27. Delegate More, Grow More: A Conversation with Heather Harris

[upbeat music] Hey, everybody. Welcome to The Connector, Intercoiffure America/Canada's weekly podcast connecting salon owners and professionals with the leaders, artists, and innovators shaping the future of the professional salon industry. I'm your host, Gordon Miller, General Manager of Intercoiffure America/Canada, the industry's only not-for-profit association representing employment-based salons across the US and Canada. A reminder that Intercoiffure's Fall Atelier: Tapestry of Beauty is happening October 3rd through 5th in New York City, and that is just one and a half short weeks away. There might be a few spots left to register. Go to intercoiffure.com to learn more. All right, on to our guest today. Heather Harris is the founder and CEO of Spark Pro Global. A former working hairdresser, current salon owner of seven years, Heather created Spark Pro Global to provide salon-focused virtual assistants who handle administrative tasks, marketing, client communications, and a lot more, all for the purpose of giving salon owners more time to focus on their teams, clients, and growth. Welcome to the podcast, Heather Harris.

Thank you so much for having me, Gordon. I'm really excited to join you and your listeners today.

We met for the first time at the Spring Gathering, um, the Power of Connection in Montreal, uh, Intercoiffure's spring event. And actually, we, we've got our next spring event coming up April 17th through 19th in Nashville. But it was so great to meet you 'cause I'd heard so much about you from so many people, including a lot of people who were in Ireland at Forest who just were raving about you.

Oh, thank you. I was so happy to join. I'd never been to Montreal, let alone an Intercoiffure event. And so, um, after hearing about Intercoiffure for years and, uh, many of my clients and friends being members, it was a real treat to join you, especially, um, on stage. So yeah, it was, it was amazing.

A amazing presentation. Um, we're gonna talk about a lot of stuff, but, but give the three or four bullet points from Montreal. I know it's still in your head, and there was so much good stuff. And so what'd you talk about? A- and just give us some early takeaways. I w- I want people to learn on this podcast, and I, I think you can give us some great bullet points they can learn something from.

I think number one, for those people who are listening who are the CEO or leading a business in some capacity, uh, you're not alone. There is help out there for you. [laughs] Um, I think that overwhelm is something so many leaders face, and so really addressing what it's like to be overwhelmed and burned out, the effects that it has on your business, and direct, actionable, straightforward strategies for strategic delegation. Something I think many of us have heard much about would be how to delegate. You should be delegating. Outsource. Get an admin. Okay, that's cute, but how to really do that effectively so that you know your business is being run smoothly, and that important things aren't being dropped between the cracks. And, um, really how all of that tied together increases your bottom line, where you're not just touching more money, but