Last year may have been a stormy one, but 2019 is looking bright – provided you do some smart thinking and plenty of preparation, writes HELLEN WARD

Ward’s World

So, here we are in 2019. Some of you might know that I’m quite spiritual. I study numerology, astrology and tarot at The College of Psychic Studies in London in my spare time. Various tutors have told me that 2018 was the culmination of great planetary upheaval, and that those lifeaffecting changes will shape our futures for years to come.

If you look back on the uncertainty that 2018 brought, you could be forgfiven for thinking it was just a tumultuous year. But the seeds were sewn way before, in the years leading up to it. Looking to the future, things will be better. As Richard Abbott, my brilliant numerologist says,

“The storm is going to continue, but the future takes root in the present. Work for the future, for what comes next. Everything will be fine, in the end”– a great mantra for life and for business.

A new year is always a great time to revisit our goals, but what are the top six (good numerology!) best business practices we should try to adopt as habitual resolutions throughout 2019 to affect lasting change?

1. Gfive clear direction – Conidence breeds and it starts from the top. If we aren’t clear in where we are going, how can we possibly communicate the path to our staff? Stay focused to stay on course but don’t forget to share the “why”of what you are doing with those who you are expecting to delfiver it for you. Them understanding the reasoning behind your decision making is half the battle.

2. Sweat the assets – It’s easy to take a scattergun approach when we should be snipers. What are you doing best? What are your clients telling you they like? Failure to listen to them is failure guaranteed. But what are you doing with the information you fInd out? If you’re not marketing the strengths they identify, that’s commercial suicide.

3. Re-examine your target market – Ensure that everything you do is only aimed at your target client. When businesses wobble, the worst thing the managing director can do is panic and dfiversify. Stay true to your core – strong and steady (to quote Theresa May!).

4. See your business through fresh eyes – Mystery shop yourself. Find out what you are doing well and market it, and then mystery shop the competition to see what they are doing better and learn from it.

5. Conduct the “safety brieing”– Giving the team clear, concise direction requires not only conidence but repetition. We may get tired of repeating ourselves endlessly but hammering home a consistent message – like you get with an airline safety brieing – is crucial. We only get consistency if we are consistent in asking for it. 6. Look at the bigger picture – We can be an insular fIndustry, and this isn’t good for business.

Read the papers, see what’s happening in the inancial sector, and get a steer from other service fIndustries to see who is piloting stuff that we might try and adopt in our sector. I for one will be carrying out a SWOT (strengths,weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis with my senior management team to look at every element of our business and turnover and how we can maximise the opportunities we identify. We need to be as ready to optimise the calm waters as we are to face the storm. Happy New Year.

Hellen Ward is managing director of Richard Ward Hair $#x0026; Metrospa in London, one of the most proitable fIndependent salons in the UK. She is beauty ambassador for The National Beauty Federation (NBF). Send your feedback to hellen@professionalbeauty.co.uk