We recently connected with Amanda McKnight and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Amanda, thanks for joining us today. One of the most important things we can do as business owners is ensure that our customers feel appreciated. What’s something you’ve done or seen a business owner do to help a customer feel valued?
With my lash clients, I have been very intentional this year about doing small things every few months. For Valentine’s Day they all got a bag of candy and a 50% off their next service. For Easter, I filled Easter eggs with free services and discounts and let them choose an egg and get a prize. While they are small gestures, I wanted to show my clients that I appreciate their continued loyalty to me and my services especially when the economy has everyone tightening up their budgets. My clients seem to be surprised and happy by the unexpected treats!
Amanda, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Hello everyone, I am Amanda McKnight, and I own Southern Sirens. Southern Sirens has two branches, our bridal beauty team, which is where we started, and our studio suites, where we now offer a variety of other beauty services.
I started this business to help other people feel beautiful during some of the most important events in their life. For myself and my team, we enjoy enhancing our clients natural beauty. Our aim is to help you shine, relax, and enjoy the moment.
Our bridal teams specialize in airbrush makeup, which we have been using airbrush makeup for 13 years. We love airbrush for the way that it lasts, the way it looks on the skin, and how it feels while wearing it. Our hair stylists enjoy working with your natural hair texture to create hairstyles that not only look good but last.
Our studio suites, offer varying hair services, eyelash extensions, and nails. I started this part of the business, to help independent artists thrive in a supportive and fun environment. I want them to succeed in their artistry and grow.
Any advice for managing a team?
When I started this business I planned on being an independent artist. Life had other ideas. I slowly began adding to my team, and currently we have 8 artists.
I hand picked these artists. To me they are the some of the best that our area has to offer. I value their talent, their hardwork, their dedication to this team and our clients.
So, how do I manage our team and maintain high morale. I keep it simple. I treat them the way I want to be treated. I listen to their ideas and feedback, I tell them how much I appreciate them, I don’t ask them to do anything I wouldn’t, I have their backs, and I value them.
We also do things together and separately as a team. It’s not just a job, we also have genuine friendships. We go to each others weddings, buy girl scout cookies, go thrift store shopping, do lunches, lake days, and annual Halloween parties.
Being close as a team not only makes our team strong, but it also helps us be aligned and in sync when it comes to providing services for our clients.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
Having someone who had been in the wedding industry for years vouch for me was the first step in building a our reputation in the wedding industry. After that, it was about consistency. Being consistent in the makeup looks that I was creating, being consistent in responding to my clients in a timely fashion, and being consistent in doing what I said I would do. My teams are also a huge part in building our reputation. They show up , they stay on schedule, their friendly, and they work their artist magic.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.southernsirens.com
- Instagram: @southernsirens & @southernsirensstudios
- Facebook: @southernsirens
Image Credits
Star Noir
Nelya Photos
Wild Alchemy
Luis Perez
Jaynabiery Photo