Grow My Salon Business Podcast

These days we hear a lot about the changing culture in salons and the changing needs and expectations of today's workforce. In order to stay relevant in the salon industry today, salon owners need to be open to cultural progression.      Tom White, the founder of Melbourne-based salon, Same Same But Different, is a salon owner with an interesting, new-age take on what creating a modern salon cultu...

Being in business is a journey, and like all journeys, no matter how prepared you think you are, there will always be unanticipated surprises along the way.    Sometimes the surprises are that good things happen, so things work out better than you expected. Other times, there are surprises that are less than ideal, and as a business owner, you have to deal with the fallout that comes with them. Ei...

If you stopped ten hairdressers in the street and asked them what marketing is, you would probably get ten different answers.  I’m going to guess and say that a big percentage of them would say that marketing is advertising.   And a big percentage of people these days would talk about marketing as being social media.  The majority would also probably say that marketing is about getting ‘New Client...

Many media representatives have multipurpose roles as both publishers of magazines and facilitators of awards and various industry events. This gives them interesting insights into what’s going on in the world of hair and beauty. This is the third and final episode in a series of podcasts in which I talk to people who represent the trade media. In the previous two episodes, my guests provided us w...

I think it’s fair to say that in today’s workplace, there is a lot of talk about what exactly modern salon culture is. As a salon owner, how do you find the balance between offering more flexibility to your team, meeting clients’ expectations, and running a profitable business? I often talk about the theory of that, but there’s nothing better than talking to someone who is actually doing it. My gu...

Many media representatives have multipurpose roles as publishers of magazines as well as facilitators of awards and various industry events. Therefore, they usually have interesting insights into what's going on in the world of hair and beauty.  This episode is the second in a series of podcasts in which I am talking to people representing the trade media. In the first episode of the series, I spo...

Most salon owners want more! They want more team members. They want more productivity from the team.  They want more consistency in standards. They want more time for themselves away from the business. And they want more profit in their business. There is nothing wrong with salon owners wanting all of these things and more! And all of this is possible.  But it involves work, commitment, and an inv...

There are many people with a vested interest in the hairdressing industry, the obvious ones being the clients, and the stylists and colourists that are behind the chair; then there are also the salon and school owners, the educators and all the people that are behind the product brands…  And then there are the ‘trade media’, and they are involved in many parts of the industry, with the obvious one...

I get an enormous amount of enjoyment from all of my guests on the podcast… And, I also learn a lot from them too… The best way to learn is to ask questions. …And to be prepared to question your own beliefs and attitudes. To be vulnerable, to listen, to be open, honest, tolerant, and to be prepared to broaden your own perspective… And above all, to be receptive to change.  This year, in particular...

A hairdressing career can take you to many places and enable you to meet many people from all walks of life.  Many of us are drawn into the industry because of the fashion and creative aspects that a hairdressing career presents.  But, there are some who use their skill with scissors and comb to give back to society in another way. My guest today is one such person.  Stewart Roberts is the founder...

As I often say, “this industry is all about change.” In reality, every industry is about change, and the salon business is certainly not immune to the changing forces of technology, consumer trends, and generational changes.  Today's podcast is specifically focused on changes in the professional salon retail model. My guest on today's Podcast is Randy Cotten, the President and GM of SalonInteracti...

Over the last few days, I’ve released three short videos (each less than 20 minutes) about creating a productive and profitable salon culture, and I’ve repurposed that video content for this podcast episode.  Working in the salon industry is an exciting journey that can be broken down into three broad stages, each of which comes with its own problems and its own solutions. Getting the doors of you...

We often hear about how much the hairdressing industry is changing as if it’s the only one. But the truth is that every industry is changing!  For example, just think of the impact that Spotify and other streaming services have had on the music industry. Or the impact that social media has had on advertising and magazines.  Or the impact that Airbnb has had on the hotel sector. Or the impact that...

Sometimes I find myself searching for words to aptly describe the achievements and status of someone who is way ahead of the pack.   My guest on today's episode is one such person, and I’m going to describe him as a ‘hairdressing genius.’ Sam McKnight is a session stylist with a list of eye-watering achievements, including having worked with every supermodel you can name, as well as celebrities, m...

My guest today, Nina Kovner, is someone who I have been wanting to speak with for the last couple of years. I think Nina has a valuable message to share with the world. So, I’m so glad we finally made it happen!  Amongst many things, Nina is a fellow podcaster and passionate advocate for mental health awareness as well as being a salon business coach and the context creator for Passion Squared.  N...

If you want to build a business, you can’t do it alone.  You and your business don’t exist in isolation, and despite how talented, adaptable and hardworking you are, even you can only do so much. Every business owner needs the help and support of other people with other specialist skill sets. If business growth is important to you, then building the right external team is just as important as buil...

“Show me the data; a person without data is just another person with an opinion.” - W. Edwards Deming In some areas of the hair and beauty sector, there is a lot of accurate data. But in other areas, there’s a lot of opinion and perception. And while I can be as guilty of that as anyone, it’s also important to separate fact from fiction.  My guest on today's podcast is Gordon Miller, who always ha...

This week on the podcast, I am talking with Jennifer Akers from Hollywood Hair, a salon group that is located in three small towns across the United States. I love talking to Jennifer and her team at Hollywood hair because I always learn from them, and today is no exception! Often times it’s the really big, high-profile hairdressers with celebrity clientele who come up with innovative new ways of...

There are many salon owners who decide to make the journey from one salon to two or more salons, only to then go back to one.  Obviously, there are many reasons why that might happen, but they do often have certain things in common.  My guest on today's podcast is a salon owner who has made that journey, and his story could be the story of many others. His name is Simon Matthews from The Simon Joh...

I often get questions like, “I get a lot of new clients, but we never seem to grow. Where are we going wrong?”  So today, I want to talk a little about the role of marketing and what marketing really is.  Many salon owners are focused on growth. So all their attention, time, money, and energy are focused on attracting new clients into the business. But the problem is that they are only addressing...

As many of you know, I've been in the salon industry a long time, and I’d like to think that I know a lot about hair and hairdressing. But one of the areas that I haven’t had a lot of exposure to is hair extensions. Extensions first came onto the hairdressing scene in the ’80s, and since then, they have become a significant part of the industry. My guest on today's Podcast is Emilly Hadrill. She i...

I'm currently doing a monthly series of Facebook live interviews on behalf of John Paul Mitchell Systems. And both the guest and the content have been great, so I am also repurposing them as my weekly podcasts. The first one is today's episode where I spoke with Clinton Norris and Lucas Doney who, along with Clinton's wife Lauren, are salon and school owners in San Diego.  They are also extremely...

A career in hairdressing can take you on a journey in all sorts of directions that you couldn’t possibly have imagined! My guest on today's podcast is hairstylist Wendy Iles, the founder of her signature product line and a true ‘Celebrity Hairdresser’ in every sense of the word. In today’s episode, we will discuss: Finding the balance between a successful career and life as a mother and wife. What...

“It’s easier to prevent a problem from happening in the first place than to try and solve it once it’s happening.” Team culture is established whether you consciously create it or not, so to ensure that you and your team members are on the same page and thus avoid conflict down the line, the best time to establish a culture within your business is at the very beginning. Although this isn’t an easy...

As a former salon owner and business coach, I am very aware of the ever-evolving business models in the industry and the challenges that these create for some people.  I have often thought about why more salons haven’t tried to grow in the same ways that law firms, accountancy firms, and architecture firms do; by having a partnership model that not only creates a career path and profit sharing for...