blog about the benefits of the products. Take the time
to think about every angle, including product usage, and the type of hair the product is good for.
If you’re still having trouble, find a blog based on that product and see what their approach was.
Just Google it. 🙂
Day 27
I’d like to introduce you to the term “affiliate marketing.” This is when you’re selling something
online as a third party. It could be a product or digital service that you don’t necessarily have to
own but you receive a special link for in order to get a commission from. There are many
companies you can be an affiliate of, but start with Amazon.
For example, Sign up as an affiliate for Amazon. Find a product you want to sell. Blog about it.
Then put your affiliate link at the end of the blog. And if someone buys it going through your link
you’ll get a little commission for it. Not to shabby for making money outside of being behind the
chair.
Day 28
Snapchat has gotten bigger through the last few years. This is the last social media platform I’ll
mention. Get yourself on it, if you haven’t already. Younger people are still using it, but the age
group is starting to expand. It’s based on pictures or videos, but unlike Facebook or Instagram
they disappear. Our industry is already visual, but if you can tell a quick story or collab with
another person on there, you can create a lot of attention. Maybe you want to use Snapchat for
exclusive specials with your clients. Make a statement with a new look you’re promoting on a
client. The possibilities are endless.
Day 29
“The Bridge” is a concept I’ve come up with that connects people together. Read my PDF or explanation on this site to
understand more about it.
Day 30
Congrats, you made it to the 30 days! This template is to be used to go back at any time and
revisit. Your business is up to you how busy you want to be. It’s no longer what walks in through
the door, but what you get from the outside. If your problem is fitting people in, you’ve got a
great problem. If you’re posting more personal than professional, how much effort are you
putting into your business? Is your downtime spent complaining or contemplating? Be honest
with yourself. It’s your money. Remember you’re in the beauty business. Look the part. Makeup and hair should be on point. Now go hustle!