I have hired a marketing company, Proprietor's Market, to represent the salon and do outreach marketing for me. We are working together to build on the brand that I've already started with. Proprietor's Market is a new company, but the owner is not new to marketing or to the area my salon is in. She's someone that I know through MUBA, and  I have complete confidence in her ability to market my salon. She knows the ins and outs of my business and has been a client, so she's very familiar with the services we provide.

Marketing is one of the most important aspects of a business. Without advertising and marketing a company will just die off. I've seen many businesses in our little town come and go in just the time that I've been open (since September 2010). And I can tell you that most, if not all, of these businesses did little to no advertising/marketing and absolutely NO networking with other businesses. As we get further into our contract with Proprietor's Market I'll give more details about the services they are providing.

I faced my first hurdle this weekend while I was on vacation. Well, Lucy (shown in the photo) did. She was in charge while I was gone. I was so very nervous about being out of town with the salon booked with clients. (I am usually there any time we have clients booked, regardless of whose book they are on). Saturday was a very busy day for Lucy. She was booked solid. And the other woman I hired also had some clients scheduled. Unfortunately, the other woman did not show up for work. Lucy and I both had called her several times before I went out of town to let her know she had appointments scheduled for Saturday. Neither of us heard back from her. But Lucy handled the situation perfectly. She managed to get everyone's services provided and they were all happy when they left. I now know that when I need to go away that Lucy will have it under control. Lucy handles crises very well. She stays calm (which in turn keeps the clients calm). She has the ability to prioritize taking care of the most important tasks first. And she works at a steady pace rather than rushing, so she can get everything done efficiently and properly without cutting corners. For a couple of the clients that were inconvenienced by this other tech not showing up, Lucy offered them a discount on their services and went out of her way to make sure they felt pampered, important, and well taken care of. THIS is the type of service I expect in my salon. And Lucy pulled it off fabulously. This incident also shows why it's so important to have someone like Lucy in position to run the business when the owner is away.

We are starting on our rennovations of the additional 600 sq. ft. this week. We will begin with the walls, getting them prepped and painted. We are so excited about the additional space, as it will allow us to provide regular services in one area while having Princess Parties in another. At the moment we have to close out our books to regular appointments when we have a party booked because the parties are done in the same room as our regular treatement/services. Several friends and clients have volunteered to help us get the room ready. Our target date for opening up the back room is April 15.

April 16 is a big day for us at the salon. The church that I attend wanted to do something special for the single moms in our church, so I offered up Tickled Pink Salon as a venue. We will be donating the use of the salon and supplies and providing basic manis and pedis to the ladies. As of March 13 we have 16 ladies signed up to attend and several others in the church volunteering to help out that day. In addition, I turned to my business friends within MUBA for assistance in providing these ladies with a relaxing and pampering day. Spa Neo in Clayton is going to be providing an esthetician and a massage therapist for the ladies. Screamin' Mimi's Kid's Place is providing child care for the ladies' kids for the event. Designs by Donna Florist is providing flowers for the ladies. Mimmzi's Ice Cream Shop is providing a nice treat. And there are several other businesses that are chipping in to help us out that day. It is just so amazing to see all of these businesses come together to help out a group that often goes overlooked.

— Melodie, Tickled Pink Salon & Nail Spa, Clayton, N.C.