GUEST BLOGGER: Leah Turner, Turner Time Consulting
Last week I went to my beloved (and very sexy) hairdresser to get some highlights in my hair. I go to him about every 8 weeks, and he does an excellent job. He touches up my roots and slaps a few blonde highlights in my hair, and voila – I walk out feeling gorgeous!
Well, this time when I went I was feeling a little more adventurous than normal. As I sat in the chair looking at my reflection in the mirror, the words ‘make be BLONDER’ came flying out of my mouth! I had visions of myself emerging as a Heather Locklear, Gwyneth Paltrow, or even Kelly Ripa ’blonde’. Next thing I know, Eric (the hunky hairdresser), is slathering bleach all over my head! I felt the sting as each hair on my head drank in the powerful bleach and slowly started changing color. Patiently we waited for the bleach to perform its magic.
This is where things took a turn for the worse….yes, the bleach worked its magic, but the problem was I didn’t look like Heather nor did I look like Gwyneth. Instead, I looked like someone had plastered a bail of dried out yellow hay on top of my head!
I tried to tell myself it was OK, that I just wasn’t used to my new ‘brassy blonde’ self. So, I lived with it for a week. And after enduring looks of horrific shock from family and friends, I could no longer pretend that it was working. So, back to Eric’s chair I went….
Now, I have had bouts with bad haircuts and color before, but this was my first experience in the land of ‘bleach’ – (I now FULLY understand and appreciate the term bleached blonde)….but, what I didn’t realize was that fixing a bleach issue involves a lot more than applying a new hair color, holding hands and singing Kumbaya. Oh no, OF COURSE it couldn’t be that easy.
At this moment I’m no longer a Marilyn Monroe blonde, more like an ashy, mousey Sarah Palin brunette! I will be making my third (and HOPEFULLY final) trip to Eric on Monday for some lighter highlights. My hope is that this third time will be the charm, and I will look like I did before the whole bleach debacle began.
This entire experience has taught me a couple of things about marketing and running a succesful business (believe it or not!).
1. If you have a successful brand or market niche – stick with it. Carving out your business niche is important. People come to identify and trust your brand, your products, and your services. There is a reason that MacDonald’s has had the same logo for years…it works!
2. One size does not fit all. What works for some businesses, does not automatically mean it will work for you. Girls wearing skimpy orange tank tops and shorts works well for the Hooters Restaurant chain, but I doubt it would work for Red Lobster, Denny’s or Morton’s Steak House. Know and understand your target market.
3. Don’t be afraid to experiment with your brand, but do it wisely. If you are contemplating making a change to your brand or image, do your research before making the change. I love how Kentucky Fried Chicken changed to KFC. Not a drastic move, but a wise one considering the health benefits of not eating ‘fried’ food.
As for me, while I admit have enjoyed the opportunity to see Eric three times in 2 weeks, I have made the decision to ‘stick’ with MY ’hair’ brand…………..if it ain’t broke, why fix it? Also, it gets pretty expensive completely changing your hair color three times in three weeks!
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