Climate change, carbon footprint, green energy, clean energy…. It’s no wonder we get overwhelmed with knowing where to start to reduce our impact on the environment. Below I have listed some simple steps to help you reduce your impact to what is now a global problem. Let’s go!
1. Make the switch
As time goes on, more and more power company providers are providing a greener option. Apart from saving our planet the great news is that a lot of the time these options can actually save you money! Win-win?
Swap all your lightbulbs to energy savers and if you are a hair salon, there are many options of water-saving wash basin taps.
2. Marketing materials
The future is here! And our marketing needs to follow suit. With the power of social media and digital marketing the need for print marketing is reducing. However! I still strongly believe a physical printed referral card, or a personalised new client follow-up letter still has strong merit. If you must invest in print media for your business try to stick to recycled materials.
Hot hint: Your software provider has literally hundreds of ways that you can market digitally to your clients, and the best news? Zero carbon footprint.
3. Ride sharing
If you have a team of 10, the problem is that’s 10 cars to find places to park at your salon, spa or clinic. Apart from carpooling being great fun, it just makes logical sense. But even better…. Walk or take public transport.
4. Cool down
The amount of times I walk into my clients salon, spa or clinic and they have the air conditioning set on the Antarctic setting, or in the winter you feel like you have walked into a sauna is astounding! Adjusting your climate control by 2° can lower your power bills up to 30%. Cha-Ching!
5. Client history and new client info
Going paperless makes sense doesn’t it? Part of the reason we don’t is that it seems like a lot of work. The good news is that it’s not! By changing a few easy habits you can go paperless in next to no time. Entering your client histories via a tablet and handing an iPad to your new clients to fill in the details is not only more professional, but it will save you time as well.
6. Recycling
Surely you don’t have just one bin in your salon? If so where have you been for the last 10 years?! With the amount of consumables and product packaging we chew through in our industry, it just makes logical sense to separate your waste.
Can’t be bothered? Live in Australia or New Zealand? Contact Sustainable Salons and they will take all the hard work out of it for you!
7. Salon towels
Whether you wash your towels at home or in the salon, make sure your washer and dryer has a high star rating for energy efficiency. You may not be aware but most power companies have peak and off-peak energy consumption times. Most washers and dryers have timers so you can set to use at the most cost-effective times.
Hot hint: Research suppliers in your local area for disposable and recyclable single use towels. YES I know they are not the same! Like when your pet goldfish died when you were six years old – you’ll soon get used to life without fluffy towels.
Now I wouldn’t be a business coach without talking to you about other forms of waste in your business. Turn down the heat in your salon by having frequent and open communication with each team member one-on-one.
Mitigate inefficiencies by having a plan of how you spend your time working on the business and in it. We waste so much time swapping hats from one to another. Time to fix this once!
Consider the sustainability of consistency in your service delivery. Without a consistent level of service across every team member your results will be hot and cold.
Stop wasting time inviting new clients into your business without working on your retention. Make sure that every new client coming through the front door that you don’t have a lost client leaving out the back.
Now in an ideal world we would have all of these things plus some in place, right? However the reality is that we wear many hats and a busy spinning many plates to keep out salons running smoothly.
So my advice is this…. Just choose one of the above points to focus on and implement into your business this week. Keep it simple and get the team on board to support you. Team accountability is when things get done and the magic happens. Go GREEN!
Jay Chapman is a specialist salon coach at The ZING Project. To get in contact with Jay reach out at jay@zingcoach.com.au or join our private Facebook group ‘ZING inspired salon collective’.
