While running your own business can be a difficult challenge, it can also be one of the most rewarding experiences that life has to offer! Not only does it take being able to understand market demands, but it also means having a viable small business plan (a process and product in place) that will support the business, as well as provide an income for the owner. While many potential business owners may have a great idea for a business, business growth and long-term success requires being able to be focused, disciplined and at times - an out-of-the-box thinker! Below are 4 keys that can help your business or franchise location build success.
Location - You might have the most amazing concept for a business or franchise, but if it's located in the wrong area - it's just not going to work. Or, it might not work as well as it could in a more ideal area. So be sure to do your research in finding out which areas in your community are most ideally suited for your concept. For example, if it's a business that is geared more towards children, look at the demographics of how many young families are in a particular area. Likewise, if it's a concept that's more for retired people, you'll want to find an area where there are a lot of retirees who might be interested in what it is that you're offering. Additional considerations might be trying to gauge how much people might have in "disposable income" in a particular area. A community that doesn't have a lot of extra money to spend may not be interested in spending money on whatever it is that you have to sell.
Marketing - It almost goes without saying that one of the key components of any successfully run business is the strength of their marketing strategies. Marketing is what helps bring customers through your door, and can be accomplished through everything from more traditional methods (like print ads, handing out flyers at parades, using coupons, and word of mouth marketing) to more modern methods (like social media marketing, blogging, and running an effective, up-to-date website). Many business owners might also find success in working within the community through a local charity effort, as more and more customers are finding value in businesses who sincerely engage in some kind of non-partisan efforts to help better the community around them.
Attitude - The attitude, or "feeling" that your business gives a customer can largely be helped or hindered by the attitude of your employees. Good employees who are also happy are more willing to help customers, as well as be more loyal and engaged in doing a good job for their employer. On the flip side, employees who are generally unhappy or have bad attitudes about their work are more likely to pass this feeling on to customers. So it's important to make sure that your employees have good attitudes, and to try to help facilitate the positive atmosphere at your work place by giving awards for good work performance, hosting a holiday party, having a clean breakroom and restrooms for employees to use, and maybe offering employee discounts for services that your business offers.
Management - An important consideration when running your business is the strength of your manager or management team. While you may not be able to be physically at your business at all times, it's still important to be aware of what's going on through your managers. A great manager is able to share with you what's going on, as well as help maintain a great atmosphere for employees and customers alike. For example, managers can help you know the attitudes of employees, whether they are showing up for work, and if they're taking overly long breaks. You'll also want to keep close attention on the possibility of an employee who might be "dipping into the till" through the careful monitoring of receipts, record-keeping software, or even video monitoring equipment. If any of these areas are a problem, be sure to address them quickly either through meeting with the employee in question, issuing a warning, or possibly even a professionally conducted dismissal from the business.
Shear Madness Franchising franchises Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids salons. We have worked with franchise stores in providing franchisee support (in order to encourage continual growth and business success), and have sometimes seen the unexpected happen! When it does, we help by identifying and helping with challenges that might arise for franchisees. Additionally, we work to present options that can help prevent these events as well. As many franchise owners may not have opened a business before, having someone who can advise them is a significant advantage of franchise ownership!
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Are you interested in learning how YOU can join the Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids family and run your own successful small business? We are one of the fastest growing kids hair salon franchise systems in the industry today! If you would like to learn more about our franchise opportunity, or about small business marketing, great marketing strategies, resources for small businesses, how to grow your small business, or how to become a successful owner of your own kids hair salon franchise business, please click below or call 1-888-98 GONE MAD
Todd Danni: Todd has spent a career developing and managing a real estate portfolio in Buffalo, New York. In addition, Todd and a partner developed a successful Fitness Concept from two million in revenue to over 18 million when he was in his twenties. Most recently, Todd signed an Area Development Agreement to open multiple locations in New York State, Pittsburg, PA and Cleveland Ohio - with his first store opening in 
Andrew and Mary Elmasri: Andrew and Mary signed an Area Development Agreement covering 5 counties in Southern California, with their first store opening in 
Jackie Perkins: As a former supervising manager of a Fortune 500 company in the Oil and Gas industry, Jackie was interested in more than just a business - she was looking for an opportunity to use her talents and business skills. Several of Jackie’s friends owned Franchises, which gave her added motivation to start her own business. Drawn to Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids for their fun and positive model, Jackie now has her own amazing store in the 
Brenda and Eduardo Morales: Our very first Shear Madness franchise owners, this couple opened their first salon in San Antonio TX at the 
Michelle and Tom Vick: This couple came to us in 2012 looking for an opportunity to grow our concept in a brand new market in Albuquerque NM. To our delight, Shear Madness in 
Erin Nanke: Erin was a full time marketing executive for a large television station and owner of our new location which opened November 2013 in 
Janon and Jim Otto: This extremely hardworking husband and wife duo diligently work behind the scenes not only as Shear Madness franchisors, but as salon owners as well! They opened their first location in 
You know, several weeks ago our local weatherman here in Kansas City started talking about a major ice storm. When the local news came on they would open up with the scary music and the big graphics that filled the screen, "ICE STORM 2017". Of course, there were long lines at the grocery stores and bottled water supplies quickly dwindled. However, one report that really fascinated me was from a poor, exhausted individual at a local convenience store who had been to 7 stores, and still couldn't find any ice melt - everyone was sold out! 
Many business owners will often take a look at their business and ask, "how can I grow?". Friends will look at them and say "Hey! You ought to franchise!". Sounds good - franchise your business! Easy, right?! Just find some people who want to do what you do, teach them to do it, and then sit back and collect all that royalty! Wow - So Easy!
As the Director of Franchising here at Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids, one of the first questions I usually get asked is, “How much money can I make?” My response is always muted because the FTC doesn't allow us to answer that question. However, for those of you reading this who are new to franchising, you can find the answer to that question in the Disclosure Documents in Item 19 that you receive from a prospective franchise. Also, some franchises may choose to disclose those numbers but have the right not to, so that really depends on the franchise you are looking at. But at the end of the day, my typical response is to answer a question with a question, which is, “How hard are you willing to work?” 
When starting a new business by yourself, sometimes it might seem like doing your own research and going at it alone is the most attractive option. But ultimately, this might not be a good idea. Not only could you possibly be doing the wrong research and making investments that might not be financially profitable over the long run, but you just might not have all the necessary information at your fingertips that can help ensure business success! You've probably heard the phrase, “You don’t know what you don’t know”. Well, once when I was out of work I went to a job fair for a major pharmaceutical company. There were perhaps around 200 people in the room, and the meeting started off something like this, “all of you who have experience in the pharmaceutical industry get on this side of the room, and everyone else stay where you are.” Needless to say, I never interviewed that day. You see, that company knew there was no substitute for experience, no substitute for having "been there, done that”, and no substitute for having to start all over training someone to learn the pharmaceutical industry.
People are requesting information about our franchise on a daily basis. The two most often asked questions I get are, “how much does it cost?” and “how much can I make?” These are questions that most interested franchise buyers have the right to know. If I may, I'd like to offer prospective buyers a question that would answer the other two and save everyone a lot of due diligence and research. You see, I think the most important question that franchise buyers should ask is, “How many of your locations have closed?”
