Opening a beauty salon can be demanding enough, but staying open and growing your business present their own set of challenges for salon owners. New or inexperienced salon owners (and sometimes even seasoned veterans) often end up making a few common mistakes that can be detrimental to their business. Here are some of the most common mistakes beauty owners make that you should avoid.

1. Ineffective marketing campaigns.

Many salon owners make the mistake of running ineffective marketing campaigns. The Internet and smart devices have forever changed the way businesses market to consumers, and salon owners need to incorporate integrated marketing strategies in order to reach their target market. In addition to running effective marketing campaigns, it's also crucial to measure your results. This helps you identify what's working and what isn't, as well as where to spend more money and where to cut costs. Effective marketing can help you get bodies in your salon chairs and turn first-time visitors into repeat customers.

2. Poor cash flow and money management.

One of the biggest problems beauty salon owners face is effective cash flow and money management. Seeing money coming in from clients each day is great, but in order to stay in business and grow your salon you need to understand where your money goes. Remember, there's a difference between revenue and profit, and a solid financial plan is a must for any successful business. If you aren't really the accounting type, be sure to hire a bookkeeper who can help you manage your money.

3. Too many "special offers."

It can be extremely tempting to run special offers in your salon when times are tight or business is slow, but tread carefully. For one thing, running too many specials without taking into account how it will affect profit can seriously hurt your business. You may be getting more clients at your styling stations but still end up losing money or barely breaking even. Another potential problem is becoming known as the "discount salon." If you run huge specials all the time, it can decrease the perceived value of your services in the eyes of your clients and hurt your brand image.

4. Insufficient employee training.

Your stylists are some of your most valuable assets at your beauty salon, so it's important to invest in their education. Training employees both on beauty techniques and effective communication with clients will ensure that each person who ends up in your salon chair has an exceptional customer experience.

Owning a beauty salon can be rewarding, exciting and profitable, but it can also challenging. As a beauty salon owner, you can help avoid sleepless nights and undue stress by learning from the mistakes of others and avoiding these four problem-causing situations.

Selling retail products at your salon is a great way to supplement your business's income. Not only do retail products offer high profit margins, but studies show that clients are significantly more likely to return if they purchase a salon product at the end of their appointment. Not all stylists are salespeople, however, so as the salon owner it's important to encourage your staff to sell, sell, sell! Here are three simple ways you can help motivate your salon employees to sell more retail.

1. Offer employee discounts and free samples.

In order to sell a product, you need to know it inside and out. One of the best ways to help your salon employees feel more comfortable selling salon products is to make it easy for them to use the products themselves, which you can do by offering an employee discount or by giving away free samples. This way, your employees can familiarize themselves with the products and give compelling, firsthand testimonials to clients about their use and efficiency. Actually using the products they're promoting is one of the strongest endorsements your employees can give.

2. Incentivize your team.

Another effective way to motivate your team members to sell more retail is to incentivize your staff. For example, you could create a monthly contest that rewards whoever sells the most retail products, or consider giving your employees a small percentage of their sales revenue as a commission. In addition, some salon product manufacturers offer incentives to salon owners who sell a lot of retail. Consider reaching out to your vendors to find out if there are any incentive programs you can take advantage of, and be sure to pass the benefits on to your staff!

3. Throw a party.

Product parties are a fun way to motivate your employees and give your retail sales a nice boost. Simply invite your salon staff and their clients and friends to the salon for a cocktail hour and use the time to debut your products and demonstrate their use. You can also hand out special coupons for party-goers to receive a discount on their service next time they're in your styling chair. Throwing a product party is the perfect opportunity to drum up interest about your retail products and let clients try them out for themselves. It's also a fun team-building activity for your salon staff that can help motivate them to sell more during business hours.

Try out these simple tips for motivating your salon staff, and watch as your retail sales begin to soar!

Fall is in full swing, and this season it seems like the "lazy" look will be the trend everyone is talking about it at least according to New York Fashion Week. If the runways are any indication, this fall will be all about quick, messy looks and hair that hasn't been washed in a few days. Don't throw out your shampoo just yet, but check out these fall hair trends your clients might be interested in next time they're in your salon chair

1. Messy Chignon.

This is one fall trend that's perfect for women who are constantly in a hurry. The deconstructed chignon is an easy style for unwashed hair, and the messier you can make it look the better. This easy fall hair trend looks great with this fall's bold clothing designs, and it lets people know that you care about fashion without taking yourself too seriously.

2. Elaborate Headbands.

Headbands seem to go in and out of style periodically, but this fall they are definitely back in. The runways at New York Fashion Week were practically teeming with headbands made of every material imaginable, from fur to leather to intricate bead work. Headbands are a great option if you have clients at your styling station who are growing out bangs or who want to mask their roots when they haven't washed their hair. They also make a great accessory for up-dos and bridal hairstyles.

3. Slick Side Part.

This fall trend was everywhere on the runways at New York Fashion Week this year. The perfect "lazy" look for unwashed hair, a deep side part that's heavily sprayed or gelled is the perfect style to accompany your casual fall looks or your dressier evening wear. A slicked-down side part is also versatile and add a little gel or hairspray for a softer look, or really pour it on for a more sleek and futuristic feel. With this trend, it's important to create a clean, exaggerated part as far to one side of your client's head as possible.

4. Messy Middle Part.

As with the other fall trends, this hairstyle is quick and easy. Just create a messy zig-zag part and then use a flat iron to add emphasis. You can even set the zig-zag part in your sleep by gathering your hair into two braids or buns on either side of your head. While you sleep, the tension will set the part and make it more prominent looking. To add even more definition, use a flat iron at the roots.

Every year, people look to New York Fashion Week for the next big trends. This fall, when your clients come in for something new, try out one of these fun fall trends.