So what is it that you really want, a trusted confidant to bounce ideas off or a fix to your problems? Do you desire to explore your options as to which is best for you or do you want to get the solution that gives you a desired result?

These are the questions you must ask yourself when looking to hire someone to help you. But to help you best, let’s take a look at the roles of both a salon consultant and a salon coach.

A Salon coach is a strategic planner. They are very good listeners and are their role is to guide you through a decision making process that is uniquely yours. They are the person with whom you set goals and attain them. A good coach asks the right questions, guides you through your plan of action and holds you accountable to fulfilling it. In a coaching session the client is the person who brings the agenda to the table and the coach who helps the client map out their moves.  What a salon or life coach doesn’t do is offer advice or suggest what the client should to do. A coach is most beneficial for those who want guidance and a support system.

A salon consultant is best described as a go to person. Consultants are the solution people for your challenges. Because they have experience and are the expert in their field you can be assured that if you have a very specific problem they will provide the solution. Unlike a coach, a consultant will offer their advice and give you ideas, resources and tools. That is their job. They will be the person who works with you to implement change or independent of you to implement change. Either way their focus is purposeful and intent on achieving results. If you can’t be bothered investing time and energy into deviating a plan of action, hire the expert.

In a nutshell, you now have the description of who can best help you with your challenges. The only advice I will offer is to get the help you need. Although private coaching and consulting can be costly, there is the option of being part of a group where you can get access to the professionals at a fraction of the cost.