Welcome to the Be Inspired Blog

Hello everyone! I’m Kati Whitledge, the founder of Be Inspired Salon. We may or may not have met, but I want you to know I am grateful you are here! I’m beginning an initiative to share inspiration and at times, motivation, because we are all heavily distracted so what’s one more thing to pay attention to? LOL. But, for real, we have many negative distractions and I wanted to have a proactive hand in something positive to lean into, share, and think about. Do you ever just take time to think?

I’m sure we’ve all had plenty of thinking time in the last year, haven’t we? I don’t know about you, but I tend to get paralysis by analysis. I found myself so overwhelmed that I didn’t know what to do or where to start. I lived a reactionary lifestyle and as a result I found myself aged and worn down. But this is not a victim’s blog. This is a blog to rebound ourselves and find the victory we either once had or need to take hold of now.

To live victoriously, we have to choose taking ownership over excuses. Responsibility over denial. And accountability over shifting blame. Only then will we reap abundantly the positive things we sow. Or to put it plainly, we will get what we want in life!

Back to the Basics

I recently met with a friend to catch up and share how things have been going this new year. I’m grateful to share that this year is off to a fabulous start. It hasn’t been without bumps or bruises, but it’s new, it’s refreshing, and it has the potential to be whatever I believe it can be. What do you believe is possible this year?

Meeting for coffee seems so subtle and yet what an impact it is to have face-to-face human connection, especially with someone who knows you—like the real you—and still loves you. When you are with someone who genuinely cares for you and wants to see you win at life, you’re able to gain perspective that you may not otherwise see. Think of it as a thirty-foot view of your life. How often are you taking time to look from that vantage point?

The beauty of our friendship is, we do this for one another. We share our hopes, fears, and challenges with one another and then give each other feedback—never dressed up or down—always raw and honest. My friend has seen me at my best and my worst. Who’s the friend in your life like this?

To give you a backdrop here, there was once upon a time when I had shed over 95lbs of weight. I was a fitness machine and working machine. I was growing Be Inspired Salon while simultaneously starting a software-as-a-service company, and an industry business podcast. I felt unstoppable. That was, until we got pregnant. That was a curveball I hadn’t prepared for. What I mean is, I wasn’t prepared for pregnancy to be a trigger for food. Lots and lots of food. We were thankful to start a family, but I was not ready to respond to the temptation of hiding behind a belly bump. Long story short, I’ve not bounced back from the baby weight and my baby starts 4k next year—so that’s embarrassing.

Fast forward to 2019 and I had trimmed up a bit. I was definitely more active and starting to feel pretty darn good about myself again. But then—Covid. Another debilitating trigger that caused me to spiral down like a kid on twisting park slide. Down and down I went. Or should I say, up and up the scale went.

So here I am at coffee with my friend, not living my best life, and ashamed of the defeat against myself. I shared with her that with all the struggles that presented themselves in the last year, what I’m most upset about is, my self-sabotaging behaviors. And deep down I desperately want to get back to the real me that’s somewhere inside this oversized shell. Do you have behaviors you’d like to eradicate this year?

In such a simple way, as it often is, my friend asked me, “what did you do the first time you changed your life in a significant way?”  Boom! This is what we refer to as a blinding flash of the obvious. Just because we are living in a new season of life doesn’t mean that there’s some new magic process to achieving goals you’ve achieved in the past. Or new goals for that matter! The lightbulb went off.

I shared with her that what I did before was I started reading The Compound Effect, by Darren Hardy. I started writing down everything I ate, every workout I did, and I joined a support group. She listened and lovingly said, “it sounds like you just need to go back to the basics.” And she was right.

I hurried home and opened my Audible app, downloaded The Compound Effect, and started listening. I got out an unused notebook and marked off pages with dates to track food and workouts. I started a little competition with my brother-in-law that if I miss my goal of five workouts per week, I will pay him five dollars per day that I miss. He’s doing the same for his goal of waking up at 5am every day. There was no significant meaning of the number five here, just happens to be a similar trend.

When I started listening to this book again it was a divine reminder of all the most important things I had forgotten about. And having new experiences and years under my belt, it was also like hearing it for the first time. Isn’t it funny how perfectly timed things can be? It has all reinforced my mission. Timing matters. And the time is now.  

Is it time for you to go back to the basics? What one or two positive habits would you love to see compounded over the next twenty-four months? Who can you reach out to that will genuinely support you and hold you accountable?  And again, what do you believe is possible for your life?

Let’s do it!

Until next time,

Stay strong.

Maximizing Customer Relationships Part 4: The Follow-Up

Congratulations—you’ve made it to the final part of my series on Maximizing Customer Relationships! 

To begin, let’s recap Parts 1, 2, and 3. In Part 1, you learned the importance of standing out from the crowd to get clients in your door. In Part 2, I reminded you that the little things mean everything, including the details that a customer experiences before they buy from you. In Part 3, we focused on WOWing customers during their visit and checkout process. Finally, we’ve made it to Part 4 which is all about the follow-up. After Part 4, you will have all seven of my secrets to maximize customer relationships and run a fabulous business! 

Secret #6: The Follow-Up

Oftentimes, the follow-up is the missing link to maximizing customer relationships which is why I consider this the most important secret! A lot of businesses provide you a top-notch experience when you’re visiting them, but then you never hear from them again. Have you heard the saying: out of sight, out of mind? Well, this is why the follow-up is so important! 

So, how do you follow up with your guests? While the possibilities are truly endless, here are a few tried-and-true ways that we follow up with our clients.

Surveys

Surveys can be scary for a lot of people because they put you in a vulnerable position. After all, there is always the possibility that you could receive negative feedback. But, you cannot reach your full potential from a position of fear or ignorance. Instead, you need to look at surveys as a great learning opportunity! 

At Be Inspired Salon, we send a survey to every new guest after their first service. We ask questions like: Was the salon clean? Was your stylist professional? Did your stylist show you how to use your products? (If you want to know more about our survey, connect with me!)

Marketing Emails

Friends, marketing emails are not dead. Did you know it takes an adult 21 times to remember new information? That means you need to consistently remind your clients why they made a great choice to do business with you. For my salon, this means we are always reminding guests about Meet Your Stylist (remember, this is how we stand out from the crowd before a client buys from us), our VIP Program, and our points program. 

Take Notes

To really shine in the follow-up, you might need to take some notes on your clients. Some people have a natural gift for this and they simply remember every detail about a person. But, for most of us, we need to take a few notes about our clients to remember their interests, names of their children, upcoming vacations, where they work, etc. Think about creating “customer profiles” to help you form a deeper connection with your clients! 

Personalized Emails

At my salon, we encourage our stylists to send check-in emails to their clients. If a guest purchased a new product, or changed from blonde to brunette, the stylist can send a quick email asking how the change is going. This is so quick and easy, but it leaves a lasting impression with your clients! 

Cards

When was the last time you received a handwritten thank-you card? Better yet, when was the last time that you received a handwritten thank-you card from your hair salon? For most of you, the answer is never! We send thank-you cards every week to clients who refer new guests and brides who were booked with us the weekend before. Additionally, we send cards for graduations, new babies, marriages, new businesses, and get-well wishes. 

Show Up

Show up for your clients like they show up for you. Do you have a client who has been planning a charity event for the last six months? How awesome would it be to show up at their event to demonstrate how much you care about their success! If you have a client in the hospital, maybe you stop in for a quick visit during your lunch? What kind of impact would that make for your relationship and their loyalty?  

Remember, the little things mean everything, and you will truly maximize your relationship by following up with your clients!

Secret #7: Accountability

Hopefully, you’re fired up about all the fun and exciting ways that you can WOW your clients before, during, and after the buying process. But, now comes the tough part—how do you stay accountable for all the initiatives that you’ve implemented? Holding yourself and your team accountable will separate you from your competition. 

Excellence Trackers

My stylists all have excellence trackers to hold themselves and the team accountable. An excellence tracker is like a goals sheet. For example, my stylists reach out to all guests who canceled, but did not rebook. They also reach out to guests who have visited twice or more to ask for a Google review. Every week, they have goals regarding phone calls, emails, pre-booking, sending cards, etc. and their promotions are tied to their performance trackers. Basically, if you want to move up in this career, you need to meet the goals on your excellence tracker. 

Meetings 

You need to check-in with your team on a consistent and routine basis. At my salon, we have weekly team meetings where everyone submits their performance tracker. At the meeting, everyone can share what they have been working on in the last week—including me! This is a fabulous way to hold everyone accountable.

Secret Shoppers

Yes, we really do this, and you should, too! As a business owner or manager, you cannot be at your business 100% of the time and handle 100% of client visits. So, a secret shopper program is an effective quality control technique. For our secret shopper program, I break down our training manual to a six-page form for the guest to fill out. For instance, our training manual indicates that a phone call should follow XYZ steps—then, the secret shopper form asks on a scale of 1-5 if these steps were met. 

Like surveys, secret shoppers can be scary, but they give you a glimpse into what things are like when you’re not around. At my salon, I learned that we had some consistent mistakes at the front desk, so we had to tighten that area up. Without the secret shopper program, I wouldn’t have known that!  

Now that you’ve mastered all seven of my secrets, take a moment to write down your three biggest takeaways. In three months, revisit your list and see what progress you’ve made! Do you have other suggestions to maximize customer relationships? I would love to hear from you, so make sure to connect with me! 

Maximizing Customer Relationships Part 1: Stand Out From The Crowd

In your current work, do you interact with customers? For most people, the answer is a loud YES! For better or worse, customers are often at the heart of most companies, so maximizing relationships is essential for building a reputable and profitable business.

Whether you’re an employer, employee, independent contractor, or entrepreneur, you need to WOW your customers before, during, and after the buying process. Trust me, I’ve been in all of these positions in the beauty industry, and I’m excited to share with you my seven secrets for maximizing customer relationships!

First, take a moment to reflect on this question: what does it mean to YOU to maximize customer relationships? Spend a minute jotting down a few thoughts. Do you have your answers? Here’s what maximizing customer relationships means to me:

• Increased revenue and decreased discounts and deals
• Increased positive morale among the team

To achieve these results and others you’ve identified, you need to follow Secret #1: Stand Out From the Crowd! If you want to WOW customers, you have to be different from your competitors. Thinking about your business, how do you already stand out from the crowd?

When I ask this question during workshops, attendees often give an answer similar to: “We provide our clients amazing customer service.” Although this is a genuine answer and customer service is indeed important, I bet that your competitor says the same thing. Who wouldn’t say that they give great customer service, right? Keeping that in mind, how else can you stand out from the crowd?

As you might know, I founded Be Inspired Salon in Madison, WI in 2010. Working in the beauty industry, maximizing customer relationships is the key to success. The hard truth about hair salons is that the national average retention rate is only 30%. That means only 3 out of 10 clients will return to a hair salon for a second time! Considering those statistics, we need to continuously WOW our customers, and we do that by standing out from the crowd.

At Be Inspired Salon, we separate ourselves from the competition by focusing on three specific services: curly haircutting and styling, bridal hair and makeup, and hair color. It is tempting to try and be good at everything, but finding your niche is what will make you stand out from the crowd. Think about some famous brands—you will often identify just one product or service that separates them from their competitors. For instance, Pandora Jewelry makes more than just charm bracelets, but that’s what most people identify with their brand. There’s so many more Converse—Chuck Taylor All-Stars, Apple—iPhone, Chanel—perfume, Ugg Australia—sheepskin boots, Fossil—watches . Are you following?  All of these brands create more than one product, but it’s only one product that makes them stand out from the crowd.     

Now, think about how YOU will be unique, and don’t be scared to think outside of the box! Standing out from the crowd is the first secret to maximizing customer relationships, and I have six more that I can’t wait to share with you! Make sure to check back for the next post in this four-part series when I share secrets to maximize relationships before the buying process and during the first purchase.

Do you have other ways that you stand out from the crowd? Engage with me on social media; I can’t wait to connect with you!

What Not To Do As An Entrepreneur | Part 1: HIRING

I am super excited to kick off a three-part series about What Not To Do As An Entrepreneur! First, I promise that this series will not be negative, and you won’t close your computer crying with crushed dreams. But, I do want to get real and share some tips that I wish I was told when I started my entrepreneurial journey.

As entrepreneurs, we are often told what we should do. Go to this event, hire that consultant, start this investment. But, what about the habits, partnerships, and decisions that we should avoid? A great quote to reflect on states: “success is what you don’t do.” Well, what the heck does that mean? Think about a weight loss journey. What you shouldn’t do is go to Happy Hour three nights a week, nor should you eat processed foods. When you stop these negative actions, the positive actions can actually be effective! But without—it’s unlikely you’d achieve your goal. Hence, success is often what you say no to.

As an entrepreneur who manages five brands, I have made my fair share of mistakes (keep reading and you will see what I’m talking about). To be honest, you will still make mistakes after reading this series—every entrepreneur does—but I hope that I will help you avoid the big ones and learn from the little ones.

Do not co-own; there can only be one CEO.

There’s a reason companies have one CEO. Have you ever partnered with someone? How did that go? Typically, partnerships will not work because there is not clarity around their roles. Have you ever taken a DiSC personality assessment? Well, I will share that I’m a D—if you know me, this is no surprise. D’s are dominant, driven, and task-oriented. Primarily, I just want to get it done. For me, another owner will not work, period.  Someone (me!) has to be in charge. I believe that the 80/20 rule applies here: 80% of the time co-owning will not work.  

Do not get desperate and make impulsive decisions.

 I once heard a great quote that states: “If you want a lot, make it easy; if you want the best, make it hard.” I have impulsively hired and really regretted it, so take your time!

Another great piece of advice I was given was, “Be slow to hire and quick to fire.” If someone isn’t getting it done within their current role, you may try to reposition them. If that still doesn’t work, you have to let that person go. Deep down, you will know if that person is not working for your team. Channel your inner Olivia Pope and trust your gut.

Think about these impulsive decisions that you may be guilty of: have you ever joined something that you really can’t afford, then totally regretted it? Maybe you purchased an expensive app that you have only used twice, or bought a business membership that really wasn’t worth it? Now, you are stuck with a service that you can’t afford. You get the point. Do not get desperate. 

Do not hire the cheapest; do not hire based on price period.

This is a really challenging lesson for me and one that is hard to admit. So, I am going to be candid and share a tough experience. When I first hired a software developer for Meet Your Stylist, I thought that he could build the right software for the right price. However, I quickly learned that he didn’t actually like to work. Rant Warning: the project took a year longer than it was supposed to, he was terrible at communicating, he would disappear for days, countless technical glitches…trust me, I could keep going.

At that point, I had one customer and the software was continuously failing. Although my one customer was very gracious and understanding, I was completely embarrassed. I was freaking out and totally scrambling for a solution.

When I consulted with a reputable software company, they explained that the developer’s software was a nightmare—there was code on top of code on top of code. Basically, I would need to start over if I wanted the software to work. That hiring mistake cost me $30,000. I took that mistake up the you-know-what. Long story short, if you think a project will cost you $40,000, budget $80,000—you will either pay in dollars or tears.  

Do not do all the work yourself.  

If you try to do it all, the work will be mediocre. ActionCOACH founder Brad Sugars explained this best when he said: “Saving a wage is costing you a fortune.” Eventually, you need to find strengths in others and build your tribe. As an entrepreneur, what do you do that you aren’t that great at, or drains your energy? Hire those tasks out. Do you struggle with product photography? Hire an intern! Do you hate writing your blog? Hire a blogger! Don’t try to be great at everything. Be great at being an entrepreneur, and fill in the rest by building an awesome tribe!

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Which of these tips comes as a surprise to you? Share your thoughts below! Then, check back for Part 2: Money, Money, Money where I dish on some important financial decisions to avoid!