Salon Success Secrets

January Is Quiet on Purpose (And Why Smart Salons Don’t Panic)

• Lindsay Lowe & Jen Booth

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January feels quiet for many salons, but that silence is a gift. We reframe the month as the time to set culture, make decisions, and install systems so effort compounds all year.

• Redefining January as design time not panic 
• How overcorrection creates burnout and inconsistency 
• Reading the numbers: pre-book, retention, retail-to-service, average ticket 
• Coaching vs blaming hiring for growth 
• Deciding what gets energy and what stops 
• Using simple systems, scripts and weekly scorecards 
• Turning income goals into daily behaviors 
• Why clarity and structure remove caps on growth 
• The salon success calendar as a monthly focus framework

Take a look at the Salon Success Success Calendar at salonsuccesscalendar.com and just decide if it's right for you


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SPEAKER_01:

If you're listening to this right now, chances are you're looked at January, took a sneak peek, and it feels quieter than you expected. You know, maybe you know the phones are not gonna ring as much. Maybe your books aren't packed the way they were in November or December. Maybe there's a low-level hum in the background of your mind that says, hmm, should I be worried about this? And before we go any further, we want to say this clearly. If January feels quiet, that does not mean something is wrong. In fact, this might be the first sign that something is actually right. I know I was like, say, what? Because truly, January was never meant to be loud. It was meant, it was never meant to be frantic. You guys, you know, it was just, it was never meant to feel like survival mode. You know, January is quite on purpose. And the salons that understand this are the salons that don't panic, you know, they don't overcorrect, and they don't sabotage their entire year by trying to force momentum that isn't meant to exist yet.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, because most salon owners enter January with this unspoken pressure. You know, like if I don't hit the ground running, I'm already behind. So what do they do? You know, they add more promo promos, they add more hours, they post more, they chase harder, they start questioning everything. And the belief underneath all of it is what I'm doing must not be working. So I just need to work harder or I just need to try one more thing. But here's the truth that most people never say out loud. What you're doing probably isn't broken, it's just capped. And when something is capped, pushing harder doesn't remove the ceiling, it just exhausts you faster.

SPEAKER_01:

Lindsay, I love what you just said. You said most what most salon owners believe. And I loved everything that you just said, and it it triggered something in me too, because I think sometimes, too, as salon owners, we start believing things that our teams are saying that are not true. Um, you know, I'll never forget the story of one time um someone kept saying, Well, the company, referring to the company, my company, they just keep hiring all these people. No wonder I'm not growing. I don't know if that's ever been said to you. Yep, it's the company's fault. They just keep hiring, keep hiring and hiring and hiring. And, you know, really like when you think about it as a salon owner, if you're if you if you're not certain in what you're creating in that moment, you could take on that belief too. And so I remember when that was being said, I was like, wow, okay, well, let me take a look at this person's numbers. Um, retail to service, okay, 8%. And that tells me a lot. Um, pre-book, mm, 2%. Okay, that tells me a lot. And retention, 10%. Okay, that tells me a lot. And we gifted them 25 new guests last month alone. And so, you know, I just I share that story to say, man, we have to really be certain in what we're taking on and what we're believing to.

SPEAKER_00:

Jen, that is so powerful. And I think I can relate to that. I'm sure you can relate to that too, as you know, you're listening. Somebody's probably popping into your mind because the truth is January is not the time to sprint. You know, January is the time to set the thermostat. Because what you tolerate in January becomes culture, and what you teach in January becomes identity. So when you what you build in January, it compounds quietly all year long. You know, this is the month where most, well, I would say where smart salon owners do something radically different. They don't ask, how do I get busier? They ask, how do I get clearer? Clear on priorities, clear on expectations, you know, clear on how their salon actually runs. You know, when, and I'm not talking about like December, it's like everything's great, but that's adrenaline is masking your cracks then. It's not in January. So here's something we've learned after decades in this industry. Chaos hides in busy seasons, but January exposes truth.

SPEAKER_01:

So good because really, if you think about it, think about the last few years. You know, during the holidays, you probably felt needed everywhere, right? People were book, you know, people were booking, booked, booking out, your team was like moving fast, their revenue was rolling in, and then every year January hits, and suddenly that noise drops. You know, that silence can feel so uncomfortable. And if you've been running on momentum instead of intention, right? And you know, what if January isn't asking you to do more? What if January is asking you to actually decide, you know, to decide what kind of leader you are, to decide what kind of salon you're building, to decide what kind of year this will actually be, you know, not in a hype-filled way, but in a grounded, grown-up, like sustainable way. And when you think about the word decide, we know side means cut. So when you decide something, you cut off all other options. You become certain in that decision. They say the difference between a decision and a choice is a choice. You can choose something, but then you can change that choice. When you decide something, you cut off all other opportunities and options.

SPEAKER_00:

So good, Jen. Um, you know, let's gently dismantle a belief that keeps salon owners stuck year after year. And, you know, I know I've said this one a hundred times. I'm sure, you know, you can probably relate, and all everyone listening, you know, if I just work harder, everything will fall into place. You know, but what we've learned is hard work is not the problem. You're not lazy, your team is not unmotivated. The real issue is this effort without structure doesn't compound. You know, hard work without direction, it actually creates burnout. And hard work without priorities, it creates resentment. And hard work without systems creates inconsistency. You know, January is the month that quietly asks, what are you working towards? I actually just had a conversation today with um one of the beauty pros on my team who is thinking she's gonna fall$500 short of earning a six-figure take-home pay this year. And, you know, she's only been with our company for a few years. She's very young. She took a two-week vacation this year, um, went to Europe, did all kinds of incredible things. And, you know, I think what she said was, hey, I'm really excited for our yearly growth session to get crystal clear on how I can hit that this next year. You know, so January is that moment where you get to lead and lean into your leadership and really look for those opportunities to create a system to where you're you know it's gonna happen. Because if if it wouldn't have been uh, hey, at the end of November, I was like, you're so close to hitting six figures. Did you realize that? And you know, then it was like panic mode. If it would have been set up throughout the year to just happen, you know, that's you know, where you prevent burnout from happening. That's where you prevent resentment from happening. And um, you know, it really is just so important to get intentional about what you are working toward.

SPEAKER_01:

Wow, what a great story. Um, because truly, like that is the moment where your the identity shift begins. You know, you're not someone who just owns a salon, like you're not just reacting to appointments and payroll and staffing and all the other things you have to do. Like you truly are a leader who sets the rhythm of the year. And leaders don't panic when things slow down. You know, they use quiet seasons to install that clarity. They decide, hey, this is what's gonna matter this year. You know, they decide what doesn't get energy anymore. I'll say that one again because most salon owners need to hear this. They decide what doesn't get their energy anymore. And they also decide what gets taught, what gets repeated and reinforced. Because when February and March arrive, and they will, we promise, the salons with clarity accelerate effortlessly while everyone else starts to scramble.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. You know, Jen, this is exactly why we created the salon success calendar, not as another thing to add to your plate, but as a framework to remove chaos. You know, it answers the question, what should I be focused on this month? So I'm not guessing. You know, it gives you one clear theme per month: built-in priorities, leadership prompts, team focus, revenue alignment. So instead of waking up in January wondering, what do I fix? You know, you're calmly building the foundation that everything else stands on. You know, so if January sets the thermostat, this calendar helps you set it intentionally.

SPEAKER_01:

So if January feels quieter than you expected, good. That's exciting. That means you've been given space, you know, space to decide instead of react, you know, space to lead instead of hustle, uh, space to build something that doesn't rely on adrenaline. Like you don't need to burn everything down. Whew, isn't that a good sign? Like you don't need to panic. Uh, you don't need to try one more random thing. You just need clarity. And this month, this quiet, powerful month that's approaching is exactly where that clarity begins.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. So if you want support setting the rhythm for the year, you can take a look at the Salon Success Success Calendar at salonsuccesscalendar.com and just decide if it's right for you. And either way, stay with us this month because January isn't the problem, it is the invitation.