The Client Landscape Has Changed And No One Is Talking About It – With Rach From Halo Hair and Beauty

The Client Landscape Has Changed And No One Is Talking About It – With Rach From Halo Hair and Beauty

You know the feeling. You post the last minute cancellation, the one that used to fill within the hour, and now it just sits there. The Monday DMs that used to be mental are quiet. The new client requests that used to roll in are a trickle. You are not imagining it, and you are not doing anything wrong. In this episode, Sam and Jen are joined by one of Sam's dearest friends and the final piece of her rat pack, Rach from Halo Hair and Beauty [https://www.instagram.com/halohairbeauty/] in Tweed. Fourteen years a salon owner, six years an educator, and refreshingly honest about what has actually shifted in this industry. Rach and the girls get into the thing most owners are quietly worried about and almost no one is saying out loud. The clients are not coming the way they used to, building a new column is harder than it has been in years, and the old playbook of post on Monday and fill by Friday does not work anymore. This is a real conversation about the new landscape of the Australian salon industry. Why younger clients are skipping colour altogether. Why the hate around pricing online misses what a haircut actually costs to deliver. Why a smaller team has quietly become the smarter, calmer, more profitable choice. And the slow shift that comes with time in the chair, when you stop chasing the bigger salon and start enjoying the one you already built. What we cover * Why building a new client column is so much harder than ten years ago * The new client landscape and why last minute spots no longer fill the way they did * Younger clients going natural and skipping colour, and what that does to the books * The online hate around salon pricing and the real cost behind a haircut * Why a smaller team often means better culture, less tax and more profit * Knowing your numbers and team targets so you are not paying people to do nothing * Why going back to basics is the skill apprentices are missing * Choosing to enjoy the salon you have built instead of always chasing more Some weeks the most powerful thing you can do is jump in, do what you need, and jump back out. FAQs Why is it harder to build a new client column now than it used to be? Demand has shifted, so the steady stream of new clients many salons relied on has slowed right down. More people are going natural or stretching out appointments, which means fewer new bookings and a slower build for newer team members. Is a smaller salon team better than a bigger one? For many owners, yes. A smaller team can mean stronger culture, less time spent managing people, and a lower wage, tax and superannuation load, which often leaves the business more profitable and far less stressful to run. Why do salon prices feel so high right now? A haircut or colour covers far more than the time in the chair. Rent, stock, insurance, superannuation and tax all come out of that price, and rising client expectations mean each service takes more time and skill than it used to. Mentioned in this episode: 💖 Celebrating Our Podcast Partner – Christophe Robin, proudly distributed by McM Imports We’ve partnered with Christophe Robin and MCM Imports to bring you something beautiful: ➡ Experience the Christophe Robin Discovery Box — curated by pro ambassador Monique McMahon. ➡ Inside, you’ll find her handpicked favourites — the hero products she swears by in the salon. It’s your invitation to explore the range and discover why Christophe Robin has become a quiet obsession among stylists who know their craft. Click the link below to request your FREE Christophe Robin Discovery Box, exclusively through McM Imports. 👇 MCM [https://podcast.salonrising.com/christophe-robin] https://www.salonrising.com [https://www.salonrising.com] 💛 A Limited Time Offer From Our Amazing Sponsor, Timely 💛 ➡ Timely is the easy to use booking and payments system that puts salon owners in control of the whole client experience from the first booking to final payment. ➡ Salon Rising listeners get a 14 day free trial plus 50% off their first 3 months. ➡ And until August 1st, when you activate with Payments, you'll also get a free Touchscreen terminal, worth $349 + GST. Use the code SALONRISING at checkout or click the link below to get started. Once you're set up, your Timely contact will take care of the rest. 👇 Timely [https://podcast.salonrising.com/gettimely]

Mini Moment #23: The One Client Trick That Sorts Your Whole Brand – with Tegan from Moosh

Most salon owners think branding is the colours, the logo and the name above the door. Tegan [https://www.instagram.com/mooshhairbytegan/] from Moosh [https://www.instagram.com/mooshhairstudio/] used to think that too. Then she realised her brand had quietly gone missing, not because she got the visuals wrong, but because she had stopped knowing who she was actually talking to. In this Mini Moment, Tegan joins Jen to pull branding apart in plain language. The thing that brought hers back was almost too simple. She stopped posting to everyone and started posting to one favourite client, a real person, as if she was talking only to her. From there the feeling, the team and the whole vibe of Moosh fell back into place. This is an honest, practical chat about why your brand is a feeling more than a colour, why your team is part of it whether you planned that or not, and why two salons right here in Australia can share the exact same palette and still feel like nothing alike. What we cover * Why your brand is a feeling, not just your colours and logo * The one client trick that makes your posts actually land * How a busy salon quietly loses its brand without noticing * Working out who you really want sitting in your chair * Why your team and their personalities are part of your brand * Posting to attract the right client instead of everyone * The difference between the look of a salon and the feeling of it Your colours were never the brand. The feeling people walk into always was. What makes up a salon brand? A salon brand is the feeling people get from you, not just your colours, logo or name. It comes from who you serve, how your team shows up and how clients feel in your space. How do I find my salon brand? Start by picturing one favourite client and speak only to her, the way Tegan from Moosh did. Once you know who you are talking to, your colours, tone and team culture fall into place around her. Why does my salon brand feel off? Most brands feel off when the salon gets busy and the owner loses sight of who they are speaking to. The fix is rarely new colours, it is getting clear on your person again. Mentioned in this episode: https://www.salonrising.com [https://www.salonrising.com] 💛 A Limited Time Offer From Our Amazing Sponsor, Timely 💛 ➡ Timely is the easy to use booking and payments system that puts salon owners in control of the whole client experience from the first booking to final payment. ➡ Salon Rising listeners get a 14 day free trial plus 50% off their first 3 months. ➡ And until August 1st, when you activate with Payments, you'll also get a free Touchscreen terminal, worth $349 + GST. Use the code SALONRISING at checkout or click the link below to get started. Once you're set up, your Timely contact will take care of the rest. 👇 Timely [https://podcast.salonrising.com/gettimely] 💖 Celebrating Our Podcast Partner – Christophe Robin, proudly distributed by McM Imports We’ve partnered with Christophe Robin and MCM Imports to bring you something beautiful: ➡ Experience the Christophe Robin Discovery Box — curated by pro ambassador Monique McMahon. ➡ Inside, you’ll find her handpicked favourites — the hero products she swears by in the salon. It’s your invitation to explore the range and discover why Christophe Robin has become a quiet obsession among stylists who know their craft. Click the link below to request your FREE Christophe Robin Discovery Box, exclusively through McM Imports. 👇 MCM [https://podcast.salonrising.com/christophe-robin]

The One Thing Salon Owners Must Do in 2026 to Get Found by AI – with Renee from Salon Society

You have done everything right. The website is beautiful, the work is gorgeous, the reels go up. So why does it feel like you are shouting into a void while new faces still trickle in from who knows where? This episode answers the who knows where, and the answer has changed. Jen sits down with Renee from Salon Society [https://www.instagram.com/salonsocietyaus/], for a conversation that started over dinner and turned into a deep dive neither of them wanted to end. Renee has seen this industry from every side. A mature age apprentice who became a Kevin Murphy educator. Then a sales rep who built a territory on relationships. Then a social media agency owner running it all between nap times. And now someone who lives inside the world of AI marketing for salons. She is not teaching theory. She is in salon every week watching real new clients walk in and asking every single one of them how they found the place. What she is finding will change how you think about marketing in 2026. One woman booked a curly hair appointment after typing "best curly hairdresser south Perth" into ChatGPT. Renee shares the real numbers, the multi step path a client takes before they book, and the holes in the bucket that quietly cost you the clients you already worked hard to attract. There is also a tender thread running underneath all of it, about success, motherhood, and the day her son threw her phone across the room and she realised she had built the business but forgotten to pivot it. If this conversation lights something up in you, Renee teaches the full system behind it, building a digital presence that brings in bookings without posting more or chasing trends, in her own online course [https://education.salonsocietyaus.com.au/howtomarketyyourbeautybusinessonline]. What we cover * How clients are now using AI tools like ChatGPT to find a salon, and what that means for you * The one thing to become obsessed with in 2026, knowing exactly where your new clients come from * Why a referred client can find you and still not book, and how to plug the holes in your bucket * Optimising your socials, website and Google Business Profile so AI can actually find you * Why your captions matter again, and the problem and solution story every caption should tell * Building an evergreen content strategy so you can stop chasing trends and get off the hamster wheel * Using AI to amplify your brand voice instead of replacing it * Renee's own pivots, from the salon floor to education to agency to AI, and knowing when each season is over * What success actually felt like, and the honest cost of chasing more This is the episode that makes the AI shift feel less like a threat and more like the most useful thing to happen to salon marketing in years. FAQs How do salon clients find a business using AI like ChatGPT? Clients type a plain question into an AI tool, such as the best hairdresser for a service in their suburb, and the AI answers by pulling from your socials, website, Google reviews and listed services. The more consistent and specific your content is across those places, the more likely AI is to recommend you. What is the one thing salon owners should focus on in 2026? Become obsessed with knowing where your new clients actually come from by asking every new client how they found you and whether that is when they booked. Once you know what is working, you can make more of that content instead of chasing new clients online for hours. Do captions still matter for salon social media? Yes, more than ever. AI reads the words in your captions and on screen text to understand what your content is about, so a caption that names the service, the client's problem and the solution is what helps you get found and booked. Mentioned in this episode: https://www.salonrising.com [https://www.salonrising.com] 💛 A Limited Time Offer From Our Amazing Sponsor, Timely 💛 ➡ Timely is the easy to use booking and payments system that puts salon owners in control of the whole client experience from the first booking to final payment. ➡ Salon Rising listeners get a 14 day free trial plus 50% off their first 3 months. ➡ And until August 1st, when you activate with Payments, you'll also get a free Touchscreen terminal, worth $349 + GST. Use the code SALONRISING at checkout or click the link below to get started. Once you're set up, your Timely contact will take care of the rest. 👇 Timely [https://podcast.salonrising.com/gettimely] 💖 Celebrating Our Podcast Partner – Christophe Robin, proudly distributed by McM Imports We’ve partnered with Christophe Robin and MCM Imports to bring you something beautiful: ➡ Experience the Christophe Robin Discovery Box — curated by pro ambassador Monique McMahon. ➡ Inside, you’ll find her handpicked favourites — the hero products she swears by in the salon. It’s your invitation to explore the range and discover why Christophe Robin has become a quiet obsession among stylists who know their craft. Click the link below to request your FREE Christophe Robin Discovery Box, exclusively through McM Imports. 👇 MCM [https://podcast.salonrising.com/christophe-robin]

Mini Moment #22: You Are Not the Only One Asking That Question – with Sherri from Timely

The bravest thing you can do as a business owner is admit you do not have all the answers. In this Mini Moment, Jen sits down with Sherri from Timely to talk about why asking for help might just be the most underrated business move you make this year. Timely Answers is the new drop in session format that has been quietly booking out. A community of other business owners, and an open invitation to ask the questions you have been carrying around alone. Because the moment you hear someone else ask the thing you were too nervous to ask, everything shifts. The conversation then opens out into something equally valuable. How small sensory shifts in your service, a hand massage, a foot rub, a scalp moment, the smell of your salon, can move you from another appointment to a memorable experience your client will talk about. And how the energy you bring to your business is the energy your clients walk out with. What we cover * The new Timely Answers drop in sessions and how they work * Why community removes the loneliness of running a salon * The power of realising someone else is asking the same question * How to think outside the square with higher ticket offerings * Why regulated business owners create regulated clients * Bringing the passion back into your business When you stop trying to do it all alone, everything gets lighter. Mentioned in this episode: https://www.salonrising.com [https://www.salonrising.com] 💛 A Limited Time Offer From Our Amazing Sponsor, Timely 💛 ➡ Timely is the easy to use booking and payments system that puts salon owners in control of the whole client experience from the first booking to final payment. ➡ Salon Rising listeners get a 14 day free trial plus 50% off their first 3 months. ➡ And until August 1st, when you activate with Payments, you'll also get a free Touchscreen terminal, worth $349 + GST. Use the code SALONRISING at checkout or click the link below to get started. Once you're set up, your Timely contact will take care of the rest. 👇 Timely [https://podcast.salonrising.com/gettimely] 💖 Celebrating Our Podcast Partner – Christophe Robin, proudly distributed by McM Imports We’ve partnered with Christophe Robin and MCM Imports to bring you something beautiful: ➡ Experience the Christophe Robin Discovery Box — curated by pro ambassador Monique McMahon. ➡ Inside, you’ll find her handpicked favourites — the hero products she swears by in the salon. It’s your invitation to explore the range and discover why Christophe Robin has become a quiet obsession among stylists who know their craft. Click the link below to request your FREE Christophe Robin Discovery Box, exclusively through McM Imports. 👇 MCM [https://podcast.salonrising.com/christophe-robin]

Service or Sacrifice. Which One Are You In – with Sam and Jen

There is one question that quietly underpins every leadership decision a salon owner makes. Are you in service or are you in sacrifice? In this honest, reflective conversation, Sam and Jen sit down to unpack the difference, why it matters, and how the answer changes everything from your team energy to your retail numbers to the way you feel walking into your own business. This is not a leadership masterclass. It is a real conversation between two friends who are deep in the work themselves, examining the labels we attach to leadership, culture and ourselves. The word boss carries an ego. The word culture has become a buzzword. And the version of leadership most of us were taught, the one that sits at the top shouting orders down, is actually the opposite of what builds a business that lasts. Sam shares what she has learned from 14 staff down to three, why finance is the most important pillar of any small business, and why the targets document she has used for years has never felt more valuable. Jen reflects on capacity, glass balls and plastic balls, and the moment she pulled out of an event that would have broken her. Together they explore what it actually looks like to lead from below rather than above. What we cover * The difference between service and sacrifice, and how to tell which one you are in * Why resentment is the signal you have stepped into sacrifice * Reverse engineering your leadership from the version you actually want * Why the word boss does not sit right anymore * Finance as the foundation everything else flows from * Why your team needs financial literacy, not just targets * Capacity, boundaries and protecting your glass balls * Stripping the ego out of the decisions you make about your business * Why your first priority is your team and theirs is your clients * The labels we attach to ourselves, our businesses and the people in them When you lead from service, your business stops feeling heavy. It starts feeling like home. Mentioned in this episode: https://www.salonrising.com [https://www.salonrising.com] 💖 Celebrating Our Podcast Partner – Christophe Robin, proudly distributed by McM Imports We’ve partnered with Christophe Robin and MCM Imports to bring you something beautiful: ➡ Experience the Christophe Robin Discovery Box — curated by pro ambassador Monique McMahon. ➡ Inside, you’ll find her handpicked favourites — the hero products she swears by in the salon. It’s your invitation to explore the range and discover why Christophe Robin has become a quiet obsession among stylists who know their craft. Click the link below to request your FREE Christophe Robin Discovery Box, exclusively through McM Imports. 👇 MCM [https://podcast.salonrising.com/christophe-robin] 💛 A Limited Time Offer From Our Amazing Sponsor, Timely 💛 ➡ Timely is the easy to use booking and payments system that puts salon owners in control of the whole client experience from the first booking to final payment. ➡ Salon Rising listeners get a 14 day free trial plus 50% off their first 3 months. ➡ And until August 1st, when you activate with Payments, you'll also get a free Touchscreen terminal, worth $349 + GST. Use the code SALONRISING at checkout or click the link below to get started. Once you're set up, your Timely contact will take care of the rest. 👇 Timely [https://podcast.salonrising.com/gettimely]