Salon Swagger

Brie (00:01.12)
Hey, hey, welcome back to Salon Swagger, the podcast where we dive into the ups, downs, and everything in between when it comes to salon and spa ownership. I'm Brie, and I am here with none other than Chandra C Hey, girl.

Chandra (00:12.547)
Hello? It's going, it's going good.

Brie (00:13.964)
How's it going?

Brie (00:18.026)
Awesome. Well, today we are going to tackle something I know a lot of us have faced, whether we are willing to admit it or not. We're going to talk about falling out of love with your business. So I think we need to start by just kind of being real for a second. We all know that euphoric feeling when business is going great, right? You know, you're killing it. Money's flowing. Your team is clicking. Everyone's in sync. And it really just kind of feels like you're on top of the world. You love what you do.

You're proud of your space and it's all worth the hustle. But then there's those times, you know, the times when the sales kind of slow down, the employee drama kicks in, you're putting out fires left and right. And suddenly the thing you once loved, it feels like a weight on your shoulders. You kind of start feeling trapped, exhausted. And honestly, you kind of hate it. You kind of hate life. And I'm not going to lie with the economy right now.

A lot of us are feeling that more than ever.

Chandra (01:20.323)
Yep, for sure.

Brie (01:22.658)
So I think I just want to kind of dive into how can we actually fall back in love with our businesses when it feels like they are draining us more than it's fueling us, especially in today's times.

Chandra (01:39.257)
Yeah.

Brie (01:41.108)
All right. Well, I think first we need to talk about that love hate cycle because that is something that comes with being a business owner, regardless of the industry that you're in. Believe me, it's not just you if you're feeling this way. Chandra and I just got done having a conversation about that. It happens to every single one of us at some point. Chandra, how many times since you've been in this industry and been a business owner have you felt this way, kind of fallen out of love with your business?

Chandra (02:06.479)
Hello.

can't even count how many times, to be honest. mean, we've been in business almost 16 years, so there's been quite a few times.

Brie (02:17.45)
It's definitely a cycle, right? It's just a cycle. So why do we fall out of love with our businesses? It's usually not because the business just suddenly changed overnight, but because we start feeling the weight of stress, the weight of overwhelm. And sometimes maybe it's just the economy or negative team dynamics. It can be something small, right? Employee drama, scheduling nightmares, or even just for me, it was kind of the pressure of being on.

all the time that easily shifted that love into a frustration. Right now, we are talking to salon owners every single day. know the economy is hitting hard. Slow sales are adding to this pressure like crazy. It can feel sometimes like no matter what we do, it's not enough to keep the business moving forward. And you and I were just talking about that. We're doing all of the right things.

We're thinking outside the box. We're trying to do bigger and better all the time, but everything we do, just seems like it's, not enough. You're literally doing everything you can, but when the money isn't flowing, that frustration is going to build up and it's going to build up fast.

It's normal to go through these phases. And I think that is one of the reasons I wanted to talk about this today. Just because you aren't in love with your business 24 seven does not mean that your business is doomed by any means. It's really like any relationships. It's going to have its highs. It's going to have its lows. The trick is really recognizing when you're in one of those low phases and knowing that it's possible to get back to the high.

And that was so important for me to just say, because I think both you and I both needed that reminder right there.

Chandra (04:07.491)
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

Brie (04:10.014)
You know, we were just discussing how sometimes you just want to throw your hands up in the air and you don't know what to do. We want our employees to be happy. We want them to make money. We want everyone to just have a grand time. And right now it's not happening for either one of us. Like, like we're used to.

Chandra (04:26.115)
Yeah.

Brie (04:29.27)
I think one of the most important things that we can do when we start feeling this disconnect from our business, especially in tough times like we're going through, is really to reconnect with our why. Why did you start this business in the first place? What were you passionate about in the beginning? Was it the creativity? Was it the freedom? Was it the desire to build something unique that truly represents you? When I think back to when I first started, I was so freaking excited.

had this vision of kind of creating this space that was all mine, where I could build a dream team, I could serve my clients, I could have an impact on my community. But I know as time went on, that excitement, it kind of started to fade under the weight of daily responsibilities, constant stress, family, and of course, the challenges of the world, the economy, right? I've seen this happen with so many salon owners.

Just the other day I was talking to one of our BBA members and she told me that she literally got so wrapped up in trying to keep things afloat during this slow time in her business that she completely lost sight of why she started in the first place. It wasn't really until she kind of took a step back and she remembered how much she loved building her team and seeing their growth that she started to feel that passion again.

What do you think is one of the biggest reasons that people start feeling this pressure?

Chandra (05:59.887)
Well, I think it's because you're human and you're one person, right? And it's like, when you're trying to run this huge thing and you've got this business and this dream and you're trying to build this and create it, and then you hit all those roadblocks and it's like, you you're working really hard and then finances are low or you're not finding the dream team that you hoped you'd find, or you end up cranking behind the chair to keep the lights on and that's stressful.

And then your family stuff, you know, your personal life has to pile on too. So I think at some point, sometimes you just feel like you're just done or you're just tired of it because you can't keep all those balls in the air all the time or all, you know, all those things going. so I think that's why, I mean, I know for me, you know, throughout all the different times that I've gone through stuff, that's usually what happens. It's just like compounding things that just eventually you kind of hit that breaking point.

Brie (06:53.57)
Yeah, I think when stress is high, we have to take some time to reflect on our journeys. Why did we open our business in the first place? What part of that original vision can you reconnect with? It's so easy to lose sight of your why, especially like when the numbers aren't where you want them to be, but that is really the fuel that is going to keep us going. So during tough times like slow sales or maybe high stress,

Have you ever had to reconnect with that original vision to find your passion again?

Chandra (07:27.843)
Yeah, I think that's the only way I usually do kind of get myself out of it is always taking that time to reconnect with the whole reason I'm doing it in the first place, right?

Brie (07:37.718)
And how do you do that? Like, what do you do in order to kind of take yourself out of that position and actually see the bigger picture once again?

Chandra (07:48.717)
I do a lot of reflection when I'm going through that. I really kind of sit myself down alone, know, quiet space. And I just really have to sit down and weigh out my pros and cons. Like, why did I do this in the first place? What's going on that's really so bad that's causing me to feel like that? And just kind of bringing back my why. And that always kind of energizes me to figure out how to get through it.

You know, you sit down and you really start thinking about all those things and bringing it back to, know, if I don't have this anymore and I just quit and give up on everything, what does that look like? You know, and usually that's kind of where it hits me like, well, that's not what I want. You know, that's not my goals and not, you know, my dreams and all of those things. So that's how I usually bring it back. I mean, a lot of reflection, writing things down, trying to, you know, think it through, not be rash.

Make a rash crazy decision.

Brie (08:48.226)
I think self -reflection is so important and it's a part that may sting just a little bit, but it's key. It's key to finding that why again. Here's something that I kind of learned. Sometimes falling out of love with your business, it's not just about the economy or about the market or about things like that. Maybe it's about what you did or what you didn't do.

And I'm completely saying that from experience. know that can kind of sting. can kind of make things hard, but it's the truth. Burnout. It doesn't just happen. It builds when we ignore issues, when we avoid tough conversations, when we neglect self care and burnout is when you no longer love your business. When we start skipping over the things that made us love the business in the first place, like engaging with our clients, being creative, right? Leading our team.

It's, it's no wonder that the love kind of fades. Sometimes things like slow cells, they force us to confront problems that we've been avoiding. And I think that's where you and I kind of are right now. Right. For example, maybe there's been a lingering issue with our team or certain processes that we've been neglecting and they're weighing us down, but

We just haven't had the time or the energy to address them well. And so right now with the positions that you and I are in, that's kind of what we're doing. We're going back through everything. We're asking ourselves, what have we been avoiding? What's one problem that keeps coming back that we haven't actually tackled yet? How important do you think self -reflection truly, truly is for salon owners? Because I hear people say it all the time, right?

But I don't know that people necessarily do anything about it, but when they're feeling burnt out or disconnected, would you say it is of utmost importance? Like it should come before, not everything because family always comes first, right? But should we prioritize it way more than what we do in this industry?

Chandra (10:54.987)
yeah, I think we should prioritize it. And I think you're right. I think, cause I'm guilty of this too. Sometimes I'm like, okay, I got to take a moment. I got to figure this out and then I'll sit down and I'll like think about a couple things. And then like, do nothing or I don't really, I'm like, whatever. And then I'm off to being stressed again or off to the next task or off to the next thing. So I think it is one of the most important things that you should be doing. But I also think you need to really treat it like that. And

Realize like, yeah, you could just sit down and think about stuff, but that's not necessarily going to solve your problems. You have to really self -reflect, really think about it. Is it something you're doing? Is there something you can change? And what exactly is it that you really want and bring it back to that very beginning? And then you have to take action on those things. You can't just sit and think about it and like, yay, my life is whatever. And then you do nothing.

I'm guilty of doing that too sometimes, so I know that, but you have to, I think, make that a priority, but then you have to make a plan when you're done.

Brie (11:59.458)
Absolutely. No, I agree with that. One of the things that I've recognized when I am self reflecting or looking into my business is that a lot of times there's those recurring problems that are constantly popping up. You know, the ones that maybe it's maybe a team member who's constantly bringing drama, a process that feels super outdated in my business, but I just haven't gotten to it. haven't updated it.

I didn't realize how much those things weighed me down and created frustration that lingers, especially when I was already stressed out about other things. So I think what everybody needs to do is just identify maybe one recurring issue that is draining you and commit to resolving that one issue. Start small. Don't try to overhaul everything at once.

Chandra and I see this all the time when we're coaching different salon and spa owners, they want to change it all, but that usually leads to nothing being changed. maybe think about something that you could delegate to somebody. Maybe it's a process that needs to be streamlined. Maybe it's something that you need help with outside of your business, right? You have to look outside and that's okay. Getting help is part of growth. I don't know why.

people in the beauty industry are so against trying to get help. What's been the most common recurring issue in your studio that has caused you frustration and how did you kind of work through that?

Chandra (13:34.477)
I mean, I really think one of the most common recurring issues is myself not doing sometimes the things that I should be doing. You know, like sometimes there's things, like you said, there's little things. It's not even like you have to overhaul your entire business in like a day, but there's things that I know need to be done or delegated or handled that I need to move myself into, you know, being more of that owner position or

you know, stepping away from certain things or giving other team members that opportunity to do things. And I think that for me has always been a recurring problem. We talk about me doing that all the time. So it's something that I'm definitely working on right now. And I actually have a plan and getting through it, but it's, is a recurring thing. And I definitely find myself sometimes when I do stop and reflect and I'm in a not a good place and I'm in a bad place. A lot of times, like you said, you bring it back to.

who's the one that's causing some of those problems and a lot of times it's yourself.

Brie (14:35.778)
Yeah, it is. really is. I know that I am constantly doing that to myself as well. You and I are a lot alike in a lot of ways. So I know that you've brought in outside help. You actually, you know, realized it, recognized it, and did it to tackle some of these reoccurring problems that you had. How did that impact not only your business, but your life?

Chandra (15:01.283)
Yeah, it definitely was a game changer for me. I mean, you know, I've tried different things over the years and I've gotten, I've gotten a lot out of everything that I have brought in for help. And I think you hit that breaking point and that's where I was where I was like, I don't know how to fix this. Like, I don't know what to do anymore. Like I've tried everything that I think I can do and I don't know what to do. I don't know how to fix it. And so I, you know, sought out, you know, industry.

coaches or business coaches and different things and got that help and that definitely changed my business. It changed my life. It gave me more freedom. It also empowered me to understand what to do instead of always just feeling like I didn't know how to handle, fix something or handle something. So I think if you're ever in that position, you don't have all the answers. I mean, in our industry,

not trying to say anything mean because I was right there but if you go from service provider to owner you really have no clue sometimes what you're getting into and so I think at some point if you want your business to flourish you don't have all the answers you don't know so you you definitely have to kind of suck it up and and get help that's where I was

Brie (16:15.756)
Yeah, no, I agree. think we all need help and we can all learn from each other. And I don't know why there is such a stigma against getting help, but it is kind of what it is in this industry. So I do want to, because we've gotten a lot of feedback lately from everything being so slow. I mean, you pull up social media. I know we brought it up in the beginning. You pull up social media, you're seeing it everywhere, aside from those few that are like, I'm the busiest I've ever been.

Chandra (16:43.204)
Yeah.

Brie (16:43.298)
pretty much everybody's kind of feeling it, right? So I think I want to talk about that directly for just a second. Clients are being more cautious with their spending. We're seeing fewer people come through the door. It's frustrating, but it does not mean that your business is failing. It doesn't mean that. I know it's hard. I've been there, done that a million times over. Take this as an opportunity to take a step back, reevaluate and strategize.

Use this time to focus on building stronger relationships with your clients. Even if they're coming in less often, you can stay top of mind with personalized messages, special offers, loyalty rewards. Keep them engaged with your business, regardless of what you do. Also ask yourself, what can you improve right now? This is the thing. Business owners have to take advantage of the slow times. We can't sit and dwindle and sulk and...

be upset, we have to take advantage of it. have to capitalize on those slow times. We've got to strategize and reevaluate and all of those things. Is there something you can tweak? Is there a new package you can introduce? What can you do to make things better? I'm not saying that you are the reason that things are slow. I'm simply saying, take advantage of it, make yourself and your business better for it. If you need leadership training, if you need sales training, whatever it is,

take this opportunity so that when things pick up, you can go and kill it. So we said it, the economy's tough right now. We know it. lot of slow, a lot of salon owners are facing those slow sales. How are you handling this personally and what strategies are you implementing right now to keep things going?

Chandra (18:16.834)
you

Chandra (18:29.999)
Yeah, I mean, we definitely are slower than normal. so, you know, putting yourself in a position where you can financially have a cushion is very helpful when you're getting through these slow times. So prioritizing your finances. We also, you know, have looked at all of our financials and made any cuts that we can. Like you have to be careful and really pay attention to that stuff because it can get out of hand very quickly. And sometimes just those little things can even help you get through this slump.

And then we're doing all of the things in salon too, to, like you said, build more relationships with clients. We already have a lot of systems in place for doing that. And we have a lot of those different programs, but in this time we're taking an extra step. We're having team members reach out to clients that haven't come in and we're having, know, we're sending, you know, different surveys and different things to make sure that everybody is connected to us and you know, that we're doing our part to keep them in our salon.

And I think it's not that they're even going somewhere else. It's just the times, like they're pushing appointments longer or they're, you know, skipping one or two different things like that. So they're still coming in. And so it's really trying to find ways right now that we're doing to get them to come in sooner. Like we've introduced a service that's a little bit of a lower price service that maybe we took some of the frills out of, but we added some other things to it to still make it be.

really worthwhile, but it's a less expensive service. So if they want to come in more often, we're giving them a discount for doing that. So it's like just kind of looking at some of those little things. if it's financial for your clients, maybe offering another option. Like we did an express tent that just doesn't have a blow dry, you know, so it's got a less expensive price and they just will fluff them up, make it nice. It's a shorter service and we've had a lot of people take advantage of that, but

In order to do that, we kind of have them coming in more often, so they're not pushing that extra appointment out or skipping that extra appointment. So trying to think outside the box and implementing some of those different things to keep them engaged and keep them coming in more.

Brie (20:41.708)
think that's great. think it's awesome. I mean, it shows how much we care about our clients, right? You don't see places like Burger King or Pizza Hut doing any of this for you. Like we genuinely care about our customers and guys, we fill you. We are in this with you. We fill you. Okay. So we talked about how we kind of fall out of love with our business, right? We've talked about the self -reflection. How do we actually reignite that love?

One of the best ways in my opinion to do this is to start by redesigning the parts of your business that drain you the absolute most. If the daily grind of admin task is sucking the joy out of your day, delegate it, do something about it. Maybe it's time to revamp your services to reignite the excitement like Chandra is doing, right? Think outside the box. Is there a new service or trend that you've been dying to introduce? Try it now. You've got the opportunity. Do it, right?

I think we have to acknowledge when's the last time that you actually acknowledged what is working and not in your business. We as the lawn and spot owner spend so much time focusing on what's broken, right? What's stressful. We forget to celebrate so, so often. So I want everybody listening to this to take time to recognize the things that are going well right now. It may not be your cells are higher.

but there's something that is going well in your business. Okay? Whether it's an event that you're having, a great client review, your team is just pulling together in a difficult time. There is something that's going well. Don't forget to take advantage of team building opportunities right now too. It's a great way to build the momentum up, to get everybody hyped, refresh your marketing strategy.

All of these things can be done and it's going to help you fall in love with your business just a little bit every time you do something like that. What's one of your favorite team building activities that you like to do? I know we've talked about this before, but when times are down, right? When everybody's a little low, what is something you like to do just to spice it up a little bit?

Chandra (22:56.073)
I mean, we do so many different things. I don't know if there's like one specific thing, but one thing we just did that was a really fun team building activity that they actually really got a kick out of was, and it was really silly. Like we all got the, we got these plastic disposable ponchos and everybody put it on. And then you got like a stack of sticky notes and you had to go through the sticky notes and write down on there what you appreciate about.

each coworker and you wouldn't stick them on their poncho. And so it was fun because everybody felt kind of stupid at first, you know, they're like putting the stupid poncho on and they like feel so weird. But then after everybody started doing it, they got really excited and they bonded and we even have quite a few of our team members that took all those sticky notes and they put them all on the inside of their station so that they could remember that, you know. And so I think

Even though it's silly, it's just those little things that bond your team together more. And I think that kind of stuff definitely gets you through those, those times, especially cause morale is down. If, the salon overall is slow, then that means most of the people in there are also kind of slow. And so you want to keep their morale high and keep them excited. So any of those like little activities make a huge impact. They seem silly, but they make a huge impact.

Brie (24:15.744)
No, they really do. Sometimes all it takes is like a fresh approach or just a new energy, like you said, to help you fall back in love with the business that you've built. That's all it takes. Have you ever redesigned any part of your business, whether it's services, operations, maybe even the look of your salon, to bring back some excitement?

Chandra (24:38.455)
all the time. I'm like over the years, that's definitely something that we've done. We've redesigned our menu several times. We've remodeled several times. I think a lot of it, you know, we just try to also reignite everything that we're doing and make it better and make it fun. And I think making it fun is probably the most important thing to reignite the business. And we were just talking about that with one of our members the other day too, is really making it fun for their team because that

That reignites my passion too, because that's part of the reason I got into it was to build an amazing team and to have all of that. So if they're not good, then you're kind of not good, right? I think really, you know, doing anything that kind of brings back that feeling like in the beginning when you first started. And we've done that so many times, so many different things.

Brie (25:29.452)
Yeah, it's so true though. We get bogged down. We get bogged down, right? Our team, a lot of times they don't see, they don't understand, they don't know all of the business admin stuff that we're going through. They don't know that we're barely keeping the lights on if we are. They don't know that we have issues with the landlord. They don't know and they don't see all of those things. And so I think a lot of times as an owner, we get so caught up in it and it just pushes us down and down and down and down.

to the point of where we're just this mundane person walking around in our studios with no personality, no light to us at all, right? And that is going to rub off and reflect everybody that works for us. So it's so important to drop your guard a little bit in the way that you're having fun and you're joking and you're not one of the team because

I don't think that's good, but you're one of the team, if that makes sense. Like you're, you're enjoying with them, even though they know you as boss and leader, you're enjoying with them. You're having fun. You're making a fool of yourself right alongside of everyone else. We were talking to one of our BBA members the other day and it's as simple as right. Getting everybody together for a team meeting, but doing a dance off at the beginning or a lip sync challenge or something like those little things can spark your love so fast.

because then all of those memories start flooding back, right? Everything you've accomplished, everything that you've done, and it's just a really, really cool thing to see. So as we wrap up, I wanna leave everybody with this because this is something that I've learned. You have to be patient with yourself and with your business. There is not a business out there that is perfect, and don't let anybody tell you that there is. The stress that you're feeling right now, whether it's from

slow sales or from team drama or family, anything else. It doesn't mean it's always going to be this way. You can ask people like Chandra and myself who have been in this industry for a long time. Never going to tell you how long because I don't want to tell you how old we are, but you have to take time to reflect. You have to take time to address what's bothering you and remember the things that made you excited about your business in the first place. But above all,

Chandra (27:39.887)
Thank you.

Brie (27:53.964)
Do not, do not, and I have to repeat this to myself daily, do not forget to give yourself just a little bit of grace. So I have a challenge for you today. Go through and make a list of what you absolutely love about your business. Then go through and make a list of things that you wanna fix. And then just commit to taking one small step this week to address something on that list. One thing, because when you start,

you're going to start seeing a change. Chandra, what's one small step that you would suggest that owners maybe take this week to start falling back in love with their business?

Chandra (28:35.385)
I think really just bringing back your why a little bit and find out where it is or maybe rediscover a new why. Because sometimes your why can change a little bit. I think just finding out what it is that's going to drive you and that's going to help you stay on top of also handling the things that are draining you and getting them done and fixed.

Brie (28:59.042)
Yeah, that's actually a really good point that you bring up and we tell people this all the time, but maybe some of our listeners haven't heard it. Life is ever evolving. Business is ever evolving. The beauty industry is ever evolving. You are ever evolving. Your why is going to be constantly evolving and changing. If you started your business 30 years ago, your why, it's changed. If it hasn't, then I would really, really do some self -reflection because it should, right?

We should never be okay with being just stable. And I know that sounds crazy, but as business owners, being stable is never a good thing. Cause if you're not growing, you're slowing. It's one way or the other, right? So I think that is absolutely brilliant. What you just said. That's a wrap guys. Thanks for tuning into this episode of salon Swagger. I hope that this helps you find.

just a small way to fall back in love with your business and rediscover the passion that got you started in the beginning. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure you follow us, leave a review and share it with other beauty industry pros. Don't forget to follow us on social media. Chandra, how do they do that?

Chandra (30:12.335)
Yep, we're at the Beauty Biz Agency on Instagram, TikTok, and on Facebook. So make sure you check out our social and send us a message. If you want us to talk about something or you just want to get some more information, let us know. We'll definitely get back to you.

Brie (30:28.578)
Yeah, 100%. And don't forget to visit our website, www .thebeautybusagency .com. We have some amazing free resources that you can implement immediately to level up your studio. Now go out there, make some boss moves and fall in love with your business all over again. Until next time, keep slaying those business goals with a whole lot of swagger.