July 30, 2025 • 21 mins
In Part 3 of her powerful Soul Talks interview, Mert McNaughton opens up about the deeper layers of her path to building one of the most inclusive and dynamic salons in Birmingham, Alabama. Host Theresa Bruno invites Mert to reflect on the challenges she’s faced behind the scenes: navigating her healing journey, the emotional and financial strain of owning a business through the COVID shutdown, and the quiet strength it takes to keep showing up. They talk about: How she built a business culture around compassion, hard work, and authenticity How she encourages her team to: "Secure the bag” What advice she would give a young woman with a big vision This episode is a story of transformation told with heart, and it’s a must-watch for anyone trying to lead with love while building something new. “You don’t know what you don’t know. But you keep showing up.” “Boundaries aren’t bad. They create kindness.” Take care and take hope.Connect with us: The Soul Talks website: https://www.soultalkswiththeresa.com/ Get your copy of "He's Not Coming Back": https://bit.ly/40qGX6YConnect with our guest: Follow Mert: @asmertshouldbe on Instagram & TikTok Forecast Salon: https://www.forecastsalon.com/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
I'm Teresa Bruno, host of the Soul Talks podcast, and
I'm back here today with my good friend Mark McNaughton,
and we're talking about leadership, entrepreneurship, how to shape a culture,
and how to shape a movement.
Speaker 3 (00:12):
So hang on, you're gonna want to hear this. Hi,
Hi again, I'm back.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
You know, we ended our last conversation and I kind
of walked away from it for a minute and thought, mmm,
I'm gonna challenge her on this.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
I'm ready.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
It's not a big hard challenge sort of.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
But you know when I said, Okay, be honest, what
makes it hard? Because you're presenting it as though you've
built this salon and you've gone through COVID and you
went from six people to twenty four to twenty eight people.
And it's like I said, I said, you present it's utopia.
(01:09):
And I said, what makes it hard? And you said
when people don't achieve their best, when you feel like
you are, you know, trying to guide them into your
in their greatness, That's what I say.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
In management, I'm like.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
I just love helping people find, you know, their best,
their greatness, And I know that, but because i've been
integral to your business. For the last three and a
half years, I've been on the side of the numbers.
I've been on the side of, oh my gosh, we
can't pay all the bills this month. I think I've
(01:41):
been in a coaching position with you for about three
and a half years. Is that right, Yes, because for
about a year coming out of COVID, I was surviving
James death and couldn't add two numbers together, basically. And
it's been a joy. It's been such a joy to
work with you and to coach with you. And you
know you are in a coaching scenario exactly like you
(02:05):
are in the way that you manage. I've thrown a
lot of hard things that you in the last three
and a half years.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
I've asked a lot of.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
You conceptually financially shifting a whole lot of things in
your business, and you've not one time said, I mean,
you sat back, you've been quiet, and then I'll get
a phone call or I'll get to text the next
day and you've gone home and you've dug around and
you've gone, Okay, I think I know what you're talking about.
If I move this expenditure over here and we stopped
(02:35):
buying this much product. We can really affect more money
for American Express bill. Right, We've gone through a lot.
But when I said what makes it hard? You came
out of COVID with a polo debt, a bigger salon,
having to rebuild. I remember when we were talking about, Okay,
(02:55):
we just need two more stylists who come in here
and they have a book, and you were like, there
aren't any I can't hire.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
Any seasoned, you know, stylist.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
I'm hiring young'in's and teaching them because that's all I
can get at the moment. And then you're settled with
debt you didn't understand was going to be long term
debt because of the way those loans were made during COVID.
So talk a little bit about you know, yeah, you're
building this beautiful emotional culture. You're behind the chair all
(03:24):
the time, you're emitting this great positive, you know flow
for everybody, and then you go in an office with
me and we're dealing with some really difficult spreadsheets. The
numbers are tough, but numbers tell the story.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
I know that's my mind. Numbers tell the story.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
But it wasn't a pretty story for a while it's
an amazing story. Right now you're on a trajectory of health,
growth and stability.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
But it took us two years.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
Yeah, well it was hard to find consistency in your
business when you didn't have consistent employees.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Yeah, and to figure out, you know, to make some sacrifices.
You and Mark have made some really big sacrifices. You
you know, you thought you were going to going to
go into the salon business and like triple your take
home from where you were, and you've had to make
some big sacrifices to pay off debt, to pay employees,
(04:20):
bigger commissions than almost anybody in town in the.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Business, the highest in the city.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
That's what I thought. But speak a little bit to
what because I've watched you struggle. I've watched you go
home at night and go.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
Oh, you know, this is so hard.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
This is such a burden to carry, you know, how
can I do it?
Speaker 3 (04:41):
Or can I do it? You know? Talk to me
about those places.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
Well, I think that there was this point where, in
the first couple of years of owning the salon, I
was doing everything, all feeling, you know, and you even
said yourself, it's amazing with no college education. How you
were able to get this far.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
I mean it's remarkable.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
You were like, I'm a thirty seven hundre square foot salon.
I've got you know, twenty chairs, and you know, nobody
to work for me, but you know you still aren't
coming out. Yeah, yeah, you know. But all I knew
was just to keep on showing up. And I think
that that's really why I was able to be so successful,
(05:31):
because I refused to not show up because if I
didn't show up, I would lose everything. So I am
very grateful to have a business partner where we've just
you know, busted our asses behind the chair and just
worked and worked and you know, trained and trained, and
you know again, people were coming and going and coming
(05:52):
and going, and there was no stability, and that was
very triggering for me, especially having a childhood with no stability.
So I think that there was definitely some like deep
rooted like childhood situation with me with that too, when
people would come and go and there was that you
know that like abandonment, And definitely I.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Gave my heart into you. I taught you everything I know,
leaving me.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
Exactly exactly I know, and you know that's the thing
it's not about thinking, oh, these people are supposed to
be with you forever. It's just about in the moment
when someone lives. It's just sad, you know, it's just sad.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
No, And I've never experienced the kind of turnover that
you have to experience.
Speaker 3 (06:33):
Yes, but I just didn't.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
Want to go back to those dark, hard nights. Yeah,
because I don't you know, you say it all with
a smile, And it hasn't all been like that.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
No, it hasn't.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
And keep in mind, you know, this whole time, I'm
long distance with my you know now husband, uh, trying
to you know, stabilize a relationship. So I was also
traveling and in and out of my business during all
this time, going across the world to go visit and
(07:06):
make this relationship work. I even was married for an
entire year before he could even come over here and move.
And then, you know, on the other hand, I have
this business and a lot of debt, and numbers are
looking a little scary, and that's where all of a
sudden feeling and doing the right thing wasn't working anymore.
(07:26):
I had to literally learn how to do spreadsheets and
numbers and get a hold of my business, and that's
where you came in. That's where you came in.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
It's been a lot of fun and it's been my honor.
Oh thank you, you've done it.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
You know.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
There hasn't been one thing I have said, Hey, you
need to page here, Oh we're spending too much on this,
or you got to cut this, or you got it,
or we've had some things where I'd go, oh my gosh,
you've got this person who's got more institutional knowledge in
your business than anybody else, but she's not making enough.
(08:00):
You don't have more money coming in, but you're gonna
lose her. Yeah, and you need her, so we're gonna
have to raise her a bunch of money yes, to
keep her. And you're like, okay, okay, that means I
have to do twelve more hours this week.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:14):
It was that hand in glove.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
I literally have built that business with my two hands.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
One of the things that I think it's so important
for young entrepreneurs to hear in this and it's not
just young entrepreneurs. What I often meet resistance And if
I'm coaching people, they hold their they holder spreadsheets tightly,
they hold their numbers tightly, and they don't you know,
they're so sure they're doing the right thing when I say, oh,
(08:43):
you know, your balance sheet is really you know, you know,
because people don't understand that the balance sheet is not
your P and L. And just because you're showing a
profit doesn't mean you're a profit of what business exactly.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
And that was a long.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
Journey, it was, it was, and when you begin to
really grasped that, what I'm trying to say is you
you were hungry for business knowledge. You were hungry to
understand really good basics of what runs a business, and
you were willing to take critiques, just.
Speaker 3 (09:15):
In the same way that I've watched you.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Be hungry on your spiritual path, because I've very loosely
been alongside you as that started and watched, you know,
I think I was. I hadn't lived here for a
couple of years and was only coming and going basically
to get my hair done by you, because I couldn't
find anybody I liked where I lived, and I'd come
in and I would just you know, I would think, hmm,
(09:36):
she's shifting, you know, I see, I say, the way
I see the way she's holding this relationship softer more positively,
or you know you you started figuring out ways to
move your own energy a little bit and not to
give it out to everyone. And also I think you
learned pretty quickly that you couldn't control what happened to you,
(10:00):
You just could control how you reacted to it. And
that was a pivotal shift in the way you ran
your partnership, in the way that you interfaced with employees
and drew boundaries. But it was just beautiful to come
back and see your spiritual growth. You were the same
way in business and being coached in business because you
I mean after COVID, that was a dark night of
(10:21):
the soul.
Speaker 3 (10:22):
Was this business gonna be able to continue?
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Was it gonna make were You're going to walk away
and have to be paying it off your whole life?
Speaker 1 (10:29):
Well, ultimately I would have me and my partner would
have lost everything. Yeah, everything that again we earned with
our own two hands behind a chair doing hair. Yeah,
you know, all day, full.
Speaker 3 (10:43):
Time, yeap. And that is not easy. It's a very
physical business.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
It is. It is. And you know the risk you
take to starting a business. You just don't know what
you don't know what you don't know And you know, again,
I'm positive and I'm going, and I'm going, but it's
still inside. I was struggling, you know, and like you said,
(11:08):
those dark nights, you know, it was hard because there
was nobody I could talk to about it. I mean,
obviously I had you, but like nobody could understand. And
I would I would try to like talk about it
with other people, but because you know, they didn't own
(11:28):
a business, like they didn't understand the struggle. They would
be like, oh, You're gonna be fine, and you'd be like, no,
like you don't understand, Like I'm running out of deficit
eighty six thousand dollars, you know, like I'm having to
make up and you know, during this thing that was
completely out of my control. And again during all that,
(11:48):
it's kicking up your childhood traumas and you're trying to
deal with that. But again going back around to me
finding that spirituality, that groundingness, that was what I think
was the moment that I felt that I was healing
for my traumas. And it's one thing to be aware,
(12:13):
it's a whole other ball game to be like healed.
And you know, again, like you were saying earlier, with me,
just having better boundaries and boundaries aren't bad. Boundaries create
you know, what did they say? A plafe a safe place?
And you know, good fences make good neighbors.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
Yes, you know. And and when you're able to have
you know, this clarity in a relationship between you and
your employee, you know, it really creates kindness, Yeah, creates kindness.
Speaker 3 (12:53):
Kindness just can really be a game changer.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
Yeah. And then I think that loops back around to
the safer space.
Speaker 3 (12:58):
It does.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
So if you were talking to a young woman of
twenty eight who had a big dream from your perspective now,
and she wanted to build a business, and she knew
next to nothing, just a big dream, and she knew
her craft, what would you tell her?
Speaker 1 (13:18):
I would tell her to get a good accountant and
a good lawyer.
Speaker 2 (13:22):
Yes, ma'am, that's road start.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
I get a good accountant and a good lawyer. And
you know, again full circle back to culture, like what
are you trying to represent within your business? You know?
And for us, I want my people to focus on themselves.
I want them to unite and come together because when
(13:48):
you create that energy and we all come together and
we're all there to create that energy, that's what's creating
this experience.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
So you try to unify every year with kind of
a sub brand within just within your folks. So tell
us about what your byline is for your sub brand
this year to unify, to.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
Unify, So our culture is to give a fuck, to
give a fuck, just show up and care, because if
you really want to build your business and you really
want to grow behind the chair, you have to fucking care.
Speaker 3 (14:28):
But you have a line you're using.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
I do like secure the bag, my secure the bag.
So you know, this year twenty twenty five, I don't
think we were all expecting the changes, but here we are,
and what have I learned? Not to react to it.
I can't control these things, so I'm gonna stop consuming
(14:53):
and I'm just gonna focus on myself. So again, like
going back to giving a fuck, we have folks, this unity,
community and knowledge, and when I'm talking to my staff,
you know about focusing on themselves and uniting as a
community and growing knowledge in your craft. That is how
(15:14):
I've taught them about this secure the Bag analogy. Yes,
like I'm like, it's more than just money bags, even
though we all want that. Because my entire staff when
I'm coaching them quarterly. They're all like, how can I
make more money? How can I grow my business? And
when I talk about securing the bag with the staff,
I'm like, it's more than just money. It's more about
(15:36):
like securing the things that matter to you right now,
because that's what matters. Don't consume and listen to all
of this chatter that's going on in the world, because
you can't control any of that. But what we can
do is secure what's going on instead of our building.
So bringing our staff together in to our culture and
(15:58):
you know, securing the bag. It's just a really good
tagline for all of my staff for us to just
kind of get laughing giddy about it, and you know,
and then again like uh, estyle will walk in and
be like, oh, I just locked down like a four
hour service and I charge this and I'm so proud
of myself. I charged my work and I'm like, secure
the bag. Yeah, secure the.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
Bag, you know, and I I and I just love
that you do. Try to create this this kind of
subculture every year that unifies.
Speaker 3 (16:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
So let's go back to that twenty eight year old
girl who's sitting in front of you, and she's full
of just all kinds of dreams and positivity. But you
look in her eyes and you know she's got some
deep wounds.
Speaker 3 (16:43):
Where would you tell her to go with that?
Speaker 1 (16:47):
Whenever? I, okay, I'm gonna try to. If I'm looking
at a twenty eight year old, then that I can tell,
I would probably ask, do you know who you are?
Because when you go into business, people are going to
challenge you and make you think they know who you are.
(17:10):
And so when you're going into that and you're managing
people and you're growing a business, I think that is
the biggest thing that kicks in as an entrepreneurs or
imposter syndrome where you just feel like you're not good enough.
So I would say the best advice I could give
a young girl that's wanting to start her own business
is really get grounded and figure out who you are
(17:34):
and don't ever let anybody change that because people will try,
especially being a female.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
Thank you so much for being with us. I've loved
this time with you, love listening to you. I'm just
so darned proud of you and what you're doing.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
What's next, Well, I am enjoying life with my husband
because he's here now. Next I am really wanting to
lean into coaching others. I have gotten some really good
insight for my staff. They've been scheduling one on ones
(18:15):
with me now and it's been really cool to kind
of get with them and just privacy and just manifesting
and being like, all right, let's dream big, like where
are we going? Where do you want to go? And
being able to sit back and watch my staff accomplish
and hit benchmark after benchmark after benchmark, and they show
(18:35):
up with a smile, and they know how important the experiences,
and they respect the culture and they don't like anybody
coming in messing with that culture. Girl. They are like,
protect the house, Protect the house. And I will say
that I am in a season right now with my
staff that I have never felt so much loyalty. I
(18:59):
love it from the people surrounded by me and how
supported they are and how they're all willing to step
up and do the work and show up for themselves
and couldn't be more proud. So I'm really looking forward
to a twenty twenty five that I don't think I've
quite experienced yet, and hopefully at the end of the
(19:22):
year we will be securing the bag.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
I love it, I have to say in closing, though,
I never know what you're gonna do next, I mean,
and I know it will be great, and so I
just have to say, like I said to you, what
was that twelve years ago, I don't know what I
don't know.
Speaker 3 (19:39):
When it's with you.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
I don't know what you're gonna do next, but I
know it's gonna be amazing.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
Well, I look forward to the growth because I just
never stopped growing and I never stopped challenging myself. And
I think that, you know, as a female, I think
that we have been in a world for too long
that puts parameters and limits up as to how far
we can go. And it's really time. I do feel
(20:04):
that it is the time of the female. We need
to be stepping up. We need to be representing what's
best for us and really coming together and get you know,
get almost like a I want to say community, but
more like connection. It's time for females to start connecting
(20:26):
and becoming a I want to say, higher power. Oh,
let's raise their vibration together and let's see what we
can create. Because I really think that women could rule
the world if I wanted to, just gonna throw that
out there in the universe.
Speaker 2 (20:46):
Okay, thank you for taking the time, thank you for
being so dear to me.
Speaker 3 (20:51):
Yeah, so so proud of you.
Speaker 1 (20:53):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (20:54):
Until next time, take care and take hope.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
Thank you.
Hi.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
I'm Teresa Bruno, host of the Soul Talks podcast, and
I'm back here today with my good friend Mark McNaughton,
and we're talking about leadership, entrepreneurship, how to shape a culture,
and how to shape a movement.
Speaker 3 (00:12):
So hang on, you're gonna want to hear this. Hi,
Hi again, I'm back.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
You know, we ended our last conversation and I kind
of walked away from it for a minute and thought, mmm,
I'm gonna challenge her on this.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
I'm ready.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
It's not a big hard challenge sort of.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
But you know when I said, Okay, be honest, what
makes it hard? Because you're presenting it as though you've
built this salon and you've gone through COVID and you
went from six people to twenty four to twenty eight people.
And it's like I said, I said, you present it's utopia.
(01:09):
And I said, what makes it hard? And you said
when people don't achieve their best, when you feel like
you are, you know, trying to guide them into your
in their greatness, That's what I say.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
In management, I'm like.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
I just love helping people find, you know, their best,
their greatness, And I know that, but because i've been
integral to your business. For the last three and a
half years, I've been on the side of the numbers.
I've been on the side of, oh my gosh, we
can't pay all the bills this month. I think I've
(01:41):
been in a coaching position with you for about three
and a half years. Is that right, Yes, because for
about a year coming out of COVID, I was surviving
James death and couldn't add two numbers together, basically. And
it's been a joy. It's been such a joy to
work with you and to coach with you. And you
know you are in a coaching scenario exactly like you
(02:05):
are in the way that you manage. I've thrown a
lot of hard things that you in the last three
and a half years.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
I've asked a lot of.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
You conceptually financially shifting a whole lot of things in
your business, and you've not one time said, I mean,
you sat back, you've been quiet, and then I'll get
a phone call or I'll get to text the next
day and you've gone home and you've dug around and
you've gone, Okay, I think I know what you're talking about.
If I move this expenditure over here and we stopped
(02:35):
buying this much product. We can really affect more money
for American Express bill. Right, We've gone through a lot.
But when I said what makes it hard? You came
out of COVID with a polo debt, a bigger salon,
having to rebuild. I remember when we were talking about, Okay,
(02:55):
we just need two more stylists who come in here
and they have a book, and you were like, there
aren't any I can't hire.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
Any seasoned, you know, stylist.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
I'm hiring young'in's and teaching them because that's all I
can get at the moment. And then you're settled with
debt you didn't understand was going to be long term
debt because of the way those loans were made during COVID.
So talk a little bit about you know, yeah, you're
building this beautiful emotional culture. You're behind the chair all
(03:24):
the time, you're emitting this great positive, you know flow
for everybody, and then you go in an office with
me and we're dealing with some really difficult spreadsheets. The
numbers are tough, but numbers tell the story.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
I know that's my mind. Numbers tell the story.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
But it wasn't a pretty story for a while it's
an amazing story. Right now you're on a trajectory of health,
growth and stability.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
But it took us two years.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
Yeah, well it was hard to find consistency in your
business when you didn't have consistent employees.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Yeah, and to figure out, you know, to make some sacrifices.
You and Mark have made some really big sacrifices. You
you know, you thought you were going to going to
go into the salon business and like triple your take
home from where you were, and you've had to make
some big sacrifices to pay off debt, to pay employees,
(04:20):
bigger commissions than almost anybody in town in the.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Business, the highest in the city.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
That's what I thought. But speak a little bit to
what because I've watched you struggle. I've watched you go
home at night and go.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
Oh, you know, this is so hard.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
This is such a burden to carry, you know, how
can I do it?
Speaker 3 (04:41):
Or can I do it? You know? Talk to me
about those places.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
Well, I think that there was this point where, in
the first couple of years of owning the salon, I
was doing everything, all feeling, you know, and you even
said yourself, it's amazing with no college education. How you
were able to get this far.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
I mean it's remarkable.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
You were like, I'm a thirty seven hundre square foot salon.
I've got you know, twenty chairs, and you know, nobody
to work for me, but you know you still aren't
coming out. Yeah, yeah, you know. But all I knew
was just to keep on showing up. And I think
that that's really why I was able to be so successful,
(05:31):
because I refused to not show up because if I
didn't show up, I would lose everything. So I am
very grateful to have a business partner where we've just
you know, busted our asses behind the chair and just
worked and worked and you know, trained and trained, and
you know again, people were coming and going and coming
(05:52):
and going, and there was no stability, and that was
very triggering for me, especially having a childhood with no stability.
So I think that there was definitely some like deep
rooted like childhood situation with me with that too, when
people would come and go and there was that you
know that like abandonment, And definitely I.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Gave my heart into you. I taught you everything I know,
leaving me.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
Exactly exactly I know, and you know that's the thing
it's not about thinking, oh, these people are supposed to
be with you forever. It's just about in the moment
when someone lives. It's just sad, you know, it's just sad.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
No, And I've never experienced the kind of turnover that
you have to experience.
Speaker 3 (06:33):
Yes, but I just didn't.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
Want to go back to those dark, hard nights. Yeah,
because I don't you know, you say it all with
a smile, And it hasn't all been like that.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
No, it hasn't.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
And keep in mind, you know, this whole time, I'm
long distance with my you know now husband, uh, trying
to you know, stabilize a relationship. So I was also
traveling and in and out of my business during all
this time, going across the world to go visit and
(07:06):
make this relationship work. I even was married for an
entire year before he could even come over here and move.
And then, you know, on the other hand, I have
this business and a lot of debt, and numbers are
looking a little scary, and that's where all of a
sudden feeling and doing the right thing wasn't working anymore.
(07:26):
I had to literally learn how to do spreadsheets and
numbers and get a hold of my business, and that's
where you came in. That's where you came in.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
It's been a lot of fun and it's been my honor.
Oh thank you, you've done it.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
You know.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
There hasn't been one thing I have said, Hey, you
need to page here, Oh we're spending too much on this,
or you got to cut this, or you got it,
or we've had some things where I'd go, oh my gosh,
you've got this person who's got more institutional knowledge in
your business than anybody else, but she's not making enough.
(08:00):
You don't have more money coming in, but you're gonna
lose her. Yeah, and you need her, so we're gonna
have to raise her a bunch of money yes, to
keep her. And you're like, okay, okay, that means I
have to do twelve more hours this week.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:14):
It was that hand in glove.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
I literally have built that business with my two hands.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
One of the things that I think it's so important
for young entrepreneurs to hear in this and it's not
just young entrepreneurs. What I often meet resistance And if
I'm coaching people, they hold their they holder spreadsheets tightly,
they hold their numbers tightly, and they don't you know,
they're so sure they're doing the right thing when I say, oh,
(08:43):
you know, your balance sheet is really you know, you know,
because people don't understand that the balance sheet is not
your P and L. And just because you're showing a
profit doesn't mean you're a profit of what business exactly.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
And that was a long.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
Journey, it was, it was, and when you begin to
really grasped that, what I'm trying to say is you
you were hungry for business knowledge. You were hungry to
understand really good basics of what runs a business, and
you were willing to take critiques, just.
Speaker 3 (09:15):
In the same way that I've watched you.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Be hungry on your spiritual path, because I've very loosely
been alongside you as that started and watched, you know,
I think I was. I hadn't lived here for a
couple of years and was only coming and going basically
to get my hair done by you, because I couldn't
find anybody I liked where I lived, and I'd come
in and I would just you know, I would think, hmm,
(09:36):
she's shifting, you know, I see, I say, the way
I see the way she's holding this relationship softer more positively,
or you know you you started figuring out ways to
move your own energy a little bit and not to
give it out to everyone. And also I think you
learned pretty quickly that you couldn't control what happened to you,
(10:00):
You just could control how you reacted to it. And
that was a pivotal shift in the way you ran
your partnership, in the way that you interfaced with employees
and drew boundaries. But it was just beautiful to come
back and see your spiritual growth. You were the same
way in business and being coached in business because you
I mean after COVID, that was a dark night of
(10:21):
the soul.
Speaker 3 (10:22):
Was this business gonna be able to continue?
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Was it gonna make were You're going to walk away
and have to be paying it off your whole life?
Speaker 1 (10:29):
Well, ultimately I would have me and my partner would
have lost everything. Yeah, everything that again we earned with
our own two hands behind a chair doing hair. Yeah,
you know, all day, full.
Speaker 3 (10:43):
Time, yeap. And that is not easy. It's a very
physical business.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
It is. It is. And you know the risk you
take to starting a business. You just don't know what
you don't know what you don't know And you know, again,
I'm positive and I'm going, and I'm going, but it's
still inside. I was struggling, you know, and like you said,
(11:08):
those dark nights, you know, it was hard because there
was nobody I could talk to about it. I mean,
obviously I had you, but like nobody could understand. And
I would I would try to like talk about it
with other people, but because you know, they didn't own
(11:28):
a business, like they didn't understand the struggle. They would
be like, oh, You're gonna be fine, and you'd be like, no,
like you don't understand, Like I'm running out of deficit
eighty six thousand dollars, you know, like I'm having to
make up and you know, during this thing that was
completely out of my control. And again during all that,
(11:48):
it's kicking up your childhood traumas and you're trying to
deal with that. But again going back around to me
finding that spirituality, that groundingness, that was what I think
was the moment that I felt that I was healing
for my traumas. And it's one thing to be aware,
(12:13):
it's a whole other ball game to be like healed.
And you know, again, like you were saying earlier, with me,
just having better boundaries and boundaries aren't bad. Boundaries create
you know, what did they say? A plafe a safe place?
And you know, good fences make good neighbors.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
Yes, you know. And and when you're able to have
you know, this clarity in a relationship between you and
your employee, you know, it really creates kindness, Yeah, creates kindness.
Speaker 3 (12:53):
Kindness just can really be a game changer.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
Yeah. And then I think that loops back around to
the safer space.
Speaker 3 (12:58):
It does.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
So if you were talking to a young woman of
twenty eight who had a big dream from your perspective now,
and she wanted to build a business, and she knew
next to nothing, just a big dream, and she knew
her craft, what would you tell her?
Speaker 1 (13:18):
I would tell her to get a good accountant and
a good lawyer.
Speaker 2 (13:22):
Yes, ma'am, that's road start.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
I get a good accountant and a good lawyer. And
you know, again full circle back to culture, like what
are you trying to represent within your business? You know?
And for us, I want my people to focus on themselves.
I want them to unite and come together because when
(13:48):
you create that energy and we all come together and
we're all there to create that energy, that's what's creating
this experience.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
So you try to unify every year with kind of
a sub brand within just within your folks. So tell
us about what your byline is for your sub brand
this year to unify, to.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
Unify, So our culture is to give a fuck, to
give a fuck, just show up and care, because if
you really want to build your business and you really
want to grow behind the chair, you have to fucking care.
Speaker 3 (14:28):
But you have a line you're using.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
I do like secure the bag, my secure the bag.
So you know, this year twenty twenty five, I don't
think we were all expecting the changes, but here we are,
and what have I learned? Not to react to it.
I can't control these things, so I'm gonna stop consuming
(14:53):
and I'm just gonna focus on myself. So again, like
going back to giving a fuck, we have folks, this unity,
community and knowledge, and when I'm talking to my staff,
you know about focusing on themselves and uniting as a
community and growing knowledge in your craft. That is how
(15:14):
I've taught them about this secure the Bag analogy. Yes,
like I'm like, it's more than just money bags, even
though we all want that. Because my entire staff when
I'm coaching them quarterly. They're all like, how can I
make more money? How can I grow my business? And
when I talk about securing the bag with the staff,
I'm like, it's more than just money. It's more about
(15:36):
like securing the things that matter to you right now,
because that's what matters. Don't consume and listen to all
of this chatter that's going on in the world, because
you can't control any of that. But what we can
do is secure what's going on instead of our building.
So bringing our staff together in to our culture and
(15:58):
you know, securing the bag. It's just a really good
tagline for all of my staff for us to just
kind of get laughing giddy about it, and you know,
and then again like uh, estyle will walk in and
be like, oh, I just locked down like a four
hour service and I charge this and I'm so proud
of myself. I charged my work and I'm like, secure
the bag. Yeah, secure the.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
Bag, you know, and I I and I just love
that you do. Try to create this this kind of
subculture every year that unifies.
Speaker 3 (16:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
So let's go back to that twenty eight year old
girl who's sitting in front of you, and she's full
of just all kinds of dreams and positivity. But you
look in her eyes and you know she's got some
deep wounds.
Speaker 3 (16:43):
Where would you tell her to go with that?
Speaker 1 (16:47):
Whenever? I, okay, I'm gonna try to. If I'm looking
at a twenty eight year old, then that I can tell,
I would probably ask, do you know who you are?
Because when you go into business, people are going to
challenge you and make you think they know who you are.
(17:10):
And so when you're going into that and you're managing
people and you're growing a business, I think that is
the biggest thing that kicks in as an entrepreneurs or
imposter syndrome where you just feel like you're not good enough.
So I would say the best advice I could give
a young girl that's wanting to start her own business
is really get grounded and figure out who you are
(17:34):
and don't ever let anybody change that because people will try,
especially being a female.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
Thank you so much for being with us. I've loved
this time with you, love listening to you. I'm just
so darned proud of you and what you're doing.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
What's next, Well, I am enjoying life with my husband
because he's here now. Next I am really wanting to
lean into coaching others. I have gotten some really good
insight for my staff. They've been scheduling one on ones
(18:15):
with me now and it's been really cool to kind
of get with them and just privacy and just manifesting
and being like, all right, let's dream big, like where
are we going? Where do you want to go? And
being able to sit back and watch my staff accomplish
and hit benchmark after benchmark after benchmark, and they show
(18:35):
up with a smile, and they know how important the experiences,
and they respect the culture and they don't like anybody
coming in messing with that culture. Girl. They are like,
protect the house, Protect the house. And I will say
that I am in a season right now with my
staff that I have never felt so much loyalty. I
(18:59):
love it from the people surrounded by me and how
supported they are and how they're all willing to step
up and do the work and show up for themselves
and couldn't be more proud. So I'm really looking forward
to a twenty twenty five that I don't think I've
quite experienced yet, and hopefully at the end of the
(19:22):
year we will be securing the bag.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
I love it, I have to say in closing, though,
I never know what you're gonna do next, I mean,
and I know it will be great, and so I
just have to say, like I said to you, what
was that twelve years ago, I don't know what I
don't know.
Speaker 3 (19:39):
When it's with you.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
I don't know what you're gonna do next, but I
know it's gonna be amazing.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
Well, I look forward to the growth because I just
never stopped growing and I never stopped challenging myself. And
I think that, you know, as a female, I think
that we have been in a world for too long
that puts parameters and limits up as to how far
we can go. And it's really time. I do feel
(20:04):
that it is the time of the female. We need
to be stepping up. We need to be representing what's
best for us and really coming together and get you know,
get almost like a I want to say community, but
more like connection. It's time for females to start connecting
(20:26):
and becoming a I want to say, higher power. Oh,
let's raise their vibration together and let's see what we
can create. Because I really think that women could rule
the world if I wanted to, just gonna throw that
out there in the universe.
Speaker 2 (20:46):
Okay, thank you for taking the time, thank you for
being so dear to me.
Speaker 3 (20:51):
Yeah, so so proud of you.
Speaker 1 (20:53):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (20:54):
Until next time, take care and take hope.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
Thank you.
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