Thriving Stylist Podcast

Are you trying to make sense of the buzzword "tariffs" and what they could actually mean for your salon or stylist career? So much about the tariffs are changing in real time, and I've only reported on tariffs once in a previous episode of this podcast, but today I dig a little deeper based on information that's now available at the time of recording. These tariffs are a complex issue, and so much...

Feeling the pressure of a shifting economy with more client cancellations and stretched-out appointments, many stylists have been tempted to lean on discounts and loyalty programs to keep their chair full. Are these the right strategies to be using, or are they just surface-level solutions? Today, I break it all down and work the math to show how using these types of things really play out for you...

Have you ever felt the sting of a competitor trying to snatch your hard-earned clients? Are you battling the creeping fear of what I refer to as "Ninja Turtle" stylists who undercut your prices and poach your loyal clientele? Even if it's something that you may not have experienced yet I want to talk about it, because it is becoming a very real trend in this industry.  In this episode, I break it...

Are you feeling the shift? Is "charging your worth" leaving you and your clients feeling...unfulfilled? What if the key isn't about emotional pricing, but about genuine perceived value? Today we go deep into the "worth it" era, and look at how the rising cost of living and changing client expectations are reshaping the salon industry as we know it.  In this episode, I share how people are still sp...

Are your Instagram autoresponders secretly sabotaging your business growth? You set them up to save time, but are they actually pushing potential clients away? Today, I reveal my thoughts on if Instagram auto responders are still a good idea for us to use in 2025, and the advice that I give in this episode is going to be for those of you who want to grow your business over the next 18 months to tw...

Are you struggling to fill your chair as a stylist? What if the client surge you once enjoyed has vanished, and the old tactics just aren't cutting it? Today, I want to share some high-level tips and tricks from the hundreds of stylists that attended our 10 New Clients Every Month Bootcamp of March 2025.  In this episode, you'll hear what I have learned from our students who went through our progr...

Ever feel like your salon's commission structure is holding your best stylists back? Are you trapped in a cycle of high turnover and struggling to keep top talent engaged? In the last couple of months, there have been a few conversations where I have had to address this topic of overpaying people and we have had to take a deep dive into the compensation model. In this episode, I share what overcom...

Are your salon prices keeping pace with reality, or are you unknowingly sabotaging your business? Today I dive deep into the crucial topic of winning pricing strategies for 2025, challenging the common myths that are holding stylists back at this time.  If you've felt the sting of rising costs both personally and professionally (and who hasn't?), yet hesitated to adjust your fees or you're clingin...

Have you noticed clients becoming more hesitant, even flaky? Are no-shows and last-minute cancellations eating into your profits and patience? Times have changed, things are different, and the "Great Divide" that I was speaking of in 2022 has indeed happened. In this episode, I dive deep into a brand-new level of the marketing funnel that's changing everything: trust. You'll hear why the old ways...

Are you feeling lost in the ever-shifting sands of social media? Does it feel like the strategies that once worked are now falling flat? We are at this crossroads where some stylists and salons are about to be busier and more successful than they have ever been before, and some are going to start to feel like they're sliding backwards and crashing. Today, I break it all down as we look at the soci...

Are stylists truly getting what they deserve, and are owners protecting their bottom line? Compensation is always a hot topic, but right now especially everyone wants to make sure that they are getting what is appropriate. Today, we're diving deep into the often-murky waters of salon profit margins and stylist compensation and I tackle the tough questions: Is your current compensation model actual...

Are clients spending less, or demanding more? For years, you've heard me talk about the "Great Divide" that's impacting our industry. Stylists and salon owners are asking: What's really happening? How are things shifting? How do we navigate this?  In this episode, I provide you with the answers, so hold on tight as we dive deep into the seismic changes shaking our industry.  Remember, this isn't j...

Are you setting revenue targets without a solid plan to achieve your financial goals this year? If so, I've got you covered! Today, we're diving deep into a game-changing tool, The Grow My Clientele Calculator, and I am so excited to be sharing more about it with you here on the podcast.  In this episode, I break down why simply setting a yearly income goal just isn't enough and I reveal the commo...

Have you ever felt like you were just going through the motions, despite working hard? Are you holding onto relationships or situations that are no longer serving you? Are you ready to let go of the armor and embrace your true self? A very short time ago I would have answered a big "YES" to each of these questions, and I just knew that things needed to change in my life in order to get realigned a...

Are you a salon owner who dreams of stepping away from the chair and focusing on growing your business?  If you did this, what would you spend your time doing?  Following an Instagram post I recently shared, I saw that stylists out there really want to learn how to go from being a stylist to a leader of the salon, which is what I cover here today. In this episode, I reveal why you would want to co...

As we all know, the economy is a little bit shaky right now, and desperate times call for desperate measures. Sometimes this leads to good people doing things they wouldn't normally do, and today we are talking about credit card charge-backs. In this episode, I share how these charge-backs work, the way that they are processed, and how to protect yourself if you find yourself in this situation.  A...

Are you still relying on old social media strategies to grow your salon business? Think Instagram is the key to success? Think again...  In this episode, I reveal a major shift in how clients find and choose salons, and you'll discover how online reviews have become the queen of social media. I share how focusing on them in 2019 and 2020 has set some stylists up for massive success today, and I wa...

Have you ever wondered how much your salon is really worth? I know there are a lot of salon owners out there who are looking to sell their salon in the future, so today I want to cover how to calculate your salon's value and position yourself for a lucrative sale.  In this episode, I share the factors that influence a salon's worth, from its clientele base to its reputation, and reveal how to buil...

As we are right in the midst of the busy holiday season, the Thrivers team and I are releasing the second of two "Best of" episodes rather than our usual fresh content to wrap up 2024. Today, we're replaying a popular episode we first brought you in June of 2024, where I shared a classic marketing concept that can help you attract more clients FAST in today's economy, and also keeps them coming ba...

As we are right in the midst of the busy holiday season, the Thrivers team and I are releasing two "Best of" episodes rather than our usual fresh content to wrap up 2024. Today, we're replaying a popular episode we first brought you in April of 2024, where I talked more about "The Great Divide" and the pricing crisis we've found ourselves in, along with the important things to keep in mind as we o...

The IRS is now using AI to search tax records and open audits, but what exactly does this mean for stylists and salon owners? Today, I want to talk about how this latest news from the IRS could significantly impact your business, and I break down the key areas where the IRS's AI is likely to focus, while sharing strategies to help mitigate risks and ensure your tax filings are accurate. Whether yo...

It's important to normalize the reality that not everything is always perfect, and it's just a fact that there are a number of unexpected challenges that studio suite owners often face.  Recently, I put up a question box to ask about the biggest struggles you have when building your business as a studio suite owner, and today we're going to talk about those issues and find solutions for you so tha...

As we step into a new presidential term in 2025, uncertainty looms large. How will these shifts impact our daily lives? From healthcare and taxes to retirement and social security, the implications are far-reaching. A lot of this is speculative, but today I wanted to dive into the facts and figures of how this administration could impact us. I realize that these are the issues that matter most to...

If you've been listening to the podcast for awhile now, you've heard me talk about the great divide that's happening in our industry. In fact, the industry is splitting in a way that I've never seen before, and we are seeing clients push back. In this episode, I reveal the reasons why your business may have gotten complacent, and I share actionable strategies you use if you find that your business...

"Shrinkflation" isn't a new phenomenon, and you're most likely experiencing it right now in your day-to-day experiences as a consumer. We are in a tight economic spot at the moment and service-based industries have had many challenges in the economic downturn, so I believe this is a relevant conversation to be having right now for stylists.  In this episode, I reveal the good, the bad and the ugly...