The Battle Against Burnout

Burnout. You can probably see it coming, your (lame doused by impossible clients, competition from discount salons, or working one too many long Saturdays, but it's probably one small incident that finally puts you over the edge. Career burnout is the silent killer of thousands of nail careers every year.

I visited a nail technician friend a few months ago in Northern California. She own a beautiful salon, is very involved in the industry, and is even an educator for a big- name company. As we chatted, I noticed she was a little "off," but I couldn't put my finger on anything. Finally, she admitted that she was getting burned out on the nail business. I almost fell off of my pedicure throne. She was the last per­son I would expect to leel burnout. But then I realized she should have been the first person I would suspect. She's driven. She has high expectations for herself and for her staff. She works hard, and consequently, she fell hard.

Burnout occurs when you wake up and realize the negative is outweighing the positive. And these days it feels like nail salon businesses are assaulted with nega­tives. If isn't discount salons or bad press or MMA, it's dealing with a staff (or boss) who won't listen, products that don't work, distributors who don't under­stand. Surviving in today's nail industry means you literally have to be armed for battle ... because that's exactly what it is.

This column, which will alternate with Cyndy Drummey's "On the Road" column, will be a source of business information you can use to survive, and win, the war for cus­tomers. I welcome questions from readers or suggested topics, but Iwill focus on helping you learn and use the business skills necessary in today's nail business, in­cluding marketing tactics, strategic planning, and how to stay competitive.

Let's keep the flame alive.