The Fake Freedom Flyer

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We break down a viral booth rent flyer and show how “surface-level freedom” often turns into chaos. We teach a practical path to real freedom built on clarity, systems, brand consistency, and intrapreneurship so teams gain options, not overtime.

• false freedom versus real freedom
• the math behind pricing power and hours
• structure as a multiplier of success
• brand consistency and guest trust
• attire as part of the promise
• interdependence over isolation
• intrapreneurs versus employees
• turning marketing into attraction, not chasing

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Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_01 (00:03):
You ever have one of those moments where something so
bad, it's good, stops you inyour tracks?
You know, I was just at a careerfair the other day when a
student was walking by ourbooth, and out of the corner of
my eye, I saw this flyer she washolding, and it said, The 12
reasons booth rent might beright for you.

(00:26):
And I thought, oh no, here we goagain.
You know, it was printed on thisuh plain white paper, basic
bullet points, bad clip art.
You know the kind I'm talkingabout.
Um, but as I started reading itout of the corner of my eye, my
heart sank a little because eventhough the copy was pretty
terrible, you guys, I could seehow the psychology for someone

(00:49):
reading this could be spot on.
You know, it hit like everyemotional point of a service
provider who feels stuck, youknow, the desire for freedom,
the frustration with rules, theillusion of control.
And then I realized that this iswhat your team is, this is what

(01:09):
our teams are up against.
You know, if and this is not tobe a marketing war between
commission and booth rent.
It's a battle between falsefreedom and real freedom.
And if we as salon owners don'tunderstand how to teach that
difference, we could lose goodpeople to the wrong promise.
So today we're gonna unpack thisflyer.
And by the end, you'll know howto teach freedom to your team in

(01:32):
a way that gives them power, notpressure.

SPEAKER_00 (01:36):
I love that.
Let's read the first few linesfrom this flyer together, Jen.
So grateful uh you got a copy,just because, hey, it's really
important to know what it isthat people are getting fed
outside there so that so that wecan really unpack this, you
know.
So um, I want you to listen towhat we're about to read with a

(01:58):
marketer's ear, not as a salonowner that's frustrated by this,
but just listen through amarketer's ear, like if you're
gonna market to find new talent.
So what it says on there ishigher earning potential.
With booth renting, you keep allthe money you earn from
services, minus your boothrental fee.

(02:20):
It literally says that in I'm ohmy gosh, I just can't even
believe this.
But the next one is no mandatoryproduct sales with booth rent.
You are free to sell products orservices on your terms without
pressure from salon management.
The next one is good.

(02:41):
Personalized marketing.
You can market yourself howeveryou want.
I love this one too.
No salon per no salon pressureto perform.
As a booth renter, you can takeyour time with each client,
focusing on quality overquantity.

(03:02):
Sounds amazing, right?
Wow.
You know, this is what we callsurface level freedom.
It promises you something thatfeels good, but it doesn't work
in real life, you know?
And you know, here's what I toldone of our coaching clients the
other day freedom withoutstructure isn't freedom, it's

(03:25):
chaos in disguise.
Because freedom doesn't mean youhave no rules, it means you're
no longer ruled by fear orconfusion or lack of clarity.
Because freedom is when you havethe clarity, the capacity, and
the competence to do what youwere born to do inside a system

(03:50):
that multiplies your success.
We've all seen it.
You know, stylists leavebelieving they'll make more
money.
And six months later, they'retotally burnt out, they're
behind on taxes, and suddenlythey're realizing that being
your own boss means you're alsoyour own janitor, marketer,

(04:12):
bookkeeper, therapist, runningto the store person.
You know, you see the problem isthe the promise of freedom is
emotional, but the practice offreedom is mathematical.
You guys, that's awriter-downer.
The promise of freedom isemotional, but the practice of

(04:33):
freedom is mathematical.
You can't feel free if yourfinances, schedule, or energy
are out of alignment.
So when you're leading your teamand you hear those little
whispers, I just want morecontrol, you don't fight it.
You teach them the truth aboutwhat control actually costs and

(04:55):
what it truly looks like.
Because in a great team-basedsalon, control doesn't come from
ownership, it comes fromownership of self, ownership of
your mindset, of your skill set,of the results that you're
producing.
And that's something that aflyer can't give them.

SPEAKER_01 (05:16):
So good.
So let's keep reading.
Because if you were like, whatin the world is happening?
We want to we want to break thisall down for you.
So another thing that it saidwas ability to choose your own
products and tools.
Um, it's a no salon limits onworking hours.
Get this one.
So you will never, word fromword, you will never have to

(05:38):
work nights or weekends, whichare often based on a salon's
needs.
What?
They also said ability to setyour own prices and policies.
Okay.
And they also said theopportunity for creative control
over your space.
Okay, you guys, let's pauseright there.

(06:00):
You know, because this is whatwe call, I like to call the
illusion of independence, right?
It's when someone confusesautonomy with authority.
You know, they think, hey, if Imake all these decisions, I'll
finally be happy.
But making all the decisionsdoesn't make you free, it
actually makes you tired.

(06:20):
Um, so let's take one examplewhere they said, set your own
prices.
Well, of course that soundsempowering empowering, right?
But what most stylists don'trealize is that pricing isn't
just about charging more, it'sabout what the market will
sustain.
You know, it's the guest, it'swhat the guest experience will
support.
And it's the brand credibilitythat backs it up.

(06:42):
If you don't have the systems,the marketing, and the
reputation, you don't have thepricing power.
You have the guessing power.
Or the other one where theysaid, no limits on working
hours.
That sounded amazing too, right?
But it's not freedom to workwhenever you want.
If you have to work all the timejust to make ends meet, freedom

(07:03):
isn't more hours, it's moreoptions.
You know, it's when yourstructure inside your salon
supports your team's goals sothat they can choose how to
live.
And here's something you mightwant to write down and share
with your team is freedom isn'tabout removing limits, it's
about redefining limits thatserve their life.

(07:24):
And you guys, when you createthat system that protects your
team's time, it helps them reachthem income goals and gives them
a clear growth path.
You're not taking freedom away,you're actually building it in.

SPEAKER_00 (07:40):
You know, let's look at another one, Jen.
I think uh one that stood outtoo is opportunity for creative
control over your space.
You know, that sounds fun untilyou realize that great brands
aren't built on randomness,they're built on consistency.

(08:00):
Because a powerful brandexperience, it requires like the
sameness, like so much samenessthat it feels sacred.
You know, it's why Disney canhave hand you a churro at any
park in the world and it tastesthe same.
You know, it's why guests comeback to your salon again and
again because they know what toexpect.

(08:22):
Because freedom inside a systemis what gives you power.
And freedom outside a systemgives you confusion.
It creates a lot of confusion.
You know, so as a leader, yourjob isn't to restrict, it's to
reveal, you know, show your teamhow every system, every
standard, every scorecard, youknow, everything that you're

(08:44):
doing actually is a path to morefreedom.
Because when stylists learn themath of mastery, they stop
fighting structure and reallystart craving it.
You know, a lot of times we'llwe'll say, hey, it's almost like
if you go to a really greatrestaurant and you have a really
great steak dinner, and all of asudden uh the person who served

(09:08):
you the steak was like, you knowwhat?
I saw how much this ticket was.
I'm gonna go and open up a steakdinner restaurant in my
backyard.
You know, I've got a picnictable, come on over, enjoy a
steak dinner.
Like the clients feel thedifference, you know?
And so gone are the days whereum where truly people were going

(09:31):
to just one person.
People crave that whole teamexperience.
And so when you're able to toreveal to your team, like, hey,
it's this isn't about, I thinkthat's another thing too that
stands out about this fire, thisflyer to gin to me is that it's
like they're pitting this theservice provider against a salon

(09:53):
and they're forgetting that thewhole reason we're in business
is to serve the guest and tocreate that amazing experience.
And so it's like the salon isthe enemy, but truly the hero
here is the guest, and nothinghas been said about that.
And so when you reveal to yourteam how every system, every
scorecard that you have istruly, you know, that path to,

(10:16):
like we said, creating morefreedom, but like also what
gives them that locked-in careerand helps them get that
six-figure income.
You know, when they really startto understand that, they really
start to crave it and see whythe guests love it and are
willing to pay top dollar whenthey visit us.

SPEAKER_01 (10:36):
So good.
You know, the one that standsout to me the most was uh, I
think it was number one.
It said higher earningpotential.
That reminded me of the waiterthat um would go out on their
own, like, oh, I can keep it allnow.
I saw this ticket, I'll be ableto keep it.
Oh, look, my light came on.
It was so good.
I'll be able to keep it on allright now, just the booth rental
fee.
That's all I won't have to pay.
I'm like, what?

(10:56):
That is so interesting.
So as we finished reading thelast part of the flyer, um, they
said things like build, youknow, the 12 reasons why booth
rent might be right for you.
You get to build your personalbrand.
Um, you have a better work lifebalance.
There's there's no dress code oruniform requirements if you're a
booth renter.

(11:17):
And so the last one stands outto me as well.
It said, no dress code oruniform requirements.
And you know, this one you guysalways makes me smile because it
shows how confused our industryhas become.
You see, service providers thinkdressing however they want is
freedom.
But the truth is, when you stepbehind the chair or the table,
it's not about self-expression,it's about guest impression.

(11:42):
Let me say that again.
When you step behind the chairand the table, it's not about
self-expression, it's aboutguest impression.
Like we don't dress to expressourselves, we dress to impress
our guest because yourappearance is part of your
promise.
You know, it communicates thatprofessionalism before you ever
say a word.

(12:02):
And in a luxury environment,consistency creates comfort.
So freedom isn't wearing whatyou want.
Freedom is showing up in a waythat earns trust, that builds
credibility and elevates yourvalue every single day.
And that's truly how we movefrom that me-centered expression
to mission-centered excellence.

SPEAKER_00 (12:25):
So good.
Jim, when you said that, itreally just made me think about
like how funny would that be ifyou walked into Gucci or Chanel
or anywhere like that and theywere just wearing whatever they
wanted.
Like, you know, sometimes Ithink about like when you go
into a nail salon as an example,you know, you might look over
and somebody's wearing pajamas,somebody else looks like they
just rolled out of bed, youknow, there's just like all this

(12:45):
going on.
And I just think, gosh, youcould charge a lot more money if
you looked the part, becauseit's true, like it doesn't build
that trust um or credibilitylike you were mentioning, you
know, and that's a big one.
And and this is where most salonowners lose the narrative.

(13:05):
Because if you don't teach yourteam what brand actually is,
they'll think brand is justtheir Instagram feed.
But a brand isn't just whatpeople see, it's what people
feel, it's how you make gueststrust you, how it's how they
talk about you, and it's andit's even how they return again.

(13:27):
Because that's how you createrepeatable, predictable success.
You know, and the word brand, itactually comes from the old
Norse word brander, which itmeans to burn.
So back in the day, they'd takea hot iron and mark what
belonged to them.

(13:48):
You know, it was a symbol ofownership, identity, something
that was like permanent.
So when we talk about your brandas a salon, we're not talking
about logos or fonts or oneperson, we're talking about the
impression you burn intopeople's minds every single day.

(14:11):
You know, every interaction,every shampoo experience, just
like every smile that they getgreeted with, it's all leaving a
mark.
And but the question here iswhat kind of mark is it leaving?
Because a brand is not what yousay, it's what people remember.
It's the emotion that lingerswhen they walk out your door.

(14:34):
So if the word brand means toburn, then make sure what you're
burning into your guests, yourteam, your community is
something worth remembering.
You know, that's the part Ithink that stylists and service
providers don't see until theyleave.
Because you're not limitingtheir freedom, you're amplifying

(14:58):
it, you're handing them thebrand of equity, you know, all
the structure, mentorship.
You've you've got a path thatcan give them so much momentum.
And that's why true freedomdoesn't come from independence,
it comes from interdependencebecause we're not meant to
succeed alone.

(15:18):
We're meant to succeed together.
So when your team sees flyerslike this, don't get defensive,
don't panic, use it as ateaching moment.

SPEAKER_01 (15:33):
Yeah, you know, you can show them how your marketing
systems or your marketingsupport gives the freedom from
chasing clients.
There's a big difference betweenchasing and attracting clients.
Chasing feels kind of icky.
It's like reminds me of a policechase.
Like, come here, come, I'm gonnaget you, I'm gonna do your hair,
right?
Um, you can show them howeducation gives them freedom

(15:53):
from guessing.
You know, teach them how systemsgive them freedom from chaos and
how leadership gives themfreedom from isolation.
Because freedom isn't found inleaving something, it's found in
becoming someone.
And that's the message your teamneeds to hear.
And when you teach that freedomisn't doing whatever you want,

(16:15):
it's doing what you were calledto do with that excellence, that
purpose, and that support, it'llshift their entire perspective.
You know, and when we do that,that's like truly when service
providers stop seeing themselvesas employees and they start
seeing themselves asintrapreneurs inside your salon.
You're like, Jen, what is anentrepreneur?

(16:37):
It's like they care so muchabout the business, they show up
every single day, ready toserve, ready to carry out the
mission, because they know theyhave a big part in getting the
results that you're strivingfor.
And you know, that's that whenyou when you create those
entrepreneurs inside your salon,that's when you stop managing
people and you start multiplyingleaders.

(16:59):
And that's what real freedomlooks like, you guys.
You know, freedom withstructure, freedom with purpose,
and freedom with peace.

SPEAKER_00 (17:09):
I love that.
So the next time you see a flyerlike this at a career fair,
don't roll your eyes, smile,because it's proof the industry
is craving something and youhave the answer.
You have the systems, thementorship, and the vision to
give stylists, service providersthe kind of freedom that

(17:30):
actually lasts.
And if you want a tool to teach,to really help teach this to
your team, we want to gift you adigital copy of our book, Think
and Get Rich as a Beauty Pro.
It's the exact framework we useto help stylists shift their
mindset from I want freedom to Iwant fulfillment.

(17:53):
You know, so just text the worddigital.
That's D I G I T A L to 469 2835590.
And we'll send you a free copyyou can use right away with your
team.
Because when your team thinksricher, your salon grows

(18:14):
stronger.
Thanks for tuning in.