2022’s Technological Shift in Power for Salons

The Current state in 2022

Now more than ever, the choice to choose one’s destiny is becoming an option for millions of people. The world, and the power in it, has shifted. From employees showing up for a wage at the end of the month to a system that supports one’s sovereignty. We have more control in our lives than ever before.

And the hair industry has not escaped this massive change, and with it, opportunities for stylists have rapidly arose, and there became power in having a choice. A subtle but important change to note. With SalonScale supporting this evolution from day one.

The Changing of Power

In recent years, I’ve seen a massive development in how the hair industry operates, causing a shift in the financial models which have been in place for a long time and a new fragmentation that has not been seen before.

And where have I seen this power shift?

The Stylist.

Never before have we had a situation where the stylist could operate and create a personal brand within the greater brand of their salon. This switch has also created a new need for salon owners to appeal to stylists to encourage them to bring their business to their salons, versus the old model of a stylist needing to appeal to a salon.

So What is Making This Shift Possible For So Many?

Technology. For the longest time, the way things were done was accepted as the way they would always be done, but I have seen it only takes one pressure point to become too painful to spark an evolution that revolutionizes an industry. And in this case, that point was something stylists and salon owners alike could no longer ignore.

Inflation.

In the salon world, you can’t go onto a salon page or community without people talking about inflation and the rising costs of products. This topic comes up time and time again. Prices for products have been going up steadily for some time, but I’ve seen many stylists never raise any of their prices to match. So as this gap grew, salon owners and stylists, were the ones burdening the gap.

This is the point where the industry had an issue that reached its inflection point. I realized we needed a tool that could move the gap burden from our businesses back to the consumer of the products.

But could this be done? So many attempts before had been confusing, with huge financial burdens on the salons and therefore the stylists. It needed to be something easy to access by all and to be built to support the direct needs of the business owners.

The Forefront of the Industry

The missing piece became technology. The burn of the issue had been felt for too long, and the industry was ready for someone to give them an answer. Like many successful ideas, I was in the right place at the right time to respond to this need in the industry with SalonScale.

I knew that equipping business owners with data, so they could see what was actually going on in their business would enable them to make positive decisions based on real-time and accurate costs. Thus we could help them become profitable from day one, and in doing this we shifted the power away from salon owners. Something even I didn’t predict would happen in such a radical way, as a previous salon owner myself it was a big transition, but one that was needed no less.

The Hair Future is Tech

What SalonScale grew to be was a technology that supports salon owners, and stylists, to fully transform their back bar into a profit bar. It was also developed to support this new hybrid model of bringing in profitable stylists. Throughout the work we’re doing though, my aim has always remained on keeping our industry customer-centric throughout all our processes.

As we move into 2022, we’re seeing more changes to the SalonScale platform, as its users require more of us. Such as providing centralized data to map and sustain trends on individual levels, such as influencer trends and high-dimension color offerings. With the complexity of color and total usage, SalonScale can accurately measure and cost these out per cut. Meaning stylists can stay relevant and profitable.

Not Just Waste Management

It’s with tools like SalonScale, which isn’t just a waste management tool, but rather a cost management software that is supporting this radical change in the industry. And as it continues to adapt and evolve to the needs of the market, I know it will become so much more than that.

We always say that SalonScale is powered by the industry, and aims to give value to every step of the supply chain, but at its heart, it’s a technology built from a passion to help. For Stylists, I want to give them the power to remain in control of their business and build a profitable and sustainable life. And for Salon Owners, I want to help them provide a great service that attracts the best stylists.

Looking forward to seeing what the rest of 2022 will bring to your evolving industry!