Salon Swagger

Brie (00:01)
Hey there and welcome to Salon Swagger, make bank run the show, ditch the chair. The podcast where we dive into the real struggles of salon and spa owners and really give you the strategies to take control of your business and your life. Now, I want to ask all of you out there something really quick. Do you feel like you're working nonstop, but somehow nothing is getting done? Do you go home exhausted every single night, but when you look at your business, you're not seeing any growth, no more money or no more freedom when it comes to your personal life?

Do you feel like you're stuck behind the chair because the moment you try to step back, everything just falls apart. If you are nodding along right now, you're not alone. I've been there, Chandra's been there. There's many people out there that have been there. And this is the exact reason that we created the Salon Owner 60 Hard Challenge. Look, this challenge isn't about doing more. It's about doing things right consistently for 60 days straight so that you can finally get out of the cycle of burnout.

You can finally build real systems and you can step into your role as a salon CEO. I'm gonna be real with you guys. This isn't an easy challenge. It's not easy by any means. It is going to challenge you. It's going to force you to change old habits and it's going to push you to step up as a leader. But the reward, my gosh, more profit, more control, and finally having a salon that runs like a business, not some chaotic, all consuming job.

So if you are ready to stop making excuses and start making real progress, let's dive into the salon owner 60 hard challenge. With that being said, Chandra, I think we have to talk about the struggles that people have with productivity and growth. By the way, how are you?

Chandra (01:46)
I'm doing really good today. I know.

Brie (01:49)
I am on a mission today. It has been a busy day

and I'm just like boom, boom, boom. So I think we have to talk about the real issue here. The reason why so many salon owners feel like they are grinding day in and day out, yet their business never seems to move forward. It's a constant struggle that we hear from people that I've seen in my life. Have you seen it in yours?

Chandra (02:12)
absolutely, for sure.

Brie (02:15)
Yeah, you you wake up and you're already behind, right? There are text messages from clients asking if they can reschedule, a team member may be calling out, and a stack of unfinished tasks from yesterday that are just staring you down. Then you get to the salon, and before you can even take a breath, you're on autopilot. You're juggling clients, you're answering questions, you're putting out fires. All of these things are just piling up every single second. And by the time the day is over, you're drained, completely drained.

You barely ate, you barely had a moment to think, and yet somehow your to-do list is just as long as it was when you woke up that morning. I have been here a million times. Here's the reality. And I say this constantly, being busy is not the same as being effective. Salon owners get caught in this trap of feeling like if they're constantly moving, constantly working, that

That must mean that they're making progress in some way, or form. But when you step back and you actually look at the results, you realize all you did was survive the day. That's all you did. That's not leadership. That's not running a business. That is literally just keeping your head above water. Chandra, do you think salon owners mistake activity for productivity?

Chandra (03:37)
absolutely all the time. I've done that myself a million times too. I think you just feel like you did so much and you feel like you were so productive. But like you said, at the end of the day, didn't do anything you needed to.

Brie (03:51)
For sure. And why do you think we glorify? Because that's how I feel about it. We glorify being overworked.

Chandra (03:58)
I think we're used to it and I think that we feel like if we are doing so much all the time that we're like a superhero, like we're doing everything. So we want to keep that momentum going even though it might not be the right momentum to drive us towards what our goals are, what we want to do. But I think we glorify it just because we think that's the best thing to be doing and we think we're doing a great job.

Brie (04:20)
Yeah, I would agree with that 100%. I wore it like a badge of honor, right? Like, my gosh, I'm so overworked. I'm so burnt out, but this is just how it's supposed to be. And I'm not a salon owner if I'm not living this life. What do you feel the biggest wake up call salon owners have when they finally step back and evaluate how they're running their business?

Chandra (04:45)
I think the biggest wake up call would be just realizing the things that you actually should be doing, the things that you're supposed to be doing and that all the things you've been doing all the time are not actually working. They're not actually making what you wanna make. And I think for me, that was a big wake up call. Like I was like, whoa, wait, I should be doing these things and I'm not doing any of those things. And I think I'm doing such a good job.

Brie (05:09)
Definitely. And that's just the problem. And because we have had the privilege of working with so many salon and spa owners all across the nation, some even across the world, we've seen that it is just the consistent with almost every single one that we talk to yet alone ourselves. Right. So I think that's the problem. It's the main issue. And now that we know that we have to talk about a solution.

Because knowing that you are stuck in a cycle, that's not enough. You have to have a plan to get out of it. And I think that's the problem with a lot of people is there's never a plan to kind of get them out of that cycle. So they just keep going and going and going. But we have that answer for them today. We have that solution and it is the salon owner 60 hard challenge. It's exactly what it's going to give them a solution to get out of that cycle. So.

For the next 60 days, you are going to commit to five non-negotiable daily tasks. These are not random tasks. They are very, very important. They are the exact actions that are going to shift you from being overwhelmed and reactive to being in control and strategic. Now, if that doesn't excite people, I don't really know what will. And before all of you out there start thinking, this sounds like a lot, I want to remind you.

You're already working hard. You're already overworked. But are you working on the right things? And I think that's what we have to think about. Chandra, why do you think salon owners struggle to focus on the right business tasks?

Chandra (06:49)
think sometimes they don't know what to do. They don't know what they should be doing. They're used to their daily grind. They're used to working behind the chair. They're used to putting out those fires and they don't know what to do to get out of it. I really think that is one of the biggest issues.

Brie (07:05)
Yeah, I know I lived that life for many, many years. And I think we talked about it in a previous episode, right? That was just my norm. I made that my norm being in that high stress level area all the time. If I wasn't in there, I didn't feel like I was doing things at all. And so I think you're absolutely right. All right, listeners, grab a pen, grab a paper, because we are about to give you your challenge steps. These five tasks are the difference.

between staying stuck and actually scaling. So Chandra, let's walk through and break each and every one of them down. Step number one, CEO power hour. This is working on your business, not just in it. The first daily task is going to be the CEO power hour and it is so important. So every day for one solid hour, you are going to step out of that stylist mode and into business owner mode.

That means no clients. It means no team interruptions. It means no mindless scrolling on your phone, convincing yourself that you're working. This is focused high level strategy time for you to actually build the salon that you've been dreaming about. Now, what do you do during this hour? I think that's important. You focus on big picture moves, the ones that bring in more revenue, the ones that are going to streamline your operations.

the ones that are going to create long-term stability. Maybe you are analyzing your finances. Maybe you're identifying where money is leaking out of your business. Maybe you're mapping out a new marketing strategy that actually attracts your ideal client and ones that are going to be high paying. Maybe you are creating training systems so your team doesn't need to ask you a million questions every single day. This is the time where real business growth is going to happen.

And if you are thinking that you don't have an hour to spare, let us ask you this. How much time do you lose every day fixing mistakes, answering questions or dealing with last minute issues that could have been prevented if you had systems in place? It's important for you to understand this hour isn't a luxury. It is a necessity. And when you make it a habit, you are going to start seeing your salon shift from chaos to clarity.

Chandra, what's the most important thing salon owners should focus on during the CEO power hour?

Chandra (09:36)
I think really just kind of creating those systems. Like I think if you can create those systems to give you more time back, and I think it depends too, like on what your biggest issue is. Like is your salon running chaotic? Are you financially in trouble? Like what is the most important thing that is hurting you right now? And that should be like the biggest focus I think to start with. And it's amazing how much you can accomplish in only an hour when you are just solid.

focused on this one thing instead of jumping here to there to, you know, all over the place. And I think just you can accomplish a lot in and hour

Brie (10:15)
Definitely. So I would say maybe pick out your big three. I love big threes. I think they work really well. So if it's finances, if it's systems, if it's organization of some sort, pick those three out and knock them off one by one. Week one, I'm going to get this done every hour for five days. Week two, I'm going to get this done every hour for five days. And I think that when you start seeing that you are actually completing tasks, you are actually creating systems, you are actually

generating more revenue and seeing more profit, it's going to become addictive, honestly. That's usually what happens. Okay, number two, two revenue boosting actions per day. This is making money intentionally. A lot of salon owners think revenue is just about how many clients they see in a day, but the reality, there is money left on the table every single day and most of you guys

are not grabbing it. You're just not. So this task is going to force you to take two specific tasks daily that directly increase your revenue. Not eventually, not maybe, but immediately. What does this look like? It could be upselling or cross-selling services to increase your average ticket. It could be running a retail promotion that actually gets people buying products instead of just glancing at them. It could be training your front desk to convert

way more pre bookings. The key here is intentionality. You can't just hope clients are going to spend more. You have to guide them to it. And when you stack these revenue boosting moves every single day for 60 days, you are going to look back and realize you completely changed your income. Chandra, can you give me some examples of revenue boosting actions that actually make a difference?

Chandra (12:09)
think definitely working with your team on the upselling is a huge, huge one. I think they just don't know what to do. And so when you really take and focus on putting that together for that week or whatever, and really focusing on getting them doing that, you can double your revenue. Like you said, there's so much money that's left on the table. And then I think really just maximizing everything that you can from each day. how many clients do we have coming in this day? What does that look like?

you know, what are we a promotion on a service or like a retail promotion? Like, how can we offer that? Like really sitting down and coming up with those things. think that's one of the biggest ways you can boost your revenue without marketing, without doing anything extra.

Brie (12:54)
Definitely. And you know, it's, really funny because when you think of adding $5 per client, it doesn't sound like a lot, but when you add $5 per client per day per employee, that adds up really, really quick. The other thing that I want to touch on really, really quickly, and I just happened to see this not too long ago on social media and I am flabbergasted by it, but retail, retail is so important.

If you hear coaches out there telling you that retail should not be sold in your salon, let it go in one ear and out the other. Retail is important. It can be sold. My team went from about $3,000 a month in retail to over $55,000 a month in retail. It's all about the way you go about it. So if you aren't selling retail because somebody told you not to, you have to shift that mindset very, very quickly. All right. Number three,

delegation and decision layers. Stop doing it all yourself. This is going to sting just a little bit, but if your business cannot run without you handling every single thing, then you don't own a business. You literally just own a job. Salon owners love to tell themselves, no one else can do it the way that I do. It's just faster if I handle it myself. But the truth is,

You are the bottleneck in your own business. It's the reality. I was the bottleneck in mine. Chandra was the same way. Every single day, we need you to delegate at least two tasks. That's it. Just two. It could be having a lead stylist oversee inventory instead of doing it yourself. It could be assigning a team member to train a new hire so that you're not the only one teaching. It could be letting your front desk handle scheduling completely instead of checking behind them.

The goal here is to get you hands off the task that don't require your expertise. If you want freedom, if you want to build a business that doesn't fall apart when you take one day off, then delegation is not optional, it is required. Chandra, why do so many salon owners struggle with delegation? Is it fear, control, habit? What is it?

Chandra (15:14)
I mean, I think it's all of those things. I think they're afraid somebody else isn't gonna do it right. I think that they wanna be the ones in control of everything all the time because that's again, what we're used to. It's kinda like when we put it into hairstylist analogy, right? Like if you feel so great when your clients are telling you like, nobody else can do my hair like you and you're the only person that can do it like this. And you kinda like get used to that as your like way of.

And so you run your own business that way too. It's like, well, I'm the only one who does it right. everybody, the salon is so much better when I'm here, you know, or when you're in the building and everybody's always like, everything runs better. Like that's actually not a good thing. And so I think when you start to offload some of those tasks, it's hard, but you have to. Like the only way your business is going to run without you being there doing every single thing all the time.

You have to get rid of that fear, stop trying to be the control freak, and you just have to have to let them do it.

Brie (16:17)
Well, and that should be the goal for every single business owner out there. There is not a CEO in the world, aside from us salon owners that want their business to rely on them 100%. So it is so important that you shift that mindset to get out of that. Your business should not need you. They shouldn't even know that you exist. As long as they're getting paid, everything else should be just fine.

All right, number four, 10 minutes of business or leadership growth. You cannot run a business on the same level of thinking that got you to where you are right now. You're in chaos. You're in putting out fire mode all the time. It can't, it's not going to work if you keep doing what you're doing. So every single day you are going to spend just 10 minutes learning something that makes you a better leader, a better strategist or a better CEO.

That could be a chapter from a book like the 360 degree leader by John Maxwell. I love John Maxwell. It might be a training module that the beauty biz agency has that actually shows you exactly how to grow your team or price for profit. We do have free modules that you can watch. Use them. They are amazing. It might be a podcast episode from an industry leader breaking down a new marketing strategy, but here's what it's not going to be.

It's not going to be aimlessly scrolling Instagram, looking at what everyone else is doing. It won't be reading random business advice that doesn't apply to your salon or to business in general. This is intentional. It's focused growth because the stronger that you become as a leader, the stronger your business is going to become. Chandra, how do you recommend salon owners choose kind of what to study or what to learn each and every day?

Chandra (18:15)
I mean, I think there's a lot of books out there. Reading a book is great. I like to do a lot of audio books because it helps kind of multitask your time, right? Like you can listen to a book while you're in the car. think finding somebody like John Maxwell or just finding someone who you can connect to and who is maybe a similar leadership style to what you do would be a really good place to start. And there's tons of podcasts. There's tons of different books out there.

And I think that's really a good place to start is just kind of find mentors. Like as a business owner, I feel like we all kind of know sort of mentors, even if they're not in our industry. So just finding those ones that you gravitate towards and really can relate to to help you.

Brie (19:00)
Yeah, there is so much information out there. There should never be an excuse of I can't find something in my niche or something that I, you know, like to listen to or somebody that I look up to. There is so much information out there. It's insane. All right. Number five, your daily progress check-in. And this is just staying accountable. It, this piece of the challenge is probably the most powerful, that daily accountability.

because without it, nothing else really matters. Here's the truth. Most people don't fail because they don't know what to do. They fail because they don't hold themselves accountable to actually doing what they're setting out to do. This is why I think finding a business coach is so important and worth every penny in my opinion. But if you're not going to do that, at least hold yourself accountable. At the end of every day, you are going to take a few minutes

to check in with yourself. Ask yourself, what did I accomplish today? What worked well? Where did I struggle? What do I need to improve for tomorrow? This is the habit that really separates people who see real change from the ones who stay stuck in that endless cycle of chaos, that endless cycle of overwhelm, that endless cycle of exhaustion. If you've been running your salon on autopilot, and I mean autopilot in a way where

You are ignoring the things that matter and being busy, but not progressing, letting weeks and months slip by without really tracking your growth, then this is going to change everything. Because when you force yourself to reflect, you force yourself to get better. Chandra, how can salon owners stay consistent with this daily reflection and not let it slip? Because it is so, so important.

Chandra (20:54)
Yeah, I think you just have to set a time every day where you're like, you know what, at the end of my day before I go to bed or whatever it is that you're gonna do, and that time has to be scheduled for reflection. Like you have to take that time and do it because if you don't, it will just slip away from you. I know one thing that I like to do that helps keep me accountable in doing this exercise is I make my kids do it too. And so at the end of the day, they, I,

the same similar questions, they have to recap their day from school and one thing that was good and one thing that they wanna work on and doing all that stuff. And by making them do it, it helps me stay more accountable because then they'll even just tell me, we gotta do this now like they're used to it. And I think just trying to find little things you can do that will help you stay accountable and then scheduling that time has to be the same time every day for I think, or otherwise it it disappears too, just like everything else we're trying to do.

Brie (21:51)
Absolutely, absolutely. All right, guys, well, you heard it here. You've got your five steps. Here's the thing, though. This is a no excuses challenge. You have to do all of the five steps every single day. And if you miss any of those steps, you have to start all over. It's the only way to truly build those habits. So the next 60 days, they're going to pass no matter what. Right? Like they're going to pass.

You can either spend them doing the same things, getting the same results, feeling the same frustration, or you can spend them transforming your business, transforming your income and transforming your role as a salon owner. The choice is yours. And if you are thinking this sounds amazing, but I need something to keep me on track. I need to know how to do this. Don't worry. We've got you covered. We have an amazing resource that will actually be your blueprint throughout this challenge.

It's designed to keep you accountable, track your progress, and make sure that you actually complete the 60 days. So if you want it, visit our website, www.thebeautybizagency.com, or you can email us. Chandra, how do they do that?

Chandra (23:05)
Yep, you can email us at admin@beautybizagency.com or you could reach out to us on social media too and say that you let us know you want that free resource and that you're ready to take that challenge.

Brie (23:18)
Absolutely. Just let us know and we will send it your way. The only thing left to do is commit. So my question for you is, are you in? With that being said, Chandra, last pieces of advice you have for our listeners today.

Chandra (23:33)
Yeah, I think definitely take the challenge. It's hard to do this. It really is. I will just out myself really quick and say that at one point when I started doing this, I had a notebook where I wrote down all of my reflections for a day, my to-do list, all my things. And then I forgot about it. And about a year later, I opened it back up and my to-do list was the same. And so I think that you don't realize sometimes how much time goes by. 60 days is not really that long.

And so if you can knock this out and you can really, really commit to this, it's going to change your life. So take the challenge.

Brie (24:09)
Yeah, I remember being at a place in my life where I would have given anything to know that 60 days would change my life, my business, my income, everything, right? Like I would have just done anything. So that's a wrap guys. If this episode fired you up, share it with another salon owner who needs to hear it. Make sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode. And if you got value from today's conversation, we would love for you to leave us a review. It will help more salon owners like you find the show.

Make sure that you follow us on all social media platforms. Chandra, how do they do that?

Chandra (24:40)
Yep, on the Beauty Biz agency on Instagram and Facebook. And you can reach out to us at the Beauty Biz Mentors on TikTok.

Brie (24:48)
Awesome. Remember this, nothing changes if nothing changes. You can either keep running in circles, hoping for a different result, or you can commit to doing the work that will actually transform your business. The next 60 days are yours to take control, level up, and finally step into the role of a true salon CEO. The only thing standing between you and success is the decision to start. Now go out there, make bank, run the show, and ditch that chair.

Until next time, keep slaying those business goals with a whole lot of swagger.