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
My 79-Year-Old Grandma Taught Me More About Business Than Any Course Ever Could
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She came to Australia from Hong Kong with nothing familiar. No friends. No family nearby. No safety net.
She built a business with my grandfather and ran it for decades.
👉 And she never once paid herself a salary.
This episode is different from anything I've ever done on the show.
I'm sitting across from my grandma, Julia Lau. I call her Po Po. She's turning 80, and she's never been on a podcast, never done an interview, and until a few years ago, had never said "I love you" out loud to anyone in our family.
But she's the reason this podcast studio exists. She's the reason my parents' bowling alley survived. And she's the woman who quietly held our entire family together through eight businesses, decades of financial hardship, and more sacrifice than any of us fully understood.
In this episode, we go deep into the real, unfiltered story behind everything I've built:
- Leaving Hong Kong and raising kids in a country where she knew nobody
- The miscarriage, the homesickness, and the depression she carried in silence
- How my grandfather pivoted from nursing to acupuncture with no business training
- Running a business at breakeven for years because no one told them how to structure their finances
- Paying 17% interest on their mortgage on $300 a fortnight take-home pay
- Her honest reaction to my mum choosing a non-Chinese husband
- The moment she and Gong Gong decided to back my dad financially, even when they weren't sure
- What she really thought when my degree was cancelled and I pivoted into marketing
- And the cultural wall that kept her from ever saying "I love you" until I challenged her on it
I also share some hard lessons I've been sitting on about pricing, investing, fire sales, and why the belief system I inherited almost kept me stuck at $60K a year forever.
This is the most personal episode I've ever recorded. And if you've ever built something with your family, or you're trying to create something that outlasts you, I think it'll hit home in a way you don't expect.
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/
