Two weeks ago I found out a former colleague of mine unexpectedly passed away. That same week, I found out a former client and friend passed away also. Of course I had lots of emotions about both, and I thought about how rarely I see anything about how a client's passing away affects us as Hairstylists, Barbers and other Beauty Pros. If you do hair for any length of time, you will experience this, so I just wanted to share some tips that hopefully may help. If you follow me at all, you know I don’t recommend becoming ‘friends’ with your clients. But as Beauty Pros, our relationship is different than most other service providers. Our clients often share intimate details of their life with us. I can’t tell you how many husbands I’ve never met, but feel like I know them, lol. We often see the same clients for years, and sometimes pretty frequently, so it’s easy to become attached to them. With my client who passed, we did become ‘friends’ outside of the salon. I’ve had a few clients where we were both mature enough to respect both the personal and professional relationships. A very few where I’ve been to their home, and/or they’ve been to mine. I’ll call her ‘C’, was one of them. She was a great client, came regularly, liked to try new things, etc. but she was also helpful when we were expanding from Salon into Day Spa. She was a Consultant with a background in fundraising and helped us design some great ways to include our clients (including her) in funding our expansion. It was a great show of support and truly helped. We played the game Cashflow together, often at her home. And she introduced me to Unity of Washington, DC and the Unity denomination and one of my favorite books, The Game of Life and How to Play It, by Florence Scovill Shinn. Though it had been a little while since we connected, needless to say I was shocked to hear that she made her transition. These 3 Ways to Cope, came to mind and I hope they will be helpful for you. 1) It’s OK to be sad. Allow yourself the space to grieve, whatever that looks like for you. We give so much to so many, but sometimes we need to allow some space for ourselves, to process and to feel what we feel. And the thing about grief is that it doesn’t operate on a schedule, lol. So some days may be better than others. And that’s OK. 2) Just like I shared here, we had a lot of good times, great conversations, a lot of laughs, I did her daughter’s hair, she referred people to me. All which make me smile and or laugh. I was also reminded of one of her faults. She was late to everything!! Including her hair appointment. But no matter how wonderful you are, you can’t mess up my book, lol. So I had a system - I’ll have to share at another time. 😉 But that too makes me smile and laugh. 3) We’re all here for a purpose. I did have sadness, but I also realized that she lived a really full life, she cherished her children, lived her life on and in purpose, traveled the world, had great, long lasting friendships, was able to create wonderful relationships with her grandchildren, did work she enjoyed and she lived with joy. We should all be so lucky (or intentional). So living in integrity, enjoying the ride, traveling , creating and enjoying the experiences along the way and remembering her famous saying, ‘All is well’, will keep me lifted and making sure that I live this life to the fullest. Please feel free to leave any tips that may have helped you to deal with the grief of a client.
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Miki Wright is a Pricing Strategist and Business Funding Expert, as well as a long time Leader in the Beauty Industry. She trains talented Service Professionals how to charge what they're worth! Helping them confidently set and raise their prices, without fear or guilt. She also offers business funding (up to $25K within 24 hours). Wright has a deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by Entrepreneurs with regards to pricing and accessing funding.
Wright's former Salon and Spa has been featured in Essence Magazine, The Washington Post, and qualified as one of the 200 fastest growing Salons in the country with SalonToday.com, for three consecutive years. Wright is known for her ability to innovate, inspire and offer actionable steps that get results and is the Founder of the Club $10K 90-day Mastermind. Apply now at https://Profitplan.as.me/10K
Ready to take your business to the next level? Wright will help you set and raise your prices with confidence, and build and fund the business of your dreams. Contact her at BeautySuperStars.com or for business funding, visit bizfunds4u.com