I’m tired of competing against all the discount salons in my area and am thinking of throwing in the towel and quitting. Do you have any advice?

Think about why you chose to do this in the first place. What was/is your vision and mission? What do you value? Examine what is at the heart of what you do and why you do it as a business. When you get back to the source of why you operate you get reconnected to what is important. Remember you cannot control outside circumstances like discount salons, disgruntled employees, and the economy. But you can control how you relate to it. Take your power back and redirect your energies into how you differentiate yourself from “discount salons” and then begin to market and position yourself based upon that. Let your public know why you are there. You can also get your top customers together and have a council meeting. Bring your top 10 clients together and have them help you from a client’s perspective to create ways to keep growing your business. Offer them free services for their next two visits for a few hours of their time. Get creative and keep attacking! -- Steve Gomez is professional development manager for Milady