Grow My Salon Business Podcast

There are a lot of people that will talk about how tough the past couple of years have been, and rightly so in many cases.  But if there’s one thing I’ve learned in my 40 years in this industry it is that to succeed you have to continually evolve. You can’t stand still and dine out on yesterday’s glories and you can’t be afraid to continually reinvent and evolve your business…  My guest today very...

My guest on today's podcast is London-based hairdresser, salon owner, editorial stylist, product developer, and general hairdressing visionary John Vial.  As you are about to discover, John has been involved in many areas of the hair and beauty business and continues to inspire at many levels across the industry. In today’s podcast we will discuss: The TV make-over show ‘10 Years Younger in 10 Day...

Think carefully about the titles that you use to refer to people because everything has a meaning attached to it. Some titles are empowering, while others could be considered demeaning. A listener recently ask me why I use the term “client” instead of “guest” and “hairdresser/stylist” instead of “artist.” So, in response to that question, today’s episode is dedicated to titles.  Whether they are f...

The sustainability of a business is dependent on profit, yet many businesses operate on a tiny profit margin. Ultimately, that is why only a very small percentage of small businesses reach their 10th birthday.  Most business failures can be attributed to a lack of financial awareness and understanding of how to manage finances. Too many salon owners operate on the basis of “work hard, pay my bills...

Over the last 20 years, salon hair fashion has predominantly been focused on colour and styling, whereas the ’60s to the ’90s were the era of the haircut.  Many young hairdressers today are terrified about the thought of ‘cutting’ unless it's taking the ends off long hair and many salon owners say that they just can’t find stylists who have the technical and creative skills to cut hair well. My gu...

Regardless of what business you are in, the challenge every business owner faces is that of constantly adapting and evolving to the changes in the world we live in.   Whether it’s the demands for more flexibility from today's workforce, or the pressures of inflation and the rising costs of living and doing business, the fact remains that being in business isn’t easy, and to succeed you need to con...

As I often say, we are in the ‘people business.’ This means that our primary product is the people who sit in our chairs and the services we offer to make our clients happy.  But from the salon owners' perspective, we are also in the ‘people business’ in that because our teams are also our product and our most important asset. The Human Resource (HR) regulation around employees varies from country...

This week is ‘Part 2’ of the ‘Comeback Stories’ series, where I again talk to a salon owner couple about how they’ve bounced back after a tough couple of years.  With the challenges that the world is going through at the moment, it’s important to be focusing on the success stories and the opportunities that difficult times can sometimes present. The last two years have been a testing time for most...

No matter where you live in the world, if there is one phrase that I’m sure you’re as tired of hearing as I am, it’s: ‘Unprecedented times.’ But, without doubt, the last couple of years have been tough for most people. We have been tested physically, financially and emotionally in our businesses and in our personal lives as a result of the drastic changes that have been thrust upon us. Today is ‘P...

Good ideas can, and do, come from anywhere.  An easy trap to fall into is thinking that it’s only big salons with big budgets and celebrity owners that set the trends when it comes to new business-building ideas. But that’s simply not the case.  My guest today is a salon owner who is living proof that no matter how small your town is, you can do big things! Lisa Carr is the innovative and passiona...

“Whatever the question, the answer is always education.” Don’t be put off by the title of this episode: regardless of who you are, what age you are, or what stage of your career you are at, you are about to learn something important. Do not make the mistake of thinking that this is just for women, or just for women of a certain age, because it’s for everyone!  Over 80% of the salon industry is mad...

I've had a few questions recently from listeners regarding inflation, the looming recession, how they are impacting the hairdressing industry, and what I believe salons should be doing to counteract it. In this episode, I dive in and explore what the implications are for the salon industry (and for small businesses in general) as many countries experience the worst inflation in over 40 years… To s...

My guest on today’s Podcast is London based hairdresser and owner of a 5 strong salon group and academy Gina Conway. Originally from California, she has been based in London for the last 20 plus years and has built up a great reputation as one of London's leading salons. Gina is passionate about delivering a five-star level of service and is widely known not just for doing great hair but also for...

Today, the need to highlight environmental and social initiatives is more pertinent than ever. Unfortunately, those causes and everything they represent are often drowned out by the latest headline of the day.  However, the increased level of social and environmental awareness and urgency isn’t about to go away. In fact, these issues are only becoming more and more pressing. So, we all need to ‘ow...

There are many qualities to take into consideration if you are going to refer to a salon business as being one of the very 'best in the world’ and we would each have our own criteria to consider.   When it comes to great leadership, a fantastic culture, excellent training, a real career path, great team retention, and consistently having 20% plus in retail and having a very profitable business, th...

“Build it and they will come” is a line from the 1989 movie ‘Field of Dreams’.  Unfortunately, it is a strategy that many salon owners use when opening up a new salon only to find that Hollywood movies don’t necessarily reflect business reality. In today's podcast episode, I am answering two questions from our listeners. In answering their questions I will be explaining why “build it and they will...

All the changes that have taken place over the past two years have forced many of us to rethink our work/life balance, and have brought issues around mental health and burnout into greater focus. My guest today is Ashleigh Hodges, a young woman who has built up a well-deserved reputation in the UK hairdressing industry, not only for being very talented at doing hair but also for being an exception...

My guests on today's Podcast are returning guests to the show: Filipe Santos and David Brodsky, who are New Jersey based Salon owners.   In the previous conversation I had with them, we talked about their growing salon business and the success of their business model. If you didn’t catch that episode, it’s number 112, so you can go back and check it out. During the episode, Filipe and David spoke...

Like many of you, I will sometimes spend time scrolling through Instagram and occasionally a salon design will stop me in my tracks…    This is the case with Salon Ruggeri based in NYC. Every time I see an image they have posted, it’s always of a beautifully put together and very stylish salon space that breaks the cookie-cutter salon design mould and gives you a peek into the world and the style...

Many people open a salon with a dream to grow it into a big business. Unfortunately, only very few achieve that dream.  In today's hairdressing industry there has been a growth in the independent stylist. The salon suite, The booth renter. The freelancer. The business unit of 1. But that business model certainly isn’t for everyone. You can still build a brand, create a career path, and offer train...

Every relationship that you develop with a client starts with a consultation, and there are many different ways a consultation can be done.   I know hairdressers that take up to 30 minutes to do an in-depth thorough consultation, while others say something like, “So what are we doing today?” to a fully gowned-up client with dripping wet hair a split second before they start cutting.    The way you...

My guest on today's Podcast is Jason Crozier, salon stylist, editorial stylist and the founder and Director of CrozNest Creative Agency in London.   CrozNest helps salon businesses gain traction by providing digital marketing services and curated content packages for social media. On this episode we discuss: The benefits of using some curated content on your Instagram feed The relevance of trend r...

I always think it’s important to dream. To want a better life for yourself and your family and importantly to have the courage and the grit to step into the unknown and see where it leads you. My guest on today's Podcast is one such person, her name is Sally Rogerson and her hairdressing journey started out in a small town in the north of England and after a fascinating and varied career 30 years...

Many hairdressers aspire to be educators. And over the last few years, due to the rapid growth in social media, and more recently with a little help from Covid, there has been an explosion of people jumping online and getting into the educator space. Some of them are obviously a lot better than others. So, what is it that sets educators apart? And what are the skills and mindset that a salon styli...

In today’s episode I am going to be answering a question which was asked by a listener; “How can I get my team to talk about and recommend professional take-home products to their clients?”  I have a complete module on this very topic in my online Super Stylist course so I will be drawing from that content in this episode. The focus will be on highlighting the typical objections that hairdressers...