When Sarah F. Taylor purchased Impressions Day Spa in Mequon in August of 2018, there were no COVID storm clouds overhead.
This top-notch salon had been a well-established member of the Mequon community for more than 30 years. The biggest challenge Taylor faced initially was to ensure both employees and customers that Impressions wasn’t going to lose what had made it special.
“It’s tough to follow an already successful business owner without the fear of something going wrong under the new leadership,” Taylor said.
Creating a positive culture was her number one priority. Taylor’s first action was to form a leadership team. She wanted more employee engagement to boost morale and build trust and loyalty. The leadership team executed plans that breathed new life into the business. Team building, defining leadership roles, and creating a safe space for staff was where they started.
Taylor knew her approach was working when customers made comments about how they could feel the energy shift when they walked in the door. She was ecstatic to hear new employee prospects say they could feel how much everyone enjoyed their job. She engaged and empowered several long-term and current employees by giving them responsibility for the boutique and screening of potential new employees.
But no one could have prepared a new business owner for the COVID-19 crisis. Taylor believed the reaction of her staff and customers to the pandemic would be crucial for the survival of the business. She had a plan and immediately took the following steps:
- Assured her staff that everything was going to be OK. They communicated on a weekly basis.
- Sent a weekly email to their entire client base updating them on the status of the business. She came in every day to give guests time to call, buy products, ask questions, and let them know that they were there and ready to come back when they were able to do so.
- On Saturdays, gift cards were sold for 20% off as well as offering curbside product pick-up. There was a huge response to this program. Customers wanted to help in any way that they could ensure the health of the business.
- The salon shared videos on its social media platform helping clients maintain their hair, skin and nails while they were unable to serve them.
- Taylor conducted weekly Zoom meetings updating her team on what she was researching. She tried to stay one step ahead of the competition. She was able to provide her staff with a sense of calm amidst the crisis. She had the answers to questions that her employees were worried about: PPP, unemployment benefits, safety protocol, etc. The staff’s level of trust grew knowing that she was on top of how to handle the PPP and help them with unemployment benefits.
- Taylor made sure the salon was stocked and ready for every safety and sanitation measure.
- When the salon was able to reopen, they felt rescheduling in order of missed appointments was the best way to get everyone in, rather than opening the books to first come first serve. They extended the hours to get their 4,000 missed appointments in as quickly as possible.
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Sarah Taylor[/caption]
Taking over an existing business is hard enough, without the additional challenge of a pandemic.
In addition to that, Taylor found out that switching roles from coworker to boss was extremely challenging.
“I was most concerned about everyone else’s feelings regarding the transition and tried to make it as easy as possible,” she said. “Even though it worked, it took a toll on me. I needed a team. We needed more than just me. There is a fine line between being a friend and a boss. Because we worked for so many years alongside this group, they were comfortable with me, perhaps too comfortable. We realized rather quickly that I needed clear systems in place and a team of leaders who could accomplish both peace in the transition but also change. The leadership team went from colleagues to bosses. This was a great lesson for me in how to balance being a boss and an empowering leader that engages the team.”
Taylor offers these tips for entrepreneurs:
“Always be a student. Look for ways to constantly fuel the fire behind your business. Find great mentors, define the key pillars to your business and make sure you find people who support your views. When there is synergy in the culture and mission anything is possible.”
