Thanksgiving has come and gone...and we all know what that means. The holidays are officially upon us, and we can’t help but feel a combination of excitement and stress! But before you let the latter get in the way of your celebrations, check the following inventory of seasonal must-haves. You may find that you’re more prepared than you think--or, if not, you’ll at least know what to work on!

Holiday Promotion
Holiday promotions are a great way to pump some extra revenue into your salon this season, and they’re also just plain fun! Arrange the perfect seasonal extension sale or a themed salon party, then get all the stylists at your salon on-board so you can make it a memorable event! In terms of promotions, one fun idea is to incorporate an advent calendar into the salon, so customers receive a free treat or an unexpected discount on each day.

Holiday Calendar and Inventory
If you find that your salon gets unmanageably hectic during the holidays, begin the season with a thorough and extensive holiday calendar that’s posted in a central location in the salon. Feature all of your promotions in this calendar, as well as all appointments, events, classes, follow-up reminders, extension purchase-by dates (so you can be on top of every appointment), and other essential information. You could also use a web program to do this--like Trello or Google Calendar.

Gift Money
Set your gift money aside at the beginning of the season so that you never find yourself short on cash for gifts. If you’re creating a budget for small client gifts, you should do this separately from your personal/family-related gift money, or set it aside as a percentage from every transaction.

Personal Wishlist
Unless you prefer surprises, let your friends and family know just what you’d like to receive by creating a public wishlist--either on Amazon, Shoptagr, Pinterest, or another platform. You can even include your desired salon items and Babe products here, too! Even if you don’t get everything you would’ve liked, you’ll still have the list to keep track of everything--and to use as a shopping list once the holidays are over.

Ideas for Inspiration
Between all the parties, get-togethers, outings, and other holiday events, you may find that you don’t have time to plan every recipe, outfit, or hairdo. Cover all your bases in advance by assembling an inspiration board that you can return to quickly. Again, Pinterest is a great place for this, and you can get a head start finding festive hair ideas on our Pinterest boards!

Greeting Cards
These aren’t just for your loved ones--it’s good to create some greeting cards for your salon clientele, too! Thank them for their business, and offer them a small perk (like a discount) on their next cut, color, or installation. Best part is, these don’t have to be print-out, mail-in kind of cards. Nowadays there are lots of ways to deliver sincere messages without relying on paper, including designing or coding them yourself, and they’re quite a bit cheaper than the traditional method.

How are you preparing for the holidays? Let us know in the comments below!