How We'd Build Hello Hair Again (Much Faster) [EP:249]

If we had to start over tomorrow, would we build a different salon?

Not really.

But we'd absolutely build it faster.

In this episode, we break down the biggest lessons we've learned from building Hello Hair Co. over the last six years. From hiring, pricing, education, marketing, leadership, one-on-one meetings, apprenticeships, and long-term thinking, we share what we'd do differently if we were opening a business today.

We also talk about the mistakes we made, the things we got right, and why experience often isn't about discovering new answers, it's about recognizing the right answers sooner.

If you're building a salon, thinking about opening one, or simply trying to grow the business you already have, this episode will help you avoid some of the lessons that took us years to learn.

Your business should serve you, so that you can serve others.
And sometimes the biggest advantage isn't knowing more, it's moving faster.

Key Takeaways

• Hire for your framework, not around it. 
• One-on-one meetings build stronger teams than staff meetings. 
• Stop trying to make everyone happy. 
• Marketing is an investment, not an expense. 
• Pricing should be built on math, not hope. 
• Education works best when expectations are clear. 
• Most business advice is attached to someone else's goals. 
• Facebook is not a substitute for business strategy. 
• Mission, vision, and core values simplify decisions. 
• Experience often comes down to recognizing the right answers sooner.

Time Stamps

00:00 — Intro + learning alongside your team
 01:30 — You're not the main character in someone else's story
 02:00 — If we opened a salon tomorrow...
 03:00 — What we'd do differently first
 04:00 — Understanding leases and business foundations
 05:00 — Hiring slower and hiring for the framework
 05:30 — One-on-one meetings and leadership
 07:00 — Worrying less about people leaving
 09:00 — Why clarity beats people-pleasing
 11:00 — Investing in marketing sooner
 13:00 — The long game of SEO and Google
 14:00 — Optimizing salon space for growth
 16:00 — Simplifying pricing and profitability
 19:00 — Improving the hiring process
 21:00 — Education: what we got right
 22:00 — Pushing people too quickly
 24:00 — Business advice we'd completely ignore
 25:00 — Why Facebook isn't your business mentor
 26:00 — Mission, vision, and core values
 28:00 — The story behind Hello Hair Co.
 31:00 — The biggest lesson: speed matters

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