E62. Don't Spend Another Dollar On Salon Education Until You Listen To This.

Where should your education budget actually go?
 

Every January we start planning…
What courses we’ll do.
What conferences we’ll attend.
What education we’ll invest in.
 

But not all education is created equal and not all of it deserves a spot in your budget.
 

In this episode, I’m joined by Tiarne McKew from The Lash Summit to break down how to assess education properly (beyond certificates or hype) and how to think about ROI in a way that actually supports business growth.
 

We cover:
🌸 How to tell if an event or course is actually worth your money
🌸 What ROI in education really looks like (and what it doesn’t)
🌸 Why some rooms create real opportunities — and others don’t
🌸 How to stop investing in education you never implement
🌸 How to make smarter, more intentional decisions with your education budget

We also accidentally touch on socials along the way.. because let’s be honest, it all connects.
 

Find Tee & Lash Summit: https://www.instagram.com/thelashsummit.australia/

💋 To attend Lash Summit - use code BBS for $52.50 off 💋
https://mrslashcoaching.thrivecart.com/lash-summit-australia-2026/

Before you book the next thing, Listen to this first.

Are you looking to level up your salon in 2026? Every beauty business owner needs Beauty Business Foundation, this is the KEY areas you need to have a successful beauty business. Want to learn more? 

 https://beautybusinessschool.com.au/beauty-business-foundations/ 

Transcript

Welcome to the Beauty Business School podcast. Beauty Business School is proving beauty therapy is more than just a hobby. We're your new beauty besties, your partners in crime, your ride-and-die crew with a sprinkle of Regina George's confidence, but none of the drug. Picture us as your personal cheerleaders, the BFFs you've always wished for as we tackle the beauty industry together. Beauty training taught you how to be really good at treatments, and Beauty Business School is here to teach you how to attract your dream clients by creating a beauty business that stands out in a busy industry, navigate sell-on-owner life, and talk about the mindset shifts that you need to thrive in the beauty industry. It's time to become the CEO everyone is trying to marry. Let's get into the podcast with me, your host, Kimberly Howard. Welcome back, T. So excited. Yeah, like, that's not how I expected it to start. It never starts like that. But I feel like today I'm like, is my best friend, is a real bad bitch, got a hold of money? I feel like you and I have so much to update this podcast on. It's like a whole year's worth of updates. Literally. Let's start at the top. How was the conference? Slay. Holy slay. I now say slay guys because T says slay. Alaska and I say slay. So I think it's, you get it at home and then you get it online with me and it's just, you become who you hang out with. You're welcome. And now I'm just like, slay. I'm like, it does not suit me. It does. It does. It's a pink thing. Yes. Okay. It's a pink thing. I can be slay because I wear pink. Yes. Yeah. Well, we are the pink club. Mine's kind of like a very subtle pink today, but we are the pink club. I'm not subtle at all. There is nothing subtle about you. And I love that. Allright. So the conference, let's circle back a little bit because I'm so good at getting off track, as we know. What was the highlight? The highlight was definitely seeing everyone in the room because we have so many friends online. We talk to them all online. Then when you get them in person, all in a room, it's a different vibe when you actually, it's like a group chat and then like meeting everyone and being with everyone in person. It's just a completely different vibe. So I loved like when I was up on stage and I could look out and I was like, I know that I've spoken to you, you, you, you, every person I have had a conversation with about something like their favorite speaker of the day, what they were going to wear the night before, if they had like butterflies and if they were going to go. Like there's always people who are nervous and they're like, I don't know who to come to. I'm like, just come see me. You'll be fine. So definitely like just that I got to meet everyone in person and have that vibe with them. Yeah. I love, and we probably should give context in case people haven't listened to the last podcast. T's from the Lash Summit and she runs this incredible conference. Well, she ran her first one last year and now we're just going to like take over the whole world with this thing. I swear. Multiple different branches. Here we go. Yeah. We've kind of just like snowballed. Yes. I do love that I'm like, we, we have done this. Like we are snowballing together and you're like, I own this business. I'm like, yep, we're doing this. Hey, I do that too. I do that too. I'm like, oh, so Kim and I were thinking about the Lash Summit. We had this really good idea and Kim's like, mm-hmm, we, we. I'm like, yes, we. Kim takes none of the risk. She just gets to be there for the fun. Kim had this great idea and I think we're going to do it. We. I think we are going to do it. I love that we are a we. I'm here for it. I've become a we with many people recently. I think I told you this that like I've started referring to all of my students' businesses as like ours and we are doing things because that's how much I feel like I'm in their world. Yes. On the call, you were like, what are our plans for Black Friday? And they were like, whatever that song was. It's like, well, our plan is, our plan is this. Oh, what if we did this? I love it. Yeah. I'm just fully like, if you lean in, I will lean in twice as hard. It's good. It's good. We take your expertise, so it's fine. Oh, I love. Okay. So we've got big plans. We're going to circle back to the conference in a minute. But what else do you have to tell us that you've been up to? Working for you. Everyone's like, why are they so cozy? I'm like, because this bitch is in my DMs daily. Or my phone log. Whichever one. It's someone. Yeah. It's been really fun. Yes. I love it. I always have so many ideas for content and I didn't have anywhere to put them all. So now I'm like, Kim, I think you should do this idea. Or I think we should come up with an idea so that we can put this in. Or I'm like, Kim, this is a trend. We need to do this. And I'm like, oh, I don't think I have that skill set. Like, try it. Do it anyway. I think there's only been one thing that I tried to do and I was like, I can't do this. Like that's a no for me. Like it just wouldn't work. I just was like, I'm not made like that, which is such a limiting belief, but I was like, I'm tapped out. I think I'd already made like six pieces of content that day. And I was like, I'm out. Figure something else out. That one needed to be the first one so that you're like, I've trialed, I've had a go at it. But it's not going to work for everyone anyway. So. No. And we have seen like a big shift in the content. And this is so not about like, I'm like, this is not even our topic. This is our just our catch-up, guys. Welcome. But we've seen a big shift in like Beauty Business School, they want community. We were pushing so much education content for so long. And we still have education content in there, but it just was not hitting the same way that putting the community content up was. Yeah. People's wins, how they did it, even just like sneak peeks into how they did it. And then people be like, how did they do that? And then you get to be like, well, join Beauty Business School. And then we had one the other day that someone said, how did they do it? And I like kind of said, well, look, this is how we did it. And then I tagged the student, which I had not originally put who the student was. And she got on there and was like, here's how we did it. I used this resource inside Beauty Business School. And I was like, this is cool. Yes. Yeah. I saw that one pop up and I was like, I was like, Kim, I helped do that. There's been some that have been so good. And then I think what it's done, having you in there doing all this content, who actively really loves social media. Like you really love social media. And I'm like, I like coaching. So how do we make social media just feel like I'm coaching? Because that would just be so much easier. Or talking on the podcast. So we've put a lot more podcast content in there as well. Yeah. It hits so much nicer. But I was really proud of myself because I did that one about like the beauty industry being bitchy. Yes. And it did really well. I was like, well done, me. Now in our content plans, I'm like, and this. Yeah. Every month. I'm like, yes. And it goes back to like when you said to me, I want you to make one piece of content a week so you are in the business. That became a lot easier for me to be like, oh, just one piece of content where I do a lot of the other stuff as well. But like where I get to just be creative and be like, well, I know my community. I'm going to put this voice in. It's been really fun. Yeah. And then you still get to like approve it all too. Like you still get to like see it all and be like, oh, cool, this is what's going on. This is very me. Or like, this doesn't sound as much like me. I'm just going to tweak it. Do you notice that? Do you notice? Because I get all the final stuff and then I pass it on to our designers. We have two designers. We've got a graphic designer and then a real designer. Everyone's like, whoa, Kim's got a really big team. It sounds so extended. I sound so coolright now. They all do like 10 hours a month, guys. Chill. I do have a big team, but like everyone has their designated job. We have our zone of genius. Yeah. 100%. And I think that this is the biggest thing people always hear. Oh, you know, I've got this person and that person. And they don't hear that like, hang on, they're doing 10 hours each. Maybe it makes up one additional wage, but I've just brought people into like their zone of genius and outsourced that way. Yeah. Yeah. And yes, I noticed bits and pieces. Yeah. I was like, I don't know if I said that. And then I'm like, well, I kind of said that same thing. Sometimes I'll read it and I'll be like, oh, I love where this is going, but my brain isn't computing it. Like the way that I would say things, I'm like, oh, I'm going to take that exact sentence and just rearrange it. Like make it what you said, but what I said. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I go into it going, I know this is one of Kim's beliefs. And then I type it out and plan it out. And then I go, there you go, Anne. And then I'm like, you'll come in with Anne and be like, let's make it more Kimberly. So it works either way. Actually, this is such a good lesson and we're going to circle. We're going to continue on to like the actual topic today. But I think one of the biggest and the best things that you have been doing is getting on the coaching calls and taking exact sentences or conversations that have happened or like you're in every aspect of our community now. Our post yesterday did really well and it was about Christmas gift ideas. And that was a conversation we literally just had in the community. Like it was nothing I would never have thought to post it. Yeah. Like, yeah, I just literally copy-pasted and turned that into a whole carousel. And I was like, wow. And it's done really well. Yeah. Because it's so savable for every year. And I don't even think it was like a question that you were like, oh, like does everyone have a present? I think someone else came in and said, I really want to do something, but I don't have like a huge budget to like spend on every person. So it was like a good one to be like inexpensive like Christmas gifts. Especially like easy for me because like I still have maybe like five clients a week. Like that's easy. I could put like $20 together for each of them. But like for someone who has, I don't know, like 80 to like 150 clients a week where they have staff and all of that, you don't have like a huge budget for these clients. You've got to have something that's like still thoughtful, but not over the top. So I'm like just pulling anything. I'm like, I sit on the calls and I'm like, oh, that's a good one. Oh, that's a good one. And she sends me messages when I get on a tirade on Instagram. She's like, save this, turn it into a reel. I'm like, like do I just post it like that? Do I do it again? I'm like, I can't do it again. I was on a tangent. And you're like, oh, I'm not in Beauty Business Colors. I'm like, I don't care. Just put some pink text on it and move on with your life. Oh gosh. I'm like, I feel like there's some really good takeaways in there, guys. Listen to that back because like we're going to take these posts that work at particular times a year and reuse them next year to make our life easier. Well, we'll update them, but we've already got them there. Why wouldn't we reuse them if we know they're working? We've used one post four times now and it's a countdown to Christmas because we know it does well every single time we post it. It gets saves, it gets shares, it gets remade. We see it on other people's accounts. So if something works for you at a particular time of the year, reuse the damn content. Yes. And it is perfect for the shareability of it. Like you create the content for the person that you go, oh, a salon owner needs to share with their clients this. But like because you're a Beauty Business School, we need to like cater for like lashies, the brow gals, the hair gals, the nail gals. Just put it all into one and call it a day. Like it doesn't need to be so hard. It's like, what do they want? What do they want to tell their clients? Perfect. They need to tell their clients like you only have two appointments left until Christmas. If you're not booked in, we've got a problem. And it's a subtle way of being like, book in now. What was the most recent one? Like, yes, we are booked out the first, the last two weeks before Christmas or something like that. Like we were pretty direct in it and people were like, shit. Like, I don't want to have to keep having this conversation. Like, honestly, no, I don't have any room. Like, stop it. But it makes it so easy because they don't have to have that conversation on their stories. Because I do think even as a client in Christmas time, like you don't want to sit there and be on Instagram and have like someone turn up and say, hey guys, I just wanted to pop on and say that I have one appointment left. It's like, no, you tell them at the start of December, I have one appointment left and you do it in a carousel. And if you miss out, I'm sorry, I'm done. There's like a you problem at this point. Yes. I have the best thing to tell you. You ready? Yes. I feel like you've worked so hard on your brand. And someone said to me the other day, I was talking about you and I was like, oh, Tea from the Lash Summit. She goes, oh my God, the girl with the pink shoes who danced on the table. And I was like, that's Tea. That, that, that whole reel, that's Tea. I almost cried when I got those shoes. I was like, they are so pretty. And one of the girls messaged me and she was like, please tell me you're filming something. And I was like, oh, am I filming something? I'm on the table. Yes. Tev said to me, he was like, you have to stop dancing on the table because I don't know how many times, this is like an old table. Like we've had it, I don't know, 10 years. And he's like, I don't know how long the table, because I've always danced on the table, like cowgirl boots, like anytime I have a new pair of shoes, it is the dance central place. He's like, I don't know how long you can keep doing that until it like gets upset with you. I love that he's not upset with you. He's like, the table may get upset with you. Table will be very upset. Oh, we love Kev. Yes. But branding is so, when I dyed my hair pink, I feel most like myself. So I was like, why am I, why don't I have black and white branding? Why do I have, I tried to go through like a brown phase. No, I just always kept coming back to pink. I do brown and I do like the undercolor pink. So I'm like, if it's there and it keeps reoccurring, there's a reason. I love pink for you. I'm like, we've got to get into this topic. Everyone's going to be like, ah, this doesn't match the title at all. But like I love pink for you because it is so who you are. And I always say, I'm not a pink girl. In my everyday life, I'm not reaching for pink. I'm reaching for like white, black, beige, boring colors. But pink is who I am on the inside. Pink is the personality that resides inside of me. And I feel like it best represents me as a brand. But you are pink. Fuck it. My name is Pink Sheet. My pink is both. But he gets it because he's like, if this $20 mattress cover makes you this happy, it's worth it. It's worth every minute of it. So I have my pink stations in the house. My salon was the most pink thing ever. And then when I closed it, our house was very white and brown. And I was like, this house is really boring. Can we like do something? And Kev was like, go do whatever you want with like our room, the kids' rooms, like whatever. I had set up like a little desk myself. The whole thing is pink. And he was like, so you still have like your pretty salon space that feels like you on the outside. So it's like I needed it. Kev's a legend. We do love him. We love Kev. Let's get into the actual topic. You know, 20 something minutes in, let's actually get into the topic, hey? I wanted to bring you on as my conference expert to talk about investing wisely in salon education in 2026. I feel like this goes one of two ways. Like it's like an extreme thing that people either invest so much that I'm like, whoa, shit, there's no money left in the business because you have spent every damn dime that you had remaining on doing education. Now, I think in your foundational years, your first, second year makes a whole lot of sense. That makes all the sense in the world. But down the track, maintaining that level of like spending every single profit dollar that you have on education is, it kind of becomes a hindrance. And almost, I reckon, my personal opinion, you stop trusting yourself. Yes. What are your thoughts around spending money on education? My thing always was if there was a skill that I wanted to know how to do better, I would invest in that way. But I don't think that you should do a lash volume course every year or every two years or every three years. I just don't think there's, like those courses are quite expensive. So if you're going to spend like, I don't know, a grand, $2,000 or whatever it is on a course every year or every second year, I don't think you're really going to get your money's worth because you know so much already and you've learned so much actually doing it as well. So I don't think that is always the best investment, but I think you can go to conferences and you can learn from seven different types of people in seven different areas of a business, in your artistry, in a new skill that's coming out or like a new style. And you can pay like two or $300 to come to a conference and you learn it. Yeah. Do you know what I think conferences are? Other than community and connection, which you know is like at the top of my values list, I'm like, our community is everything to us, building connection for them, everything. I see conferences almost like the first year of uni. You get a sample of all the different areas. And if you come in really clear on like, I really want to get clear on, I need to fix this, I need to fix that, you can go to educators and ask specific questions to get help and guidance. But it also kind of gives you the opportunity to see where do you need to invest? Where are there gaps? Like if you're sitting there, I'm just going to go with me and listening to me going, whoa, straight over my head. I've never thought about these things. I probably need to invest in marketing knowledge. Well, then you have your answer. If you're listening to me and going, tick, tick, tick, I know all of this, then you don't need to invest in me. Yeah. And even in that, sometimes like, like I know with one of our speakers, there were a lot of people that were either really triggered by her or people that. I started twitching. I'm like, yes. I know exactly who you're talking about. But there were people that were really triggered by her. And then there were people that were like, I love everything that she said. Yeah. And I know for her, like she was like speaking at your conference, like reminded me of why she has her own events. But like she was like, it reminded me why doing other events is so important because she tends to just work with business owners as a whole. She was like, but if I'm going to speak to a group of beauty entrepreneurs who don't know how to speak online, she's like, that's like a whole untapped market for me. So even as a speaker, like we had a physio. And so like even for her, like coming to a conference as a speaker as well, you get to talk to, I wouldn't even call it like a niche market. You get to talk to like the beauty people. We have neck problems. We have confidence problems. We have, you know, like showing up, scheduling, organization, marketing. Like there's so many other pieces to it that you can learn from and then teach as well. So I think like the community piece goes both ways. You get to tap into a new community and then the people that are attending, they get to be exposed to like other communities that they can learn from. So my advice would be if you are, oh, like I really want to do this course about wispy lashes, I'd be looking for a conference that has someone doing a demo that might cost you $300 to go and you get to learn about the wispy lashes. The next person's on social media. I want to introduce a new style to my audience online so I can get new bookings. If I want to do wispy lashes, you've got a social media person. What's the best way for me to do that? You can essentially take one topic and you can ask all these different people. Then people go to you and they go, I really want to introduce wispy lashes to my style. The social media girl said for me to do this. How do I do that in like a marketing standpoint? So you've got, you can take in one topic and ask all these different people. This is the best advice I've ever heard for going to a conference ever. Like honestly, go with a clear plan. Like if you're wanting to implement something or you're wanting to change something, because I tell you what, as speakers, people often, we get to the question time and people are like crickets. Yeah. And then I feel like one person feels bad and they're like, I'll ask a question. But you have so much opportunity to come in with a list of questions and be like,right, Kim's talking about marketing. These are my questions. Even if she's not talking about it, I'm going to ask her those questions at question time because that would really benefit me and probably everybody that's bloody listening in the room. So I think that is some genius advice. And the basic questions go quite far as well. Like I have a brow business and I want to market myself. Like where do I start? What is the funnel? Like even just getting out the basics. Like you can get the basics, you can get like such a clear plan. We allow like 15 minutes for a Q&A. And I think if one person took up that Q&A time, you could say, what is like the basics? Like what are the three things that I need to do to fill my books in that quiet time next year? Like you could really, if it's in May, conference is in May, you could quite easily come up with a plan so that by Christmas you're already booked out by like September. It's funny because I have to think of questions all the time for the podcast,right? I have to think of questions to ask you. I've got to think of like topics. And I often think like one of the best questions you can ever ask is if you were to start again, how would you build to X amount of money or X amount of clients within X timeframe? Yeah. Because that answer is going to change your life. Yes. And I literally spoke to someone about this today, off topic, on topic, as I do. But I was literally in someone's DMs today saying, I need you to stop looking for the quick fix. That's not how this works. Marketing is compounding. It's the multiple things that you do that get you to where you want to go. So I just think that there is literally so much power in having insight from people who have been there and done that and asking theright questions. Yeah, for sure. There's so many things. My head is like, ping, ping, ping. Were you around when the lash industry went through its certificate phase where it was like, I've got 20 certificates. I've got 25. I've got 28. I remember specifically I had this training and I knew this girl had done so many trainings and I was really excited because I was like, man, I'm so excited to see her skill. Highly skilled, obviously. Lots of trainings, lots of skill. We love that. And I said, what specifically do you want to get out of doing the training with me today? And she goes, oh, a certificate. I was like, well, I can give you that certificate, but like what do you, what's the point? What are we advancing? Where are we going? Like what isn't working for you? She's like, no, no, no, everything's working for me. I just, I want to be able to say I've done the most certificates. I've done the most training. I want to have that level of credibility. And I even said like, do you want to get into education? She's like, no. And I just was like, I sat her down and said, you're done. No more. Unless you find a gap, you don't need to keep pouring your money into education. Because if you're like, allright, I'm struggling with founding and this isn't working. I need education. Perfect. I'm struggling with clients. I need education. Perfect. But if you're just doing it to tick the certificate off, you're doing it for the wrong reasons. I do remember that phase. Like I do, but I just never got in on it. Like I think like my head just went, what are they going to teach me that I don't already know? And if I can slide into their DMs, like, which I did all the time, like I would say that I was the queen of free education. Like I would message someone and be like, hey, I did this course. I don't really understand why I need this primer and this primer from your line. How are they different? And they would be like. I love, product companies will give you so much information. Yeah. And I think that was like a really big thing. It was like, you need this glue. And I was like, but you have 17 glues. Like how do I know which one isright for me? And they were like, oh, like you use this. It was this viscosity. It was this. And I was like, pardon? Come again, friend. Yeah. I had, I was like, oh, okay. But like my glue's great. And they're like, just go buy that one again. And I was like, oh, okay, cool. But I'm not going to, I stopped looking for like the product that was going to save my services and like get me booked. And it was like, oh, I'm going to get me booked. Back then, my view changed. It changed now. But back then, my view was I had to have the best artistry and the best like craftsmanship to get clients. It definitely worked then. But I will say then when I tried to get my staff fully booked, then it was a different conversation because it was like, oh, well, we want you because you've said that this is like, this is why you're the best. Why I don't want to go to them? Like, so then that really had to change. And I was like, oh no, it's our online presence that changes things. It's like who we are, what our beliefs are that are going to get them fully booked as well. Like I had one of my staff members who had the craziest like ghost stories. And she loved Halloween. And she would be like, oh, like I feel like this is something. She was like all into like the angel numbers, all that. So like if I had any clients that I knew loved those types of things, it was like more of sharing her interest in that with this staff member and being like, this is a good tee up. Not because of artistry or craft. It was like a personality match. So I stopped thinking of like my staff as like extra me's. And it was just like, let's get them fully booked off like the match between client and staff member. Yeah. I love that. I watched a reel this morning of karaoke while people were getting their Brazilian done. It was best. One girl was really good. I was like, that's insane. You should not be that good while you're having that area waxed. And it really made me go like, people connect with who's doing it and why they're doing it. Like I personally don't want to sing, but I could guarantee you her clients love her. The ones that said, yes, I'm happy to do this. They love her because of that thing that she does. Yeah. And there'll be clients that are like, I saw your reel online. That is so hilarious. I just want to meet you. Yes. But also I won't be singing while you're doing it. I will definitely be singing. That won't be happening. And it really goes to show you can do anything online, can't you? Yeah. You might get plagued. You might get shadowbanned, but. To be fair, you could only see their face. It flicked between their face and her face while she did it. And you could clearly tell when she ripped it. Yes. But I think it goes to show too that on socials, it doesn't have to be perfect either. Like your entire feed could be karaoke waxing people and could pop off. I feel, and I've been in the skin world a lot this year, a lot. And I feel very disconnected to skin brands. I'm like, where's the fun? Where's the personality? Like, hello, is there anybody behind that brand? Not because obviously they're larger, they're more corporate, their products speak for themselves. And I love that. But I have found I'm using Zicadia now, but it's because they are so vocal about what they believe in. Now, you don't have to be waxing people's hoo-has and getting them to sing karaoke, but that being we've gone back to social media, this is going to happen every time with us. But like having that very clear voice is so important. Yeah, yeah. And there's so many brands that sell the making of a product. They don't even have the product yet, but they're selling the product just by showing up and being like, this is the person that's creating it. This is why I created it. This is like it's very like directed at the person who is the founder, but they're showing the process to be like, well, I know like I struggled with this. This product, if you're this person that's also struggling with this, this is the product that you should buy. But they sell the product even before it's even there. And I think that's a new thing that's coming or like a new thing that's here now on socials too. So can your social media help your education next year's beauty business foundations? Yes. He lives in there. Well, let's get back on track. You and I, I don't think we can help it. Like after this podcast, we're literally diving into a meeting about social media. So I feel like maybe we've come geared and primed to be like, we're talking social media. It's such a big piece of business though. So it's still very relevant. It is very relevant. To business. Allright. So let's say it's when this comes out, it'll be February. Everyone is, oh, maybe January. Anyway, somewhere early in the new year. They're sitting down and they're going, I need to figure out what I want to learn this year. How do they piece that list together? So it's easy when they come to a conference and the list is there,right? Of like, oh, we're going to learn wispy, we're going to learn this, we're going to learn that. Oh, cool. That'll be great. How do I recognize what I need to learn next year? Oh, I think you look at this year and you, my brain goes into audit mode. Like when I'm in JAN, I feel like it should happen in June, July, but it doesn't. It happens in January for me. And I go, okay, like this year I had the perfect amount of clients. I wasn't burnt out. I was super happy, but I didn't make a lot. So like I need to figure out how to make more money without having to work more. And so I would be talking to someone who knows how to scale so that you can scale without having to technically like be on tools more. You'll have to work more, but like you won't be on the tools more. So I would be just looking at the things where you're like, I did that so well this year, but I want more of that. People say that like Instagram isn't where you should build your audience. It should be in your emails. I don't have an email. Then be like, great. I need to talk to someone who can help me set up some sort of like emailing marketing situation. And I would be directing myself into a marketing person's world and be like, okay, this could be really cool. Because if I can get 100 people on my list and I can convert the 10% or the 20%, nailing it. So I think look at where celebrate what you've done well, work out if you can do it even better or go the other way and find the things that you kind of did or didn't do very well and then find someone to help you with that. Or if there's massive gaps. So I have spoken a lot this year about how I wanted to get onto Facebook ads. And I just had so many working parts that sitting down to really nail Facebook ads has not been on the agenda. It's heavily on the agenda now. I'm like, actually, it's the whole damn agenda. I'm like, everything else is being optimized. Everything else is working really well. We've got a really steady stream. Like we can almost pre-predict how many people will come into beauty business school now per month. Obviously, with the Black Friday sale that's runningright now, we're going to be quiet for a few weeks. But we, you know, we know how many people are coming. And I'm like, okay, so we know our organic marketing is working. Yeah, we can then amplify that by putting ad spend behind that organic marketing. So that was like just very obvious for me that it was like, well, if we want to scale organic, it only has so much reach or we've got to keep trying to go bloody viral. And you know how I feel about that. It's a big no. Now we're all like this. Let me tell you, you wax an eyebrow, you can go viral. You'd be a coach. It's not so viral. People are not so interested in coaches unless they're talking about something completely off topic and then we're getting the wrong audience for the wrong reasons. So we'll still make it. Real controversial where you piss off a lot of people. I'm pretty good at that actually. So who knows? Maybe I'm already going viral. Given the podcast, I know that I'll be releasing in the next few months. Maybe I'm already going viral by accident. I'm like, that was the wrong reasons. But I think it really is looking at like if you don't use your email list, lost opportunity. If you're not showing up on social media, lost opportunity. If you don't have a referral system in place, lost opportunity. If you are thinking, I am listening to all of this and this sounds like a lot and I have no idea where to start, well, not being in beauty business school is a lost opportunity. But it really is because we cover all this stuff and it is about, like we said earlier, compounding marketing and knowing where to place it. However, on the flip side, it's really easy for me to talk about business because I obviously have a business focuses on helping you run a business. Whoa, say that 10 times over. But if you're not confident in your skill, you're never going to sell your business. Yes. I also think if you're like, my business does really well, my craft is like unmatched, like I'm the best and you're wanting like the next thing, I would be going for like the scalability side of it. But I would jump into like the mindset piece and be like, my business is doing so well. It just like runs on repeat type thing. I don't know what I could possibly be doing better. I would jump into mindset and be like, then why am I in the same spot? Like why am I not growing? Why am I stagnant? Yeah, so I think mindset, it's a good one. It's like where my focus has been this last like six months, being like, why do I do what I do? Why is that a thing that I'm like welcoming in? Why don't I want to do this? So I think there's always something. Like I don't think you're ever like, my business is perfect and I'm perfect. Like I'm good. Let's just keep growing. What do you mean? Everything's perfect inside beauty business school. I am perfect. Yeah, literally. It's so funny because when you came into working with beauty business school, you were like, oh, it's so different to like how I thought. And I was like, oh no. She seemed behind the curtain. Not in a bad way. Like in a good way. In a good way. My head went, this is like a very serious place with like fun as like the icing. No. And I'm like, nope, nope. The cupcake is icing filled. She has one big icing ball. Because your work isn't meant to be boring. It's not meant to be heavy. And I think the biggest thing that I have learned in my journey with team and I don't know about you is I have to trust you. Yes. And if you make a mistake or it doesn't work, and we definitely had a month like that that I was like, this isn't working. And that's okay. And you were like, I feel so bad. And I was like, no, don't feel bad. We just got to like figure this shit out and we'll get done. Yeah. I just think you work, well, not particularly with us, but like we work so much of our lives. Why have a culture that is like, oh, you know, we just have the occasional sprinkle of fun? Yeah. But I think like that's a lot that when I've entered into spaces, it is very serious. Imagine me being serious. I do get serious. I do have serious conversations. No, I know when to be a boss and I definitely know. And that's, do you know what? Education, guys. I had to learn that. That was something I actually went and I did a leadership conference on. I could definitely do so much more work in that arena. But basically like how to let go and how to trust people to do their damn jobs. Yes. And if you've hired them for that job, you got to let it seep in. Because like they're learning your audience as well. Like that's part of it too. And you're going to remember why you hired them. Like I bought you on because I was like, you enjoy social media. You follow the trends. I couldn't think of anything worse than spending my life following the trends. And you were like, oh no, I just do that for fun. Yeah, I love it. I was like, no. I've seen my conversations with Kev like on Instagram. He's like, I'll be like, can we do this one? Can we do this one? And all of them, he's like, okay. That's what I get back. Okay. Mine is always, you know, those couple glow ups where they like glow up together. I'm like, this could be us, but you don't want to. He's like, no one's stopping you. I'm like, I'm just saying like we could become these really clean people. We could become these really fit people. But you eat really well. I do. I will give you one hack. Like last night, Kev was like, should the kids have the pasta that you made? And I was like, yes. And he was like, it's late. We're going to get some takeout. I was like. Oh, I have a life hack. Move to a town of 300 people where there's no takeaway. Would be great. There's like takeaway just across the street. We have sushi across the street. So it's like, oh, does there's some sushi? And I'm like, it's fine. I will not have any. I will have the pasta that I made. Aw, I'll eat that. Although I would eat sushi. Whenever I come to town, guys, you bet your ass I'm getting an Uber most nights. I'm like, I'll have a little Thai food. People must listen to these interviews and be like, what was the topic again? Just have to cut and crop. Yes, 100% won't be doing that. Hey bestie, sorry to interrupt the episode, but we need to talk. How full are your booksright now? Let me guess. You've opened your dream beauty business, set up the space, stocked the tools, even made an Instagram and Facebook page. But now what? You took the leap and finally you're working for yourself. No more making money for someone else thinking I could do this because you did. But here's the tricky part. How do you get clients? What should you charge? How do you show up online? How do you pay yourself? Let's be real. Beauty school didn't teach you this, but you don't have to figure it out alone. That is exactly why we created Beauty Business Foundations. Your step-by-step guide to building a beauty business that stands out, is in profit and attracts dream clients. If you're interested in joining, send me BBF on Instagram and let's see if it's theright fit for you. Now back to the episode. So how do people decide what events to go to? I actually am about to put a post out on social media to be like, what are the events that are on next year? What are you attending? And I'm going to try and accumulate a list for skin, lashes, brows, and I'm going to try and spread myself across all of them. I already have a lash event, hint, hint, nudge, nudge, booked in, lash summit. I already have a skin event booked in. I plan on going to Regional Long Lunch, which is amazing. I plan on going to the Expo next year, which I'd like to drag your ass to. I'm trying to think of the other things. Like there's so many events. I haven't locked them all in yet, but how do you know what ones to go to? Obviously, if you're in like a niche, like lashes, there's only like, I'm going to say you'd go to Australia and New Zealand. There's like four events in total? Maybe five. It goes to like all the little events though too, where they have like 30 people. So I have that in my head too. Because Jennifer Lay does, oh, what's it called? I've seen it. Who? Jennifer Lay Lashes does, oh, she does her, I'm going to her Lashmess. Lashmess. And she does like the lash dinners and stuff. And then I think there's a few people in different states that do that. So I mean that like if we stick with lashes for one second, that opens up a pool because they're monthly. Yeah, say you had a monthly event in your state, then there are the big ones that are run and they all have a different vibe,right? So like your event is like super fun, very, very community-based. The idea is that you leave feeling really connected. Then we have International Lash Masters, which is like, I want to say a traditional conference. It's an expo. It still has the elements of community, but I wouldn't say that's the focus for that one. And this is outside Reading the Room, guys. This is not. They may have a different like idea of how their businesses are. How do you decide which ones for you when I'm like, hey, you don't have to spend all your money on education? Now you might be like, there's only two a year. I'm going to both. But how do you make the decision on, I want to do a lash course. I want to go to an event. I want to go to these small community events. Holy shit, all of a sudden I've got an event every single month and sometimes two. Yeah. I would just look at what you want to, well, two things. I would look at who the lineup is. Because for me, if I'm going to an event, I'm like, oh, I really want to see Jamie. Okay, great. Well, I'm just going to go to whatever he's here for. He's from the UK. Like I want to see him to, I don't know, we play darts. So I'm like, I want to go because I want to play darts, Jamie again. So like I take it because I've met them and I have that like experience with them. If I'm going to an event and I see the lineup, I already in my head have questions I want to ask these people, like area of expertise that they have. Like for me, we have an ocular health person coming. So I'm like, well, I want to know from this person that like how do I best look after my clients so that like they wear glasses, their eyes don't get worse. Like I kind of have these things that I already want to know. But that's even like when I'm picking like who my speakers are, I'm thinking of like questions that I already have. So if I'm trying to pick which conference to go to, I'm like, well, what information do I feel like is a gap for me in my business? And then I go, okay, well like T has ocular health and a lawyer and someone who's good at selling retail. Great. Well, like those are the things that are going to help me scale and like fill in that gap for me for 2026. Like that's my focus. So I'm going to go for that. Yeah, just like things like that. Whatever your questions are, I would go, well, that's the conference or like that's the education that I want to go to because that's the information gap that I have. Yes. I love that. Basically, it all starts with clarity,right? Where are the gaps and what is going to be the best event? So I find a big gap in our industry is community. And I know that a lot of people came to your event based on that. They were like, she's promised me a community. I'm going for the community. And that's exactly what you delivered. Yeah. Community was like a huge piece of just creating the Lash Summit in general because I would go to expos and I'm like, I would text people like, are you here? I've just walked in the door. Yeah. And so I'd be like, I'll meet you at booth 150. Like, okay, sorry, I got caught up at this panel talking to this person. Like they're so big that it's hard to connect with people. And I found that when I would go to smaller events, I actually made more connections with people because I was in such a smaller space or like a smaller table or whatever the thing is. But like one thing for the summit was like I wanted everyone to get to know everyone. So when you came up onto the stage, like we got to have like a dance. And if you were like not a dancey person, then you were like, thank you. And we hugged and it was great. And so you're like, okay, they're like not that kind of person. So I think. Or you dance too hard and then you can't breathe for half of your presentation. Exhibit A. But then people go like, okay, well Kimberly's high vibes, high energy. Like can I ask her whatever I like under the sun? Where if like you weren't that person, then you kind of knew what you were going into that conversation with as well. But like being in the community space, it's not one, it can be scary because there's not a lot of places to like hide. And we had like shifting of tables. We had, which was like planned but unplanned. Oh, the extra table. Yeah. And we had like activities on the table. So like you got to meet everyone. So I think if you're trying to, I don't want to say like grow a following, but like if you want to create like authentic relationships online, I think it's a lot easier to do when you actually get to meet people in person. So much easier. And I think people think it's really scary and then they get in the room and they surprise themselves. I know we had this with the Beauty Business School event recently where people were like, I was so scared to come. I'm so glad I did. Yeah. Yeah. And then they arrive and then they're like, oh my gosh, I love your outfit. And you're like, oh my gosh, I love your shoes. Where are they from? And like the conversation is so much easier to make than you think. And when you're online, you follow someone and then they're like, hey, how did you come across my page? I would love to know if there's any more value that I can provide you. But like you wouldn't say that in person to someone. So I think it's easier to make connections in person and then translate them online. Or you like make these connections online and then you come in person and it's such a deeper community instead of my followers. They become my community. I think one of my favorite things that you organized, or you said it to me, I think you said it to all the speakers, but it was like, if you see anyone alone or you see anyone who doesn't have a group, go up and talk to them. Like as the speaker, go be the person that breaks that sort of feeling of like, oh, I don't know. Yeah. I think when you have a lot of like deep work happening on stage as well, like it's very much, you know, I can't show up online. Well, why? Like why can't? And then you have that reflected back to you and it can be confronting. It can be upsetting. It can make you angry. Like I think Sarah did a really good job. We had a girl who English is her second language. So she put her hand up. She was like, I can't show up online because people don't listen to me because I don't have clear English or whatever the thing was. And she was like, you need to swap like that mindset of it that like you are so smart, so intelligent that you know two languages. Yeah. Like show up in that way. Instagram has things that support you anyway, but like you can show up online and be like, you know, and or she said to her, don't ever apologize. Because she was like, or how do you start your stories? And she'd be like, oh like, sorry if you can't understand me. Like this is my second language. She was like, don't be like, this is my second language. Like I learned it in this. Like let that be a part of your story and be such like an ego boost. Like give yourself like pump up your own tires because like I can't speak two languages. Me neither. Just double Dutch count. No. Not a go? Yeah. We could start talking in double Dutch. I'll be like, I am fluent. Oh my God. I would have no idea. No idea. Really? Yeah. Is that even double Dutch? I don't even know. They're similar. There was like pig Latin, double Dutch. I don't know. I remember hearing people talk about it and being like, I am not. I can't focus in on that. That's not going to be it. Oh, I was fluent. It was a way to talk around the teachers, but the teachers were like, we know what you're saying. And I was like, ew. That's not okay. Not anymore. Turns out it's not that far off English. Like if you really listen, you can hear it. Yes. I think that was like a cool thing though, is that we had a lot of, I don't want to say upset people, but we had like a lot of like triggered people that then it was really cool because we had speakers there who like were talking about, you know, how hard it is to show up online. Or like maybe they've had like a similar situation. I think if we had, let's just say like 500 people in the room and someone's upset, it wouldn't have been as easy to like come in and have that conversation and like one, be able to like hear each other, but like gain the connection with them to be like, I've got you in this. Like this is okay. I will look after you here. And you have a speaker or you have a sponsor or even just like someone that you met. We had like a buddy system. So like even if like your buddy. I had a buddy. You had a buddy. But it was nice to have those options too because I think that's something that gets overlooked. You're like, oh, I want everyone to have like the best time. And like that is the goal that some people will get triggered in things. And then you need to make sure that you can support them if something arises like that. I think as well. Okay. Two parts of this with education, with conferences. I have been triggered in courses with, I came out of my volume course with Hilary Brand, who was like my idol. I had waited years to meet this woman. And then Ali Barna organized for her to come over. And I was like, you are making this girl's dreams come true. And I was the shittest person in the room at this technique. I was like, I don't get it. I don't understand. And I cried in my car. I couldn't even drive for an hour. I cried and cried and cried because I was like, all my dreams have come true. And they've just fallen apart all in front of my eyes because this was really damn hard. And I went in the next day and I was like, I cried for an hour last night. And she gave me a big hug. And she goes, that's exactly what I did when I first learned this. And I was like, okay, so I'm not shit. She's like, no, because you're struggling the most, you'll probably end up being one of the best. Because when people just get it, they don't think to ask the micro question. She's like, you're asking me so many micro questions about this technique to get it and really dial it in that you are learning some of the biggest lessons. And I think this is the thing about being triggered. People, they avoid it like the plague. They're like, I don't want to be triggered. I'm going to run that way. Your trigger is your truth and your lesson. Yeah. So we spoke earlier about Sarah being triggering and I pulled a face because she did trigger me. And you know what I was like, I don't know if I love her or I hate her. Like I can't decide. And I've had to sit with so many things that she said about, it was about public speaking and be like, well, what's my lesson and what's my truth in that? It was not a trigger in terms of like it was negative. It was a trigger as in like, I've got something big to learn here and I can choose to be like shut down. Be like, I just don't like her. Or what is she trying to teach me here and what can I take away from this? Because you can't be triggered by something that isn't true. Yeah. And I think for her too, you felt triggered by her, but she was like, you're an amazing public speaker. Yeah. And both can exist. I felt triggered because she was like, swearing is a way to cover up incompetency. What was it? It was like nerves, lack of knowledge. I can't remember what it was. And I was like, I swore so much. But she will also in the same sentence say that swearing can create emphasis. That's exactly what she said to me. She's like, I didn't think you overswore. You were creating emphasis and you built the story with it. And she's like, there's always exceptions to the rule. But that didn't mean in that moment I wasn't triggered,right? Yes. And that was my ability to then go. And I recorded myself talking. And I was like, when I practice, I actually don't swear as much as I do on stage. So why am I swearing on stage? Is it nerves, which was one of the key things? I don't think it was incompetence. I think it was like nervous or lack of knowledge. And I was like, okay, is it lack of knowledge? No, I know this shit. Like I don't even really prepare my speeches, guys. Also something I've learned this year. If you see me talk on stage, I've never practiced that speech. Ever. It's the truth. So it must be nerves because I don't know what I'm going to say. Yeah. So there's a lesson in that. And all around, it's like if you're feeling triggered about going, lesson. If you're feeling triggered when you're there, lesson. And it's up to you whether you decide to grow from that lesson or you decide to shut down. And most people are still feeling the same as you. Like a lot of, I was listening to our girl, Britney Saunders, the other day. We love. And with love. I have this normal heart. She does a weird heart. You know, we've got like this whole different generation. No one's going to understand this because I can't say this. We do our hearts with our hands differently. You do yours with your whole hand and I just do it with my middle and pointer finger. She can taunt her fingers. It's a problem. But I was talking, oh, I was talking to Britney. Wish. I was listening to her and she said that she put up a poll on her stories and she was talking about public speaking, like people that love it, people that don't like it. And she put up like a question poll or like something for people to interact with. And she said one of the top answers that she got was, I am scared to do public speaking because people are looking at me and they give me a full like top of my head all the way down to my feet. It wasn't actually anything to do with like, oh, I'm scared. There were a couple of like, I want to, I'm going to stuff up my words. I might say something that people don't agree with and then they're going to like, I don't know how to take the backlash of it. But most people, it was about their external appearance. Oh my God. Hard to relate, actually. I'm going to be vulnerable with you guys because that's so unusual for me. Right. I didn't speak on stage. I took a whole year off. That's when I kind of exited the beauty industry and I was like, nah, no public speaking, nothing. And when I went to come back and I got all these opportunities, I basically was like, I'm back. I'm going to speak. And my DMs all of a sudden were so busy. And I was like, I feel very humbled. I was terrified to come back because I had gained 10 kilos since the last time I had spoken on stage. And I thought everyone is going to look at me and be like, oh my God, she has gained so much weight. Not a single person. I had people come up to me and be like, you look fucking fabulous. And I was like, oh, okay. Like, thank you. But genuinely, hard to relate. I can really relate to that. Yeah. And I thought that was really interesting because I was like, you're thinking like people didn't buy the ticket to sit there and be like, you gained 10 kilos. They're there because they're like, you've been in the industry for so long. I actually want to hear what you have to say because like it's going to be valuable no matter what. And so I always find it interesting that like when you go into rooms, I'll be like, oh, like I'm so happy that you're here. They're like, I was so nervous. I'm like, why? And they're like, oh, because I don't know anyone here. And I'm like, you just get to meet 99 other people here. Like that's so cool. And they're like, yeah, but I don't know anyone. I'm like, one, you got one. You got one. Like, and I'm like, people are thinking the same thing as you. Like they're just as scared to meet the next person in the room. The speaker is scared to go on stage because everyone's going to be looking at them. Everyone is like so worried about what everyone is thinking of them, but no one's actually thinking what they're thinking. Oh, 100%. And even the most confident of speakers, like people often say to me, like you're born for the stage. Like you're so good at this. And I often laugh and joke and say, you know, every time I walk up on that stage, I think, what the fuck are you doing? Why did you say yes to this? Because I like, internally, I'm having a combustion. And then I remember Jamie from Lashbase got up and he said, I hate public speaking. And everyone was like, what? You have done so much public speaking. And he said, I actually don't like it. I do it because of connection. I do it to educate you guys. I swallow that part of me to give value and to build a brand. And I just think that there is so much power in knowing like, I think we feel alone in those thoughts. You're not alone, but the people who do it nonetheless reap the rewards. Yeah, for sure. I always think it's just very interesting that everyone is so worried about what other people think of them, that then they're limiting themselves from being bigger. Like, who was it? Someone went into the room and they were like, I talk all the time on my stories. I love getting on my stories. That was Kelsey. Kelsey Bennett. Kelsey, yeah. And she was like, I love talking on my stories. I'm so out there. She was like, but I'm terrified because I've just put my hand up and now there's a microphone in my hand and I'm talking to everyone asking questions. When she said that she was nervous to ask a question, that like blew me away because in my head, I'm like, wow, like she would be someone who'd be so cool to have on stage one day because she's so confident. And then for her to say that, I was shocked. And I was like, oh, okay. I said to her like, maybe one day like you can be up there and you can talk about being like authentic and you can talk about being just being yourself is enough. Like all those sorts of things. Because she's so good at it online that I was like, they're the types of conversations that should go up on the stage like each year too. Of like, everyone's worried about everyone else. Everyone's worried about what everyone else is thinking of them. But if you just like get out of your own way, out of your own head, like your opportunities are actually bigger. Like imagine if you were like, I'm not actually going to put on my stories that I want to talk again. Like you wouldn't have all those opportunities that come. No, and every time I do, someone smegles their way in. I didn't get asked to speak on a stage, but I've now got four masterclasses I'm doing for a very large skincare brand next year because they were like, well, we don't have a stage for you to speak on, but we have 500 people who would really love to hear from you. And I was like, amazing. I don't even have to leave home. This is amazing. So like putting yourself out for the opportunities. I find Zoom very neutral now. I'm like, oh yeah, hi. Although I've only had 100 people on a Zoom. Get me more than that and maybe I'll feel nervous again. But you just begin to neutralize yourself. And same with any education you do, any conferences you go to. Let's wrap this up because I think we've spoken a lot about if people go. What about the people who are not going? The people who are like, I don't know if it's going to be a great return on investment or if we even go with people who are early in their career and they're like, I've just dropped all this money on courses. I've learned my skill. Do I do more training? Or that might be a waste of money. How do people know that they're getting a return on investment? And when is theright time to start going to events and further education? ASAP? Yesterday. Well, I just think it's such a small investment compared to when you're doing a course. Like you could do a conference per year and it could cost you 400 bucks. But you could do a course per year and it could cost you $4,000. So my head goes, it's kind of like what we were saying before. If you don't know if you're ready to go, go because you're going to get the bite-sized pieces of things and then you're actually going to have almost like exposure therapy into what you need more of or like what you want to learn more of. We had girls who had been like in the business like three months come and they were like, I know so much now. And it is a notepad. You're fine. But like I think it's like a bite-sized thing for you to jump into. And because if you're just joining, you're going to meet all these other people. And if they're fully booked and they don't have anywhere to send anyone to, you'reright there. Like make a friend. You've gone to a conference and you've made a friend. You've now created a referral system. And our goodie bags are always so juicy. They are very good. And then you get to try our products. You get to like see everyone. You get to meet these brands in person. I think like there's like start ASAP because connection is everything. Community is everything. And like your community is your currency. Like the more people you know, the more potential opportunities and money and clients that can come into your business. Absolutely. I think if you're in a nation there's literally two events a year, a minimum of one. Like let's say, I would say in most niches, brows, lashes, skin, there's so many events. If you're thinking about skin events, maybe one or two awards. One Expo was huge on skin, so I'd go to Expo. Your brand event, if you have a particular brand and they have events, like really hone in in that way. You don't have to go to every single event out there, but choose. If I was in salon, I would sit down and go, what am I willing to spend this year on education? Is it 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000? Do I have a team when I've got a much larger budget? And I would divide it out to be like, okay, if we go to an event, there is the cost of accommodation and all those sorts of things. Great. We're going to do one big event together and that's going to be X chunk. Then I want to make sure that myself or my team are advancing in XYZ areas. So I'm going to give that chunk to that education. Yeah. And then we really want to build a community locally. So we're going to do maybe some community events and you actually pay to go to those so that you're building visibility in the community. Like when you look at it, and I think this is where small beauty business owners do not consider having a budget for marketing or having a budget for education. If you're planning in the next year to earn six figures, multiple six figures, what of that money is going back into the business? Decide what it is. You can extend it if you really find something that lights your fire. But really think about what's the budget and where is that budget going to? Yeah, for sure. Especially if you have staff, you've got other things to think of. I think events and staff is so good. It's a team bonding experience. You get everybody together, you hang out, you do a wow. Yeah. Yeah, double whammy for sure. Because then you get team bonding. Like your insider, I'll use your word. It's like your own insider community event. Like you get to go together. You get to, like if someone's, imagine if like someone's nominated for a, like nominated for something and your whole team goes, like that's going to be even better when you get to celebrate with your team that like one of your members is getting an award. Like I think that would be really cool. And then everyone gets to celebrate. You can do like a team photo. And then I think it gives you like a good sense of like, like that's the potential for your staff. Like they get to see, okay, like maybe they want to be your social media marketing person and they don't want to do all of the services. Like great, they're going to do two days of services, but like they're going to go to these events. They're going to sponsor these events. They're going to like show up for your brand. Like there's, I think it gives you like different avenues too for your staff to like grow as well. My stuff is like, what other things can I do? Like can I jump on stories? Can I, you know, like can we go to this event? Can I go on behalf of Mrs. Lash? Like there were so many things that I think the girls wanted to go to that they were like, oh, like I know that this would be really cool if we all went. So I think there's so many different things that you can like put your staff into or yeah, just have it as like a team bonding moment. And it can be like a, I don't know, if you're in Melbourne and you want to go to Jennifer Lai's event, she's going to love this plug. But let's say you want to go to that event as a lash salon and you can be like, okay, well, if we hit our team targets, I'm going to pay for a ticket for all of us to go to the event. There's no education. There's no pressure on it. It's just a night out where everyone chats, connects, and has fun. Like that can also be something that really excites them and incentivizes them. Yeah. And it gives them like a sense of community outside of your salon space too. And then they'll hear business owners talk about how business is cooked and they'll be like, I'm staying an employee forever. Yes. Yes. Honestly, you want to incentivize them, bring them to the events and let them talk to other business owners. Yes. Because then they know. They're like, oh, she has to do marketing. She has to do the mindset with us. She has to find the perfect brand for us. Like, they're like, wow, that's a lot of work. I am not. I will stay exactly where I am. 100%. And I think when we keep our team locked in one space and they don't see how much we do and they don't see how much goes into a business and all the different things that have got to be thought about, then they don't realize how much more they could be contributing. I remember taking a team member to an event and she took so many notes and she's like, I'm going to help you with so many things because I didn't even know I needed to help you with these things. Yeah. Yeah. And I was like, best decision ever. It's a fear. Like I know that there are girls that are like, I don't want to bring my team because I don't want them to see how to build a business. I know that it goes both ways and they're like, I don't want to bring my team because they're going to know like what it's like to run a business. I'm like, exactly. Exactly. Trust me. And then they have to start from the start. Like I think it's a good thing to take your team with you because then they understand what goes into it. Absolutely. And tip, if you bring your team, every single person when they come to the conference, we're here to have fun. We're here to have a really good time. But I'm going to ask you for your top 10 takeaways or two takeaways from every single speaker. Yeah. You need to make sure you have them ready for me. Like do set some sort of expectation so that when you walk away from that, everyone's got something they're implementing. Have a team meeting like the week after and break it down. What did we all learn? What did we love about Kimberly? What did we love about Tea? What did we think we would leave and didn't resonate with us and our brand at all? Yeah. That is a way to actually not just attend an event, attend an event that pushes you forward. Yeah. This one's good because it'll have scalability. So they will know all those sorts of things that like go into it and yeah, the things that they need to be held accountable for too. So I think some salon staff, they might get a little bit of a shock because they'll be like, oh, like work is not just like, I'm just going to do some brows today. Like it's no, I need to add on. I need to like, oh, it's going to make it so much easier for me to be able to sell this product because I now know why because of that. So I think there'll be lots of takeaways if you bring staff as well because this one is very focused around scaling your business. 100%. They don't realize you're laying in bed at 8 p.m. trying to piece together a reel just so you have something to post on Instagram today. And it can be really great for them to understand the level of what actually goes into it. Because we've all been guilty of thinking, I could do this. Yes. I could do this. And then potentially you go out on your own like I did and you did and we're like, holy shit, I did not realize what it took. Yes. And we always say like, oh, my boss was such a bitch. And then you're like, well, I know why she was a bitch because I wasn't doing my jobright. I really should have given her a hug and a lot more help. Okay, I feel like you and I could talk forever. We have our own social media work that we need to go do, my friend. Where can everybody find you? Instagram. Find me on Instagram. You can go to The Lash Summit Australia on Instagram and I will be there. Otherwise, you can find me on tianweiqiu_ and I'll be there. I'll be everywhere. With a little ass. Thank you so much for coming on today. I love that. I feel like it was, I'm like, I don't know what to title this now. I was like, should, how to invest in education? Slash social media. Slash social media. Slash this. Being triggered. I'll just be like, it's a mixed bag. Just come for the ride. The inside of beauty business school slash the lash school. This was such a great like insight to what a team meeting is like. It's like we have topics and we always come back to them, but we do ping to other topics. And then people are like, I have to go now. And we go, okay, bye. And then two hours later, it's still you and I talking. Literally. Everyone else is like, we literally scheduled an hour and like, that's okay. Tea and I apparently are just available. I scheduled on the whole day. So it's fine. I love that. Thank you so much. It's been a pleasure having you back on and I'm so sure you will be back again. Absolutely. Thanks for having me. And that's a wrap on today's episode of the Beauty Business School Podcast. If you love what you heard, don't forget to subscribe and leave a review. It helps us keep bringing you the best beauty biz insights and juicy industry tips. Remember, we're more than just beauty business besties. We're here to help you build a business that turns heads and breaks the rules. Until next time, keep shining, keep thriving, and keep showing the world what a beauty boss really looks like.