Welcome to a special edition of Conscious Salon podcast, beaming straight from the Gold Coast! Join us as we share the space with our dear friend, Rache Mahon, and her vivacious daughter, Allegra, for some raw, unfiltered conversations about the trials and tribulations of our business journey. Ever pondered what could possibly be so outrageous that it prompts a professional to sever ties with a client? We have, and we're holding nothing back while discussing it.
As we peel back the layers of our adventures in the hairdressing industry, get ready for some jaw-dropping tales of banning clients, managing demanding personalities, and navigating inappropriate interactions. We also dig into the gritty subject of money, specifically the missteps we've made with our business funds. We've got some cautionary tales about ill-judged investments and the lessons we've learned from them. The plot thickens as we talk about how to handle employees who might be stealthily causing discord.
The twist in our narrative arrives when we recount a heart-wrenching episode of a serious accusation made against us by a former team member, and the fallout that followed. We navigated through a stormy week of multiple staff resignations, but emerged stronger, learning invaluable lessons about fostering a positive work environment. We've faced our share of challenges, but the silver lining is the resilience we've built, and the robust, supportive team that stands with us today. Come, join us for this profound conversation that promises life lessons aplenty!
To follow our journey:
Instagram @aheadhair_
@the_conscious_salon
This podcast has been produced and edited by Snappystreet Creative
Welcome to a special edition of Conscious Salon podcast, beaming straight from the Gold Coast! Join us as we share the space with our dear friend, Rache Mahon, and her vivacious daughter, Allegra, for some raw, unfiltered conversations about the trials and tribulations of our business journey. Ever pondered what could possibly be so outrageous that it prompts a professional to sever ties with a client? We have, and we're holding nothing back while discussing it.
As we peel back the layers of our adventures in the hairdressing industry, get ready for some jaw-dropping tales of banning clients, managing demanding personalities, and navigating inappropriate interactions. We also dig into the gritty subject of money, specifically the missteps we've made with our business funds. We've got some cautionary tales about ill-judged investments and the lessons we've learned from them. The plot thickens as we talk about how to handle employees who might be stealthily causing discord.
The twist in our narrative arrives when we recount a heart-wrenching episode of a serious accusation made against us by a former team member, and the fallout that followed. We navigated through a stormy week of multiple staff resignations, but emerged stronger, learning invaluable lessons about fostering a positive work environment. We've faced our share of challenges, but the silver lining is the resilience we've built, and the robust, supportive team that stands with us today. Come, join us for this profound conversation that promises life lessons aplenty!
To follow our journey:
Instagram @aheadhair_
@the_conscious_salon
This podcast has been produced and edited by Snappystreet Creative
Here at the Conscious Salon, we acknowledge the traditional owners of the land in which we stand today, the Boon Rung people of the Kula Nation. We pay our respects to the elders, past and present, and extend their respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Welcome to the Conscious Salon. Welcome back to the Conscious Salon podcast. Guys, we're on tour. We are today. We are on the Gold Coast. It's school is week. Yep, we've come up to Gors Havoc on the Gold Coast. We have two leaves we're tearing up Service Paradise.
Speaker 1:We sit in our hotel room with water and chips.
Speaker 2:We are.
Speaker 1:We are on tour and we've got the family toured. We haven't toured, but we're up on the Gold. Coast. I packed the microphones and put them in a suitcase. That's my point. The microphones are on tour. The microphones are on tour, Anyway we'll step in.
Speaker 2:We don't need to get in the way of a good story with the trees, we're on tour.
Speaker 1:We're having a great time. A bit prickly about the weather, if we're being honest.
Speaker 2:Because we're Malibu Indians every time we come.
Speaker 1:No, it's on par for, like when we travel to Queensland. I don't think Nikki and I have come to Queensland without it raining for at least a day. Honestly, though, as a Malibu Indian, if you come up to Queensland, it's November, we thought we'd be safe and it's raining, and every time we come to Queensland it's like horrible stormy weather, except for the middle of winter.
Speaker 2:Yep, I'd agree with that, I agree.
Speaker 1:Anyway, we're up here. We've done a planning event with Beck and it's been a really big two days. We thought we'd do a little something different for this potty. We've got some people in the room with us too, we do. We'd just like to guess. Look, it's a one way thing a podcast. So we're not going to waste time pretending for you to guess, but we have a serial offender of the Contra Salon podcast, ladies and gentlemen, rachel Mann.
Speaker 2:Leah, if we can get some applause going.
Speaker 1:All the things Rachel Mann. So Rachel has been on a few potty episodes. Is this your third potty?
Speaker 3:I think this is my third.
Speaker 1:Yes, look, we should be sharing some of the sponsorship money with you, but we won't, because you're a good friend, and that's what good friends do. Absolutely, rach. What brings you back to the podcast?
Speaker 3:What brings me back? I've just been told I'm doing it tonight.
Speaker 2:Let's be honest, I'm three champagne in and here we go.
Speaker 1:We've put a podcast mic in front of her and she's ready to go. And this is the first time you've been over the legal driving limit when you've recorded a podcast with us, so we're not sure what's going to happen.
Speaker 2:This could be interesting. That was the end of the sentence.
Speaker 1:This is the first time she's ever like I'm all in two drinks.
Speaker 2:Oh, no, oh no, she's well-priced, I'm all in one of them as well.
Speaker 1:But, rachel, would you like to introduce our fourth guest? I?
Speaker 3:would. This is first time on the Contrast Salon podcast, my beautiful daughter Allegra who's? Joining us today. Little Leggy Goog.
Speaker 1:So, leggy, I was going to say you're the first underage person that we've had, but no sully blues on the mic ones.
Speaker 1:But, Leggy's on the potty, and the reason that we wanted to talk to Leggy today is because, well, we've got a little bit of a first time situation for the Contrast Salon. We wanted to do something fun and put ourselves out of our comfort zone and press record and give you guys some entertainment. So what we did was we contacted sorry for all the other weeks. So what we did is we contacted one of our beautiful friends, megan, and said to her Megs, we want you to throw together five questions that you think are going to make us squirm, and the three of us have to answer completely honestly yeah, 100% on the mic moment.
Speaker 1:No matter how uncomfortable it makes us feel, and we have to answer honestly and they're all related to business. Yeah, because we haven't seen the questions. Allegra is keeping the integrity. You've just opened that email for the first time. Yes, so Allegra is going to be, like, the task master. Is that the thing? The ringmaster? Yeah, the ringmaster, the MC of the event. So Allegra is going to be asking us the questions and then I'm going to give you the full power here, babe. You can choose someone to start it off.
Speaker 2:I just want to know, though, guys, before we start.
Speaker 1:how's everyone feeling with this task? I mean, I'm fine, I'm like yeah, bring it on?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'm okay, I think once I hear the question, I'll be yeah, it's hard, I think it's okay, I feel pretty good, I feel pretty confident.
Speaker 1:I feel a little bit vulnerable. I'm like I only said to me let's make it uncomfortable. So I think this would be a great episode, because this would be an episode that I would love to listen to on someone's podcast. But being the person in the hot seat oh, just test having the chip Very good being the person in the hot seat is a little unnerving. I'm going to be honest, so let's get right on into it.
Speaker 2:Okay, question one. Question one for you guys is what would make you stop working with the client, example, hairdressing client and conscious client in here?
Speaker 1:Oh, good question Right. Who would you answer first?
Speaker 3:I thought it was a laborer in control.
Speaker 2:Yeah, who was answering first? Who would I start with next? Mama Bear, you go first. Thank you, of course you did, yeah.
Speaker 3:What would make me? Stop working with a client, I think, somebody that maybe wasn't aligned with us or didn't understand why we provided this service, or maybe there was pushback from that I think would be my thing. Have you ever?
Speaker 1:fired any clients.
Speaker 3:I've said to clients before maybe we are not the clinic for you.
Speaker 1:I've had clients maybe feeling like or have you banned someone Like not saying I totally get like oh yeah we've banned some You've banned. Yeah, what have you banned people for?
Speaker 3:Oh, I mean, it's pro. This is not R rated. Is it this podcast? No, well what an AMA.
Speaker 1:Do you listen to it or not? I just Do. You just listen to your episode? I'm an AMA, I just listen to it. What do you mean? You're not R rated. What are you doing I?
Speaker 3:mean we've had one, we've had interest. Let me tell you this we've had interesting text messages. Come back sometimes.
Speaker 1:You say more, we're on our Go for it.
Speaker 3:I'll tell you what full permission we say you know, yeah, when we send text messages out sometimes to remind you of our appointments, I think people get on like when they go out later or earlier and people have been drinking, we get some interesting text messages back sometimes Like what Like, come on, come on out.
Speaker 1:We're like, everyone's like what Are you getting? Dick pics, what are they?
Speaker 3:Basically, yeah, what do you mean? Basically, I remember reading what this client.
Speaker 1:He told me about this Say more what it was like a sex message.
Speaker 3:It's a hot mic moment, let's all send a sex message back, and I think they didn't realise it was down Wait wait, so you said confirming your appointment. Hi, it's Pernod's age. Confirming your appointment and then next minute. What did they say? Like I don't even Like. To be honest, I didn't actually see it, but yeah, I think they were on the source and then I got back. Was?
Speaker 1:it you sending it back to the clinic? Yeah, it would have been special. It was me.
Speaker 3:I was just seeing what this response was going to be from the killer.
Speaker 1:She wants to do the process. So wait, what was the response?
Speaker 3:I just can't imagine that being the thing where people be like oh, I think they meant it and we were like, wow, didn't they meant it for someone else?
Speaker 1:Yeah, so they've got tangled up and said like oh, I'm ready for you or whatever it is.
Speaker 3:It was an entanglement. Yes, there's been those ones.
Speaker 1:She's not going to reveal what it was, but you sort of you banned the person. Did you say as a consequence for your naughty text, you are not coming back.
Speaker 3:Yeah, in a sense. No, I'm just, I didn't. How about for the client? No, this one was like a serial. She was a serial offender. Yeah, this one was interesting.
Speaker 1:I remember the situation and without getting into some sort of like deformation, claim or something. Yes, I remember the situation and it was not ideal. I guess, for the rest of us, tough luck will just amuse our own imaginations, not really sticking to the hot mic moment.
Speaker 3:I feel I know, Rachel, I might have to boot you off. I'm like we don't want to be sued on them, Whatever day you get into this. What am I saying? This person doesn't have a name or a face. No, I know. No it's not.
Speaker 2:How do you get that though? Yeah, what about?
Speaker 1:you, Tess, Look, I mean, I haven't had that experience at Conscious yet. We've definitely realigned and chosen to not. No, I've never banned anyone. That's what I'm saying. No, we banned people at a head yes, yeah, we banned plenty of people at a head and I will take the liberty of actually filling the people in. I'll do my job, Rachel.
Speaker 2:Go for it.
Speaker 1:So we have banned someone at a head. I can only think of one person. We've definitely realigned people and, like you know, directly directed oh we've definitely like broken up politely with people, for sure, yeah.
Speaker 2:But we have banned one person.
Speaker 1:There's a lot of clients that have do not book next to their name. So, like every business, every business has. You know people that they block from their online booking system, or you know people that they put do not book next to but we've put an actual like telling someone they cannot return with one person, which I think is pretty good in 10 years, Absolutely.
Speaker 1:And that was actually that. Actually, I'm going to finish my moment and then you can have yours. To be honest, because we're never going to get the end of this podcast and the people have got things to do. Today we have put in one ban, but I can remember and if you can remember someone else, that's Can you mail the client to me? I'm confident enough to say it. I won't, for legal reasons. So this is a actually I don't know. I'll give the dirty details. So this came from a friend of 20 years. So this is a friend who had always, just you know, not respected the craft, not really respected what we did, and that's cool.
Speaker 2:I'm like you know that can, often that can often.
Speaker 1:There was a client that always complained she was fucking pain in the ass. Look, I think with friends and family it's harder. I think the respect like you know, it was just Nicky gets a totally different experience if I'm cutting your hair versus anyone else. It's how well I actually know I've changed it since then. I really do try and I give you, you know, what you're wanting in the service. That was not. It wasn't really like yeah, but it was just. It was a lot of, you know, feedback, a lot of feedback. There was an incident where she had had like a I think she was in front eyelash lift. She was in front eyelash lift and he needed to use, I think, smaller rods than time before. There's also a client that wanted to know every little inch of detail, on course, all the things.
Speaker 2:Nicky gave it.
Speaker 1:She'd gone from an extra large to a large and I said to her I'm going to drop the rod size down because your lashes aren't as long as what they were the last time and she lost it.
Speaker 2:She went down, so what happened was she threw the blanket to the ground she got to me. So what you're?
Speaker 1:saying is that my lashes are short, and I was like, oh no, mate, no, I'm not saying that at all, she was a friend, I'm not saying that at all. And she like actually lost it. She grabbed the blanket through it at the wall, swearing at me Like she actually lost it.
Speaker 2:She said to Nicky like how dare you say that to me?
Speaker 1:I'm a paying client and I was like I'm so sorry, I was just trying to communicate with you, I'm so sorry that I've offended you. I'm trying to work out where I've gone wrong here. Like it was really a big thing and it was, it was awful, and she got so angry and upset and then we got out the front and I was so flustered and upset that she left and then I just I could barely finish the day, it upset me so much and Nicky, of course, like went home, dissolved into tears, dissolved, and we made a decision right then and there that's it. We can't, we can't come back from this, we can't repairable. So I messaged her and said you're done.
Speaker 1:No, you are, it's just a really gracious message, saying I can't make you happy, and the biggest thing that I want clients to be is happy, and I'm not making you happy. When I refer you on to someone else, like I, truly meant that, yeah, and then that didn't go down too well. So then she came to, so she was, you know, fuck you to Nicky. And then she came to me Are you still going to do my hair? And I said no, I'm not. And that went down well, as you can imagine. So explosion, fuck you, how dare you ban me? Blah, blah, blah, and it exploded and that friendship wasn't an amazing one to start with, but that dropped the friendship and then that also had a ricochet of then the friends and family that she'd recommended to us also left, which we understood that that was the way that it was going to be, but I still don't regret that decision. I think it was a really good decision it was great.
Speaker 1:I look back and I'm like that was great. We put boundaries in and it was fucking hot, yeah, and it was a real value of what we do and what we will tolerate. And I think that really started the process for it, because we've never had a situation like that again. No, Since that moment. No, In terms of consciousness, our lens of consciousness.
Speaker 1:There's certain people that come into our world or want to work with us that we'll just sort of realign and I mean, I guess that's a pretty privileged place to be in. But you know, we have we're at capacity at the moment with a waitlist and you've got the privileged position to be able to, you know, effectively look at the waitlist and say who would we like to work with or who do we feel aligned to work with at the moment? And again, I acknowledge that that's a great place to be in. I think people naturally come and go in and out of your world. But have we ever banned anyone or like stopped working with the client? No, but if we don't feel aligned, we are very forward in saying we don't feel quite aligned with you and perhaps you'd be more suited to this person. And then there's certain people that we have flat out been like what you want is not what we do, yeah, or what you're looking for you would be better suited to person and look, we always make it our mission to be able to point them in the right direction to someone else who's more aligned with them and what they're looking for, because we don't want to not be able to deliver what they're looking for, yeah, Good question.
Speaker 1:Next question Leigh Ghee.
Speaker 2:My second question is what's something you guys have spent money on in your business that you consider now a waste of money? Tell us the details, and how much was it? That's a good question.
Speaker 3:Who's starting first?
Speaker 1:I'm going to answer this one first. Yes, Nikki. Well, yeah, but I don't know it's wasted on me. I'm going to be totally honest. I think I did. I'm going to be totally honest. No, it's not the helicopter. I thought you were going to say that was a fucking vibe. The helicopter was hysterical. We talked about it a few episodes ago, but it's actually. I'm going to be totally honest, and this is a little bit uncomfortable- I don't know what it is.
Speaker 1:So we had a beauty therapist when we were doing beauty and we decided to invest in skin needling and it was something I was really holding off on. I was holding off, holding off, holding off, holding off because I was just like really wanted to make sure that everything felt like it was. Tell the truth, you knew that she wasn't aligned and you didn't want to make the investment because the investment was.
Speaker 1:I knew it, surely was I didn't want to make the investment and she really wanted us to make the investment and I really didn't feel good about making the investment. And I did it because I really wanted it to work out with her and I bought the machine and it was how long did that machine?
Speaker 2:get.
Speaker 1:Three and a half grand and we used it for four weeks and then she left and we discontinued beauty and we literally used that machine about five times. So that was good, but I also that was a good lesson, I don't know. Look, I ever the optimist. I really struggled to see I didn't learn something out of that situation. You know what I mean. I'm always like I gained a lesson out of that, though. So you know, only three and a half grand Could have been a lot more. Could have been a lot more. Actually, it was five and a half grand. Okay, what was a bit more? It was the exceed, see and eagling device at five and a half K. Yeah, yeah, five and a half K it was.
Speaker 1:Well, that was a couple of years ago and I'm still bitter about that money.
Speaker 2:Oh really, obviously not.
Speaker 1:Not at all. I'm like oh well, listen learned.
Speaker 3:What about you, reggie? So the question can you just repeat it again?
Speaker 2:for me like what's something you've spent money on in your business that you consider now a waste of money? Tell us the details.
Speaker 3:I actually, when you said that just before, I actually had a bit of a giggle. So G, my manager, that's on maternity leave at the moment we went through a stage of having someone contract to do eyebrow tattooing. Do you know this story? No, no, we had someone that came in get contracted. She came once a month she did eyebrow tattooing. Anyway, long story short, she finished up all of it and George, my manager, and I thought, oh, we can do this, this would be great, oh good.
Speaker 1:That sounds like a good idea. That's easy, isn't it? I'm anxious just hearing this.
Speaker 3:I'm anxious just telling you and I think about it now, just for the people that aren't like anyone that's not familiar.
Speaker 1:A brow tattoo, that's pretty permanent. It's a pretty permanent, it's a permanent, it's a permanent.
Speaker 3:And G and I were like oh, I've seen this been done, we've watched Shadie, that we've walked past the room this is easy. This is easy. We've got the two day course. We'll pop ourselves to Melbourne and here we go. So we did a couple of models. Thank goodness they didn't have to pay.
Speaker 1:And then we decided I mean that tells us it doesn't. Thank God, they didn't pay for it.
Speaker 3:We looked afterwards and said, oh, I don't think this is for us anymore. So there we go. That cost us about and back then five years ago, even about five grand each, and so that was cool.
Speaker 1:Five grand for the two clients that didn't pay. How are they? How are they browsing out? Are they still wearing them? Look?
Speaker 3:Ronnie's still one of my best friends and I mean thank God it's faded out. Sorry, darl.
Speaker 1:She's gone and got that all sorted out. She's fixed up. She's not doing it to someone else.
Speaker 3:Well, that's good, that makes the skin natally. It's not a big deal at all compared to a tattoo. Absolutely I'm like great.
Speaker 1:Well, there we go. Question answered, all right, laker question straight. What have we got? Questions these are good questions, well done, Annie.
Speaker 2:Thank you, Megan. Very good Picture this scenario. You've just caught two of your employees in the back room together. You know how that goes. How do you deal with the situation? Wait having sex or like talking to Well, megan hasn't actually clarified it, but she's just said you know how that goes Winky face. Does that mean talking?
Speaker 1:shit or having sex. Well, let's do both ways. Well, I've never caught anyone having sex and like have you?
Speaker 2:ever talked about having sex. I don't even remember the polo quote. No, I don't. Let's do talking shit, Winky positive yeah.
Speaker 1:We're doing talking shit. I think talking shit's better than having sex because I mean, you know I'm not going to yuck someone's yarn. To be honest, Give that a swear you're at If you're into selling sex. It's a very niche audience. Well, you know, no. Anyway, there's a few professional issues around that nature nightmare with that, but let's go with talking shit. Allegra, who would you like to answer first?
Speaker 2:Nikki, you start.
Speaker 1:I just want to start by saying there are literally problems in every single business, and it's been really humbling this weekend because we've definitely had experiences where we've been like, oh yeah, it, it, it. You put any business under a microscope and it will expose you in some way. Honestly, I just think having a really candid conversation is what I would do. That's my approach. Having a candid conversation. I think alignment would be all over the place. I can just hear from that.
Speaker 1:If we caught people doing that, it's just like a case of alignment and I think it's so hard not to take it personally, so I think it would be really difficult I don't have a really candid conversation about it and and work out. I'd basically, you know, want people to either step in or step out. That's what I'd do. What about you, tess? I mean, I do have conversations around it, so I'm comfortable with it. I don't. It doesn't light me up. I'll be honest about that. And, as Nikki said, I think, if you don't think this is going on in your salon, I haven't a look. I think look, as we always say, we employ humans, not robots, and our team I'm just going to normalize this for everyone Our team, meaning us as a business owner. Your team is not going to love every single decision you're making. They're not going to support every single vision you have. They're going to have things that they don't agree with or they don't see or they don't understand.
Speaker 1:They could have done differently and that's okay. It's not up to us to fix all of that. It's not up to us to prove that. Often, as the owners, we feel like we need to step into that real fire, that you know this is how it is and like, yeah, you can do that, you can do that if you want.
Speaker 1:I think for me, it all comes down to respect. So if I'm saying something that appears disrespectful or there is evidence supporting there is disrespectful behavior happening, I will have conversations around this and I think that, no matter how much some and look, I'm going to be fully transparent when happening, it's the last thing I want to do. I don't look at that situation and go, oh good, I get to go and have a really like humbling conversation with someone and have to address problematic behavior or things that I don't like, because this also can be quite confrontational, it can be really challenging, it can become really combative. This is not. This shit doesn't light me up. I'm not like, oh good, I can't like to get in there and, you know, have a tussle someone or, you know, have to have a tricky conversation. When we have these, you know we often say conflict or disruption or have you want to put. It doesn't need to be confrontational so we can resolve everything calmly. For me, it's all about respect. So if there are things that I see as just and this is a life rule, by the way so if someone's saying something, for example, homophobic or sexist or racist or something gross that makes me go, I used to address it by sizing up aggression yeah, what the fuck, what are you doing? That doesn't work in business, so it's taught me a completely different way to start operating. So with that, I've swallowed my ego and not sitting my reaction, because my reaction is like what the fuck? I have to sit there and for me, what's really helped me? And I'm just going to try and keep this as like a pracky tea for someone I ask what they're doing. So if someone says something, for example, racist, what do you mean by what you're saying? I'm trying to understand what you're saying, because people have to explain what they're doing. It's usually when they start going oh, it's actually a bit fucked. So they can start identifying what they're doing as fucked without me having to address it, and I think that's a really, if you take anything out of this, that's a really helpful thing in addressing conflict.
Speaker 1:I'm curious about this. I've noticed this. So if you've noticed people talking shit or I've overheard, or whatever it is, there's two ways you can handle it. You can walk in and go. I heard you say this and that was fucked and you know you hurt me, blah, blah, blah. Or hey, I'm just gonna use Rach. I'm just gonna put hey, rach. I overheard you saying this to Nikki. You're dumb.
Speaker 1:And I'm just a bit curious about it. Can you explain to me why you'd be saying that to Nikki? And it addresses it. It makes people really accountable and like actually sit in their shit without me having to go to size up, because the sizing up doesn't do anything. It just creates problems. Agree.
Speaker 3:Totally. I'm just sitting in awe of both of your responses.
Speaker 1:And I was like we're very inspired, Are you gonna bring us?
Speaker 3:right back down to reality. Yeah, no, I totally agree with both of you. Then, and I think I probably was once at one stage very much like you, tess, and oh, what do you mean? You don't agree with me, and blah, blah, blah. I think one thing I've really learned from both of you is anything can be resolved with proper communication and staying calm in the moment, and it's just having that conversation. And, like you said, tess, before, one thing about being a boss and a leader everyone's not gonna agree with you.
Speaker 3:Everyone is not going to. There are gonna be moments, and that's okay as well, but it's communicating that and having that open conversation. Tell me how you feel about that. Can we have a discussion? Let's have a courageous conversation about that, one thousand percent, instead of going in with rage or aggression or that sort of thing too, so we can rage to our safe people, can't we?
Speaker 1:Absolutely. We can call. You know, and this is the thing in this community, you can call out your friends, you can call out your partners. You can call. You can rage to everyone else. Don't rage to your team. What happens when we rage to our team, Rachel.
Speaker 3:It's not a good time, is it? It's? Not it's not inspiring. It's not inspiring. You're not a great leader. It just creates more chaos Totally. And yeah, yeah, I've lost my train of thought just then. Sorry, mate, I think I jumped in.
Speaker 1:I'm so sorry. No, it's fine. It's a champagne, isn't?
Speaker 3:it. I told you to not have champagne.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. What's our next question, Leighi?
Speaker 2:My fourth question for you guys is describe your worst day in business. What does it look like, what were your thoughts in that moment and what would you do differently now to assist the situation? Good question.
Speaker 3:Who's answering Liz?
Speaker 2:Tessie, you answer, you go first.
Speaker 1:My worst day in business and why, All right, this is making me uncomfortable and I appreciate this. I'm gonna step into it. We had a pretty serious accusation put out there about us. You happy to go there with this mate? Not really, but it looks like we're heading there. It looks like we're heading there. Look, we did say that we were gonna go here. I'm just gonna fully own it.
Speaker 1:We had a pretty serious accusation from a former team member. It's the one thing that we've probably avoided and I'm just gonna actually sit in this because this is real and this is true and this is how things happen, and maybe we'll let it this out, but I don't think we will. I think we'll stand in it. We were accused of bullying, which is obviously something that we talk incredibly seriously and really devastating thing to experience in a place where we have always given everything to our community, so that embodies client team community, and that was during the pandemic and it was also just a few weeks after Nikki had her son, and it was a really serious thing. So we had a pretty eye-writing routine disciplinary meeting. Would that be a fair comment to make? I actually think we should share what happened the entirety of it, would it? Yep, so we had a team member who was great and had shown us that she was a great team member.
Speaker 1:Then she asked for we'd just come back after a lockdown and she asked for a Saturday off in December. And we've got a blackout period in December, as most people in the industry do. And she said you know, I didn't want to go to the annual leave because I wanted to be taken and she won an annual leave day. We said no and Tess said to her you know, I may be able to put your break at the end of the day. So then you can you know, let me get back to you on that or I don't know. You gave her some alternative and she wasn't happy with that. We didn't get into semantics. She wasn't happy with that and then came back with well, I could have just called in sick, I could have pulled a sticky or whatever. And she was very aggressive with her approach and was yelling and ranting and raving at you.
Speaker 1:Yes, I should probably preface this by saying, rather than having a courageous conversation, I sent her a text letting her know that I wasn't able to give her the Saturday off. I was instead giving her a break at the end of the day so she could leave an hour early. So look, there's plenty of things that we've looked back on and we could have definitely done that differently. And I absolutely say that we were under so much pressure at that time and you know it was complicated and what happened then was obviously her approach. We sat her down and said this is absolutely not acceptable. The way that you've approached this.
Speaker 1:This is not the way that we do things in here. You cannot talk to anybody in the team. The way that you've come in ranting and raving and yelling and carrying on, especially when you're talking to someone in a management position like this, should be at minimum respect. It was really complicated and in an exceptionally long story short, she ended up putting in a work cover claim and saying that she was bullied and she was now incapacitated and not able to work again, and obviously it was an extremely vulnerable time and, because we have put so much into our team's mental health, it was, hands down, the most fucking confronting thing I've ever been through in my life and I imagine it would be up there with what you've like absolutely one of the most confronting things that you've said I think and look, and I genuinely have compassion towards this person.
Speaker 1:I still and I do, and I can say that truly, because I think that time was a really tricky time for everyone. There are definitely things that I've learnt from that situation that I would never. I would never communicate and, look, I even knew when I was sending the text that that was like a bit easier than having a conversation I remember us talking about it and you saying like, oh, I'm overthinking this, maybe I shouldn't have sent the text.
Speaker 1:And I was like, no mate, you're everything. You don't be silly, yeah. And then it blew up. And then it blew up and it got really awful and it went on for months and you know it ended up like we never paid or sent, the insurance company never paid or sent, like it went nowhere and we were able to disprove things and you know it was fine, but the actual process was so difficult and so complicated and I remember our lawyer at the time said oh, have you guys not gone through something like this before?
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Like this is abnormal for you to go this long in business without a thing like this. And we were like it was just so foreign to us and our lawyer actually wanted us to take legal action against her, and like it was a whole thing. But we weren't in that space. No, but it was so heart wrenching for us and our lawyer really said, like this is a normal part of business and you need to get used to it, and I remember being so uncomfortable, being like this can't be something that we can get used to that she was just like it's a false work of a claim. That happened all the time and we were like this is so crazy, like what? It was such a foreign concept to us.
Speaker 1:I do understand now that it is a part of business. Unfortunately, I think, though, the hard part for me it wasn't so much the allegation, because I think the thing was with that. It's like I knew who we were and what we were doing and I was like oh, I, I saw it as an opportunity and I hadn't that's going to happen. That didn't hurt me. Her making me the allegation it was the reaction that came with that, so I didn't. I know that that was aimed to hurt me, nikki, but that impacted the entirety of the team.
Speaker 1:And I think we're the part that really because with this process or anyone that doesn't know, there's an investigation, it's a really important, like it's, it's, it's all that team had to be interviewed.
Speaker 2:It was humiliating.
Speaker 1:It was awful, yeah, and when you were. We're a mindful salon like we. We and we pride ourselves on their personal development that we offer, in their human growth and potential that comes out of working with our company, and it was really devastating thing. As I said, the fact because I know who we are and I wasn't impacted by that but watching the response of how our team broke down and I will never, ever forget and it still makes me upset.
Speaker 1:But dad came in and he was like just so devastated and he cried so much because he just couldn't understand like you can leave your job and you don't. As we spoke about, it's okay if you, if you leave, and it's okay people don't say forever. But I remember him saying like I don't want you to do this anymore because I don't want to watch you go through this, and he hated seeing how our team responded and how much was hurting them and I think that's just the. The day for me is just that memory of watching him hug Tyra and Megan and I just like so you know, our dad really hurt and mum hurting for us is like you know, mum's a big feeler, dad's a big feeler too, but he's not someone that it was huge.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was a really and I just was like fuck, this is impacting so many people and it just it didn't have to be that way. However, I'm so grateful for the lessons that I learned. I truly see it as a defining moment in how I communicate. I've never made that mistake again. I've never communicated anything through a text message or reactionary. I have truly been so conscious since that moment, because I just don't want to leave myself in a position where I feel that out of control and that blindsided. Wow, the way that we did Mate. That's such an honest thing to say, and I never Don't let it get out.
Speaker 1:Lea, let's keep that all in, I'll keep that exactly as it is, because if I've given the option, I will remove that, so let's leave that right where it is. I'm proud of you, mate, because I never thought we would tell that story on here.
Speaker 1:No, never so well, mine was obviously the same day and I just think, yeah, like it was such a complicated time lockdowns and then, yeah, I just had a baby. Yeah, that's not what you want to be doing. When you just had a kid, yeah, and it was like it was fucking rough. It was so rough and I think so much of having a newborn for me was so unconscious because I was so stressed For so long. I actually really held that person responsible for feeling like I'd been robbed of being a mum that time with you, bob, for sure.
Speaker 1:But I really do feel differently now, like I look at that person and I'm like I actually feel compassion. Yeah, truly, I feel compassion and I'm like for a long time I sat there and I was like did this person actually have this as their reality? I actually think that we were capable of doing something like that, which was complicating itself, to think that someone would think that of us, because it's so far from what we aim to do. And then I was like or is this person like unwell, like is this person like twisted and they have come in intentionally to do this, and I actually don't know what was worse the thought, but I truly look at that person now and I'm like I'm compassionate to you and I understand that you did what you think is best for you at the time and I actually I get it Like I understand and I think if we can walk out of it with lessons, then that's the best case scenario.
Speaker 1:But I really do think that that whole situation I truly feel I don't know if I'm going to say grateful for, but I feel at peace for because it was such an unconscious time in my life, because I was so unwell, and it is the driving force behind so much of my life now being trying to live in the most conscious state, because I often think back to that like I missed so much of my baby and that time, for so many different reasons, that that was a big one, and it's a driving force for why I want to live more consciously. It's been a really big couple of days.
Speaker 1:I'm like you know, there's a lot of emotion. What about you, rachie?
Speaker 3:Of course, I had emotion Quickly.
Speaker 1:I just want to say, because I actually want to really acknowledge this this is something that Nikki never, ever like. When we spoke about doing the podcast, it was always something you put a really big boundary around, that you didn't want that Well, I mean, megan said so many times she's like you've got to talk about that situation. You've got to talk about it and I'm like, oh no, I don't think I could put us out there like that, Because I think what people think maybe people would think what happened.
Speaker 1:You know, like that, we're human and there are. This is the thing. I don't know anyone that is, you know, immune to this. No it's not and it's I really want to acknowledge, like the fact that you've shared it and spoken about how it made you feel, because I feel like even just saying it out loud is creating some healing and I do actually think we are grateful for it. For sure, it doesn't mean that we have to be grateful for every bit.
Speaker 2:Yeah, look it.
Speaker 1:But what we've learned from it and how it truly changed us yeah, for the better. Yes, I agree We've been able to help out of it. And now how we can help and support people.
Speaker 2:Absolutely.
Speaker 1:Because we've gone through something that I mean a lot of business owners will go through, but we've gone through something firsthand that we've been able to help other clients like our clients with the conscious who have gone through the same thing, our friends, our family.
Speaker 3:So yeah, what about you, rach? Yeah, wow, I'm still just taking that in and, yeah, thank you for being vulnerable and sharing that. I, when Allegra just mentioned those that question before I had, I think I have three days. We don't have that time to do three days, though, but I think one that stands out probably the most, and it wasn't just a day. I won't take all the time up, but I had a week, rach, it's actually like we've got a stopwatch.
Speaker 1:We don't yeah. Well, I was like, yeah, Go take the time.
Speaker 3:What was your big day? I think probably it was a week really, and it was a week where I had five people resign in one day. Oh, in one day in one week, oh, that's still fast, actually, I like that Totally. We were. What were we three and a half years into business? Three years into business and really new and young, and Otis was only three and, like you know, we're still feeling at how all this works.
Speaker 1:So for new listeners I'm just going to quickly. Rachael's got three children, so that the youngest is Otis. So he was only three. How old were Jami's and Leggy? I can't do them.
Speaker 3:Three seven, nine.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so so little little family, young family, new to business, and I think I was so new to it and learning all of that, and I think business has definitely changed, obviously in the last 10 years, and it was, you know, the culture was different, it was all you know, I don't know. Long story short is I had one resign. She got poached from somewhere else, and then this, this one, poached another one of my staff, so two resigned day after each other. And then, you know, I had I think I had five at the time or something, five or six, and then she sort of got on the bandwagon as well and was like, oh well, I'm going to go to or, you know, I'm doing something different.
Speaker 3:So they, all three of them, went to the same same place, which is funny because it's actually somewhere I'd worked beforehand, so that was that was nice, and I think one left and she opened her own or whatever it was, and I just remember.
Speaker 3:So, basically, I lost my whole staff and accredited. So you actually had a walk out in a week. Yeah, wow, yeah. And in that moment and this wasn't even a day, it was a week and I remember I used to take my girls out for breakfast on a Friday morning and you know, back then I thought you could buy your team's love, you know, buy them breakfast, buy them lunch, buy them, let them do whatever they want. And I remember that day we went out for breakfast, I think.
Speaker 3:Oh no, I wasn't invited to breakfast that Friday and I went to the salon and I went to open it and I didn't have my keys because I think I'd left them with the girls or something. Anyway, they'd locked me out of my own salon. Yeah, it was really nice, yeah, so couldn't get in, couldn't get in, rang them. No one answered. So, knowing that they still had to work their two weeks still with me, knowing that I didn't have any, like basically one stuff and a humbling moment to that is Georgie, my manager that's on maternity leave stuck with me at that time. This is, mind you, why Fiverr then walked out in one week and she was like no, I'm sticking with you, I'm, you know, I'll stay with you. This is, this is fucked, basically. And that was a moment I remember ringing Clint. It still gets me emotional now, see, I just can't do this.
Speaker 3:I just I can't believe people think like it's that horrible. You know to us and you know Clint and I as a person and and what we're like and I think having a young family and learning about business and for people. I think that and I know we say you don't take it personally as well, yeah, that's personal.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we say that when we're not in it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, that was a horrible way Genuinely hearing that that just sounds like so mean girl, like just it was totally horrible and what I look at now and we've just finished this event is Two of my girls have come up with me, georgie and Kelsey and just how incredible my team is and the culture that we've created and how much respect and empathy we have for each other and how much that has changed. But I just remember that and that was in a week and I just said to Clint I can't do this anymore like I mean, what a testament to you for what you've created.
Speaker 1:Now, the crew you have in there now the salon you have running, but I Don't know, make it anyone to be like looking forward to another day of the salon after that. That is. That is that breaks people down. So like, well done you for Pushing through that, yeah, and being able to elevate yourself to such a fucking incredible level Hmm, that's huge. Right, that, that's huge. Thank you for sharing that. Thank you that will be. I'm so sorry you had to deal with that, that's just I feel like let's touch wood here right now.
Speaker 3:I don't think that would happen in a culture that's been created these days to like. Back then, I think business was completely different. Then, you know, it was the boss on to the, the team. I guess essentially whereas now I don't. I Don't think it's like that. Well, that's not what we've created at Pernons.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. I mean, this is the, this is the humbling thing. You, you have these moments and then you learn from them and you know, yeah, we have to take responsibility for, like, how we have potentially contributed to that. You know.
Speaker 2:Do I think?
Speaker 1:that any of us deserve that? No, probably not. But could have we showed up differently, since absolutely learned from it? Yeah, totally, that's great. Thank you, rachie.
Speaker 2:Thanks. Final question, please. My last question for you guys is Throughout your whole years of owning your own businesses, have you ever thought of selling them, and why? Yep, yes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, anyone that answers no would be lying. Yes, hard, it's hard, it's Hard, and we were talking about this today at the event. And business Is ebbs and flows. It goes up and down and around and it's difficult and you've got a. You know you're at the end of the day, the box stops with you. You've got to motivate yourself or find someone who can help motivate you, but at the end of the day, everything falls back to you. It's fucking hard.
Speaker 1:It's a huge responsibility Learning how to work with money, work with people, like it's just Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely. Yeah, what are you? Test thousand percent? Yeah, absolutely, it's a huge. As Nikki said, it's a huge responsibility. And, yeah, sometimes you just think I fuck it, I can't be bothered, or I would say it's.
Speaker 1:I've never been money driven. That's not a motivator for me. But I think after, especially, you know, yeah, we're just. You know, and I want to. I want to move away from this story because I feel like we're all holding on to it and trauma bonding over it. But, yeah, we've had a rough couple of years. But I can't really think of a business hasn't been affected hand sanitizer, but they've kind of taken a hit. Now I'm a day, so Kind of all levels out in the end, doesn't it Exactly? I Think anyone that small business has gone through what it has in the last three years in any way, shape or form it's been really hard and I think anyone that hasn't had moments of Moving on getting out stopping Might need to dig a little deeper, absolutely. What about you, rachie?
Speaker 3:Yeah, totally I think you you both nailed it before. You've always had moments and you know that is ups and downs of business and Sometimes it comes easy and sometimes it's really hard. But I think I always come back to the why. Yeah.
Speaker 1:I'm gonna say why am I doing?
Speaker 3:this. What is my purpose? Yeah, my family is creating a life for them. It's creating a life for those who work for me. It's the community that we create, a building sage. This is why I do it, and that's what lights me up. And when I have those really hard days, I always think about what do I need to do to make sure I fill my own cup up? Yeah, my falling short in myself and how do I show up for the best version of my kids? And it's really, it's hard, and it's hard to pull you out as yourself out of that, sometimes Absolutely, but there's absolutely been days and moments where I'm like this is too hard, totally too hard. But why am I doing it? This is why I'm doing it Gotta find the one and do it.
Speaker 1:I do think, though, just I think the fact that we are still a business after such a long time All three of us Granted, we're sharing a baby here, but I think that it is, you know the why is still there, like we've all got great businesses with great community Got a great things and I think you have to actually pull yourself out and helicopter over that constantly.
Speaker 1:Okay, cool, yep, this is what we're here to do. This is the impact that it makes in people's lives, because it can get hard. If you have, like you know, if you feel like your clients are against you or your teams against you or the world's against you, or whatever the buddy situation is, can be hard to dig into. That motivation and this is like constant for us is is making sure that we're looking at things in a Rational, unemotional way yeah, the best that we can and then really tying ourselves back to our why for sure, absolutely, guys.
Speaker 2:I am lucky it's not really questions over.
Speaker 1:Thank you very much to a leg wrap because you do a great job of those questions. Thank you for having me. Thank you for coming and joining us but guys.
Speaker 1:I really want to say thank you to all of us for sharing really candidly, because people are gonna get a lot out of this and this podcast is supposed to be. You guys just catching up with your favorite little like business besties for a cocktail that's really what this podcast is about. You know we're throwing a couple of praccities here and there, so, you know, try and help you on your journey and give you a couple of chuckles along the way. That's always a bonus. But this is really the stuff that I feel that no one talks about, and definitely things that I never thought I would talk about in a public forum, let alone to thousands of people, like Really putting ourselves online.
Speaker 1:I really appreciate all three of us going out of our comfort zone to be able to Give people this. I think it's gonna improve the industry. This is what we need to do. We need to talk about it because a lot of people don't talk about it for fear of being judged. Yeah, totally. And also a huge shout out to our beautiful girl, miss Megan. Thank you, maggie.
Speaker 1:Thank you for those questions, always a head scratcher and always thought provoking any questions from Megan. So I do really value and appreciate everything you do, but especially Giving us those little gifts there. Yes, guys, thank you so much for listening to our episode today. It's been absolutely beautiful. Rosie, do you want to take us out of that catchphrase? Catchphrase? Yep, she remembers it.
Speaker 1:So, Thanks so much for listening to this episode and hanging out with us today to hear more about our journey. Follow us on Instagram at the underscore conscious underscore salon if you're a shit-speller, check the spelling of conscious or at a head hair underscore. Thank you so much for joining us today and we'll see you in the next episode.