Prosper and Profit

Your clients haven't left the industry. But they have changed. Since mid-March, there's been a measurable shift in how salon clients are spending and this episode explains exactly what is happening. In this episode, we cover: • Why last-minute bookings are harder to fill and what the data says about it • The three economic shocks that caused clients to snap their wallets shut (and how they slowly...

Christmas might feel a long way away, but for salon owners, the foundations for a stress-free December break are being laid right now. If you're tired of starting every year feeling behind, this episode will help you shift from scrambling to planning. In this episode, you'll learn: - Why most salon owners think about Christmas far too late - The hidden financial costs of your Christmas closure - H...

Your salon is talking to you every day. The question is: do you understand what it's trying to say? In this episode, Laura explains why numbers are the language of business, how your salon is constantly sending signals about what's working (and what isn't) and why learning to interpret those signals is one of the most valuable skills a business owner can develop. In this episode, we cover: • Why s...

As we hit the halfway point of the year, many salon owners are looking up and wondering where the last six months went. The goals were there in January. The intentions were there too. But somewhere between the busy season, the January-February slowdown, staff challenges, rising costs and trying to keep everything moving, the year has started to get away. In this episode, we cover: • Why the mid-ye...

Most salon owners think their biggest financial stress is not having enough money. But after working with 70+ salon and clinic owners, I can tell you that’s not actually the problem. The real issue is not knowing where the money is going. And that lack of visibility creates something far more damaging than a low bank balance: uncertainty. The kind that leads to hesitation, second-guessing, and dec...

There’s nothing more frustrating than looking at a fully booked calendar and still wondering where the money is going. Because busy does not automatically mean profitable. In this episode, we’re unpacking one of the biggest frustrations salon and clinic owners face: making good revenue but still feeling financial pressure behind the scenes. After working with more than 70 salon and clinic owners,...

There’s a version of your salon that feels calmer. More profitable. Less mentally exhausting to run. But most salon owners don’t get stuck because they don’t know what to do. They get stuck because of the things they keep putting off. The conversation. The decision. The numbers. The change. In this episode, we’re talking about the hidden cost of avoidance and why the most expensive thing in your s...

Most salon owners think their biggest problem is not having enough clients. But often, the real issue is much more subtle. Average. Average pricing. Average team performance. Average standards. Average decision-making. None of these seem dramatic on their own. In fact, average can feel safe because it sits comfortably in the middle of what everyone else is doing. But average is where profit dies....

There is a version of your salon you can clearly see. It's profitable. Structured. Calm. Financially healthy. You know what it looks like. You know what it would feel like. So why does it still feel just out of reach? In many cases, the problem isn't a lack of effort. It isn't even a lack of strategy. It's the gap between the business owner you are today and the business owner your salon needs you...

In this episode I'm joined with Danielle the owner of DMR Hair Residence in Mackay, QLD. She opened in September 2020 right in the middle of a pandemic. Six years later, she was fully booked, covering her bills, paying herself a wage. And still feeling like something wasn't right. Not a crisis. Just that quiet sense that the reward wasn't matching the effort. That everything was running on guesswo...

The shifts happening in salons right now aren't dramatic. They're quiet. What that means is they can be easy to miss. By the time a revenue drop shows up in your bank account, the clues were already there weeks, sometimes months earlier. Most owners just didn't know what to look for. In this episode, we'll talk about: • The early KPI shifts already showing up across salons right now • Why rebookin...

In this episode we'll talk about what's actually happening in salons right now, what the numbers are starting to show and why pulling back or going into "watch and wait" mode is not a strategy. Things are shifting. Some salon owners are noticing that clients are hesitating. Rebooking is slower. Gaps between visits are stretching out. And a lot are doing the one thing that will make it worse, waiti...

In this episode, I break down a common misconception: that the answer to cashflow pressure is simply more clients. It makes sense on the surface, more bookings, more appointments means more revenue. But looking at the numbers closely shows a very different story. When your salon isn’t set up to be profitable, scaling revenue just magnifies the issues. More clients mean higher costs, more product u...

In this episode, I'm joined by Elsie Basterfield, a client who worked with us as she shares what it actually looked like behind the scenes. Elsie opened Blonde Baby in Tasmania in June 2024 knowing she wanted to do things differently this time and shares her journey to financial clarity. In this episode, we'll talk about: • Why previous coaching left Elsie stuck • The one area holding everything b...

In this episode, I share a common scenario I see with salon owners: fully booked teams, consistent revenue… but the owner still feeling a lot of financial pressure. Even when things look busy and profitable, many salon owners aren’t being financially rewarded for their work. And often, they don’t even realize how serious the issue is because peers and friends normalise the same experience. Just be...

In this episode, I share an analogy I often use with clients: slicing the cake vs growing the cake. Think of your salon revenue like a cake. Some salons are working with a cupcake. Some have an 8-inch cake. Some have a 14-inch cake. The question is: how is that cake being sliced? Many salon owners are working incredibly hard to bake the cake… but by the time everyone else has taken their slice, th...

In this episode, I’m joined by Harman Johnston the founder of Blu Bookkeepers and host of the Money First CEO podcast. Harman is a BAS Agent, a Certified Profit First Professional and someone deeply passionate about helping business owners understand their numbers and build sustainable cash flow. Together, we dive into a topic that quietly creates financial stress for many business owners: blurred...

In this episode, I walk through exactly what I would look at if I was to come into your salon for 30 days to improve the profit and performance of your salon. In this episode I'll cover; • Why we need to understand where the money is in a salon is going. • How to determine if a salon is really profiting. • What the owner is (or isn’t) being paid for • Whether the structure supports growth. If you’...

This episode is a Mindset Minute which means a short episode on making an important mindset shift. We focus a lot on strategy here with numbers, decisions and action. However, something I learnt early on in business is that mindset and strategy move together. You need both tracks for the train to move. In this episode, I share a simple reminder: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The...

In this episode, we’re talking about why “boring” is actually the goal and how stability, structure and predictability create more freedom than chaos. We’ll talk about: • Why rollercoaster businesses exhaust you • How structure reduces stress • Why boring business = better life From the outside, a salon can look like it’s thriving. But if it feels chaotic, unpredictable and mentally exhausting beh...

The industry is evolving. The economy is shifting. And being great at what you do is no longer enough on its own. In this episode we're going to dive into how to thrive in this envirobnment and what I would be focusing on to protect profit in my salon. We'll cover: • Why what got you here won’t take you to the next level • The unsexy habits that protect and grow profit • What I’d focus on right no...

This episode answer one common question in 15 minutes or less. Short, sharp, and focused on one thing that can genuinely shift how you think or what you do next. I often hear clients say something along the lines of: “Setting aside 1% or 3% or even 5% profit feels so small. Is it even worth it?” And I completely get that. Because when I first implemented Profit First years ago, I felt exactly the...

If you’ve been wondering where the podcast’s been, this episode starts with a little behind-the-scenes catch-up. Between school holidays, kids at home, and a very full January in the business, the podcast return needed a bit more space than I originally planned. But we’re back. ✨ Kids are back at school, routines have returned, and I’ve got my proper “on the business” days back. And honestly, tha...

As this episode drops, I know you’re coming through some absolutely massive weeks in the salon. Whether you’re squeezing in a few more days of work or you’ve already clocked off. I wanted to jump in and say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. ❤️ I hope you get space to rest, recharge, reconnect and just be once the time comes and the chaos settles. This is our final episode for the year, and the p...

In this episode, I am so excited to share this with you because today I’m joined by someone many of you already know and love, the incredible Jools. Jools is a colour specialist, educator for Goldwell Global, long-time salon owner and all-round big personality in the hair industry. She’s travelled the world teaching, she’s juggled more creative projects than most of us could imagine, and yes… she’...