Salon Swagger

Brie (00:00)
Hello, hello, Salon & Spa Rockstars Welcome back to Salon Swagger where we are all about dialing up the style and sass and dialing down the stress today. I'm your host, Brie here with my co -host, Chandra.

Chandra Chriswisser (00:13)
Hello?

Brie (00:14)
What's up, Chandra?

Chandra Chriswisser (00:16)
Oh, just trying to navigate this day already, but all good, we're here.

Brie (00:21)
It's been a week, man. It's been a week and it's only Tuesday.

Chandra Chriswisser (00:24)
Yes, I know. I don't know. I don't know. It's crazy. It's crazy week

Brie (00:27)
I don't either. I know it. Well, together today, we are going to drop some serious wisdom on a topic that is absolutely essential for keeping your business booming and just to keep really vibe chills throughout your studio. We're going to talk about setting boundaries as commission salon and spa owners. People do not realize how important this is. So get ready to rock with us as we unpack why boundaries are the ultimate power move.

how to rock them like a pro and how to create a culture of respect that'll have everyone in your crew cheering you on. So let's dive in and slay those boundaries. I think before we get started too much, or we should probably kick things off talking about why boundaries are so important for salon and spa owners. It's not really just about protecting our precious time or our energy, which that is a big part of it.

but it's more about safeguarding our own wellbeing and the health of our business. And people overlook that so many times.

Chandra Chriswisser (01:32)
Yeah, I think so. When you're not taking care of yourself in that way, it's harder to show up like you need to in every other aspect of your life, especially when you're the one in charge. And so I think it definitely is a huge, huge topic that we should dive in.

Brie (01:49)
I agree and it can hurt your business in so many ways when boundaries aren't there. People just seem to kind of push those off all too often and don't realize the repercussions that it can have not only on your personal life but on your business. So as commission salon and spa owners, if you are anything like Chandra and I, anything, you are juggling more balls than a circus performer. My husband laughs when I say that all the time, but it's true. Like I am doing so much. I'm dealing with.

Let's just name a few of them, clients, staff, never ending business operations, right? That come every day. And that is just at work. That has nothing to do with my home life, my personal life, and all of that stuff going on. Do you struggle with that?

Chandra Chriswisser (02:32)
Yep. Yep. Oh, constantly. Trying to keep all the balls in the air. It is, it's sometimes an interesting trick, right?

Brie (02:43)
Yeah, 100%. Without clear boundaries, I feel like people risk burning out very, very quickly. And honestly, they're going to have a whole lot of those hair pulling moments, right? It's just going to happen all the time. So let's chat about how the impact of boundary violations on our mental and emotional health can affect us and how setting boundaries can create a better work environment for everybody involved.

because it really does help every single person that you come into contact with day in and day out in your business if you have those boundaries set. Would you agree?

Chandra Chriswisser (03:22)
Oh yeah, absolutely.

Brie (03:24)
So what do you think are some of the impacts of boundary violations on our mental and emotional health?

Chandra Chriswisser (03:33)
Well, I think, you know, when we're not respecting those boundaries and we're trying to just please everyone all the time, you, you forget to take care of yourself. Number one. And I think I know I'll show up not in a good way. Sometimes when I am too overloaded, I'm going to start screaming at my kids and getting mad at my team or, you know, whatever's going on. So, and it definitely stems from a lot of that, not respecting those boundaries or, you know, following that for myself.

Brie (03:51)
Yeah, 100%.

Yeah, 100%. I tend to get an increased level of stress and anxiety. So if I ignore my boundaries or I allow them to be crossed all the time, my anxiety just goes through the roof. I am at work dealing with demanding clients, right? An overbearing staff at times.

And then those blurred lines between work and personal life, they just take a toll on my mental well -being. And I am having panic attacks and anxiety attacks and stress that is so heavy. I don't even know if I can carry it anymore.

Chandra Chriswisser (04:42)
Yeah, yeah, for sure.

Brie (04:45)
something else that I deal with and I don't know if you but resentment, excuse me, it starts to set in, right? I hate feeling that way. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it. Whether it is clients, whether it's employees, whether it is my husband, I don't care who it is, it leads to negativity and it impacts my relationships and my overall satisfaction of life in general.

Chandra Chriswisser (04:49)
Mm -hmm.

Mm -hmm.

Brie (05:14)
whether it's at work or at home.

Chandra Chriswisser (05:17)
Yeah, yeah, I feel the same way for sure. I think that's how it sets in for me more than anxiety necessarily. I think I've become really good at compartmentalizing, which isn't always good sometimes because that's when that stress can pile on because you don't deal with things when you need to. And then you start to really feel resentful of.

everything. It's like sometimes you get resentful at your team, resentful at your family, like you said, like I definitely felt like that.

Brie (05:48)
Yeah, it's a burden. It's a big burden to carry. It's awful. I also find that it decreases motivation and productivity in a lot of salon and spa owners that we've talked to, right? They just, their energy is drained. They have no motivation. They don't want to engage, whether it be at work or at home.

Chandra Chriswisser (05:58)
Mm -hmm. Yeah.

Brie (06:11)
and that feeling of just being completely overwhelmed and burnt out, it can make it really challenging to stay focused and to perform their best, whether that is being a great mom, a great spouse, a great business owner, a great team leader, whatever it is.

Chandra Chriswisser (06:28)
Yeah, yeah, I think that can hinder too, your progress with your business, right? When you have that demotivation, it's like when you know you need to work on operations or you need to work on getting things organized, you never get there because you constantly push that off because you just can't deal with it. Yeah.

Brie (06:45)
we see people that do that all the time, right? As we're working with them at the Beauty Biz agency, it's like they would rather just slide it under the rug or push it away or pretend that it's not there and do something else as opposed to confront the dragon head on and just get it done and get it over with.

Chandra Chriswisser (07:05)
Mm -hmm. Yeah.

Brie (07:06)
It's not a good thing. It's not a good thing at all. I think something that when I was dealing with a lot of this stuff, trying to figure out how to create a good work -life balance, something for me was I wasn't ever able to just recharge and disconnect. And that affected me in so many freaking ways. It wasn't even funny.

Chandra Chriswisser (07:10)
No, no.

Brie (07:32)
I felt guilty because I wasn't being the best boss that I could be or the best mom I could be or the best wife I could be. I was frustrated with my business, with my team, with my family, with myself. I never had time to just relax and rejuvenate. And if I did have the time, I was so disconnected and so full of anxiety and resentment that I wouldn't allow myself to do it. Do you have you ever felt like that?

Chandra Chriswisser (08:01)
Yeah, a lot. I have definitely felt like that a lot. And I think that's where those boundaries really come into play because we're not setting those boundaries. So that's the part of us that goes, you know, south because you start to worry. Like when you try to focus on yourself, all you're doing is thinking about all of the things that you should be doing or all of the people that you're letting down in this hour that you're trying to take care of yourself. And.

having those boundaries will help you to not feel that way and to get that mental health under control.

Brie (08:35)
Yes, 100%, 100%. I think it's really important that everybody listening to this, whether you are an owner of a salon or spa or not, but that you really take this in and find what sets you off, right? Where you need to create your boundaries and make sure that you stay stern to them. So let's talk about identifying some areas.

Boundaries. I think that's really important because boundaries are really your VIP pass to sanity in every corner of your life, but more importantly right now we're talking about salon and spa owners. So let's say every corner of your business from clients to staff shenanigans even in your downtime. We have to learn to draw lines in the sand. We need to be thinking about setting those expectations for every single thing in our business.

laying down the law for staff conduct and learning to reclaim our personal time like a true boss would.

Chandra Chriswisser (09:41)
Yeah, I think so.

Brie (09:42)
I think if we can pinpoint a few hotspots and create a blueprint for people to be able to balance that business personal life, it's going to leave everyone just feeling super fabulous in my opinion. So if we were to, I think maybe just our journeys, because that's what I love about this podcast is we talk about things that we did to get to where we are because...

Chandra Chriswisser (09:57)
Yeah.

Brie (10:07)
It's so important. I want people to learn from my chaos and my failures. I do not want them to go through that like I did. So something that I did when I was really trying to focus on my work -life balance was I reflected on my experiences quite a bit. Did you find yourself doing that?

Chandra Chriswisser (10:13)
Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, I had to stop myself and start doing that.

Brie (10:32)
Yeah, I would go through, I don't know what you did, but for me, I kind of wrote down, I love to journal and I love to write things down. So I went over times that I had felt overwhelmed or stress. I remember a category of times that I felt that I was taken advantage of as a boss, which for me was always an area where resentment came up for me, always, always. This allowed me to just get some really valuable insights into,

areas where I needed to create some boundaries because when I looked back over those situations, I was like, Brie, if you would have just set a freaking boundary here and if you would have stuck to it, it never would have gone to step 10, 12, 14, 16, 18. It would have stopped at step two.

Chandra Chriswisser (11:21)
Yeah, yeah, I do the same, somewhat the same thing, like reflection for sure. And looking back at those things that do cause you that stress. I think number one is pinpointing it because we do just say yes to everything. I mean, I know I do. Like I'm always like, yes, yes, I'll figure that out. Yes, I'll take that on. Yes, I'll do this. And then you end up super stressed and just sitting down and just really deep reflection, meditation. I, you know, I do a lot of that, but just trying to

pinpoint what it is that's causing me to feel that way. And then, yeah, figuring out how to set boundaries around that.

Brie (11:58)
Something else that I always did was I would like kind of assess my staff dynamics. So I would try to identify any patterns of behavior that might have been problematic. This was extremely helpful for me when I was creating those boundaries for my team. So I thought about are there staff members who consistently overstep their boundaries or disregard company policies, things of that nature.

A big one for me was, did I struggle to delegate tasks or enforce disciplinary actions when necessary, which I absolutely did. And then paying attention to tension or conflict amongst my team members. I knew that was all when I got the answer to all of those questions, it created a list of bounder boundaries for me to be able to write down and to relay to my team.

Chandra Chriswisser (12:56)
Yeah, yeah, I do the same thing. And I think you learn a lot about your business when you do that as well. So not only are you able to start setting those boundaries and figure out what pinpoint what those things that are causing those issues, then you can also really understand a little bit more about what's going on in your business and help set those boundaries within the business, not just within yourself.

Brie (13:19)
Yeah, 100%. After I was able to pinpoint, like you're saying, I then went in and started reviewing everything in my business, right? My policies, my procedures, all of that stuff to evaluate whether I was precise, whether I was clear, whether I was consistent, if I was effectively communicating everything to my staff and honestly to my clients as well, to my clients at the studio for all of us.

I started looking for gaps or loopholes that I needed to address so that I could protect my business and maintain a positive work environment there. I found myself that if everything was under control in my business, when I went home, I was able to be wife. I was able to be mom. I was able to be brief or just a little bit.

Chandra Chriswisser (14:10)
Yeah, absolutely, like 100%.

Brie (14:15)
Well, once I once I kind of worked on the business boundaries, I kind of liked it a little bit. So I started creating more personal boundaries because for me, this is very difficult. I am kind of like you said, a yes man, not only at work, but at home. Like I am it for everyone. Right. Everybody comes to me. My husband can't find his glasses that are sitting two inches from him. I'm I'm responsible for finding it. Right. My kids need something.

they're coming to me, my grandkids need something, it's all on me. And so I knew that I had to start creating personal boundaries as well. So I looked at areas where work and personal life were stretched too thin or where I was feeling overwhelmed once again. And I tried to figure out what I could do. And I am telling you, Chandra, this was the best thing that I ever did in my life because I feel like now,

When it comes to my salon anyway, I feel like now I am either salon and business mode or I am wife and family mode and there is no mixture of the two in between. Yes, I'm going to get an occasional text or yes, I'm going to have to do something that's out of the blue. I mean, you just had a situation in your studio where it flooded, right? We're expecting it. You wouldn't have had to be at the studio, but it happened.

Chandra Chriswisser (15:34)
Yeah. Yeah.

Brie (15:40)
But once we set those boundaries like that, life has a total different meaning.

Chandra Chriswisser (15:48)
Yeah, absolutely. Like I think it allows you to, to handle those situations better because you're not already so overloaded and so stressed and spread so thin that you can like dealing with my new flood situation. Like I can jump in and handle that with a different mindset and a different, you know, feeling and it's stressful, but it's, it's different than when I didn't have those boundaries set. And I would have just been running around like crazy person freaking out and then yelling at everyone.

Brie (16:18)
100%. So what are some boundaries that you set for yourself at work with your team or with your clients? And when I say with your clients, I don't mean like your personal clients, but with your clients of your studio that see your team members, right? What are some of those for you?

Chandra Chriswisser (16:18)
So...

I think the biggest thing that changed that and made those boundaries easier to set was really laying down those policies and laying down how I'm gonna handle everything. Because when you have sort of a roadmap for yourself to say when these issues arise, when somebody needs too much, or when you're constantly dealing with every single thing, you're just kind of running in 500 different directions instead of knowing exactly this is how this is gonna be handled and it's done.

and then this is how this is gonna be handled and it's done and you don't have all those things piling up constantly. And so setting those boundaries, I think really creating that environment to where this is exactly how we're gonna handle things helps you set that boundary right there because when we have an issue with a client that comes up or we're handling something for our clients, we know this is how everything is gonna be handled and you don't feel like you're.

irrationally trying to come up with a decision to make, right? And so I think that really is a clear boundary to start with what I did in the salon.

Brie (17:41)
No, I think that's great. And I think it's very, very important. And I think if people will start there, they will start seeing the reaction that happens. And so then it kind of lights a fire under them to set other boundaries. One other boundary that I would highly encourage people that are listening to make is the boundary between boss and friend in your studio. And I know we talked about that in the past episode, but I think.

Chandra Chriswisser (17:47)
Yeah.

Brie (18:08)
that should be probably the starting boundary for everyone and then move into those policies. And the only reason I say that is because when that boundary is not set, it clouds our judgment in so many ways.

Chandra Chriswisser (18:22)
Hmm. Yep. Yeah, for sure.

Brie (18:26)
I didn't realize that I needed a boundary there for a very, very long time. I am a people pleaser, like 90 % of salon and spa owners. You've said it already today. I'm a people pleaser when it comes to my personal life. Like it just is what it is. I didn't realize how over the line I went sometimes with my employees. And I think a lot of people listening to this right now,

They're probably rolling their eyes thinking, oh, but I want to be the cool boss, or it's important for me to have a relationship with my employees. The reality of it is you can have both. You can have boundaries and have a good relationship with your employees.

Chandra Chriswisser (19:09)
Yeah, I think so for sure.

Brie (19:12)
How do you, what is your boundary with your employees when it comes to being the boss and still being, you know, having a relationship with them, I guess.

Chandra Chriswisser (19:23)
Yeah, I mean, I think the biggest thing is them knowing exactly what you're there for. You know, like I am there not just to be their boss necessarily, but kind of their leader, right? So they know they can come to me with certain things, but I also don't get involved too far or too deep because A, I don't want to deal with that stress also. And B, it crosses that boundary and crosses that line. And so I think being really clear about...

Brie (19:35)
Yes.

Chandra Chriswisser (19:51)
kind of my role and what I'm there for, they know they can come to me all the time. And they do, but they also know like when I tell them like when certain times of the day or I'm doing something else, I'm kind of off limits at those times. And they know that as well. So it also creates that boundary because they aren't overstepping all the time and constantly trying to ask me for things or trying to bug me with little things that they can handle or that doesn't need to be handled right at that time. And so,

creating that boundary with them and putting that line there that this is kind of what my role is and what I'm here for. And then also being nice, like I am involved in their lives to some degree, but I'm not getting too deep into that with them.

Brie (20:36)
Yeah, I think that's a very, very important point because I'm sure many people out there listening, they are very caring people. I mean, we've said that, right? I would literally give you my last penny. It's just who I am. And when you care so much about people, it's really hard to not get involved, right? Like people come to you because they know that you care. And so it's really hard to draw that line that you were just talking about.

I think my team knows that they could come to me for absolutely anything just like yours does. However, there are certain things that they out of respect don't come to me with now because of the boundary that I've set. But at the end of the day, they still know if it is life and death or something major that I'm going to be there regardless of that boundary, right? And I think that that's important for people to know. Being the cool...

boss is not all it's cracked up to be. It will hinder your growth. It will kind of make your business stagnant in all reality because you're not focusing on what you need to focus on.

Chandra Chriswisser (21:43)
Yeah.

Yeah, I think so. And I think it also creates an environment where they aren't always taking accountability. And you want them to take accountability because you have that boundary set so that they know this is kind of their thing to deal with, whatever it is. And same thing, like they know at the end of the day, like I'll always be there for them, but I will always be there for you, but I'm not like.

gonna do everything for you and I'm not gonna take care of everything for you all the time. But if you need me, I'm here. And I think that's something that is very crucial to instill in them, right? But it's them knowing you on that more of a professional level, I think, instead of such a personal level.

Brie (22:16)
way.

Yep, I agree with that. We have to lead, we have to be the leader. And that is one of the biggest misconceptions in the beauty industry is that salon and spa owners don't have to be leaders. And if you're not a leader, this is what I always say, and I think it is so profound. If you are not leading your team, someone else is going to, and you never want that to happen in your own business.

Chandra Chriswisser (22:33)
Okay.

No. Nope.

Brie (22:57)
No. So let's get back to the policy type boundaries that we were talking about for just a second. How do you go about effectively communicating those to your team and to your clients? What is a good way to help people learn how to communicate that?

Chandra Chriswisser (23:17)
I think a lot of that stuff, well, with the clients, it's a little bit different, but with the team first, I think one thing we do talk about a lot in BBA, and it's really important in business, is really nailing down what you stand for, what your core values are, because that helps you to create your boundaries, right? Like, you know, like, these are the things that we stand for. And so when we created all of our policies for our business,

and communicating them, we do that with our onboarding, right? We make sure that everybody from the day one knows exactly what's expected, how everything's run, but that we're all aligned with a specific set of values that we all follow. And I think that really created sort of the environment where I could set those boundaries because it allowed them kind of their own freedom sort of to know like how they can make decisions or how they can deal with things.

within line with those different values. And then with clients and things like that, as far as we post boundary policies, things of that nature, and the team also knows that they don't get super involved with their clients' lives either, setting those boundaries on how we handle client relationships and things like that too. It's kind of the same way as the owner relationship a little bit where they know, the clients I feel like, ours always feel like they know that their stylist is there for them.

but they're not crossing that line of calling them all the time or hanging out with them or creating that relationship that ultimately almost always ends up losing you a client, right? And so knowing how to create those boundaries in that area as well, I think is also a huge importance.

Brie (24:55)
Yeah, I agree with that 100%. And in order to do everything that Chandra is saying, you know, you have to set those expectations early. So you got to know what you stand for, set those expectations early. You need to provide written guidelines for your team, for your clients, for your husband. I don't care who it is. They need to be written. And make sure this is something that I feel like we see quite often dealing with salon and spa owners is

They don't use positive language when they are writing out these policies because there is a difference, right? Like instead of saying, don't be late for appointments to your clients, say something like, we value punctuality and we appreciate your cooperation in arriving on time. And so you've got to make sure that you're using positive verbiage when you do things like that. You need to be firm and consistent in everything that you do.

Um, you want to make sure that you are addressing any boundary violations promptly. Very, very important. And then like we just said earlier, you have to lead by example. If you are not modeling the behavior that you want your team or your clients to follow. Why in the world would they listen to a word that you say, right?

Chandra Chriswisser (26:15)
Oh yeah, and I think too, you know, the newer generations and stuff like that coming in, this is so important to them. And you know, a long time ago, it was like, you just had to handle everything and deal with everything and do this and be the superhero of your life, right? Like you come to me for everything and you do all these things, but.

The newer generation, they don't think that way. It's gotta have work -life balance. It's gotta have their mindset and all of that stuff. And when you present your information that way, especially to newer team members coming in, and everyone, but I think it will validate your company with them more, and they want to stay there, and they're happier there because they know exactly what the expectations are, and it's presented in a way that they are aligned with.

And I think that makes a huge difference in the success of launching policies or having those things in your business.

Brie (27:09)
I agree with that 100%. 100%. We are dealing with different times, right? Like, I think COVID kind of changed everything. I think before COVID, even though obviously you deal with different generations, different ages, all of that stuff throughout, COVID really, really changed things about people and the new generation of people that are coming out of cosmetology school or that may be coming to work for you. And...

Chandra Chriswisser (27:15)
Mm -hmm.

Mm -hmm. Yep.

Brie (27:39)
Five years ago, 20, 25 year olds, they didn't think about work -life balance at all. But now there is such a misconception, work -life balance is important. Please hear me when I say that. But work -life balance is for people that work 40, 50, 60, 70 hours a week, right? It's really hard to create work -life balance if you work 20, 25, 28 hours a week, because you have so much time off. And so,

Chandra Chriswisser (27:56)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Brie (28:07)
I think you hit a really important point. It's important to let people know exactly what those expectations are, set those boundaries, create those policies so they know exactly what to expect from day one of ever coming into your studio.

Chandra Chriswisser (28:23)
Yep, for sure.

Brie (28:25)
So once you've set those boundaries, this is one of the hardest parts for everyone, including myself. It's to stand your ground like a true boss would, right? I mean, channeling that, I think you used the word superhero earlier, so channeling your inner superhero and enforcing those bad boys with confidence. Whether you are trying to slay,

Chandra Chriswisser (28:35)
Mm -hmm.

No.

Yeah. Yeah.

Brie (28:51)
I don't know, self doubt dragons or laying down the law to something. You have to do it with assertiveness. You have to do it with confidence. That's the only way you're going to keep those boundaries intact and the only way you're going to keep your sanity on point. There's no other way. So Chandra, how do you maintain those boundaries even when you're faced with challenging situations?

Chandra Chriswisser (29:07)
Yep.

I mean, it's really hard for me still sometimes to have to keep that stuff in check. Like it's one of those things, especially when something comes up, like for example, I mean, let's say somebody does come in late all the time, right? And they're always constantly crossing that boundary of what your rules are and what your policies are. And it's like, you think sometimes, oh, well, they weren't that late. Like I can let that slide or I can let this slide or, you know, but you have to have that conviction and that like not mean, but.

that is the rule and that's the boundary. That's how we laid out our business, right? So once you start really holding to that, it changes everything. And so when you're wishy washy and you're letting that stuff kind of go by the wayside or you're letting people cross those boundaries all the time, it's so hard. And so for me, the biggest thing was just stick into what I wrote, sticking to what I said and sticking to what it was, irregardless if something is...

a gray area of that situation, whatever it is, it's still, it's breaking that boundary, it's breaking that whatever you've set for your business or yourself. And so once they start walking over that, you lose all that credibility and you lose, you have to start all over again, trying to recreate it, which makes it so much harder. And so I think that was the hardest thing for me. And it still is today because I'll try to see the other side or I'll try to see, you know, what...

Oh, maybe it's not that big of a deal and I let it go, but then, then it's always comes back to bite you. So I think the biggest thing is just whatever you decided or your boundaries or your whatever you are wanting people not to cross. You just have to follow it. And that's irregardless. You just have to follow it.

Brie (30:59)
Yeah, I agree with that. I think consistency, the follow through is very, very important. And then having consequences because if we just say this is the boundary and you can't do it and shame on you, I'm going to, you know, slap your wrist. That's not going to work. So we have to have those, those consequences for me, something that really bothers me after working with so many salon and spa owners is seeing how many of them.

Chandra Chriswisser (31:06)
Thank you.

Brie (31:29)
walk on eggshells in their own freaking studio. They are so terrified to make the clients mad or to make their team members mad or whatever that is. And so did you ever feel like you had to walk on eggshells in your studio? And if so, what made you feel that way?

Chandra Chriswisser (31:52)
Um, I, yeah, definitely have been in that position before. And even still, if something comes up, that's an uncomfortable situation. I feel like that in the beginning, even now, every now and then. Um, but I think the, when, when they try and think of the words to describe it, when you're, when you have that feeling like you're walking on eggshells, it sort of makes you feel like you're being held hostage a little bit and you're not necessarily, yeah, you're not following through with what you said you were going to do.

Brie (32:15)
Yes, yes.

Chandra Chriswisser (32:22)
And I think for me, when I felt like that, I try to pinpoint what's causing those, what's causing me to feel like that. Why am I being so, I hate to say weak, but sort of weak, you know, you're, you're kind of being weak a little bit in, in handling those things and not feeling that way. Like you have to have that conviction. And that was a hard thing for me to get over too, because I didn't want to make people mad. I didn't want a client to be mad. Um, but once you set those boundaries and people start to respect it,

then you don't have to walk on eggshells anymore. And you're going to make some people mad. You know? Mm -hmm. Yeah.

Brie (32:53)
nail on the head, respect. It all boils down to respect. It all boils down to respect. And I don't think you saying that people be being weak isn't a bad thing, right? It's it. You didn't mean it in a bad way, but it is kind of being weak at the end of the day as a salon or spa owner, as a freaking business owner, you are taking all of the risk every single day. And so.

Chandra Chriswisser (33:01)
Mm -hmm.

Brie (33:21)
You can't walk on eggshells in your own business. You can't be scared of being weak. I'm not saying that you have to be a big bad meanie because that's not how it has to be, but you have to hold people accountable to doing what you need done. As a true leader, you are not going to set any boundaries that are stupid, that aren't legit, right? You're only going to set boundaries that really, really need to be implemented and that are important. And

I think it boils down to does your team respect you or not? If you feel like you're walking on eggshells, you probably don't have the respect from the clients and the team that you thought you have. And that boils down to leadership at the end of the day. Would you agree with that?

Chandra Chriswisser (34:07)
Yeah. Oh yeah. Yeah, absolutely.

Brie (34:11)
And leadership is hard. It's not something that most salon and spa owners are taught. They're not taught leadership skills. They're not taught business skills. They're not taught any of that stuff. They are just taught how to do hair, how to do skin, how to do nails. They have a passion, they have a love, and they go out and open a business nine times out of 10.

Chandra Chriswisser (34:31)
Yep. 100%. Mm -hmm.

Brie (34:34)
kind of crazy. It's kind of crazy. But it leadership is so important. And I think we need to put more emphasis on it in this industry. When, when I think about things, I always refer them to other businesses that we own. And it's crazy to me to see how the beauty industry just kind of does its own thing. It never models any other business model that there is out there, right? There's usually not.

Chandra Chriswisser (35:01)
Yeah.

Brie (35:03)
leadership things that you go to. There's usually not business classes that you go to. There's usually not promotion and growth in areas of the beauty industry. Like there are, I mean, my daughter works at Starbucks. She has to go through leadership training all the time. She goes through business classes all the time. It's Starbucks. She's a barista. Like it's crazy. We as owners in the beauty industry don't even take the initiative to do those things a lot of the time. So I think,

Chandra Chriswisser (35:22)
Yeah. Yeah.

Brie (35:33)
having open dialogue and open conversations like this, we could have a major impact on the beauty industry as a whole, as people start opening up their eyes, realizing and wanting to revolutionize this industry.

Chandra Chriswisser (35:49)
Yeah, uh -huh, absolutely.

Brie (35:53)
So while we talk about boundaries and we're talking about leading, because it's important, you have to lead your team in order for them to stay within your boundaries, I guess you could say, right? How do you lead your team with empathy? Just really quickly, what is one way that you were able to do that so it kept you from feeling like you were the mean boss or the bad boss person?

Chandra Chriswisser (36:18)
Yeah, I think it's because I really do care. I really do care about them. I really care about their future. So when I am dealing with stuff, if I have to have a difficult conversation with somebody, if they're in trouble, then I feel like it's coming from a place because I do care. I know that what I have set up and what I have put in place is all there to drive the success of the business.

and every single person that's working within those walls. And so I'm not, I don't do it in a mean way, but because I really care. So it's like if they're breaking a policy or we're having an issue with somebody for some reason, I want them to be successful. And I think when you come from that kind of a place for yourself and that's what your ultimate goal is, I think the empathy just sort of happens, it's just part of it. So instead of,

Oh, I'm being so sorry and whatever. It's more like, what's going on because I want you to do well. And so I think that makes a big difference in how they relate to it too, because you're not just being mean and barking at them. You actually care. And so I think that's a big part of that empathy.

Brie (37:33)
I think that's huge. And I think once again, we are pointing direction as to why salon and spa owners need to get out of that service provision role, right? Everything seems to come back to that because when you're able to show your team and make them understand that all you are trying to do and all you are committed to doing is creating a positive and supportive work environment with allowing them the room to grow and make...

a ton of money. When that is your main focus, everything is different, right? Because they don't see the rules and the policies and things like that as bad things. I mean, yes, they roll their eyes. We all do. There are rules in life everywhere. To be honest with you, human beings, they crave rules. Like we would not know what to do without them. And so for those salon and spa owners out there that think the free willy

way of doing things, you know, free annilly and whatever is the way to go. I challenge you to rethink that process because once you start putting in boundaries and policies and things of that nature, your business will take off and it will start growing just from initiating things of that nature. Would you agree with that?

Chandra Chriswisser (38:32)
Yeah.

Oh yeah. I mean, my, I could attest to that for sure. Cause we didn't have all that stuff in place the way we do now in the beginning. And it was all Willy nilly. Everybody was just doing whatever they want and the business growth just stagnant. Like it never got past a certain point. So I definitely can agree with that.

Brie (39:13)
Well, and at the end of the day, it will create work -life balance. Like if you can just get those boundaries into place in your business first, then you will be able to start creating them in your personal life and you will have a life that is very fulfilled and happy and things of that nature. I have time and I run multiple businesses. I literally have time for the business, for my husband, for my daughters, for my granddaughters.

Chandra Chriswisser (39:18)
Mm -hmm.

Brie (39:43)
And even if I want to make time for myself, I can find it. You know what I mean? I never had that in my first five years of salon or spa ownership. It was never there.

Chandra Chriswisser (39:47)
Yeah.

Nope, no.

Brie (39:57)
Never ever ever. Well, I think we kind of hit boundaries on the head today. I think here's the deal. Setting boundaries, it's not rocket science. Let's just be honest. It's not. It's just about carving out your slice of sanity in the crazy, crazy world of salon or spa ownership and in the crazy world of life when you get down to it.

Chandra Chriswisser (40:22)
Yep.

Brie (40:24)
With that being said, guys, don't forget to subscribe to our podcast for strategies, interviews with industry experts and engaging discussions. And if you have any topics you would like to cover in future episodes, then feel free to reach out. How do they do that, Chandra?

Chandra Chriswisser (40:40)
Yeah, well social media is a really great way to find us. So send us a message on Instagram or Facebook and or you can email us at admin@thebeautybizagency.com.

Brie (40:51)
Absolutely, and please follow the podcast and follow us on social media for those of you that are salon and spa owners out there We have some amazing free resources on our website. You can find those on social media as well, which is great But thank you again for being part of our community We'll see you on the next episode of salon swagger until next time keep slaying those business goals with style sass and a whole lot of swagger Bye

Chandra Chriswisser (40:54)
Yes.

Yeah, bye.