Owning a small business can be stressful, especially when you have to face the reality that some things are out of your control. Maybe an especially cold winter resulted in less customers coming into the store; no, the economy isn’t great, yes, there are other salons in town maybe legislation or media is frustrating you. But the minute that salon owners allow their circumstances to take full responsibility for the performance of their businesses, they forfeit the power to succeed despite their circumstances.

There are many tanning salons across the country who are experiencing success, not because they don’t have problems that are out of their control, but because they have leveraged their passion for their business, heightened their awareness, and searched for a better way of doing things.

Many times, the biggest differences come from small changes. Be being observant, nimble, adaptable problem solvers, successful businesspeople across all disciplines are able to move their business forward inch by inch. At the end of the day, the week, the month or the year, each inch adds up; before you know it, you’re miles from where you started.

If salons stop looking for those inches, it becomes inevitable that they will become comfortable, stagnant, and eventually outdated. Instead of playing the blame game, it’s time for salons to take their power back and ignite that obsession for becoming the best version of themselves no matter what is going on outside the salon.

To get your engines started, we spoke to a few salon owners who wanted to share their experiences getting to the top, inch by inch.

Click here to read the entire article in the latest issue of Smart Tan Magazine online.