Raw Elements Salon was named to the SALON TODAY 200 by SALON TODAY, the leading business media for salon and spa owners. The magazine’s 23rd annual SALON TODAY 200 issue profiled the selected salons in its January/February 2020 edition. The 200 salons were honored for their best business practices from applications submitted by the SALON TODAY audience, who represent the 20,000 top-producing salons and spas in the country. The magazine honored applicants in 11 different best practice categories, including, Compensation & Benefits, Customer Service, Employee Education, Philanthropy, Profit Center, Retail & Merchandising, Retention & Referral Programs, Salon Culture, Salon Leadership, Technology and Growth. Raw Elements was honored in the growth category. Please see our award winning essay below. “Our editors recognize that strong business leadership requires the mastery of a number of different best business practices,” said Stacey Soble, editor-in-chief of SALON TODAY. “The salons named to the SALON TODAY 200 for 2020 —–not only proved they excel in one or more of these areas, they also have created rewarding environments for their staff members and standout experiences for their clients. Their willingness to share their success offers our audience important business benchmarks and inspirational business-building ideas.”
We are honored and excited to continue to grow throughout this next year and as long as our faithful clients will support us. Next year we hope to receive acknowledgement in many categories! So, stay tuned!
Growth Essay Application:
As a smaller salon, growth is highly sought after and almost instantaneously noticeable throughout our entire team. A meeting with our Aveda representative confirmed what we were feeling, in 2019 we were the fastest growing Aveda salon in our region, which includes 6 territories. In June of 2019, our product purchase for the year from Aveda was up 33% from the previous year, directly mirroring our business growth. At this meeting, a quote was shared with our team via our Aveda Representative:
“Growth is never by mere chance; it is the result of forces working together.”
This statement rings true at Raw Elements Salon, as there are several factors that we attribute this wave of growth to. First and foremost, finding the most talented individuals available who follow our mission statement, to foster an environment that is welcoming, relaxed, yet fun. Individuals who are focused on delivering the highest standards in customer service, staying current with latest trends and techniques, while using the best products available. We believe that beautiful color begins with healthy hair. The health and integrity of the hair is of the upmost importance. Our goal is for our guests to leave feeling as great as they look.
Since opening in 2012, we have been fortunate enough to have a marketing team in-house. This has helped grow our online presence and generated website traffic, directly correlating to more clientele. In July of 2018, we made a technological leap and introduced iPad’s, kiosks for our guests, and mobile apps to pre-book and check guests in/out. With stylists able to book appointments from anywhere, even working with their own guests while in the chair to rebook, we began retaining guests at much higher rates. Currently, our pre-booking rate is 80%, and climbing. We realized the volume of growth coming from technology and introduced contests to our stylists to broaden our online presence even more. Review and social media contests gave incentive to stylists to post photos and ask for reviews driving our salon to the top, as one of the most searched and highest rated salons in our area.
In 2016, we revamped our consultation system and introduced Red Chocolate to our salon. We attended classes and came back to perfect our technique. Post Red Chocolate Certification, our color services are soaring.
To continue driving growth through 2019 and beyond, we are committed to maintaining our Aveda principles. Our salon culture is vital to our success. Open dialogue with our stylists keeps us bubbling with fresh ideas, and keeps our team dedicated to making sure each person associated with Raw Elements Salon is succeeding and pouring growth into their careers and our salon as a unit. We all cannot wait to see the growth 2020 brings!
~Alice Daniels, for Raw Elements Salon
