Why Your Team Stops Showing Up & How to Fix It

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Why do promising stylists sometimes lose their spark? It's not a mystery—it's entropy. The universal principle that everything naturally moves from order to disorder unless acted upon by an intelligent force applies directly to your salon team.

Through the contrasting stories of two stylists—one who disconnected from structure and saw her $132,000 annual income slip away despite her talents, and another who embraces every growth opportunity and thrives—we uncover the fundamental difference between force and power in salon leadership. Force exhausts you because you're pushing against resistance, constantly reminding team members to care about their own success. Power, however, attracts and multiplies by creating a magnetic environment where growth becomes inevitable.

The most transformative insight for salon owners? Stop operating in the "have-do-be" mindset that plagues our industry. Success doesn't come from having more clients first, then doing the work, and finally being successful. It works in reverse: you must first BE the successful person, which naturally leads you to DO the right actions consistently, which ultimately results in HAVING the outcomes you desire. This isn't motivational fluff—it's the operating system for every action your team takes.

We've moved beyond the old normal of salon leadership that resembled babysitting. Today's most effective salon owners stand firmly in their power, creating cultures so compelling that team members naturally rise to match their energy. When you shift your approach from forcing unwilling stylists up the mountain to embodying excellence yourself, your entire salon begins to self-organize toward higher standards.

Ready to stop forcing and start leading with power? Your team is waiting for someone to show them what's possible—and that someone is you. Share this episode with another salon owner who needs this message today.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Let me ask you a hard but necessary question.
Have you ever hired someonethat was full of potential only
to watch them slowly unravelright in front of you?
Or maybe you've been thatperson.
You started with drive, youstarted with vision and then

(00:24):
something shifted.
You didn't mean to slow down,but somehow things just got
messy.
Today we're talking about whythat happens and how you, as a
leader, can shift it beforeentropy takes over.
You know, a while ago I hadsomeone on my team let's call
her Sarah who was absolutely onfire.
I ran her numbers and she wason track to make $132,000 this

(00:48):
year working behind the chair.
That was her take-home incomeas a W-2 employee.
So that wasn't potential, thatwas real momentum.
But then I noticed, little bylittle it started to slip.
You know she missed a huddle,she skipped, you know, a, a big
salon celebration and you knowshe said she was tired.

(01:10):
And now I don't say this withjudgment, I say this with love
and honesty that was entropy,because here's what the law of
entropy says everything movesfrom order to disorder unless
acted upon by an intelligentforce.
That's good.

(01:32):
Let me say that againEverything moves from order to
disorder unless acted upon by anintelligent force, you guys.
That includes your house, thatincludes your business and that
absolutely includes the mindsetof a service provider.
So what happened to Sarah?

(01:53):
You know she stopped beingacted upon, she left the
structure, she left the coaching, she left our community, you
know, the whole salon.
And now, months later, she'searning less, she's doing less,
she's working a ton more andshe's probably feeling more
stuck than ever.
And listen, you know, she'sstill talented, she's still

(02:17):
capable, but the energy isleaking out.
You know, I think that if youcontrast that with somebody else
on my team let's just call herMia you know Mia shows up to
everything.
She's knocking on the door,asking what else can I learn,
what else can I do, how can Igrow to the next level of who
I'm becoming?
And the result she'sskyrocketing faster than I ever

(02:41):
expected, you know, becauseshe's not just avoiding entropy,
she's expanding.

Speaker 2 (02:50):
Such a a great story to share, Lindsay, because I bet
other salon owners listening tothis can relate.
Maybe they didn't have thewords to explain it, but they
see the Sarah's on their teamand they see the Maya's or Mia's
.
What did say Maya?
Maya's on their team, mia,mia's on their team and, you

(03:10):
know, gives you some assessmentof how to handle people and
understand who people are.
So you know, I love that yousaid that, because this has
helped me realize that the oldnormal in salons it was
babysitting, it was pushing, itwas forcing, like you had to
light the fire, hold their hand,remind them daily to want more.

(03:33):
I'll never forget a new leaderon my team One time said we were
in a leadership meeting.
She's like I feel like I'mbabysitting, like we actually
looked at the word babysitting.
I said if you feel like you'rebabysitting, like you're losing
respect as a leader, and so Ilove that, you know you have to
light the fire.
You know you have to hold theirhand, remind them daily to want

(03:55):
more.
Because here's the explosionmoment Force doesn't work.
That would be like babysittingForce doesn't work.
You will always feel exhaustedwhen you're forcing someone to
do something they don't want forthemselves.
We like to say this is a rightor downer.
This will give you so muchfreedom as a salon owner.
If you really take this toheart.

(04:16):
You will always be exhaustedwhen you're forcing someone to
do something they don't want forthemselves.
And why is that?
It's because force is powermade operative against
resistance.
But power, on the other hand,you know power is that ability
to hold your position.
You know it's the capacity toact with effectiveness.

(04:38):
You know power doesn't chase.
You know it attracts, itgrounds, it multiplies.
So I'm going to invite you tosee that the new normal I want
you to step in as a salon owneris letting go of force and
stepping into that power Because, as you stand as the one who
doesn't beg your team to rise,but one who builds a culture so

(05:02):
magnetic, so full of growth,that they can't help but expand
in your presence.

Speaker 1 (05:11):
That is incredible, jen, I love you know that you
talked about that differencebetween force and power.
Um, you know, I I think thatthere is so much freedom and
knowing the difference betweenforce and power, because if
you've ever said to yourself,gosh, I'm so exhausted, you know

(05:33):
, I would look at the definitionof both of those words and see
which one have you been spendinga majority of your time in.
You know, because, hey, I willbe the first one to admit I have
, you know, invested time inpeople before that weren't
interested in actually gettingthat investment of time.

(05:53):
Um, it wasn't they.
They had no desire for more,and you know so, when you do
something like that, you'reforcing it upon someone.
But power, when you build thatand you have that ability to
hold and maintain a position,because you know you're creating
something incredible, that'swhen things start to shift.
You know, because mindset.

(06:14):
Mindset isn't fluff, you guys,this isn't little pillows of
whites, fluffy cotton everywhere.
You know this is the operatingsystem for every action your
team takes, you guys, becausemost people live in a have do be

(06:35):
world, you know, and so theythink I need to have more
clients, then I'll do the workand finally I'll be successful,
but the truth is it's absolutelythe other way around.

(06:58):
You have to be successful, doand then have.
So you want to be the kind ofperson who takes full ownership.
Be the person that you want tobe, then do the work with
consistency and energy of thatperson that you want to be, and

(07:19):
then you'll have the successthat follows.
You know, and and what's socool about this is that every
part of this starts in the mind,and so when you work on your
beingness and and, as as a salonowner, and when you help
everyone around you work ontheir beingness as well, that's

(07:43):
when they can have everythingthat they want in this life,
because when you be that person,you naturally do the things
that that person would do, andthen, on the other side of that,
comes having everything thatthat person would have.

Speaker 2 (07:57):
So good.
I love that you said that it'sbecause you're you know, maybe
right now you're listening tothis and you're maybe asking
yourself you're like you know, Ifeel like I've been dragging my
team up the mountain, so you'vegot your hand out, you're
pulling them really hard.
It's like, oh my God, it's sodraining, right.
Or you're like I'm tired ofrepeating the same pep talk

(08:17):
every Monday.
I've been there.
I know I can't keep forcingthem to care more than they do.
If that's, you honestly take adeep breath, because you can
shift it and it starts with yourenergy.
You weren't meant to operate inforce.
You're meant to live in powerand, like Lindsay was saying,

(08:40):
power is the ability to hold andmaintain a position.
Power is the ability to holdand maintain a position Because
when you truly stand in yourpower, something really wild
happens, like your team startsto match you, science notice it
and your culture starts toself-organize towards excellence

(09:01):
, because entropy doesn't winexcellence, because entropy
doesn't win at the end of theday, like you truly do.

Speaker 1 (09:15):
I love that, jen.
You know I actually just hadthe opportunity to do a final
interview with a potentialservice provider yesterday and
she talked about you know.
She'd just graduated fromschool and she'd seen us come
into the school multiple timesand she said you know, one of
the first times you came in youdid a career challenge and I
realized you know she wastalking about.
You know, when we go in and dothe fun suite life or suite life

(09:40):
, you know, which is where youtalk about, hey, what does it
look like to be a suite ownerand what does it look like to
have a suite life at our salon?
You know, and just kind of whatthe difference?
So we hand out money and youknow they get to play this fun
game and then start to realize,hey, what's super cool about,

(10:03):
you know, working for a companythat's inside of salon business
school, you know all thecompanies that we work with is
that you know I can make themost amount of money per hour.
You know, and and it's so coolwhen you start to see, hey, I
would rather spend my free timeon a beach than I would doing X,

(10:24):
y, z, learning, uh, learningyou know how to market, how to,
you know, be a tax accountant,how to just be a bookkeeper, all
these just random differentthings.
You know, um, and what wetalked about was like, actually,
one of the most powerful thingsin that is to just work on your
own beingness so that you canreally, you know, contrasting to

(10:46):
the you know two types ofservice providers that we talked
about at the beginning of thecall so that you can be the
person who's okay with earning$132,000 a year as a service
provider, only working 28 hoursa week.
You know, because it all startswith us, Like we can't force
anybody on our team to doanything, but we can create that
space to allow people to be who, the who they want to be, and

(11:09):
we can let people flow in andout that are supposed to be the
right fit.
Because, you know, she was soexcited.
She was like I can't evenbelieve that this is an
opportunity.
Um, you know that I might havethe possibility to be a part of.
You know, it's just fun to eventhink about that and I think it
was just amazing.
Um, you know when, when we standin our power as salon owners

(11:31):
and we share what it is that weare put on this earth to do.
You know, and help peoplecreate amazing lives and livings
.
It all starts with ourbeingness resonated with you and

(11:52):
you're ready to stop forcingand start leading in power?
Join us inside of salonbusiness school, because we
don't just teach strategy, um,because strategy can get eaten
for lunch.
Every single day, we reallyfocus on your identity and
building leaders who know how tobe first, so that the rest can
take care of itself, becauseyour team is waiting for someone

(12:14):
to show them what's possible,and that someone it's you,
listening to this podcast rightnow.
So if this moved you in someway or you have another salon
owner friend that you thinkwould enjoy this episode, please
share it with them.
Another salon owner friend thatyou think would enjoy this
episode, please share it withthem.
We're super grateful to get theopportunity to work with all of

(12:36):
you listening and all of theincredible people inside of
Salon Business School.

Speaker 2 (12:39):
All right guys.
So just remember a garden turnsinto weeds if it's not
maintained.
So just a beautiful reminder togo out there today and do some
awesome things in our salonindustry.