As president of the children’s hair salon franchise Pigtails & Crewcuts, I can tell you this for certain: consistency in business begets success. Business owners set expectations for their customers, and maintaining those standards is tantamount to business growth.

I’ve overseen the opening of more than 35 Pigtails & Crewcuts salons across the country, and I served as senior vice president of Heavenly Ham, where I consulted with hundreds of franchise owners and thousands of staff about the importance of consistency at the business’ 200-plus retail locations in the United States.

Here are seven areas where consistency is key to business success.

1.  Branding. Think about dominant global brands, such as Apple, Disney, McDonald’s and Google. These corporations are notoriously and obsessively consistent in their branding. One glimpse of an apple or the golden arches and the message is clear. Consistent branding sets the stage for a business’ message and imprint.
2. Products and services. If a business owner operates more than one location, he or she should establish a consistent aesthetic. This sets the scene for consistent service. The customer is coming to a business for a very particular reason, with very distinct expectations. Whether that business specializes in hair cuts, shoe sales, IT services or other areas, the goal should be the same: exceed those expectations. Business owners and managers should know their inventory and business flow. Tracking data and preparing accordingly can do wonders to improve consistency in business.
3. Customer service. Never underestimate the power of consistently good customer service. Today, one negative experience can end up on Facebook, Twitter, Yelp or any number of websites and quickly escalate. Business owners should commit to providing cheerful, attentive customer service, and if a problem does arise, confront it immediately. It’s far easier to keep current customers than to find new ones.
4. Employee relations. The staff of a business is generally the face of that business. It’s important for business owners to communicate their expectations to staff so that they’re aware of benchmarks and can work towards them. If someone performs well, an owner shouldn’t be stingy on the praise and promotions. Replacing workers is far more expensive than keeping them. A recent report by the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment at UC, Berkley, states that employee turnover can cost 150 percent of the salary of the lost employee.
5. Social media/marketing. Social media allows a business to be a part of the conversation with current and future customers. That can be a blessing and a curse. The tone of tweets and status updates should be consistent with the business’ brand. Avoid the obvious risky topics—political, religious, anything controversial—and stay on message. Likewise, try and be consistent with the frequency of updates. This will depend on the nature of your business and the activity level of your audience.
6. Community involvement. Business owners should pick a cause that they’re passionate about, and that fits the tone of the business (a children’s salon and a children’s charity, for example), and get involved on a business level. Donate services, products or time. It’s a way of giving back, while also keeping the business’ name in circulation.
7. Business growth. Make a business plan for growth and stick to it. Considering expanding or opening a new location? Much of the groundwork has been done through the original business, such as carrying out the branding and outreach. Now, with a little more work and a lot more consistency, a business owner can continue building on that momentum.

Wade Brannon is the president of Pigtails & Crewcuts, based in Atlanta, Georgia. To learn more go to www.pigtailsandcrewcutsfranchise.com.

Any growth is good growth. And if you’re a business owner who has managed to weather the storm, you know as well as I do that it’s been a humbling experience. But the hard work has just begun. Now that we’re starting to see some consistent growth, it’s more important than ever to capture that momentum and take your business to the next level.

To help you do that, here are nine resolutions that every business owner should make in 2013.

1. Take control. One of the best things about owning your own business is it’s yours. It’s easy to forget that during day-to-day operations. As you move into 2013, don’t just be a business owner, act like a business owner. Commit to making decisions that are best for your business.

2. Ignore the doomsday hype. Between the debt ceiling and the fiscal cliff, 2012 has been rife with panicky buzzwords. There’s no telling what doomsday scenarios will crop up in 2013. Whatever those situations are, keep your nose to the grindstone and move your eyes away from the television. Focus on the important tasks at hand and don’t seek out additional worries.

3. Do less with more. In business, the beginning is always the most challenging. Once your workplace is up and running, adding to the existing framework can actually get easier. Consider opening a second, third or even fifth location. With just a little more effort, you may be able to multiply your returns.

4. Distinguish yourself. You’ve committed to running your own business, now take it seriously and succeed. Research needs in the community that your business can fill. Talk to your clients and ask if they’re satisfied with what you’re offering. Really listen to their feedback and apply it towards building your own successful brand—one that is unique from any other.

5. Promote, promote, promote. Every business owner should be active on social media. With so many choices out there—Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.—business owners have access to a constantly expanding audience. Update your status frequently, tweet specials, blog about your business and remind people of the ways that you can help them out.

6. Give back to your community. Without the support of your community, your business truly is nothing. Give back in the best way you can, whether it’s donating products for an auction, serving on a board or simply volunteering your time. Not only is this a feel-good thing to do, it also helps make your business more visible and introduces you to people you might not otherwise meet.

7. Delegate. Running a business is no small task, and it’s important to know that you’re not alone. Make lists of areas where you excel and areas where you don’t. Then, figure out if there’s a way to hand off duties to someone else, whether it’s an employee or a subcontractor. Business owners are naturally doers, so delegating can be one of the most challenging tasks. But since it frees you up to follow your true talents, it can also be one of the most rewarding.

8. Be consistent. Whether you’re a franchise, a large business or a mom-and-pop store, your customers all want the same thing: consistency. Devise a business protocol and work to ensure that you and your employees are on the same page. Your branding, messaging, services, products and even your success depend on consistency.

9. Know your numbers. How can you strive to do better if you don’t know where you stand now? Data is the lifeblood of your business. Know it. Study it. Understand it. Set goals to improve upon it. And if this isn’t an area where you excel, find someone who does and bring him or her on board to help develop your 2013 success plan.

We are seeing rock-bottom prices, incentive packages and a willingness to negotiate like we’ve never seen in the leasing market. Despite those deals, it’s important for business owners to not be impulsive. The key to a successful lease in commercial real estate is research and negotiation. The lease you sign will have the power to make or break your business, so give it the time and attention it deserves.

Here are 10 tips on how to find the ideal retail space in the commercial real estate market.

1. Location, location, location. To find the perfect location, business owners need to understand who their clients are and where they shop. Try and get into their head and approach each space through their point of view. Are you an impulse business? If so, you could benefit from being in a high-traffic area, where your store can continually market itself to passersby.
2. Parking, parking, parking. Do not underestimate the value of available parking.
3. Find a realtor that represents you—not him or herself. You want someone who is going to listen to what you’re looking for and show you all the listings that fit. Not just his or her own listings.
4. Be honest with yourself about your business. Are you offering such a unique and sought after service that your customers will be willing to drive out of their way for it? If not, find a place centrally located where inconvenience can’t be a viable excuse.
5. Know your demographics. You can learn a lot by using the resources on the Internet to find out the average income in an area, average cost of homes, nearby school districts, crime rate and more. You’ll want to open your business in a community that is filled with both customers and potential employees. Check with the local chamber of commerce to get a feel for the area’s business climate.
6. Determine the best fit. Do you think your business will succeed better in a neighborhood center or a shopping mall? What about a small, local center? Would it be better off as a free-standing building? Is the community a good fit with your brand’s image? Find out where successful competitors are located to validate your decision.
7. Understand your design needs going into it. Will you want a lot of window space, or limited? What are your ceiling requirements? What’s a realistic range when it comes to square footage? What are your door requirements? How about bathroom? Arm yourself with all of this information in the beginning so you don’t need costly renovations down the line.
8. When looking at spaces, scrutinize what’s there and what’s missing. All spaces are going to have warts. The key is to find the spot with the fewest. For every space you look at, make a pros and cons list. Note things like proximity to complementary businesses, condition of the space—is it first generation or second?—and estimated construction costs.
9. Know your zoning. Be certain that you will be able to legally operate your business in this location.
10. Level with your landlord. Before you even start thinking about officially negotiating a lease, find out if the landlord is willing to play ball. Would he or she be open to lowering the rent (or giving you a month or more of free rent), including a tenant allowance, paying for parts of the build-out and offering other incentives? If not, maybe you’ll find another landlord who will.

Can women have it all? It’s a topic that’s generated quite a bit of buzz over the summer, following The Atlantic’s July cover story, “Why Women Still Can’t Have it All.” In the piece, author Anne-Marie Slaughter says that notion of life/family balance is more fantasy than fact in this day and age. “I still strongly believe that women can ‘have it all’ …’” wrote Slaughter. “But not today, not with the way America’s economy and society are currently structured.”

While Slaughter makes strong points, the piece neglects to explore the world of entrepreneurial women who have left behind jobs that don’t allow for the life balance they crave, and set out on their own.

According to the 2012 “State of Women-Owned Business Report” by American Express Open, more than 8.3 million women-owned businesses in the United States generate more than $1.3 trillion in revenue and employ more than 7.5 million people. Between 1997 and 2012, women-owned firms increased by 54 percent in the United States. That’s one and a half times the national average.

Do the women at the helm of their own businesses have it all? According to a sampling of women business owners at Pigtails & Crewcuts, a kid-centric salon, the resounding answer is, “Absolutely.”

***

Hailey Arthur never expected to be a stay-at-home mom. When her first child was born, she had every intention of returning to her job as a recruiter at Bank of America. She enjoyed her career, and she and her husband relied on both incomes. But then her son suffered a brain injury during birth, and doctors told her that he had cerebral palsy. Faced with a lifetime of therapy and doctors appointments, Arthur decided she needed to quit her job and stay home with her son.

A few years later, in 2007, her twins were born. For Arthur, being home with three children was challenging, to say the least. “By the time the twins got to be 18 months old, I was certifiably insane,” says Arthur. “I said, ‘I cannot do this! I am not cut out to be a stay-at-home mom!’” She and her husband, Mike, discussed their options, and decided that they wanted to open Pigtails & Crewcuts, a children’s hair salon franchise in the Blakeney area of their hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina.

Today, three years after the salon opened, Arthur spends mornings at Pigtails & Crewcuts and afternoons with her children. She says the business has given her the challenge and outlet that she craved. “It gives me, Hailey-the-person, more of a purpose than Hailey-the-mom,” she says. “I feel like I have something that is mine—my project and my passion outside of my children. And I think it helps me keep my identity that way.”

For Arthur, having it all is about having a strong support network. “I think women can have it all if you are doing the right thing. With Pigtails & Crewcuts I have a very supportive network,” she says. “While I feel like I have a great balance, I wouldn’t be able to do it alone.”

For Kendra Keating, opening two Pigtails & Crewcuts in San Diego (eventually she will open a total of five) was a way of keeping close to home. A single mom, Keating was the former CFO of a consulting firm, and in the first year of her daughter’s life, mom and daughter (and nanny) traveled 122 days. As her child approached kindergarten, Keating began searching for a flexible career that would allow her to pick her up from school every day and be involved in homework, parent-teacher meetings, activities and more. As a Pigtails & Crewcuts salon owner, she’s found just that. “I probably work as much as I would if I were working for somebody else, but I decide when I work, and a lot of it can be done from home,” she says. “I think if you power through, you can do anything you want to do.”

Julie Luna was searching for an opportunity in Omaha, Nebraska that would mean little to no travel. For years, she’d managed an automobile business unit with a Fortune 150 company and was on the road, away from her five daughters, up to 75 percent of the time. After leaving her job, she signed a five-salon deal with Pigtails & Crewcuts, and today, is much more involved in her daughters’ lives and schools. Luna says she’s thrilled to provide an entrepreneurial example for her daughters, who range in age from 6 to 13 (recently married, she also has two stepsons). “I’ve always taught them it’s great to be a mom, and if that’s your career choice that’s awesome, but you can do anything you want to do,” says Luna. “I think this shows them that yeah, I had a big job with a big company, but now I took a chance and I own something, and it really illustrates how many options are ahead of them.”

For Dalia Alford, owning a Pigtails & Crewcuts in Cedar Park, Texas, has proven to her that she’s a better multi-tasker than she ever knew. A former teacher, Alford quit her job to be a stay-at-home mom to her two children. Soon after, her husband was laid off, and the family decided to invest their savings in a kids’ salon franchise (her husband found another job soon after). Now with a third child and a fourth on the way, Alford can’t picture herself doing anything else.

“I can’t imagine what else would have allowed me to continue doing everything I’m doing without completely losing my mind,” she says. “I definitely have flexibility. I have great hours. And while I’m always available to my staff, I don’t physically have to be here every single second,” she says.

Alford adds that, as far as she’s concerned, woman can do whatever they set their minds to. “I take issue with the theory that women can’t do everything. I don’t think it’s easy, but women are certainly capable of having it all.”

This is the second part in a series about opening a Pigtails & Crewcuts salon. Read the first entry, which we featured in May.

Kelly Hailey was nervous the morning of Wednesday, August 15. It was opening day for her family’s Pigtails & Crewcuts salon in Chattanooga, Tennessee. For months, Hailey had worked hard, alongside her parents, Rudy and Sharon Hogan, to assemble the best children’s salon their city had ever seen. Now, it was time to invite the public inside the kid-centric franchise business.

“The first 10 minutes of opening day, from when I unlocked that front door until our first customer came in, I was thinking, “What did I do?” laughs Hailey. “But it worked out. We were busy.”

We’ve been working with the Hailey and Hogan family since late 2011, visualizing this very day. The process went smoothly throughout, from the lease signing to the build out, which only took about three months. During that time, we worked on designing their strategy for the first few months of operations, and spent hours discussing marketing, customer service, retail sales, birthday parties and more. In addition, Hailey and her mom traveled down to Atlanta for a three-day training session.

Three weeks before opening, there was still one major task at hand: Hiring a staff. Hailey visited the area’s cosmetology schools. It took time to find the properly trained staff, but she was able to hire four energetic employees. When the Chattanooga team was ready, we sent T.J. Liles, director of marketing and franchise support, and Theresa Underwood, field operations representative, to guide the Chattanooga salon through pre-opening training and help them with any last-minute needs. There, they worked with the staff to educate them on what it means to be a part of the Pigtails & Crewcuts family. The corporate staff stayed on through the end of the week, helping out with salon tasks and answering questions. They didn’t leave until the Hailey/Hogan crew was comfortable.

Just two weeks after opening, Hailey says she already loves the flexibility and fun atmosphere that Pigtails & Crewcuts has brought into her family’s life. She and her parents are even talking about the possibility of opening another salon.

“We’ve always talked about opening another one,” Hailey said. “If this one does well, we’d love to have another one in Chattanooga or somewhere else. Now that we’ve opened one, we know what were doing.”

1. Unrealistic expectations. Research, research, research. You owe it to yourself and your employees to do your due diligence long before those doors open, so that you’ll have an idea of what to expect. Look at what your competitors are doing. Determine if a trend is growing or shrinking. Research whether this concept will be a good fit for your market. If you’re opening a franchise, find out what kind of support you can expect, and determine what other kind of support you’ll need to supplement along the way.

2. Over-planning. Nothing ever works 100 percent according to plan, so don’t get too caught up in the details. Be flexible, so that possible delays in construction or inspections don’t throw you off. I also like to tell people to plan for the worst-case scenario, and be thrilled when the results exceed their expectations.

3. Under-planning. There are a lot of steps that are involved with opening a business, and it’s important to start with some basic guidelines and keep yourself on task. Write up a to-do list, so you can reference it when you’re feeling overwhelmed.

4. Short attention span. You have to work for success. Over the years, I’ve seen many business owners quit after three, six or nine months, frustrated that their bank accounts aren’t already overflowing. It takes energy, devotion and, most of all, time to develop a loyal following. If you’ve made the decision to open this business, you need to fully dedicate yourself to the time needed to make it work.

5. Going it alone. Word-of-mouth does wonders for business. Get out there and get involved in your community. While you’re spreading the word about your business, you’ll also pick up pointers from friends, family and neighbors. Welcome their advice (within limits). Also, consider taking on a partner, if you think you’d benefit in the long term from the support and camaraderie.

6. Too little cash. First and foremost, before opening a business you must be sure you secure enough capital. It’s not only important to have the funds to get the business up and running, but owners should also stow away a rainy-day fund, just in case.

7. Befriending you employees. Keep a healthy distance from your employees. You are their boss, not their friend.

8. Breaking your marketing budget. While researching your business, determine your audience and learn about how that demographic responds to marketing. Are they social-media savvy? If so, do you understand what it takes to reach them? Do they still read newspapers or flip through the Yellow Pages? Determine who they are and hone in on how to best reach them. Don’t select multiple methods and spread your budget too thin right out of the gate.

9. Banking on a grand opening. Never hold your grand opening on your first day of doing business. The grand opening shouldn’t happen until you’ve been open long enough to work out the kinks. Soft openings give you and your staff a chance to adjust to day-to-day issues and schedules before inviting the whole world in to see. New customers aren’t always as forgiving as you’d like them to be.

10. Communication with your family. Whether you know it in the beginning or not, your business will impact your entire family. Before opening, consider your family’s situation. If you have a young family, do you want a business that requires you to be away from home for extended periods of time? Can you realistically divide your time among your family duties and the requirements of running a business? Talk about all of these issues extensively to make sure there are no surprises—or hurt feelings—down the line.

As Rudy and Sharon Hogan neared retirement, they started thinking about opening a franchise in their hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Rudy, a financial advisor, thought opening a business would be a great project and a way to maintain a monthly income. Sharon, who once owned her own business making and selling children’s clothing, already had experience in working with the public, and was up for the challenge. They had just begun researching different industries—fast food, sub shops, in-home senior health care—when their 32-year-old daughter, Kelly Hailey, approached them with a different suggestions: Why not open a Pigtails & Crewcuts salon?

Hailey was already familiar with the children’s franchise, because a family member in Charlotte, North Carolina had great success with opening a salon. For years, the cousin had been encouraging the family to sign on with the top franchise and open a Pigtails & Crewcuts in Chattanooga. This seemed like the perfect time to do it. As a former business owner (she opened a doggy day care after graduating from college) and current stay-at-home mom, Hailey was looking for an opportunity that would allow her a flexible schedule and steady income. “I told my parents, ‘If you’re really serious, we think this franchise is a good idea. Our family could do it together.’”

Without hesitating, her dad made the call to our franchise team. We shared with the family an overview of the salon’s franchise business model, and encouraged them to contact other Pigtails & Crewcuts salons to decide if the business would be a good fit. Hailey took her son to a neighboring town’s Pigtails & Crewcuts, and was impressed by the look, feel and service of the salon. She talked to Pigtails & Crewcuts salon owners across the country, sharing with them her reservation: she didn’t know how to cut hair. They assuaged her fears. They, too, had no experience in the hair care industry prior to opening Pigails & Crewcuts. But, they told her, the executive team at Pigtails & Crewcuts equips you with all of the training you’ll need to succeed in the business. She spoke with other kid-focused businesses in Chattanooga to gauge whether Pigtails & Crewcuts was a good fit for the city. She walked away with a resounding “Yes!”

Around the same time, her parents flew to Atlanta and met with our team. We explained to them the step-by-step process of opening a salon, and emphasized that the Pigtails & Crewcuts’ goal is to help each franchise succeed. Bolstered by the support, the family decided that this was the perfect fit. “One of the reasons we decided to go with Pigtails & Crewcuts is they will help you with every step,” said Hailey.

After getting their finances in order and signing the necessary paperwork, the family began scouting potential locations for the salon. We asked them to study different parts of town, taking note of median income, schools and population. We suggested that they look for locations anchored by other large stores, and places that are convenient to main roads with excellent visibility. Then we planned a trip to Chattanooga to help them select the best location and negotiate a lease.

Rudy, Sharon and their daughter took us around to evaluate four locations. We handled the discussions with leasing agents and Realtors, bargaining for free rent, decreased fees and other incentives to sign a lease. We were also able to point out characteristics of the properties that the family hadn’t noticed—one location didn’t allow enough room for a large sign, another seemed too out-of-the way. By 2 p.m., we had two top choices, and both locations were competing to make the best offer.

Soon after, we showed the family four different architectural blueprints and asked their preference. The family agreed on one, and we connected them with a Tennessee-based architect, who will oversee the build-out. Construction will begin within weeks of the lease signing. From there, the family expects to open the children’s salon within three months—just in time for back-to-school cuts. Hailey and her mom plan to divide the day-to-day operations, while Rudy handles the financial matters. Together, it’s a true family endeavor with unlimited possibilities.