Can we talk about retail and brand relationships?? I was recently at a hair show and someone approached me with several questions about removing retail and becoming brand agnostic. While the conversation was interesting, I personally could not wrap my head around the idea and here’s why.....👇🏽 Before I share my thoughts as a successful stylist/ salon owner and coach, I want to recognize that there are many business models out there (find the one that works for you and your personality) ✅ Partnering with a brand can help you EXPLODE your business. They have access to tools, resources and education that you may not know of. I partnered with several brands that have literally changed my life as a salon owner for the better. The points and rewards are untouchable. (I’ll share more about this later) 😊 The guests benefit because they can walk right out of the salon with the product. Also, if your salon has affiliate links or ecommerce, you can make sure you have constant connection to their needs. Now for the good stuff...... When we opened our salon 17 years ago, we wanted to create something very different 🙌🏽 We knew that the percentage of stylists that actually retired from this career was almost non existent, not to mention, there were very few stylists that had insurance or any sort of benefits available. After really getting my finger on the pulse of our industry, most of it came down to lack of cash flow 💰 Retail is of the quickest ways to boost your salons bottom dollar As of today, we have been able to do the following because of retail in the salon and because of the support from our partner brands👇🏽👇🏽 ▫️We were able to completely fund the building of a Foster Home ▫️Donated significant funds to @curechildcancer ▫️Provide a 401K with 4% match to our team ▫️Provide Health Care Benefits to our team ▫️We recently took 6 team members to London for advanced education (we’ve done this for 17 years, in many countries at the tune of around $8,000 per person and sometimes twice a year) ▫️Countless classes here in the US and bi-monthly in the salon ▫️Bonuses/ Team Events And SO MUCH MORE 💯 So... for me, it’s VERY important #lovemyteam