After months of hard work, you’re finally hitting your goals. Congrats! Your salon is every PMU artist’s dream. It is buzzing with client chatter, and the phones are ringing off the hook. Everyone wants to schedule an appointment with YOU.
Lots of PMU artists hope to be in your shoes one day and learn how to grow a PMU business. But with growth comes different responsibilities, and you might find yourself wondering what’s next and how to manage everything that comes with scaling your business.
Growing fast is a good problem to have. To avoid a “good problem” turning into a plain “problem,” you need strategies to handle your success in a controlled way.
Growth is exciting but requires attention. If left unchecked, your busier-than-ever schedule or lack of experience with technical aspects of the business could snowball out of your control and hurt your business in the long run.
You don’t want a poor reputation because you couldn’t keep up with increased demand, didn’t have time to monitor and respond to client feedback or had a technical problem with your booking software that you didn’t know how to fix.
If you’re in the midst of fast growth or wisely doing your research now to better handle future growth issues, we have six suggestions to help you steer clear of significant problems.
1. Keep Customer Service Top of Mind – Always
As your schedule gets busier, it’s easy to let client feedback and reviews slip under the rug. Your clients are the reason for your success. Keep them happy to keep them coming back and sharing your name in their social circles.
It is important to always have a listening ear for praise and complaints. Pay attention to client feedback, and make sure you are responding to every message, review and email. Your clients are looking for communication that is genuine and personal. Personalized responses to their comments will help them feel heard and appreciated.
Client feedback can give you ideas about what you should do more of and what can use improvement. Your marketing team can also assist you with client satisfaction and responding to clients appropriately. Be sure to educate your team about your expectations when interacting with your clients and the feedback you receive.
2. Watch Your Spending and Adjust as You Grow
Inspect your bank statements and bills to see where you are spending money. Check what you spend on rent, utilities, supplies, marketing and technology services. Then, determine how you expect your growth to affect your finances and adjust your spending accordingly.
For example, have you been paying a monthly service fee for a service or product you no longer use or that is not helping you grow your client base? Cancel it and put the money towards something else that will improve your client experience. It may be helpful to talk to your marketing partner about what will bring you the best return on your investment.
3. Save Time With Software Solutions
The artistry that you offer your clients is the main attraction. If other tasks are getting in the way, look for ways to simplify. There are many software solutions you can use to make administrative tasks such as bookkeeping and scheduling easier and less time consuming. Cutting back on the time you spend on administrative tasks frees you up to focus on your art and your clients.
4. Lock In a Great Location
Finding the best location to lease for your salon will depend on a variety of factors. Be sure to take into account ease of access, proximity to your loyal clients, and surrounding businesses. A location near other high-end stores and boutiques can help boost the image of your own salon even before you open your doors.
Leases on commercial spaces can change periodically. To avoid losing your space or having your rent increased, you may want to consider a longer term lease. Typical leases for businesses can be three, five or even ten years. If you are contemplating expanding your business or sharing space with another artist, you may need to plan now by finding a larger space.
5. Know When to Hire Great Help
When you first started out as a PMU artist, you may have only had a few clients a week. You had time to devote to your social media marketing and managing your finances. Now that your salon is thriving, your schedule is full of appointments with clients. You may struggle to find time to grow your business.
Learning to hand over your workload to someone else can be the most challenging part of growth.
Decide what others can do for you. Your skills and experience as a permanent makeup artist bring clients through the door. That talent should remain the core of what you do. Perhaps, it is time to hire a partner to help with your social media campaign or bookkeeping so that you can concentrate on what you do best.
When hiring others, find experts who understand your vision for the future. You may be pleasantly surprised to find talented individuals who can boost a particular aspect of your business. For example, you might know some about social media marketing for makeup artists, but the person you hire may be able to bring experience and options to the table you may not have thought of before.
6. Seek the Advice of Other Entrepreneurs
Great entrepreneurs are willing to ask for and accept advice. Find other experienced business owners who have been down the same path you are on now. Join a PMU or a small business owner’s organization to learn about strategies that worked for others. Their advice could be invaluable. Highstoke Society provides a blend of networking opportunities and educational resources for growing PMU professionals like you.
7. Tailor Your Approach to Your Needs
As you grow, experiment with different strategies to keep up with changing demands, ideas and trends because there is no one-size-fits-all approach to growing a PMU business. Think about your strengths and weaknesses. Focus on learning about the areas that will benefit you the most. For some, it might be perfecting their skills in the latest PMU techniques, while others may see more benefit from expanding their social media presence.
You are not alone. Even great PMU artists face struggles as they grow their businesses. However, employing proven marketing and growth strategies can help you overcome these hurdles and build your business into the successful PMU salon you dreamed of running. Plan for success, use technology when you can, and rely on advice from other entrepreneurs and PMU marketing experts when you need it. You can be a successful entrepreneur.
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A successful PMU business experiencing fast growth and success is what every artist dreams of. But know that it comes with different responsibilities that require attention. Otherwise, it can turn into a problem that will give you a headache. Here are some suggestions you can consider to prevent any growth issues in the future.
