The COVID pandemic has been tough on everyone and made it challenging for the hair and beauty industry to operate through the uncertainty. We are now faced with a new wave of restrictions across New Zealand and Australia which can be really difficult. However, we wanted to share some ways to stay positive, balanced, and motivated to keep your business on track.
Here are some free or low-cost ideas on how to take care of yourself and your business.
Take care of yourself
What to bake
Feeling the need to bake? The Kitomba team loves cooking together when we’re all in the office! But now that we’re in lockdown, we’re keeping up the tradition virtually and have tried these recipes for easy and delicious pizza and focaccia. Happy baking!
What to watch
If you are looking for light-hearted and entertaining content with some fabulous fashion, we recommend Schitt’s Creek on Netflix. Or if you’d like to escape reality and watch Paris Hilton show how terrible she is at cooking, tune into Cooking with Paris.
If you’re looking for a slow-burning mystery with a compelling storyline, try Mare of Easttown on Neon (available in NZ).
What to read
Take time to catch up on your reading. We’ve developed a range of free e-books to help salon, spa and clinic owners successfully manage all areas of their business from marketing and creating a great culture to client experience and finances, and everything in between! Check out this interactive guide on salon management and look out for expert tips from our industry partners.
What to learn
If you’ve all caught up with your favourite TV shows and reading, use this time in lockdown as an opportunity to learn new skills or work on improving your business. Hear from Sherri-lee, owner of the award-winning spa Puravida Beauty, about why ongoing learning is so important. Plus we have lots of videos and blogs available via our COVID-19 Resource Centre.
There are also these great low-cost online resources to help you learn new skills from drawing and music to personal productivity and business skills:
What to focus on when it comes to health and wellness
Watch Carl Hammington from Healthfit Collective talking about ways to help your mental and physical health during the lockdown or read more about helpful tips on taking care of yourself.
Free or low-cost apps for meditation and better sleep
Free or low-cost apps for workouts and yoga
Take care of your business
If your salon or clinic is temporarily closing due to the lockdown, here are some handy tips on how to navigate the current transition.
Stop your appointment reminders
If you use salon management software, it’s a good idea to stop your appointment reminder messages. That way your clients won’t be confused by a reminder message and your business won’t incur any unnecessary costs related to SMS/text messages.
Turn off online booking
While online booking helps you to fill your appointment book and gives your clients the flexibility to book when it suits them, you may want to turn it off during the lockdown.
Stay in touch with your clients
While your physical location might be temporarily closed, make sure you stay in touch with your clients by emailing them:
- let them know that you’ll be closed
- remind them to follow you on social media for updates
- promote your online store to cover their product needs
We recommend using marketing email services such as Mailchimp and see if it has an integration with your booking systems e.g. Mailchimp is integrated with Kitomba.
Manage your waitlist
When you cancel current appointments, check if your software has the functionality to move them to a waitlist. Then when you reopen you can seamlessly move them back onto your appointment book. Kitomba’s Waitlist feature was launched in 2020 at the start of the pandemic and has proved to be very popular with our customers.
We hope these ideas and resources help you look after yourself and your business. As always, our incredible support team is here to help you via phone, email or webchat whenever you need us.
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