In this episode, recorded at ISSE Hair Show in Long Beach, California, Jason and Doug sat down with Jen and Matt Martinelli to talk about their software, Canvas Recruit. Jen and Matt discuss that their purpose of starting this company was to empower people, whether it be the salon owner or the stylists. Their hope is wanting to eliminate “Help Wanted” signs to ever be hung in the windows and salons can find perfect candidates for their salon culture!
Key Takeaways:
1:39 How to find talent in the salon industry
6:43 Options you have as the salon owner to find your ideal candidates
13:05 How can I start using Canvas Recruit?
17:10 How to eliminate the “Help Wanted” sign out of your salon window
Quotes:
“If we can build this platform, Canvas Recruit, that's going to help empower thousands and thousands of beauty professionals on a massive scale, well, that would have served my purpose of empowerment.” (Jen Martinelli) (2:32)
“It's a great industry. The thing about it is, it's such a great industry. And I think the better that we match the student up with the proper place, the higher we elevate that!” (Doug Campbell) (16:30)
“I swear to God. Our goal is to literally rid the industry of the "Help Wanted" sign in the window. No more are we going to put "Help Wanted" sign in the window.” (Matt Martinelli) (17:10)
“The younger people coming up, it's easy to be negative about, but they're the ones that really want to be woven into the culture. But if you're trying to do it with the wrong pieces of thread, it's not going to work. I think that's getting at your point, to get people to say, "Yes, that's the piece of cloth I want to be part of." And you build a team that way.” (Doug Campbell) (18:39)
Matt Marinelli:
Our goal is to literally rid the industry of the "Help Wanted" sign in the windows. No more are we going to put "Help Wanted" signs in the window.
Jason Everett:
Salon owners are some of the most amazing people on planet Earth. The only problem is sometimes their hearts are so big and they give so much of themselves to their staff and guests that it creates unintended consequences. Our goal is to change the industry by elevating the way the rest of the world sees salons, spas, and barbershops, and give it the credibility that it truly deserves. This is the Salon Owner Evo Revo Show.
Jason Everett:
Hey, what's going on, guys? It's Jason Everett and Doug Campbell from highperformancesalon.com. And we're hanging out today with Jen and Matt from canvasrecruit.com, a really cool tool we're going to talk about today. But I think there's a problem that exists inside the salon owner world, which is that culture inside salons are changing, the way retention's working is changing. A lot of salons are having walkouts, having issues with recruitment. And you guys have a unique way to solve that problem. So, Jen and Matt, what's up?
Jen Marinelli:
Hey, how's it going?
Matt Marinelli:
What's up, guys?
Jason Everett:
Good to see you guys. Really excited to be chatting with you guys today about some of these things that you guys have been doing because you guys have a pretty unique story, as far as what you're passionate about and how you got into it. But please take a second, introduce yourselves. Let everybody know who you are and what you guys are doing with Canvas Recruit.
Jen Marinelli:
Yeah. So, I am Jen Marinelli. Matt and I are co-founders of Canvas Recruit. We recently-
Jason Everett:
And husband and wife.
Jen Marinelli:
And husband and wife.
Matt Marinelli:
And husband and wife.
Jason Everett:
Very fancy.
Jen Marinelli:
Not our first rodeo working together though. We did previously work for Millennium Software together.
Jason Everett:
Right. That's where we met, right?
Jen Marinelli:
Yeah. So, we have about a combined 20 years experience working at Millennium, working with thousands of salon and spa owners and professionals right across the country. And their number one issue was, "How do I find talent?" And so, we heard this all day, every day.
Jen Marinelli:
And it wasn't until I went on a life-changing journey, discovering my purpose, what am I doing, and I quickly realized from a seminar that I went to, going back to three life-defining moments and understanding that my purpose is empowerment. And, as a child, I felt like... I was the youngest of the kids. I felt really disempowered. My immigrant grandmother raised me. My mom had me at 17. And so, recognizing that I was building high-performing, happy teams on the basis of, "My purpose is empowerment."
Jen Marinelli:
And so, I jumped out of bed one day and I looked at Matt and I said, "If the beauty space can't find the right talent, and there's beauty professionals everywhere lost- "
Jason Everett:
Everywhere.
Jen Marinelli:
... " trying to find their right cultural fit, and business owners that are suffering from people that are maybe toxic, but afraid to get rid of them or find somebody new and don't know how. If we can build this platform that's going to help empower thousands and thousands of beauty professionals on a massive scale, well, that would have served my purpose of empowerment."
Jen Marinelli:
And so, we both quit our jobs. We moved cross country to live with my mom. And we have been live for about 10 months.
Jason Everett:
So crazy.
Jen Marinelli:
And it's been super-
Jason Everett:
Congratulations, you guys.
Matt Marinelli:
Thank you.
Jason Everett:
That's big time to follow your passion-
Doug Campbell:
That's some commitment right there.
Jason Everett:
Yeah. I mean, to scrap what you're doing to start something very passionate, passion-focused, is huge. So, congratulations, you guys.
Jen Marinelli:
Yeah. I mean, in no better industry. I feel like I couldn't do this in any other industry. And still where our heart is and super rewarding to actually see... When you start something, it's like you want to empower people, but does that really come to fruition? And just to see all the people we're empowering on a massive scale. We spoke earlier this morning and just to hear some of these people's stories. This one woman-
Jason Everett:
Yeah. By the way, we're out here at ISSE, if you're just jumping in. So, you were speaking earlier today. I didn't mean to jump in. I just wanted to make sure there's some context that you were speaking out today at ISSE in Long Beach. So, what were you speaking-
Matt Marinelli:
This woman pulled me aside. And she was at Beacon. And she was there from Kansas. And she was a 40-year-old new student. She was coming back into the industry.
Jason Everett:
Oh, new student.
Matt Marinelli:
Yeah.
Jason Everett:
Fresh-in.
Matt Marinelli:
Fresh-in.
Jason Everett:
[crosstalk 00:03:39] beauty school at 40. Wow.
Matt Marinelli:
Very talented. But she did make-up in the past. And she was in a class at Paul Mitchell. And they were like, "You need to do your e-portfolio for Canvas Recruit." And she's like, "No, I don't do technology. I don't like Instagram." And they're like, "No, you have to do it." So, she was really reluctant, but she went on. And she tried it and she was blown away by the ease and how beautiful it looks. And she's gotten three jobs with her e-portfolio.
Jason Everett:
Yeah. So, let's get clear about what Canvas Recruit is so people know. So, Canvas Recruit is an e-portfolio... Basically, they can go on and create a portfolio without building a website, without doing all this stuff. Where does it pull in information from? Where does it get [inaudible 00:04:10]?
Matt Marinelli:
So, they're putting in information themselves. So, we're giving them a list of questions that we know are going to make them more marketable. And they hit publish. And it's already templated. So, they don't have to do any work. It's all on... Whether they answer 1 question or 5 or 10, it looks beautiful regardless.
Matt Marinelli:
They can sync their Instagram. They can upload their work history. They could do whatever they want.
Matt Marinelli:
And it's like LinkedIn. And then they can go on our site and then easy apply with opportunities. All they literally are doing is hitting apply. And the job poster's getting their portfolio.
Jason Everett:
That's great. So, basically like resume for 2020, as opposed to where you type something up. And in the beauty industry, you're like, "Yeah, here's words on paper that describe what I'm [crosstalk 00:04:43] at."
Matt Marinelli:
Like, "What are we doing?"
Jason Everett:
Who cares?
Matt Marinelli:
It doesn't matter. Yeah. How are you showing up as a beauty pro with the art that you do every day on a Word document?
Jason Everett:
Yeah. It's just not the same thing.
Jen Marinelli:
And what we're really passionate about is not just about that full-time opportunity. It's about all career-enhancing opportunities. How can I become an educator? How can I be a mentee? How can I be a mentor?
Jen Marinelli:
We have tons of people in really cool places across the U.S. that just want to be a mentor and they want to give back. And so, we're matching mentors and mentees everywhere even before they graduate. And so, we're seeing these really powerful stories.
Jen Marinelli:
And what we're realizing is we're literally humanizing the beauty space. And so, you can get on there and you can look at somebody's portfolio and watch a video about them and really get a sense for who they are, what they care about, why they're passionate and make really easy, big decisions based on whether they are a fit for your culture.
Jason Everett:
Yeah. Super different than, again, to your point, the Word document, like, "I hope I can get a job."
Jason Everett:
So, Doug, how about for you, man? As a salon owner, trying to figure this out, what's been some of the biggest challenge about recruiting and trying to know who somebody is beside... You know what I mean?
Doug Campbell:
Well, like you said, one, if you're looking at a piece of paper, it's hard to... Everybody's coached on what to say and what you're supposed to put on there.
Jason Everett:
What to talk about, what not to talk about.
Doug Campbell:
It's fine. I mean, you could change the names of some of them, it'd be the exact same because sadly, that's what they teach them in some of the schools. But I think going to that level... And then also, sometimes people are taught in an interview how to interview a certain way and say the right, key thing.
Jason Everett:
Yeah. "Here's the thing to say to get hired, even though you're the wrong fit." Brutal
Doug Campbell:
Right. I think that the platform that y'all are... Because then, yeah. And then you get them in there and they're in your associate program. And two months later, you're like, "This is not the same person."
Jason Everett:
"Why are you here?" Yeah.
Doug Campbell:
"Who are you?"
Jason Everett:
All that.
Doug Campbell:
But I think the platform that y'all are offering gives you the ability to see a more rounded... You actually can see their talent level. You can see their creativity.
Doug Campbell:
And, to your point, we were talking a little before the show about them putting a video in, where you really start to get that personality coming across there. I think just being able to pick more of the right people for your culture, because there's different cultures. It doesn't mean one's good and one's bad, but it definitely needs to be the right one for the right fit for the right salon for the right provider because putting people in the wrong place-
Matt Marinelli:
Yeah. And what I love about you, as a salon owner, too... So, if you were to put a job opportunity up there, you can actually say as your requirement, "Upload a video with your blowout technique or your fade, or you can actually do a cutting technique." So, before you're even calling this person, you know everything about their history, where they went to school, what their KPIs are, and then, "Show me the technique that you're doing."
Jason Everett:
Yeah. So, you've said something that you said earlier, I just want to make sure I caught it, is you said even you track KPIs, which I freaking love, because if you said, "Hey, I'm a stylist. Here's what's going on." But if you said, "No, here's how much retail I sell. Here's what my pre-book ratio is like." You're basically, when you're looking for-
Doug Campbell:
Even in school, you can say, "This is what I sold in school."
Jason Everett:
Even in school!
Jen Marinelli:
Yes, that's happening. Yeah.
Matt Marinelli:
Yes, yes. Paul Mitchell Schools are great with that, yeah.
Jason Everett:
Right. So, all of a sudden-
Doug Campbell:
That's important.
Jason Everett:
Yeah. I mean, because I think we do a lot of hiring through indeed.com. We find people through indeed. And what I've loved about what that platform's been able to do is they now have... What do they call them? Tests that say, "How well are you at QuickBooks?" or whatever the job description is. But it'll say like, "Are you a beginner, newbie, advanced, expert? Where are you?"
Jason Everett:
And I love that you guys have incorporated in the elements of being able to know, "Well, how productive have you been? And what's going on?" It's not just like, "Do you like me as a person? And can I cut your hair or give you a massage?" And you're like, "Yeah, that was good." It's like really, fully getting [crosstalk 00:07:54] information.
Matt Marinelli:
And what's really cool about it... So, you're in Florida. So, you can go on there and say, "Okay, I'm going to do a query. I'm going to do a search query and say, 'Show me all the candidates within a 25-mile radius of my salon or barbershop that have an average ticket of $60 or more,'" and you're going to get a list of those people.
Jason Everett:
So good. So, okay. So, I want to take this from a little different direction from just a question of like, "What do you advise salon owners as they look at these things? How could you advise a salon owner to pick somebody long term?" Because they might just go, "Well, I'm going to pick their KPI," or, "I like how they did this haircut." What advice do you give people on connecting for the long-term, Matt, so they don't just have somebody who sticks around, builds their book of business and peaces out? Give me some advice here on retention for the stylists or for the salon owner and for the stylist to say, "I want to stay long term."
Jen Marinelli:
Yeah. Well, I think the beauty of it is, is getting that essence of personality because it's all about that right cultural fit. And so, if you hire based on cultural fit, you can teach them anything. You could teach them technique. You could teach them all the other things that-
Matt Marinelli:
Yeah. There's a lot of education out there.
Jen Marinelli:
Yeah. And you can kind of help them grow throughout their career in terms of technique. But personality's personality. You are who you are and you're not going to change that. And so, really looking for that cultural fit and watching those videos and really understanding who you are-
Jason Everett:
How do you catch culture? In your mind, how do you know if somebody's a good cultural fit between your salon and them, in your opinion?
Jen Marinelli:
Yeah. I think it depends on the matter of question that you're asking, right?
Jason Everett:
Yeah.
Jen Marinelli:
And we met with tons of really smart business owners. And actually, particularly one in New Jersey actually asks, "What's your biggest dream," because sometimes my biggest dream is yes, I love the beauty space-
Jason Everett:
To the stylist, like, "What's your biggest dream?"
Jen Marinelli:
To the stylist, the interviewee. And I think it's so important because I may love doing hair and I may love beauty, but I want to be the best mom I can be. And those are my goals. And maybe that doesn't make sense for your salon because maybe that means I'd be working all hours of the night or weekends.
Jason Everett:
Right. Like, "We need people who are ready to work anywhere and flexible and... "
Jen Marinelli:
Right. And that's maybe not a fit because, while I love you and I think you're awesome, your goals don't really match with the direction of what we're looking for in terms of this position. And these are just from us working with really smart people, right?
Jason Everett:
Yeah, yeah. That's okay. You can steal from really smart people. It's a good way.
Jen Marinelli:
Yeah. But it totally makes sense because it's like you can be the best person ever and you could be the right cultural fit, but if you're not in alignment with where this career is going-
Jason Everett:
Then what's the point? It's not going to be matched well.
Jen Marinelli:
... then that's not going to make sense either.
Doug Campbell:
And inside the salon sometimes, you have different needs. I always talk about there's pieces of the puzzle. So, at this point, when I'm hiring, even though you may be a fit, that I've got that part of the puzzle full. I don't need that one, but I need this piece. And so, I think the detail that y'all are offering up-
Jason Everett:
Yeah. "I'm looking for another part-timer. I'm looking for... " So, is this something-
Doug Campbell:
Right. Somebody that wants three days a week or...
Jen Marinelli:
Exactly, exactly. So, being clear with that.
Jason Everett:
Is this every position inside the salon, from stylists, front desk, massage therapists-
Matt Marinelli:
Educators.
Jason Everett:
[crosstalk 00:10:22] kind of everybody through the whole thing?
Matt Marinelli:
Everything.
Jason Everett:
And you were mentioning something about working with some of the bigger brands on placing educators and being able to do that. So, okay. So, let's talk about pimping profiles for a second. Can we talk about that?
Matt Marinelli:
Yeah.
Jen Marinelli:
Yes.
Jason Everett:
So, let's say I'm a stylist. I want to go on the platform and do this or I want to try and create my own digital resume. I don't know, maybe somebody wants to do that. What are some things that you advise people on about when they create their profiles? What are the most compelling things people connect with, in your mind?
Jen Marinelli:
Definitely imagery. I know you have something to say so I'm going to let you talk-
Matt Marinelli:
No, go ahead.
Jen Marinelli:
But definitely imagery. Imagery speaks a thousand words. And honestly, that bio section is huge.
Jason Everett:
When you say, "Imagery," are we talking professional photos? Are we talking just-
Jen Marinelli:
No.
Jason Everett:
... dressed up Instagram post? What are we talking?
Matt Marinelli:
We're getting students that are literally blowing us away with imagery because it doesn't have to be pictures of your hair. It could be something that's resonates with you as your personality. We've seen pictures with students from Utah, who are putting these amazing, beautiful landscapes.
Jason Everett:
Oh, okay. So, we're talking lifestyle, the rest of them as a person.
Doug Campbell:
Because, "This is what I like. This is part of who I am."
Jen Marinelli:
And it's a little bit of both.
Matt Marinelli:
But it's both.
Jason Everett:
That's very unique. I mean, honestly, right?
Jen Marinelli:
Yeah. I mean, it's a little bit of both. So, there's a lot of like-
Jason Everett:
Yeah. It's not just landscape photos.
Matt Marinelli:
It's not just landscape photos.
Jen Marinelli:
It's not just landscape photos. But a lot of it is even hair. And a lot of students are come to us and they're like, "Well, I'm in school. I don't know how- "
Matt Marinelli:
"I don't have enough of a portfolio."
Jen Marinelli:
But on their iPhone photos and how creative these students [crosstalk 00:11:37] table.
Doug Campbell:
Right. What inspired you?
Matt Marinelli:
Dude, these students. These students.
Jen Marinelli:
... are amazing.
Doug Campbell:
Because usually it's stuff like that, that they see, that inspires them to do their work.
Jen Marinelli:
Exactly. And so, what we're loving too is that we're creatively inspiring them to think about their work in school-
Matt Marinelli:
As art.
Jen Marinelli:
... as art, so that they can place it on their portfolio. So, they're actually performing better on their activities because they know, "I need to bust my butt off on this because it's going to show up on my portfolio."
Doug Campbell:
What I like about what I'm hearing on some of this is opposed to what I talked about earlier, where we get all this cookie-cutter stuff that they took a class, they tell them exactly what... They're trying to make them something that they're not. Y'all are encouraging them to be who they are, so then they get them in the right place.
Jason Everett:
Yeah. [crosstalk 00:12:14] get them to the right place.
Doug Campbell:
Because for changing the industry, so many people drop out in the first five years because-
Matt Marinelli:
Because they're not finding their home.
Doug Campbell:
They got in the wrong place. Not necessarily, it was a bad place, it just wasn't the right place for them-
Jen Marinelli:
Didn't resonate, yep.
Matt Marinelli:
Yeah, bad match.
Doug Campbell:
... and so they got disillusioned and walked away. So, let me ask, so how's it funded?
Jason Everett:
Yeah. Who pays for this?
Doug Campbell:
Who pays for what? Somebody's got to...
Jason Everett:
Somebody's got to pay for it. I assume you guys like to make money.
Matt Marinelli:
I'm a really good bartender at nighttime, so I make-
Jen Marinelli:
Yes. We send Matt out.
Jason Everett:
Oh no, no.
Doug Campbell:
I feel you, man. I used to bartend.
Jen Marinelli:
Sometimes his clothes are on. Sometimes his clothes are off.
Jason Everett:
Nothing wrong with that.
Jen Marinelli:
No.
Jason Everett:
Wow. Now I know why you got married. I got it.
Matt Marinelli:
No. So, we self-funded. So, yeah. I mean, we live with Jen's mom. We've rented our house out. We have no mortgage.
Jason Everett:
Yeah. You guys are committed.
Doug Campbell:
How are you getting out of there?
Jason Everett:
Yeah. Let's get you out of the house.
Doug Campbell:
What's the revenue source? How are you doing this?
Matt Marinelli:
Yeah. So, there's a couple revenue models.
Jen Marinelli:
Businesses.
Matt Marinelli:
But yeah. I mean, businesses will go on there and they pay to post job opportunities. So, that's the big one.
Doug Campbell:
So, idea of what's that range, if you don't mind sharing?
Matt Marinelli:
So, we're starting with a subscription model that's coming out in the next month, where it's going to be $39 a month.
Doug Campbell:
Mm-hmm (affirmative). And so, then you would just have access and could [crosstalk 00:13:12].
Matt Marinelli:
You could post job opportunities. You also get a business canvas, which is the same as a portfolio but it allows the business to really shine and show up and really connect with stylists. So, you, as a business owner, can show video, you could talk about your team, you can have your team upload videos and really get out there.
Doug Campbell:
One of the things that we do inside our consulting company is we encourage them to do a sizzle reel, which that would be a perfect thing.
Jason Everett:
We just did a whole training on that.
Doug Campbell:
Right.
Jen Marinelli:
Yes. That would live there.
Doug Campbell:
Because you get them [crosstalk 00:13:36] same concept.
Matt Marinelli:
So, you would put that on the portfolio. Yep. So, it's the same concept.
Jen Marinelli:
That's where I think the magic because you're vetting out the potential employee, but they're also vetting you out.
Doug Campbell:
Right. Because it's like, "I don't want to do all the things those people are doing right." And some people would.
Matt Marinelli:
So, what we love is not only are you vetting the stylist, but the stylist gets to vet you because that's where you get to really see the retention rates higher.
Jason Everett:
Yeah. It should be matched.
Doug Campbell:
One of the other things the you mentioned about searching a radius. But one of things that we've had, because we've got some relationships with some schools around the country. And because where we happen to live is a pretty cool place to live, beautiful beaches, if you ever been there, sugar-white beaches, Emerald Coast, all the good stuff.
Jason Everett:
It's pretty amazing.
Matt Marinelli:
Put it on the list.
Jen Marinelli:
Amazing, yeah.
Jason Everett:
Go, go.
Doug Campbell:
It could be a business trip, so you can come out.
Jen Marinelli:
Of course.
Doug Campbell:
Little research.
Jason Everett:
Recruitment.
Jen Marinelli:
I think I see one coming.
Jason Everett:
Well, we have to do something with you obviously, clearly.
Doug Campbell:
But to do searches outside of there, to define your perfect employee and do a nationwide search. Maybe when students are putting on, "Where are options outside where you currently are that you'd like to live?"
Jen Marinelli:
That's happening.
Doug Campbell:
Good.
Matt Marinelli:
So, to your point, we ask the question, "Are you willing to relocate? And where?" 70% of our members are willing to relocate.
Doug Campbell:
We got some from Fargo, North Dakota. That was a slam dunk.
Matt Marinelli:
70%.
Jason Everett:
Fargo to the sand.
Doug Campbell:
Nothing against Fargo.
Jason Everett:
Here's what I think is really interesting. I think the internet has done something incredible. I mean, many incredible things, clearly. But I think the power that it's been able to do is say, "We can help you find all of your people." And your people might be in Pensacola, Florida or they might be in New York or California. And so, I think, to exactly your point of, you said 70% are willing to relocate, is they're like, "Look, I'm willing to leave my home to find the fit that I need to have."
Jason Everett:
So, if you're not in your city, so if you're watching this, you're listening to this and you're like, "I don't know." I hear this one all the time when I talk to salon owners. They go, "Jason, there's nobody in my city that's good at what I do." And I'm like, "Why are you just looking at your city?" And they're like, "Well, because that's as far people want to drive." And I'm like, "You have missed what the internet has done." The internet has said, "We can find the right people, put them in the right place, and instantaneously get you in touch with the freaking world."
Doug Campbell:
Because someone being willing to move, the comfort level that your site would give them about who they're moving to is huge. That's the biggest thing. [inaudible 00:15:46] "Okay, where am I going to fit in? What am I going to do?" I'm just blindly going to go in. And they're getting you, on the other side of the equation, salon owners always put out the rosiest picture and tell people what they think they want to hear about your salon.
Jason Everett:
"We'll give you lots of flexibility. You can work whenever you want to. Just kidding. Don't do that."
Doug Campbell:
All nights and weekends. I don't care.
Jen Marinelli:
Yeah. And that's the beauty. And a lot of people think, "Oh, technology, it dehumanizes you." And we're doing the very opposite, is we want to humanize you wherever you are and connect with you on the other end of the computer.
Doug Campbell:
Allow you to be you. I think that's the biggest part about it, is you allow people... Because there may be only two places in this country that you can work, but guess what? We can help you find it. To me, that's a huge thing. I think that's a huge thing.
Matt Marinelli:
We have students that are writing bios. The reason this woman became a hairdresser is because she was adopted at the age of four. And the last memory she has her grandmother is running her hands through her gray hair.
Jen Marinelli:
Yeah. No, I mean, it's so powerful guys.
Jason Everett:
You've never even seen her work, but you're going to hire her.
Matt Marinelli:
Who is this?
Doug Campbell:
It's a great industry. The thing about it is, it's such a great industry. And I think the better that we match the student up with the proper place, the higher we elevate that. Because I mean, I'll be multiple different places, but so many people go to the wrong way. So many salon owners hire the wrong one because the stylists said, "Oh crap. We need somebody." And sometimes you-
Jason Everett:
Yeah. Fill a chair.
Doug Campbell:
Right.
Matt Marinelli:
Warm body, man.
Doug Campbell:
You got a warm body.
Matt Marinelli:
We got to stop that.
Doug Campbell:
You see an illusion across the table because you want them to be this.
Matt Marinelli:
I swear to God. Our goal is to literally rid the industry of the "Help Wanted" sign in the window. No more are we going to put "Help Wanted" sign in the window.
Jason Everett:
Desperate for people. Well, what I love is we teach, in our High Performance Salon Academy, off deciding who you want, building an avatar of your dream person, exactly who they are. And then you go and build all these other things out. And then you write a job ad because when we talk about job ads, we say, "You want to write a job ad with personality. Everyone applies to the jobs that I put out, they're always like, "Oh my God, it sounds like you're a good, fun company that I want to work at." And I'm like, "Yeah." They're like, "It's not like all those boring job descriptions."
Jason Everett:
So, it's easy to stand out when you're looking for people, but you guys have taken that to the top. It's now portfolios and sizzler reels.
Matt Marinelli:
Well, what I was going to say, now you don't have to write a job ad, you could put it on a video.
Jason Everett:
I love it! I love it!
Jen Marinelli:
Exactly, exactly. And videos [crosstalk 00:17:52].
Jason Everett:
So, you got the owner, who has a really-
Doug Campbell:
Jason hates video too.
Jason Everett:
Yeah. I don't-
Doug Campbell:
He struggles so hard with video.
Jason Everett:
It's really hard for me.
Matt Marinelli:
So, now you could do all of that you could just literally put out a video on the platform and say everything you want to say.
Jason Everett:
"Here's what we're looking for."
Jen Marinelli:
Exactly. Or even showcase a day in the life.
Jason Everett:
And answer some questions too, right?
Matt Marinelli:
Yeah.
Jen Marinelli:
And actually show people, in a digital way, what it's like to work there.
Jason Everett:
Well, and that goes back to what Doug was talking about. We encourage our people in our Academy to create a sizzle reel like, "Hey, show education events. Show what it's like to work behind the chair. Show a quick tour of the salon."
Doug Campbell:
Show you having fun together. Show your annual party. Show your beach outings.
Matt Marinelli:
And Doug, that is, first of all, we're doing a lot of studies on Gen Z'ers. And they need to see that. They want to know that you're giving back to the community.
Doug Campbell:
It's lifestyle. Right.
Matt Marinelli:
They want to know lifestyle. They want to know they're being brought into something that's bigger than they are, right?
Jen Marinelli:
Yeah. They-
Jason Everett:
Yeah. And to have the opportunity to grow and all of those things.
Matt Marinelli:
The more you could share that and the more that people can see that when they're looking for opportunities, the better your salon or barbershop's going to be.
Doug Campbell:
Yeah. The younger people coming up, it's easy to be negative about, but they're the ones that really want to be woven into the culture. But if you're trying to do it with the wrong pieces of thread, it's not going to work. I think that's getting at your point, to get people to say, "Yes, that's the piece of cloth I want to be part of." And you build a team that way. That becomes a very strong...
Doug Campbell:
And it's a win-win for everybody. You're happy to show up at work. I'm happy to see you come through the door. So, thank y'all for doing this, by the way.
Jen Marinelli:
Yeah. Yeah, no.
Doug Campbell:
Thank you for driving across the country with your children and living in [crosstalk 00:19:09].
Matt Marinelli:
Sleeping in one bedroom. I mean...
Jen Marinelli:
We do. We sleep in one bedroom. But honestly, when you're so focused on your purpose, and actually we now educate on this, because when you are just so tied to your purpose and your true in alignment with what that means and what that is going to give to the community of artists-
Matt Marinelli:
Yeah. You're willing to make those sacrifices [crosstalk 00:19:25].
Jen Marinelli:
... it doesn't matter. None of that matters. And it's funny because even when you look at it from a lens of gratitude, like, yeah, there's times I came here and I was on fire and I was excited about my passion. And then, all of a sudden, I'm like, "Oh my God, I'm in my late 30s. I live with my mom. I live in one bedroom with my kids. What am I... " And you start to question. But at the end of the day, when you look at it from a lens of gratitude, we're building this amazing bond with our kids that they will never forget. And I can visualize in 5, 10 years, them looking back and going, "Remember when we were all in that one bedroom?"
Doug Campbell:
"Wasn't that awesome? Wasn't that great?"
Jen Marinelli:
Like, "That was so fun!"
Doug Campbell:
That's good. Congratulations.
Jen Marinelli:
It's really rewarding.
Jason Everett:
Well, thank you, guys for making the sacrifice. I mean, seriously. I think it speaks a lot to your character and what you're doing. But I mean, just more than anything, I hope the platform continues to just do amazing things. I have no doubt that it will because you guys have created something that was needed in the industry. It's overdue. And you guys have done an incredible job of doing it. So, thank you.
Jen Marinelli:
Thank you. Thank you.
Matt Marinelli:
That means a lot.
Jason Everett:
What would be kind of like your hottest tip? If somebody jumped on the platform and wanted to get going right away, what would be your hottest tip for them to get something moving as a salon owner and then as a stylist? I'm going to give you those two questions.
Jen Marinelli:
So, I feel like as a stylist, we've come across a ton of people that have that fear-based mindset. They're all scared to put themselves out there.
Jason Everett:
Right. So, they're worried about posting anything.
Jen Marinelli:
Yes.
Jason Everett:
Yeah. I deal with that all the time.
Jen Marinelli:
And so, definitely the platform makes it easier because you can actually be behind this beautiful portfolio and feel really good about it and get a little bit of confidence. But I can't tell you how many people we've talked to that they're like, "Well, I'm just afraid to put myself out there." And honestly, at the end of the day, your 60% of showing up is better than not showing up at all, right?
Doug Campbell:
Yep.
Jen Marinelli:
And I became paralyzed as a young person too, because I felt like, "Well, I can't do it because I'm not ready. I'm not ready. I'm not ready. I'm not ready." But you're not ready, sitting home-
Jason Everett:
You'll be ready when you do it.
Doug Campbell:
You'll never be ready. Right.
Jen Marinelli:
Exactly, exactly. And so, I realized that all these people were showing up at 60% and I'm like, "Oh my God, they showed up. And I feel like I'm way ahead of them." But me, not showing up made them get ahead of me. And so, showing up shaking in your boots-
Matt Marinelli:
Especially in a visual-driven world. You're like, "It's not ready yet, so get over... "
Jen Marinelli:
Get over it. Go.
Matt Marinelli:
So, tip number one, get over your perfectionist self. We have a rule in our office. It's says, "80% is good enough." And it's like, just get it to 80% and get it out because if we obsess over this for the next three weeks, because I would like to obsess over everything, it'll never go out, right?
Jen Marinelli:
Exactly. And you get feedback, right?
Jason Everett:
Yeah.
Doug Campbell:
Right.
Jen Marinelli:
So, nothing is failure. You go out there, you learn. And now, those people that showed up-
Doug Campbell:
You can always fix it.
Jen Marinelli:
Exactly. And now, the next time you show up, you're at 95%. But you, sitting home, you're never going to get there.
Jason Everett:
Nothing. Okay. So, that's on the stylist side. Give me one last tip and then we got to run. On the salon-owner side, what's one thing that they can go in to really do their thing well? Quickly.
Jen Marinelli:
So, in terms of recruitment, I feel like, at the end of the day, connection. Understanding your purpose, why you started this salon or spa. How do you connect with that upcoming artist? How do you bridge and humanize yourself from a leadership standpoint and inspire that person that wants to work for you and continue to inspire them?
Jason Everett:
So, speak directly to that. How do you inspire them and get them excited to want to be a part of what you're doing?
Jen Marinelli:
Exactly. It has to be much deeper than just like, "This is a salon and spa." What is that purpose? Why did you start this?
Jason Everett:
The purpose.
Jen Marinelli:
Let me understand it.
Doug Campbell:
Because you're going to be spending more time with the people you work with than you are your family. And that's just the way it goes. You need to like them.
Jen Marinelli:
It's got to be a happy place.
Matt Marinelli:
If you can't define your purpose as a salon owner, how are you going to bring in talent that matches that? So, how are you going to stay in alignment with your team, right?
Jen Marinelli:
Exactly.
Doug Campbell:
Oh yeah.
Matt Marinelli:
So, that's really, really important.
Jason Everett:
I love it. Well, you guys, again, one more time, canvasrecruit.com is how they can go track you guys down. Give us some social. Is all the social handles @CanvasRecruit?
Jen Marinelli:
Yep, @CanvasRecruit. Yep.
Jason Everett:
You guys are marketers. You know what's up. So, @CanvasRecruit. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, all the goodies?
Jen Marinelli:
Yes.
Jason Everett:
Okay, cool. So, go check them out over there again. Again, Jen and Matt, it was super good to have you on.
Jen Marinelli:
Thank you.
Matt Marinelli:
Likewise.
Jen Marinelli:
Super grateful.
Jason Everett:
Thank you for hanging out with us down here. ISSE. It's been fantastic.
Jen Marinelli:
[crosstalk 00:22:51].
Jason Everett:
By the way, do us a favor, check out other episodes. Stick around. And hopefully, we'll have you guys on another time and I'm sure we'll see you at another show.
Jen Marinelli:
Yes. Thank you so much.
Matt Marinelli:
Yeah.
Jason Everett:
So, check us out.
Doug Campbell:
Have the big update of the new house [crosstalk 00:23:01].
Jen Marinelli:
Yes!
Jason Everett:
Yeah! I can't wait!
Matt Marinelli:
On premiere, we might have some updates, so-
Jen Marinelli:
Yes.
Doug Campbell:
Oh good.
Jen Marinelli:
Exciting ones.
Doug Campbell:
Awesome.
Jen Marinelli:
Yeah.
Jason Everett:
All right. Well, thank you guys so much for being on.
Jen Marinelli:
Thanks, guys.
Jason Everett:
I appreciate you.
Matt Marinelli:
Bye guys.
Doug Campbell:
Yep. You bet.
Jason Everett:
Thanks for listening to the Evo Revo Podcast. If you liked today's episode, please subscribe. Leave us a review. And you can always get more information, including show notes and the video episodes at evorevopodcast.com.