If you have young children, or if you know someone who has, you are probably familiar with this experience. Let’s say mom and dad need to drive a couple hours to help an old friend who is moving from her apartment into her new home. Mom and dad tell the kids, “We’re going in the car to visit Lauren. Grab your toys and let’s go.”

Unless you are blessed in a special way, not long after you get in the car the kids start to fidget. They get easily bored and you immediately begin entertaining them, playing with them, distracting them, bribing them, and eventually sometimes we get mad at them. If we step back, it’s easy to diagnose the situation. Young children are not ready for confined spaces for long periods—especially when the endeavor has nothing to do with them or their interests.

Now, let’s think about a time when you and your friends decided to do something together. Insert your own example, but let’s say you and three of your besties decide to go to the beach for the weekend. Someone says, “You wanna go to the shore this weekend?” and those who make the choice say, “Oh heck yeah!” That’s kind of it. In an instant everyone realizes where they are (inland), they know who’s going (people who they have something in common with), and they know where they’re going (to get sand between their toes). Everyone makes a choice. Everyone wants to switch it up. Everyone understands the beach is fun on weekends. Everyone is onboard. No one needs to be convinced to go and no one needs to be taught how to have fun.

• 90% of the salons I have known operate in what I call, “The kids in the car seat” world.
• 100% of us should strive to make the “Weekend at the beach” our reality.

So, how do we do that? It starts with your True Brand Story.

When you strap the kids in a car seat they have little understanding of why you’re taking away their personal freedom for two hours. When you invite your friends to the shore, everyone already knows the “story” and if they want to go they buy in naturally.

Your True Brand Story has several chapters but here is the bottom line: You need to be able to describe to your team, and your job applicants, Who you are (your purpose), What you stand for (your values), and where you’re going (your vision). Children won’t be able to understand what you’re saying but young adults with a true passion for our business and their potential careers will.

Your job is to develop your story into a compelling tale that captures the imaginations of the professionally-minded and attracts them to come with you on the journey of a lifetime. As the saying goes, “Your mom doesn’t work here,” let’s just make sure she leaves the car seats at home too.