During Thrivers Society Live, we asked if booth renters value culture when looking for a salon. A sea of hands went up into the air. And when that room was asked how many salon owners have a vision and a mission statement, a decent chunk put their hands up. But when asked if they could recite it right now, 95% of the hands went down.
This was a visual sign of the huge disconnect between what booth renters want and where salon owners struggle. But how can we bridge that gap?
Back in September 2019, we surveyed booth rental stylists and salon owners on exactly what owners want when they hire and what stylists want when looking for a great place to work.
And did you show up for this survey. We had just over 600 responses from 70% booth renters, 24.6% are salon owners, and a tiny percent of former booth renters. This is a good segment because, generally speaking, there will be more stylists than salon owners.
Let’s dive into the survey results.
Stylists, what is your number one concern when you rent your chair?
Of the options below, which do you think was the number one factor when looking for a place to rent?
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Rental rate
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Location
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Salon culture
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Salon decor/vibe
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Salon leader
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Education opportunities
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Growth opportunities.
Rental rate, right?
Well, you would be wrong. That wasn’t first or second, but the third most important thing. Only 12.5% of people said that’s what they cared for, meaning almost 90% of people don’t even look at that.
What do you think the second most important thing was? Location? Decor?
Nope.
Growth opportunities. If you don’t have growth opportunities within your booth rental salon, you’ve got to figure it out.
More than half of respondents said the most important thing they look for when they’re deciding where to booth rent is salon culture.
If you think people only look for the cheapest chair to rent, you’re attracting the completely wrong stylist.
If you’re a salon owner, ask yourself if your culture and growth opportunities in a place where the top stylists would consider your salon their ideal place to work.
Salon owners, what basic amenities do you include in your booth renters’ rent?
Amenities means no additional charge/included as part of the rent.
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98% offer coffee, water, and tea.
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94% said towels
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70% provide free back bar shampoo and conditioner
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66% provide snacks
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63% have drapes
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46% offer in-salon treatments that booth renters can buy and, in turn, sell to their clients
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42% offer robes
Let’s break those numbers down:
Based on the survey, every booth rental salon offers coffee, water and tea, and most provide towels. So if you are a booth rental salon owner who thinks your salon is a good place to work because you offer those things, that’s basic. You’re in the arena to play the game, but it doesn’t make you any more special.
For the 6% who ask their booth renters to bring in their own towels, know 94% of salon owners provide that so your culture better be damn good.
Over half of salons (63%) provide drapes, but that’s no biggie. No booth renter would decline to work at a salon if they have to provide their own drapes.
What’s interesting is 46% offer in-salon treatments that booth renters can buy and, in turn, sell to their clients. In-salon treatments are the most profitable service in a salon because they are the only service that can be marked up five to 15 times what you paid. So offering in-salon conditioning treatments that your booth renters can purchase is a major opportunity. (If you need help on selling in-salon conditioning treatments, click here.)
Look at what you offer to your renters and decide how you stack up in comparison. You need to assess what you offer and what stylists might look for when they window shop to decide where to work.
Stylists, what is the most important amenity to get as part of your rental contract?
Number one is towels. Every booth renter wants towels for free. If you have your booth renters do their own laundry, it’s time to think twice about that.
The second most requested amenity was back bar shampoo and conditioner. It beat out coffee, snacks, drapes, in-salon conditioning treatments, and others.
Here’s the thing: 30% of you admitted you make stylists pay for back bar shampoo and conditioner, but that’s what they’re asking for over snacks.
That’s not to say you need to increase overhead or pay for something else, but that you might restructure. Why? Because towels and back bar shampoo and conditioner were the most prioritized amenities.
Salon owners, what do you offer your booth renters that you consider special?
Here are the common amenities booth rental salon owners felt were special:
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Thank you cards for stylists to write notes to their clients
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Website and marketing through social media channels
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Magazines
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Online booking system
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Education
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Waxing supplies
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Supplies for cleaning
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Spotify
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Music
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Wi-fi
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Beer and wine
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The salon logo
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Lunch provided at meetings
Every salon owner lists those as fancy amenities. If you list the same things, you’re playing the same game as everybody else. Why would stylists work for you when you offer free wi-fi along with every other salon on the block?
Those things are not necessarily making you a cut above; they allow you to play the game, and there is value for that.
If there is anything on that list you do not have, consider it.
There were a few breakthrough amenities salon owners mentioned that were worth sharing:
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A part-time assistant for all booth renters just for laundry and general tidying up.
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Two free weeks of rent a year as a vacation stipend.
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A $300 Visa gift card when they sign their lease to use towards retail or backup stocking,
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Only having full-time staff in the salon. If the owner says to work in our elite salon, you must pay full-time rent, you better believe stylists will pound that pavement to make rent.
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A weekly cleaner.
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The opportunity to earn back bar products with retail contests every month.
Booth renters, what amenities would you like to see beyond the basics?
“It would be nice to have snack options besides jelly beans and suckers.”
Candy, chocolates, beer, tea, wine, coffee are basic. If a client gets a balayage for three hours and all you have to offer is jelly beans and a Nespresso mocha, they’ll starve by the end of the appointment. You can make the argument that they should’ve brought a sandwich, and that’s understandable.
But imagine if they didn’t have to bring a sandwich because your salon was so badass that you had something to hold them over. And if your client is a busy working mom, if you had something substantial to munch on, they’ll be forever thankful.
“I need a good spot to take social media photos. It’s frustrating that my salon owner doesn’t prioritize that.”
If you’re a salon owner and you do not prioritize a social media spot, your stylists are looking for other places to work. Just because of that.
You need to have a social media photo spot in your salon. If you don’t have room, make it.
“Toilet paper and paper towels.”
If you’re not providing free TP for your booth renters, that’s doomsday.
“The tools that allow for consistent guest experience.”
There should be a standard level of guest experience that every booth renter should maintain. For example, if one client sees another treated with a towel warmer and nice hand treatment and they don’t get offered that, they feel less than.
Clients are aware that some people get nicer things than they do. They don’t care that you’re a renter, commission, or that that person has X, Y, or Z going on.
All they have is comparison-itis, and they feel like you don’t want to do that for them. They can’t help it; it’s a natural human reaction.
Can you provide some shared amenities that all your booth rental stylists can use that allow for an elevated experience all around?
Salon owners, what do you look for when you hire booth rental stylists?
“Somebody trustworthy, honest, hardworking, and has an amazing portfolio.”
If you say you’ll build social media when you get to your dream salon, you’ll never get there because they’ll want to see your social media portfolio first.
The reality is great salons get to be picky and you need to work with what you have to build that social media portfolio before you start to apply.
“Motivation, willpower, work ethic, appearance, drive to grow, and do they fit our salon culture?”
You have to realize today’s elite salon owners look for culture and personality fit when they want to fill those chairs.
Stylists, how do you feel about education in the salon?
The survey asked if booth rental stylists felt education was an important amenity, and they did not. That’s interesting because many salon owners touted that they bring in educators.
Here’s the deal, salon owners: it’s expected, but it’s no longer an amenity. You can think that’s annoying, but it doesn’t change the fact that it is expected.
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60% said it is nice but not necessary.
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31% said they only want to work at a salon with complimentary education.
There are two extremes there. However, the 30% who think education is non-negotiable is probably the elite 5% of the industry, which is driven to make good money while working part-time.
But if you leverage the fact that you bring in educators as the reason somebody should work for you, it’s probably not a good angle because it is an expectation.
Stylists, what are your thoughts on retail offerings?
When asked if they wanted to have their own line, if they liked when the salon owner had a line, if they didn’t give a rat about retail at all,
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45% said they wanted their salon to carry a couple of great professional lines that the stylists can sell and earn a commission on
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44% said they want the salon owner to have two great lines available
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6% don’t care about retail at all
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5% would sell retail whether or not there was commission
Which led to the question if they would sell retail if there wasn’t commission? They said no. Why would they do it if they’re not being compensated?
Retail might equal referrals, retention, and longevity, but you have to understand that booth renters want that commission.
They also said they only want one or two lines, not six or seven. How many of you have more than three lines on your retail shelves? Because the vast majority of your stylists only want a couple of exclusive lines or to bring in their own.
Salon owners, tell me about your retail offerings
52% said you offer a couple of great professional lines that stylists can sell and earn commission on. That’s a match: half of salon owners offer it, half of booth renters want it.
21% said you have retail, but you don’t pay commission on it. If you wonder why your retail isn’t selling, the survey just told you: if you’re not paying commission, they aren’t into it.
Another 22% said it is important to be able to bring in their own line.
Overall, we need to have one or two professional lines in the salon and pay commission on it or allow your booth renters to bring in their own lines.
By now, you’re probably seeing the pattern: vibe, culture, owners being picky, fire the rotten apples, support your stylists, listen to them. That’s what booth rental stylists are looking for.
Save these survey results to help you build your booth rental salon or your career as a booth rental stylist to the absolute fullest!
