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What We Learned At The Sola Sessions Reimagined
Posted on October 6, 2021
Sola Salon Studios
There’s nothing that fills our cup quite like The Sola Sessions. Seeing our community of Solapreneurs connect with each other, get inspired and educated is what Sola is all about. For those who joined us live, we hope you ended the day feeling connected with your #SolaFam, the beauty industry, your passion, career and yourself. If you missed any Session or simply want to re-watch your favorites, the content is available to you on-demand until the end of 2021.
Not sure which Sessions you'd want to tune into first? Here's a recap of a few of our favorite Sessions to get you started...
1. How to Live Your Best M-Life
“We believe in thinking outside the box, believing in your dreams, and daring to take risks because the sky is the limit.”
We had an amazing keynote presentation from the best of the Matrix team! Global Head of Education, Alfredo Lewis, and Brand Ambassadors Constance Robbins, Philip Wolff, Eric Vaughn and Dilek Onur-Taylor brought us an up-close and personal chat around how to think, believe, dream and dare to take your business and brand to the next level. Constance gave us advice on finding a brand that you love and trust for your education needs and building relationships with your clients. Philip Wolff shared how to build confidence. Eric Vaughn encouraged us to find our own path and taught us how to connect with your favorite brand. Dilek Onur-Taylor shared tips on becoming an educator.
2. Pay Your Rent in Retail
“As an independent salon owner, retail can play a huge part in your business, provide a huge opportunity for added income and if you’re not selling retail, you could be leaving money on the table.”
Faces of Sola Tahesa Nelson, Joey Figueiredo, Shae Johnson and Lindsey Couch shared all the tried-and-true retail tips that allow them to increase their bottom line. From holiday deals to educating your clients and being purposeful with every product you carry, these retail rockstars showed us how it’s done.
3. Building Your Clientele Through Social Media
“As long as you have intention and focus behind what you’re posting, you are golden. What’s the reason you’re posting? Are you posting to impress people? Are you posting because it’s an obligation? Or are you posting to get clients in your chair?”
Social media can be tricky, but Faces of Sola Hunter Donia, Katie Oakes and Steven Wren joined us for a panel discussion to ease the stress and level up your social media game. One of our key takeaways is to always remember your Why and remind yourself of your purpose when you post on social media.
4. Boundaries & Burnout
“Now that I’ve learned to set boundaries, I’m starting to see a difference in my life personally and professionally. Boundaries to me are just finding the power in saying 'No.' You don’t need to say 'Yes' to every client, to every dinner invitation, to every class. There’s true power in saying no, especially for our mental and physical health.”
Burnout is something that we’ve all experienced at one point or another, especially after navigating the pandemic. Our panel discussion around this topic featured Faces of Sola Tish Clark, Bianca Margolis, Ashley White and Carlisha Duffey. It’s important to recognize when you’re experiencing feelings of burnout and fatigue, know how to adapt your daily practices and set boundaries so you can continue to do what you love.
5. How to Succeed as a #SolaBoss
“One thing I love about being a Sola professional is that they have all the tools you need to set you up for success. BookNow has expanded my clientele, and I’m always browsing my Sola Pro app browsing the latest deals and reading up on the blogs.”
We brought together some of our Faces of Sola to create a segment called Sola Presents: How To Succeed as a #SolaBoss. They covered topics like how to lean into Sola resources to help you live a better boss life, how to use your community to grow your clientele, retail tips, charging what you're worth, automating your systems and more.
6. Alignment + Authenticity: Boundaries, Business, & Brand
“Caring deeply doesn’t equal surrendering your own needs, worth and health of your business. People-pleasing is not the same as awesome client care.”
Nina Kovner, Chief Awesomeness Empowerer at Passion Squared, taught us about the relationship between business, brand and boundaries, including common struggles that brands face, how to set healthy boundaries, and the framework and process to create alignment and authenticity.
7. Budgeting and Pricing
“A healthy business is a profitable business, and my goal is to help you understand what your expenses are and to get you to pay attention to what your actual profit is.”
Do you often wonder where all your money goes at the end of the month? Or why you're working over 40 hours a week just to cover your expenses? Salon business coach Nina Tulio taught us the top three monthly benchmark percentages that will help increase your profit and how your pricing structure heavily impacts your business - specifically your sales, profits, and your schedule.
8. Tips for a Prosperous Business
“Challenge yourself to increase your average ticket and client count by a specific amount each week. If you begin to practice the Two-Number Growth method and focus on those two numbers, you will see a massive difference in your business and income.”
Whether you’re just starting your entrepreneurial journey or have been in business for a long time, there is always room to grow your business. In this session, Wella and Qnity teamed up to share 4 tips for growing your money coming in and 4 tips to improve your money going out, which is all about focusing on your client count and average ticket price to increase your sales.
In addition to all of this game-changing business content, we also offered artistic content, including hair cutting, coloring, texture, barbering, and skincare classes. Having FOMO? It’s not too late to purchase a Sola Sessions Reimagined ticket for on-demand access through the end of the year!
