Grow My Salon Business Podcast

I am frequently asked questions about salon pricing and so I recently did a podcast episode where I spoke on the pricing of salon services (it was episode 127 if you haven’t already checked it out).   Today's episode is also about pricing, and I have not one but two guests on the show. They are husband and wife, Mick and Kylie Dwyer, who are former salon owners and educators. They have written a b...

These are interesting and exciting times we are living in, and I’m not just talking about the last two years. The changes that are happening with consumer and employee expectations, lifestyle, technology and how people today want to live their lives today impacts on every area of what we do.  And in the hair and beauty business, I find that exciting as I see salon owners reinventing their business...

My guests on this episode have been on the show before. In fact, they were the very first guests I had, way back in March 2018! They are Robert and Mary Cromeans who have a salon business based in San Diego. Aside from our conversation in 2018 they were also part of a group podcast interview I did with them when Covid first reared its ugly head about two years ago…  Two years is a long time in bus...

I’m really lucky to have the opportunity to be able to have deep and insightful discussions with salon owners, and other people who have a vested interest in the salon industry. This year on the Grow My Salon Business Podcast, in every fourth episode I will be addressing a question sent in by a listener.  For today’s podcast, I am answering a question posed by Louise (from Albuquerque), which was...

My guest today is someone who I have had the pleasure of knowing for a very long time as we worked together for a number of years in the ‘80’s.  After over 40 years of working for big brand names in the industry, he has now decided to go out on his own as a freelance educator, focused on the creative side of the industry. His name is Stephen Moody and he is well known to hairdressers everywhere as...

My guest on today's podcast is Susanne Post.   Susanne is a hairdresser, salon owner and co-founder of ‘Shear Haven,’ an organisation whose purpose is to educate stylists and beauty professionals about the signs of domestic violence.  Domestic violence is a pervasive issue across the world, and as a survivor of domestic violence herself, Susanne has made it her mission to ensure that other people...

The fact that you are listening to this means that you are probably a salon owner and therefore could probably be loosely described as an entrepreneur.   And if you are a regular listener, you’ve probably gathered that I love nothing more than a good entrepreneurial story where we get an insight and an understanding into the highs and lows of what it takes each of us on our unique journey to turn...

Have you ever wondered what it takes to build a 15 strong luxury brand salon group?  My guest on today's Podcast has done exactly that. He is Oscar Cullinan founder of the Oscar Oscar salon group in Australia. Oscar has built up a very successful 15 strong luxury salon partnership group in Australia and more recently has started his own product line. Many people want to achieve what Oscar has but...

I often reflect on how lucky I am to interview lots of great people on this podcast and to have in-depth conversations with such a diverse range of people that have a story to tell and often have a unique area of expertise to share.  I’ve always said that it’s a great privilege that I have to be able to ask the guests that I have on this show the questions that I do and to get them to open up so t...

Gianni Scumaci was born into a hairdressing family, with a mother who was a hairdresser and a father who was a barber, the hairdressing 'gene' was in his blood right from the start. Living above the barbershop he was introduced into the world of hair as a young boy sweeping the floor and cutting hair from the age of ten. Today, Gianni is quite simply one of the very best haircutters there is. One...

A career in hairdressing means different things to different people. Although most of us start in the same place meaning after beauty school or an apprenticeship the next step is to be a stylist in a salon.    For some people, they will then spend their entire career building up a loyal clientele and the great relationships and friendships that come with it. But for others, they move into differen...

There is a well-trodden path of hairdressers who want to transition into being photographers, some of them succeed better than others, and you can see the obvious connection of wanting to capture the images on film and wanting to be in control of that.  My guest on today's Podcast is Desmond Murray, who is not only an award-winning hairdresser but also a great photographer in his own right. In thi...

I was recently listening to a discussion about climate change and one of the presenters said something along the lines of “It is not possible to achieve the targets we have set in the time frame available.”  And the other presenter said, “In 10 to 20 years’ time we will have technology and solutions that haven’t even been imagined today. And that is why these targets are realistic”.  Now if you ar...

I had successful salons for 14 years, and like every business, they had their ups and downs …but definitely far more good times than bad.  The reality is that most businesses don’t last 14 years, so when you meet the owners of businesses that have survived and continue to grow and constantly reinvent for 56 years you know that there are some valuable lessons for the rest of us.    My guests on tod...

As we near the end of 2021, what are the questions that salon owners should be asking themselves? I am really lucky in that I get to interview lots of great people on the podcast and have in-depth conversations with salon owners and others who have a vested interest in the success of the hairdressing industry.  As a result, it gives me an insight into what’s happening, not just at a local level, b...

For some people, hairdressing is just a job. For others, it becomes a reflection of who they are and an avenue to channel their creativity, personality, and their passion.  In other words, “It’s not just a job, it’s a way of life”.  As a client when you meet someone who really loves their job you know that they bring something special with them. You might call it passion or pride but either way, i...

We are living in turbulent times and as we come out of covid the issue that is staring us all in the face is how we all need to change the way we live and work in order to stop climate change.  My belief is that that is the biggest thing we will be dealing with during our lifetime. But I also believe that we can and will do it.  I think that Covid has shown us that when the world has to react and...

I talk to salon owners in multiple countries every week, and no matter where they are in the world, they all have lots in common.    But if there’s one thing that unites them more than ever, it is the recruitment and retention of team members.    And I’ll bet that didn’t surprise you at all.    So that's what we are going to talk about today.    My guest on today's episode is Stefanie Fox from Tal...

With the array of guests that we feature on the podcast, I frequently speak about the fact that there is a lot of movement happening in the ever-evolving salon business model.  I think that it’s important to remember, that it’s not a case of there being only ‘one way’ of running a business that is right, and everything else is wrong.  But instead, to recognize that there are probably some business...

Over the years I get asked a lot of questions from both salon owners and stylists who either jump into my DM’s, email me or hit me up at a live event.  So I thought I’d address some of them in this week’s episode… The salon owners often ask questions that are essentially about “How do you get team members to be more productive?” …The question is worded in many different ways, but essentially that...

There is a business trend that I'm seeing more of lately. It was happening anyway, but it has been accelerated by Covid, and social distancing, and people looking for new ways of living and working to avoid burnout.  The trend that I am talking about is that more salons are looking at 'charging by time' instead of charging for the specific service.  My guests today on the podcast are two sisters w...

We are all at different stages of our professional journey, some of us are nearer the beginning than the end, and some of us are nearer the end than the beginning.  But regardless of where you are, there is always value in your story and there are always people that will have inspired you along the way.  My guest on today's Podcast is Paul Huege de Serville owner of the Serville salons and school...

A question that I am often asked is, "Should I start a salon from scratch or buy an existing business?" This was the topic of a recent clubhouse event that I hosted, and I've recorded it for you as it's always a relevant topic that arouses a lot of interest. I know that you're going to enjoy it. Like most things, there is not a one-size-fits-all answer to cover all cases, and there are multiple th...

Believe it or not, there are some good things that have come from Covid. One of them is the increase in the amount of sharing and support that different individuals and groups offer. I imagine that other industries have found ways to connect and share information with each other too, but I think it’s something that the hairdressing industry excels at and should be proud of. My guest on this episod...

Here we are, at the time of recording it’s September 2021, the last 18 months have been a rollercoaster ride and whether I talk to salon owners in the US the UK or Australia the uncertainty of what the future holds for business is challenging and can be stressful.  But one thing that is really important to hang onto is ‘hope’. Because at the best of times, it’s easy to be overwhelmed with the pres...