Ep. 94: Coronavirus Crisis Management with Adam Chatterley
A Coronavirus Crisis Management Plan - don't you wish you had one?
In this episode, Adam Chatterley of the Beauty Business Podcast shares with us his Crisis Management Plan. Wow. Prayers answered.
I have been listening to the Beauty Business Podcast for years and have wanted him on this show for several months now, and I'm so glad we could make it happen for you.
We chat about creating a crisis management plan for your business that I'm sure will be applicable, not just during this strange unprecedented time, but any time of uncertainty, which our businesses are definitely going to face at some point. With any endeavor, success is not guaranteed, but challenges are. And I'm so excited to have Adam on the show.
We talk about finding the balance with your productivity during lockdown, Adam's influences, books, and most importantly, how you can serve your clients and still create revenue safely during a crisis like Coronavirus.
Here are the episode highlights:
‣‣ [10:37] We start off by hitting Adam with some rapid-fire questions about whether he prefers tea or coffee, who his greatest influence is, favorite books, and more.
‣‣ [18:22] If you're familiar with the 4-hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss, here Adam talks about what he's taking from the book and incorporating in his current crisis plan.
‣‣ [25:21] Adam shares advice he's been giving to his own clients about how to still serve your clients even when you can't physically be with them.
‣‣ [31:15] We talk about Adam's own crisis management plan.
‣‣ [34:40] Let's get real and talk about how you tackle income and revenue during a crisis like a lockdown.
‣‣ [26:18] And then we get deep. Think about how you are holding hope during this season. We talk about how we're staying hopeful and what we hope comes out of this season.
HELP! I NEED TO DEVELOP A CRISIS MANAGEMENT PLAN NOW! (Listen Here)
I'm so thankful that I got to sit and talk with Adam for this podcast! You can keep up with him and all things The Beauty Business by following him on Instagram right here or checking out his podcast here!
You can follow me, Sheila Bella, on Instagram @realsheilabella!
Here are the links that were mentioned in the podcast!
Grow Your Gram
Online Course Workshop
Tim Ferris 4 Hour Work Week
FOR MY LISTENER BOSS BABES
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You can enjoy a transcript of the podcast here.
Sheila Bella:
Coronavirus crisis management plan. Don't you wish you had one? Well, good thing you're listening to the Pretty Rich podcast because today, Adam Chatterley of The Beauty Business Podcast has just that for you. Wow. Oh my gosh. Prayers answered, let's do this.
You're listening to the Pretty Rich podcast, where you are totally the heroine of your own story. I'm your host, Sheila Bella, and I built a seven-figure PMU biz without a degree, without a fancy website, or a sugar daddy. And if you and I hang out here long enough, you're going to start to believe that you can do it, too. Because you really can.
I know you think I don't know you, but I do, I really do, because I am you. And I believe we're all in the same journey together. My perfect job didn't exist, so I created it. The job I wanted wasn't hiring me, so I skipped the line and hired myself as CEO, just like you can. So, consider me your secret beauty biz BFF, in case you need to be reminded that power is never given to you, you just have to take it. Are you ready, beauty boss? Let's jump in.
Hi friends, how are you? I hope you're home, and I hope you're not going too stir crazy. At the time of this recording, it is Thursday, April 16th, 2020. We are under coronavirus lockdown. And today, we have a very special guest: Adam Chatterley of The Beauty Business Podcast. Guys, this is a big deal. The Beauty Business Podcast. I have been listening to his podcast for years and have wanted him on this show for several months now, and I'm so glad we could make it happen for you today.
And today, we're going to be chatting about a crisis management plan for your business that I'm sure will be applicable, not just during this strange unprecedented time, but any time of uncertainty, which our businesses are definitely going to face at some point. With any endeavor, success is not guaranteed, but challenges are. And I'm so excited to have Adam on the show today.
And one thing I've been saying, not only to myself but to the people I coach in Pretty Rich University, and this is some tough love, but for anybody out there who is fine, I'm not talking about people who have an insurmountable amount of challenges, declining health, or maybe you're a single mom and there is nobody else to watch the children, maybe you yourself are facing some health challenges. For those people, I send you love, I send you hugs, I send you so much empathy. This message is not for you, okay?
But if you are on lockdown and you're pretty much fine, you're fortunate enough to have some savings in the bank, and you're with the people that you love. And although there are a lot of very understandable reasons to be anxious, to feel hopeless, to be worried, absolutely, I still have to say that, if you, the ones who are fine, if you don't come out of quarantine without a new skill, more knowledge, deeper connections, figure out a different way to serve your clients outside the box, then I need to give you some tough love and you need to realize that a lack of time was never the problem.
Maybe it's a matter of lack of discipline, or maybe you just don't want it badly enough. Really, and I'm not even trying to insult anybody here. I urge you to look a little bit closer as to why you think you're not being productive. The real reason why you think you're not being productive, why you're still okay being the victim, right? So, it's understandable to want to curl up in a ball and cry. I just want to put that out there, because I do it. I'm an emotional artist, okay?
But I want you to know that you can do both. Honestly, when all of this first happened, I was in shock, I was upset, devastated that my event needed to be postponed. I didn't want to show up. I didn't want to get on this mic and talk. I didn't. I didn't want to get on social media and talk. And you guys know, I'm always on there. I wanted to keep crying and hiding. Please.
Bu, I did show up. I showed up while I was broken. And when I had some friends check in on me and say, "Hey, how are you doing today? Are you any better?" I said, "Yeah, I'm better. I'm moving and mourning, just moving and mourning." If you're being called to be more productive, you think, and to stop playing victim, I want you to know that it's okay to not be completely okay. But, what's not okay is being mean to yourself.
So, I encourage you, as you move through the ups and downs of your very real and valid feelings, speak love and grace to yourself. Self care never hurts, absolutely. You should let it out and cry if you feel like you need to. But neither does productivity. We're all being called to walk out of a burning house, out of a house in flames. And I want you to trust that as you move, things will become clearer, and trust that you will become the type of woman that can run out of that burning house if you just take the first step and get up. Get up, look at yourself in the mirror, and remind yourself who you are.
Girl, you got this. Your dreams are begging you to show up. Your community needs you, they are begging you to show up. I have never in my life leaned on the beauty business community on social media as much as this before. It's so interesting because I know we are socially distanced, but I feel a deeper connection with my colleagues unlike never before. I feel a strong, positive connection with the guest that I have today, Adam Chatterley, who's in the UK. He's now one of my favorite people in the industry, and I think you guys are in for a treat, and you're going to see why.
But before we get to Adam, I just want to read the review of the week. Thank you so much, you guys, for taking the time to go on iTunes and leave me a five-star review. Even if you don't write anything, if you just rate this podcast five stars, I'd be so happy. So, this is from OG Sunless, and she says, "If I could give 10 stars, I would. Hi Sheila, my name is Olive, and I'm writing this review from Green Bay. I've sat here trying to put together a review that could somehow explain how much your podcast has influenced and inspired me as a beauty boss, but I honestly can't even find the words. I have been listening since this COVID-19 chaos interrupted our world, and I'm so mad that I haven't found you sooner. Safe to say, you're a new morning ritual and I don't ever want to run out of episodes to listen to. I hope to meet you some day at one of your events. I have made it a goal. Thank you so much for all you do. Love, OG. Olive Galiano, OG Sunless studio."
Wow, you guys. That was the first time I read that, and I'm seriously so moved. Thank you for taking the time. Like I said, I'm human, I have my ups and downs, especially throughout this crisis season, and when I read reviews like that or read messages like that, it reminds me why I need to get myself together and record this podcast. So, I can't tell you how much I appreciate such kind words.
Okay, you guys, this is going to be a really good one. Without further ado already, Adam Chatterley. I'm so excited to have this guest on for you guys today, and to introduce you to this incredible leader of the beauty industry. And today, I wanted to chat about having a beauty business COVID-19 crisis management plan. And my guest, Adam Chatterley, is the host of the top-ranked podcast, The Beauty Business Podcast. I'm an avid listener and have been for years.
He teaches beauty business owners in the beauty business industry the key action steps for building a highly profitable, stress-free, and rock-solid salon, spa, clinic, or mobile business. A family man, entrepreneur, and he's created so many resources for our beauty industry online that help support building the lives and businesses that we love.
And by the way, I'm going to plug this right now, and by the way, if he wasn't generous enough, he's offering a completely free coronavirus crisis management plan PDF download, so valuable for such a time as this. You guys got to grab it. The link is on the bio of his Instagram, which is @SalonBusinessSecrets, and I'm also going to put the link in the show notes here. He is wicked smart, an action taker, and definitely the guy you want on your side in the event of a pandemic and your salon is shut down. So, I'm happy to have him on my side. Please welcome my guest, Adam Chatterley.
Adam Chatterley:
Thank you so much. That is the best intro I've ever had. I'm stealing that and having it for the new intro on my podcast. I'm having it.
Sheila Bella:
I'm so pleased to hear your accent on this show right now. So, I like to start with some rapid-fire questions.
Adam Chatterley:
Go for it.
Sheila Bella:
Coffee or tea?
Adam Chatterley:
Coffee.
Sheila Bella:
Okay. Whoa. Where are you from? Where'd you grow up?
Adam Chatterley:
I grew up in Leeds, which is a town in the north of England.
Sheila Bella:
Who in your life has been your biggest influence to your growth? Who do you credit to your growth?
Adam Chatterley:
Oh, wow. Do you know what? A guy that I am no longer in touch with and I have no idea where he is or what he's doing, but I randomly came across this guy. He totally opened my eyes up to the fact that there's a whole different business world out there other than being an employee. And my background's in business, my degree's in economics, and I fell into that category of what our parents teach us. You work hard at school, you go to university, you get a good job, you work hard, and you'll be okay.
And this guy's name was Colin Rowley, I don't know where he is now. But, actually, he recruited me into the new version of... You've got Amway over there, yeah?
Sheila Bella:
I know what Amway is, yeah.
Adam Chatterley:
So, I think this was, I don't know, 15, 20 years ago now. But he was recruiting people into the new version of that, the online version of that, which I can't even remember the name of. I think it was called [Amivo 00:12:02], but I could be wrong. Anyway, so I just had some meetings with this guy, and he was trying to recruit me into this network, and I didn't ultimately end up joining, but he introduced me to these business books, starting off with things like Rich Dad Poor Dad, these motivational business tapes, back in the day when you had cassettes and tapes and things, pre-CDs.
And it just opened my eyes to this thing that was like, "Actually, you don't have to work for someone else. You don't just have to have a job. There are other opportunities." Now, I didn't end up going with him, but that was the initial key thing that made me decide to want to go out on my own and start my own business. So, actually, I haven't spoken about him in ages. I'd probably have to credit him.
Sheila Bella:
Wow. Have you ever said that before?
Adam Chatterley:
No, never.
Sheila Bella:
I have to find that guy! What's his name?
Adam Chatterley:
Colin Rowley.
Sheila Bella:
Colin Rowley.
Adam Chatterley:
If he's out there. Rowley, Colin Rowley. He was Scottish, he was from Paisley, which is just near Glasgow in Scotland. Yeah, no, I have no idea what he's doing. I have tried to find him on LinkedIn a couple of times, and it's one of those thing where there's a million different Colin Rowleys, and I would have no idea how to narrow him down now. But yeah, no, I'd have to say him.
Sheila Bella:
Well, Colin, if you are listening, you should be dang proud.
Adam Chatterley:
Yeah, I know. Colin, if you're randomly listening to this podcast, do give me a call, get in touch.
Sheila Bella:
Listen to the Pretty Rich podcast for pertinent makeup artists and beauty entrepreneurs. What are the odds? Maybe, I don't know. Maybe someone he knows is listening to this. Okay, well, putting that out there. That's incredible. Wow, you never know what impact you can have on somebody's life!
Adam Chatterley:
Yeah, absolutely. And I probably only met him about three or four times, but yeah.
Sheila Bella:
Wow.
Adam Chatterley:
Good question.
Sheila Bella:
I have some people like that, too. Oh, you brace yourself.
Adam Chatterley:
I'm writing that one down.
Sheila Bella:
Favorite quote?
Adam Chatterley:
Oh.
Sheila Bella:
Right now. Just right now.
Adam Chatterley:
Favorite quote right now. Do you know what? I wrote a piece for a newsletter just the other day, and I don't know why, but it just popped into my head, but it's Nina Simone. "It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for me." That's how I'm trying to look at this situation at the moment. I'm going to go with that one for now. There's about a million other ones that hang on my wall various places.
Oh, no, I'm going to go with another one, my all-time one that keeps coming back is, let me get this right. It is, "Never doubt that a small band of people can change the world. It's the only thing that ever has."
Sheila Bella:
Oh, I love that. Love that. And right now, at a time where we're leaning into our community, we're leaning on our community so heavily. I think that's so fitting.
What's challenging you right now?
Adam Chatterley:
Time. Seriously. It's a funny time for someone who, like yourself, is a business coach and genuinely wants to help and serve and just be there for people. And part of the reason why I created the action plan that you mentioned earlier on was... So, I know everyone's situation is different, everyone's got a million different challenges going on at the moment, but mine is basically that I've got two small kids, we were talking about them earlier on, schools are closed, I'm now looking after them.
My wife has a much more critical job at the moment than I do; she works in the NHS in the UK, so she is going out to work and helping those people, I'm looking after the kids. But that basically means, because they're three and six, and it means my days is looking after them. So, at a time when I'm desperately wanting to be there as much as I can for beauty business owners, I've got a few hours in the evening where I can actually efficiently and effectively work. So, I thought, what can I do in that time? Which is why I put together the action plan, which was something I could work on for a few nights, put it together, and then just put it out in the world, and I'm very thankful for you for sharing that, as well.
Sheila Bella:
I have to say, it's pretty dang complete.
Adam Chatterley:
Thank you.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah, what a great resource. And now that you've explained that, I see why you did it. And yeah, I love that you're showing up for your people as much as you are in the capacity that you can. So, thank you. You guys got to check it out. I'll link it in the show notes, for sure.
Adam Chatterley:
Thank you.
Sheila Bella:
Book that's changed your life?
Adam Chatterley:
Oh, well, I already mentioned Rich Dad Poor Dad.
Sheila Bella:
You did.
Adam Chatterley:
That one, or The 4-Hour Work Week.
Sheila Bella:
Ah, Tim Ferriss.
Adam Chatterley:
Yeah. Or The Millionaire Next Door. There's so many. I love books so much. I've had to switch over to listening to more of them now than reading them. I don't think you take quite as much in when you're listening to them on Audible, but when you're a parent of small people, it's about the only way you're ever going to consume books in the real world.
Sheila Bella:
As opposed to being a parent of people?
Adam Chatterley:
Okay, fair enough. I don't know. When they're a bit older... I'm harboring this desire, this belief that when they're a bit older, they'll give me some peace and some time back. Maybe, I don't know.
Sheila Bella:
My brother still hasn't to my mom. Oh my god, is my family listening to this? Oh well, whatever. They know it's true.
Adam Chatterley:
Definitely Rich Dad Poor Dad. If you've not read that, that will open your mind to an entirely different way of operating.
Sheila Bella:
I agree, yeah.
Adam Chatterley:
Such a good book. Robert Kiyosaki. Yeah, The 4-Hour Work Week, it's a little bit of a cliché, but again, it's just another mind-opener. I've read it a couple of times, and when you really read it back, you're like, there's not actually any advice in here particularly, but it's just a whole different way of looking at how you can live your life and earn money and serve people and be fulfilled and still enjoy every second of your day. So, yeah.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah. I just want to circle back to The 4-Hour Work Week, because that addresses the time challenge that you have right now, the challenge of time. Do you think you're applying a lot of the tips in 4-Hour? I haven't read it, but I know the gist.
Adam Chatterley:
Yes.
Sheila Bella:
I'm challenged by that too, so I'm trying to get tips from you.
Adam Chatterley:
Ultimately, it comes down to planning, it comes down to figuring out what is the thing that's actually going to move the needle, and that's actually going to make a difference. And unfortunately, a lot of stuff just has to go by the wayside. I mean, I normally am pretty diligent with my email and I try to make sure that every day, any emails that have come in, I've at least responded to or filed or given someone else to do something with.
And unfortunately, that's had to disappear. I go through them now, and I'm like, "All these are just going to have to wait. They're not emergency ones." I respond to the ones that have to... There's going to be a lot of emails after this that are going to have to be followed up or just not at all.
So yeah, it's literally letting go of the stuff that isn't essential and focusing on just the things that are going to help people. So, that's really had to be my own coaching clients who I already have, and creating this one resource, which has been the thing that I've been able to do.
So yeah, it is that. It's literally sitting down and going, "Right, what's everything I need to do? What doesn't have to be done right now? What can just, I'm afraid, be forgotten about? What are the things that are actually going to help people and help me move forward?"
Sheila Bella:
You did a great job. I'm going back to the guide, because yeah, it does move the needle. It's a complete guide, and here it is. You don't know what to do? Oh, check the guide, because it is there. I love it.
Adam Chatterley:
And this was it. So, I used to work in corporate businesses quite a lot. Big spas, hotel chains, and thing like that. And a lot of the time, I was brought in because they were struggling. And that could've been they just weren't quite making enough money, right through to literally they'd spent too much money, they were about to go out of business, and a load of people were going to lose their jobs.
So, they bring me in, and the very first thing I'd do was, especially when you're dealing with an organization with a number of people and moving parts in, I was like, "Right, we've got to create a step-by-step plan. We've got to make sure everyone's on the same page and we all know where we're heading and what we're doing and what the challenges are." So, it was the very first thing we did.
And as soon as we did that, everyone who was around this company who was panicking and worrying for themselves, for their staff, for their clients, all of that sort of stuff, it just made everyone feel better, because they were like, "Okay, well, now we know the steps we've got to take. We know what we're supposed to be doing. We're not just sitting around worrying about it anymore." And I thought, "That's the best thing I could do right now for people, because I know everyone's stressed and worried and anxious and not knowing what to do."
And I've always found myself, whatever you find yourself starting to worry, just doing something that you think will help makes a huge difference. So, I thought if I could just give them that road map, that plan, those eight things that they should be considering, then immediately, I'm going to help with the stress and the worry. And hopefully, I'm going to give some other advice as well that's actually going to help them take those steps in the right way. And if nothing else, stop the worry, but best-case scenario, save their businesses.
Sheila Bella:
So, maybe you've been hearing for several years how important it is to have multiple streams of income just in case your business was forced to close due to a global pandemic. Wow. Plot twist, right? The world is changing right before our eyes, and online connection is becoming essential. So, if you've ever thought about building your own online course, now is the perfect time to capitalize on this.
There has never been a more lucrative time to be a digital entrepreneur. You can make money from home as a beauty boss. I am confident that I can help you do it, because I am you. I am an artist, not tech-savvy at all. I didn't consider myself the absolute best, but I figured it out, and I'm so thankful that I had multiple streams of income to sustain my family and business during this time.
And I want you to be next. If you've ever thought about building an online course, there has never been a better time in the history of the world to be an online entrepreneur. And I want to show you step-by-step actionable strategies that you can start using right away to build your own online course that will serve your audience. And I want you to know that, no matter what gets thrown your way, I'm going to be here to help you overcome it by sharing the same strategies I'm using that are working for me in real time.
So, let's do this. Just go to SheilaBella.com/OnlineCourseWorkshop. That's SheilaBella.com/OnlineCourseWorkshop. And for a limited time, if you use the code podcast, you can get 10% off, and I'll see you in class.
Mm-hmm (affirmative), absolutely. So, I think you and I chatted about this over social media, but staying proactive right now, to me, for my personality type I think is key. And I don't know, do you get a reaction from people because you're leaning into positivity? I often get the reactions like, "How can you be so positive at a time like this?" I'm getting that all the time.
I feel like people are just so full of fear, and I am too, I am, and so paralyzed that... There's two camps right now: There's people who feel shamed for not being productive, and that's not okay. Definitely not okay. And there are also people who feel some shaming for being too productive, too positive. People who are selling right now, "How could you sell at a time like this?" So, I think that both are valid and both are true.
Adam Chatterley:
Absolutely. It's a line you've got to walk, definitely. And I think as long as you're coming from it from a point of view of serving people, and that doesn't mean giving everything away for free, doesn't mean staying up all hours of the day just giving all your time for nothing; what it means is, as long as you're coming from a point of view of genuinely wanting to help people and providing that value. And it's totally okay to ask for something back from that. But I think there's a line there of asking something back for it because you're providing value, and there's taking advantage of the situation. Now, obviously taking advantage of the situation is bad. Don't do that.
But I've been coaching my own clients through this, and saying, "Look." There are still... Yes, you can't see clients physically, you can't put your hands on people, you can't do the treatments, but you can still be there for them, you can still provide things that they need that you can do over a video conference, over FaceTime. And why not charge for it?
It's not suddenly the case that everyone's bank accounts have been emptied. You don't know what their situation is. They may be worried about money because this is a situation we've never been in, but they may have plenty of money. And equally, even if they are struggling for money, it's not your job to prioritize how they spend their money, because they could be sat there worrying about their jobs, about putting food on the table, all those kind of things.
But you never know if talking them through, and this is just an example, talking them through a home makeup routine that they could do really quickly on a morning that's going to make them feel great about themselves whilst they're going about their lockdown day at home. You don't know how valuable that could be for them. Okay?
So, by asking for a bit of money for that, you could be providing them with an amazing service that they're more than happy to give you money for. Providing products to people still. That may be what helps them get through this situation. That may be the thing that releases the stress, releases the anxiety and the worry for them.
So, don't place your judgment on other people. Be there, serve, don't be afraid to ask for money, but certainly don't take advantage.
Sheila Bella:
I love that. You brought up a really good point that I do have a handful of friends who have not lost income, been fortunate enough to not lose... Yeah, it's not just us. And those people are happy to exchange, to trade in your time or your services for money still. And my take on that is it doesn't help anybody if you're struggling, if you're financially unfit.
So, if you have something of value that you think people really want and could use, why not sell? Because to me, I think the word sales or selling, it's such a bad rap, right?
Adam Chatterley:
It comes with a lot of connotations. [crosstalk 00:27:39]
Sheila Bella:
It's tension with sales. But sales, to me, could very well be a loving act. I mean, when I Beyonce tickets, front row, I was so excited to give Ticketmaster my money. I said, "Please, take it right now! Take it!" Whatever it is that, the listener, anybody is think about offering at home, you could be... Who's to say you're not somebody's Beyonce tickets? Who are like, "Please offer that. My brows are getting so crazy. Please offer me that thing, because I really need that. I cannot wait to pay you. Thank you so much for making this, because this has really saved." So, who's to say?
Adam Chatterley:
Absolutely. And I think the point where we are right now, I don't know when this is going out, but we're... Certainly in the US and in the UK, we're three weeks-ish into a full-on lockdown situation. My feeling on this is, we've kind of got over that initial fear, complete uncertainty. I know there's a lot of uncertainty still around, but we've kind of a little bit got to grips with the situation, and I think people are craving some normality. And I think if you can provide them with that as-close-to-as-possible normality, I think people are ready for that now.
It's definitely going to be a few more weeks of lockdown before anything changes, that's pretty certain. It's going to be months before anything gets anywhere near back to normal. So, I think people do, people want to start to experience that kind of normal world again after the craziness of the past two weeks, where literally things were changing every single day.
I had a podcast I was putting out a couple of weeks ago, I had to write three times, because every time I recorded it, in the two days it took to produce it, things had completely changed, so I had to record the damn thing again. So, it was changing so fast, and I think it has settled a little bit now. Yeah, I do, I think people are just craving normality, and I'm seeing that across the emails, these people who maybe have been a bit apprehensive to quote-unquote sell or offer something are tentatively starting to do it now.
And I'm already seeing people quite happily take up those offers, because if it's the right time, so there's a lot of course creators out there now, there's a lot of people teaching Instagram and Facebook ads and all these different things which are amazing for business. And if you have that time, I'd never want to presume that everyone's suddenly got time like myself... It's wrong to presume, "Oh, well, you're not in your business; you've clearly got loads of time," because things might've shifted for you, might suddenly be looking after your kids and have less time than you did before. But for a lot of people, they do. They've got time on their hands, and they're potentially only going to spend that time worrying.
So yeah, do a course, learn a skill. There's so many product houses that are doing free training. So, even if it's brushing up on your skills, all sorts of different things that you can do if you have time available to you.
Sheila Bella:
Oh man, you brought up a good point. There are a lot of people, I'm seeing a lot of leadership right now in the beauty industry. There's a lot of people who were kind of quiet, who are stepping up because we all share this collective trauma, I feel like, and we really need each other.
So, just to go over your crisis management plan, what are some of the things that you encourage for us to have control over? Because there's just so much uncertainty right now and so many things that we can't control, what are the things that we can control? And for a lot of business owners right now, who are probably super type-A like us, who are like... Or just looking to grasp onto something.
Adam Chatterley:
Well, I think the clear number-one step was money. It's the very first thing. This is so unprecedented, actually forcibly shutting down people's businesses. This has just not happened. And everyone's mind goes to money, pretty much. Especially if you're the business owner or you're employed in a salon or anything like that.
And of course, we all need to pay our bills. Our banks are not necessarily going to be the most understanding people, so we're all worried about that. So, the very first step was talking about money and basically just saying, "Look, there's no point in sitting there worrying about it. Do something about it. Make some phone calls, even if [inaudible 00:32:26]."
In fact, I think I said, "Just literally list down all your expenses as a business owner, but also personally as well. List down your expenses that go out every month. Put them in order of size of expense, so which one's going to hit you the hardest each month. And then basically just contact those people and say, 'Look, I want to pay you on time, I want to try and still pay you, but obviously, I'm in this situation now, and I might struggle. What options are available to me?'"
Every single business is going to appreciate you at least doing that. Even if it's the case that you've just gone and informed them that you want to pay them but you might be struggling. They're going to tell you what options you have. You've not phoned them up and saying, "I'm not paying you any more money." You're simply telling them and informing them that question.
So, as soon as you do that, as soon as you get your top four, five biggest expenses, and you understand what your options are, that's immediately going to make you feel a lot better. So, definitely address the money side of things first, and do that with any of your team as well. Once you've done that research, figure out how you can provide that for your team so that they're not so worried about money as well.
And the second biggest thing, I think, number two was communicating with your key people, so your staff, your clients, any stakeholders that you have in your business. Weekly. I really do think this is important, because we're all listening now, we've all got quote-unquote time on your hands. We're all looking at social media more than ever, we're all reading our emails more than ever. So, keep people informed about what's going on. Keep that connection.
Two reasons: reassures them, but it keeps that connection with your client whilst you're not able to see them. And that's so important, because it tells your client a couple of things: First of all that you're organized and you're on top of this, even if you don't feel you are, but it also gives them that confidence that you're keeping them informed, they're still important to you. The world is falling apart, in some ways, and you're worried about money, but there's such a priority to you in your life that you're still willing to send them an email or some sort of communication each week to let them know what's going on.
Those two things are so powerful to your client, that this is some serious loyalty-building time, which is crazy, because you're not even seeing them. But this is such a good time to build that loyalty with your clients.
Sheila Bella:
Mm-hmm (affirmative). Agree. What about incoming revenue during this time?
Adam Chatterley:
Okay.
Sheila Bella:
Do you think... Yeah, go ahead. You got it.
Adam Chatterley:
Obviously, it depends on exactly which area of the beauty world you are in, but I've seen some amazing creativity and innovations coming in. One of my clients, who does reiki healing, has started doing distance reiki. And she'd never done it before, she'd never tried it, but I pushed her a little bit. And she did one session for free with one of her clients just for them both to try it out, went really well.
She put a message out saying, "Hey, look, I'm doing this distance reiki thing. I'm charging X amount of money." She did it in a very confident way. Not in a taking-advantage way, just saying, "Hey, look, I know a lot of you will be worried. If you come to me for reiki, I'm doing this distance reiki offering. It's..." I can't remember how much she charged. "X amount of money for half an hour." And she got a load of bookings straight away.
I've had lash artists who've prepared little at-home soak-off kits to send out to people. All sorts of different things. And then obviously, you've got skincare experts who are still providing products to their clients, doing at-home consultations. There's one who's even going, "Look, get all the products you've got around your house, let's get on a consultation, and we'll work out a little at-home skincare routine that you can do on yourself."
So, the creativity I'm seeing is amazing, but you really can still reach out to your clients and still provide that service and take money off them. That sounds wrong. And exchange that value. They'll give you some money for you helping them. It's no different, in some ways, to what you do normally. It's just you physically can't be with them. But I think the creativity I'm seeing is amazing.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah. I hear you on that. Now, for any of these amazing ideas that you just named, would you recommend charging for them?
Adam Chatterley:
Yeah, absolutely. I think if you're providing a value, definitely. Now, the one client I mentioned there about the reiki, she wasn't sure. She was like, "I could give it a go, but I've never done it before, I don't know what I'd charge for it." All that kind of thing. So, she did a very sensible thing. She picked the one client that she knew would be up for trying it, she knows that they've come to her for reiki before so that she feels that strong connection with them anyway, so she said, "Hey, look, I want to try doing this. Can we give this a shot together?"
So, she basically reached out to a client and said, "Can we try this?" The client did it, was on board with it, gave her feedback afterwards, and that gave her the confidence to then go out and go, "Okay, it works. Maybe not as well as if I was in the same room and with them, but it works." It provided them with a, whatever it was, a relaxation, whatever it was, but it provided them with something, and why shouldn't they be willing to support you and exchange some value for that?
Sheila Bella:
Yeah, especially as beauty entrepreneurs, I feel like we know clients so intimately. We spend a few hours with them regularly. They're invested in us, and we're invested in them. So, I think just a simple active reaching out and staying connected, I feel like that's something that your client will remember. I think anything that you do right now for your clients is going to hit harder and reverberate deeper than if it was just a normal Thursday, and there was no pandemic. If you pick up the phone and call your client now just to see how they're doing, they're going to remember that, and you'll have a lifer, basically. Somebody who will endorse you forever.
Adam Chatterley:
100%. Yeah, I think this is a time for just absolutely cementing some serious loyalty with your clients. But again, don't do it because you're trying to cement loyalty with your clients; do it because you're being there for them. The payoff is the loyalty from the clients. You've got to have that right mindset of why you're doing it in the first place. Otherwise, it won't work.
Sheila Bella:
Agree with you. People can sniff that out, I think.
How would you suggest... Because I've been saying a lot that now is the time to pivot, right? So, this season, you're not being called to quit, you're being called to pivot, because a lot of beauty businesses, we put a lot into this thing, right? We put a lot into this, and just to quit now? I don't think so. I don't think that that's the message. So yeah, how would you suggest that a brick-and-mortar pivots during this time?
Adam Chatterley:
In those ways, I don't even see it as pivoting. For me, pivoting is massively changing direction and doing something entirely different.
Sheila Bella:
Oh, okay. Yeah.
Adam Chatterley:
For me, it's a case of, okay, well... Sitting down, if it's just you sitting down with yourself and brainstorming, if you can get on a video call with your team as well and go, "Look, what can we do for our clients still?" And just absolutely throw some ideas around. And even if whatever it is that you do, so I'm thinking... Maybe if you're a lash technician and all you do is lashes, and that's going to be something tricky to do anything with, really, without being there. Can you just use it as a time to either entertain clients, connect with clients, build your social media following, any single thing like that? So, I don't necessarily think it's pivoting in terms of completely doing something else. You can simply use that creative muscle that everyone in this industry has, and figure out how you can best make the most out of this situation.
Now, having said that, I do have some clients who have gone, "Well, for whatever reason, I can't provide the service that I can provide to my clients. But what I can do, because I've got X number of years in the business, I can reach out to other local businesses that do similar things to what I do, and I can support them, who are newer than me, and I can basically give them some training, some ideas, some thoughts, and help support them." Because this definitely is a time. It's not a time for thinking, "Oh, they're my competition, and as long as I can survive better than them, then I'll get all their clients." It's just not that time; it's a time for us all to be there for each other and to raise each other up.
So, if you can reach out to people who are brand-new and go, "Look, guys, I know you're struggling more than most, because you didn't have the money in the bank. You probably don't qualify for some of the rescue loans and things that are out there because you're so new. So, here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to help you with these ideas, and then when things are back in business, let's help each other out again, be there for each other."
So, yeah. I'm not necessarily about completely pivoting; I'm just about let's get creative, what can you do in this world to either support yourself, support others. Just be there to serve, and I do believe... I have a bit of a woo-woo barrier. I don't go too far into it, but I do believe that if you are there and you put things out into the world for the right reason, it will pay you back again.
Sheila Bella:
Agree. One of my mantras is, "Serve to grow." If you focus service, everything else is a byproduct. Financially, anything else, influence or whatever, everything else is just a byproduct. So, I love that.
My second-to-last question is: What do you hope to keep out of this season? There's been so much fear. But for me personally, there's still a lot of beauty, too. I forgot which book it was. I'll ask my husband. What is it? "Things were better when they were bad," is a quote somebody says. After 9/11, we saw a lot of community... There was a lot a beauty after 9/11, and I'm seeing something similar here, too. So, what do you hope to keep, personally, out of this season?
Adam Chatterley:
A number of things, I think. One thing I just hope we all keep is the fact that we don't take the freedoms that we have for granted after this. If you'd have said to someone a few months ago the entire world could be locked down within the space of two weeks, no one would've believed you. No one could've even conceived of how that could happen. And we're living it. So, I hope that, when things calm down again, we don't take for granted the fact that we can randomly go and meet with our friends after work for a drink, that we can go and spend time with our families at the weekend, that we can go to the parks and see people. I hope that it brings us together a lot more and makes us appreciate everyone and the things that we have.
Equally, in the UK, possibly the same over there as well, I really hope it makes us all appreciate the key workers that we have. I mean, however could it be that we are suddenly so reliant on some of the people who are paid the most poorly, and we are relying on them at the moment for our lives? I mean, I hope we come out of this, and it's like, "Okay, well, we need to completely overhaul how we pay these people and the rewards that they get [crosstalk 00:44:23]." Oh my god, we couldn't survive without them, and I'm not just including the healthcare people there. I'm thinking about delivery drivers, and all these people. We'd be stuck without them. So, I hope that's something that comes out of it as well.
But also, for me, I'm loving some of the beauty in the world that's coming out. I mean, I'm spending a lot of time in the garden, obviously, with the kids, and I'm like, "Is it me, or are there more birds around at the moment? Is there more wildlife going on, or have I just been able to stop and hear it for once?" So yeah, I hope it makes us appreciate things a lot more.
Yeah, that's where my head is on the other side of this.
Sheila Bella:
Yeah, such good points. I feel like I realized how much I work, how I don't need to work as hard as I thought I needed to work. I'm like, "Oh, I'm okay!" Sometimes, I think we have these ideas that everything's going to fall apart if we don't get this done, or if we don't go to that event, or if we don't like, "Oh, I can do this. I can just stay in bed, stay in my pajamas, cool." You don't know I'm wearing pajama bottoms right now.
Adam Chatterley:
It's the one thing I'm going to do.
Sheila Bella:
You just see the top half of me.
Adam Chatterley:
Yeah, I'm just seeing a top and some headphones, that's all I'm seeing.
Sheila Bella:
That's all you need to see. Oh my goodness.
So, where can we find you on social media, on the internet? How can we work with you?
Adam Chatterley:
So, I'm pretty much everywhere as @SalonBusinessSecrets. I think Instagram, Facebook, and... Well, those are really the main two. So yeah, @SalonBusinessSecrets. I have a Facebook group, free one that I'm in, and I just generally share advice, share my slightly more wacky videos, Beauty Business Hackers. And the podcast is the very simply named The Beauty Business Podcast.
Sheila Bella:
Great name. Side note, tried to take it when I started my podcast, and I was like, "Darn it, it's taken!"
Adam Chatterley:
Yeah, I didn't know what I was doing when I started podcast, but I obviously did it early enough to get that name in there.
Sheila Bella:
Amazing. I was like, "Who's this guy?" I was like, "All right, I like him." Yeah, to anybody wanting to start a podcast, keep it simple.
Adam Chatterley:
Yeah, I mean, after that, it's all gone downhill after that in terms of naming things. I mean, I looked at this, going back to the action plan. One of my colleagues on LinkedIn made the best comment about it. He just said, "Adam, it's brilliant, but clearly you put so much creativity into the plan you completely run out of it for the name, because The Beauty Business owns Coronavirus Crisis Management Action Plan, is the worst name for anything in the world ever."
Sheila Bella:
I disagree. Who is that guy? I'm going to send him a video. Oh no, it's the best thing! No, I like clarity over poetic, for sure, so I think it's great.
Adam Chatterley:
It's the scientific background in me. I just get to the point of naming something, and I'm like, "Well, I just want to name it what it is."
Sheila Bella:
Yeah, exactly. I like naming things like Verb Your Noun when I name courses. Very simply, Verb Your Noun. I have a course, New Clients Consistently, or Grow Your Gram. That's another course I have. Or Build Your Online Course. What does this do? So, I don't have to [inaudible 00:47:59]. So yeah, that's why I love the name of your podcast.
Adam Chatterley:
It's about the one thing I managed to get right in terms of naming stuff. Everyone gets confused, because then everything after that became The Beauty Business Something. There's Beauty Business Hackers, Beauty Business Podcast, all of that. But then, weirdly, my main website is Salon Business Secrets, which confuses everyone. But yeah, they're all around about that. But I'm fairly defined. And the great thing about having a name like Adam Chatterley is there's not many of us around, so you'll pretty much track me down as long as you type that in, anyway.
Sheila Bella:
So, I'll be sure to link all of these things in the show notes. Thank you so much, Adam. This was so awesome.
Adam Chatterley:
No problem. It's been a pleasure. Thank you so much for having me.
Sheila Bella:
That's it for today's episode of Pretty Rich podcast. If there was anything in this episode that has impacted you in any small or big way, I want to know. You can reach me @RealSheilaBella on Instagram.
And by the way, if we are not text buddies yet, that needs to change. You can text my name, Sheila, S-H-E-I-L-A, to 319.
