021 What does it take to Balance the Many Roles of Today’s Successful Salon Owner with Martha Lynn Kale

Welcome to the Grow My Salon Business podcast with host Antony Whitaker. In today’s episode, Antony is speaking with Martha Lynn Kale. Martha Lynn is the owner of the award-winning salon Mirror Mirror based in Austin, Texas.  Listen in as we discuss: The importance of finding balance in your life. What it takes to succeed as a woman in business today, especially while balancing a young family. The importance of blogging and social media. What exactly is a safer salon? What do the staff want today? Martha Lynn tells us about wanting to launch her own business and quitting her job in advertising and marketing to go to Cosmetology School at age 27. She started building her clientele in beauty school, took them with her to a small salon, then a larger salon, and two years later launched her salon Mirror Mirror.  They discuss how her salon has evolved over the last few years, how she balances her personal life with her work and the fact that Instagram is the number one way they bring new clients into the salon. Martha Lynn talks about the incentive program they have for stylists to be highlighted on the Instagram feed, and her blog on hair that helps get the salon on other social media sites. Martha Lynn talks about delegating what she can so that she is able to concentrate on her children, having a manager in the salon that she can trust, what products she allows to be sold in the salon, and why she is so focused on a safe salon model. She also chats about what she is not prepared to compromise on in the salon and how she keeps her employees motivated and happy so that they keep the turnover rate down. Are you willing to push up your sleeves and get busy? Martha Lynn did and she says, anyone can as long as they are eager to put in the work. Listen in to learn where she started and how she got where she is. This is a very informative conversation with an amazing woman who will not be stopped.   In This Episode: [01:38] Welcome to the show, Martha Lynn! [02:13] Martha Lynn starts out telling us a little about her background. [03:46] Why did you choose to become a stylist? [05:04] She tells us that while she was in school, she started building her clientele. [06:10] She was nominated as the best hairstylist in Austin ten months out of school. [09:26] How did your background in advertising, marketing, and branding help you when you opened your salon? [11:10] Martha Lynn speaks about how her salon evolved into what it is today. [13:32] They expanded the business in the last few years and now have about 17 employees. [16:18] How do you find balance with work, children, and being a wife? [17:53] Martha Lynn talks about Instagram and how instrumental it has been for the growth of her salon. [20:48] She has an eCommerce site to sell beauty products. [22:38] Martha Lynn says that Instagram gets them new clients, and they have about 20% new clients each month. [24:14] The stylists have key performance indicators to get highlighted on the salon’s Instagram page. [25:32] They discuss her blog that feeds into the salon. [28:15] Martha Lynn speaks about the products they carry and why she chose them. [31:08] What roles have you delegated in the salon that keep it running like clockwork? [33:25] She has a salon manager that is the sauce of the business even though when she hired him, it wasn’t in the budget. [36:08] What is the biggest challenge that you’ve had in the salon? [38:43] What aren’t you prepared to compromise in your business? [39:58] They discuss the programs they use to keep the salon running smoothly. [44:46] What are some of the things you do to keep your team motivated and retain your staff? [46:00] Martha Lynn tells us that one of their core values is innovation. [47:26] Mirror Mirror has a specific dollar per day amount that they have to hit to have a level of flexibility with their days. [50:05] Is the whole salon commission-based now? Is there a sliding scale for commissions? What is the percentage the stylists are paid? [51:42] If she could go back and give herself advice at the beginning, she would say pay yourself and be confident. [53:36] Success to her means creating something that is its own living breathing thing, to be able to step back and see that what she created can run on its own. [57:29] Martha Lynn, how can people find you? [58:14] She says anyone can do this as long as they are not afraid of hard work. Links and Resources Grow My Salon Business  Find Martha Lynn Mirror Mirror Salon @marthalynnkale Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest @mirrormirroratx Instagram | Twitter | Facebook