Runs Businesses With Scissors

Farewell 2019 and Welcome 2020 There are some years that we are so glad to say goodbye to...   For me 2019 was a good one and I am grateful to feel good wishes as the year ends and 2020 begins. My year's highlights include travel and becoming a grandmother!  We went  to Italy in February to celebrate my husband's 60 birthday.  In the summer, we travelled to Victoria, Vancouver, Seattle and our home away from home, Santa Cruz.   For me, travel gives me the opportunity to soak in the sights and sounds of the local culture and I especially enjoy looking at the local fashions and hairstyles.  At "our" villa in Empoli, Italy And of course becoming a grandmother is one of life's blessings. My sweet little granddaughter was born in June and her name is Isla.  For now my grandmother name is Glamma, which is perfect for me, it's just the right amount of tradition and fun.   Isla getting used to the chair! Tradition and Fun, the

Need a little extra hairspray and mousse as you flit around from one holiday party to the next? Need a little gel or paste, so your do will out last you? Need a little shine as you out shine every party goer? I have you covered, come purchase a product or two the next time I see you. 10% off styling products helps you and me, together we can be shining stars all season long. Even if you do not have an appointment this month, it's ok to come by and purchase styling products for yourself, your family and friends anytime this December.   (You may want to call or text first:  510-545-2955) For appointments, or to be on my waiting list, please contact me at: Email:  suzanne@suzannevanhouten.com Call/Text: 510-545-2955 Book Online:  https://www.vagaro.com/suzannevanhouten In the meantime I hope your holidaZe season is off to a jolly start for you! Cheers, Suzanne!

Inch by Inch Laura Renner, owner and founder of Freedom Makers was in recently for a trim.  Laura is growing out her hair to donate it.  See our November 15th Blogg where we featured Laura and her business. Laura is on her way to donating her hair in 2020 Following this most recent appointment Laura asked me to join her on her Facebook Live News Feed.  So, of course I said yes.  Watch our impromptu live update on YouTube or Facebook and tell us what you think! It was a stretch for me to jump into an on the spot live chat but hey this is how we grow by trying new things. What have you tried lately that was a stretch for you? In 2020, I would like to do more video work and share my experience, strengths, and hope as a hairstylist and small business owner.  It takes all three; from humble beginnings, to building skills, to maintaining hope for a good, good career each and every day. Grateful to have you on the journey with me. For hair and/or coaching appointments

New Job - New Look! My niece Samantha moved to San Francisco from Plano, Texas to work for LinkedIn.  ( Let's connect on LinkedIn !) Like everyone who moves, Sam needed to find a new hairdresser to cut her hair. Lucky for Sam, she has me 😄. Sam pulled up her Pinterest and showed me pins that she had put on a board of hairstyles that she liked. ( See what I'm liking on Pinterest ...) Even though Sam had pins to show me, I did my usual consultation that I do with all my clients. I asked my questions, in order to understand Sam’s preferences and goals for her own personal look. Question One: When in your lifetime have you liked your hair the best? Question Two: If there was one thing about your hair that you could alter, what would that be? Question Three: How much time and investment are you willing to put into your hair? Question Four: What shampoos, conditioner, and styling products do you use? Sam's answers helped me to create a new look for her,

Monday, November 11 th was Veterans Day and my virtual assistant, Erin, is a military spouse.  I hired Erin through Freedom Makers, a veteran owned company who employs military spouses to provide excellent, customized service to small business owners.  Freedom Makers also aims to support military spouses and their families by creating a path to stable, uninterrupted employment and income.   The ups and downs of uninterrupted employment and income; gosh do I understand that one. For my entire adult career I have been self-employed and sometimes it can be a roller coaster, and sometimes smooth sailing. There is great freedom in being self-employed but it is not for the faint of heart. The continuous attention one must pay to keeping the river of income flowing takes time and commitment, it's the not so sexy part. One of the ways that it is easier for me to be a self-employed person is too have a great network of other business owners to collaborate with and who'

Grateful To You Thank you, thank you, thank you for shopping with me.  Thank you, thank you, thank you for shopping local wherever and whenever you can. Your in-store purchases help us, the small business owner, to make part of our profit on goods as well as on services.  Those dollars are the dollars that help us when services are cancelled or rescheduled, when we take time off to be with family and friends, when an unexpected bill comes in or an unexpected repair is needed, believe me those dollars help, a lot. Besides helping us those in-store purchases help you because we can recommend the appropriate products for the need of your hair today.  We take classes and meet with our reps to keep up to date on the professional products that we carry in-store. It is frustrating for us that the products we carry are sold on Amazon and in department stores when the salon product companies work hard to eliminate diversion. We cannot compete with Amazon but we can offer mo

Consulting News Hello super busy stylists and salon owners, It is time, actually past time to pause and review how you and your business are doing and to set a goal or two for 2020. Whenever I do this I am reminded that I run my business, my business does not run me. It takes discipline to do this exercise because when your day behind-the-chair is at capacity and your personal life is ticking along nicely why would you change anything at all? Or conversely your day behind-the-chair is not at capacity and your personal life is a mess how on earth can you find time to change anything at all? Here are a few reasons why: 1.      You want to make more money. 2.      You want to work smarter not harder. 3.      You want to remember why you love to do hair. 4.      You want more time with your family and friends. 5.      You want to improve your skills. 6.      You want to travel more. 7.      You want to unders