Salon Swagger

Brie (00:01.786)
Hey, hey, welcome to another episode of Salon Swagger. I'm Brie your host, and today on the podcast, I am thrilled to welcome a special guest, Miss Caroline. Six years ago, Caroline took a daring leap, hopping on a plane and heading across the country to chase her dreams, and she found them in the world of cosmetology. She fell hard for the beauty industry and embraced the whole look good, feel good vibe. Now, Caroline is absolutely killing it as a stylist at a fantastic salon.

grabbing every chance to level up her skills behind the chair. As her team's go -to product guru, I guess that's what we would call you, she's all about keeping her colleagues in the know with the latest and greatest. Plus, she is a total social media star, always staying connected and shining in her community. So in today's episode, we are going to dive into a hot topic that's really sparking a ton of debate in the beauty industry. Why working in a commission -based salon might

Caroline (00:36.685)
Thank

Brie (00:57.67)
be a smarter move than the trendy booth or suite rental option. A lot of people in our industry are drawn to the idea of renting a booth or suite, and I totally get it. The appeal of being your own boss, setting your own hours, and potentially earning more, it can be extremely tempting. But is it as glamorous as it really seems? The reality often includes longer hours, more stress, and not necessarily a bigger paycheck.

So today we are going to uncover the often overlooked perks of working in a commission based salon, from the support of a team, a structured growth plan, to the lack of that glass ceiling on your potential earnings. So let's break it down with our special guest, Caroline, a seasoned expert in the beauty industry. Hey, Caroline, how are you today?

Caroline (01:43.902)
Hi, I'm so bad, how are you?

Brie (01:46.47)
doing great. I am so, so excited to talk to you. And I just really want to thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to join me. I know you probably have a hectic day ahead, so we will just get started and get into it if you're ready.

Caroline (02:00.78)
Yeah, absolutely. I'm super excited to be here. So thanks for having me on.

Brie (02:05.176)
Absolutely. So I kind of want to kick things off by setting the record straight. Commission salons have often been misunderstood, thanks to some very outdated stereotypes, what I think in my opinion. While social media might glamorize the independence of Booth or Sweet Renting, there's really a whole side to commission salons that just doesn't get the spotlight that it deserves. We've all kind of heard it, right? Commission salons can be a nightmare. You're not going to make any money. But is that really true?

Well, Caroline and I are here to share why commission salons can be an incredible place to build your career, especially when they are managed well. So as a salon owner myself, Caroline, I hear these types of conversations all the time. And to be honest, it really makes my heart hurt. It really does, because I know for a fact that working in a salon can be an amazing experience. It's just that the studio has to be ran correctly.

So I would love to hear from you some of the common myths that you heard about working in a commission based salon or some of the nightmare stories as you were starting your career.

Caroline (03:10.705)
So when I was coming out of beauty school, there was a lot of talk, like obviously when you come out of like commission, rental, booth, what you're kind of looking for and what you're needing. And one of the myths I feel like was most popular is like you'll kind of lose control and flexibility. A lot of people go into this industry because it's not the nine to five. It's not the typical schedule. You're not necessarily like held to a certain standard. And they felt like maybe

going under somebody else's control might take that away from them and they might necessarily have the freedom they thought they were going to have entering the industry, which is not necessarily the case at all. But you would figure that out once you kind of got into the commission and so on. But it's just kind of in your head like, if I want to be in control of my career, how is putting it in someone else's hands necessarily doing that for me?

Brie (04:10.448)
Yeah, absolutely. I can see with the things that you heard why many people, why many technicians or people right out of cosmetology school kind of deter from working in a commission based salon or spa. It's so sad because there are so many people that are missing out on really, really good opportunities in my opinion. I want to talk about money for just a second because this is usually besides flexibility, money's the number one topic.

And one myth that I hear all the time is that, know, salon owners are the only ones making the money. They're making the big bucks while their employees struggle. Now, as an owner myself, I know that this is inaccurate. The reality is, is that commission -based stylists, they can earn great money, often with working way few hours and a ton of less stress. When technicians booth rent,

Caroline (04:45.018)
Mm

Brie (05:03.418)
Well, this was my case actually, when I was booth printing, right? I eventually hit that glass ceiling. There are only so many hours in a day. I could only see so many clients and I could only raise my prices so much. But in a commission salon, the sky is kind of the limit. You don't have the burden of the business expenses like marketing, inventory, taxes. You can really, as a commission stylist, focus on what you love, taking care of your clients and perfecting your craft. And that's one of the

Caroline (05:15.3)
Mm

Brie (05:32.282)
best things I think about the commission model. As a stylist and employee, how does the commission -based model provide financial flexibility or financial stability for stylists?

Caroline (05:45.34)
So I definitely feel the financial stability in that I'm not constantly reaching out for people to be on my books because we have a front desk that's bringing people in and we have promotions being put out and marketed for our chairs to be booked up, which is incredible. So like having that backing you continues to keep your chair full. And then just knowing that I don't have to work seven hours.

or not seven hours, 12 hours a day, seven hours a week, or seven days a week to be making all of the money that I could be making in my four days a week in my 10 to eight hour shifts depending on the day and then still seeing as many people as I want to see and delivering the incredible experience I want to deliver without the stress of like, I have to reinventory this color now that I've used all of it.

like focusing on like, booking, like thinking of the booking websites and how much those cost. Like none of that is in my brain, which is amazing. So like eliminating that and then like just focusing on the client, the service, and then getting them amazing retail because a lot of people kind of miss that factor. So like to make sure they're taking home the good stuff and that also reflects for us as well, which is amazing. So yeah.

Brie (06:52.421)
Yeah.

Brie (07:09.232)
Yeah, I mean, that makes sense because if you're an independent stylist, you can only carry so much inventory, right? You only have so much money backing you. And so you might not be able to carry every single product that you may need for each and every one of your clients. So that's actually a really, really good point. You also, as you're training, I would think that, well, I know how Shandra runs her salon, but you have that stability of being able to learn, being able to get educated, being able to get trained while having that

Caroline (07:20.189)
Mm

Brie (07:38.118)
of that hourly or commission pay, which has to feel really good, right?

Caroline (07:42.629)
absolutely, it's incredible especially during like the slow slow seasons like if I see only one person on my book and I feel like like maybe it's just a haircut or something like I know that I'm I'm backed with the hourly just in case which is awesome because I won't have to worry like I have nobody on my book I have no dollars coming in like because that's pretty much what it is.

Brie (08:05.082)
Yeah.

Definitely. So let's pretend for just a second that out of school you decided to be an independent stylist. What are the potential financial risks that you would be incurring as a booth renter that some people might not be aware of?

Caroline (08:10.685)
with.

Caroline (08:23.092)
So I came out of, like I only did one year of college before I went to cosmetology school, so I was only like 18 -19 at the time. So I would be coming out of cosmetology school with like debt from college or cosmetology school, like and then having to think about like rental, just like rent in general, then there's like electricity or water or whatever else isn't included, like if you need wi -fi because that's a big thing that people don't think about, not on

Like these are just basic things, not even color, products, foils, gloves, everything you don't think that you need to run a salon, but you do. Quality shampoo that would fit each and every guest, so you're not just using the same thing on every single person. I feel like it's much harder to create the experience that you want to create with such limit in your abilities at such a, like a young starting point. So.

even like just at any starting point it's hard to just kind of like jump in there and and like boom with an idea so i feel like coming into a salon that already has an idea and then blooming your own idea within that salon is just a much easier way of growing into the career so

Brie (09:39.93)
I love that. think you even thought of some points that I wasn't thinking of, you know what I mean? So I think that's pretty cool. So in today's social media age, I guess you could say, it's social media is really a must for everyone in the beauty industry. Whether you are showcasing your latest work, you're building your personal brand, you're building your brand within a salon, you're connecting with potential clients, a strong online presence is going to be crucial.

Caroline (09:44.499)
Mm -hmm.

Caroline (09:54.738)
Mm

Brie (10:06.904)
It's more than just pretty pictures. And a lot of people don't get that. Social media is a powerful, powerful tool for marketing, for networking, and for really establishing credibility in the beauty industry. I know that you are kind of a social media superstar. So how has social media played a role in building your career as a stylist at your salon?

Caroline (10:29.142)
So I do feel whenever I do have new clients coming in, a lot of them, I would say like almost 70 % of the clients have already gone on the website or clicked on the Instagram link and have looked through my Instagram page and they said they like my vibe, they like what I've done, and they just like seeing me in the salon doing what I enjoy to do. A lot of the videos I make are kind of just goofy little like, get ready with me, is there like here's some products that I really love.

Just because I love to show that off and like one of my passions like behind the chair is to educate my clients and the team. So to be able to educate like the community on social media can kind of like show them what I'm about and if it interests them then they're kind of drawn into my chair which is super exciting because it's always an amazing time. So I feel like a lot of people

Like when I'm looking for anything nowadays, like whether it's like nails, tattoos, like anything, like I'm going on Instagram. Like, and that's like my generation I feel like are going on Instagram and just seeing what's out there. Like whether it's like Arizona hairstylist, Arizona nails, or like just nails in general and seeing what's around me, like that's my go -to. So being there, like just being like in front of them all the time is just really helpful.

and I feel like putting and then also not like just kind of half doing it like if you're gonna do it like put in like make sure it's a good quality picture like make sure you're putting in the effort to like edit that video like pretty decently so you show that you care about your work because I feel like what you're putting out is also putting it like showing the amount of effort you're putting in do you know what I mean?

Brie (12:17.412)
Absolutely. I think that's amazing. I think something that people don't realize a lot of times, this is a little off topic, we, know, a lot of us, myself, Chandra, a lot of us Solana owners, we grew up in a different age. And so we rely on our team members. It's not just a boss -employee relationship. Like it is a, it's a real relationship to where we rely on you, you rely on us, and you guys teach us so much.

Caroline (12:31.286)
Mm

Caroline (12:41.782)
Mm

Brie (12:47.3)
when it comes to the social media aspect of things. And I think people don't see that often, right? They just see it as tyrannical or something like that. And it's definitely not that way at all. So kudos to you for helping your team and your owner and everything else and really educating your community. I think that's fantastic. Absolutely. So in my opinion, another great perk about commission salons is the support that you receive. This kind of segues into what we were talking about.

Caroline (13:02.262)
Mm

Caroline (13:06.912)
Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, I love it.

Caroline (13:17.494)
Mm

Brie (13:17.54)
You have mentors, you have coaches who inspire you. They hold you accountable. They push you to do your best and it can make a huge difference. This kind of environment, it not only fosters professional growth, but it also builds confidence and skills within a very supportive community. So what types of support and resources do commission salons typically provide that individual contractors might miss out on?

Caroline (13:44.952)
So, definitely having a protege program. Like I started in Chandra Salam as a protege. So, and at the time it was during the peak of, or the start of COVID, January 2020. So I've been working for her for four and a half years now. And I started like kind of like I was assisting everyone behind the chair and that was where I was at. And then I would assist like the front desk sometimes too. So I can kind of see what was going on at the time, but.

definitely getting behind the chair, observing the stylists, being able to ask questions, and then seeing... I never knew what a base bump was coming out of school. You don't know coming out of school a lot of these little niche things, like toning with different permanent colors, all these different things behind the chair that you wouldn't know because it's not by the book. You're not gonna get that experience just renting a room by yourself and then...

saying hey come see me because all you have is like either what you've like done your like own education like after school or like just school but like if you don't have that team to back you up like my team has been you know we have like girls who are younger than me and people who are older than me so to like have that variety of perspective like you were saying of like how things were done back then or how things are being done now and like

how to kind of combine it all into one is just so helpful. Like, different perspectives, like you never want to stop learning and I feel like you'd kind of hit a wall in your own room by yourself, you know?

Brie (15:25.232)
Yeah, definitely. And I feel like a lot of people nowadays, because social media is so popular, right? They think they can just watch a video and learn something, and it is totally not that way. I've heard horror stories from somebody going to see someone, right, that learned something off of TikTok or Instagram or whatever. So we were kind of just talking about this, team environment. And back in the day, that was one of the biggest draws to commission salons.

Caroline (15:38.139)
absolutely.

Caroline (15:43.17)
Mm

Caroline (15:53.805)
Mm

Brie (15:54.238)
I still think that it is a huge bonus in my opinion. From personal experience working alone in a suite, it can be extremely isolating. There's something really special about the energy, about the camaraderie of being in just that busy salon atmosphere surrounded by amazing people. It's really a dynamic setting that enhances both the work and the overall experience. So how does working

Caroline (15:57.077)
Absolutely.

Caroline (16:03.372)
Mm

Brie (16:21.786)
with a team contribute to your success and really to your job satisfaction? How does it make you happier?

Caroline (16:29.886)
I guess I just I get happier seeing my coworkers honestly like I love coming in and like every morning we all greet each other it's always a good morning a morning like and like we're always checking in with each other throughout the day just kind of like slay the day like little sayings to kind of boost each other up when we're walking past like checking into each other every once in a while just making sure everybody's good all the time like we really do have an amazing team camaraderie.

And like we always back each other up. There's always support if like we're running behind on time. It's like, I'll help you tow and I'll help you blow dry. Like everybody's always excited to help each other, which is incredible. And I don't feel like every team is like this. I think I am really lucky to have such a great team around me. But like I really just do love coming in and like seeing my friends. They're like, they're all my friends. So I get to come in and like see them all.

Like we just get to joke around and we're all so passionate about what we're doing. So it just makes a great environment. Like when we can all tell that we're all so passionate and excited to be there and love being around each other, it just makes it a great environment overall. And I feel like, like you said, it's hard to keep that going when you're just by yourself. And if you're just sitting there and you don't have a client and they're just like, inventory, woo. Like there's no excitement there. You know what I mean? You can't make it fun.

as much fun as like with a team. yeah.

Brie (17:58.864)
love that. And I think once again, you hit the nail on the head, it all comes down to ownership, and the way that the salon is managed, because there are a lot of teams out there that that have the drama, right? They have the stuff that that everybody wants to stay away from. But if a salon is owned and managed correctly, you are going to have a positive vibe and fun and learn from each other. And there's just nothing nothing like it.

Caroline (18:03.898)
Mm

Caroline (18:24.592)
Absolutely.

Brie (18:25.87)
So I want to talk about the big picture because I think this is really probably the most important thing because it plays into money, it plays into everything and that's career growth. When you work independently, you're not just limited by the number of hours in the day, like I said earlier, how much you can raise your prices. It goes way deeper than that. As a booth or suite renter, there's often no room for professional growth or career progression. You're essentially locked into being a hairstylist forever.

Caroline (18:34.564)
Mm -hmm. Yes.

Brie (18:55.79)
Now, for some, that might be enough, but for others, I mean, some people want more than that, right? The options can be very limited though, if you're a solo. Maybe you're someone who dreams of becoming a lead stylist or a manager or a salon coordinator or an educator who takes the stage at platform shows backed by a supportive salon. In a well -managed commission salon, those possibilities are within reach. I have them, Chandra has them, tons of salons have them.

Caroline (18:55.8)
Mm

Caroline (19:02.059)
Mm

Brie (19:25.37)
The financial potential is very unlimited, I feel like, in that commission setting, and the opportunities for advancement are far greater. The sky's really the limit. What specific growth opportunities are available in commission salons that might not be in a booth rental scenario? And what long -term career advantages does a commission -based model offer over booth renting?

Caroline (19:51.1)
So, definitely, like all of the opportunities, like you said, I feel like if I were to just start behind the chair in my own salon, I would just have to take client after client after client, and I wouldn't have time for the extra education that I want to be doing for myself, and I wouldn't have time to educate on the side when I want to be doing that, or doing the social media stuff that I want to be doing, because there wouldn't be the time for that.

So definitely, like when I first started, became the Aveda ambassador for the salon, which was super exciting. That was just an immediate opportunity for growth because then I had all this access to the Aveda network. And I know that they don't work necessarily with booth printers or it's harder to work with them if you just have your own suite. that's obviously just eliminated off the bat and that would be disappointing. I love Aveda.

sorry. then as I continued, like being able to grow into the product education, like, where I'm at for the product guru girl and to be able to like tell the team about all the products that are coming out and to educate myself on all of that in my free time that I wouldn't have if I was like doing my own stuff. And then also I feel like.

being able to work my prices up at a level that I'm comfortable at and like where I'm meeting goals, whereas like I'm like, I feel like if I was on my own, like I wouldn't know when would be okay to raise a price or when would be okay for me to do something because it's like, what numbers am I supposed to be basing this off of? If that makes sense, like having a scale to be like brought up on, is much easier to already have structured out for you than to have to come up with it yourself.

And then be like, do I deserve a promotion right now? Or do I need to save this for something later? You know what I mean? Because I don't have to think about any of that. can just think about like delivering an amazing service, getting those numbers to come in and come up and then progressing from there and just seeing the work show in the paycheck and just in the numbers themselves. And then that brings you up another level. And it's just a continuous growth cycle that.

Brie (21:50.277)
Yeah.

Caroline (22:12.782)
I feel like you wouldn't have access to if I was on my own. So and then being able to have opportunities to educate later on, like after I'm more stabilized and to be, I could go to any of the brands that we have. There's like Q .Noveada, Rosano Ferretti, they're all like available to educate for, which is incredible. And I feel like that's not something you can just like pick up like, I just want to go educate for this one little place over here. Now that I just came out of school, like it's

not realistic, know. So yeah, it's incredible.

Brie (22:45.082)
Yeah, I love that. think that's awesome. And you still have so much opportunity ahead of you. It's crazy. You've done so much, but yet there's so much to go. Something that I thought about when you were talking about that is like the price increase or the promotion for independence, right? A lot of times when you are independently, and I know this because I did it, when you're independently working with your own clients, you build relationships in a different way than you do in a commission salon. So

Caroline (22:49.046)
Mm -hmm.

Mm

Caroline (22:59.495)
Mm

Brie (23:12.87)
You feel guilty raising your prices. You feel guilty charging your worth. You you charge some people $40 and other people $80 and that can really cause a big issue if you're not careful for people in commission based salons, you're kind of like, Hey, my salon owner made this decision. So this is what we're going with. Right. So it takes that stress off of you once again, which is absolutely amazing.

Caroline (23:18.045)
Mm

Caroline (23:21.565)
Mm

Caroline (23:32.722)
Mm -hmm.

Mm

Yeah, and I feel like they get more excited too because you're like, I got promoted and they're like, yay, that's so exciting where it's like, I'm raising my prices and they're like, okay. You know, it's a very different reaction. So.

Brie (23:43.344)
Yep. Yep.

Brie (23:49.734)
Yeah. I love that. I think that's awesome. Well, I just really want to thank you for joining me today. It was an honor to hear your fantastic insights on working in a commission salon. But before we close out, do you have any advice that you'd like to leave our listeners with and how can they follow you on social media?

Caroline (24:13.646)
thank you. So my social medias are on Instagram and TikTok. They're Wicked Hair by Care. And I love posting. I'm mostly on Instagram, but I'll put it on TikTok every once in a while too. And I would say some advice is definitely find what you're passionate about and run with it. And that's what's going to make you feel the best. So don't ever like diminish that light. Like I'm so passionate about just like

making people feel so good. So to create that experience, to leave them feeling good, and then also to educate them. I didn't know much about hair at all before I started this journey, so I put myself in their shoes back in the day. So I'm like, you, if I didn't know anything, I'm treating you as if you don't know anything, and I give them all the tips and all the tricks and they always appreciate it. So just be mindful, like act like they don't know anything, even if they know everything. Just act like

you want to educate them on everything because they will love all of those personal touches and the fact that you show that you care. They'll just gain so much more trust in you. So just building that relationship and that trust is so important. yeah, that's what I would leave it with.

Brie (25:26.522)
And what would you say to those that are maybe in school getting ready to graduate cosmetology school or possibly who went straight into Booth rental who are just really struggling right now? What would you say to them?

Caroline (25:39.865)
So I would say commission salons are definitely an amazing opportunity. Like don't overlook them. They give you so much opportunity for growth. You have so much support with such an amazing team. So to be able to kind of take weight off of your shoulders and focus on what you're really there for. A lot of us are really there for that experience with the guest and to take away the business aspect to take away.

all of the clutter and the stress and just focus on what you're really there to do is just an amazing experience. So definitely don't overlook commissioned salons. They really are super awesome.

Brie (26:18.39)
That's great. I think at the end of the day, everyone's career journey is unique and it's really all about finding what truly lights you up, right? This is one of the most talked about topics in the beauty industry right now and has been for the last few years. So I felt like we had to bring it front and center. As a commission salon or spa owner, it's your responsibility. I want the owners out there to hear this loud and clear. It is your responsibility to run your business in a way

Caroline (26:23.028)
Mm

Caroline (26:27.936)
Mm

Brie (26:47.514)
that empowers your team and it helps them thrive. When you strike that perfect balance between being a dynamic leader and a savvy business owner, there are no limits to what you and your team can achieve. That's a wrap guys. Be sure to tune into our next episode. Don't forget to follow us on social media platforms. If you haven't already, make sure to visit our website at www .thebeautybusagency .com for some amazing free resources that will help you take your studio to the next level.

If you enjoyed today's episode, don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with other commission salon and spa owners. Thanks for joining us. Now go out there and make some boss moves. Until next time, keep slaying those business goals with a whole lot of swagger.