Creating Boundaries In the Eyelash Extension Salon

Learn To Separate Salon Life and Personal Life

Creating boundaries creates balance in your personal life and your professional life. It defines who we are. What we will accept and what we will not. It is not selfish to set boundaries. Those around us will respect your boundaries if you are clear with what they are. Boundaries in any service business is so important to create longevity in your career. It is easy to stay late for a customer or give a friendly discount to someone because they are your ‘friend, or they have a sad story that impacts how much money they may or may not have. You may run into a customer who has a last-minute event or reason they feel you need to squeeze them in. Setting clear expectations and boundaries will help support you saying, no when this comes up. If you have not set, clear boundaries it will be easy to get burned out or not make the money you need to live your best life.

Learn To Say No

Most of us in the service industry are people pleasers. We don’t want to tell people no. Some may feel if they tell a customer no, they will find someone else to see. The truth is they might and that is ok. You want to build a clientele with clear boundaries where they respect your time, and you respect theirs. It is possible to tell your guests, no and take only the services you like and the clients you like. It starts with creating boundaries with yourself, your business, and your customers themselves. The life span of a service professional is only 5 years. Service providers get burned out and don’t make consistent money. I am here to help you know how you can make it passed the 5-year average.

Don't Get Emotionally Involved

Service providers are friends, therapists, and service providers. We get emotionally involved with our customers lives. We get to know them well, maybe too well. Sometimes we know more than their closest friends or family members. Because of this we hear about the best of their lives and the worst of their lives. You hear about deaths, divorces, and loss of jobs. It is so easy to discount their service to help them out. Does that help you out? If you went to the dentist and you told the dentist about your personal situation, do they discount your service? Most likely not. It is the hardest part about being a service provider but you need to separate yourself emotionally from the services you offer. Over time that gets easier if you practice. Whenever you practice anything, you will make progress.

Ways to Create Boundaries

There are a few different things you can do to make sure you create clear boundaries and make sure you clients are aware of what they are. The first thing is creating your schedule and do not alter from this. Well, unless you are needing to take time off. Creating your set schedule that you do not schedule outside of sets your first boundary, time. Time is so easy for yourself to give and get abused. If you have a clear schedule when you take appointments then it makes it easy to say, no, outside of those hours. If you try and ‘wing’ it and schedule all over the place you will fall short with your family and with work. I personally prefer to use a service scheduling app. This allows customers to schedule with it vs. calling or texting you.

Another way you can set clear and concise boundaries is creating policies that are posted on your website, text with confirmation and emailed. Some policies that may be needed is last minute cancelation and no shows. If your clients know they will be charged a fee for a last-minute cancelation or no show, they are more likely to care more for your time. Your time is money. Clients may not understand if they no show you or cancel last minute you do not make money. Meaning you are going to work and not getting paid for it. It makes It hard and scary for you as a service provider if you have not created boundaries for you clients. This creates inconsistency in your paychecks. Not all last-minute cancellations can be avoided, but it is easier to plan financially for a few.

Cost is the 2^nd most important boundary to set with your customers. It is better to be very open with clients about the cost of the service. Having a website that your prices are posted. When you confirm appointment give an estimate for what the cost of the service will be. After the consultation and before you start the service provide your customer a quote for what their price will be. This way your clients are completely aware of what they will be paying. Even if they are going through something rough in life you will not fee as if you should provide them a discount. You do not know what people can afford or what they have budgeted for their hair.

Separate Emotion From Business

Separating your emotion from your business and your services helps you still be compassionate and empathetic to your clients, but the monetary part of your business is separate. Clear boundaries will not only create consistency in your business. It is easier to know when you are working so you can create a healthy personal life and professional life. The life span of a service provider is only 5 years. Why do you think that is? Because service providers are people pleasers, we want to make everyone happy at the expense of us. Have you ever heard a service professional express the fact they want to work Monday-Friday 9 to 5? I know I have. Guess what you can. You may need to be more flexible when you are building your clientele. Being flexible still does not mean going outside of your boundaries. They can just have a little broader perimeter.

Its time to look into your personal and professional life and reevaluate your boundaries. Where can you create more boundaries for you to have the life you want and the time you want.