Grow My Salon Business Podcast

In this week’s episode, I’m joined by Sam Kendall, CEO of SalonIQ, one of the UK’s leading salon software companies. I always enjoy conversations with tech providers because they see real data, and that means real insights into what’s happening inside salons across the industry. Sam and I talk about AI, automation, online booking, the shift towards self-employment, and the surprising number of sal...

In this episode, I’m diving into a conversation that might annoy some people, but it’s a conversation that needs to be had. We’ve got a leadership crisis in our industry. Not because people don’t care, but because too many salon owners don’t realise what they signed up for when they opened their doors. Leadership isn’t optional. It’s the job. This episode is for every salon owner who wants their t...

In this episode, I sit down with long-time industry leader Keri Davis-Duffy, whose career as a salon owner and educator spans more than three decades. Keri shares the wisdom earned through real-life experience, leading employee-based salons in a state that turned compensation models on their head, navigating leadership challenges, building culture, and bouncing back from the inevitable setbacks ev...

In today’s episode, I want to get real about something that many salon owners don’t like to hear… your team problems might not be about your team. They might actually be about you and your style of leadership. We talk about the difference between being “the boss” and being a true leader . Because if you want loyalty, innovation, trust, and long-term commitment from your people, barking orders or c...

In this episode, I sit down with Australian salon owner Luke Reynolds to talk about one of the most powerful drivers of salon success, which he believes is investing in the personal development of your people. Luke shares how he's integrated monthly life coaching sessions, meditation practices, and even equine therapy into his team culture. It’s a fascinating conversation about building confidence...

Welcome to episode 300! It’s a milestone I’m incredibly proud of, and I want to thank you for being part of the journey. Whether you’re listening while walking the dog, doing the school run, or lifting weights at the gym, I’m grateful to have you here. In this episode, I’m sharing the 10 timeless principles of salon money management. These aren’t fluffy ideas; they’re hard-won lessons from my own...

In this episode, I’m joined by Narad Kutowaroo, Creative Director for Unite Haircare in the UK, to talk all things Fashion Week and specifically, the Runway Ready bootcamp that gives hairdressers the opportunity to work backstage. Narad shares how Runway Ready gives salon stylists real-world experience at London Fashion Week and beyond, and more importantly, how the skills learnt translate directl...

In this episode, I’m sharing a real-life story from one of the salon owners in my online money course. She found herself heading into a cash flow crisis, not because she was doing something wrong, but because life happened. Staff resignations, injuries, and pre-booked leave collided to create a perfect storm of reduced income.  The good news? She saw it coming. And that’s the power of planning. We...

In this episode, I’m joined by Phil Evans, the founder of Salon Guru, who specialises in websites and digital marketing for salons. It's been five years since Phil was last on the podcast, and during that time, the digital landscape has evolved significantly, especially when it comes to how Google drives traffic to your salon. We dive deep into understanding Google Search, Google Profiles (formerl...

I know that the bulk of our listeners are not in the UK, but the changes happening to the UK hairdressing industry have been getting a lot of attention on social media, and as a result, I’ve had a lot of questions from hairdressers elsewhere. So, in this week's episode, I talk with Toby Dicker, co-founder of the Salon Employers Association, to discuss the challenges facing the UK salon industry. F...

You don't grow a business just by getting more clients.  You grow by keeping the ones you’ve already got.  But many salon owners are so focused on acquiring new clients that they completely miss that the real problem is poor client retention. In this episode, I share the numbers you need to be watching, the three simple shifts that make all the difference, and why the fastest path to growth is fix...

Some people love data! But let's be honest and say that for most hairdressers, studying the numbers in their business is not their favourite pastime.   My Guest today is a returning Guest, Tom Bentley-Taylor, who, amongst other things, originally got the Salon Software brand Short Cuts established in the UK and is currently Managing Director at Vish in the UK.  Tom is unashamedly a numbers guy. He...

Over the years, I’ve seen many salon businesses, and inevitably, some stand out more than others. Some of them stand out because of the decor, others for the culture, some for their size and some for their success as a business. My guest today is Meagan McCormack, President of Visible Changes salon group in Houston, Texas, which is without doubt an amazing business.  Meagan offers incredible insig...

This week, I dive into what makes a truly effective salon manager in today's rapidly changing business landscape. I've titled it "The 9 Traits of a Modern Salon Manager", and I've consciously used the word 'Modern' because, like everything else in life and business, what worked yesterday may not work so well today. I explore the nine essential traits that modern salon leaders need to cultivate to...

One of the things that I constantly see in industry Facebook groups is how badly employees are paid, whether we’re talking about apprentices, assistants or stylists…  And that isn’t country specific, it’s a general trend of people feeling they’re hard done by to the point of being exploited…   But what I literally never see are comments about “How bad the productivity levels of the average hairdre...

It’s very rare that a new tool for cutting hair enters the professional market. And those that do usually tend to fade away.    But occasionally something piques the imagination of both the creatives and the business side of the industry as being creatively different and commercially beneficial.   My guest today is Frank Brormann, a German hairdresser, salon owner and inventor of Calligraphy Cut,...

In this week’s episode, I share a recent conversation I had with a Chicago-based stylist who is one of those rare people who is continually looking for those 1% improvements that separate good stylists from exceptional ones. I talk about why it’s essential that salon owners invest in training their team beyond just technical skills. Despite all the time, energy, and financial commitment you make a...

In this episode, I sit down with Sydney-based salon owner and colourist Kirby Lago. I’ve had the pleasure of watching her grow her business from a small salon to a thriving luxury business five times the size.   Kirby is a great example of combining the life of being a very active behind the chair hairdresser with being a true business visionary and being prepared to put in the hard work and perso...

One of the most common questions I get asked is: How do I get more clients? But is that really the right question? In this episode, I break down why simply chasing new clients isn’t always the answer and what you should be focusing on instead. We’ll dive into the importance of retention, how to track where your new clients are coming from, and what both stylists and salon owners can do to build a...

Is the future of professional hair colour undergoing a massive reinvention? Today's guests are Leilani Macedo, a seasoned salon owner, and Charles Brown, a tech entrepreneur who is passionate about applying Artificial Intelligence to real-world problems. And together they cofounded CLICS to create a solution for the problems around the current model of professional hair colour.   So if you’re inte...

This is a reissue of one of our most popular episodes, where we revisit the keys to building an incredible salon culture with Meagan McCormack. Meagan is, amongst other titles, ‘Chief Operating Officer' of the Visible Changes salon group based in Houston, Texas. I promise that you are going to love this podcast. Visible Changes is an incredibly inspiring salon business that everyone can learn some...

In today's episode, I address a common concern among salon owners: “How do you get newly graduated beauty school students or apprentices to be profitable as quickly as possible?”    Getting young team members profitable quickly is the result of a combination of recruitment, training, and leadership.    So begin by developing an internal comprehensive training program. Recruit for attitude. And tra...

In this episode of the Grow My Salon Business Podcast, I address a common question from salon owners about the distinction between business profit and the owner's wage. We’ll cover why salon owners should receive both a wage and a return on their investment.    Drawing an analogy with other investments, I explain the importance of separating these two income streams and discuss various ways that s...

**PLEASE NOTE: There was an issue with the audio on the episode published earlier today. This episode has the corrected audio.** Today's guest is Susan Wos, an American-based former hairdresser turned business broker who specialises in the salon industry and has now worked with clients in America, Canada, Dubai, UK and Australia…    Susan brings valuable insights of the inner workings of the salon...

What do you need to know - Or what should you know in order to open your own salon?  Whether that's a traditional employee-based salon, a rental salon, or even a salon suite, what is it that you should know so that you give yourself the best chance of success?  Because, regardless of the type of business model that appeals to you, I think that it’s important that you set yourself up to succeed bef...