Evolving into a Visionary Leader: Empowering Your Salon for Financial Success and Team Excellence

Discover your 'why' and embark on a journey that transforms the way you lead in the beauty industry. Our latest episode is a must-listen for any salon professional looking to evolve from a hands-on service provider to an inspiring visionary. We delve into the essentials of managing the daily hustle, growing your business, and empowering your team. With a focus on the financial pillars that underpin a thriving salon, like keeping the cost of goods sold at or below 60% of sales, we ensure you have the tools to navigate this change confidently. And because robust systems are the backbone of any salon, we share our favorite strategies for appointment and inventory management, alongside tips for effective delegation.

Stepping into salon leadership is more than a role change; it's an identity shift. This episode unpacks that psychological transformation, offering guidance on how to handle the new challenges and rewards that come with salon ownership. As we discuss personal development and financial literacy, you'll learn how to foster a millionaire mindset within the industry. But it's not just about the numbers – it's about nurturing relationships with your team, enhancing their skills, and setting up systems that allow the salon to operate seamlessly, even in your absence. Embrace this evolution as we share heartening stories and strategies that will reassure your clients and elevate your team.

Finally, we turn the spotlight on cultivating 'green light leaders' – those radiant team members who naturally inspire and bring out the best in others. We'll guide you through the process of identifying these emerging leaders, looking beyond tenure to their true potential to serve and uplift the team. Supporting these individuals isn't just about assigning tasks; it's about providing the mentorship and tools they need to excel. So join us as we chart a course for building a lasting legacy and propelling your salon to new heights, ensuring that every step forward is taken with confidence and clarity.

Do you have a question for Blondes in Business: Luxury Beauty Business Podcast? Send a text or leave a voicemail at 855.650.3445 or send us an email to hello@thephdprogram.com. We would love to hear from you.
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Transcript

Speaker 2: 0:27

Well, we are pumped to have you with us today while we dive into a topic that is such a hot topic inside of our industry Awesome.

Speaker 1: 0:38

So you know we've had. Maybe you've been in the space, or maybe you know someone that's been in the space and it's like, okay, I'm getting out from behind the chair or the table, whatever it may be for you. So now what? And so today we're going to uncover exactly the four quads, the actual puzzle that fits together to help you have a plan in place so that, when that time comes or for you to know when that time comes you know exactly what you can put into place to create success.

Speaker 2: 1:07

Yay. So if you are pumped to dive into this journey with us, we can't wait to walk alongside you today as we figure out how do we get out from behind the chair or table and really start serving our teams, our communities and the industry at large. So there's always some steps when we're trying to get places. You know you've got to have your point A to be able to get to that point B. So if point B is getting out from behind the chair, let's talk about what are the steps to get to point B. So step one would be how do you get out from behind the chair? But most importantly, before we dive into that, we got to know the why.

Speaker 2: 1:47

The why behind everything is usually the most important thing you know, and if you've ever had a broken system inside of your business or if you've ever had somebody not do something that you asked them to that you knew was super important, usually the piece that's missing is the why piece, and you know when people understand why you're doing something and you understand why you're doing something, that's when it can really be successful.

Speaker 2: 2:14

So some of the benefits of why it would be important to step out from behind the chair or table are to really focus on those daily operations growing your business, growing your team.

Speaker 2: 2:27

You know this really gives you the opportunity to create that bigger vision, to where you can create amazing jobs and you can create millionaires on your team and really have that long term sustainability. And so when you understand your why, you know if your why is I'm exhausted from doing services, you know we can relate Jen and I have both been there before where you're wearing all of the hats inside of your business. But if your why is because you're exhausted when you get out from behind the chair, you're going to either quickly step back behind it again or it's not going to be a successful transition from you. So, understanding the why and knowing, hey, it's time to assume a new identity, you know when you step out from behind the chair, that's what's going to happen to you next. So when you deeply understand that why, that can help you start to get connected to that step one, which is you know how.

Speaker 1: 3:23

Awesome. And then when you have that new identity too is there's a couple of factors that you always want to look at and view, because you know we've we've heard stories before of people get out from behind the chair too soon without a plan in place, and so without that roadmap of what it looks like, that can't almost create more confusion in your company. So, you know, one thing that you definitely want to look at is really making sure that you have a good hold on your profit and loss. You have a good understanding of the journey that your salon company is creating. You know, one thing that you can always look at that we talk about in the PhD program is your cost of goods being at that, 60% or below, and so that doesn't mean, if you're not there yet, that you cannot get out from behind the chair, but just that that factor of awareness to say, okay, you know, this is exactly where we're at when it comes to cost of goods sold, and what we like to say is that needs to be 60% or below of your total sales. And so some things that go into that would be you know, your purchases retail back bar your merchant fees, your owner's pay, your service providers pay. If you have a training program, their pay.

Speaker 1: 4:29

And so, looking from that vertical, if that is taking more than 60%, that's when we like to say you could kind of be in that red zone. So that's just one starting factor to look at to say, hey, I'm not quite to that 60% or below it cost of goods. So, like, what changes or what opportunities do I need to look at? Do I need to, you know, look at our career map? Is it exactly where it needs to be? Do I need to look at our pricing? Is it exactly where it needs to be? So I think you've got to have that data, you've got to have that evidence for you to know when it is time for you to get out from behind the chair.

Speaker 2: 5:02

Yes, I love that you said that evidence that it is time for you to get out from behind the chair, because that's truly what needs to exist. You know, and and if you're needing help in that area, we have an amazing program salon business school that can really implement all of those. You know basic foundational things that you need in order to grow to that stage, to get there, because, like Jen said, there are so many areas to really strengthen before you're able to step out. Just because you know there's, there can be limited profitability inside of our industry and if you're not paying attention to those numbers, like Jen was mentioning, with that 60% cost of goods sold and below, you know you really can put yourself into some really big risk. That's not something that you can easily mitigate if you hop in too quickly.

Speaker 2: 5:55

And so looking at all of your systems is a great thing to start to work on. You know, if you're time blocking your schedule right now to where you're doing some services and then you're also spending some time working on your business, really looking at the systems that you need to get into place with your appointments, inventory, you know, look at your gold promise to your customers, you know and and really start to delegate some things off to your guest experience team or your hospitality host, if you have those positions in play, and and really strengthen those positions as well. You know, because one of the ultimate things that you're going to be working on is strengthening everybody on the team, and so you have to be able to do both you know in the beginning, if you're, if you're not there, to the place where you're totally out from behind the chair yet, to really carve that path to get there.

Speaker 1: 6:49

Awesome. And so you know, once you realize you know this, how you do it, you've the next step. The next quad is really you've got to do it. You've got to actually get out from behind the chair and, like Lindsay was mentioning earlier with you know, we wear that hairstylist aesthetician identity so well because we've been so successful at it is a lot of times we can feel a little lost. It's like, okay, now what do we do? Because we've been in that race of being that successful stylist is we're not sure. So I love that you mentioned. Time blocking is definitely one of the things as well. And you know, I remember, as I've made that transition from behind the chair, people like, well, jen, what do you mean? You've been doing my hair for 19 years, who else is going to do my hair? And I'm like, well, you said the same thing to me, to my grandmother, 19 years ago like who else is going to do my hair, and you were just fine.

Speaker 1: 7:37

So guess what? It's going to be just fine. And so I think you know, once you have that, you know date or whatever it may be, that plan and you get out from behind the chair is just to really be able to spend that time working with your team, building your team, you know, working on their skill set Because, remember, you probably have more years of service than them when it comes to skill and it takes time to build skills, and so you know, working with them on their luxury language, working with your hospitality team on how to create that grand guest experience or that grand guest entrance. And so I think is you know you can wear that identity of truly being a salon owner because, at the end of the day, one of your main, greatest assets is to be able to create systems, because a true business and we'll get into this too is able to survive without you. That's how you know you've created a true, successful business is when it's able to survive without you.

Speaker 2: 8:33

Yes, I love that. You said that that's how a true business is created. You know, when it's able to be successful without you, and I think that it can totally happen. And I think you know having that identity switch can be a really tough thing for people inside of our industry. I think you know, sometimes we aren't even aware of how much approval we get addicted to. You know, it's like we're getting that head of dopamine all the time from our guests. They're saying, you know like, oh my gosh, jen, did you wear your seatbelts? Are you getting enough food to eat? Are you getting enough rest? You know, I love you, don't let anything happen to you. And then, bam, you get out from behind the chair and nobody's saying that to you anymore. You know, if you don't eat lunch or go to the bathroom all day, nobody cares. You know, and it's not that they're bad people, it has nothing to do with that, it's just a totally different identity.

Speaker 2: 9:24

You know, when you step into that leadership as opposed to you know, only offering services or being seen in that light. You know, you, you aren't always, you know, praised and loved and leadership, and you have to be okay with that. You know, because you are truly transforming lives when you step into that leadership role. You know, I often think you know it's okay sometimes if you have to make a tough decision. It's okay if not everybody likes you for it. Of course you're not going to do it to upset others. You're doing it because you know it's going to be for the greater good of everyone. But, hey, you still have friends and family. They still like you, you know, and so there's always going to be somebody. But really, you know understanding hey, these are two totally different identities and not getting so addicted to approval. And really, you know, honing in on what your vision is and what you want to be able to create for others.

Speaker 2: 10:22

You know, like for me and Jen, I know, and all the people inside of the PhD program, you know we truly want to create millionaires inside of this industry and we know it takes our career path to get there. We know it takes personal development, it takes financial education. There's so many pieces. You know that we really work on all of the time to make it an amazing career for others.

Speaker 2: 10:48

And so you know, I think it really identifying those different hats, because a lot of times you know if, in addition to being a salon owner and being behind the chair, you know a lot of people will wear other hats too, like you know friend, wife, mother, spouse. You know all of these different roles and hats that you wear, sometimes you can get some game confusion and being a salon owner and being a service provider are two totally different things, and so when you're making that journey and you've stepped out from behind the chair, just know, hey, you assumed a new identity, and this is a beautiful opportunity to explore that identity and create who this new person is going to be, because we know you have an inside of you and you have the ability to become an amazing salon owner or spa owner and really serve your team well, and we would love to support you on that journey as well.

Speaker 1: 11:45

Yeah. And you know, one thing to add to that too is just being aware of your thoughts during that process and everyone else's thoughts as well, because you can get wrapped into their narrative very quick is because you'll hear like, well, what are you going to do now with all your time? And so most of the time those are people that have never owned businesses before and you know, usually you can just answer with hey, that's a beautiful question, but I got this really big vision for our company and I'm really excited to take it to the next level. And if you're not clear about who you are, it's like that B do have right, like who must I be? What must I do so that I can have?

Speaker 1: 12:20

What I want to have is like, if you're not clear about where you're driving the company, you could let those thoughts dictate your reality, and then that could be like oh man, maybe I should be back behind the chair, what am I going to do with my time? And so I think you just have to be really clear and conscious of yourself, of what are you taking in. And, you know, just acknowledge everything that is said to you with thank you, and I don't agree or disagree, but I heard you and so, like I think you really have to stand in your power to know and to understand, what thoughts are you going to take on?

Speaker 2: 12:54

Yeah. So probably the most important thing of it all is really, you know, recognizing that those are other people's thoughts and recognizing your own thoughts and who it is that you want to be, you know. And so when you're in this the second stage of actually getting out from behind the chair you'll want to incorporate all of those things that Jen and I have just talked about. You know, you'll want to come up with a plan of how you're going to pass people on to amazing new service providers inside of your company that will take great care of them and assure them hey, I'm going to be here every step of the way for you. You know, we're still on the same mission here at our salon to help you feel beautiful inside and out, or whatever your mission might be.

Speaker 2: 13:37

And then also just assuming that new identity standing in your power, letting other people's thoughts, you know, just view their thoughts and let them be theirs and just know who it is that you are trying to create on the other side of this, and then, you know, celebrate with you as you're on your way out. You know this is a beautiful thing when you're ready to assume that new identity, to be able to step out from behind the chair or table and really be able to serve your team in a much bigger way. And so, no, hey, it's okay. Like sure there will be some clients that are sad there might be. You might hear some one-off comments from people on your team, but just knowing what's on the other side is something to celebrate and say you know, please join me in celebrating this amazing thing. You know it's going to be a win-win-win for everybody involved.

Speaker 1: 14:28

All right, so we got how to get out from behind the chairs, quad one. Quad two is to actually get out from behind the chair. So quad three, which I think is really important as well, these all have so many important factors, it's actually going to be grooming leaders you know, because why is that so important?

Speaker 1: 14:45

You know the necessity of leadership within a team. Helps with decision-making, helps the company move faster. It helps enrollments, like when you're all playing the same game. I know Lindsey mentioned that game. Confusion earlier is like when you have leaders on your team and they're clear about you, know the mission, they're clear about where you're going, they're going to enroll everyone else on the team and that's when you really create something that's extraordinary, something that can withstand any time and you know something, excuse me, something that will really just leave that legacy once and for all, once you even leave this earth.

Speaker 2: 15:23

Yeah, that's a beautiful space and a beautiful thought is to create that legacy. And this is, to me, one of the most exciting stages is when you're truly grooming those leaders, because a lot of times we call forth our own leadership, but to be able to call forth leadership inside of others and help people see things inside of themselves, it's like it was already there. But when you help somebody turn it on, I mean it's just incredible the magic that can happen on a team. And so how do you identify some of these potential leaders on your team? We believe one of the main ways to do that is to just recognize what light of life they're living in, and so, for us, we're looking for more green light leaders, and so you might be thinking what in the world is a green light leader? And we talk a lot about the lights of life inside of the PhD program, but it's truly just the vibration, the energy, the thoughts that people are living in. And so a green light individual, it's going to be easy for them to make more of. Yellow light individual they might be making less of, and a red light individual is going to make nothing of, and so what that might look like inside of the salon is, you know a green light person is going to be encouraging others. They're going to be celebrating wins. You know they're going to include everybody on the team. They're always going to have a great outlook on life. And a yellow light person, a yellow light individual is is, you know, going to have some good days and bad days. You know they're sometimes going to be helping others. Sometimes, you know, they might not be as excited for somebody else's success. You know it's going to be a little bit more of a of a rockier road. It's not always in that green light and you know, sometimes they can be influenced by who they're around. So yellow light individuals are great to just pay attention to who are they hanging out with? Because if they're hanging out with red light individuals, they're going to get brought down. They're hanging out with green light individuals. It's going to be easy for them to step into that green light power.

Speaker 2: 17:42

But a red light individual is, you know, not going to be celebrating wins or they're going to be calculated with what it is. You know they might celebrate so-and-so's but they're not going to celebrate so-and-so's, you know they're going to. They're going to just create harmful acts inside of the environment, and you know a harmful act is is just as it sounds. You know it's something that doesn't create good inside of your company. You know they might make little jabs. You know if somebody's leaving they might be like, oh must be nice.

Speaker 2: 18:13

You know they might just make little comments that just tear other people down, and a lot of the times it's covert. You know it's not always really noticeable what they're doing, but they're not adding to somebody's life. You know they're really subtly taking away from it, and you know an extreme version of a red light individual would be. It'd be overt. You know they couldn't make eye contact with you when you walked into the back room. They've been avoiding you, probably because of some harmful acts that they've created. They don't want you to find out about. But that's when you know it's a red light individual.

Speaker 2: 18:47

And so making sure that when you're grooming leaders you are truly looking to create more green light leaders, it will bring everybody on the team up, because all it takes is one turd in the punch bowl, as I like to call it, to make the whole punch be ruined.

Speaker 2: 19:02

You know, and so you just got to know. Hey, you know this could still be a very beautiful human being. Just for some reason, this environment is not right for them. And so you know that it's just a good light to look at, to say, hey, probably not going to be a good leader, but this person would be a great leader, you know, and for us it doesn't matter how many years of service they have in our company. It matters, you know, how do they want to give back to the team? You know that's going to be one of the most important things is, it doesn't matter. You know you're not looking for your person who's been there the longest. That doesn't matter. What matters is how do they want to serve others? Because you know Jen says this all the time there's service providers and there's those who serve, and when you are building that and grooming leaders, you want to look for those who are there to serve.

Speaker 1: 19:52

I love that and you know, once you are setting up this leadership team, make a clear path for them as well, and you're spending a lot of time with them. Remember your day one or day two in leadership. It can be. You know a lot to learn and it can really, if you have the right people in the space, they'll learn really quickly. So that's always good insight for you too.

Speaker 1: 20:13

But you know, delegate some things out and stay with them, like trust that they're going to do well with them, but don't just delegate and forget it.

Speaker 1: 20:21

Really like check in with them, like maybe they take over vacation requests or whatever it may be. And you know, just having that 30, 60, 90 day checkpoint what's working, what's not working you know I'm here to support you, and so I think that's really a beautiful space to look at too. And then also just looking at your leader's strengths you know we talk a lot about Clifton. Strengths is like, really, when you understand where someone is most powerful at, and power in a good way, then that can really help them become that superstar in your salon. And so you know, having your leadership team go through a strengths finders test will really help you. Make sure that you know that when you're delegating things out, that you're putting them in that position that they're going to shine in, that you're not giving them something that is not going to spark or radiate light in them, that you're really giving them that opportunity to shine. And so I think those are just a few key points to look at when you are starting to delegate things, things out, to your leadership team.

Speaker 2: 21:21

I love that. And and once you've really groomed some amazing leaders, that is what sets you up for that next step, which is growing that business that doesn't depend on you, or growing your business that doesn't depend on you, and so, really, this ensures the longevity and scalability of your business. So you know salons that have successfully scaled or even franchised. The way that they do this is by removing the owner from the daily operations, you know. And so if, if you were to all of a sudden have to leave town for you know, two weeks or 30 days, or whatever it might be, could your salon survive without you? And you know there's a difference. Everything is great, it's over and above, you know, but the thrive would be where it's at like, could you come back and and be up from where you were two weeks before or 30 days before, because that's when you know that grooming of leadership is truly working and that you are surrounded by those green light individuals you know, and so so, when you do this, you you really want to make sure that you're kind of doing this in baby steps, you know you could, you know, take a one week trial to see hey, is everything good? How are things when I get back. You know, because I've I've had it, you know, tested a couple of different times and seeing gaps on on what are some of the areas that I need to train in to get a leader up to speed, or is this the right leader for that position? Because that's okay too, like you want it to be something that feels like an exchange and ease for everyone involved.

Speaker 2: 23:05

You know, because I remember it's been a long time ago now, it seems, but you know, I left town for a little while and and some things kind of fell through the through, through the cracks, and so it was a great learning moment for me. Okay, so these are some things that we need to work on. But, you know, then there was also some deeper conversations like, hey, we noticed some of this going on while you were gone and we just wanted you to be aware of it. And so, you know, I think just kind of having that awareness and knowing, you know, hey, it's okay if, if we have some speed bumps along the way, but we really do have to have our eyes wide open to everything that's going on so that we can adjust and make decisions accordingly, so that we can continue to work on this business. That's not solely dependent on us as the owners being there.

Speaker 1: 23:57

Yeah, I love that because, at the end of the day, I think one of the main strengths when you're a business owner is to build systems.

Speaker 1: 24:04

So, leaving for that week, leaving for you know, one day, two days, whatever it may be it will allow you to see which systems are working and which systems are not working. So now that we've dived into the four quads of I'm out from behind the chair, now what you know, we're going to look at how to do it, to actually get out from behind the chair, groom leaders and then have your business be a business that can survive without you. And when you really just use this as a comprehensive roadmap to say, hey, this is where I'm at, this is what it's going to take me to get me to where I want to be, it just creates a space of freedom. It creates a space of certainty and a space of knowing, and so you know to live in that space of knowing knowing versus not knowing there's so much power when you know that. You know that's when you can truly create the salon, the business of your dreams, mm.

Speaker 2: 24:56

Hmm, I love that, and you know we truly believe in the power of staying in exchange and helping others, and so if this helped you or resonated with you in any way, we would love for you to pass it on to somebody else or write us a review. We really appreciate your time and listening and hope you got some massive value out of your time with us today. Thanks for tuning in.