Salon Swagger

Brie (00:01.628)
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 here with you today and I'm here with my amazing co -host Chandra. How are you, girl?

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (00:13.028)
Hello, doing good.

Brie (00:15.388)
Awesome. Well, I am super excited to talk about today because I think it's really, really something. Yes, I know we say this all the time, but I think today is really, really important because we're going to talk about really what I like to call the illusion of the day off for commission salon and spa owners. There are so many common misconceptions when it comes to what a day off is. And for some odd reason,

We in the beauty industry look at a day off different than every other industry out there, right? Like, yes, I understand business owners, we have responsibilities, there's things that have to be done. However, a day off is a day off regardless of what you want to say. And so I think we need to start by addressing some of those common misconception about what a day off really looks like for all of us in the beauty industry, for all of us commissioned salon and spa owners.

So many of us think that just because we're not physically present in the studio, it means we're off duty. However, we often find ourselves doing what? Checking emails, responding to text messages from our team members, handling client issues over the phone, messaging people on Facebook or Instagram. If any of that sounds familiar to you out there, if you are doing this on your day off, the reality is simply being away from the studio.

It does not equate to taking a real break and it is most definitely not a day off. So I would like to ask you, have you found yourself doing any of these things on your supposed day off?

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (01:56.356)
yeah, all the time. I think, I was gonna say it, that's like a never ending thing. You have to learn how to not do that.

Brie (02:07.484)
Right. Yeah, definitely. It's definitely a learned behavior. I think you put that perfectly. It is a learned behavior. Why do you think that because you've been in this industry a long time, you've been an owner for a very long time the same way that I have. Why do you think that year after year, regardless of what you try to do, that constantly pulls you back in? And I'm only asking you this because I think it's really it's cool, right? We work with tons of salon and spa owners all over the nation.

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (02:11.076)
Mm -hmm.

Brie (02:36.284)
I mean, some even out of the nation, but we find it different for every single person. And that's what I think is really cool about this podcast is because you and I have both, we both run very successful salons. However, we do things extremely different when it comes to certain things. Like for me, my days off are days freaking off, but I noticed with you, yours are a little different and I put you kind of a little more in this category. So what do you feel?

constantly pulls you back in to having the illusion of a day off, but not a true day off.

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (03:12.918)
Well, I think a lot of it is because there's always so much stuff that has to get done. And so when I have a day off, I feel like, I have time now to get this stuff done instead of actually taking a day off. And so I think that's what happens a lot of the times is you think, yeah, I have a day off from the salon or from clients or whatever that looks like. And then I'm going to instead knock out all my to -do lists that I have.

instead of actually taking that day off. So that's what happens to me a lot of the times.

Brie (03:43.452)
get that. I get that. So I want to kind of illustrate this for everybody out there listening. I did some research before doing this episode because I think numbers are important. We preach numbers at the Beauty Biz agency. And so I think it's important to come with statistics, right? So according to some recent surveys that were done, over 70 % 70 % of salon and spa owners admit to spending at least half of their day off dealing with business related matters.

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (04:13.764)
Yeah.

Brie (04:14.204)
That is absolutely insane to me. That is, I don't get it. I don't understand it. I don't agree with it. Just being completely honest with you. And I think it's something that we need to change. So I've heard people say things like, I tried taking a day off last week, but ended up spending the morning on the phone with suppliers and the afternoon resolving, I don't know, staff scheduling issues, right? Even when they're not at the salon, they are constantly thinking about it.

They can't switch their brain off. So have you, what kind of pulls you back in? What do you find yourself working on on your days off normally?

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (04:53.316)
A lot of it ends up being just organizing different things that didn't get done during the week. So like if we were working on doing one -on -one meetings that week, sometimes, you know, we didn't get certain things done during the week. So then I end up having to catch up on stuff like that. Sometimes it's orders. It's always orders. It's always payroll.

It's always some of those like admin type jobs, I think that pull me back in because those are things that I feel like a lot of the times I can't hand off. And so I end up always like trying to find the time to do those things. but I think I always just kind of get pulled back in because I feel like you're the always have the idea looming that there's something else that needs to be done. So you're like, okay, I've got time now. I've got to get this done, even though you probably don't have to be spending your day doing that.

Brie (05:39.42)
Yeah. Well, I think this, this episode is actually going to be good for you as well, because a lot of times when we talk about things like this, right, we open up about things like this, we realize things in ourselves that we're doing that we wouldn't see from the outside. Our family members see it, our employees see it. I see it. You see it in me, but we don't see it in ourselves. And so it's really, really sad to me that as commission salon and spa owners, our days off,

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (05:44.388)
sure.

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (05:59.812)
Yeah.

Brie (06:06.172)
They're often filled with the same stresses and responsibilities as our regular work days. And when you look at it that way, it makes you stop for a second and be like, holy crap, that's so true. And that is absolutely pathetic. Like we deserve days off and we need to get to that point. So I understand managing your business is important, but managing your business from your phone,

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (06:23.908)
Yeah.

Brie (06:33.372)
It's not going to count as a true break from your business. You may be physically away from the salon or the spa, but mentally you are still very much at work. And this is what we need to really think about. True relaxation, true rejuvenation. It requires a complete disconnect from all business responsibilities, every single thing. It's about giving your mind and your body the time that they need to rest, to recharge, to do.

all of those amazing things. So what do you think about the idea that a true break requires a complete disconnect? How does that resonate with you? Do you agree with it? Do you not? How do you feel about that?

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (07:15.684)
No, I think it absolutely would be a true break if you didn't have any of those things that you're thinking about, that you're doing, that you're... Because you're right, you never actually have time to really recharge, unwind, kind of just have a moment to yourself because even if you have no actual tasks, you are always thinking about the things that maybe are looming or things you got to do or things you want to do or all of those different things are constantly going through your head. So you never...

turn it off. So I agree 100%. That's not a true break at all. And I think a true break would be turning it off and not having to even have a thought about those things.

Brie (07:55.996)
So I want you to think back for a second. I get true days off all the time because I have worked my business that way. That's just how I've set things up. But think back to a time where you actually successfully achieved this one true day off. I'm not asking for more than 24 hours and think about how that felt to you and describe that to me, to the listeners, exactly how you felt in that moment. If you can.

Remember a day when you actually were able to do that.

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (08:27.428)
yeah, and I mean, I have those days here and there for sure. So I think it goes two ways. Sometimes it depends on my mood. Sometimes I can like just completely turn it off and I am, you know, having a relaxing day, being able to spend time with my kids, being able to unwind. It feels amazing. Like I feel like I don't even have the same life when you have those days off, you know? And so it feels like a completely different life.

And then sometimes when I have those days off, I have like that looming, like, my God, I'm doing something wrong because I have a day off and you kind of feel guilty. Like you're not allowed to take that day off. You're not allowed to take that time. And so, I mean, it kind of goes both ways for me, depending on how I'm feeling. Sometimes I have a really great day off because I can, can shut it off and be in a good, happy mood and not be thinking like, my God, I feel like something's wrong. But sometimes I feel like something's wrong when I have a day off.

Brie (09:23.996)
No, and I totally get that. I think that's just part of, and that is one of the beautiful things about salon ownership, right? That it is your baby. I hear people say that businesses are babies all the time. And we own different businesses, but I will say there is a certain attachment to a salon or a spa that you don't have like with a golf course that we own or with an oil -filled company. You know what I mean? Like it's just not the same. So I get it.

But I think we need to think about it from a different perspective sometimes. So would we consider our employees to be having a true day off or on a break if they were handling client calls while they were on vacation? Of course not, right? Absolutely not. Well, the same principle applies to you. It applies to me and it applies to all of the commission salon and spa owners out there. A genuine day off means no emails.

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (10:07.044)
No. Mm -mm. No.

Brie (10:20.476)
no phone calls and no thinking about work period, like nothing about work. It's time for you to focus on yourself, your family, your wellbeing, really anything that you want to focus on. So I think we need to kind of get into that just a little bit more and talk about what a genuine day off looks like for salon and spa owners, where you are completely free from anything. I mean, anything business related, meaning no communication with

anyone at your studio, no tasks that you have to do. Really just imagine a day where you don't check your email, you don't answer business calls, and most importantly, you do not think about your stinking business for one second. It's a day dedicated solely to you, solely to your family, solely to your personal interest. And that's something that I find really funny.

I talk to other business owners all the time. I'm at, we coach salon and spa owners and very rarely do I hear about their personal interest. But when I was getting ready for this episode, I was thinking about other business owners. I know a ton of their personal interests. They like to golf. They like to hike. They like to fish. They like to do these things. Right. And they do them quite frequently, but the salon and spa owners that we coach, I couldn't tell you on one hand.

some of their personal interest because they never talk about them because they're not able to do them. And I get that it sounds impossible, but it's not. It is totally achievable. I have achieved it. It is essential as well. Absolutely essential. So let's talk about some of the health benefits that go along with that and why a day off is so important, not only for your physical health, but your mental health. I think it reduces stress majorly.

If you are constantly connected to your business, your stress levels are going to be high all the time. It's going to lead to intense burnout, in my opinion. By being able to fully disconnect, you allow your mind that reset that it needs, and that's going to reduce anxiety and stress in a lot of ways. So I would like to hear from you on that day or those days that you get to actually unwind and disconnect.

Brie (12:41.852)
How does it feel different? Is your anxiety lower when you go back into work the next time? Is your stress level lower on those days where you're able to just replenish yourself in every way possible?

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (12:56.516)
yeah, for sure. I think it definitely lowers my stress level. I feel like I go back happier and more appreciative of what I have and what I've built and everybody there. I also think I always go back more motivated to achieve some of the things that I've been wanting to achieve instead of constantly feeling like I'm never going to have time or things like that. It's like all of a sudden you get this kind of burst of energy that you're like, and you just like knock out all this stuff that's been sitting there forever. So I do think it

Brie (13:21.468)
Yes.

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (13:26.422)
It is huge for your mental health because I think when that happens to me, I mean, I noticed a big difference and it lasts for like a few days or a week to even having just that one day of getting to just recharge and do nothing. So.

Brie (13:39.996)
A million percent. No, I agree with you. For me, the first word that came to mind was focus. When I'm able to do that and take a day off or a few days off, I come in with such improved focus. I feel like it leads to better decision making for me, for my business, for my team, and really, really that increased productivity. Just like you said, right? I am checking things off like crazy. I'm coming up with new ideas. Like it's just...

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (13:45.636)
Mm -hmm.

Brie (14:09.82)
absolutely insane at everything that I'm able to do. So if let's let's go back to a time where in those days where you never got a day off because this wasn't always the case for me either. I mean, it was years of no days off, right? Like years of not being able to let that go. Think about the stress level during that time for you and what did that look like?

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (14:35.3)
Yeah, I mean, I just feel like just kind of like out of control, like you can't really focus. You have a hard time focusing. You feel like you're just putting out fire, fire, fire, fire. And it just becomes like a burden. It becomes really stressful. And you're kind of like, why am I even doing this? Like it makes you just kind of like question like, you know, your quality of life because you don't really have one. And so I can't focus when I get like that. I have a hard time being able to.

get things checked off my list or pay attention to what I need or even my kids will tell me like you're not even paying attention to us like they'll be talking and telling me a story or telling me something and I'm just kind of like wait what like at the end of it like I wasn't even listening because your mind can't stop going when you get to that heightened state and you're just constantly just not really living your life you're kind of just like floating through and you're not really paying attention to anything and you're stressed out and you're not getting anything done and that's how I feel when I

Don't get any days off for a long time.

Brie (15:37.276)
No, I agree with that. I think if you're able to get to the point, if you're able to take the steps to make true days off happen, you won't be the only person that notices the difference, right? Your family's going to see it. Your staff is going to see it. Everybody's going to see it. And so I think you hit the nail on the head there. And I think it's really, really important. Did you notice a difference? Because I know for me, I did. I noticed a difference in like stagnant growth, like...

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (15:47.396)
Yeah. Yeah.

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (16:05.188)
Mm -hmm.

Brie (16:05.756)
I was working my tail feathers off, but it felt like nothing was freaking happening. And when I was able to just kind of reset and say, I can't do this anymore, like it's either my mental health, my physical wellbeing, or my business. I've got to make some changes. And I did that. It's when I started to see actual growth in my business.

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (16:28.9)
Yeah, I agree 100%. Yeah.

Brie (16:31.612)
Why do you think that is? Why do you think that we saw such significant growth when we were able to kind of disconnect and take a step back just a little bit?

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (16:42.02)
I think for me it's because when I'm not able to do that, I'm not focusing on the things that actually make me grow. I'm not focusing on fresh ideas. I'm not focusing on putting my energy into the places that it needs to be. Instead, I'm just trying to focus on getting through the day and dealing with the day -to -day stuff and all the constant things that just keep coming at you all day long because you can't.

kind of delegate or compartmentalize those things when you're in that sort of mindset. And so I think for me, it's like when you finally get to recharge, you have a moment to be like, you know what, this is what I need to do to get this moving. This is what I need to do to bring more clients in or get my team motivated. And you can work so much more efficiently that way. And you can focus more, like you said, and pay attention to those things instead of putting all those things that you need to do on the back burner because you can't get a handle on everything else that's happening.

Brie (17:34.62)
No, I agree. I remember looking at some of the things that I was doing when I finally sat down and told myself, make it or break it, it's either going to be this way or this way. And this is the way that I'm choosing to go. I don't want to close my doors. This is what I'm going to do. I remember looking at some of the stuff that I had created during that chaotic time. And I was like, this is crap. Like, I don't even know if I would work for myself because I didn't put all of my effort into things, right? It's like,

I was looking out for everyone, but only a little bit when I should have poured a lot more into what I was doing. And I, once I was able to have that reset, I was able to create stellar stellar things that really just made things skyrocket. So let me ask you this, because I'm curious. I know the answer for me, but what feedback did you receive from your family or from your team when you actually started taking those proper breaks?

and how did it affect your interactions with them?

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (18:35.076)
I think at work with my team, it brought me closer to them in a way because we were actually having conversations I felt like that were more meaningful. They could tell that I was happier and like having in a better mood. I never bring my bad moods to work. At least I try not to show it, right? But there is a different shift in your energy when you legitimately from the inside feel like recharged and you feel like you're in that more uplifted state and you have...

more focused than when you're kind of like running around like a chicken with your head cut off all the time. And so I think for them, it just, it changes the whole energy and mood of the business when I'm in a good place like that. And same thing at home. Like I feel like my kids, we have a better relationship. We're communicating better. We're having more fun together because you're not constantly feeling that like stress. So you can actually like open up and like let things just happen instead of.

constantly being like you're not paying attention, which I'm guilty of.

Brie (19:34.524)
No, I, I think we all are. And I don't, I think that's important to say, I don't want this episode to feel like we're shaming anyone because we're not. It's just, we've made all of these mistakes in the past and we want to help people get past those, right? We want them to see that there is a way to do it. There's a light at the end of the tunnel. And it is amazing when you're able to follow the steps and actually create a plan like this. I know for me,

My family definitely noticed a difference. My team noticed a difference. But I think myself, I was the one that noticed the biggest difference. I was, I remember sitting down one day and literally just losing my crap. I was like, I have missed out on so many small moments because I chose, I chose not to be present with my family, with things that were happening. Was I there? Yes. Was I present?

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (20:21.94)
Yeah.

Brie (20:31.804)
Absolutely not. And when that came across my mind for me, that was a big, big point of it's got to change. It's got to change now. And if it doesn't, then I'm done with this because nothing's ever going to come before my family. You know what I mean? And so I know we have a lot of listeners out there and they're probably thinking, Bri, Chandra, this sounds great, but how in the heck do I make this happen? And so I thought there would be no better way to

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (20:32.42)
Yeah.

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (20:47.428)
Yeah.

Brie (21:01.596)
talk to them about it, except the exact steps that I took in order to make this happen for my life, the reality that I live now. However, before we dive into the concept that I've been using for over a decade, I think it's really, really important to discuss one crucial reason why a lot of commissions, a lot of spa owners often struggle to take days off. And part of that issue, I would say the majority lies within ourselves, right?

It's because many of us, and I know you and I have had this talk and I still get onto you, I nitpick at you all the time. We have controlling natures and we find it really, really hard to let go of the reins. But we have to remember that a well -run business relies on having the right team members and the right leadership in place. And if your leadership team cannot handle your absence for 24 freaking hours,

then it's either a sign that you don't have the right leadership team in place, or you as the owner need a mindset shift. You are all about control. And here's the thing in life, you can never do it all by yourself. I don't care what you say, it can't happen. So why do you think commission salon and spa owners find it so hard to let go of control? And I am speaking from myself, like this was one of the hardest things for me.

to ever get over. I know that you face this issue yourself. I know you still face it at times. So I would like to know why you think it's so hard for salon and spa owners to hand over the control, number one. And number two, how do you deal with still facing this issue at times?

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (22:33.444)
Yep. Mm -hmm.

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (22:47.875)
I think, I don't know if it's just like your personality, like if you just have a controlling personality, because I know I do for sure sometimes, but I think you just feel like everything is going to fall apart if you're not in charge. And I don't know why that we feel that way, but that's how I feel sometimes. Like if I'm like, okay, I'm not in charge of this right now, but then you want to know like what's happening. Are they handling it the way I want them to handle it? Are they doing it the way I want them to do it? Or.

you know, all of those things. And so I think that's, you feel like you have to be in charge. You feel like you have to be in control.

Brie (23:22.3)
Yeah, 100%. And that is why I think the meat and potatoes of this episode are going to be great for so many people. Now, I want to talk about the controlling nature really, really quickly, because a lot of times we bother our staff and our leadership team unnecessarily. It is something that we are notorious for as commission salon and spa owners. They may be managing things just fine, but our need to control everything.

makes it hard for us to not check in constantly. This behavior can be absolutely detrimental as it can cause your team, your management, your leadership team to feel like you don't trust them. Regardless of what they tell you, they may say, I don't mind you checking in, but it really, really causes distrust. Statistics on this show, over 87 % of leadership teams and managers feel like an owner that checks in

constantly does not trust them. Trusting your team is essential if you are going to build a strong, autonomous workforce and actually have a business that is going to be sustainable. Another thing that I think we do is we struggle to take these days off because our leadership team, maybe they're too scared or they're too attached to us. We don't teach them and lead them to be independent, right?

If this is the case, I think it's really crucial to determine where the problem lies. Is it within you as the leader or is it within your team? Are you micromanaging and not giving them the space that they need to lead effectively or are they genuinely unable to handle responsibilities in your absence? So I would like to see in your experience, how can owners identify if the problem lies within their own micromanagement issues or their team's dependence?

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (25:20.292)
I think you just have to really, like what I did for myself was I really sat down and just wrote down all of the things that I would be dealing with and all of the things that stress me out and all of those things and then start to look at why do those things happen? Like, is it because I'm micromanaging them? Is it because I didn't create what I needed to create for them to do their job?

is what is the reason that this stuff keeps happening? And that's what I did and I just kind of had to observe. And it was a little bit of both for me. It was a little bit of certain things. I was like micromanaging too much and certain things I wasn't letting them do what they needed to do. And so I think you just have to really look at yourself first for sure, because most of it, it's always going to come from you to begin with. And then after that, start really figuring that out, like what's going on in your business.

Brie (26:10.524)
Yeah, I agree with that. So one last question before we introduce the concept of decision layers. That's what we chose to call it. I've had this for decades, didn't have a name on it until a few days ago. So that's what we decided to call it. But I'm going to ask you this. How many times per week do you contact your management or leadership team? That's the first question. How many times are you still going up to your studio on a weekly basis?

Number two and number three, how often is your leadership team contacting you currently?

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (26:47.492)
it's not that much really as far as how much I'm contacting them. I don't even always speak to them every single day. So the days that I'm home, rarely do I even hear from them. but I'd still go up to my salon like three days a week.

two to three days a week usually. And so I am definitely involved in the business very much still. But as far as kind of contacting them and stuff like that, we don't really have a lot. We set up meetings, we set up check -in meetings when I go into the business. So that way we get to connect on what happened the day before. But yeah, so for the most part, I've let a lot of them go. Yeah. Mm -hmm.

Brie (27:24.508)
That's great. And I think that's good for people to hear, right? I think that's really good because people see that it can happen. With that being said, I said I only had those questions for you, but my next question is, when are you going to stop going up there three days a week?

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (27:30.788)
Yeah.

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (27:39.46)
Working on it.

Brie (27:40.124)
I'm just teasing you. I know you are. I know you are. All right. Let's talk about the concept of the decision layers and its crucial role in achieving true days off because I know that you use something very similar to this and it's all about distributing responsibilities in a very structured way so that you don't have to be the go -to person for every single issue in your salon or spa.

I think by implementing a system like this, you can ensure that your team is empowered to handle those day -to -day decisions, leaving you free to truly disconnect and focus on the bigger picture. And some of that bigger picture is your mental health, your physical health and wellbeing, and your family, right? So how have, before we tell everybody the secret, how have decision layers, whatever you call it, helped you in your business?

And can you kind of share an example of how this approach has worked for you?

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (28:39.14)
Yeah, this is exactly the approach that I use to get myself to where I am now and I'm still working on using the same method to get everything where I need it to be. But I think that this approach was actually fairly easy. And it was a daunting process because I was thinking before when I would think about how am I ever going to pass these things off or how am I ever going to do this or do that or how am I ever going to step away, it always seemed like a very

like daunting task. Like I'm not gonna like, I couldn't even sit down to think about how on earth I was even gonna do any of this, right? And so this process, I think really simplified it and made it be doable and made it actually like once you sit down and you start doing it, you're like, that's what I gotta do. Like that, that, that this was dumb. I've been, you know, spinning my wheels for all these years and, and that's it.

Brie (29:29.532)
That's it.

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (29:35.94)
So yeah, that would be my experience with doing this process. Yeah.

Brie (29:39.26)
I love that. It is, it's a great process and it is one of those things, right? Like you're never going to be able to hand over 100%. The owner always has that little bit. So let's break down these decision layers into three key tiers because that's how we do it, right? We have the team tier, the managerial tier and the owner's apex. So let's start with the team tier. This is really involving your frontline staff.

the people who interact directly with clients and handle, I don't know, routine operations, I guess, the types of decisions they make are usually very straightforward and they can be resolved on the spot. That's how I like to explain it to my team and my leadership team. This would be maybe adjusting simple client services, managing minor scheduling conflicts, something like that, handling basic client requests.

addressing small, very, very small issues that may arise, right? The benefits of having this team tier is it empowers your team to make these decisions and it boosts their confidence. I really did see a confidence boost. It improved our customer service tenfold and it reduced the number of interruptions that I faced on a daily basis. So what did you see when you kind of created this

team tier in your studio.

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (31:10.692)
similar things that you were just talking about, I think it definitely boosted their confidence and my trust in them and their trust in me, honestly, because they knew that I was entrusting them with this and doing this a specific way. So I felt like they took that more serious, like it was more serious to them instead of it kind of just being like, this is my job. This is what I have to do. Instead, it was empowering them.

to take ownership of some of those things. And I think that made a huge difference. And then I think too, it did boost our customer service because instead of them kind of being like, well, I got to talk to the owner and find out.

or I gotta do that instead it was like an instant gratification, an instant fix. I can help you with that. I can fix this for you. I can do this to resolve the situation or whatever that is. And then they just would tell me later, you know, like, hey, I handled this. Okay, great. Instead of, yep, instead of them waiting for me to always have to tell them what to do, which is amazing.

Brie (32:01.884)
Yeah.

Brie (32:07.516)
I think it's great. I think that's the way it works. So the second tier is the managerial tier. And this involves like your leadership team, top leadership team, right? Your managers, people who oversee daily operations and a little bit of staff or actually the staff in my case, they handle more complex issues that require a deeper understanding of business processes, business policies, things of that nature. So this would look like staff scheduling.

inventory management, escalated client complaints, implementing training programs, conducting those training programs, onboarding new employees, right? And I think the benefits of this is having those managers take on these responsibilities. It ensures consistency, operational efficiency, and effective leadership within your business. It also, once again, frees you from being the bottleneck for these decisions.

And that is one of the biggest things that I see when it comes to managers and owners is there is always that bottleneck. Am I in charge of this? Are you in charge of this? Who makes this decision? How does this work? And there's so much communication back and forth. It gets very, very confusing, very, very quickly, and it can lead to chaos. What did you notice when you put in this managerial tier in your studio?

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (33:31.14)
Well, it definitely eliminated the bottleneck. I know exactly what you mean, exactly what you're talking about. it, it literally did eliminate it. Like that, that's never an issue anymore with stuff like that. And the same thing, like everything just runs more efficiently. If they have a problem or question, they can always reach out to me, but they handle it. They know what to do. They know how they got to do it. And I think that, you know, that just made my business so much better. So definitely having that tear and that.

paying attention to that part of this process is huge.

Brie (34:04.828)
Yeah, I agree 100%. It was the best tier that I made. I mean, the team tier was great. It gave confidence. It increased, you know, a lot of things for us and helped a lot of things, but that managerial tier was huge because it was the only way that we could get to what is next, the owner's apex. And this tier is literally reserved for high level strategic decisions that shape the entire future of your business. As the owner,

Your focus has to be on long -term planning and growth rather than daily operational tasks. So these decisions in your owner's apex, it is literally something that nobody else in your business can make a decision on. That's all it is. Business expansion plans, right? Major financial decisions, long -term goal setting, strategic partnerships, things of that nature that are just out of the way.

Now, I'll be honest with you, my managerial tier, I give them a lot more control than a lot of other salon and spa owners do. And it works fantastic for me. But a lot of owners don't do that. And I think that's the beautiful thing about this decision layer is that you get to choose how much you hand over to every tier. I have noticed the benefits of having my owners apex the way it is, is that I am able to just.

focus on high level decisions, which allows me to steer my business towards growth, towards innovation, aligning my vision with my business strategy. And that is why I've been able to hit the numbers that I've been able to hit. What about you with your owner's apex?

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (35:47.94)
kind of the same thing. Like I feel like now I do just focus on the things that really matter for the business instead of being bogged down with that other stuff. And it's allowed us also to grow so much quicker to accomplish so much more. Like since implementing this process, we've been able to grow within just a couple of years leaps and bounds, which I had tried to grow for like a decade.

trying to get to that same point. And so it definitely, this is probably one of the most important things that I did for our business growth.

Brie (36:20.988)
Yep. By clearly defining these tiers and delegating responsibilities accordingly, you can create a structured decision -making framework that empowers your team and your managers. And honestly, you, this not only helps you achieve true days off, which is what we're talking about, right? But it also enhances the overall efficiency and effectiveness of your business operations, I think I would say.

So which tier do you think is the most challenging to implement and why?

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (36:53.348)
For me, the most challenging tier to implement, well, I would say there was kind of two that were pretty close, but the managerial tier at first was probably the most challenging because I...

did have to give up the control and I did have to hand those things over. And it wasn't even that challenging to structure that as it was to actually implement having them do all those things. And then I would say, you know, right close second was the owner's apex because then all of a sudden it was like, I had to take a whole new job on because these were things I should have been doing the whole time, but I spent my time doing all these other things. So it was like, you don't always know what to do with yourself at first. So that was kind of challenging too. I mean, I'm going to say they were close tie.

Brie (37:35.452)
actually agree with you 100 % I struggled with that myself. How did you overcome any challenges in your experience? So when you were like, holy crap, what do I do with myself now? How did you overcome those challenges or giving over that control? How did you kind of talk yourself through it? I mean, it's it's nice to hear because right, everybody thinks that

we as salon owners, we hit a certain number and we just did it, right? It was easy, it was lucky, it was whatever. They don't see all of the blood, sweat and tears that we poured into anything. So I think talking about how you overcame those challenges is really important.

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (38:16.292)
Yeah, I mean, it was really hard for sure. And there was some times when I was like, I don't know if I can do this. Like it was very stressful. But I think for me, the biggest thing that I did to overcome it was I just had to do it. Like I just was like, you know what? I'm gonna brush it aside. I'm gonna ignore this. I'm gonna let it go. And I'm just gonna let it go.

and I just had to force myself and it was hard sometimes but after a while you get used to it and it gets easier but you like I just had to force myself to not do it to let it go and to let them handle it or to let them deal with it and just stay out of the way.

Brie (38:57.468)
How do you feel like coaching benefited you during that process?

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (39:02.884)
I think it definitely helped. It made it so much easier. I think having somebody just kind of tell you like, Hey, like you gotta, you gotta let it go. You gotta keep going with this. We're focusing on this, right? Like we're focusing on the bigger picture. We're focusing on these goals. We're focusing on these things, these other things. You gotta let somebody else do it. So having that sort of voice in your ear, that was a huge, huge thing to super keep you on track. Kept me on track.

Brie (39:32.956)
Yeah, I agree with that completely. So I want to ask you really quickly, what does your owner's apex look like today compared to two years ago?

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (39:43.844)
like the tasks that I handle or.

Brie (39:47.484)
Yeah. How is it different? Like, because for me, like my owner's apex, when I first started implementing this, like maybe the first year or two, my owner's apex was still pretty big, right? There were still a lot of tasks on there that I knew I could easily hand down to my managerial tier, but I didn't as opposed to today where my task list is very, very minimal and my managerial tier is very stealthy. So how did yours compare?

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (39:58.468)
yeah.

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (40:13.444)
Yeah. Yeah, it definitely was a lot larger in the beginning and now it is a lot smaller. I feel like now the things that I'm handling, they're, they're not taking that much time. They're, they're pretty quick and they're more efficient because now they're handling all that stuff and I've let, let them take that task. So for me, my owner's apex has actually gotten a lot smaller. I don't have hardly any, the amount of tasks and things that I had to handle before.

aren't in there at all anymore.

Brie (40:46.044)
That's awesome. And I think one of the benefits of this and one of the coolest things that I've recognized is that as my owner's apex got smaller, my business numbers got bigger and bigger and bigger. My profitability got bigger and bigger and bigger. Because if you can get that owner's apex down to just, you know, 10 of the most important things, that strategic planning, financial decisions, things of that nature, that's what happens. Your...

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (40:56.932)
Mm -hmm. Yep.

Brie (41:14.62)
going to skyrocket in revenue and profitability. It's just the way that it works because like you said earlier, you're focusing on the things that really, really matter. Did you notice a difference when it came to profitability and revenue?

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (41:24.643)
Yeah, man.

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (41:28.644)
Yeah, absolutely. Our profitability went up, our revenue went up, and our team became more efficient. And that was also really helpful for increasing all of those things.

Brie (41:41.788)
I love that. It's just such a cool thing to see. So we've kind of explored the concept of the decision layers. Let's discuss how people can implement these in their salon or spa because I think this could be the answer that a lot of people are looking for. The first step is to identify and categorize these key decisions in your business, or this is the way we teach it at the Beauty Biz agency and the way we did it in our studios, right? You wanna start by listing all of the decisions that you make daily, weekly,

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (42:06.308)
Yeah. Yeah.

Brie (42:11.228)
and monthly, and you want to categorize those into three tiers, your team, your managerial and your owner's apex. Guys, you can call these anything that you want to. It doesn't matter for each decision. You want to determine who is best suited to kind of handle it based on their role and their expertise. How did you go about creating that list and how long do you feel like it took you in the beginning to start creating that list?

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (42:38.564)
when I first started creating it, it actually didn't take me that long to create the list. I actually sat down and really went through everything. So for like about a week, maybe I sat down and I documented everything that I was doing every single day in the business. And that way I could see exactly, cause sometimes we don't even realize how much stuff we're actually doing. We're doing stuff like unconsciously almost like you're just kind of letting autopilot and you don't even pay attention. So I took a whole week to really pay attention to every single thing that I was doing and just wrote.

down all of that whole list. And then, yeah, just started kind of pulling apart those different pieces of what I was doing to see where I could categorize those within those different tiers.

Brie (43:21.82)
Yep, that's what I did. One thing that I did too, and it did take me quite a bit of time, but it was so beneficial. I can't even tell you. I went back through my text messages from my team. So I went back through and looked at a ton of questions that they had come to me with over the last 12 months. And yes, it did take time. I'm not going to lie, but it was so worth it. And I think it's one reason that I was able to implement this so quickly, right?

I love creating SOPs and things of that nature. And so it, it was good for me to see those things. And I was able to come up with a ton of questions and responsibilities that I wouldn't have thought of had I just been sitting there. So if you have the time, go back through every single text message you've gotten from your team members, from your leadership team, from your managers, whatever it is. The next step is effective delegation, I think. So.

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (44:03.364)
Yeah.

Brie (44:19.004)
Delegating responsibilities means assigning tasks to the appropriate tiers and trusting, trusting your team to handle them. So I think we should give some tips on how to trust your team. You've got to train them first, right? You've got to set clear expectations and then you have to provide support in the beginning. Very important. So what training or support have you found most effective in preparing your team?

for their new responsibilities.

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (44:51.524)
Well, we do a lot of role playing, a lot of training on those specific things. And I think, you know, really letting them know too, like if you have a question, you can always call me. Like I am always here if you need me. And in the beginning, sometimes they would, because they'd be like, I did this and I don't know if that was right, you know, and I'd...

Be like, you did a great job. It was right. Like sometimes they just need that reassurance. And then the more and more that they started getting that and that started happening, the less and less I heard from them. And they started just handling that stuff. And so I think that was kind of one of the biggest things is just making sure that they knew exactly what the expectation was and exactly what to do in certain situations. And then they were good.

Brie (45:34.492)
Yeah, I think that is huge. I think that framework creation, right? Creating a decision -making framework is going to be crucial for the consistency and the clarity. And there are certain ways that you can do that. So first you want to establish guidelines. So develop clear guidelines on what types of decisions fall under each and every tier. Then you want to think about decision escalation. I'm trying to think of this in my brain as we're going through this.

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (45:43.716)
Yeah.

Brie (46:03.036)
So really outline a process for decision escalation detailing when and how a decision should be moved up to a higher tier. So when does it go from team tier to managerial tier? And when does it go from managerial to your owner's apex? You can actually create as many tiers as you want. Three is really the sweet spot though. So a simple framework may look something like this. Your team is handling.

client request and minor scheduling changes. We did mention this earlier, but I wanna go through it again. Managerial is staff scheduling, inventory management, those types of things, and then owners, right? That apex, strategic planning and financial decisions. So you wanna be sure that you think about that when you're creating that framework. What did you notice when it came to...

challenges because I know a lot of people are going to say, well, my team is going to be resistant to change or there's going to be communication gaps when we're doing this or inconsistent decision making. Right. So what challenges did you face when implementing this thing in your business and how did you overcome them?

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (47:15.332)
I think the biggest challenge I had was because I always had that need to be in charge and was like so controlling, so to speak, over everything that when I first started trying to implement this with them, they were afraid to do it. They didn't want to, they didn't want to, they didn't want to handle it because they thought I was going to get mad at them or not mad at them. But I thought I would say, you're not doing this right. Or, you know, trying to take control of the situation. So it was a lot of in the beginning that like back and forth kind of trying to get them to.

to take ownership of it, that was probably my biggest challenge. And overcoming that really was more so just letting them handle it and then telling them, good job, we would check in. And it took probably, I would say, a good solid year of making sure that we had all of these things dialed in, because sometimes you forget stuff too, and you're like,

I thought I laid out this whole situation and then a situation happens and you realize maybe they didn't really know exactly how to handle it correctly because of XYZ wasn't put into the process. And so really fine tuning it and taking that.

every single thing that would happen with those and getting them on board to feel safe and feel comfortable to be like, hey, I tried to do this. You told me to do it like this, but this happened and this happened. And then, you know, making those adjustments. So that was probably the biggest challenge is getting them to really take ownership because they're so used to not doing it. Having me do everything.

Brie (48:39.484)
Yeah, 100 % right. Delegation is going to be huge, but you have to delegate in the right way. And in order to do that, you have to be willing to step back and allow your team to fail. That is something that I saw when I created the managerial tier and the owner's apex, right? I had to trust my managerial tier to make those decisions. And I knew, I knew that those decisions were not always going to be what I would have made or what I would have done.

but it's a learning moment. And when you teach it as a learning moment after the fact, you are going to be amazed at the way your managers grow, your leadership team grows, and honestly, the way that you grow as an owner, because I saw growth within all of us and the bond that it created with us was huge. I don't know about you, but for me, when I started using this decision layer technique, I noticed a huge change, like in our culture.

Everybody was so much more on board with our mission and our vision and our values and our they wanted to be a part of everything. I think because they felt more invested and they had more of a say so did you notice anything like this in your business?

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (49:52.037)
Yeah, I was actually going to say the exact same thing that it definitely shifted our culture in a really good direction. And I think that is exactly what happens is they do feel more invested and they feel like they're part of it. And they feel like they have a little bit of say so and, and a little bit of control over how things happen. And so I think when, when your team feels like that, then they're like all in, right? That's, you know, we always talk about that, like culture piece and trying to get your team on board and get your team all in on what you're trying to do. And it's.

It's hard to do that, but this is one of the ways that you can really help that part of your business as well when you implement it.

Brie (50:28.828)
I agree 100 % 100 % so this guys is the trick. It's the key and it's the answer to a lot of questions. It's the answer to you actually finally getting a true day off in your business. One where you do not answer anything. I'm telling you I am at the point in my life and in my business. I can go away for a week straight. I don't have any concerns about my business. I don't pull up my bank account.

I don't check in with anyone. They know to contact me under my owner's apex, right? This is when you contact me. If we have these issues, if not, they handle it. I come back in and I'm like, sweet, we had a $55 ,000 month, you know, or whatever it looks like. And so you have to implement things like this decision layer. And if you, if you want a day off, if you want to reduce stress, if you want to improve focus, if you want to enhance your overall wellbeing,

It's the only way to do it. The long -term benefits of these strategies are so significant. I can't even say them all. Not only are you going to experience personal growth, improved mental health, but your business is going to thrive. Chandra and I are both proof of that. Your business will thrive. A well -rested, focused owner is going to be able to lead more effectively, make better strategic decisions,

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (51:28.1)
Mm -hmm.

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (51:44.708)
Mm -hmm.

Brie (51:55.004)
and really drive business growth in every way possible. So for everybody listening to this, we encourage you to start implementing these strategies like today, like start making that list today. Take the first step towards achieving a true day off by identifying and categorizing key decisions in your business. That's all you have to do. We also have a resource that you can find on our website. I'll let Chandra kind of tell you how, but...

Before we wrap this up, what final piece of advice would you give to salon and spa owners who are hesitant to take a true day off or to delegate more effectively? Because these are two of the biggest pushbacks that we get from commission salon and spa owners.

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (52:43.588)
I think you just need to try it. You need to make your list and start there. I think, and even for myself, when I was in this position that you might be in where you start thinking about this dream idea, it seems like a dream idea. It doesn't seem like this could actually happen or this could actually really be your life. Just do it and see, you know, because I think I felt that way too. I was like, yeah, that sounds nice. That's never going to happen.

But if you just do it and start putting it together, you realize like, my gosh, this actually isn't as hard as I thought it was gonna be. And this actually can be my life and I can't have a day off. So that's my piece of advice.

Brie (53:24.924)
Awesome. I love that advice. I think it's great. All right, guys. Well, if you found this episode helpful and you are ready to skyrocket your revenue and profitability while finding freedom financially and from the chain of the chair, reach out to us at the Beauty Biz Agency. We can help you expedite this process and achieve the success that you so greatly deserve. You can contact us today. Chandra is going to tell you how and we can get started on transforming your business and your life.

So how do they do that, Chandra?

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (53:54.916)
Yeah, so you can reach out to us by email at admin at the beauty biz agency .com and you can also find us on social media, send us a message if there's a certain topic you'd like us to talk about or cover, let us know what that is and we can put that into into our program and make sure you download this free resource on decision layers at our website at the beauty biz agency .com.

Brie (54:17.18)
Yeah, absolutely. Also, we have a ton of free resources on our website that people can use strategies that they can use and implement immediately to level up their studio almost instantly. So why wouldn't they grab them, right? Awesome. Well, thanks for joining us today, Chandra. I hope you have a great rest of your day. And until next time, keep slaying those business goals with style, SaaS, and a whole lot of swagger.

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (54:31.428)
Yep.

Chandra-The Beauty Biz Agency (54:37.124)
Thank you.