The Mindset for a Refreshing Start

In six days, my family and I will welcome the new lunar Year of the Cat. We will prepare a feast and offer food and drink to welcome our ancestors who, by tradition, come home to visit for the celebration. Discontent will be set aside to subside with the past, and high spirits and laughter will fill in the gaps.

In the Vietnamese zodiac, the cat takes the place of the rabbit found in the Chinese zodiac. Traditionally, local markets are packed with shoppers in the days leading up to the festivities, while shops and businesses close for the first few days of the new year to celebrate with family. For the nail shop, however, it's not uncommon to find salons open for clients looking for a manicure. The hustle and bustle of life may not slow down for you now, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make time to plan, prepare, and celebrate.

The general consensus is that 2011 will be a better year for business and there’s nothing like a fresh start in a brand new year to make the changes in life and in your salon that you’ve been meaning to get to. By combining the traditional resolutions you made on the first of January with your preparations for the Year of the Cat, you’ll be celebrating a brand new salon with more business in no time! So what will you do to bring in the Year of the Cat?

In an area where there is a smaller Vietnamese community, Ohio Nails owner Vicki Le doesn't get as excited about the new year as she did in Vietnam, but she still finds little ways to prepare. “For both the American and Vietnamese New Year, we clean up, do repairs if necessary, decorate the salon with flowers, and make sure everything is nice and fresh for our customers,” says Le.

Here are some fun ideas to help you get into a refreshing mindset:
- learn something new about your favorite clients
- go green by using energy-efficient light bulbs
- cook up a new signature service recipe
- learn a new technique
- attend a trade show (I'll be at ISSE in Long Beach this weekend, so stay tuned for an update at the show!)

I hope you come up with great ideas that will help you meet your salon goals. Even the smallest change you make today can be the most rewarding in the future. Good luck on your resolutions and best wishes for a healthy and successful new year.

Chúc mừng năm mới! Vạn sự như ý.

— Kim

Originally posted on Viet Salon