December 3, 2025 • 28 mins
We share ten decisive questions that separate salons growing on purpose from those drifting into inconsistency. From sales beliefs and pricing strategy to culture, metrics, and automation, we show how identity drives every result.
• intentional growth versus drift
• sales as service and trust as helping
• attracting next‑gen talent with real freedom
• upgrading the 2026 client experience
• pricing built on strategy and demand
• tracking PAR: pre‑book, average ticket, retail
• culture that rewards high standards
• belief shifts that make training stick
• systemizing to win back time
• decisions from the future CEO identity
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:40):
There are two types of salons in 2026.
Those that are growing withintention, and those that are
drifting without even realizingit.
And the hardest truth is this.
Most salons don't crashovernight.
(01:02):
They fade slowly, quietly, alittle inconsistency here, a
little chaos there, a team thatnever steps into their
potential, a culture that's finebut not thriving.
And today we're gonna give youthe 10 questions that determine
(01:27):
whether your salon expands orcontracts, thrives or survives,
elevates or plateaus.
You know, these questions arepowerful because they don't just
change what you do, they changewho you are as a leader.
And so if you're listening whileyou're driving, getting ready,
(01:49):
or maybe you're still behind thechair prepping for guests, stay
with us because one of thesequestions might shift the entire
direction of your salon.
So let's dive in.
SPEAKER_00 (02:02):
Love that.
All right, so question numberone has to be Is my salon
growing on purpose or driftingby default?
You know, when you think aboutthat, nothing in business stays
static.
You're either gaining momentumor you're losing it.
You're rising or you'reretreating, you know, you're
(02:23):
organizing or you're absorbingchaos.
Like drift truly is the silentkiller if you think about it,
because it looks like thatinconsistent client experience.
You know, it's the team membersdoing things their own way, it's
that like reactive decisionmaking, it's the peaks followed
by the valleys.
So growth doesn't happenaccidentally, it happens
(02:46):
intentionally through systems,leaderships, rhythm, and
clarity.
So as we go into 2026, askyourself do I run the business
or is the business running me?
And your answer tells youexactly where to start.
You know, I just saw somethingthe other day that said um 94%
(03:07):
of times when there's a problem,it's actually a system problem.
Only 6% of the time it's apeople problem.
So I share that to say like,hey, if your business is running
you, it's definitely anopportunity to look at your
systems.
SPEAKER_01 (03:24):
So good, Jen.
I love that.
Uh that brings us to questionnumber two, which is does my
team truly know how to sell?
Or am I hoping they do?
You know, because most salonowners assume their team should
know, but selling it's not apersonality.
(03:46):
Selling is truly a process.
And if your team has believeslike, I don't want to be pushy,
or clients will say no, youknow, I'm not good at selling,
it won't matter how many scriptsyou give them, their behavior
will always match their belief.
(04:08):
You know, selling becomesnatural when you teach a system
that feels aligned, it feelslike service, it feels like
support, it feels likeconfidence, it feels like
leadership, you know, becausewhen your team knows how to
diagnose, how to recommend, andhow to close with love, you
know, your revenue becomespredictable instead of
(04:29):
accidental.
Jen, you were just sharing astory with me about a coaching
moment that you had with aservice provider on your team
where um you do you want toshare that where you talked
about the word rest?
SPEAKER_00 (04:41):
And yeah, it was so yeah, thank you.
I get so excited.
I definitely want to share that.
It was so good because it justhappened.
Yeah.
So I was in a growth session umwith one of our um level five
beauty pros, and um we werelooking at some numbers, and she
actually was is working 20 hoursless a month and making more
money.
What isn't that always a greatday?
(05:03):
And it it was so fun to help hersee that because she had no
idea.
Um, and then the one littlething we did notice is there was
a small decline in retail.
And so we we had a really coolconversation, like, okay, let's
talk about like what do youthink it could be?
Where in the sales process, isthere some opportunity?
And she kept using this wordtrust.
Well, I just want people totrust me.
I just want to be trusted.
(05:24):
You know, before I makerecommendations, I want them to
trust me.
And so I was like, okay, well,tell me what the word trust
means to you.
And she gave me this definition.
I said, it's actually, let'slook it up.
I think that'll be reallypowerful.
Let's look it up.
So we actually looked up wherethe root word of trust came
from.
And it was so crazy, you guys.
Trust actually comes from theroot word meaning to help.
(05:45):
I said, What?
Because it was even a greatopportunity for me.
And I was like, wow, to buildtrust means you're helping
someone.
So when we don't offer thoseopportunities of home hair care
or skin care, like we're missingthe opportunity to help them
make their lives better.
And you could tell it was socool.
It was like something shifted inher.
She's like, Wow.
She had her own definition oftrust that was actually taking
(06:07):
away from the guest experience.
And when we rewrote that storyand looked what trust really
meant, which was to help, it'slike you could tell she had been
expanded.
SPEAKER_01 (06:17):
So incredible, Jen.
I just think um I love thatstory so much.
I just think it's so powerfulwhen you do fully understand
what a word means and when youcan really help shape someone's
belief, you know, because if ifif you don't shape that belief,
then it remains the same.
And, you know, it also remindsme of a newer beauty pro on my
(06:41):
team who on her fourth shift umsold over$350 worth of retail.
And I think what's so beautifulabout that is she's um obviously
started going through ourmillion-dollar beauty pro
program and you know, has hadsome belief shifts because of
it, uh, because she neverrealized before that selling
truly is serving.
(07:02):
And like you mentioned, Jen,it's creating that trust because
you're helping the other person.
Like you're not just, you don'tjust care if they take stuff
home.
Like you want to actually givethem stuff that works.
It's like you would never um getrid of all the products that you
own because you're using themfor a reason.
Like we need to look for thosereasons and help serve the
(07:23):
people that we see every day.
So I love that question numbertwo uh is does my team truly
know how to sell, or am I hopingthey do?
SPEAKER_00 (07:32):
Such a great story on that.
You said it was her fourthshift.
I know.
That's amazing.
Wow, so cool.
Awesome.
All right, so let's move on toquestion number three.
Um, it's why would the nextgeneration of beauty pros choose
my salon?
It's a great question.
It kind of hits in the gut in agood way.
It's like, because when youthink about it, the next
(07:53):
generation isn't looking for ajob, you guys.
Like they're looking for thatpurpose, that mentorship, that
community, that meaning, youknow, that identity, that
momentum, that growth.
You know, they want a placewhere they feel like they
matter, where they aredeveloped, where the culture
feels alive.
So, you know, as you go into theseason, ask yourself like, what
(08:15):
is the experience of working fora company or working for me?
You know, what does my salonteach them about who they get to
become?
Isn't that so good?
Good reflection question there.
Or what would I choose my ownsalon if I were graduating
beauty school today?
Now, if your answer is no, youdefinitely have an opportunity
(08:37):
uh to do some um exerciseswithin yourself and see what
that could be.
Because, like, truly, thoseanswers will reveal exactly
where your leadership needs toevolve.
Um, and Lindsay, I think youwere talking about um there's a
someone on your team that wasbecause freedom is like a word
that is thrown around a lot withbeauty pros.
(08:59):
Actually, when I was just at thecareer fair, I asked um students
like what's most important foryou, and they're like, Oh, we
want freedom.
And it was so interesting tohear their definition of
freedom.
And so it was a greatconversation, but I know you
were telling me about somebodyon your team that what was that
story you told me?
SPEAKER_01 (09:17):
She left um this spring, and um, because she was
enticed by a salon that doesn'thave there's uh you can come and
go as you please, um, you make50% commission.
Um you can charge whatever youwant, you can make up your own
(09:39):
pricing.
Um it's basically just afree-for-all.
You know, and you know, to herthat sounded like freedom.
And um, you know, I think what'sso interesting about that is,
you know, she's still connectedum to a couple people on the
team.
And at first um it waswonderful.
(10:00):
The first 30 days werewonderful.
Um, and then it was like, well,I guess we're going into summer.
That's it's slow here becauseit's slow everywhere because
it's summer.
And um it'll probably get betterin the fall.
And I don't think it's gottenany better.
And I think, you know, she wasallured by the thought of
freedom.
But to us, you know, I think assalon owners, we need to change
(10:23):
that conversation about whattrue freedom actually is to our
team.
Because, like, when you work 28to 32 hours a week and you earn
a great consistent paycheck, andwe have consistent, you know, uh
several, you know, hundred newguests coming into the salon,
(10:44):
like they they don't evenrealize what they're sitting on
and how that's true freedom andhow you're not answering all of
your DMs and having to run tothe um store and you know, this
wasn't even a booth rentsituation, like that's even a
darker um place to be.
Although I think that there'sstill a lot of that going on,
you know.
(11:04):
I think um, you know, when youreally start to think about like
why would the next generation ofbeauty pros choose my salon?
That question that you asked,and um I think when you get
crystal clear on that, you aretruly creating freedom for
people.
Like the salons that we workwith inside of Salon Business
School, they are creating themost freedom.
Because like when you havedowntime, you can actually go to
(11:27):
the beach because you got moneyto go on a vacation and not be
answering your DMs and do some,you know, live your best life.
So we truly are creatingfreedom.
It's just having thoseconversations with people.
SPEAKER_00 (11:41):
So good.
Oh, that's so good.
Awesome.
All right, so we'll move toquestion number four.
It's is my client experiencebuilt for a 2026 client or a
2018 client?
Because we've done a lot ofresearch and we know that
(12:57):
clients now expect thatpersonalization, that expertise,
that um speed and convenience,that hospitality, that emotional
connection, that consistency.
Like your service, you guyscan't just be good anymore.
It must be predictablyexcellent.
You know, people don't just buyhair or beauty services, they
(13:20):
buy the way you make them feel.
They buy the identity that youhelp them step into, and they
buy the experience of beingcared for.
You know, if your spiritexperience isn't evolving, your
retention will show you.
SPEAKER_01 (13:36):
That is so true.
It will definitely show you.
Um, you know, and that leads usto question number five, which
is is my pricing emotional orstrategic?
You know, because kind of likewe just talked about the freedom
that wasn't actually freedom ofmaking up whatever you want.
Our pricing shouldn't be basedon fear, shouldn't be based on
(13:59):
comparison or what feels fair.
You know, pricing should bebased on profitability, local
demographics, you know, the theamount of education that you
invest in, your growth margins,your cost per hour, that guest
demand, and really theexperience value that you're
(14:19):
delivering to the guests thatyou serve.
And if your pricing only coversbills, you'll always feel
behind.
You know, but if your pricingfuels expansion, you'll always
feel empowered.
Because pricing is not a number,it's truly a leadership
position, you know, and I thinkuh truly, you know, one of the
(14:42):
the stories that got back, um,you know, that was just talked
about, you know, with theservice provider who went
somewhere else was um just howshe felt like she was losing
some clients.
And I think that a lot of it islike when you make up pricing,
when there's no real um thoughtprocess behind it, they don't
have, you know, all thenine-step sales process and all
(15:06):
of the systems to support theirgrowth and to support their
freedom.
Um, so when you just make uppricing, um, you you don't even
know that it's gonna work withyour local demographics.
You know, we work with salonowners all the time when we
implement a new pricing strategyinto their um salon.
You know, sometimes they'rescared at first.
(15:29):
You know, we've had some peoplewho've made pretty large jumps,
but like when you have thesystems um to support it, when
you understand your numbers andwhen you understand your local
demographics, like you're notmaking it up.
And to see them grow, um, youknow, I know we found, I believe
it was$36,000 a month for onesalon owner just by right sizing
(15:52):
her pricing, you know, and thatmeans they didn't change a
single thing, you know, and itwas just getting it right and
and getting it fair, and itwasn't emotional, it was all
strategy backed by real thingsthat work.
SPEAKER_00 (16:09):
I remember I remember that story.
She's like, What am I supposedto do with this extra$36,000 a
month?
We're like, You we got someoptions, we got some
opportunities, and so it was itwas a really it was a really fun
day.
SPEAKER_01 (16:20):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (16:21):
All right.
So let's move to question six.
It's um, am I tracking themetrics that matter or drowning
in ones that do not?
Um, listen, you guys, you don'tneed 20 KPIs.
KPIs are key performance, keyperformance indicators.
Like you just need the rightthree.
So there's something we like totalk about in Salon Business
(16:42):
School called the PAR, P A R.
So PAR stands for um P standsfor pre-booking, which is also
tied to client retention.
R stands for a retailpercentage, and A stands for
average ticket.
And so when you track the rightnumbers, you gain clarity.
And when you gain clarity, youcan coach.
(17:04):
And when you coach, you cantransform.
And consistency comes fromvisibility.
Um, we actually put thesenumbers in the background for
our team.
We enrolled them in a beautifulway, not from a place of you
didn't do this or shame andblame, it's a place of
empowerment.
We are a community, right?
So we can lean on each other.
So if I see that Lindsay'sretail to service is 40% last
(17:25):
week, you know, I'm gonna go toLindsay and say, Hey, Lindsay,
what did you do?
Tell me all about it.
And we did have one uh uhservice, our beauty pro on our
team.
Her retail to service was lowone week and she came back to
the back and she saw it.
She said, Oh my gosh, call thepolice, cancel me, cancel me,
I'm done.
She said, I cannot believe it.
(17:46):
It's just so funny.
It was so funny.
And the next week, her retail toservice was like the best it
have ever been.
So it was like we gave her thatgift of awareness, she became
aware of it, she took action toit, and it created a whole new
game for her to play.
And so it is a beautiful way ifit's set up very tastefully
where you can track thesemeasure metrics, not only with
(18:08):
yourself, but with your team aswell.
unknown (18:11):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (18:11):
You know, because really we like to call those,
the guest trust factors, likehow much do they trust you?
And, you know, withunderstanding even more about
the root word of trust is tohelp.
Um, man, those numbers reallymean you are helping people just
have their best beauty lifepossible.
So um, that leads us to questionnumber seven, which is is my
(18:35):
culture attracting highperformers or protecting low
standards?
Whew, this is a good one, youguys, because culture is not
what you say, culture is whatyou allow.
Because high performers thrivein places with high standards,
clear expectations,accountability, recognition, and
(18:58):
alignment.
But low performers, they thrivein places with inconsistency,
unclear boundaries, drama that'stolerated, you know, low
ownership, misalignedexpectations.
So if your culture is theloudest thing in your business,
(19:20):
you it really is the loudestthing in your business without
you ever even saying a word, youknow, and this is why, like, if
you go into a salon that has norules at all, like it's like
come and go as you please, dowhatever you want.
Um, you know, all kinds of stuffhappens.
(19:40):
I think drama is is kind of oneof the main things, you know,
that that happens in a placelike that.
Because, you know, like here wedeal direct and we know that we
don't triangulate anything.
And so if somebody were to cometo me, um, you know, and say,
hey, I heard such and such aboutsomebody else, great, let's go
(20:00):
get them and have a conversationwith them.
Because we don't want totriangulate anybody and and
strangle them, you know.
Um, it just it really doescreate an environment where low
performers are thriving.
And so that's why, like, hey,having those agreements to win,
um, we don't have to be adictatorship where we're like,
(20:21):
you know, doing crazy things,you know, but like having some
agreements to win as a teamtogether, um, having some
heartbeats and like, hey, thisis who we want to be when we're
here together, like that givesyou that peaceful place to
really come in and and createamazing experiences for the
(20:42):
guests that you serve.
SPEAKER_00 (20:44):
That is so good.
Love that.
All right, so let's move on toquestion number eight.
Um, and that is Am Itransforming beliefs or just
teaching more information?
You know, when you think aboutit, most owners try to fix
performance with more trainingand more videos, more talking,
more scripts, more you should dothis, right?
(21:04):
But information without a beliefshift becomes overload.
Like your stylists don't alwaysneed more knowledge.
They need a new identity, newconfidence, new language, new
internal stories.
You know, transformation doesn'thappen when you teach more.
Transform transformation happenswhen you like shift the belief
(21:24):
that's blocking the behavior.
This is why most trainings don'tstick, like it never touches the
belief.
Um, I'll never forget one timewe were um uh working with a uh
salon owner and they were like,Well, Jen and Lindsay, like, um,
you know, Jeff Bezos.
(21:46):
We're like, Yeah, we know JeffBezos, you don't know him, but
we know who he is.
Like, he doesn't teach his teamto sell, he just tells them to
do it and they do it.
We're like, oh wow, okay.
You know, because thatdefinitely would never be true.
Like, um, when you really thinkabout it, like you have to get
to that belief that could bestopping them.
Just like we mentioned the storyearlier in that growth session.
(22:08):
Her belief was like, I don'twant to sell until they trust
me.
But what she didn't realize isthat she trusts meant to help.
So to get that trust, she had tohelp them.
And so, do you remember that,Lindsay, when they were kids?
Yeah, Jeff Bezos.
SPEAKER_01 (22:21):
I do.
And you know, it really is thedifference between power and
force as a leader.
Um, and I don't even know, youknow, what type of a leader Jeff
Bezos is.
Obviously, we haven't done a lotof research on him.
Um, but the truth is, likeanybody who has made it big and
in any kind of a leadershipposition knows that they have to
(22:42):
um really get down to somebody'sbelief about something and
really help them understand it.
Because, like, if you're justlike, hey, um, go out and sell
shampoo, it might work for ashort time because they're so
scared.
They're like, oh gosh, I'm gonnaget fired if I don't, you know,
do this.
But like when you help themunderstand and have that
transformation, like you did foryour Beauty Pro and your team,
(23:06):
like that's gonna serve her andher guests for years to come.
You know, when she really sees,like, hey, if I want people to
trust me more, I just have tohelp them more.
And like selling, people aregonna buy stuff.
They're gonna buy stuff from a19-year-old on TikTok.
They might as well buy it fromyou, who truly cares and who
(23:26):
truly wants them to win.
I'm not saying that 19-year-oldon TikTok doesn't, you know, I'm
just saying like she has noproblem getting on and being
like, hey, this is what we gotto sell today on our little
live, you know.
Um, but if you could say, like,you know, hey, you know, tell me
about like it, do you feelconfident curling your hair at
home?
They're like, no, I actuallydon't.
Well, here, let me walk youthrough it step by step.
(23:48):
You know, tell me about whatyou're using.
And they're like, well,actually, I air dry my hair.
Well, then you know, um, hey,that that can be a red flag that
that hair might be feelinglethargic from water stained
down by the by the disulfidebond.
You know, you might know all ofthese things, but if you don't
share that with your guests, ifyou're not asking them questions
and if you're not truly tryingto help them, like that's when
(24:09):
sales becomes natural.
That's when they're like, yes,I'll take everything that you
used on me, you know, andbecause they can see, okay, wow,
she's not just trying to sell mesomething, she really
understands what's going on.
So I love that so much.
And I think um a true leaderdoes lead from that position for
sure, Jen.
Which leads us into questionnumber nine, which is what could
(24:30):
be systematic what could besystemized or automated to give
me back 10 hours this week.
You know, your time is thehighest value asset in the
salon.
So you should not be the onlyone doing everything.
You know, you should be the oneleading everything, you know.
(24:51):
So look for areas to automate orsystemize, you know, think about
like your onboarding or umscripts, checklists, follow-up,
you know, guest communication,repetition, like think about the
heavy tasks, you know, um, evenscheduling or KPIs, you know,
(25:12):
because when systems carry theweight, you get to carry the
vision.
You know, I'm I remember acouple years ago um working with
a salon owner who didn't want todo um online scheduling.
They're like, it's just toomuch.
There's too many things, there'stoo many, you know, like if you
are bogging that system down,like there, like for me as a
(25:34):
busy person, I will go to thisone place to get a massage
because I know I can bookonline, even though I would
rather probably go to this otherplace, you know, isn't that
amazing?
So, so not only will it easethings off of your plate, but it
also will help call in morepeople, give them more
opportunities.
So um look for all of thosethings that you can just get
(25:58):
automated and systemize.
SPEAKER_00 (26:01):
Love it.
All right.
Question number 10 is Am Imaking decisions like the CO CEO
I want to become, or the stylistor service provider I used to
be?
You know, this is the identityquestion.
There is a future version of yourunning a thriving, profitable,
peaceful, energized salon.
(26:22):
And she thinks differently, youguys.
Like she hires differently, sheprices differently, she coaches
differently, she marketsdifferently, she leads
differently, like she protectsher time differently, and she
invests differently.
And so ask yourself every day isthis decision from the old me or
(26:42):
the expanded me?
Your identity is the thermostatof your results, and if you
raise the identity, the resultswill follow.
SPEAKER_01 (26:54):
I love that.
So good.
Um, you know, if these questionssparked something in you, that's
because you're ready for yournext level of growth.
And so is your team.
You know, so we wrote Think andGet Rich as a Beauty Pro for
moments just like this.
You know, it's the mindsetmanual that every salon team has
(27:18):
been waiting for.
You know, it touches onidentity, wealth, confidence,
and leadership behind the chairor table.
You know, it's broken down intosimple chapters, your whole team
can transform through.
And here's the gift you can geta free digital copy of the
entire book so you can lead yourown salon-wide book study.
(27:42):
You know, imagine your wholeteam reading, you know, one
chapter a week and then comingtogether for you know 10 to 15
minutes to talk about identity,beliefs, money, responsibility,
and growth, and actuallyshifting the culture from the
(28:04):
inside out.
Whew.
Such a good amazing thing tothink about, you know, and so we
want to gift you a digital copy.
So to get your free digitalcopy, just text the word
digital, D-I-G-I-T-A-L to469-283-5590.
(28:25):
We'll drop that down in the showshow notes below, and we'll send
it over straight to you.
So share this episode with asalon owner who's ready to
elevate.
And remember, the questions youask determine the future you
build.
We'll see you on the nextepisode.
There are two types of salons in 2026.
Those that are growing withintention, and those that are
drifting without even realizingit.
And the hardest truth is this.
Most salons don't crashovernight.
(01:02):
They fade slowly, quietly, alittle inconsistency here, a
little chaos there, a team thatnever steps into their
potential, a culture that's finebut not thriving.
And today we're gonna give youthe 10 questions that determine
(01:27):
whether your salon expands orcontracts, thrives or survives,
elevates or plateaus.
You know, these questions arepowerful because they don't just
change what you do, they changewho you are as a leader.
And so if you're listening whileyou're driving, getting ready,
(01:49):
or maybe you're still behind thechair prepping for guests, stay
with us because one of thesequestions might shift the entire
direction of your salon.
So let's dive in.
SPEAKER_00 (02:02):
Love that.
All right, so question numberone has to be Is my salon
growing on purpose or driftingby default?
You know, when you think aboutthat, nothing in business stays
static.
You're either gaining momentumor you're losing it.
You're rising or you'reretreating, you know, you're
(02:23):
organizing or you're absorbingchaos.
Like drift truly is the silentkiller if you think about it,
because it looks like thatinconsistent client experience.
You know, it's the team membersdoing things their own way, it's
that like reactive decisionmaking, it's the peaks followed
by the valleys.
So growth doesn't happenaccidentally, it happens
(02:46):
intentionally through systems,leaderships, rhythm, and
clarity.
So as we go into 2026, askyourself do I run the business
or is the business running me?
And your answer tells youexactly where to start.
You know, I just saw somethingthe other day that said um 94%
(03:07):
of times when there's a problem,it's actually a system problem.
Only 6% of the time it's apeople problem.
So I share that to say like,hey, if your business is running
you, it's definitely anopportunity to look at your
systems.
SPEAKER_01 (03:24):
So good, Jen.
I love that.
Uh that brings us to questionnumber two, which is does my
team truly know how to sell?
Or am I hoping they do?
You know, because most salonowners assume their team should
know, but selling it's not apersonality.
(03:46):
Selling is truly a process.
And if your team has believeslike, I don't want to be pushy,
or clients will say no, youknow, I'm not good at selling,
it won't matter how many scriptsyou give them, their behavior
will always match their belief.
(04:08):
You know, selling becomesnatural when you teach a system
that feels aligned, it feelslike service, it feels like
support, it feels likeconfidence, it feels like
leadership, you know, becausewhen your team knows how to
diagnose, how to recommend, andhow to close with love, you
know, your revenue becomespredictable instead of
(04:29):
accidental.
Jen, you were just sharing astory with me about a coaching
moment that you had with aservice provider on your team
where um you do you want toshare that where you talked
about the word rest?
SPEAKER_00 (04:41):
And yeah, it was so yeah, thank you.
I get so excited.
I definitely want to share that.
It was so good because it justhappened.
Yeah.
So I was in a growth session umwith one of our um level five
beauty pros, and um we werelooking at some numbers, and she
actually was is working 20 hoursless a month and making more
money.
What isn't that always a greatday?
(05:03):
And it it was so fun to help hersee that because she had no
idea.
Um, and then the one littlething we did notice is there was
a small decline in retail.
And so we we had a really coolconversation, like, okay, let's
talk about like what do youthink it could be?
Where in the sales process, isthere some opportunity?
And she kept using this wordtrust.
Well, I just want people totrust me.
I just want to be trusted.
(05:24):
You know, before I makerecommendations, I want them to
trust me.
And so I was like, okay, well,tell me what the word trust
means to you.
And she gave me this definition.
I said, it's actually, let'slook it up.
I think that'll be reallypowerful.
Let's look it up.
So we actually looked up wherethe root word of trust came
from.
And it was so crazy, you guys.
Trust actually comes from theroot word meaning to help.
(05:45):
I said, What?
Because it was even a greatopportunity for me.
And I was like, wow, to buildtrust means you're helping
someone.
So when we don't offer thoseopportunities of home hair care
or skin care, like we're missingthe opportunity to help them
make their lives better.
And you could tell it was socool.
It was like something shifted inher.
She's like, Wow.
She had her own definition oftrust that was actually taking
(06:07):
away from the guest experience.
And when we rewrote that storyand looked what trust really
meant, which was to help, it'slike you could tell she had been
expanded.
SPEAKER_01 (06:17):
So incredible, Jen.
I just think um I love thatstory so much.
I just think it's so powerfulwhen you do fully understand
what a word means and when youcan really help shape someone's
belief, you know, because if ifif you don't shape that belief,
then it remains the same.
And, you know, it also remindsme of a newer beauty pro on my
(06:41):
team who on her fourth shift umsold over$350 worth of retail.
And I think what's so beautifulabout that is she's um obviously
started going through ourmillion-dollar beauty pro
program and you know, has hadsome belief shifts because of
it, uh, because she neverrealized before that selling
truly is serving.
(07:02):
And like you mentioned, Jen,it's creating that trust because
you're helping the other person.
Like you're not just, you don'tjust care if they take stuff
home.
Like you want to actually givethem stuff that works.
It's like you would never um getrid of all the products that you
own because you're using themfor a reason.
Like we need to look for thosereasons and help serve the
(07:23):
people that we see every day.
So I love that question numbertwo uh is does my team truly
know how to sell, or am I hopingthey do?
SPEAKER_00 (07:32):
Such a great story on that.
You said it was her fourthshift.
I know.
That's amazing.
Wow, so cool.
Awesome.
All right, so let's move on toquestion number three.
Um, it's why would the nextgeneration of beauty pros choose
my salon?
It's a great question.
It kind of hits in the gut in agood way.
It's like, because when youthink about it, the next
(07:53):
generation isn't looking for ajob, you guys.
Like they're looking for thatpurpose, that mentorship, that
community, that meaning, youknow, that identity, that
momentum, that growth.
You know, they want a placewhere they feel like they
matter, where they aredeveloped, where the culture
feels alive.
So, you know, as you go into theseason, ask yourself like, what
(08:15):
is the experience of working fora company or working for me?
You know, what does my salonteach them about who they get to
become?
Isn't that so good?
Good reflection question there.
Or what would I choose my ownsalon if I were graduating
beauty school today?
Now, if your answer is no, youdefinitely have an opportunity
(08:37):
uh to do some um exerciseswithin yourself and see what
that could be.
Because, like, truly, thoseanswers will reveal exactly
where your leadership needs toevolve.
Um, and Lindsay, I think youwere talking about um there's a
someone on your team that wasbecause freedom is like a word
that is thrown around a lot withbeauty pros.
(08:59):
Actually, when I was just at thecareer fair, I asked um students
like what's most important foryou, and they're like, Oh, we
want freedom.
And it was so interesting tohear their definition of
freedom.
And so it was a greatconversation, but I know you
were telling me about somebodyon your team that what was that
story you told me?
SPEAKER_01 (09:17):
She left um this spring, and um, because she was
enticed by a salon that doesn'thave there's uh you can come and
go as you please, um, you make50% commission.
Um you can charge whatever youwant, you can make up your own
(09:39):
pricing.
Um it's basically just afree-for-all.
You know, and you know, to herthat sounded like freedom.
And um, you know, I think what'sso interesting about that is,
you know, she's still connectedum to a couple people on the
team.
And at first um it waswonderful.
(10:00):
The first 30 days werewonderful.
Um, and then it was like, well,I guess we're going into summer.
That's it's slow here becauseit's slow everywhere because
it's summer.
And um it'll probably get betterin the fall.
And I don't think it's gottenany better.
And I think, you know, she wasallured by the thought of
freedom.
But to us, you know, I think assalon owners, we need to change
(10:23):
that conversation about whattrue freedom actually is to our
team.
Because, like, when you work 28to 32 hours a week and you earn
a great consistent paycheck, andwe have consistent, you know, uh
several, you know, hundred newguests coming into the salon,
(10:44):
like they they don't evenrealize what they're sitting on
and how that's true freedom andhow you're not answering all of
your DMs and having to run tothe um store and you know, this
wasn't even a booth rentsituation, like that's even a
darker um place to be.
Although I think that there'sstill a lot of that going on,
you know.
(11:04):
I think um, you know, when youreally start to think about like
why would the next generation ofbeauty pros choose my salon?
That question that you asked,and um I think when you get
crystal clear on that, you aretruly creating freedom for
people.
Like the salons that we workwith inside of Salon Business
School, they are creating themost freedom.
Because like when you havedowntime, you can actually go to
(11:27):
the beach because you got moneyto go on a vacation and not be
answering your DMs and do some,you know, live your best life.
So we truly are creatingfreedom.
It's just having thoseconversations with people.
SPEAKER_00 (11:41):
So good.
Oh, that's so good.
Awesome.
All right, so we'll move toquestion number four.
It's is my client experiencebuilt for a 2026 client or a
2018 client?
Because we've done a lot ofresearch and we know that
(12:57):
clients now expect thatpersonalization, that expertise,
that um speed and convenience,that hospitality, that emotional
connection, that consistency.
Like your service, you guyscan't just be good anymore.
It must be predictablyexcellent.
You know, people don't just buyhair or beauty services, they
(13:20):
buy the way you make them feel.
They buy the identity that youhelp them step into, and they
buy the experience of beingcared for.
You know, if your spiritexperience isn't evolving, your
retention will show you.
SPEAKER_01 (13:36):
That is so true.
It will definitely show you.
Um, you know, and that leads usto question number five, which
is is my pricing emotional orstrategic?
You know, because kind of likewe just talked about the freedom
that wasn't actually freedom ofmaking up whatever you want.
Our pricing shouldn't be basedon fear, shouldn't be based on
(13:59):
comparison or what feels fair.
You know, pricing should bebased on profitability, local
demographics, you know, the theamount of education that you
invest in, your growth margins,your cost per hour, that guest
demand, and really theexperience value that you're
(14:19):
delivering to the guests thatyou serve.
And if your pricing only coversbills, you'll always feel
behind.
You know, but if your pricingfuels expansion, you'll always
feel empowered.
Because pricing is not a number,it's truly a leadership
position, you know, and I thinkuh truly, you know, one of the
(14:42):
the stories that got back, um,you know, that was just talked
about, you know, with theservice provider who went
somewhere else was um just howshe felt like she was losing
some clients.
And I think that a lot of it islike when you make up pricing,
when there's no real um thoughtprocess behind it, they don't
have, you know, all thenine-step sales process and all
(15:06):
of the systems to support theirgrowth and to support their
freedom.
Um, so when you just make uppricing, um, you you don't even
know that it's gonna work withyour local demographics.
You know, we work with salonowners all the time when we
implement a new pricing strategyinto their um salon.
You know, sometimes they'rescared at first.
(15:29):
You know, we've had some peoplewho've made pretty large jumps,
but like when you have thesystems um to support it, when
you understand your numbers andwhen you understand your local
demographics, like you're notmaking it up.
And to see them grow, um, youknow, I know we found, I believe
it was$36,000 a month for onesalon owner just by right sizing
(15:52):
her pricing, you know, and thatmeans they didn't change a
single thing, you know, and itwas just getting it right and
and getting it fair, and itwasn't emotional, it was all
strategy backed by real thingsthat work.
SPEAKER_00 (16:09):
I remember I remember that story.
She's like, What am I supposedto do with this extra$36,000 a
month?
We're like, You we got someoptions, we got some
opportunities, and so it was itwas a really it was a really fun
day.
SPEAKER_01 (16:20):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (16:21):
All right.
So let's move to question six.
It's um, am I tracking themetrics that matter or drowning
in ones that do not?
Um, listen, you guys, you don'tneed 20 KPIs.
KPIs are key performance, keyperformance indicators.
Like you just need the rightthree.
So there's something we like totalk about in Salon Business
(16:42):
School called the PAR, P A R.
So PAR stands for um P standsfor pre-booking, which is also
tied to client retention.
R stands for a retailpercentage, and A stands for
average ticket.
And so when you track the rightnumbers, you gain clarity.
And when you gain clarity, youcan coach.
(17:04):
And when you coach, you cantransform.
And consistency comes fromvisibility.
Um, we actually put thesenumbers in the background for
our team.
We enrolled them in a beautifulway, not from a place of you
didn't do this or shame andblame, it's a place of
empowerment.
We are a community, right?
So we can lean on each other.
So if I see that Lindsay'sretail to service is 40% last
(17:25):
week, you know, I'm gonna go toLindsay and say, Hey, Lindsay,
what did you do?
Tell me all about it.
And we did have one uh uhservice, our beauty pro on our
team.
Her retail to service was lowone week and she came back to
the back and she saw it.
She said, Oh my gosh, call thepolice, cancel me, cancel me,
I'm done.
She said, I cannot believe it.
(17:46):
It's just so funny.
It was so funny.
And the next week, her retail toservice was like the best it
have ever been.
So it was like we gave her thatgift of awareness, she became
aware of it, she took action toit, and it created a whole new
game for her to play.
And so it is a beautiful way ifit's set up very tastefully
where you can track thesemeasure metrics, not only with
(18:08):
yourself, but with your team aswell.
unknown (18:11):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (18:11):
You know, because really we like to call those,
the guest trust factors, likehow much do they trust you?
And, you know, withunderstanding even more about
the root word of trust is tohelp.
Um, man, those numbers reallymean you are helping people just
have their best beauty lifepossible.
So um, that leads us to questionnumber seven, which is is my
(18:35):
culture attracting highperformers or protecting low
standards?
Whew, this is a good one, youguys, because culture is not
what you say, culture is whatyou allow.
Because high performers thrivein places with high standards,
clear expectations,accountability, recognition, and
(18:58):
alignment.
But low performers, they thrivein places with inconsistency,
unclear boundaries, drama that'stolerated, you know, low
ownership, misalignedexpectations.
So if your culture is theloudest thing in your business,
(19:20):
you it really is the loudestthing in your business without
you ever even saying a word, youknow, and this is why, like, if
you go into a salon that has norules at all, like it's like
come and go as you please, dowhatever you want.
Um, you know, all kinds of stuffhappens.
(19:40):
I think drama is is kind of oneof the main things, you know,
that that happens in a placelike that.
Because, you know, like here wedeal direct and we know that we
don't triangulate anything.
And so if somebody were to cometo me, um, you know, and say,
hey, I heard such and such aboutsomebody else, great, let's go
(20:00):
get them and have a conversationwith them.
Because we don't want totriangulate anybody and and
strangle them, you know.
Um, it just it really doescreate an environment where low
performers are thriving.
And so that's why, like, hey,having those agreements to win,
um, we don't have to be adictatorship where we're like,
(20:21):
you know, doing crazy things,you know, but like having some
agreements to win as a teamtogether, um, having some
heartbeats and like, hey, thisis who we want to be when we're
here together, like that givesyou that peaceful place to
really come in and and createamazing experiences for the
(20:42):
guests that you serve.
SPEAKER_00 (20:44):
That is so good.
Love that.
All right, so let's move on toquestion number eight.
Um, and that is Am Itransforming beliefs or just
teaching more information?
You know, when you think aboutit, most owners try to fix
performance with more trainingand more videos, more talking,
more scripts, more you should dothis, right?
(21:04):
But information without a beliefshift becomes overload.
Like your stylists don't alwaysneed more knowledge.
They need a new identity, newconfidence, new language, new
internal stories.
You know, transformation doesn'thappen when you teach more.
Transform transformation happenswhen you like shift the belief
(21:24):
that's blocking the behavior.
This is why most trainings don'tstick, like it never touches the
belief.
Um, I'll never forget one timewe were um uh working with a uh
salon owner and they were like,Well, Jen and Lindsay, like, um,
you know, Jeff Bezos.
(21:46):
We're like, Yeah, we know JeffBezos, you don't know him, but
we know who he is.
Like, he doesn't teach his teamto sell, he just tells them to
do it and they do it.
We're like, oh wow, okay.
You know, because thatdefinitely would never be true.
Like, um, when you really thinkabout it, like you have to get
to that belief that could bestopping them.
Just like we mentioned the storyearlier in that growth session.
(22:08):
Her belief was like, I don'twant to sell until they trust
me.
But what she didn't realize isthat she trusts meant to help.
So to get that trust, she had tohelp them.
And so, do you remember that,Lindsay, when they were kids?
Yeah, Jeff Bezos.
SPEAKER_01 (22:21):
I do.
And you know, it really is thedifference between power and
force as a leader.
Um, and I don't even know, youknow, what type of a leader Jeff
Bezos is.
Obviously, we haven't done a lotof research on him.
Um, but the truth is, likeanybody who has made it big and
in any kind of a leadershipposition knows that they have to
(22:42):
um really get down to somebody'sbelief about something and
really help them understand it.
Because, like, if you're justlike, hey, um, go out and sell
shampoo, it might work for ashort time because they're so
scared.
They're like, oh gosh, I'm gonnaget fired if I don't, you know,
do this.
But like when you help themunderstand and have that
transformation, like you did foryour Beauty Pro and your team,
(23:06):
like that's gonna serve her andher guests for years to come.
You know, when she really sees,like, hey, if I want people to
trust me more, I just have tohelp them more.
And like selling, people aregonna buy stuff.
They're gonna buy stuff from a19-year-old on TikTok.
They might as well buy it fromyou, who truly cares and who
(23:26):
truly wants them to win.
I'm not saying that 19-year-oldon TikTok doesn't, you know, I'm
just saying like she has noproblem getting on and being
like, hey, this is what we gotto sell today on our little
live, you know.
Um, but if you could say, like,you know, hey, you know, tell me
about like it, do you feelconfident curling your hair at
home?
They're like, no, I actuallydon't.
Well, here, let me walk youthrough it step by step.
(23:48):
You know, tell me about whatyou're using.
And they're like, well,actually, I air dry my hair.
Well, then you know, um, hey,that that can be a red flag that
that hair might be feelinglethargic from water stained
down by the by the disulfidebond.
You know, you might know all ofthese things, but if you don't
share that with your guests, ifyou're not asking them questions
and if you're not truly tryingto help them, like that's when
(24:09):
sales becomes natural.
That's when they're like, yes,I'll take everything that you
used on me, you know, andbecause they can see, okay, wow,
she's not just trying to sell mesomething, she really
understands what's going on.
So I love that so much.
And I think um a true leaderdoes lead from that position for
sure, Jen.
Which leads us into questionnumber nine, which is what could
(24:30):
be systematic what could besystemized or automated to give
me back 10 hours this week.
You know, your time is thehighest value asset in the
salon.
So you should not be the onlyone doing everything.
You know, you should be the oneleading everything, you know.
(24:51):
So look for areas to automate orsystemize, you know, think about
like your onboarding or umscripts, checklists, follow-up,
you know, guest communication,repetition, like think about the
heavy tasks, you know, um, evenscheduling or KPIs, you know,
(25:12):
because when systems carry theweight, you get to carry the
vision.
You know, I'm I remember acouple years ago um working with
a salon owner who didn't want todo um online scheduling.
They're like, it's just toomuch.
There's too many things, there'stoo many, you know, like if you
are bogging that system down,like there, like for me as a
(25:34):
busy person, I will go to thisone place to get a massage
because I know I can bookonline, even though I would
rather probably go to this otherplace, you know, isn't that
amazing?
So, so not only will it easethings off of your plate, but it
also will help call in morepeople, give them more
opportunities.
So um look for all of thosethings that you can just get
(25:58):
automated and systemize.
SPEAKER_00 (26:01):
Love it.
All right.
Question number 10 is Am Imaking decisions like the CO CEO
I want to become, or the stylistor service provider I used to
be?
You know, this is the identityquestion.
There is a future version of yourunning a thriving, profitable,
peaceful, energized salon.
(26:22):
And she thinks differently, youguys.
Like she hires differently, sheprices differently, she coaches
differently, she marketsdifferently, she leads
differently, like she protectsher time differently, and she
invests differently.
And so ask yourself every day isthis decision from the old me or
(26:42):
the expanded me?
Your identity is the thermostatof your results, and if you
raise the identity, the resultswill follow.
SPEAKER_01 (26:54):
I love that.
So good.
Um, you know, if these questionssparked something in you, that's
because you're ready for yournext level of growth.
And so is your team.
You know, so we wrote Think andGet Rich as a Beauty Pro for
moments just like this.
You know, it's the mindsetmanual that every salon team has
(27:18):
been waiting for.
You know, it touches onidentity, wealth, confidence,
and leadership behind the chairor table.
You know, it's broken down intosimple chapters, your whole team
can transform through.
And here's the gift you can geta free digital copy of the
entire book so you can lead yourown salon-wide book study.
(27:42):
You know, imagine your wholeteam reading, you know, one
chapter a week and then comingtogether for you know 10 to 15
minutes to talk about identity,beliefs, money, responsibility,
and growth, and actuallyshifting the culture from the
(28:04):
inside out.
Whew.
Such a good amazing thing tothink about, you know, and so we
want to gift you a digital copy.
So to get your free digitalcopy, just text the word
digital, D-I-G-I-T-A-L to469-283-5590.
(28:25):
We'll drop that down in the showshow notes below, and we'll send
it over straight to you.
So share this episode with asalon owner who's ready to
elevate.
And remember, the questions youask determine the future you
build.
We'll see you on the nextepisode.
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