The past several years have been EXCITING years for our team! Owning and operating a kid's shear madness salon franchise has it's share of hurdles and challenges, but we maintain a positive attitude and outlook as we keep pressing forward! It has been fun to see all our hard work paying off as we now celebrate having 10 locations open (with more on the way)! Our incredibly COOL salon concept for kids has franchise locations now in Lees Summit MO, Albuquerque NM, San Antonio Texas, McAllen Texas, Amherst New York, Humble Texas, West Des Moines and Ankeny Iowa and a NEW location in Lake Forest, California - all thanks to our dedicated and enthusiastic franchisees and our team. Now we would like to take a moment and recognize some of our fabulous franchise owners and their families. To our ever growing Shear Mad-tastic Family - here's to you!

Shear Madness Franchise Owners

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 Amherst, New York! “We are excited to bring Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids to the East coast,” said Todd Danni. “We feel like Shear Madness has a unique business model and we look forward to expanding the concept in the northeast.”  Todd is opening his second location in August of this year!

Andrew and Mary Elmasri: Andrew and Mary signed an Area Development Agreement covering 5 counties in Southern California, with their first store opening in Lake Forest, California! Doctor Andrew Elmasri of Lake Forest, California, is a managing partner of California Children’s Salons, LLC and President of CA Anesthesia of Laguna Niguel California. “We have a growing demographic of young families in Southern California, and we are excited to bring the unique concept Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids offers to this area,” commented Elmasri. “After visiting with management in Kansas City earlier this year, we feel like the opportunities for positive expansion is a great fit for our area.”

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 Humble/Kingwood, Texas area! Jackie is having fun with her new location and currently has her eyes on a location for her second location!

Brenda and Eduardo Morales: Our very first Shear Madness franchise owners, this couple opened their first salon in San Antonio TX at the Village in Stone Oak in San Antonio, TX in November 2012. Brenda and Eduardo have faithfully endured many of the early franchising growing pains with good humor and a willingness to learn. Their store has steadily seen growth despite the tough competition in their area. Their birthday parties have been a very successful addition to their haircutting business. We are so grateful for this caring, enthusiastic, and extremely hard working couple.

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 Albuquerque, NM opened in October 2013 with much local anticipation and enthusiasm! Their salon is steadily growing, and with the help of their Fantastic Staff they are successfully building a great reputation with their local people. They also own a construction company. Shear Madness provides diversity to their income.

Elsy and Jorge Garcia : Owners of the Shear Madness at the Forum in San Antonio, TX, this couple moved to the United States from Monterrey, Mexico. Opening their first Shear Madness location while moving their family and and enrolling 4 children in school was challenging - but worth the effort. They have a super location in a high traffic area with fantastic stylists! Their store has been converted completely from a previous children's hair salon into a fantastic Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids!

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 West Des Moines, IA! Her store sits across from Jordan Creek Mall in West Des Moines, and across from the popular local favorite Scratch Cupcakery. Partly due to her incredible location and partly to her mega marketing skills, this franchisee is building her salon into "the place to be" in Des Moines, Iowa! Erin also opened a second location in Ankeny, Iowa! We are honored to have such knowledgable and determined franchisees on our team.

Our Franchisees in McAllen TX: This young couple was super excited to open their first Shear Madness in McAllen, TX! They have a beautiful store that not only offers great haircuts - but cool retail too! It's definately the destination for lots of kids and their parents in the McAllen/Edinburg area. Be sure to check it out!

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 Lee's Summit, MO in May 2013, and have been successfully building their salon business since. This Madtastic couple sells, supports, oversees, and executes every aspect of Shear Madness Franchising, LLC. No detail is too big or too small for the Otto's. Jim and Janon strongly believe in the kid's hair salon concept and the future of Shear Madness.  The Otto's have just signed a lease to open their second location in Liberty, MO - so look for that in early summer!

Paula Thurman (far right): The founder of Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids, Paula Thurman has built her kid's hair salon and boutique concept to be what it has become today. As owner and operator for over 18 years, she is an expert when it comes to customer service, managing employees, payroll, retail, and many other salon related issues. Paula personally oversees all training for new franchise locations and their employees. She is committed to the success and vision of becoming the very Best Kid's Hair Salon Franchise - "The Standard by Which All Others are Measured!" Paula co-owns the original Shear Madness Haircut for Kids, Olathe, KS location.

Would you like to sign up for our Monthly newsletter? If so, click HERE!

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 this franchise opportunity or 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

What are prospective franchise buyers looking for when it comes to buying into a franchise system? We opened this question up to some of our Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids franchisees, and this is some of the feedback we received. We hope it helps you as much as it did us!

1. Communication is Key: It may seem like a given, but it's true! Franchise communication is important through all aspects of franchising - from being able to effectively communicate with customers, to being able to have great communication channels between potential area developers, franchisors, franchisees, and everyone in between. As such, franchise buyers should be looking for a communication system that ensures consistency and timeliness of communication. Similarly, a means by which franchisees throughout the system can easily and effectively communicate with each other is also very helpful. Many franchisees join a franchise for the systems and support, so it's critical they get it!

2. Process Support and Education: Running your own franchise can be a challenging, yet rewarding experience. That's why when a Franchisee needs help, especially during the start-up phase, there's a tried-and-true system in place that gives them the support they need. This includes great communication channels with the franchisor and other franchisees, as well as franchise training provided through conferences and monthly meetings.

3. First Class Marketing: Franchisees want to know their marketing dollars are going toward creative, expressive messages that effectively reach their customers and help build their business. Some of these marketing efforts might include social media advertising, traditional advertising (newspapers, magazines, ads in sporting venues), posters for the store to use, banners for outdoor advertising, and much more!

4. Transparency: Franchisees want to clearly see evidence of the franchisor's support of the franchisee's efforts to attain and maintain success. There needs to be the feeling in the franchisee's heart that every day, everyone is working towards success.

5. Independence, Flexibility and Personal Challenge: Many franchisees are seeking to escape the politics, rigidity and frustration of working for others. But they also don't want the risk and harsh learning curve of trying to start a business entirely on their own. Franchisees are also highly motivated by achieving results directly linked to their own creativity and hard work. A successful franchise system allows for all these things!

6. Respect: Each franchisee is going to have different motivations, but ultimately they need to be treated like business owners, and not employees. Franchisees desire the respect of friends, family and peers, and are often a helpful force in the development of new initiatives and programs. Their experience and desire to succeed can also identify emerging trends in their respective industries.

7. Making a Difference: Franchisees often treat their staff as extended members of their own family, and take pride in helping them grow personally and professionally. They also get great satisfaction in helping customers and making a contribution to their local communities!

8. Utilizing Expertise: A franchisee wants to leverage upon the expertise of a franchisor, as well as using the name of an established brand that a franchisor has acquired. A franchisee also expects the franchisor to provide assistance in helping with staffing, training, business planning, operational and business related troubleshooting. This is so the franchisee can accomplish their business goals through an organized business mechanism in the minimum possible time!

There you have it!  If you are evaluating several franchise opportunities this will give you an idea of what to ask about!

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 small business marketing, great marketing strategies, resources for small businesses, how to grow a 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!

Professionals who have spent numerous years working in the corporate world sometimes will find that they’re ready for a new challenge. After researching their options, many of these career shifters are choosing franchising. Why? Well, usually it boils down to people simply wanting to be their own boss, and being able to more capably utilize their unique skill-set to build wealth. They also realize that starting a business from the ground up is hard!  Investing in something that has most the kinks already worked out is a real advantage.  And even though running a franchise business offers many advantages over simply starting a business on your own, there’s still some unique challenges that potential franchisees might want to consider. Following is a list of some of those challenges an individual might want to think about before making the leap to owning their very own franchise business!

1. The Comfort of Corporate Structure: Many professionals who have worked in the corporate world are used to the structure the company provided. For the most part, they know when they are supposed to be at work in the morning, and when they’ll be heading home in the evening. They also know who their boss is, what’s expected of them, and who to talk to in order to appropriately delegate certain tasks. However, when an individual becomes the owner of their own franchise business, work schedules, decisions and responsibilities are pretty much up to them. Some might like this challenge, but for others it might be a little overwhelming. However, working within a proven franchise system helps significantly in this area, as the new franchise business owner won’t be going at it alone.

 2. Colleagues and Mentors: There’s a lot to be said for having colleagues and mentors who can relate to the challenges of work. And sometimes, a new business owner might feel like the support network they might have had in the corporate world just isn’t quite as strong now that they are out on their own. Because a business owner is responsible to the success of their business, it can be easy to feel insecure or get a little down-in-the-dumps when things may not go as well as hoped. But again, with franchising, fellow franchisees within the system are available to provide help and possible recommendations.  The franchisor also knows that this is very common with franchisees - most will walk the new owner through all of this with confidence built on years of experience.

3. Risk: Risk in business is always a factor, regardless if an individual works for themselves or for a company. However, the risk associated with running a business can be quite a bit different than the risks involved with working for someone else. For example, individuals who work for a company know who they have to keep happy in order to maintain a job. However, when one is working for themselves, risk can entail the failure of their business. Because of this, franchising can be a good way to lessen some of the risks associated with running your own business.

4. Working in Marketing: Some people might think that getting into running their own business means that they’ll spend a lot of time working on whatever product their business offers. However, the truth is that many small business owners spend a lot of time working on marketing the business itself. For the small business to succeed, customers will first need to discover what it is the business offers, where it is located, and value it enough to come back. Of course this requires having a great looking store with an outstanding product. But it also requires marketing what the business does in order to encourage customers to come in and purchase what is being offered. With a franchise business, often times graphics and marketing services (ads, e-blasts, social media support, etc.) will be provided, so the business owner will certainly have a big advantage over trying to do it ALL on their own. But they will still need to figure out the best ways to market to their immediate community.

5. Professional Reinvention: Switching from working in the corporate world to working for yourself will naturally involve some change. And as detailed above, there’s certainly some unique challenges involved with this change. However, owning a franchise business means that the franchisor will have a tried-and-true system in place, with many resources available to help educate and anticipate changes that might affect the future of your business. Sure, change is a part of life, but through franchising you can rest a little easier in knowing you won’t have to go through changes alone!

Here at Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids Franchising (a salon franchise for kids), we work hard to share our many great resources for small businesses, marketing strategies and business experiences so that our franchisees will have the tools to succeed! If you've ever asked yourself, "What is franchising?" or would like to know more about how to own a franchise, please click below!

Are you wondering what to do when business gets a little slow? If so, here's another 15 great ideas on how you can grow your business when things might not be as busy as you'd like! (See our prior post: How to Grow a Business During Slow Periods: 15 Great Ideas! for even more awesome tips!)

1. Flip your retail – Ok, we heard that “Ugh!” But you can do this in less than eight hours. Your store will look new and different, and research proves that it increases sales! Ever go into your local Macy’s or JC Penney’s? Moving retail is a constant.

2. Look for patterns – When business slows down make a note of it. Consumer trends and buying moods are a big part of business and the more you can track them the better you can prepare.

3. Keep a positive attitude – It’s a heck of a lot more fun when the cash register is ringing and your store is busy. Just remember slow times are temporary. Have you ever walked into a business during slow times and you couldn’t find anybody to help you, and when you did they acted like they had just woke up from a nap? Keep your store upbeat and the positive energy flowing!

4. Read a book on business – There's lots of great books out there on building a business. Reading good books can give you the inspiration that you need just when you need it!

5. Plan for the Future – Start brainstorming now. What are you going to do when your business picks back up, and how are you going to make them all loyal customers? Where could you market that you currently aren’t marketing to?

6. Teach your staff to upsell – When was the last time you went over the fine art of upselling products to your staff? We have lots of tips and techniques on when to, and when not to upsell to your customers!

7. Build more personal business relationships – Do you know those individuals in your community that have been where you are, succeeded in a big way, and now have the time to share their recipe for success? We are constantly meeting with people like this and our Board of Directors is full of them. They are just waiting to play it forward, make the call.

8. Recruit employees – Speaking of our board, one of our board members is a Director of Franchise Development for a large national sub sandwich chain. They have a motto, “We are Always Hiring”. Make sure that you are always looking for people who you would want to join your team!

9. Create partnerships that you can cross market with –Remember when you started your business and you had all those businesses that you were going to cross market with? As time goes by we become more lax in this. When you're slow, it's always a good time to review and look for new businesses/partnerships in your area.

10. Review your procedures – Take a little time to review your current procedures and see if there's any areas that might need improvement. Come up with new ideas and procedures that might help to meet the needs of your customers in an even more effective way!

11. Teach a class – Speaking of playing it forward, do you know that YOU are the entrepreneurs in your community? Call your local community college and volunteer to teach a class. You took the plunge, others are thinking of doing the same. The more people that know you and your business, the better.

12. Host a contest – I was recently in our local Office Max and a group of teens ran in and asked the person behind the front desk, “Do you have an extra nametag with an Office Max name on it? If so, can we have it? We're on a scavenger hunt for a free sandwich at Chik-Fil-A!” Not sure how much extra business they were getting out of it, but they were sure having fun! And isn’t that the idea?

13. Build rapport with your team – People, Process, Product. Marcus Malonis , the man in the middle of the popular hit series “The Profit” says all successful businesses run in this order. If you don’t have the right people in place your business is doomed. Do a team building activity, have a cook out, get to know your employees on a personal level. They are the life blood of your business!

14. Get some exercise – Business is consuming, if you are not careful it can consume every bit of your thoughts, your time and zap your energy. Take a walk, join a Yoga class, go dancing. It will clear your mind and make you feel better and most importantly take your mind off your business.

15. Spend more time with your family – In Michael Seid’s book, “Franchising for Dummies” he lists the Ten Keys to Franchise Success. Number three is: don’t neglect your loved ones. He stresses the importance of spending time with your family. Life is short, so be sure to use your slow times to spend time with the ones that you love.

So even though business may not be busy - you sure can be!

Interested in learning more about one of the best kids salon franchise systems out there? As one of the fastest growing kids hair salons in the industry today, we're working hard to share our many great resources, marketing strategies and business tips so that our franchisees will have the tools to succeed! If you're interested in learning how to become a successful owner of your own childrens salon franchise business, please click below or call 1-888-98 GONE MAD!

The Movement to the Madness Summer Conference was held this past July 28th through July 31st at the beautiful and historic Elms Resort and Spa in Excelsior Springs, Missouri. Exclusively for Shear Madness Franchise Partners, the Conference featured great speakers who taught attendees on how to take their business to the next level. New services and revenue streams were introduced, as well as new initiatives to grow and market their business in the community! Franchisees were also able to meet vendors one-on-one at a salon vendor show in order to view the latest merchandise for their location.

Movement to the Madness also featured franchisee success expert Lizette Pirtle, who helps provide franchisees with the foundation they need for successfully replicating the franchise system in which they invested. Her 25 years of franchise experience is expansive, covering daily operations, marketing, communications, support and training.

There were also plenty of opportunities for Franchisees to get to talk with each other, as well as relax and have fun. This included a Welcome cocktail reception held on the first evening, with a special dinner with vendors on the last night of the conference. In between, attendees could relax by the pool, get a massage at the spa or explore the expansive interior and exterior grounds of the historic Elms hotel.

Also, congratulations to all of our winners who were recognized at our 2015 Movement to the Madness Summer Conference! Erin Nanke of Des Moines - Franchisee of the Year; Michelle Vick of Albuquerque - Top Revenue Growth and Service Customers; and Brenda and Eduardo Morales of San Antonio - Top Increase in Retail Sales!  

Janon Otto, CEO of Shear Madness Franchising LLC noted that, "Each day I come to the office, I am inspired by your efforts! Your belief in what we are doing and your willingness to accept the day to day challenges of business inspire me on a daily basis. We could not have asked for a better group of franchisees to grow with, and I am sincerely grateful to each and every one of you!"

Are you interested in learning more about one of the best kids salon franchise systems out there? As one of the fastest growing kids hair salons in the industry today, Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids is working hard to share our many great resources for small businesses and business tips so that our franchisees will have the tools to succeed! If you're interested in learning how to franchise, develop a small business plan, or become a successful owner of your own childrens salon franchise business, please click below or call 1-888-98 GONE MAD!

When business is slow it can be a great opportunity to accomplish some things that you normally don't have time for. In our stores there is always something that can be accomplished. Here are some great ideas:

1. Do Staff Training – Over time it is only natural that your staff revert back to old habits and lose some of their edge. Use this time to get them pumped back up and sharp for the rush ahead. Review your goals for customer service!

2. Send Handwritten Note Cards to Your Best Clients – You know who they are, customers like to feel appreciated and they are your best promoters. Your totally FREE marketing team!

3. Review the last quarter. – Did you make your goals? What could you have done better? What did you do right? What did you do wrong?

4. Improve your Google Reviews – This one is a real no brainer. You know who your most loyal customers are, most of them would be glad to write a review, just ask. And think of all the people who find you on the internet, your free marketing team at work again! 

5. Check in on Past Clients – Spend two hours one Sunday afternoon calling customers and asking how their experience was. You will get a lot of “Wow’s, I’ve never had the owner of a business call me before!” It’s called going the extra mile.

6. Review your Marketing Plan – You should be reviewing your marketing plan every week, but we're talking about reviewing your WHOLE plan. Are you spending your marketing dollars the most effective way possible? Any new marketing ideas that you can think of?  Will these ideas help business growth?

7. Write a Blog – It’s easy, it’s effective and it’s free. Lots of good info on the internet about why and how to write a Blog. Just remember the best bloggers say, “ The best blogs are 50% title and 50% content.”

8. Identify Areas Where You Can Start Saving Money – A very wise business friend of ours says running a successful business comes down to managing the Nickels and the Dimes. Have you ever come the end of the month and wondered where the money went? Find out! Grow your business by controlling costs. Every dollar saved is an extra dollar in your pocket!

9. Have your Floor Buffed or Walls Touched Up – Call around, you can get this done for a good price and people in this business often will do their work on off hours. Your location will be sure to look great when the crowds come back!

10. Create some Standard Reply Letters – Have you read the research lately on handwritten notes? We have letters ready to go out, some titles; Thanks for the referral, Thank you for telling us there was a problem, Sorry we messed up! Thank you for writing a Google Review. Etc. Etc.

11. Find Yourself a Peer Group – Ever hear someone say, “he’s a really good networker” ? There's lots of opportunity to become a really good networker. You can often find groups to connect to, BMI, or Business Men’s International for example, you can talk about everything business and make friends along the way.

12. Clean Out the Storage Room and Refrigerator – Need we say more?

13. Write Out a Detailed Goal’s List – List 10 things that you are going to do to make your business absolutely awesome right NOW!

14. Reach Out to Old Contacts – Talk to anyone you haven’t spoken to in awhile. Marketing contacts, vendors, business associates. Who knows, someone might have an idea for growing a business that’s working for them and it might work for you.

15. Expand Your Role and Add Value – What can you do that you would normally not do because you have someone else do it?  Do your Taxes, look at your operations and look for inefficiencies, Get the Idea? Do something! You have the time.

Studying how to grow a business during the slow times is important. So even though business may not be busy - you sure can be!

Interested in learning more about one of the best kids salon franchise systems out there? As one of the fastest growing kids hair salons in the industry today, we're working hard to share our many great resources, marketing strategies and business tips so that our franchisees will have the tools to succeed! If you're interested in learning how to become a successful owner of your own childrens salon franchise business, please click below or call 1-888-98 GONE MAD!

Creating an atmosphere of fun in your business can go a long way in helping foster customer loyalty. And customer loyalty translates into increased sales - not only through repeat patrongage, but by your customers telling friends and family what a great experience they have at your business!

Developing a small business plan that encourages and stimulates growth in your business should be a top priority for every business owner. But in the hustle and bustle of day-to-day life, sometimes the little things can get overlooked. And it's the little things that can add up to either great or poor customer retention.

Following are some of our ideas on practical and creative ways a business owner / successful franchisee can maintain and stimulate customer growth and a fun atmosphere in their store! 

Pay attention to the little things: Don't bring down the atmosphere of your store through having a dirty restroom, dusty products, messy displays or cluttered counterspaces. Make sure that the store is in good repair with doors that don't annoyingly squeak, ceilings free from water spots and cob-webs, and floors that are clean and easily navigated. Also, you'll want to make sure that items and/or services have easy-to-find prices available, as it can be frustrating for a customer who may want to purchase an item but not know how much it costs. Keep an eye out for damaged products or products with beat-up packaging, as you wouldn't want your customer to have the impression that you're trying to sell them something inferior!

Decorations: In our mass-produced world, sometimes customers will appreciate visiting a business that encourages creativity and keeps things lively and interesting through the placement of seasonal decorations, artwork and other subtle personal touches. Be sure you know who your target audience is, and utilize up-to-date decorations that showcase why your business is special!

Music: Music can add a fun atsmosphere to your store, but make sure it isn't so loud that customers may feel as if they have to plug their ears. Also make sure that whatever music you have playing in the background is appropriate for your audience, and doesn't contain anything that might offend.

Happy Employees: We've all been to stores where employees behave as if inconvenienced that you've bothered to ask them a question or go through their check-out line. Make sure to help employees understand the importance of greeting their customer when they enter the store, smiling and being courteous whenever working with a customer, and wishing them a good day when they leave. And while it's important for employees to be available for any help a customer might require, being too intrusive may be a turn-off for customers (example: hovering when a customer is shopping, or asking multiple times if they need help).

Appreciate your Customers: Everyone likes to be recognized and appreciated. For those customers who repeatedly do business at your store, you may want to send them a thank you note with coupon. Hosting a "Customer Appreciation Day" once a year might also be a great idea, with the providing of live music, a raffle, pet costume contest, art contest, games for kids, and more! Be creative, and have fun!

Here at Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids Franchising, we love to have FUN! We also love sharing our many great business tips and resources for small businesses so that our franchisees will have the tools to succeed! If you're interested in learning how to become a successful owner of your own franchise business, please click below!

In the digital age, kids might be very tech-savvy when it comes to playing the latest game or using social media, but then suffer from a little social awkwardness when it comes to talking to their peers. From kids (and adults too!) who stare at their phones during a meal, to children who would rather text than talk to someone who might even be in the same room, it sometimes might seem as if people are forgetting the importance of having positive real-life interactions with others. And while it's certainly very worthwhile that kids know how to use technnology for creative expression and the accomplishing of important tasks, it's also of great importance to make sure kids succeed in life through developing great social skills!

At Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids, we understand how important it is for kids to have fun and learn - but also be encouraged and motivated to succeed in life. Following are some tips that might be useful in modeling and helping kids with social skills!

Do as I say, not as I do? Parents can sometimes be overly critical of children, but then neglect to observe how their own behavior may be questionable as well! Kids who live in the same household as an adult will observe how adults behave and act, and will often times imitate this behavior - whether a parent likes it or not. If adults are spending a lot of time looking at social media (on the phone or computer), watching TV, and playing games, kids are going to want to do this too. If at all possible, it's best just wait to do these activities when the kids go to bed. And let's face it, who wants their kids to grow up and tell their own kids that their parents spent a lot of time on social media instead of being out making memories and having fun?

Spending Time Together: Kids learn how to communicate with other people through personal interactions. For example, meal time is a great occassion to teach children how to properly engage with others through observing body language and carrying on a conversation through listening, asking questions, making eye contact and more. Another great opportunity is reading a chapter from a favorite book each evening, and having a conversation about what the characters experienced, thought about, and the child's own thoughts and feelings about it. Of course, even playing a game or watching a television show together can be useful for interacting with kids as long as parents find moments to pause and talk about it during or afterwards. 

Speak Up! In social situations where kids may be present with other adults, a parent can sometimes want to say too much for their kids. For example, at family gatherings when another adult asks a child a question about what they've been learning at school - parents can sometimes want to answer for them if the child looks uncertain about how to respond. However, if a child is shy or has trouble talking to adults, a parent can help train their child on how to talk in these situations by setting up imaginative scenarios where the parents pretends they are someone who asks a certain question - and then coaches the child on how they might best respond in the future. These pretend scenarios might include how to greet someone, shake hands, starting and ending a phone call, starting and ending a conversation, and more. Have fun!

As Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids is one of the fastest growing kids hair salons in the industry today, we're always working hard to share our many great resources on marketing strategies, business growth, small business marketing and other great business tips so that our franchisees will have the tools to succeed! If you are interested in our other free resources for businesses, or would like to learn more about how to become a successful owner of your own franchise business, please click below or call 1-888-98 GONE MAD!

In the exciting world of Children's Hair Salons, building brand awareness can be an exciting challenge and another way to run a smarter business. Not only is it important to use clever eye-catching marketing techniques in the community (such as what we discussed in our article Gorilla Marketing Strategies and Erin Nanke's Marketing in Des Moines), but it's also important to engage your customers through having an online presence by developing - and maintaining - a website and social media content.

For example, the Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids website ranks near the top for childrens salons, the salon business and kids spa locations. We consistently receive between 35,000 to 60,000 visitors per month. Our Facebook site currently has over 30,000 "Likes", and has been a great way to interact with our customers through fun contests, receiving positive feedback, and listening / responding to customer concerns. Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+ have also been great ways to reach out to our customers by providing fun content for them to access each day. We do this through the careful understanding that although simply having an online presence has certainly been important for our business, utilizing the internet to reinforce the FUN that Shear Madness represents has been a vital ingredient for success!

Great design also configures into this equation too - especially given the short-attention span that people have in the age of the internet. While it's true you can't always judge a book by it's cover, people will quickly pass a business by if the business looks unprofessional, uninteresting, or just plain boring - especially in the children's market! Without nicely designed ads, signs, posters, web banners, meme graphics and more that clearly communicate your brand, customers will unfortunately find their interest drawn by other businesses who do. So be sure to take time to invest in great graphic design that communicates what you do, applies a consistent message (so your audience will visually recognize who you are), and provides a way for your customers to feel the FUN when they see your materials!

So while marketing and design can be a lot of fun, and generate a lot of excitement for your brand, it sometimes doesn't come cheap. Nor is it something that takes only a couple hours here and there in order to be successful. However, here at Shear Madness Haircuts for Kids, we understand how important it is! Because of this, we work hard in providing many great resources and materials to help our franchise owners succeed in the marketing and development of their business. For example, we have numerous photographs and art assets easily available to our franchisees through dropbox for the creation of flyers, e-mails and more. We also provide graphic design and marketing services for franchisees who may need a little more in-depth assistance with newspaper ads, signs, or marketing through social media avenues. Whatever the case may be, you can bet that by being partnered with our great team - you'll not only have a friend in the business, but a true advantage as well!

Interested in learning more about one of the best kids salon franchise systems out there? As one of the fastest growing kids hair salons in the industry today, we're working hard to share our many great resources and business experiences so that our franchisees will have the tools to succeed! If you're interested in learning how to become a successful owner of your own childrens salon franchise business, please click below or call 1-888-98 GONE MAD!