058 The lessons to Learn From The Dreaded Staff Walkout!

I always strive to bring a range of guests to the show that can help you grow as a professional, and we need that now more than ever!   When I opened my first salon, like many salon owners I was full of enthusiasm, a strong work ethic and a dream to make a difference.    I believe that most salon owners start off like that.    Perhaps when they start most of them don’t have much in the way of business savvy but they understand that the key to growth is to develop and keep their team and so they make decisions and changes to their business with a view to everyone benefitting.    But many a salon owner have found that their team doesn’t always see the changes and direction that the business is going in as a fit for them - and so they leave.    Now don’t get me wrong, a certain amount of staff turnover is healthy for a business, and there will come a time where it’s inevitable that people will leave if the business is moving in a direction they don’t like, and so if a stylist leaves it's often best for everyone.    But having a ‘walkout’ where a whole bunch of team members leave at the same time is a special kind of pain that many salon owners experience and sometimes more than once!    My guest on Today's Podcast is Tracy Ftacek, Chicago based owner and founder of the ‘Pretty Convenient App’ and as a salon owner, she once experienced a total staff walkout.    In today’s podcast we will discuss: What causes staff walkouts How to bounce back from a staff walkout…and How a walkout is an opportunity for both personal and professional growth  And lots more! In This Episode: [02:54] Welcome to the show, Tracy! [03:21] Tracy shares her backstory and how she got started in the industry. [05:32] When did your employees walk out on you? [06:31] Tracy says the communication and consistency are two strong reasons her team members walked out. [08:04] Listen, as Tracy speaks about the day, this all culminated. [11:33] Tracy shares that her team members had been planning their walkout. [13:06] Antony speaks about this happening to him also, so he understands what she went through. [14:03] What changes made the team members uneasy? [17:27] Listen, as Tracy discusses that her team members didn’t trust her, and she didn’t communicate how the changes would help them. [20:55] Tracy shares the three top things she learned from the walkout. [22:18] Tracy speaks about what communication with her team looks like now. [25:20] The conversation now is what we are currently doing, how do we make it better? [27:40] How did this change the way you approached recruiting a new team of people? [31:23] Everyone is going to leave one day, and that’s ok. [32:28] Listen, as Tracy discusses why you shouldn’t treat your employees like family because they aren’t, and they will leave, eventually. [35:47] Tracy shares how this all changed her relationship with her new team members. [37:51] Tracy speaks about how she revamped her salon systems and guidelines for new employees. [40:43] How did you grow as an individual going through that experience? [43:51] Tracy shares some advice for new salon owners and what they need to expect. [46:48] Tracy shares some final thoughts for the listeners. [47:09] Thank you for being on the show! Links and Resources Grow My Salon Business    Find Tracy Pretty Convenient Email Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn