The Fear That Keeps Salon Owners Broke

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We unpack the hidden fear that keeps salon owners stuck and show how to replace control with preparation. Turnover stops feeling personal when you use simple systems to protect guests, team, and brand through any departure.

• Naming the real fear behind “can we talk” 
• Why turnover reveals systems not worth 
• How fear bends standards and breaks trust 
• Star performer red flags and language shifts 
• Freedom leadership through structure and data 
• Three-step departure process for calm exits 
• Scripts to reassure guests and reset culture 
• Using metrics to predict disengagement 
• Building faster training and leadership layers 
• Subtraction as a gift for growth

Share with another salon owner who's ready to trade fear for freedom. Text departure DEPARTURE to 469-283-5590 to grab your free departure process guide. Head on over to millionollarbeautypro.com because we've seen the score team based beauty pros earn millions more.

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Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
There's one fear that keeps salon owners broke.
It's not fear of failure.
It's not fear of not being goodenough.
It's not even fear ofcompetition.
It's the fear of people leaving.
It's that whisper that hits yourgut when the notification pops

(00:21):
up on your phone.
Hey, can we talk?
Because you already know whatthat means.
And instantly your stomachdrops.
You start replaying everyconversation in your head.
Like, did I say something wrong?
Did they feel unappreciated?
Did I miss something?

But here's the truth (00:40):
the only thing scarier than someone
leaving is building a salon thatonly works if they stay.
Because that fear keeps youstuck.
It keeps you clinging,overworking, and truly operating

(01:02):
from survival instead ofleadership.
So it's truly the fear thatkeeps you from raising prices,
from delegating, from buildingsystems, because somewhere deep
down, you believe your peacedepends on somebody else's
loyalty.

(01:23):
And today we're breaking thatpattern because the salons that
grow the fastest aren't the onesthat keep everyone forever.

SPEAKER_01 (01:36):
Yeah, I love that.
You know, they're truly the onesthat build systems so strong.
Um, you know, that systems thatare strong enough or even better
to um to never break whensomeone leaves.
It only gets better.
You know, and if you want tomake sure that your systems are
strong enough or even better tonever waste another week

(01:56):
training someone new, you've gotto go to million dollar
beautypro.com, check that outbecause there's a little chant
that Lindsay and I like to sayis we've seen the score, and
team-based beauty pros earnmillions more.
Love that.
Hey, Lindsay, you said you gotthe text or the texts, you know,
people will text, hey, can wetalk?

SPEAKER_02 (02:17):
How about when you're driving home and there's
a slide near your house and yousee you see one of your team
members moving their stuff intothe um into a new space that
that counts too, right?

SPEAKER_00 (02:29):
It does.
Yep.
I remember when when youwitnessed that, Jen.
Oh, it's a great day.

SPEAKER_01 (02:35):
So, you know, guys, when someone leaves, most owners
think the fear is about money,right?
They're losing revenue, they'relosing gas, they're losing
momentum.
But truly underneath that issomething deeper.
It's actually identity fear.
It's the voice that says, I'm afailure because they didn't
stay.
And we make their departure meansomething about us.

(02:58):
What?
Isn't that so crazy?
You know, it's like we attachour worth as a leader to their
decision to stay or to go.
You know, I remember early onwhen every time someone left, it
almost felt like rejection,especially in my early days.
You know, and I'll I'd smile andsay, you know, congratulations,
I'm happy for you.

(03:19):
But then, you know, I'm feltlike crying in my car at times
too, after they left thebuilding.
And truly, I wasn't crying overthe loss of income.
I was crying over the, you know,the story about what I made up
about what it meant, that maybeI wasn't enough, or that maybe
they didn't believe in what Iwas building, or that maybe I
should stop training people sowell because they just leave.

SPEAKER_00 (03:43):
Yeah.
You know, but here's what I'velearned after leading hundreds
of stylists.
Turnover doesn't expose yourworth.
You know, it really exposes yoursystem.
So, Jen, I feel like we can allrelate to that same feeling that
you just talked about.
We've all made up some storiesabout what it meant in the past.
But, you know, the truth is ifthe business falls apart when

(04:05):
someone leaves, it's not becausethey were too important.
That's not true, you guys.
It's because your structurewasn't strong enough to support
transition.
And that's actually soempowering when you think about
it.
Because if the issue isn'tpeople, it's process, then that

(04:27):
means that you can fix it.
So you have all of the powerback, you know, and when you
stop taking departurespersonally and start treating
them as feedback, you stopreacting like an employee and
start leading like a CEO.
You know, because let's behonest, fear makes us do weird

(04:50):
things, you know.
So, like when we fear losingsomeone, we start bending the
rules, you know, we'll maybeovercompensate or just really
just hold on too tight.
We start protectingrelationships instead of
protecting results, you know.
So we'll say things like, I'lljust let her do her own

(05:12):
schedule.
It's easier than confrontation,or, you know, I'll cover that
client because she's having ahard week.
Or I don't want to push toohard.
I don't want her to leave.
You know, I've even heard gottenfeedback that maybe the goals
are too hard to reach and andhad people say, are they too
hard to reach?

(05:33):
You know, maybe some of thissounds familiar to you, but
here's the cost of that fear.
You know, it quietly erodes yourauthority, your boundaries, and
ultimately your bottom line.
And when you lead from fearinstead of having standards, you

(05:53):
teach your team that your loveis negotiable and that your
leadership is optional.
And the irony behind all of thisis the very behavior meant to
keep people happy often pushesthem away because they lose that
clarity of what it looks like toget to the next stage.

(06:15):
They don't have anyaccountability, and that
ultimately breaks their trust.

SPEAKER_01 (06:23):
I'll never forget one time working with a salon
owner who said, I can't imaginemy business without her.
And you know, they she's like,That stylist was talented, but
she was also running the show.
And so the owner's days revolvedaround her mood swings, her
needs, her preferences.
And yes, when she left, Iremember her saying it hurt.

(06:45):
But six months, six monthslater, that salon was actually
thriving.
You know, and the owner uh thencame to us and said, Hey, I
didn't realize how much energy Iwas giving to the fear of losing
her until she was gone.
And sometimes that thing thatyou're scared to lose is the
thing standing in your way tothe next level.

(07:05):
Oh, that's good.
Let me say that again.
Sometimes that thing that you'rescared to lose is the thing
standing in the way of your nextlevel.

SPEAKER_00 (07:15):
Yeah, that is so good, Jen.
You know, I've also seen thisplay out in another way, and
it's sneaky, you know.
Uh salon owner hires a newbeauty pro on their team, a new
service provider, and theyinstantly think she's going to
save the day, or he's going tosave the day, you know, and

(07:36):
maybe they have a big followingon Instagram, or maybe, you
know, they you think thatthey've got that it factor, or
you know, maybe they tell youthat they're bringing in a bunch
of clients, or you know, they'vedone some branding or they just
have some buzz, you know.
Um, and so, you know, we've seenan owner relax, you know, for

(07:57):
maybe what they think is thefirst time in months, you know,
thinking their problem isfinally solved.
But here's the truth no oneperson will ever save your
salon, except for you as thesalon owner.
No one person is, you know,because a salon isn't built on

(08:21):
one superstar, you know, it'sbuilt on systems, it's built on
really truly creating thatteamwork and also creating
consistency for your team, foryour guests, for everyone, you
know, because you can alwaysspot when someone's starting to
believe that they are thebusiness, because you see a huge

(08:44):
language shift.
And it's with two words, youknow, it goes from our to my,
you know, so they'll startthinking saying things like, my
clients, my VIPs, my skills, myInstagram, you know, and when
that happens, it's a red flag.
Because the moment that someoneforgets that iron sharpens iron,

(09:10):
their ego starts to outgrowtheir gratitude.
You know, they forget that theydidn't get where they are
because of only them.
They got there because they weresurrounded by the right people
in the right systems inside ofyour salon that supported their
growth.
You guys, that's when thecountdown begins.

(09:31):
You know, because pride alwayswalks out before a partnership
does.
So if you ever notice that shifton your team, don't panic.
It's truly the time to start tolead that person.
You've got to pull them back tothe vision, remind them how they

(09:52):
got to this place in the firstplace.
You know, what makes the salonstrong is having that
collaboration, that humility,that structure.
And that's why they have so manyloyal, thriving guests in the
salon, because it's thatenvironment that has created it.
It's not one person that'screated it.

(10:14):
So good.
Yeah, I was just gonna say theones who don't learn that,
they're usually the next ones togo.
So, like if you see that, youknow they're about to go.

SPEAKER_01 (10:23):
About to go.
Yeah, you're so right.
That's so true.
And when you think about it, thefear of leaving is really the
fear of people leaving, better,yeah, is really the fear of like
losing control.
Because control truly feelssafe.
And you say to yourself, hey, ifI can control who stays, I can
control the outcome.
But the truth is, you guys,control is exhausting and

(10:48):
temporary.
You cannot control who stays,you can only control how
prepared you are when theyleave.
You know, and truly that's whysystems are what give you peace.
If you think about one of themost popular fast food
restaurants, Chick-fil-A, likethey don't rely on unicorn
employees, they rely onrepeatable training in culture

(11:12):
systems, cultural systems thatwork, whether it's an
18-year-old cashier or a 10-yearveteran.
You know, that's really what welike to call freedom leadership.
You know, you lead throughstructure, not through stress.
And it's the moment that yoursystems are stronger than your
emotions, you stop beingreactive and start being

(11:33):
resilient.
That's exactly what we teach inMillion Dollar Beauty Pro.
We show you how to build abusiness that's unshakable.
So even when someone leaves,like your culture, your income,
and leadership stand firm.
Because fear loses its powerwhen you built a foundation that
cannot be rocked.

SPEAKER_00 (11:55):
That's good, Jen.
Fear loses its power when youbuilt a foundation that can't be
rocked.
That's perfect.
You know, really, we should talkabout what is the practical
side.
What do we do when someoneleaves?
Like, how can we create thatfoundation, like you mentioned,
that's so strong that fear can'teven shake it?

(12:18):
Because, you know, the truth iswhen someone leaves, most salon
owners panic, they overexplainit to their team, they get
caught up in the emotions, orthey try to convince the person
to stay, or they take itpersonally, and the entire salon
feels the energy shift.
But the reality is departuresare inevitable.

(12:42):
You know, you can either letthem drain your business or
strengthen it.
And that's why we created thedepart, the departure process
guide.
You know, it's what we use inour own salons and the salons
inside of Salon Business School.
Um, it's incredible.
It's a three-step system toprotect your piece, your brand,

(13:06):
and your culture when someoneexits.
So the first thing that you wantto do is you want to protect the
guest experience, you know.
Reassign clients quickly andgracefully, you know, and you'll
want to use language that buildstrust with the guest, you know,

(13:28):
like, hey, we're so grateful foryou.
Your service provider or the thelast service provider you saw is
no longer here, but we alreadyhave a plan to make sure that
you're totally taken care of,you know, and that doesn't mean
you're like gonna withhold anyinformation from them, but like

(13:48):
you want them to know like, hey,we are a team, we work together
as a team here, we already havea plan to take care of you.
And then next, you want to makesure that you're protecting the
team culture.
So, right away, you know,announce it calmly and directly
to the team.
So you could say something like,You may already know service
provider so-and-so is no longerwith our salon company.

(14:11):
Uh, you might be feeling sad, ormaybe you're feeling relieved to
hear this news.
Either way is okay.
You know, she's chosen a newpath and we wish her well.
And our focus is on making sureour guests and each one of you
feel supported through thistransition.
You know, that helps youeliminate gossip by setting the

(14:33):
tone immediately.
And the third thing that youwant to do is protect the brand
standards, you know.
So make sure you remove accessto that former uh service
provider, close accounts, youknow, transition any of their
resources.
Just, you know, keep itprofessional and don't take it
personal, you know.

(14:54):
And here's the secret that mostpeople miss it's to start with
gratitude.
You know, so when someone tellsyou they're leaving, tell them,
you know, say, thank you forletting me know.
Like first, it diffuses theemotion and it also anchors you

(15:16):
as the calm leader in the room.
You know, that one sentencecommunicates confidence, safety,
and maturity.
You know, I'll never forget oneday I had uh a service provider
meet me outside and they told meto take a deep breath before
they were about to give me thenews.
And um, you know, I'm not makingfun of them or the situation,

(15:40):
but I it did make me giggle alittle inside because I thought
I've never been a reactive uhleader, and so there's no need
for a deep breath.
So I said, Oh, I'm totallygreat.
You know, what what did you wantto share with me?
You know, and they told me and Isaid, thank you so much for
letting me know.
And, you know, we got to move onpeacefully, but you know, it

(16:02):
took a while to get there as aleader, and you know, having the
cheat code to get there fasteralways makes everything better,
you know, because we say, hey,you can, you know, spend 40
years to try to figure outsomething that could take you
one day.
So if you want a copy of thedeparture process guide with our

(16:24):
exact scripts, checklists, andyou know, really our
communication templates, goahead and text the word
departure.
That's D-E-P-A-R-T-U-R-E2469-283-5590.
Because the moment someoneleaves, it doesn't have to be a

(16:46):
crisis, it can be a definingmoment for you inside of your
leadership.
So good.

SPEAKER_01 (16:54):
Um, so like truly, you guys, you can't stop people
from leaving, um, but you canstop being afraid of it.
I think in the book, um, Dr.
Ben Hardy talks aboutsubtraction is a gift.
Wow, and when I heard that, Iwas like, that's so true.
Subtraction is a gift.
Um, and so you know, when youthink about that, here are some

(17:15):
ways that you can future-proofyour salon as well.
So build faster training systemsso new hires ramp up in weeks,
not months.
Yes, weeks, not months.
You know, you want to createthose leadership layers so
knowledge doesn't bottleneckwith one person, you know,
making sure that you have thatleadership team in place.
You know, you want to use thedata, your uh pre-book rates,

(17:38):
your retail percentages, uh,your par scores.
So PAR is usually um pre-book,average ticket, and um retail to
service.
So, like looking at those scoresto spot disengagement before it
even becomes departure.
Um, and then you want to leadfrom clarity, not chaos.

(17:58):
And here's the mindset shiftthat changes everything.
Your salon isn't a prison, it'sactually a platform.
And when people feel like theycan grow with you, they don't
need to leave to expand, theyevolve within your ecosystem.
And that's what Million DollarBeauty Pro was designed to

create (18:16):
a business model that actually grows leaders, not
turnover.
Because we've seen the score,and team-based beauty pros earn
millions more.

SPEAKER_00 (18:29):
Ain't that the truth, Jin Booth?
I love that, you know.
I'll I'll never forget the time,you know, the first time
somebody that I had mentoredtold me that they were leaving.
Um, you know, they weretalented, kind, and someone I'd
poured into for years.
And so when they told me I gotan instant pit in my stomach,

(18:50):
and I said, you know, I'm happyfor you, but inside I was
crushed, you know, and for weeksI would think about it off and
on, you know.
And one day while I was updatingthe schedule, I realized
something.
I was so afraid of losing peoplethat I was losing myself, you
know, and that moment became aturning point because that

(19:14):
person leaving forced me tofinally build the system I'd
always been too busy to create.
You know, it pushed me toclarify our training, to really
strengthen our brand and tobuild a confidence in the team
that stayed.

(19:35):
You know, that departure, what Ithought was a breakdown, it
truly became a breakthrough.
And that's the truth.
Fear loses its power when youturn it into structure.
And pain becomes purpose whenyou channel it into your

(19:56):
process.
So if you're in that seasonright now, if someone's leaving
or you're scared someone might,let this be your reminder.
You can't control who stays, butyou can own how you lead.

SPEAKER_01 (20:15):
So good.
So if this episode resonatedwith you, share with another
salon owner who's ready to tradefear for freedom.
And don't forget, you guys, textdeparture D E P A R T U R E to
469-283-5590.

(20:36):
Again, that's 469-283-5590 tograb your free departure process
guide.
And if you're truly ready tobuild the kind of systems that
protect your peace, yourprofits, and your people, head
on over tomillionollarbeautypro.com.

(20:57):
Again, that's million dollarbeautypro.com because we've seen
the score team based beauty prosearn millions more.