Salon Swagger

Brie (00:01)
Hey there, Salon and Spa superstars. Welcome to Salon Swagger, your go-to podcast for all things commission-based salon and spa ownership. I'm Bri and I'm going to be your host for this episode and I am joined by a very special guest, Ms. Sammi Sammi has been doing hair for about six years now. Hey, Sammi. So I hear that you've always loved doing hair and makeup and that you knew that you were going to be a stylist from a very, very young age. Tell me a little bit about that.

Sami Freund (00:17)
Hehehe

Yes, so it's actually I got like swayed when I was younger to not be in the beauty industry or to go straight to college. And so that was kind of hard because I knew that beauty was always in like side my heart and everything like that. And so being told that no, you need to go to a four year university to be successful really like

did this mix up of emotions, like what am I supposed to do? And then finally I was working my first job, which was a clothing store. And people kept coming in to buy clothes for cosmetology school. And one said the Aveda Institute that she was going to, and I was like, stop. So I, because I grew up with Aveda, my aunt owns an Aveda salon in Wisconsin.

So I was just like, I need to do this. And then once I did, there was no looking back. I took my tour. I was like, this is where I'm supposed to be. So, and then now it's flourished into so many amazing things from there.

Brie (01:35)
I love that. That's awesome. I kind of was in the same boat. I come from a lineage of business gurus and they were like, don't do it. You're never going to make money. You're never going to succeed. It's going to be the worst thing you ever did. And so I think that kind of pushed me even more to prove them wrong in everything that I did. So I feel like a lot of us have been through that.

Sami Freund (01:54)
Yeah.

Brie (01:58)
Chandra was telling me that you have really excelled in your career, like quickly moving to master stylist level and recently becoming an educator at Ohana Salon in Scottsdale. So tell me a little bit about that.

Sami Freund (02:12)
So I started here right, I think the beginning of 2019. And I started as a assistant. I worked, I like was everyone's like right-hand person. I loved it. I was, I loved helping everyone. I loved when it was super busy. A lot of the times I was the only assistant. So it was just like super like go, go.

I wouldn't be leaving the shampoo bowls for a while. And then, so I had that full year of assisting slash, I think I had like one day on the floor towards the end of the year. And then when COVID happened, so that would have been like three months into me being on the floor, I think I had already had two days on the floor. And since I was busy enough, like I was bringing in people that I went to.

high school with, people that I was friends with since I was young, like as many people as I could bring in. And then when COVID happened, we were gonna have to like split our days. So we all had to work three days, but they were longer shifts. And I was like, after everything's normal again, like do I need to work more than that? Or like what's that looking like? Cause some people had to come back and do more than three.

And she's like, no, you've grown enough that you can do that. And I was like, oh my gosh, like that changed my perspective for a lot of things just because I wasn't even full two years into being on the floor. And I had this whole like business built basically.

Brie (03:37)
Mm-hmm.

Thank you.

Sami Freund (03:59)
and it felt really inspiring and I don't know, it was just all positive. I also never saw myself as someone who would only be working like three or four days a week. I was like, who does that? And now that I have it, I love it. But yeah, I would say that was awesome for that. And then my levels.

Brie (04:15)
Right?

Sami Freund (04:24)
went super quickly. It was almost as if every time we had the career path meetings, I had a new promotion. So I like I would tell my friends and they're like, what do you mean you just got a promotion? Didn't you? And I'm like, I know, like, so exciting. So that was always positive too.

Brie (04:44)
That's really cool. That's really cool. It sounds like you're a go-getter, which is amazing because we need more of those in this world for sure. So that's really, really neat. Well, I think today in this episode, we're really going to just kind of tackle a topic that's hotly, hotly debated among stylist and salon professionals. And that's going to be why working in a commission based salon might just be the better choice over the popular booth or suite rental.

Sami Freund (04:51)
Yeah. Yes.

Brie (05:11)
It's funny because many people in our industry, they're so drawn to the idea of renting that booth or that suite, right? The allure of being your own boss, setting your own rules and the promise of higher earnings, it can all be really tempting. However, that narrative, it doesn't always hold up under scrutiny. Despite the perceived independence, the reality, it can be a lot more hours worked with not necessarily more pay.

and a host of other unexpected challenges. So I think we'll just kind of explore the often overlooked benefits of working within a commission-based salon environment, from the support of a team to structured growth plans like you had, to the absence of that glass ceiling on earning potentials, because that is something that independents face all the time. There's really a lot to be said for the collaborative and supportive atmosphere.

that commission-based salon models offer, in my opinion. So with that being said, yeah, right? Like people just overlook it all the time. They just overlook it. So let's unravel some of the myths and look at what truly works best in our industry. I think we need to start by kind of clearing up that common misconception, the idea that commission salons are a freaking nightmare because they don't have to be. It's easy to get swept up in the...

Sami Freund (06:09)
Yeah, I agree.

Brie (06:35)
glamorization, I guess you could say, of social media, right? You see all of these independents that are doing this, that, and the other, but we have to set the record straight. That's not their life every single day. And I know many independents that work 24-7. Like really, they do. And so I think that's very important for people to see and understand. So

In your opinion, what are some common myths about working in a commission based salon that you could combat very, very easily?

Sami Freund (07:09)
right away would say making more money. I think that while that could be very true for some independent stylist, I do think that there's a lot of things that aren't able to happen if you are in that position. So like, for example, let's just say they don't have an assistant and they only have the two clients that day, one of them cancels, which.

the dreaded cancel I deal with so many cancellations. I'm not saying that they don't happen to me. But if you were only gonna have to that day, and you weren't gonna have help, you know, that already takes even if that client was gonna pay a ton or the second client is gonna pay a ton. You know, yeah, you get to keep all the money. But then there's the whole you have to pay your taxes, you have to pay the rent, you have to pay like

It's so calming to me knowing that my biggest stress is if my clients gonna show or not. I mean, really, that's the I mean, and if they're gonna like their hair, but that's pretty much but like, I don't have to worry about paying for the lights to be on. I don't have to worry about product usage. Like that is so much stress that's gone. And

Brie (08:19)
Right.

Sami Freund (08:35)
It does seem nice, obviously, to create your own exact schedule, but Chandra luckily, is so flexible. She works with me on that. I pretty much can be here when I need to be here and not be here when I don't need to be here. You know what I mean? So I'm trying to think of other myths. I've just always been commissioned. So...

Brie (08:56)
Yeah, for sure.

Sami Freund (09:04)
But there have been so many people, when are you gonna be in your own little? And I'm like, I don't wanna be in my own little anything. You know what I mean? I don't wanna be in four small walls by myself. I am so talkative. I need people around me all the time. The teamwork thing. Even just bouncing a question I know the answer to off of someone next to me. I'd rather have that all day than be by myself.

Brie (09:12)
Right.

Absolutely.

Yeah, yeah, that camaraderie, there's something to be said about that. Like there is something to be said about that. So I know we were talking about financials just a little bit. So there's definitely that myth that commission salon or spa owners just rake in all the cash while their stylists miss out on making good money. And this just absolutely isn't true. In reality, when independent stylists accurately report their taxes or their earnings or whatever, the financial outcomes

Sami Freund (09:42)
Mm-hmm.

Brie (10:02)
are most likely very comparable to what you guys make in a commission salon. But one of the major perks of being an employee in a commission base is not having to worry about any of the business side of things, right? You don't have to worry about marketing. You don't have to worry about taxes, managing inventory, education. I can think of a million other things. With that being said, how does the commission-based model provide financial stability for stylists in the industry?

Sami Freund (10:15)
Yeah.

say it provides stability just knowing that well obviously if I'm not working on a client I'm not getting paid right so that's obviously the hardest part about commission but knowing that once you meet a certain amount like service wise at least here you can make you're like set to make a certain percentage so that's always

awesome because you know that okay if my mindset is here and this is how much I'm going to like get to I know that my paycheck is at least going to be xyz so being able to map that out obviously it gets a little tricky with the cancellations and things like that and that's where like yes we have marketing but like I still market myself like this morning I was posting up a bunch of

Brie (11:22)
for sure.

Sami Freund (11:30)
different extension things because I want more extension clients. So obviously you still have to market yourself, but it's nice to have that backup of someone being there and hey, Sammi is available, you know, like I don't have to do it all. So and then another thing, sorry, I keep like going on. I love that.

Brie (11:34)
Yeah.

Yeah!

No, you're great. This is what this is about. I love this.

Sami Freund (11:58)
if for some reason I can't make it in or I have a planned vacation months ahead, I'm not the one figuring out where my clients are going. I like for the most part there's like some people I'm like I know that they need this like I'll talk to them but I don't have to worry about where they're gonna end up on the books like that is handled completely by front desk and I appreciate that too like that is a whole other thing that you have to think about.

Brie (12:14)
right.

Sami Freund (12:28)
And you have to be so responsible on yourself if you're all on your own to like make sure, oh, I didn't forget that she's booked, you know? That's a, that's a good one.

Brie (12:38)
Right. Yeah, that is, that's pretty crazy. And for most people in a commission based setting, they get paid hourly or commission, whichever is greater. So there's always at least that knowing factor of, you know, I've got at least my hourly coming in if for some reason, I don't make commission. But in reality, it's our job as salon owners to make sure that you guys have the clients that you need in order to produce, right?

Sami Freund (12:58)
Mm-hmm.

Brie (13:08)
What do you think are some potential financial risks of booth renting or suite rental that some people might not be aware of? If they were looking at commission salons or renting a suite, what do you think are some potential financial risks that they may not think of that you could think off the top of your head or that keep you from going independent?

Sami Freund (13:30)
think like for me what would keep me from being independent is like making sure because I am on top of it and I obviously want to see the clients that I have I love my job but there is that I think that accountability part of you know what like I just feel like it could be easier I'm not available that day like I just think that could get to some people especially

The hair industry is so wide with the types of people that are in it. And I don't want to speak badly or poorly, but it's like, we all, I feel like we're all such fun people that we say yes to so many other things outside of our industry that like, we could be like, oh yeah, I'm going to do that day and not do hair and then that could like catch up with you.

Brie (14:26)
Yeah.

Sami Freund (14:27)
amongst other things. So I think that would be...

Brie (14:29)
Right. Well, we're such creative people. We think differently, right? You've got that analytical side and that creative side. And for us, that creative side is, oh, fun and games and let's do it. So it could become very easy to not be lazy, but kind of become lazy when it comes to the work side. I totally understand what you're saying. That makes sense to me.

Sami Freund (14:33)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah. And then the other thing too, is I noticed that, and I'm not saying I don't charge my, I've had clients that I've charged $400, but like to charge just one client that much, and then you only have one other one for that day, and you took so much time. If you had more clients in that day or help.

I think that you could be making so much more. And that's where I feel like I have the opportunity to make more money here if it's all worked out. Because then if you had the help as an independent stylist, you have to also pay your assistant. There's just so many things that go into it. So it sounds like sunshine and rainbows to be your own box, but then at the same time, there's some cons to that.

Brie (15:32)
Yep.

Yeah.

Yeah, no, I completely agree with you. And those are things that's a really good point. Those are things people don't think about, right? Well, I'll just hire an assistant and then I can see triple the clients, but you're losing once again, you already lose half of your money to pay your overhead, your taxes, everything else. Well, then you're cutting into it even more to pay this assistant that's having to help you. So it kind of defeats the purpose in some ways.

In my opinion, one of the huge benefits of commission salons or spas is the support and the resources that they provide for their employees. It is crucial in any career that you're surrounded by people who are going to inspire you to reach higher levels. Having a mentor or a coach like you do in a commission setting, it can really make a big difference in my opinion. They don't only support you guys. We don't only support you guys, but we hold you accountable.

and we push you to consistently do your best so that you can reach the goals and reach what you're wanting to attain, whether that be a new house, a new car, a wedding, whatever it is. And oftentimes I feel we as owners, we can spot greatness in our employees that the individuals might not see in themselves. Like for instance, Chandra saw in you that you could be an educator. You might've seen it in yourself, but I know for a fact she saw it a long time ago.

Sami Freund (16:50)
Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Brie (17:08)
I think this type of environment just really fosters professional growth, but it also builds confidence and it builds skills inside of that supportive community. What types of support and resources do you think commission salons typically provide that individual contractors might miss out on?

Sami Freund (17:30)
I definitely think like the positive environment. First of all, like I agree everything with what you just said. And it reminded me of my co worker Amber. She is constant I think every single day and that I work with her. She is so sweet. And she re inspires me and she is she's at a lower level but she's like, you go you master you are awesome you

educator like she'll constantly and this started before I was even a master stylist or an educator she would say I feel like you should be a master stylist I feel like you should be an educator like she would always say these things and if I was working by myself first of all you don't have a label you call yourself a hairstylist you're you probably wouldn't because I don't really call myself a master stylist outside of here right if someone asks but like

Brie (18:27)
right.

Sami Freund (18:30)
If you're just in your own suite or whatever, you're not, I mean, you are growing. I'm not saying negative things, but you don't know how much you are growing and you're not recognized a lot. I feel like here, there's so many things put in place. We have weekly Connect meetings that she posts up on our Slack and she recognizes people who did awesome the week prior.

Brie (18:40)
Right.

Mm-hmm.

Sami Freund (19:00)
That is awesome. Just the recognition, because you can see what you're doing and you're like, okay, that's awesome. But sometimes that like healthy competition between the team members, it's like, okay, I kind of want to top that next week. How can I do that? Can I get people to do more treatments? Can I get people to add on a haircut? Like just things like that. And then the education too. It's like how often...

Brie (19:11)
Yes.

Mmm.

Sami Freund (19:30)
would you be doing more education if it was just on you? You could be totally interested in getting into an education program, whether it be extensions, color, cutting classes, but if someone's making it mandatory for you, like that can just already help you 10 times rather than, okay, I think I wanna do this class, but if it doesn't work out, that's fine. You know what I mean?

Brie (20:00)
For sure. Well, and let's just say you're sitting at home and you're an independent stylist and you've got $5,000 in your business account and this class costs $4,000. Do you want to spend the majority of your money for education to whereas in a commission basis, we provide that. And so I think that's a really good thing because you are leveling up all the time. So I think that's a great point that you brought up.

Sami Freund (20:00)
So.

Probably.

Brie (20:28)
When it comes to the team environment, what do you feel is the biggest benefit of having a team around you? Because what I hear all the time, right, from people that we coach, other salon owners and their employees is that, you know, it's bad experiences because of gossip or this, that and the other. My opinion is different. I think that if a business is managed right, the team environment can be phenomenal. So what do you...

Sami Freund (20:54)
Mm-hmm.

Brie (20:56)
think benefits of the team environment are, where you're at, I think would be a good.

Sami Freund (21:00)
Yeah, honestly, Ohana, it's crazy how well we do work together. If I need something, and no one's available, someone is available because they want like, I specifically remember it was Valentine's Day night, and one of my co workers was booked really late. I think it was almost 8pm.

And no one really wants to be here late on like a Valentine's Day. I knew she like she has kids, she has a husband. And she was actually double booked, but like didn't know that the like it was booked wrong or something like that. And so I saw her in a situation where I was like, oh my goodness, like I was about to leave but I was like, you need help, don't you? And she's like, I do. And I'm like,

I got you so I stayed like extra but that is how everyone here is unless they're not aware that you're drowning then they will step in and help you and that is one of the things I love about it here like someone is going to be helping you regardless of what's going on. It's just like it might be a little chaotic in the time and right now like we need an assistant and everyone has been

working together so well from my perspective. I feel like, like every time I'm like, ah, I need something or the person next to me needs something we're like, we got you. Give me a second. But yeah.

Brie (22:38)
such a good feeling. It makes you want to go to work, right? You're surrounded by friends and kind of like sisters probably more than anything or brother sister, right? You're going to have your disagreements every once in a while, but for the most part, you are supporting each other in everything that you're doing.

Sami Freund (22:43)
Yes.

Yes, and I, I've only really worked with women my like whole life, except for in school, like high school and everything like that. It's pretty much just been all women and I would say we only have one co-worker that's a guy here, but like for being all women, I would say things go pretty smoothly. But I've never been, I mean I've only ever been

Brie (23:09)
Right?

Sami Freund (23:26)
in one job and it was retail. And I just feel like it's almost easier here. So it's interesting actually, because you would think it would be crazy.

Brie (23:36)
It is. Yeah, for sure. And I think that says a lot about your ownership, right. And management and the way that things are done and created there because Chandra works really hard to create that culture of everybody getting along and everybody supporting each other. And so I think that's really cool. I'm in the same boat as you. I was independent before I went into the salon setting and I hated it. Like I hated it.

Sami Freund (23:44)
Hmm.

Brie (24:05)
I went in every day. I love my clients, adored my clients. Don't get me wrong, for those of you listening to this, love you guys to pieces. But it was just me and them and it was like, blah, every day. I felt like I lived Groundhog Day, right? Where you just get up and the same thing over and over and then you go back to bed. But being in that team environment, you bounce ideas, you collaborate, you innovate, you do so many things that you could never do on your own. So I think...

Sami Freund (24:10)
Right.

Brie (24:35)
You really hit the nail on the head when you answered that one. One of the last things. Yeah. One of the last things that I want to talk about is the professional growth potential and career advancement opportunities that commission based salons and spas can offer. Because the truth is when you are working, and I know we said this earlier, but it's very, very important when you're working as an independent artist, there is a limit to how much you can expand. You can only go so far. There's only so many hours in the day for you to see clients.

Sami Freund (24:38)
Thank you.

Brie (25:04)
Time is the one thing you can't make more of or get back, right? And you can only raise your prices up to a certain point before you hit just that glass ceiling where there is nowhere else to go. And I'm speaking of this from experience because that's what happened to me. Like I was capped out at $15,000 per month or $10,000 per month or whatever it was for a year. There was nowhere else for me to go.

Sami Freund (25:08)
Mm-hmm.

Brie (25:33)
It's very, very frustrating. Also, being a stylist or a technician forever, it may be fine for some people, you mentioned this earlier, but for others, it's just not enough. They crave more in their careers, whether that be management or educators or leads or whatever that is. And when you work in a well-managed salon or spa, there are a world of possibilities. There's endless opportunities for growth.

and really just virtually unlimited financial potential because you can get commission from working on your clients, from selling retail, and then salaries for doing other jobs. With that being said, what specific growth opportunities do you think are available in a commission salon that would not be available for booth or suite renters?

Sami Freund (26:24)
Okay, so I honestly think it would be easier. Well, so from my experience, last... Okay, so last November, I had the opportunity to go to Georgia to go to the Kuhn Advanced Academy for a color training class. And I...

Brie (26:33)
That's what I want. I want all of your experience. I want you raw and real.

Mm-hmm.

Sami Freund (26:53)
which I wasn't educator yet, but I do feel like that kind of put me closer to that education role. And I did for a while, really, like want to be an educator, I just kind of didn't really say it, because I'm like, how would that work? You know, I do feel like that could potentially open doors to also be the brand color educator like that.

Brie (27:22)
Yeah.

Sami Freund (27:23)
that looks good for them, you know? And then also just working with more, I don't know, more people. Like I wouldn't have seen myself like doing a podcast. This is so fun. And like anyone can start a podcast, right? But you gotta have someone kind of help you.

Brie (27:27)
Yes.

Right.

Sure.

Sami Freund (27:52)
get to those points. And I feel like without, if I was just in my own little bubble, I probably wouldn't have been on those specific journeys.

Brie (27:54)
Yeah.

Yeah, that definitely makes sense to me, right? Because you're in your own world, you're doing your own thing, and then you kind of go home and do your thing, and that's kind of it. With being in this commission-based setting, you have endless potential. I mean, you meet so many people from different brands, whether that is extension brands or color brands or whatever. You travel all over to go to different classes, and who knows who you're gonna meet there, right, that can open doors for you in that type of space.

What about long-term career advantages? What do you think that offers? Because a lot of people that I know, I'm just gonna use my experience, that let's just say I went to Cosmo school with, right? They are still doing hair every single day of the week, all day, every day. And for me, that's okay for them if that's what they want. However, I know 90% of them don't want that anymore. They just don't have another option, right?

Sami Freund (28:48)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Brie (29:05)
For me, I knew I wanted something more. I wanted to build a team, I wanted to build a legacy, and then I wanted to help other owners be able to create what I had created. Hence the reason Chandra started working with me and we did a lot of things at Ohana, right? And she wanted that too. And so I think long-term career growth plans are very important.

Sami Freund (29:20)
Now.

Brie (29:27)
People don't realize that a lot of commission-based salons, they have 401ks for their employees. They have management opportunities. They have all of that stuff. So what would you say to somebody who is on the verge of like commission or suite? What would you say the long-term growth potential is in a commission salon?

Sami Freund (29:49)
I would say there is stuff like she does have the 401k in place for us and then the which I need to sign myself up for. I keep forgetting see look I need I still need more. And then we also have like Aflac benefits to that are at a specific rate because Chandra signed us up as a company. And then

Brie (30:04)
Hehehehe

Sami Freund (30:19)
just more about security, I would say. I feel like I'm forgetting to say something with part of your question. And it like left my brain.

Brie (30:27)
You're okay.

Well, I just think, I think, like I said, so many people are just in that stylist role forever or technician role forever. And a lot of people don't want that. Right. So long term wise, let's just use you for example, if you don't want to be just a stylist forever, you're now a stylist and an educator. What does Ohana offer where you can continue growing in your career?

Sami Freund (30:37)
Yes.

Okay.

Okay, yes, that is what I needed. I would say she's very open and honest about like what your goals are. And I always kind of saw myself as an educator, but also I did kind of just because I grew up with my aunt owning a salon, I was like, okay, it would be really cool to own a salon one day. But then once you're, once you see.

Brie (30:54)
Hehehehe

Yeah.

Sami Freund (31:18)
everything that goes into it. It's not I'm not taking it off the table. But it's like you have to be prepared. So I would want specifically to like, be having more responsibilities if I were to ever go into that role, I would want to like be next to Chandra saying, Okay, what about this? What about that? And I haven't even told her that. But like, would be my plan.

Brie (31:20)
Hehehehe

Right.

Well, I have no doubts for sure. And that's the way that it should be. And I think that's a beautiful thing. And I think honestly, while we're talking about this, this is where a lot of salon and spa owners mess up because we should be building other leaders. We should be building other salon owners, right? If we want to revolutionize and change this industry for the better, that's what we should be doing.

Sami Freund (31:48)
I'm sorry.

Mm-hmm.

Brie (32:11)
And I know Chandra and I both have discussed this a lot. And that's something that both of us are very open to, you know, if one of my employees comes to me and they're ready and they want to open their own salon, they can shadow me every second of every day. And I will give them all of my secrets. And I know Chandra feels the same way. So I think that's really cool that may be something that you want to do. It's even more cool that you have the opportunity to be hands on with somebody who just gets it and who has succeeded at it for sure.

Sami Freund (32:41)
Yeah.

Brie (32:42)
Really, really neat. All right, I just thought of one more question and I really need to know the answer to this. So how does the salon's reputation and client base impact you as a stylist and your career trajectory? I think that's really big.

Sami Freund (32:58)
Okay. Yeah, I am really proud of us for having I can't remember off the top of my head. But I think we have at least 4.5 stars on Google. I might be wrong by that. But we have really good reviews. I mean, every now and then there's going to be some, you know, you know, but pretty much

Brie (33:22)
Always.

Sami Freund (33:26)
good reviews. So every time I'm asking how'd you hear about us? I saw you guys had really good reviews online. And then I saw you guys had online booking, which online booking is newer, like in the last year. Yeah, okay. And you know, I used to be afraid of it. I was like, how is this gonna work? Because I kept getting people double booking. And I like my first time clients to be just like, but every time they'd come in, they

Brie (33:32)
Mmm.

Yes, I made her do that. Thank you very much.

Yeah.

Yeah, for sure.

Sami Freund (33:56)
would want this transformation. Like I respectfully have to put you on a different day if you want that to happen. So yeah, but.

Brie (34:01)
Yeah, definitely. There is a science to the online booking. Once you get it figured out, you're golden.

Sami Freund (34:08)
Yes, and now it's pretty smooth sailing and really good clients come out of it. So thank you. But, um, so you helped with that, but also, yeah, I think that are having our good reviews and are really good clients. Like I believe in law of attraction, 100%. And I will like talk to myself in the morning some days and I'll just be like, you know, I might not have the fullest book, but.

Brie (34:14)
Yes, you're welcome.

Sami Freund (34:38)
if it's meant to be. And so this kind of this happened to me on Saturday, I had a weird cancellation in the middle of my Saturday, that was a longer appointment. And Chandra's like, I filled it. I'm like, yes, sweetest client ever. And she just knew us because she was going to a salon like really close to us but couldn't get in. And so she's like, I'll try it out. Oh my gosh, like

Brie (34:52)
I'm sorry.

Sami Freund (35:06)
going to be an amazing client for me. And I just feel like had our reviews or our website or marketing, anything like that, not been like at the top tier, it might not be like that. And I've had so many clients tell me, I mainly wanted to come here just because of the name or just because of the look or family. Like I like that idea. And I'm like.

Brie (35:12)
Right.

Sami Freund (35:34)
awesome and I am always trying to be like I want to give them that experience back from what they were expecting to experience you know what I mean? So I think that really helps and I also think just having Aveda as

Brie (35:43)
Right.

Yes.

Sami Freund (35:55)
part of the reputation really brings a lot of people into but we have had a lot of Kuene and people come in recently. I'm like, how do you know about you? It's exciting. Yes. Yeah. And now it's all over. Like every time I see salons on like tik tok or Instagram reels, I see Kuene and color in the back. I'm like, what?

Brie (36:06)
They're growing. They're growing fast.

Yep. Yeah.

Sami Freund (36:21)
So when we first got it, I like had a tiny little meltdown because I was like, oh my God, I only know Aveda, what's going on? You're gonna get rid of it. And Chandra's like, no, we're not. We're just gonna bring in more. And I'm honestly thankful because I feel like I know way more now just in, and I can determine what's going on with other color lines too. And I can understand why.

Brie (36:37)
Yes.

Mm-hmm.

Right.

Sami Freund (36:51)
stylists that people have gone to in the past have chose to do other things because I just felt like with Aveda you can create so much but you can also be a little like in a box and now I kind of feel outside of the box so but that I yes I just feel like the brands that we use the people that come in the word of mouth

Brie (37:11)
it.

Sami Freund (37:19)
helped so much with bringing people to me. And then, yeah. Ha ha.

Brie (37:25)
Which in turn, which in turn, so I think we can look at it like this, right? You've got an independent stylist here who was having to work constantly just trying to meet people or bring people in or whatever. You can take it back to your days of being like an assistant, right? Or a level one stylist to where you were like scraping at the barrel just to get people in. But when you work for a salon that has a great brand reputation, they always have a massive client list. Right.

Sami Freund (37:41)
Mm-hmm.

Brie (37:54)
And so you can pull from that, the low hanging fruit from that, or like you said, the reviews and things and people see that and they just call in. So I'm not saying that clients just land in your lap per se, but it's a lot easier to fill your books that way than it is being on your own.

Sami Freund (37:54)
Mm-hmm.

Yes, and even I talked about this with a lot of people just on our street. There was a client that came in when I was an assistant and I specifically remember shampooing his hair because he told me that he's like, do you know that this is the zip code with the most hair salons? And I was like, what? And so then I like, I just looked up hair salons. There is literally just five on our little tiny street.

Brie (38:20)
Mm-hmm.

Wow.

Sami Freund (38:41)
And so just knowing that we'll have people calling in or walking in that day is just crazy to me. Just knowing that it was solely off of either our look or our reputation or anything like that, because there's so many other ones to choose, you know? So it's very interesting when you start to look at it that.

Brie (39:00)
Yeah, for sure.

It is. It really opened your eyes up to seeing. My personal opinion is I think anyone, especially just out of Cosmos school should always go into a commission based setting for at least a year or two, whether it's to build their books or whatever it is, but mainly to build those skills and do those types of things. So I'm a firm believer in that. If you can do what you want to do afterwards, but I'm just a very, very firm believer in that. But well,

Sami Freund (39:20)
Mm-hmm.

Brie (39:35)
I just want to thank you for joining me today. It was an honor to speak with you. I love getting your perspective and your insight that you have to offer as an employee, as a stylist in a commission-based setting. With that, do you want to leave any words of wisdom or pieces of advice for people that are out there that kind of just to wrap your story up or to close everything out?

Sami Freund (40:00)
Okay, first of all, I wanna say thank you for having me. And then I would like to tell, I wanna say stylists who are just getting started or like in maybe looking for an assistant program or anything like that, that patience is one of the biggest things that you wanna work on. Or I was never really a patient person, but I do feel like.

Brie (40:03)
Of course!

I'm gonna go.

Sami Freund (40:28)
assisting specifically gets you in that role and then it kind of builds your um It's a it's making you ready to deal with clients Further down the line because I do feel like when I had less patience I didn't believe that I could do certain things and then when I found out, okay if I just like calm down

it's gonna be fine. Yeah, and I can actually do what I thought I couldn't do. So I would say patience is so important for newer stylists or assistants or whatever you are getting into with the hair industry. But then for people that are in my position, I would say just make sure you lean on those people that you work with because

Brie (40:54)
Take a breath.

Yeah.

Sami Freund (41:21)
they really do make or break your working experience. Like I can't say it enough how much I appreciate everyone I work with, because they truly do make my day, even though I love all my clients that come and see me, they make my day, but it all starts with the first people that I'm seeing in the morning. And if the energy is good, the energy is gonna be good with my client. So it's kind of just like, are we putting on a happy?

you know, or are we putting on, what are we doing today? And typically it's positive, but just trying to make your co-worker's day could make the whole salon, you know, it could make your client's day go better. So I would say that's my wisdom. I'm all about positivity.

Brie (41:52)
Yeah.

I love that.

100%. What would you, I love positivity. What would you say to those people that are out there that are kind of on the fence, maybe looking for a new career opportunity, straight out of cosmetology school, whatever, and they're trying to decide, do I just branch out on my own or do I go into what I've heard is a nightmare of the commission based era?

Sami Freund (42:33)
would just say well do you have like a strong mindset and do you really want to be because I do feel like you have to work harder by yourself and if you are okay with that and you think you are very organized then go for it but I the support that I experience daily is amazing I couldn't

think of it a different way, honestly. And I do know some people think of it in a negative way, but I would say for the most part, the people that I talk to about commissioned salons, they are happy they're in one as well. So, yeah.

Brie (43:20)
I love it. At the end of the day, I think every person is different, right? And they have to decide what is right for them and for their career. Like I said earlier, this is a topic that is at the top of conversation in the beauty industry. So I think it was important just to bring it to the forefront. As a commission salon or spa owner, we have to make sure that we are doing our part in ensuring that we are running our businesses the best way possible.

Sami Freund (43:24)
Good luck.

Brie (43:47)
and that we are looking out for our employees every step of the way. When we can find the right balance between being a great leader and managing our businesses the correct way, I feel like the sky's the limit. With that being said, that's a wrap. Thanks for kicking it with us today on Salon Swagger. Now go out there and make some boss moves. Don't forget, Chandra usually does his part, but I'm gonna say it today. Don't forget to subscribe to our podcast for strategies, interviews with industry experts, and in-depth.

Sami Freund (44:10)
Hahaha

Brie (44:16)
discussions like we had today. And if you have any topics that you would like us to cover in future episodes, you can reach out to us. You can contact us on social media or email at admin at the beauty biz agency.com. Follow us on social media for more amazing free resources and strategies that you can implement immediately to level up your studio and actually revolutionize your business. Until next time, keep slaying those business goals with style, sass, and a whole lot of swagger. Bye, Sammi