Beauty Industry Leaders
Welcome to the no-BS podcast for beauty entrepreneurs who are here to lead.
This is for the ones raising the standards - not just in their own business, but for the entire industry.
Not for hobbyists or side hustlers. This is for those who are all in.
Each episode brings together raw, unfiltered conversations with beauty business owners - from service providers and product creators to educators and consultants, plus guest experts who are leading in their field. You’ll hear the real stories behind their success, the mistakes they’ve made, and the lessons that helped them evolve.
Hosted by Sammy Kennedy, a 7-figure entrepreneur, business strategist, and multi-industry disrupter - the Beauty Industry Leaders podcast, a show where legacy and leadership collide to spark industry evolution. With 17 years of hands-on experience in small business (across 8 family-run ventures and 3 of her own), Sammy delivers a fresh, strategic lens on what it actually takes to grow a profitable, scalable, and values-driven business in today’s competitive landscape.
In each weekly episode, you’ll hear real, raw conversations with small business owners, CEOs and guest experts covering everything from:
🔥 Mindset, Imposter Syndrome and your CEO Identity
🔥 Profitable Pricing & Cashflow Clarity
🔥 Leadership, Culture and Team Performance
🔥 Brand Positioning & Social Impact
🔥 Marketing Strategy That Converts
🔥 Sales & Client Conversion
🔥 Client Experience & Retention Strategies
🔥 Smart Systems & Business Efficiency
We shine a light on the silent achievers behind the scenes, the rising stars who are building with purpose, and the leaders at the top redefining what success looks like in the ever-changing beauty industry.
It’s a space to celebrate those doing incredible work behind the scenes, spotlight those who are shaping the future of our industry, and share practical, powerful insights that move us all forward.
Whether you’re leading the way or just finding your stride, you’ll feel at home here.
This podcast pays it forward - for the betterment of you, your business, and the beauty industry as a whole.
Subscribe to the podcast now so you don’t miss a moment and get ahead of the rest of the pack in this competitive industry.
Connect with Sammy and Join the Beauty Industry Leaders movement
https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/
https://www.instagram.com/beautyindustryleaders/
Beauty Industry Leaders
A $50K Loan, a Surprise Pregnancy & the Fitout From Hell — How Isla Grace Built Her Empire Anyway
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Her first employee was ready to leave the day after she went on maternity leave.
She was 38 weeks pregnant.
The stress was so severe her doctor induced her early.
And that was just the beginning.
In this episode, Sammy sits down with Isla Grace MacPherson — beauty salon owner, mum of two, and the woman behind one of Perth's fastest-growing brow and lash studios.
But this isn't a story of overnight success.
Isla started in her childhood bedroom with a dining chair pulled from the kitchen table. She had no clients, no qualifications worth bragging about, and at one point, she waxed her friend's entire arms before realising she had no strips.
When COVID hit, she turned a spare room into a home salon with nothing but a wax pot, a set of brow dyes, and 300 Instagram followers. Within months, she was fully booked. But being fully booked wasn't a business — it was a trap.
So she signed a lease, took a $50K loan under her partner's name, and started building the fitout from hell. Then she found out she was pregnant.
This episode gets into all of it:
👉 How a surprise pregnancy mid-fitout nearly derailed everything
👉 The employee who agreed to stay through Christmas — then resigned at midnight via email
👉 Why she was induced early due to extreme business-related stress
👉 The moment she sat in a termination clinic for her second pregnancy because she was terrified of losing the business
👉 How her partner Shawn took a personal loan, built the fitout by hand, and held the family together
👉 What a $45K surprise tax bill teaches you about actually understanding your numbers
👉 The $130K fitout reality vs. the $50K fantasy — and what she'd do differently
👉 Going from 300 followers to 15K and a post that reached 36 million people
👉 How she went from working 6 days a week on clients to 2 days on the tools and 1 CEO day
👉 Why she cut her own eyelashes with scissors as a kid — and how those same girls now pay to sit in her chair
If you're juggling kids, clients, a team, a fitout, or just trying to figure out how to build something real without losing yourself in the process — this one's for you.
Connect with Isla:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/islagrace/
Website: https://islagracebbs.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/isla.macpherson.7/
If this episode hit home, take a screenshot, share it to your stories and tag @beautyindustryleaders and @sammykennedycoach — we'd love to hear your biggest takeaway.
I want to empower women in the beauty industry to create an impact, build an empire, and leave their legacy!
Ready to become an industry powerhouse?
Get more clients, more income, and your time back without burning out. Be among the first to access exclusive scripts, strategies, and systems to get booked, banked, and in demand.
https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/booked-banked-and-in-demand
If you have any questions about the episode, or have a burning question you’d like me to answer on the show, or if you’d like to join our movement of ambitious beauty leaders, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/
https://www.instagram.com/beautyindustryleaders/
