050 Salons Are Full of Young People; As An Owner, You Need To Understand What Makes Them Tick

I often have salon owners venting their opinions about young employees, their work ethic, their loyalty, their level of commitment, etc. As an industry that is very youth-focused as far as employees go, salon owners (who are typically older) must understand the needs and motivations of young Millennials and Gen Z employees. Now for those of you who are not sure what the difference is between Millennials and Gen Z; according to a quick search on google, Millennials were born between 1981-1996, so they are in the 24-39 age bracket at this point. Whereas Generation Z as those born between 1997 - 2012, so currently between 8-23 years of age. So in today's podcast, I am interviewing two young hairdressers, Scarlett Denzel, a 20-year-old from Sydney, Australia, and Ariel Harris, a 29-year-old from San Diego, CA and we talk about… What makes them tick. What are the most important things they look for in a career? How they learn best. How they use social media. And where they see the future. In This Episode: [02:02] Welcome to the show, Scarlett! [02:32] Scarlett shares a little about herself. [03:20] Scarlett speaks about her journey to being a hairdresser. [04:21] What is the perception of a hairdressing career today? [05:16] Scarlett discusses why she left one salon to move to another. [07:48] She didn't see growth or opportunity for growth in the salon she left. [09:37] Scarlett believes that young hairdressers are looking for education in salons. [11:47] Scarlett shares what she is striving for in her career. [12:25] If you were a salon owner, how would you motivate your team? [13:43] She speaks about where she goes to get an education, be it social media or in-person classes. [14:45] Scarlett shares how she uses social media to build her clientele. [16:37] Scarlett gets most of her clients through Instagram. [18:34] On your Instagram page, are these clients you worked on or models? [21:01] Scarlett discusses why she doesn't use Facebook to connect with her clients. [22:19] Scarlett speaks about the top 3 things a salon owner needs to do to keep a young team inspired. [23:35] Where do you see yourself in five years? [24:15] Scarlett shares what it would take to leave the salon she is currently at. [26:00] Scarlett believes that the studio model or chair rental model isn't for her. [28:23] Scarlett says that the world is changing and people are changing, it's not a generational thing. [30:02] Is three years of apprenticeship too much? [31:45] Scarlett, thank you for being on the show! [32:08] Welcome to the show, Ariel! [32:38] Ariel shares a little about herself. [33:08] What did you do before you became a hairdresser? [36:05] Ariel believes that people want to work with and for environmentally responsible companies. [37:23] What are you looking for in a hairdressing career? [39:40] Ariel says that it is very important for the salon to supply education. [41:12] She speaks about what would make her leave the salon she is at now. [42:49] Ariel shares that 90% of what she learns is on social media. [45:22] Ariel discusses how important awards are to hairdressers today. [46:28] What motivates you as a young hairdresser? [47:26] Ariel speaks about the three things salon owners need to do to keep their teams from leaving. [48:36] How do you use social media in your professional career? [52:04] Ariels believes that Instagram is easier than Facebook to build clientele. [53:53] Where do you see yourself in five years' time? [55:52] Listen as Ariel shares, where she believes that salons will be in the future. [59:48] Ariel, thank you for being on the show!   Links and Resources Grow My Salon Business    Find Scarlett @scarlettrose.salonkiin Instagram   Find Ariel Ariel Harris @ariels.hair Instagram