For beauty business news, beauty store owners turn to Beauty Store Business. Beauty business trends, beauty business profiles and more!
Issue link: http://beautystorebusiness.epubxp.com/i/554210
44 September 2015 | beautystorebusiness.com pushed back or completely ignored. Perhaps you have some minor repairs that have just waited for "someday" to get here. Now is the time to complete them—especially those that require simple tools and very little expertise. Larger, more complicated repairs may necessitate a contractor. If so, get some quotes and fix those nagging problems. Better yet, if the repairs are ones that the landlord could or should do, make that call today. You don't have to get the store back to its original state, but you can get it to the point where it looks better than it has in years. SOCIAL MEDIA About five years ago you could hardly read any business publication without at least one article on social media. And though it really hasn't waned, it's all about fine- tuning now. For this part of your checkup, you're actually just making certain that your social-media efforts are meeting all your needs. If you've built an impressive number of "likes" on Facebook but aren't connected with these devotees, ask your- self "Why not?" With a captive audience on Facebook, keeping in touch with them is not only engagement, but it can help drive sales too. Use it to promote new items, sales or even just to highlight each member of your team. Think of social media as you would the major functions of your business: Human resources, market- ing, operations and financials. It's just as important as each of these. POS SYSTEM How old is your point-of-sale system? Is it held together with duct tape and baling wire or have you just learned to accept its eccentricities? Your POS software and hardware are the "brains" of the operation. It tracks your sales, permits you to accept credit cards and you might even have your inventory-control procedures tied into it. With such important facets of your business associated with your POS system, you need to ensure it's up to date. Of course, a new system is expensive. For even a basic unit you're looking at $15,000 to $25,000. More elaborate systems will cost significantly more; however, these can pay for them- selves over time with better efficiencies for your store. Depending upon who your POS system is through, you may be able to have your provider upgrade the system with updates to the software or new terminals for a lot less money than a new one. YOU Finally, you are probably in need of a checkup too. You pour a lot of yourself into the store and because you're often hyper- focused on every piece of the business, it's easy to forget about yourself. But you're in need of a checkup just as much as all of the other things mentioned here. Your mental well-being is paramount to the store's suc- cess. Take a moment to step back and evaluate how you're doing. When was your last vacation? Do you try and take a few hours each week just for yourself without thinking about the store? How many years has it been since you've been to a confer- ence or attended a business seminar? Be sure to also take a look at your workspace. Has your desk not seen the light of day in months because it's covered in papers and projects that you keep meaning to get to, but never have? Giving yourself a quick checkup can be refreshing and cathartic. It puts you back in balance and gets you ready for the new challenges ahead. As important as all the other items discussed here are, you're by far the most vital. So, tackle these things, but make sure you spend some time on yourself. ■ Dr. Steven Austin Stovall is professor of management at Wilmington College in Wilmington, OH. He can be reached at steven_ stovall@wilmington.edu. www.MalibuC.com | 1.800.622.7332 PRESCRIPTIVE WELLNESS TREATMENTS HAIR SCALP SKIN 100% vegan gluten sulfates parabens propylene glycol DEA FREE OF: Normal & Dry Skin Hydrate Exfoliators Masques Tattoos wellness solutions wellness solutions wellness solutions Sensitive Skin Acne wellness solutions ink well wellness solutions ness solutions malibu C ® Color Hard Water Blondes Swimmers Hair Repair Scalp Your mental well-being is paramount to the store's success. Take a moment to step back and evaluate how you're doing.