Salon Success Secrets

The 10 Questions Every Salon Owner Must Ask Themselves in 2026

• Lindsay Lowe & Jen Booth

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We share ten decisive questions that separate salons growing on purpose from those drifting into inconsistency. From sales beliefs and pricing strategy to culture, metrics, and automation, we show how identity drives every result.

• intentional growth versus drift
• sales as service and trust as helping
• attracting next‑gen talent with real freedom
• upgrading the 2026 client experience
• pricing built on strategy and demand
• tracking PAR: pre‑book, average ticket, retail
• culture that rewards high standards
• belief shifts that make training stick
• systemizing to win back time
• decisions from the future CEO identity

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SPEAKER_01:

There are two types of salons in 2026. Those that are growing with intention, and those that are drifting without even realizing it. And the hardest truth is this. Most salons don't crash overnight. They fade slowly, quietly, a little inconsistency here, a little chaos there, a team that never steps into their potential, a culture that's fine but not thriving. And today we're gonna give you the 10 questions that determine whether your salon expands or contracts, thrives or survives, elevates or plateaus. You know, these questions are powerful because they don't just change what you do, they change who you are as a leader. And so if you're listening while you're driving, getting ready, or maybe you're still behind the chair prepping for guests, stay with us because one of these questions might shift the entire direction of your salon. So let's dive in.

SPEAKER_00:

Love that. All right, so question number one has to be Is my salon growing on purpose or drifting by default? You know, when you think about that, nothing in business stays static. You're either gaining momentum or you're losing it. You're rising or you're retreating, you know, you're organizing or you're absorbing chaos. Like drift truly is the silent killer if you think about it, because it looks like that inconsistent client experience. You know, it's the team members doing things their own way, it's that like reactive decision making, it's the peaks followed by the valleys. So growth doesn't happen accidentally, it happens intentionally through systems, leaderships, rhythm, and clarity. So as we go into 2026, ask yourself do I run the business or is the business running me? And your answer tells you exactly where to start. You know, I just saw something the other day that said um 94% of times when there's a problem, it's actually a system problem. Only 6% of the time it's a people problem. So I share that to say like, hey, if your business is running you, it's definitely an opportunity to look at your systems.

SPEAKER_01:

So good, Jen. I love that. Uh that brings us to question number two, which is does my team truly know how to sell? Or am I hoping they do? You know, because most salon owners assume their team should know, but selling it's not a personality. Selling is truly a process. And if your team has believes like, I don't want to be pushy, or clients will say no, you know, I'm not good at selling, it won't matter how many scripts you give them, their behavior will always match their belief. You know, selling becomes natural when you teach a system that feels aligned, it feels like service, it feels like support, it feels like confidence, it feels like leadership, you know, because when your team knows how to diagnose, how to recommend, and how to close with love, you know, your revenue becomes predictable instead of accidental. Jen, you were just sharing a story with me about a coaching moment that you had with a service provider on your team where um you do you want to share that where you talked about the word rest?

SPEAKER_00:

And yeah, it was so yeah, thank you. I get so excited. I definitely want to share that. It was so good because it just happened. Yeah. So I was in a growth session um with one of our um level five beauty pros, and um we were looking at some numbers, and she actually was is working 20 hours less a month and making more money. What isn't that always a great day? And it it was so fun to help her see that because she had no idea. Um, and then the one little thing we did notice is there was a small decline in retail. And so we we had a really cool conversation, like, okay, let's talk about like what do you think it could be? Where in the sales process, is there some opportunity? And she kept using this word trust. Well, I just want people to trust me. I just want to be trusted. You know, before I make recommendations, I want them to trust me. And so I was like, okay, well, tell me what the word trust means to you. And she gave me this definition. I said, it's actually, let's look it up. I think that'll be really powerful. Let's look it up. So we actually looked up where the root word of trust came from. And it was so crazy, you guys. Trust actually comes from the root word meaning to help. I said, What? Because it was even a great opportunity for me. And I was like, wow, to build trust means you're helping someone. So when we don't offer those opportunities of home hair care or skin care, like we're missing the opportunity to help them make their lives better. And you could tell it was so cool. It was like something shifted in her. She's like, Wow. She had her own definition of trust that was actually taking away from the guest experience. And when we rewrote that story and looked what trust really meant, which was to help, it's like you could tell she had been expanded.

SPEAKER_01:

So incredible, Jen. I just think um I love that story so much. I just think it's so powerful when you do fully understand what a word means and when you can really help shape someone's belief, you know, because if if if you don't shape that belief, then it remains the same. And, you know, it also reminds me of a newer beauty pro on my team who on her fourth shift um sold over$350 worth of retail. And I think what's so beautiful about that is she's um obviously started going through our million-dollar beauty pro program and you know, has had some belief shifts because of it, uh, because she never realized before that selling truly is serving. And like you mentioned, Jen, it's creating that trust because you're helping the other person. Like you're not just, you don't just care if they take stuff home. Like you want to actually give them stuff that works. It's like you would never um get rid of all the products that you own because you're using them for a reason. Like we need to look for those reasons and help serve the people that we see every day. So I love that question number two uh is does my team truly know how to sell, or am I hoping they do?

SPEAKER_00:

Such a great story on that. You said it was her fourth shift. I know. That's amazing. Wow, so cool. Awesome. All right, so let's move on to question number three. Um, it's why would the next generation of beauty pros choose my salon? It's a great question. It kind of hits in the gut in a good way. It's like, because when you think about it, the next generation isn't looking for a job, you guys. Like they're looking for that purpose, that mentorship, that community, that meaning, you know, that identity, that momentum, that growth. You know, they want a place where they feel like they matter, where they are developed, where the culture feels alive. So, you know, as you go into the season, ask yourself like, what is the experience of working for a company or working for me? You know, what does my salon teach them about who they get to become? Isn't that so good? Good reflection question there. Or what would I choose my own salon if I were graduating beauty school today? Now, if your answer is no, you definitely have an opportunity uh to do some um exercises within yourself and see what that could be. Because, like, truly, those answers will reveal exactly where your leadership needs to evolve. Um, and Lindsay, I think you were talking about um there's a someone on your team that was because freedom is like a word that is thrown around a lot with beauty pros. Actually, when I was just at the career fair, I asked um students like what's most important for you, and they're like, Oh, we want freedom. And it was so interesting to hear their definition of freedom. And so it was a great conversation, but I know you were telling me about somebody on your team that what was that story you told me?

SPEAKER_01:

She left um this spring, and um, because she was enticed by a salon that doesn't have there's uh you can come and go as you please, um, you make 50% commission. Um you can charge whatever you want, you can make up your own pricing. Um it's basically just a free-for-all. You know, and you know, to her that sounded like freedom. And um, you know, I think what's so interesting about that is, you know, she's still connected um to a couple people on the team. And at first um it was wonderful. The first 30 days were wonderful. Um, and then it was like, well, I guess we're going into summer. That's it's slow here because it's slow everywhere because it's summer. And um it'll probably get better in the fall. And I don't think it's gotten any better. And I think, you know, she was allured by the thought of freedom. But to us, you know, I think as salon owners, we need to change that conversation about what true freedom actually is to our team. Because, like, when you work 28 to 32 hours a week and you earn a great consistent paycheck, and we have consistent, you know, uh several, you know, hundred new guests coming into the salon, like they they don't even realize what they're sitting on and how that's true freedom and how you're not answering all of your DMs and having to run to the um store and you know, this wasn't even a booth rent situation, like that's even a darker um place to be. Although I think that there's still a lot of that going on, you know. I think um, you know, when you really start to think about like why would the next generation of beauty pros choose my salon? That question that you asked, and um I think when you get crystal clear on that, you are truly creating freedom for people. Like the salons that we work with inside of Salon Business School, they are creating the most freedom. Because like when you have downtime, you can actually go to the beach because you got money to go on a vacation and not be answering your DMs and do some, you know, live your best life. So we truly are creating freedom. It's just having those conversations with people.

SPEAKER_00:

So good. Oh, that's so good. Awesome. All right, so we'll move to question number four. It's is my client experience built for a 2026 client or a 2018 client? Because we've done a lot of research and we know that clients now expect that personalization, that expertise, that um speed and convenience, that hospitality, that emotional connection, that consistency. Like your service, you guys can't just be good anymore. It must be predictably excellent. You know, people don't just buy hair or beauty services, they buy the way you make them feel. They buy the identity that you help them step into, and they buy the experience of being cared for. You know, if your spirit experience isn't evolving, your retention will show you.

SPEAKER_01:

That is so true. It will definitely show you. Um, you know, and that leads us to question number five, which is is my pricing emotional or strategic? You know, because kind of like we just talked about the freedom that wasn't actually freedom of making up whatever you want. Our pricing shouldn't be based on fear, shouldn't be based on comparison or what feels fair. You know, pricing should be based on profitability, local demographics, you know, the the amount of education that you invest in, your growth margins, your cost per hour, that guest demand, and really the experience value that you're delivering to the guests that you serve. And if your pricing only covers bills, you'll always feel behind. You know, but if your pricing fuels expansion, you'll always feel empowered. Because pricing is not a number, it's truly a leadership position, you know, and I think uh truly, you know, one of the the stories that got back, um, you know, that was just talked about, you know, with the service provider who went somewhere else was um just how she felt like she was losing some clients. And I think that a lot of it is like when you make up pricing, when there's no real um thought process behind it, they don't have, you know, all the nine-step sales process and all of the systems to support their growth and to support their freedom. Um, so when you just make up pricing, um, you you don't even know that it's gonna work with your local demographics. You know, we work with salon owners all the time when we implement a new pricing strategy into their um salon. You know, sometimes they're scared at first. You know, we've had some people who've made pretty large jumps, but like when you have the systems um to support it, when you understand your numbers and when you understand your local demographics, like you're not making it up. And to see them grow, um, you know, I know we found, I believe it was$36,000 a month for one salon owner just by right sizing her pricing, you know, and that means they didn't change a single thing, you know, and it was just getting it right and and getting it fair, and it wasn't emotional, it was all strategy backed by real things that work.

SPEAKER_00:

I remember I remember that story. She's like, What am I supposed to do with this extra$36,000 a month? We're like, You we got some options, we got some opportunities, and so it was it was a really it was a really fun day.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

All right. So let's move to question six. It's um, am I tracking the metrics that matter or drowning in ones that do not? Um, listen, you guys, you don't need 20 KPIs. KPIs are key performance, key performance indicators. Like you just need the right three. So there's something we like to talk about in Salon Business School called the PAR, P A R. So PAR stands for um P stands for pre-booking, which is also tied to client retention. R stands for a retail percentage, and A stands for average ticket. And so when you track the right numbers, you gain clarity. And when you gain clarity, you can coach. And when you coach, you can transform. And consistency comes from visibility. Um, we actually put these numbers in the background for our team. We enrolled them in a beautiful way, not from a place of you didn't do this or shame and blame, it's a place of empowerment. We are a community, right? So we can lean on each other. So if I see that Lindsay's retail to service is 40% last week, you know, I'm gonna go to Lindsay and say, Hey, Lindsay, what did you do? Tell me all about it. And we did have one uh uh service, our beauty pro on our team. Her retail to service was low one week and she came back to the back and she saw it. She said, Oh my gosh, call the police, cancel me, cancel me, I'm done. She said, I cannot believe it. It's just so funny. It was so funny. And the next week, her retail to service was like the best it have ever been. So it was like we gave her that gift of awareness, she became aware of it, she took action to it, and it created a whole new game for her to play. And so it is a beautiful way if it's set up very tastefully where you can track these measure metrics, not only with yourself, but with your team as well.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, because really we like to call those, the guest trust factors, like how much do they trust you? And, you know, with understanding even more about the root word of trust is to help. Um, man, those numbers really mean you are helping people just have their best beauty life possible. So um, that leads us to question number seven, which is is my culture attracting high performers or protecting low standards? Whew, this is a good one, you guys, because culture is not what you say, culture is what you allow. Because high performers thrive in places with high standards, clear expectations, accountability, recognition, and alignment. But low performers, they thrive in places with inconsistency, unclear boundaries, drama that's tolerated, you know, low ownership, misaligned expectations. So if your culture is the loudest thing in your business, you it really is the loudest thing in your business without you ever even saying a word, you know, and this is why, like, if you go into a salon that has no rules at all, like it's like come and go as you please, do whatever you want. Um, you know, all kinds of stuff happens. I think drama is is kind of one of the main things, you know, that that happens in a place like that. Because, you know, like here we deal direct and we know that we don't triangulate anything. And so if somebody were to come to me, um, you know, and say, hey, I heard such and such about somebody else, great, let's go get them and have a conversation with them. Because we don't want to triangulate anybody and and strangle them, you know. Um, it just it really does create an environment where low performers are thriving. And so that's why, like, hey, having those agreements to win, um, we don't have to be a dictatorship where we're like, you know, doing crazy things, you know, but like having some agreements to win as a team together, um, having some heartbeats and like, hey, this is who we want to be when we're here together, like that gives you that peaceful place to really come in and and create amazing experiences for the guests that you serve.

SPEAKER_00:

That is so good. Love that. All right, so let's move on to question number eight. Um, and that is Am I transforming beliefs or just teaching more information? You know, when you think about it, most owners try to fix performance with more training and more videos, more talking, more scripts, more you should do this, right? But information without a belief shift becomes overload. Like your stylists don't always need more knowledge. They need a new identity, new confidence, new language, new internal stories. You know, transformation doesn't happen when you teach more. Transform transformation happens when you like shift the belief that's blocking the behavior. This is why most trainings don't stick, like it never touches the belief. Um, I'll never forget one time we were um uh working with a uh salon owner and they were like, Well, Jen and Lindsay, like, um, you know, Jeff Bezos. We're like, Yeah, we know Jeff Bezos, you don't know him, but we know who he is. Like, he doesn't teach his team to sell, he just tells them to do it and they do it. We're like, oh wow, okay. You know, because that definitely would never be true. Like, um, when you really think about it, like you have to get to that belief that could be stopping them. Just like we mentioned the story earlier in that growth session. Her belief was like, I don't want to sell until they trust me. But what she didn't realize is that she trusts meant to help. So to get that trust, she had to help them. And so, do you remember that, Lindsay, when they were kids? Yeah, Jeff Bezos.

SPEAKER_01:

I do. And you know, it really is the difference between power and force as a leader. Um, and I don't even know, you know, what type of a leader Jeff Bezos is. Obviously, we haven't done a lot of research on him. Um, but the truth is, like anybody who has made it big and in any kind of a leadership position knows that they have to um really get down to somebody's belief about something and really help them understand it. Because, like, if you're just like, hey, um, go out and sell shampoo, it might work for a short time because they're so scared. They're like, oh gosh, I'm gonna get fired if I don't, you know, do this. But like when you help them understand and have that transformation, like you did for your Beauty Pro and your team, like that's gonna serve her and her guests for years to come. You know, when she really sees, like, hey, if I want people to trust me more, I just have to help them more. And like selling, people are gonna buy stuff. They're gonna buy stuff from a 19-year-old on TikTok. They might as well buy it from you, who truly cares and who truly wants them to win. I'm not saying that 19-year-old on TikTok doesn't, you know, I'm just saying like she has no problem getting on and being like, hey, this is what we got to sell today on our little live, you know. Um, but if you could say, like, you know, hey, you know, tell me about like it, do you feel confident curling your hair at home? They're like, no, I actually don't. Well, here, let me walk you through it step by step. You know, tell me about what you're using. And they're like, well, actually, I air dry my hair. Well, then you know, um, hey, that that can be a red flag that that hair might be feeling lethargic from water stained down by the by the disulfide bond. You know, you might know all of these things, but if you don't share that with your guests, if you're not asking them questions and if you're not truly trying to help them, like that's when sales becomes natural. That's when they're like, yes, I'll take everything that you used on me, you know, and because they can see, okay, wow, she's not just trying to sell me something, she really understands what's going on. So I love that so much. And I think um a true leader does lead from that position for sure, Jen. Which leads us into question number nine, which is what could be systematic what could be systemized or automated to give me back 10 hours this week. You know, your time is the highest value asset in the salon. So you should not be the only one doing everything. You know, you should be the one leading everything, you know. So look for areas to automate or systemize, you know, think about like your onboarding or um scripts, checklists, follow-up, you know, guest communication, repetition, like think about the heavy tasks, you know, um, even scheduling or KPIs, you know, because when systems carry the weight, you get to carry the vision. You know, I'm I remember a couple years ago um working with a salon owner who didn't want to do um online scheduling. They're like, it's just too much. There's too many things, there's too many, you know, like if you are bogging that system down, like there, like for me as a busy person, I will go to this one place to get a massage because I know I can book online, even though I would rather probably go to this other place, you know, isn't that amazing? So, so not only will it ease things off of your plate, but it also will help call in more people, give them more opportunities. So um look for all of those things that you can just get automated and systemize.

SPEAKER_00:

Love it. All right. Question number 10 is Am I making decisions like the CO CEO I want to become, or the stylist or service provider I used to be? You know, this is the identity question. There is a future version of you running a thriving, profitable, peaceful, energized salon. And she thinks differently, you guys. Like she hires differently, she prices differently, she coaches differently, she markets differently, she leads differently, like she protects her time differently, and she invests differently. And so ask yourself every day is this decision from the old me or the expanded me? Your identity is the thermostat of your results, and if you raise the identity, the results will follow.

SPEAKER_01:

I love that. So good. Um, you know, if these questions sparked something in you, that's because you're ready for your next level of growth. And so is your team. You know, so we wrote Think and Get Rich as a Beauty Pro for moments just like this. You know, it's the mindset manual that every salon team has been waiting for. You know, it touches on identity, wealth, confidence, and leadership behind the chair or table. You know, it's broken down into simple chapters, your whole team can transform through. And here's the gift you can get a free digital copy of the entire book so you can lead your own salon-wide book study. You know, imagine your whole team reading, you know, one chapter a week and then coming together for you know 10 to 15 minutes to talk about identity, beliefs, money, responsibility, and growth, and actually shifting the culture from the inside out. Whew. Such a good amazing thing to think about, you know, and so we want to gift you a digital copy. So to get your free digital copy, just text the word digital, D-I-G-I-T-A-L to 469-283-5590. We'll drop that down in the show show notes below, and we'll send it over straight to you. So share this episode with a salon owner who's ready to elevate. And remember, the questions you ask determine the future you build. We'll see you on the next episode.