The Power of Purpose

Today, leading companies, both large and small, are transforming how they operate by adding PURPOSE in the marketing of their businesses.  Typically, the beauty industry has used paid advertising and social media marketing to reach audiences, and let’s never forget the ever-powerful word-of-mouth advertising.  But there is another effective and often overlooked method to increase the exposure of your salon and gain new clients- cause-based marketing.

Cause-based marketing is a mutually beneficial marketing partnership between a not-for-profit and a for-profit business. The relationship benefits are reciprocal; exposure and positive press for the salon business, and the not-for-profit (NFP) raises funds.  In our industry, salon owners and beauty industry professionals can easily support and partner with a NFP through donations of services or products.  

When hair salon owners use cause-based marketing to increase their visibility and exposure, they have a definite opportunity to increase their clientele and help their local communities at the same time. Your salon staff may volunteer to give makeovers to job seekers at local homeless shelters or donate a portion of retail sales to a domestic abuse shelter. The work you and your stylists do in the community helps boost self-esteem and give recipients a new lease on life, while your salon’s positive presence in the community may boost clientele numbers and sales.  A salon’s association with a NFP informs your clients, and potential clients, that your core values are rooted in the cause that you support.  

Here are three main reasons how cause-based marketing campaigns can improve your salon business:

1. Connect with your Target Population:  Did you know that Millennials are the most socially-conscious consumers in history?  If your target market is that Gen Y population, (born in the 80’s and 90’s), finding a cause marketing campaign is important to your salon’s success. I want to also mention the importance of RELEVANCE here…when choosing an organization to support, consider your industry and clientele.  A barbershop may prefer to support a local men’s shelter or a prostate cancer foundation, which is a relevant charity for that clientele.

2. Create the Conversation: Salons are a place of conversation and information sharing.  We are constantly building relationships with our clients that are necessary to keep them happy, beautiful, and returning to our chairs.  Let your clients know you care- Talk about the cause or NFP organization your salon supports.  Display information on the cause and have an attitude of a true partnership.  And remember, your clients and employees are your “brand advocates” who will spread your cause-based marketing efforts, so be clear and genuine with your message.

3. Generate Client Loyalty:  Cause-based marketing can give your salon an edge that clients will prefer when choosing between your salon and the one down the street that’s not involved with a charity or a social purpose.  The 2012 Edelman Good Purpose study indicates that 53% of consumers believe “When quality and price are equal, social purpose ranks as most important factor in selecting a brand.”

In our industry, we have the perfect opportunity to create a positive impact on our communities.  Does your salon have a PURPOSE?  Get involved and use your craft to make our world a better place!

Use Your Craft. Period.

I had the pleasure, and the honor, to spend the evening with a large group of really amazing people recently.  These people were hairstylists and colleagues, professionals and social service executive directors, friends and supporters.  They’d come together to show their support and enthusiasm for Color It Forward, Inc..  The movement of the 501(c)(3) not-for-profit through the beauty industry has sparked an interest and a desire for hairstylists and beauty professionals to give back to a population of women who need our services the most. 

All this because of a vocation.  OUR vocation.  And in my opinion, it’s the absolute best!  Right?

Let’s back up a bit…I’m a word girl…Have you ever thought about the word “vocation”?  The Latin root, “vocation” means “a call, summons.”  I’m particularly drawn to the root of the word “vox”, which means “voice”.  Our vocations, whatever they may be, are our voices into this world.  I think about this when I talk to my three kiddos about what they might want to do when they “grow up”.  And I’d actually encourage everybody to think this way:  what do you want to say to the world?  What change do you want to make with that voice?  How will you use your craft?

The industry is beauty, and our vehicle is hair.  The subjects are the individuals who sit in our chairs week after week, and as far as I’m concerned, each one is a gift.  They allow us to share our talents with them, collaboratively.  They give us their canvases.  And without them, we would not have anyone to listen to our voices, nor would THEY have US to listen to theirs.

At Color It Forward, our clients are anything but blank canvases.  They come from many situations that require some TLC, but mostly we simply need to listen a little bit deeper.  Many times the answer is simply a natural shade, a medium brown, an N or some grey coverage…sometimes we throw some beautiful copper or red tones into it.  Many times an accent foil, an occasional balayage, nothing too crazy.  Every effort is appreciated and every ounce of interest and good work is cherished, soaked right into her heart, adding a few loving doses of self-esteem.  These gals need that, more than any client you’ll ever know.

Creativity is important in our vocation and comes in many forms:  texture, color, shape, and technique. With the Color It Forward client, creativity comes in the form of conversation, because rarely do we talk about shopping sprees and furniture purchases.  We talk about books and friends and relationships and regrets.  The initiative can even go as far as discussing what her dream home would be like, how and where she sees herself and her children doing in 5 years, what it will be like to be self-sufficient.

There is nothing more interesting to me than a life in transformation.  That is why I love what I do. 

What do you enjoy the most about your vocation?

Reaching Out Through Beauty

When she walked in, fifteen minutes late for her appointment, I was sitting at the front desk of the salon.  Unsure and moving slowly, she had that exhausted look of somebody who’d had a good cry recently. It was obvious she had not paid attention to her hair in quite some time.   She looked downright uncomfortable- but that’s not what this day, her day, was supposed to be about…so I stood up, and after a friendly introduction, I broke the ice by extending both my arms and giving her a hug.  I was genuinely happy to see her and wanted her to know that.  

Seated in a quiet corner of the salon, she spoke softly about her life, which had recently been spent in prison.  She told me that four months ago, she was released and sent to a transitional housing facility, where she’s required to remain for six months.  As I worked, she admitted being terrified to leave prison, where the structure and strictness left no possibility of a slipup.  Now, after 4 months at the transitional facility, she has a new and bigger fear:  her graduation in 2 months, where after she must sweep up the broken pieces of her life and get working on a new clean and sober one.  She told me about her young daughters who, just before her appointment with me, had been spending time with her on their weekly visit.  I can only assume that was the cause of the lateness and the sadness in her face of earlier…

Ninety minutes later, turning her towards the mirror, her highlighted and lowlighted hair was now nicely framing her freckled face.  With shoulder length, she now looked younger and brighter.  At this next moment is where I find the greatest satisfaction:  The first words that a Color It Forward client speaks are always wonderful and are telling of the type of person she is…hers were “I can’t wait to see my daughters again next Tuesday.  Now they’ll really see that I’m becoming a new person.”

For the past 4 months, I’ve been doing a ton of listening and not much writing.  My ears have been opened to stories of lives that went off-track, sometimes from a mistake of her own, and sometimes from the doings of another.  With the help of the many wonderful agencies and professionals I now call my colleagues, these women are rising.  The clients that sit in the chair in front of me on Mondays and Tuesdays are working on themselves to find that spirit of who they used to be, or who they want to be:  A healthy woman, a good mother, a safe home.  To forgive, to love, and to laugh.
 

Oh beautiful ladies, we all have so much in common.

If you or your salon would like to get involved with Color It Forward, please see our website at www.color-it-forward.org or email michelle@color-it-forward.org.

Why a cape is not just a cape.

I desperately want to share with you all the highlight of the week...no, it's the highlight of the year:

Here's the scene:  It's a busy Wednesday in a bustling hair salon in central Jersey, I walk my client to the color area and drape her with a cape, the identical cape that every other client in the salon was wearing.  But at that moment, an amazing thing happened...I swear, her entire face lit up.  Not only did she immediately feel special and pampered (even though we hadn't even begun), but I watched her look at herself in the mirror differently.  She sat up taller, she put on a big, gorgeous smile, and what she said to me was this: "For the next 90 minutes, I am not a victim or a survivor. I am no less or different than the woman with the Gucci bag next to me or the woman receiving the $350 keratin straightening.  I am your client...so let's do this!"

With that cape on, it doesn't matter if there's a 5 karat diamond on her finger or mud under her nails.  A cape puts everybody on an even playing field.

And she was beginning a journey where she could get out-of-herself for a little while.  She was not self-conscious, she was not comparing her clothing or shoes with the more-fortunate.  That black cape hid every physical difference between her and the rest of the women in that salon.

My hope is that she carries that feeling of equivalence, importance, confidence and belonging through her life, in her job search and career, and in her relationships.

Oh, the zillions of hair stylists in the world.  Do you have any idea what power you possess?

I love being a woman, and I desperately BELIEVE in women.  So, here's the big magic, my friends...Color It Forward, Inc, a 501(c)(3) was founded in the beautiful year of 2015 to support women.  We promote the economic independence of women in transition through a network of cosmetologists and hair salons.  We offer these services to those gals who are actively seeking employment to improve the quality of life for themselves and their families.

Good stuff.  Great cause.  Amazing, capable, and intelligent women.

So there you have it, the reveal. As promised a few months ago, here is the movement and the opportunity for kindness, an avenue to give back to the very population that makes up the majority of the beauty industry.  Color It Forward's Salon Affiliates are doing great things here in New Jersey, and we are currently preparing to become a multi-state organization.

Want to know more?  www.color-it-forward.org (website under construction, be patient).

Three Months, Three Stories

In the past few months, I was introduced to three inspiring women that really blew me away.  I think of them as celebrities, actually.  Although we barely know each other, I had the beautiful pleasure of working with each of them recently, and their stories haven't left my thoughts for a second.  

For the sake of confidentiality, I'll call them by the name of the month in which I made their lovely acquaintance...

April:  April is a professional, single mother who was recently diagnosed with an aggressive cancer. Preparing to enter her 2nd chemotherapy treatment, she contacted me and asked if I would be willing to cut her long hair, in anticipation for complete hair loss.

April brought her best friend with her to our appointment.  It was easy to keep the conversation light, and she let me have fun with a really short "Sharon Stone" style pixie and some product, and oh my, it was adorable on her!  She'd never had short hair in her 46 years of life, and she loved it, truly she did. But, after a few minutes of admiration, her large smile faded and the shadows reappeared in her eyes.

I'd hoped that the bottle of champagne and great shade of lipstick would help matters;  but in the end, April did not want to be distracted from the reality of her illness.  She knew the next chemo treatment would cause her to abruptly lose large amounts of hair, and she did not want to "wake up and see the clumps on my pillow each morning", she'd told me.  She needed her hair to be as short as possible.  I must say, she was strong, realistic, and honest about what was happening in that chair.  She sat gracefully with head high.  Her poise kept me focused on what needed to be done.  I hugged her, then turned her away from the mirror.
Deep breath.
Praying for a happy ending to this story.

May:  May is a splendidly tall, 87 year old woman who asked me to make her look "pretty like a Queen" for her grandson's wedding.  She arrived with her sparkly red nails, full head of white hair, and huge smile. May repeatedly talked about the silver dress that she would be wearing to the wedding later on that day and how she would be dancing with the most handsome man at the party.

She and her late husband were survivors of the Hungarian Revolution.  Immediately after marrying, the couple spent two weeks separated on a boat headed to America.  She spoke about the job boards in New York City, and how she refused to move to Texas because of the cowboys and Indians.  They settled in California because that's "where the moviestars lived."
She was funny without trying to be funny.  As I blew dry her hair, she firmly asked me not to "cook" her, then laughed hysterically at herself.  As time went on and she spoke in her thick accent, it became easier to understand her stories of life in California and working as a tailor for Nordstrom.  Her eyes lit up when she told me of her "Lifetime Discount"!

This story of the Queen May in her silver gown and red fingernails, dancing with her beloved grandson who looks so much like his grandfather, ends happily ever after.  Of course it does.

June:  I know the least about June.  When we met, we exchanged one of those handshakes that you just know is going to be followed by a hug. A long hug. She could not remember the last time she'd received a professional hair service.  Smiling behind her tears, she was incredibly grateful, but also nervous, to be sitting in my chair. June is so beautiful, but so broken.

Happy to have just taken a big step towards independence by signing an apartment lease, she's finally ready to re-enter the workforce.  June has small children, overdue bills, and big worries.  But she has even bigger dreams and tremendous potential.  It is my job, and my honor, to help her find the confidence to move towards those goals.

We are helping her story have a happy ending....and she will!

All three of these women came looking for the same thing... to feel GOOD.  Feeling good on the outside. On the inside. And even deeper still.  

Girls, all three of you are Rockstars.

Girls, we are ALL Rockstars!

Might be a "Talk", Could be a "Scream"

Ever since last month's debacle, I'd been considering abandoning this blogging project altogether.  Seemed silly to put the time, effort, the creativity and especially the honesty out there into cyberspace, only to have some pseudo-intellectual find and repost.

That just wasn't nice.  Why can't people just be nice?

Blogging is fun, it's real.  Writing how you feel, at the moment you're feeling it, it's pretty liberating for me.  Some blogs are pretty subject specific, some are well-thought, and some have no parameters (I'm a no-parameters kind of girl myself).  And there are some great writers out there, and I encourage anybody who appreciates a good quick (or sometimes not-so-quick) read to find a blog that interests him/her, subscribe and follow it.  My new fave is sexyfoodtherapy by Melissa Ramos...Talk about real;-)

Something big has been brewing around here the last year, fueled recently by the passion that surfaced from the above-mentioned experience.  A desire to infuse an opportunity for generosity and selflessness into the beauty industry.  A desire to fulfill a need and help a population that has been keeping herself invisible in our chairs.  Sad stuff, ya'll.

So in regards to WhisperTalkScream....here's what I've come up with:

WTS has created a new avenue, a MOVEMENT, in the beauty industry.  Better than a new product or tool.  WAY better than a new style or technique.  I can't say anything more right now, but our eyes will be opened to a concept more intelligent and original than anything that's come into the industry in decades.  How's them apples, Mr. Pseudo-Intellectual???

No abandonment here...just momentum.

Sitting here on this cold and rainy NJ night, it's a pleasure to just "put it out there", plain and simple.  Thank you for reading...and stay tuned!

The Colors of Conversation

Yesterday I found myself leaning up against the wall of the studio and observing a beautiful thing.  My youngest daughter was reluctantly sharing a piece of her art with my last client of the day, an art therapist who happens to be one of the most intelligent and eccentric people I've ever met.  The scene will forever live in my mind...Sophie looking up at the art therapist and listening so intently to her wise words....."Tell me what you were thinking when you made this?", "What is your favorite subject to draw?", "What is your favorite tool to draw with, markers, paints?"

Sophie answered very quickly, "Colored pencils."

"Me too!", my client agreed.  The door was opened!  Onward a conversation between a 58 year old adult and a 7 year old child perpetuated. They were speaking the same language, each giving 50% to the sweetest dialogue about art and creating and imagination.

As I listened and absorbed this scene,  amazed and proud, I was struck with a heartfelt gratitude.  I was so thankful for Sophie, my family, the art therapist.  I was appreciative for the clients of the day, the week, my business, the floor beneath my feet, even my damn blow-dryer.  A crazy thing happens within these four walls here.  We learn, and we are enlightened, clients, myself, and my children included.

So....Sophie woke me up this morning WAY too early asking to go to the art supply store for watercolor paper.  Dreaming of coffee and still half asleep, I agreed.
"Mom, did you know that with watercolors, purple travels the fastest and yellow the slowest?"
Yawn..."Where'd you learn that, Soph?"
"The art therapist taught me that yesterday.  Are you ready to go yet?"

To be a part of this network, this family, who contribute to and influence each member is a gift.  Sincerest thanks.  We learn from each other...about hair, art, health, and being human.  Let us take these conversations and experiences with us, making us better, more tolerant and open, better friends, sisters, mothers and people.

So much love!