032 Handling COVID-19 with Sean, Virginia, and Emiliano

Handling COVID-19 with Sean, Virginia, and Emiliano As salon owners, it is a challenging moment for many, and inevitably with the uncertainty comes fear and panic is near to the surface. So if we are going to get through this and come out the other end more robust and even better prepared, then we need to make sure we adopt a positive mindset not buy into the fear and the panic. Unfortunately, many small businesses survive on daily cash flow, and they have no fallback position as a buffer for difficult times like this. If salons remain closed for weeks, it will be an insurmountable problem for many of them. Governments are reacting in different ways with grants and loans to ensure that businesses do survive. Managing your money and finances will be the Achilles heel for many salon owners. But equally, getting control of the financial situation and hopefully being able to take advantage of the various government-backed initiatives will see you through the next few weeks or maybe even months. Your marketing and communication with your team members and clients are more important now than ever; this is a scary time that we are living through. It’s time to get proactive and reassess our businesses; now is the time to be a leader and a role model. On today’s podcast, I’ve chosen to interview three leaders in the industry to see how they are dealing with the situation as it stands. First off is Sean Dawson, CEO of the Adam Reed Salon, in London. Virginia Meyer, Co-Founder, and partner in the Fourteen Jay Salon in New York and Emiliano Vitale, owner of the e’ Salon in Sydney, Australia. In This Episode: [00:31] Hey everyone and welcome to today’s podcast. [00:39] Antony addresses the current coronavirus situation and how it is affecting salon owners and their teams. [03:42] Antony shares five points on his list of ten that he believes needs to be our focus. [05:34] He shares the last five points on the list of ten points. [06:55] Antony names his three guests and their salons and their countries of residence. [07:35] Sean, welcome to the show! [08:34] Is your salon still open, or have you been forced to close? [09:15] Sean shares what they are doing in his salon to keep his clients and employees safe. [11:45] What safety precautions are you taking with your staff to make sure they don’t bring the virus into the salon? [13:32] Sean chats about the ways they are letting their clients know that they are open for business. [18:32] Sean and Adam check with their staff every night to make sure they are all right and getting the correct information. [21:21] What marketing plans are you putting in place so that when we get through this, the salon will be stronger than before? [24:11] Sean shares how he is leading his team, staying positive, and advice he has for other salons. [28:35] Sean says to make sure you are ready to work from home in case your salon does get shut down. [30:02] Thank you very much, Sean, for joining us on the podcast! [30:24] Welcome to the show, Virginia! [31:17] Is your salon open, or have you closed it? [34:43] Virginia shares why they closed the salon and how they broke the news to their employees. [36:41] She speaks about how they are taking care of their team and the resources available to them. [38:59] How are you communicating with your team and keeping them informed? [41:31] Virginia shares how they are keeping in touch with their clients. [45:58] Virginia speaks about what she is doing to stay positive and how she is leading in this challenging time. [48:38] She chats about being involved in some leadership forums. [51:39] What one piece of advice would you give salon owners today? [52:01] Thank you very much, Virginia, for being a guest on the show. [52:37] Welcome to the show, Emiliano! [53:35] What is your strategy right now in your salon, and how are you keeping your staff and clients safe? [56:24] Emiliano shares how they are staying in communication with their clients. [58:36] He speaks about taking the magazines and food away and going to single-use cups for water. [1:00:45] Emiliano chats about what his staff is scared of and how he reassures them. [1:06:36] Have you thought about what you are going to do with your time if you end up closed down? [1:09:32] Emiliano shares advice to salon owners on how to offset the financial issues that could happen in the future. [1:12:54] Thank you so much, Emiliano, for contributing to this podcast. [1:13:20] Antony shares final thoughts. Links and Resources Grow My Salon Business Sean Dawson Adam Reed Salon Instagram | Facebook Virginia Meyer Fourteen Jay Salon Emiliano Vitale e’ Salon Instagram | Facebook