The Growth Plan

When you are starting from zero, every single person in your phone is a potential client or a connection to one. A personal text from someone they actually know will always outperform any ad, any post, or any platform listing. People book who they trust — and your network already trusts you. This is your fastest path to your first appointments and it costs absolutely nothing.

Before you send a single text, decide what you are offering. Do not skip this step. Sending a vague message with no clear offer gives people nothing to say yes to. Pick ONE offer below that you feel genuinely good about. Choose something you can sustain for at least 30 days. Do not discount so deeply that you resent the client when they show up — your time and skill have real value.

Fill in these two things and keep them somewhere easy to copy from as you text:

Choose the script that fits who you are texting. Personalize every single message — use their actual name and do not send the exact same copy-paste to everyone. People can tell the difference.

Having a great offer means nothing if no one sees it. Once you have decided on your promotion your job is to plant it everywhere your potential clients might find you. An offer that only exists in one text message will not fill your book. An offer that is visible everywhere will.

All of your promotion traffic needs to flow through one place — the Cio Bela Promotions Page. This page is currently being built and you will be notified the moment it is live. Every place listed below should direct people to that page — not to the booking page directly. The booking page comes after they submit their claim.

Here is how the system works:

Always remove your promotion the moment you decide it is over. Set a phone reminder or make a note so nothing gets missed.

A text feels personal because it lands in a private space someone checks constantly. A DM lands in a feed full of noise. The message has to be tighter, the tone has to be cooler, and it has to feel like an insider tip — not a sales pitch. The goal is to make them feel like you thought of them specifically, not like they are number 47 on a list.

Pick the one that sounds most like you. The more natural it feels when you read it, the more natural it will feel to the person receiving it. You can use different scripts for different people.

When you are starting from zero, visibility is everything. Groupon has millions of active users searching for exactly what you offer right now — in your city, in your service category, today. That kind of exposure is nearly impossible to build on your own in the early stages. Getting listed on Groupon is not about discounting your worth. It is about putting yourself in front of people who would never have found you otherwise and turning them into loyal full-price clients.

Groupon is a tool — and like any tool it works best when you use it with intention. You are in control of how you use it, how long you run it, and when you decide to stop. The artists who get the most out of Groupon treat every single appointment as an audition for a full-price loyal client. They show up with their best work, deliver a top-tier experience, and leave that client with no reason to go anywhere else. That is the strategy. Groupon fills the chair. You fill the book.

Marketing is one of the most expensive parts of running any business. Studies show that acquiring a new client can cost anywhere from 5 to 25 times more than retaining an existing one. Every business pays for new clients one way or another. The question is not whether you pay — it is how you pay.

Before you list on Groupon you need to understand exactly what you are agreeing to so there are no surprises.

That is the reality of the platform. Now that you understand the strategy and the trade-off, you can decide whether that math makes sense for where you are right now.

When listing on Groupon each artist should use their own personal business name — not Cio Bela Salons. This prevents Groupon from flagging multiple listings from the same location as duplicate accounts.

There is no one right answer here. Think carefully about what makes sense for your specific services and price point.

On Groupon your photos are your first impression. A client scrolling through listings will click the one with the most compelling, professional looking work. This is not the place for blurry phone photos. Choose your absolute best before and after shots. If you need help selecting photos or want guidance on how to present your work visually on your listing — reach out to Shawntavia. Content always matters, and your Groupon listing is no different.

A Groupon client deserves the exact same level of care, attention, and quality as a full price client. No exceptions. They are not a discount client — they are an audition. Every Groupon appointment is an opportunity to earn a loyal full-price regular.

This is the most important moment of the entire Groupon experience. Before they leave your chair — rebook them. At full price. Naturally and confidently.

In your Groupon listing settings make sure to specify that the voucher can only be purchased once per customer. This prevents clients from returning repeatedly on Groupon instead of booking at full price. You want the Groupon to be a door opener — not a permanent discount program.

Some Groupon clients will come in, use the voucher, and never return regardless of how exceptional the experience was. This is a reality of the platform. Do not take it personally and do not let it affect the quality of service you deliver. Every client who walks through that door is a chance — and even if one does not return, the next one might become your most loyal regular. Play the long game.

Most artists starting from zero have nothing but their phone contacts and a social media page. You have something most people in this industry would never have access to at this stage — three established professionals with 20+ years of loyal clients sitting in their chairs every single day, in the same building you work in. A genuine personal recommendation from a stylist a client has trusted for years is worth more than any ad, any post, or any platform listing. This relationship, if built properly, can fill your book faster than almost anything else on this list. Do not take it for granted.

You will not always have to find the right moment on your own. Shawntavia will intentionally create group moments — like the Matcha drink vendor that came into the salon — where introductions feel natural and expected rather than forced. These are your open doors. When they happen, show up, be present, be warm, and make an impression. The relationship you build after that is entirely up to you.

You do not have to wait until you have a client booked to come into the salon. Some of your most valuable time early on will be spent simply being present — getting to know the stylists, being visible to their clients, and building familiarity with the space and the team. When a client sitting in a stylist's chair sees you, hears your name, or simply notices you being warm and professional in the space — a seed gets planted. You do not have to say a word. Presence alone builds recognition and recognition builds trust. Come in on your off days. Bring your portfolio. Work on your craft. Be the person who is always there, always prepared, and always easy to be around. That person gets recommended.

This is not a pitch and it is not a disruption. It is a brief, warm, genuine human moment. Keep it short. Keep it light. Get in and get out without interfering with the stylist or their client.

Having something physical to hand the client makes the whole interaction natural and purposeful. Your card should include:

A one-time introduction means nothing on its own. The relationship is built over time through small consistent actions:

When they feel like you genuinely care about them and not just what they can do for your book — the referrals will come naturally.

The stylists who refer clients to you will do so because they genuinely like you, trust your work, and believe their clients will be taken care of. That does not happen overnight. Show up every day as someone worth recommending — and the recommendations will come.

This is the moment you have been building toward — a stylist you have invested in genuinely turns to their client and introduces you by name. Do not fumble it. Be ready.

When it happens — smile, step forward naturally, make eye contact with the client and take it from there. You already know what to say:

Hand the card. Let them lead. Keep it brief so the stylist can get back to their client. The most important thing in this moment is to not make it weird. Do not oversell, do not ramble, do not make the stylist regret introducing you. A warm confident 30-second interaction is all you need. The card does the rest.

Whenever you are at the salon — whether you have appointments or not — keep your cards on you. You never know when an introduction is going to happen. You may not always need them, but you will absolutely regret not having them when the moment comes.

The stylists do not owe you referrals. They are busy professionals with their own clients, their own goals, and their own day to manage. Offering a genuine incentive — whether it is a service, a treat, or simply being a great colleague who gives back — is how you make referring you feel worth their while. It does not have to be expensive or complicated. It just has to be thoughtful and real.

There is no one size fits all approach here. Pick the option that feels most natural for your personality and your relationship with each stylist. What works beautifully with one person may feel awkward with another. Read the room and lead with what feels genuine.

Whatever you offer — mean it. A forgotten gesture does more damage to the relationship than never offering anything at all. Start small if you need to, but be consistent. That consistency is what builds the kind of trust that turns into a steady stream of warm referrals over time.

Every client sitting in this salon is a captive audience. While they are waiting, while they are getting their hair done, while they are sitting at any station — they are looking around. Your work on the digital display and the tablets at the hairstylist stations is a silent salesperson that works for you every single day without you having to say a word. A client who sees your work on the display and then gets introduced to you moments later is already warmed up. That is a powerful combination.

Shawntavia will handle loading content onto the digital display and the salon tablets. Your job is to create the content that goes on them. This is not a one time task. The display needs to stay fresh, current, and reflective of your best and most recent work. Stale content gets ignored. Fresh content sparks conversations.

One of the biggest advantages of being part of the Cio Bela team is that you are not carrying the content burden alone. A single artist trying to consistently create, film, edit, and post high quality content on their own is an exhausting full time job on top of an already full time job. Here you have a team. That changes everything.

Shawntavia will be building a content creation schedule — specific content will be requested of each artist within specific time frames. This ensures that everyone always has fresh content to share on their individual platforms, and that the digital display and salon tablets stay consistently updated with compelling work across all service categories.

Details on the content creation schedule are coming. When it is ready you will receive clear direction on what type of content is being requested, which time frame it needs to be created in, and how to submit it.

Until then — start filming your work now. Every appointment is an opportunity. Before and afters, in-progress shots, finished results. Get in the habit of documenting your work at every single appointment. You can never have too much content.

The content schedule covers what the team needs collectively. It does not replace your individual creativity. You are absolutely free to post whatever additional content you want on your own platforms — tutorials, personal posts, behind the scenes, anything that feels authentic to you. The schedule is a floor, not a ceiling.

When content is requested of you, you are not required to edit it. Editing is time consuming and not everyone has those skills — and that is completely fine. What is required is clean, quality raw footage that is exactly what was asked for. Deliver that and the rest will be handled. Focus on capturing it well — good lighting, steady shot, clean background — and you have done your part.

Getting a client in once means nothing if they do not come back. The single most powerful thing you can do at the end of every appointment is secure the next one before they walk out the door. A client who leaves without a next appointment booked is a client you have to re-win. A client who leaves with one already scheduled — and a deposit paid — is a loyal regular in the making. Do this every single time, no exceptions.

Keep it warm, confident, and natural. You are not asking permission — you are assuming they want to come back because you just did great work.

A verbal rebook means nothing if they walk out and forget to actually book. The goal is to get them booked, deposit paid, and waiver captured before they leave. Here is how to make that happen every single time:

Once they are booked and on their way out — hand them an extra card with a warm ask:

Keep it casual. They are already happy with you. That is the perfect moment to plant a referral seed.

These are not random strangers on the internet. These are your neighbors, your potential clients, and the exact community you are trying to reach — all gathered in one place, actively asking for recommendations, looking for local services, and talking to each other every single day. Consistently showing up in these groups will dramatically transform your local exposure in a way that almost nothing else can match at zero cost.

Before you start posting in any group make sure your Facebook profile reflects who you are professionally. People will click on your name before they decide whether to trust your recommendation or book your service.

You do not need a full portfolio to do this. Start with photos that simply show you in a good light — a clean photo where you look put together, anything that presents a positive and professional first impression. As you create more content at the salon keep adding it consistently. Professional content is always the priority but any photo that represents you well is a step in the right direction.

If you want to push older less relevant posts further down — simply post more going forward. The more you post the further back everything else gets pushed. You do not have to delete anything.

Several of these groups are private and require admin approval. Brand new Facebook accounts with no post history are frequently denied by group admins who flag them as potential spam. Your existing personal account — even cleaned up — is far more likely to be approved. If you do create a new professional account, spend a few weeks building genuine activity before requesting to join private groups.

These nine groups represent a combined reach of nearly 600,000 local people in your exact service area. That number is extraordinary.

Most of these groups have posting guidelines. Read them before you post anything. Getting removed for breaking the rules means losing access to thousands of potential clients.

When you see a post in any of these groups requesting a service that Cio Bela offers — even if it is not your specific service — tag the salon and include the website link. Always.

Someone comes in for waxing. While waiting they notice the nail station and book an appointment. That nail client brings her friend who becomes a lash client. That lash client's sister books waxing with you. One post that had nothing to do with your service just created a chain of new clients for you.

Passing up on a post because it is not your specific service means the exposure does not exist at all. One person coming in for another service could result in ten new clients for you over time. That person not coming to the salon at all because nobody tagged it means the potential has completely evaporated.

The more people that walk through the Cio Bela door — for any reason — the better it is for everyone in the building.

Every time the salon's website is linked in a public post it sends a signal to Google and AI tools that the salon is active, relevant, and worth recommending. Enough of those signals over time genuinely improves where Cio Bela shows up in local search results and AI recommendations. Your consistent posting is not just filling your book — it is helping the entire salon's visibility grow.

Every day you wait to post is a day the algorithm is not working for you. Social media platforms reward consistency and longevity — the longer your account has been active and posting regularly, the more people it gets shown to. Starting now, even with a small portfolio, is always better than waiting until everything feels ready. Everything will never feel ready. Start anyway.

You do not need a full portfolio to start posting. Here is what you can post right now:

A content creation schedule is being built for the entire team. Not every piece of content will fall on your shoulders — this is a collective effort and you will have direction, deadlines, and support to keep the content flowing consistently. When that schedule is in place it will take a significant amount of pressure off each individual artist. In the meantime — start with what you have and post consistently.

When you see content from the salon that features a service other than yours — share it, post it, engage with it. Someone who was not necessarily looking for your specific service might come in for something else entirely, fall in love with the salon, and end up referring five friends who are exactly your ideal client. Every post that puts Cio Bela in front of someone is a potential chain that could eventually lead back to you. Never scroll past an opportunity to put the salon in front of more people.

A great photo with a weak caption is a missed booking. Every caption should do three things — tell them what the service is, tell them how to get it, and make it feel human. Write how you talk. Not corporate. Not stiff. Like a real person who loves what they do.

The artists who grow the fastest are not the ones with the best photos. They are the ones who show up consistently. Three posts a week every week will always outperform ten posts in one week followed by silence for a month. Set a simple schedule and treat it like a client appointment — it is non-negotiable.