Pros
-Outstanding continuing education for stylists: hands-on training, watch-and-learn, in-salon sessions, webinars, product docs, and training apps available to all employees; educators are prompt and supportive when help is requested.
-Strong emphasis on teamwork and team building, with management often funding activities and events to foster better relationships.
-Feels like a family-owned business despite corporate/franchise structure—you're treated as a person with a name and soul, not just a number.
-Manager bonuses are good and achievable when team performance aligns with realistic conditions.
-The franchise owner is charismatic, fun, energetic, and motivating—he takes time at every manager meeting to personally speak to everyone, remembers names and previous conversations, and makes you feel valued.
Cons
-Production bonuses (for stylists and working managers—all managers work the floor) are very hard to hit and favor part-time/short-shift employees; full-time 8-hour shifts include unavoidable slow periods that sharply drop production rates—bi-weekly calculation means one slow hour can eliminate the bonus entirely, and inconsistent salon traffic often makes targets unrealistic.
-Manager base pay is far below industry standards, especially for internal promotions; new stylists frequently start at higher hourly rates than experienced managers during staffing shortages—no manager should earn the same or less than any stylist, regardless of stylist tenure; this leads to feeling used, overworked, and underappreciated while handling extra (often unpaid) managerial duties and staying positive for the team/company; raises are rarely merit-based—only minimal amounts given out of desperation (when threatening to quit), and promised raises often never materialize.
-No dedicated training exists for managers: managers receive zero formal leadership, operations, or supervisory support and must learn everything on the job amid high demands, contributing to burnout and inefficiency.
-Continuing education content lacks variety—once core classes (especially hands-on) are completed, little new/advanced material is added; videos/webinars are poorly advertised, so many employees don't know what's available.
-Communication is fragmented and overwhelming (Slack, multiple text threads, Facebook groups, etc.), making it hard for managers to stay informed or share updates effectively with the team.
-I struggle saying this because the franchise owner is a genuinely nice person who I feel honestly cares about his employees and there are very few owners I can say that about but I sometimes feels that he is unaware of how his employees are being treated—given how charismatic, personal, and supportive he is in meetings and in person, it's hard to believe he would knowingly allow these ongoing issues to continue.