Is It Time to Hire an Assistant?
For quite some time, I went back and forth on whether or not I should hire an assistant. Throughout my life, I’ve never been great at asking for help. I always think, “I can just do it myself” or “if I want it done right, I’ll just take care of it.” There are a lot of stylists out there who think like me, but I have also seen stylists hire an assistant and run an even more efficient business while creating more time and revenue. That’s what motivated me to give it a try!
I finally reached a point in my career where I felt like it was time to hire someone! I hired my assistant Skyler about a month ago, and now I don’t know how I ever functioned without her!
Initially, I was so intimidated by the thought of hiring an assistant. How would I find someone? How would I know if it was a good fit? Like most things we worry about though, it was way easier than I thought! A friend of mine tagged Skyler on my Instagram post about hiring, and she sent me a quick video about herself and her experience. I had her come to the salon for a shadow day, and we clicked! So my advice? Take the leap, make the post! It’s so much easier than you think — all you have to do is START!
The main thing I hoped to gain from hiring an assistant was TIME. I wanted to get off work at a decent hour and have time to focus on my craft as well as my other projects. Plus, I wanted to be able to work more efficiently and make more money.
So here are the things that Skyler helps me with on Tuesdays & Thursdays:
Welcoming my clients
Mixing + formulating color (This is something I’m helping her with, and it’s been really fun to pass on what I know!)
Handing me foils/clips (You’d be surprised how much FASTER this makes you!)
Rooting and treating extensions while I apply the color to the client (This is a GAME-CHANGER for my hair extensions installations!)
Answering phone calls and texts from clients
Creating content and videos for my social media (We are learning how to navigate Tik Tok & Reels together, and it’s so helpful to have someone to film the fun behind the scenes that people love to see!)
Re-booking and checking out my clients
Keeping my salon tidy
Washing and folding towels
Cleaning bowls, brushes, etc.
Keeping my mind creative by bouncing ideas off each other
Blow drying, styling, and putting finishing touches on the client
Engaging in conversation with the client and myself (This has super helpful because while I love chatting with my clients, it does take some of the pressure off so I can concentrate on the task at hand when it requires more focus!)
So, if you’ve been on the fence about hiring an assistant, I can tell you that the time is NOW! It’s a huge help to have someone there to lend a hand, even if it’s just two or three days a week. As I mentioned, I have Skyler on Tuesdays & Thursdays, so I know I can book more clients and work even faster on those days.
Here are a few other things to think about if you want to hire an assistant:
Do you have the time or desire to pour into someone? I wanted to hire an assistant who was fresh out of school so that I could help them grow and train them in the way I do things!
Do you want to teach your assistant how to do things your way or do you want someone who already has the experience and skills you need?
Can you afford to pay someone a fair wage? You have to sit down and crunch those numbers to know if this is feasible for you!
Can you develop a contract that will make things fair for both of you?
Do you want them to get any certifications while working for you and who will pay for that? Since I am focused on hand-tied extensions, I want Skyler to get her Harper Ellis Method certification so she can start working on installs and move ups!
Again, I can’t say enough how life-changing it is to finally ask for help! I wish I had done it sooner, but hey, we all have to learn and grow in our time! If you have questions about hiring an assistant, my comments and DMs are open!