3 ways to earn more without working more

We’ve all heard the saying ‘Work smarter, not harder’, but what does it actually mean?

It sounds like a great idea, especially right now when things are tough out there for businesses, but how can you put it into practice in your salon? Sit tight and I’ll show you.

When I opened my award-winning Skin Clinic 5 years ago, I became consistently fully booked within 12 months. I was hugely grateful that all my hard work was finally paying off. But after years of working 12 hour days, it took its toll on my health (and my social life!).

I kept hearing the phrase ‘Work smarter, not harder’ and thought that sounds great, but HOW do I actually do that? Now, after growing my business to a six figure one, I mentor Beauty Business and Salon owners to do the same – by working the smarter way. And I want to share some of the things I’ve learned.

With treatments, you are always swapping your time for money, and there’s only so many hours in the day you can physically work. Finding ways that allowed me to earn more without working more hours was a huge game changer for my business.

Here are my top 3 Ways to skyrocket your income without having to work even harder for it.

Sell your products online

Before you groan and say ‘but I hate selling!’ hear me out…

You know what using the right products can do for clients, and you want to give your clients the BEST results – right? But if they’re not using the right products at home, are they going to achieve this? No. So when it comes to selling products to your clients, it’s more authentic to come from a place of wanting the very best results for them, rather than just just ‘selling’. And if you don’t feel a certain product will benefit your client, tell them why, and recommend an alternative – this will build trust.

Retailing products doubled the income of my business and it can for you too. Think about it, if a client came in for a £60 treatment and also bought a £60 product, that’s £120 you’re making in the same amount of time.

In my skincare business, I sold products both in the clinic and through our online store. The online store changed the game for me, because it literally allowed me to make money in my sleep. Orders would come in at all hours of the day (and night!).

You want to be a one-stop destination for your client’s needs and you don’t want them running out of a product and going elsewhere to buy it. You’ll also find that once a client loves the results they get from a product you sell, you’ll get repeat orders again and again.

How can Timely help with this?

One of the many things I love about Timely is that they have made selling online easier than ever, thanks to their integration with Shopify. This allows you to sell retail products in your very own online store but also easily manage your stock levels thanks to their automated syncing. It’s so easy to set up, you’ll wish you’d done it sooner.

Offer a treatment package…the smart way!

Now, you may already offer treatment packages but I bet you’re doing this the hard way, not the smart way.

I see salons time and time again package up 2 different treatments, for example a Lash Lift and a Facial and advertise it at a discount – in other words, working longer hours for less money. Well, you’re not going to be doing that any more.

Start creating packages the smart way by combining treatments you could do together in a similar amount of time. For example, a Lash Lift and Brows or a Facial and Indian Head Massage (which you could do whilst the client’s face mask is setting).

One of the most popular packages I offered in my Skin Clinic involved Microdermabrasion, LED Light Therapy and a Mini Neck and Shoulder or Head Massage which we would do whilst the client relaxed under the Light Therapy machine for 25 minutes. This took no additional time but the client felt like they were getting a lot more for their money. We charged more for this package (not less) and increased our income by more than 45% for the same amount of time.

How can Timely help with this?

Start getting creative and think of how you can create a monthly package within your services the smarter way – and charge more for it, not less.

Automate everything

I’m always surprised by how many salons still do everything manually, from booking appointments to sending aftercare e-mails. Is that really the best use of your time? And if you are already using Timely, are you making use of all its incredible features?

How can Timely help with this?

You should aim to automate as much in your business as you can – it’s more cost effective, gives you more time to work on your business rather than in it, and there’s less room for making any errors. You’ll know what I mean if you’ve ever accidentally double booked – you definitely need an online booking system!

In my Skin Clinic, we automated everything from sending automatic aftercare e-mails post-treatment, to requesting a Google review, to sending rebooking reminders. This not only saved me a huge amount of admin time every week (around 8 hours at least) but increased my repeat bookings. It skyrocketed my 5-star reviews and my salon came across as super professional. It also gave me some time back so I could take some well-deserved time off.

Now you have 3 ideas on how to work smarter, not harder, I encourage you to pick one, put it to work this month and watch it become a game changer for your business. With Timely on your side, you can do it.

Want more ideas on how to Work Smarter, Not Harder?
Follow my Instagram @kellyrosebeautybusinessmentor
www.kellyrosebeautymentor.co.uk