Esthetician Podcast; Business tips for Beauty professionals

071: Did You Hit Your Goals or Drop the Ball? Mid-Year Check-In for Estheticians

• Kari Jo

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Do you track your numbers? In the world of aesthetics, we often shy away from metrics because we're afraid of what they might reveal. But as Kari Jo Patterson shares in this revealing episode, numbers always tell a story – one that can transform your business when you learn to listen.

Dropping the perfect facade and embracing authenticity becomes the unexpected theme as Kari reveals her most successful podcast episodes were the ones where she simply showed up as herself – unscripted, unfiltered, and speaking her own language rather than trying to sound like someone else. This powerful realization has transformed her approach to content creation and business coaching.

Join Kari for a vulnerable mid-year goal check-in where she categorizes her progress as "crushed it," "kind of did it," or "dropped the ball." This honest assessment strategy allows her to celebrate wins (like her thriving coaching practice after niching down on pay structures), adjust course on struggling initiatives (digital product sales), and maintain essential family boundaries as her business grows.

The episode delivers an unexpected bonus: a detailed tutorial on creating your own personalized AI nutritionist using ChatGPT. Kari walks through exactly how she set up a system that creates customized meal plans, analyzes restaurant menus in real-time, and even tells her when it's okay to enjoy that occasional Snickers bar. This innovative approach to problem-solving resulted in significant health improvements within just one week.

For estheticians considering business expansion, don't miss Kari's timely real estate insights. "We're in a bare market right now – people become rich in bare markets," she explains, highlighting why now might be the perfect moment to invest in property when others are desperate to sell.

Whether you're struggling with tracking metrics, setting effective goals, or finding the right balance between business growth and personal freedom, this episode delivers practical wisdom you can implement immediately. Text us with topics you want covered in future episodes – Kari might even invite you on to walk through your specific challenges together!

Go check out her monthly mastermind to get you started on your journey to success here - https://stan.store/EstheLaunchAcademy/p/empire-building-mastermind-xrvzf

To learn more about coaching please visit: https://www.karijopatterson.com

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Links You May Want to Check out:

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Check out Kari Jo’s courses here https://esthelaunchacademy.com

Kari Jo:

Welcome to the Esthetician Podcast, where passion meets prosperity. Your host, Kari Jo Patterson, transformed from a solo esthetician into a successful business owner, achieving ultimate time and financial freedom by the age of 38. Kari is the author of Fearless Prosperity, empowering estheticians to build their empire and achieve financial freedom, and the creator of the Empire Growth System for Estheticians. Get ready for some empire building wisdom Now. Welcome your host, Kari Jo Patterson.

Kari Jo:

Okay, guys, welcome back to another Esthetician Podcast and this episode I'm going to call it Did you Do the Damn Thing? Because you know, because one of the things is I track numbers. I'm like a huge number junkie and if you worked with me in any capacity, I'm like let's talk numbers, let's track numbers. Did I always want to track numbers? No, I didn't. I remember a lot of the time, to be honest, I was afraid to get into my numbers because I felt like if I tracked my numbers, then I would know I was not doing well, I was probably in debt. I didn't really want to know what it had to tell me and honestly, to be honest, I didn't even know what numbers to track. Sure, I could be like I could track my profit loss, whatever, but once I learned what numbers to track, how to develop a system, it became so incredibly addicting, I absolutely loved it and it was my favorite part of my business, and so I became huge into number tracking. It's funny because even you know your goal when you are building a business is truly to help others. Right, like, I don't want to be doing everything myself. I love tracking my numbers and my business numbers, but I mean I also want to help other people grow too, and there was a girl eventually in my company, at my spa, who I, I did. I trust her, I turned over my numbers, I let her do all the tracking and and it was like great, so there's trust. That goes through all of it. But tracking numbers is, what was I going to say about that? I don't remember, but it's like so much fun. How did I get onto that? Guys, I swear I have ADHD brain like crazy. Oh, yes, I remember. Okay. So, basically, going back, when I track my numbers to my podcast, and numbers always tell a story. Guys, track your numbers. It always tells you a story. It's really interesting.

Kari Jo:

The best episode that I had of all time was in January and it was on my goal setting, and the funny thing was is it had nothing to do with aesthetics at all, like I didn't talk about business. I literally talked about myself and my goals and I was hoping, by me telling you what my goals are, that they would inspire you. And I can't even tell you like by like four times, it's the top episode that I ever had. Like by like four times it's the top episode that I ever had. My second biggest episode that I ever did was actually one of my very, very first episodes.

Kari Jo:

And my first episode I ever did is I got on and I didn't have like, I didn't think about it beforehand, I didn't write a script, I didn't listen to all these people that told me you know, you got to start with a hook and then you got to have this and make sure you do this at the end, and and I just went in and I just did it and it was like my top second podcast and the first one was my top podcast. I did not use an outline, I did not use anything. First one was my top ask. I did not use an outline, I did not use anything. What that taught me is I need to be a little bit more real with you guys, first and foremost, and so I have decided to completely change how I'm doing my podcast, but I hope you guys still love it I want how I have been doing it is I have a guest that comes in on Wednesdays and then Fridays. I've always had my business episode, and when I would do my business episode on Fridays, I would come up with the topic ahead of time and then I would maybe research some things about it, and then I would make massive bullet points and then I would make sure I started with a hook and then like and so it was a little bit better.

Kari Jo:

The funny thing is is like I, when I was getting into doing podcasting, I didn't want to be me, if that I mean that sounds so crazy, but I have a hard time speaking Like. Most people are like Carrie, you speak a different language. You, a lot of times, I talk in circles and I repeat myself just like in a different way, and people are like my daughter's, always like mom. You already told me that and I'm like I know and I don't use these big and fancy beautiful words, but I've always admired people who do and I always viewed that is what success is. But you guys have taught me that that is probably a success for someone. You know what I mean People that speak really well. They probably do really well too. But you guys could just love me for me, and I think sometimes we are. I think we're all really great. I think you're great. I think there's probably something that you do really well and then you just have it in your head that you're not great or you're not. Whatever it is, and sometimes you have to prove it to yourself, and I kind of feel like that's what podcasting did for me.

Kari Jo:

Is I felt like I was inadequate to speak? Is I felt like I was inadequate to speak and what the podcast taught me is no, I can just be me. You know what I mean. I don't need to write a big fancy script and try to memorize words that make me sound a little bit more intelligent just to teach a point of something that I already know, because I just need to just teach what I already know. So that's a big long story.

Kari Jo:

But since I did do my number tracking, I did look back and I thought let's revisit my 2025 goals and do a check-in, and so that's why I want to name this episode specifically. I'm going to call it did you do the damn thing? Because let's find out. Did I do the damn thing? We're going to have a check-in and this is what I would suggest for you to do. So this is when you because I'm big into goals my family, my daughter's always like oh my gosh, another goal. Like my family just knows I'm obsessed with goals and I'm not going to lie. I don't meet half of them. But I love setting them and I love feeling like I'm moving towards something, even if I suck, and I have great ideas.

Kari Jo:

And so set a goal in January and then do a check-in, you know mid-season, and be like did I do the damn thing? What do I need to keep doing? What do I need to get rid of? And then I like to put it in categories of like I crushed that, I kind of did that and, dude, I dropped the ball. That was like over, I did not do that. Okay, so let's find out. Did I crush the damn thing?

Kari Jo:

All right, so the start of that episode I talked about how I learned what my niche was going to be. I have kept with my niche, and my niche is helping people with their pay structures, because when it was the one thing that literally changed the trajectory of my business is once I understood that and I understood how to grow employees and how to grow their schedule, how to manage them, like everything changed. And so it started with understanding how to pay them. So that's why I niched down when I did that. I'm not lying. My whole entire business has completely, 100% changed for the better. I literally have one more spot for a coaching client and then I'm cut off, unless somebody drops off again because I can't even take anymore. It's crazy. So niching down that was like incredible and that is actually. I learned from that that that is what I want to build my mastermind around and that is what so many people struggle with. And so my very beginning program, my mastermind, is for estheticians and it's $97 a month. Literally. I help you define exactly what your niche is and I like tear it apart, because most of the time that needs to be, because I break it down and it becomes so much easier once you do that. And so that I rebuilt my, my membership for my mastermind around niching down. So that was like super helpful.

Kari Jo:

And then I talked about how my goal was to grow my digital product sales by 150%. I wouldn't say I dropped the ball on this. I I'd say I'm kind of doing it Like I still promote it, but for some reason, I don't know, my marketing is like completely wrong because what I have done is I have killed it with my VIP coaching clients and with my mastermind and my digital product not so much. So that's struggling a little bit. I don't know. I got to maybe redo a little bit of what I'm doing, oh, but I will say that what I am going to do is probably okay. You know, I always say how, in business, the truth is is you actually do know what you need to do, but like 90% of the time you just avoid doing it. But, like, deep down, you actually already know exactly what you need to do. I know that I'm not hitting that goal, but I know deep down that the reason why I'm not hitting that goal is because I'm not running ads. And the truth is I just don't want to do the work to run the ads. So either I have to hire somebody which I have considered doing that to run ads for me or I just have to do the damn work. So we'll see what happens by the end of the year with that.

Kari Jo:

As far as my podcast, yes, I have my podcast. I have a manager. She's managing the whole thing. It's lovely. I just show up and record this and that's nice. We'll be changing a bunch of things along the way. We're only going to do Wednesday episodes. I don't know if I told you that. So on Wednesdays we're just going to do Wednesdays and it will be like business, business and then a guest that comes on, so I'm excited about that Probably change the intro and then as far as okay. So then, that was one of my goals. The other one is a podcast studio. I haven't totally hit that one yet. You guys, like it ain't great, like my space is just here. I do have a goal to do that, but it's not going to be until fall, because I want to spend summer with my kids, so, and then I wanted to publish actual videos. I haven't done that either. I dropped the ball on that to be continued. Okay, my personal goals, guys.

Kari Jo:

This is the tip. I need you guys to stay tuned and listen to this. I should have started with this, because this is the thing that I'm so excited to tell you about, and I'm going to teach you what I'm doing, and it's insane, insane. So what I did is you guys, if you don't have chat GPT yet, you guys go get it. What are you doing? Like, why are you even running a business? You're going to die. You need chat GPT, okay.

Kari Jo:

So don't do the free version, do the paid version, and when you do the paid version, you can make a project, and I'm going to walk you through exactly how to do it. So you're going to do a project in the paid version of ChatGPT and you're going to name it and I named mine Nutritionist, and then like, because ChatGPT only works if you have really good boundaries, okay, so first, what I did is I went into chat GPT and I told I was like what makes a good nutritionist and a woman hormone specialist? And literally chat GPT told me what makes a good one. So I took that information and then I went in the project and you can have, like you can put your instructions. I copied that, put it in the instructions, cause that's what I want chat to be, is what that was Right.

Kari Jo:

And then I have a scale, like a weight scale. You know that when I stand on it it reads me my numbers to my phone and so, like it will tell me my BMI, my muscle mass, my water weight, everything like that. So I took a picture of that. Okay, so I go into the nutritionist, the nutritionist tell, or I go into the nutritionist and it has like all that information into like how, the parameters, what it's going to think like, and then in just the regular chat I say so here's my body stats, give me a little bit of like if you were like, give me a bio about myself. So and I gave it some background, so I uploaded the photo of what my weight is and then I told it like I'm 42. I think I'm 42. I might be 41, but I said I'm 42 years old, I'm a female.

Kari Jo:

And I said, listen, I don't give a shit about what the scale says, but what I really care about is like I have no boobs at all. My boobs are like gone, but my stomach comes out past my boobs and I'm not okay with that. So like I don't care what the scale says, but make my stomach flat so my boobs come out further. Okay, literally, I kid you not, this is what I put in there. And then I also put in, you know, like I do get headaches. I also put in, you know, because I am in my 40s, that I, around my certain time of month, I might get a little bit angry or depressed or like my moods are like crazy, and I put in all these different things like I just thought about it myself, and then I click submit and then it gave me my bio. So then what I went and I did I hope you're following this. I took my bio and then I went and put it in the instructions so the instructions of my nutritionist is what makes a good nutritionist, what makes a good women's hormone specialist. And then I put in and this is my bio. Okay, so if you follow that around, that's great.

Kari Jo:

Now what I did is I went into chat GPT and I said make me a menu for this week. And here's the thing is I want my breakfast like I don't wanna buy a bunch of ingredients all week long and just for that one meal. And so the ingredients go bad. So I want my ingredients to be reused throughout the week, so nothing goes bad. So and I don't want a new, I don't care about a new breakfast every day. I don't care about a new lunch every day, but I absolutely have to have a new dinner every single day.

Kari Jo:

And so chat made me this plan and you know, it even told me about my hormones, like what supplements that I needed to be on and why I needed to be on it. I learned that I have estrogen dominance, so it's making me eat food that gets rid of the extra estrogen in my system, which helps with those mood swings. You guys, I'm not even kidding you, it's just genius. But that's not even the best part. So I put that in and or and it made a menu which was fabulous. So I have two breakfasts that I eat between, and I have two lunches and then some, and then I have a new dinner every night. And then I told chat to make me a grocery list. So I didn't even have to make a grocery list, I just used it from chat and then I went grocery shopping and then what happens is like, on, say, tuesday, I don't remember what's for dinner. So I just go into that chat nutritionist I'm like I forget it's Tuesday, what am I eating eating? And tell me how to cook it. And so it tells me how to cook it. My family it's. Actually I didn't even know you guys.

Kari Jo:

I've worked with a nutritionist before because I don't know if I told you guys I was, I trained for a bikini competition, so like I've eaten what I call what they would call, quote unquote healthy, and I hated eating healthy, like, but this is actually really fricking good. Okay, that's not the best part. If you thought that was good, wait till you hear this. So then what I do is cause I eat out a lot. I love going to restaurants, it's my favorite thing. So then what I do is when I go to a restaurant I kid you not I take a picture of the menu at the restaurant in my you know, my project nutritionist and I say, hey, what should I eat on this menu according to my goals? And it literally tells me and tells me how to edit it for whatever it is. Like it's insane. Like it will say, you need to have half the rice, ask them to put on like half the rice that they normally do. And I was like, okay, sure you know what I mean. Like I'm not, I kid you not within one week. This is insane, guys. Within one week I lost 3.3. Guys, within one week I lost 3.3 pounds. And it wasn't that I was trying to lose, it's just I was super inflamed. My body was so inflamed and I'd just gotten back from a trip which I have issues when I go on vacation, and so I have body issues anyways when I'm on vacation and I swell up and don't go to the bathroom as much as I should, probably, and things like that. So I mean, but yeah, 3.3 pounds in one week.

Kari Jo:

I love the food that I eat, I don't think about it, I literally chill chat In fact, last night this is also really cool Last night I ate really well. Actually, we went to a restaurant for lunch and dinner yesterday, but I ate, according to chat, for lunch and dinner, so I did really good. But I was craving a Snickers. Like I just wanted even just one bite of a Snickers bar. And we were at a gas station and so I went into chat under my nutritionist and I was like I just want this Snickers. Can I get it? Can I have it? And it was like, yes, you can have it, but the problem is is you're and I told him, like it's nine o'clock at night, can I just have this Snickers? And it said yes, I want you to eat the Snickers and don't feel guilty about eating that Snickers, like you did really good today. I want you to eat it and I want you to enjoy it. Like, sit there and enjoy the moment of eating it.

Kari Jo:

Now the downside is is it is going to spike your insulin right before bed and when it spikes, that spikes my cortisol, which is what makes my stomach round, especially in this menopause age whatever premenopause age my stomach around, especially in this menopause age, whatever premenopause age, so, and then it's like so, after you get done, you're going to need to eat a string cheese. That's like fat and protein and stuff right after it. And I was like, are you kidding me? I can have this nigger, it might be a string cheese. Okay, sold, I love string cheese. So, yeah, so that was like, so cool, you guys need to definitely do that. If you guys do that, you better message me. You better comment or send me a message. You better post about it. Tag me in it Like I want to know that you're using it, I want to know that it was useful, and like I'm addicted to it too. So let's talk about our best friends together. Okay, so that was my fitness. So I am doing good with my eating now. I wasn't until I started using TratGPT. As far as my lifting weights and walking, yeah, I dropped the ball. I don't know what to say about that. Will to be continued.

Kari Jo:

I had a reading goal of reading 12 books. Four of them had to be fun. I have read some fun books. I haven't read some business books. Honestly, I got I I consume a lot of content not just content, but a lot of education like tons of business education, not just in a book format, and I get burnt out. So I think I need to change that, because I do consume content, but not so much in book form. I think my books need me to change that goal.

Kari Jo:

So I dropped that ball. Return to martial arts. Okay, I definitely have dropped that ball. I have not. It obviously. It literally comes down to one fear is the fear of just walking through the door and going by myself. Guys, it's not fun to go to martial arts by yourself. It just isn't. But maybe I should just start with like a coach, like a one-on-one, because I do. I miss that so much. There is nothing more probably better for my cortisol and my mind than doing MMA, because you can't think at all, you just have to react and your body takes over. I love it. So drop the ball on that, but I'll do something about it.

Kari Jo:

My family goal is I am prioritizing my family. My daughter I'll save that story, guys, I'll save that story. I have a story about that. But she is doing the organization, she is doing better and I still am on the plan with that. My son for the Southern Manners he's doing so good. We started doing this jar because we'd be, we would have to remind him all the time, say yes, sir, yes, ma'am, and and he wasn't doing it on his own. So we started this new thing because he likes his iPad and so if he says yes, ma'am, yes, sir, then he gets a nickel and is in the jar and then at the end of the week he can use that money to buy a game or whatever with his iPad. So it's been really good. He now says yes, sir, yes, ma'am, all the time, and it's so cute. So I just love that.

Kari Jo:

Also, shout out, I have this girl, this coaching client that just signed up with me. Ashley, if you're listening to this, I love you. She's from Dallas and Arlington, dallas. If you're listening to this, I love you. She's from Dallas and Arlington, dallas. And she is like she has the most ideal Southern manners. Every time I doctor her, she's like yes, ma'am, yes, ma'am. And I'm like I just want to know how did your mom raise you? Anyway, she's so cute, Okay. So I just love Southern manners, okay. And the last one is me and my husband.

Kari Jo:

Our goal was to get another property. We are right now. I'm so excited we are in the process of closing on that property this exact very moment and it should close. We just did the inspection, so we just went back and asked them to repair a few things. But we should be closing and in June we will own the property and it's going to be insane because I'm going to have to go in there and do like a total reno of it. So stay tuned and my June stories it's going to be crazy, guys, why that matters for you. Let me tell you.

Kari Jo:

I just had a coaching call with one of my clients who she's her laces up, she's killing it. She's looking at maybe getting another space, going somewhere else and renting, and I'm like, why are you doing that? Why, like, you're going to pay three times more for this other rental space? Right, and we are in a bear market right now. Do you know what that? Like people become rich in bear markets? Right, like is I? Like here's the thing like you could buy a building for such a good price right now because, like people are desperate to get rid of it. So that's my little tidbit for you.

Kari Jo:

You're thinking about it, you guys, this is a good time to buy. We're buying this property in Corpus Christi and it's in North Padre Island and yes, there's South Padre. You probably heard of that. This is North Padre. North Padre Island is the longest land of beachfront access. That is the most undeveloped in America right now, and so, but like it's crazy Cause like they're starting to like expand. Obviously they're going to expand into it and they're like all these big builders are starting to come in and it's like, wow, let's get in. At the beginning of that, you can get it. We got our price for the condo like crazy, ridiculous, because you can't, because people have to get rid of it right now. You know what I mean. And so it's a good buy and just think about that, even for your business, okay, so the point of this is what I want you to do is look at your goals, go through it and ask yourself did I crush it, did I kind of do it, or did I drop the ball?

Kari Jo:

After I do that, the next thing I want to do is I ask do I want to change anything? Is there anything on that list that I want to change? Yeah, I don't want to set a goal that I need to read 12 books, because I have to be inspired. I have to want it, and that was making me feel forced. I don't want to feel forced, I just have to let my natural brain go wherever it wants to go. And then is there any new goals that I want to set, and I the only goal that I can think of that I want to set right now is I feel like I well I think I already said it, though my business just started really taking off and I started not having any time, and I didn't get like.

Kari Jo:

I sold my company and I got my time back, and then I wanted to do you know this and help out other people, and then it started sucking out all of my time, and so I did need to put in a boundary of like okay, and that's why I'm like okay, I can only take one more new VIP client the mastermind. I can only take one more new VIP client the mastermind. Obviously I'm in that you know whatever, and but I do do one-on-one work with some of them too. So I just had to put limits on my time because, ultimately, I still want the freedom to be with my family, and so I want to try to get all my work done and then be free in the afternoon when they're home.

Kari Jo:

And this summer I am going to try to tone down everything because I want it's my last summer with my daughter and so I don't when she she's got. She's going on a lot of trips. She's doing like a mission trip in Puruguay or something. So obviously I'll work my butt off when she's gone, but my goal is when my daughter is home this summer I want to work as little as possible. So I probably won't be advertising, so I probably won't sell as many digital courses unless I figure out how to run these ads and by figure it out, I do know how to run them. But, like, I would really like to find somebody else that can take that on. So if you know of anyone, send them my way, cause I'm up for looking. All right, as always, guys.

Kari Jo:

Thank you guys for tuning into my podcast. More than anything I can say, thank you for loving me and being my people and showing me that, like, listen, it's okay for me to talk like I normally talk and make mistakes and go around in circles and loving me. Anyways, you are my people, you get me and that's so valuable to me and you show me my own worth sometimes. So I love you. Please like my podcast. It would mean the world to me. Leave me a review. And also, if you have a subject that you want me to answer, there is a text us under in this like chat, no, whatever, click text. If you want to know how to do something, you want to know something, leave me a message and I will make a whole podcast episode about it. Hey, I might even, if you want to come on, put it in there that you want to come on and I'll like walk you through it one by one on my podcast so that someone else can hear about it too. Okay, have a good one, guys. See you next week.

Kari Jo:

Thank you for listening to the Esthetician Podcast with Kari Jo Patterson. Each week, Kari brings you real world lessons on how to grow your empire. To learn more about Kari Fearless Prosperity Mastermind Group, one-on-one VIP coaching and more com. - See you next week for more insights and strategies on the Esthetician Podcast.

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