What Surprises People Most About Running a Salon [EP:242]

Why Busy Salon Owners Never Build Great Businesses [EP:253]

"Send us a message!" [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1850976/fan_mail/new] "I'm just so busy." It's one of the most common things we hear from salon owners. But being busy and building a business aren't the same thing. In this episode, we revisit one of our favorite leadership frameworks: the Five Modes of Ownership, and explain why so many owners stay stuck working harder instead of building systems that create long-term growth. We discuss the difference between busy work and compounding work, why diagnosing problems matters more than reacting to them, how to know which "mode" your business needs most, and why your future should determine where you spend your time today. Your business should serve you, so that you can serve others. That starts by giving your attention to the work that actually compounds. Key Takeaways * Being busy isn't the same as building a business. * Compounding work creates long-term value.  * Every business owner must lead in different modes.  * Diagnose problems before reacting to them.  * Focus on one type of work at a time.  * Leadership requires intentional attention.  * Crisis mode demands calm, not panic.  * Invisible work often produces the biggest results.  * Systems reduce future chaos.  * Your future should determine how you spend today. Time Stamps 00:00 — Opening takes + preparing for slow seasons 05:30 — Stop believing manufactured business problems 07:00 — Why owners always feel busy 08:00 — The Five Modes of Ownership refresher 10:00 — Busy work vs. compounding work 11:30 — Operations vs. systems 12:30 — Leadership, strategy, and crisis mode 14:00 — Diagnose before you react 16:00 — Choosing the right leadership hat 18:30 — Why working harder isn't the answer 20:30 — Give each mode your full attention 23:00 — Why focus creates better results 25:00 — Where the Five Modes came from 28:00 — Lessons from navigating a true crisis 31:00 — The invisible work that builds businesses 34:00 — Why business owners need long-term thinking 36:00 — Building tomorrow instead of surviving today 39:00 — Final thoughts on intentional leadership Links and Stuff: Our Newsletter [https://hellohairco.us6.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=c58806b8e3601b14954656ef9&id=8e276a5fe4] Mentoring Inquiries [https://www.hellohairco.com/pro] Find more of our things: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/hellohairpro/] Hello Hair Pro Website [https://www.hellohairco.com/pro]

Why Stylists Choose Some Salons Over Others [EP:252]

"Send us a message!" [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1850976/fan_mail/new] Why do stylists choose one salon over another? Most owners think hiring starts when they post a job ad.  We don't. In this episode, we explain why the strongest salons attract great people long before they ever have an opening. We discuss reputation, relationships, education, leadership, opportunity, culture, and why becoming known for something meaningful matters far more than offering snacks, perks, or calling yourself "luxury." We also share lessons from building Hello Hair Co., mistakes we made along the way, and why we believe hiring isn't really about recruiting, it's about becoming the kind of business people genuinely want to join. Your business should serve you, so that you can serve others. And the best teams are built long before anyone submits an application. Key Takeaways * Hiring begins long before you have an open chair. * Strong reputations attract stronger candidates.  * Education should build independent professionals, not copies of you.  * Every new stylist needs training—even experienced ones.  * Relationships compound into future hiring opportunities.  * Great salons sell opportunity, not perks.  * Modern stylists are looking for leadership, growth, and purpose.  * Hire for character and values before technical ability.  * Reputation is built through consistent actions over time.  * The best salons become magnets instead of marketers. Time Stamps 00:00 — Opening takes + the myth of "luxury" salons 06:00 — Why hiring starts long before you need staff 08:00 — Building relationships before recruiting 10:00 — Lessons from our first salon 12:00 — Reputation matters more than job ads 13:00 — Why education attracts great stylists 15:00 — Recruiting vs. becoming a magnet 16:00 — Why every stylist needs training 18:00 — The questions Tier A owners ask 19:00 — Stop blaming the next generation 20:00 — Understanding what modern stylists actually want 23:00 — Teaching principles instead of techniques 27:00 — Why people join a future, not just a salon 29:00 — Hiring for values instead of technical skill 30:00 — Building opportunities beyond your own expertise 31:00 — Perks vs. real opportunity 35:00 — The biggest mistake we made when opening Hello Hair 36:00 — Relationships create future hiring opportunities 40:00 — Becoming the salon people hope has an opening Links and Stuff: Our Newsletter [https://hellohairco.us6.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=c58806b8e3601b14954656ef9&id=8e276a5fe4] Mentoring Inquiries [https://www.hellohairco.com/pro] Find more of our things: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/hellohairpro/] Hello Hair Pro Website [https://www.hellohairco.com/pro]

The Questions Every Salon Owner Should Ask Themselves [EP:251]

"Send us a message!" [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1850976/fan_mail/new] What if someone asked you the questions you usually avoid asking yourself? In this episode, we tried something completely different. We asked AI to interview us, not to generate answers, but to challenge the way we think about leadership, business, culture, growth, relationships, and running a salon. The result wasn't a conversation about artificial intelligence. It became a conversation about reflection. From hiring and education to leadership, core values, profit, partnerships, parenting, and personal growth, these questions forced us to slow down and think about what we've learned over the past several years of building Hello Hair Co. Whether you're an established owner or just getting started, these are the kinds of questions that don't always have easy answers, but they often lead to better ones. Your business should serve you, so that you can serve others. Sometimes the best way to grow is simply to ask yourself better questions. Here's the prompt we used to create the questions. [https://www.hellohairco.com/hellohairpro-com/ai-interview-prompt] Key Takeaways * Better questions lead to better leadership. *  AI is a tool—not a replacement for critical thinking.  *  Strong businesses evolve because their leaders stay curious.  *  Experience often creates humility, not certainty.  *  Great partnerships require different perspectives.  *  Leadership is built through intentional conversations.  *  Core values simplify difficult decisions.  *  Culture is created through consistency, not slogans.  *  Growth comes from reflection as much as action.  *  The quality of your answers depends on the quality of your questions. Time Stamps 00:00 — Episode 251 + introducing the AI interview experiment  01:00 — Opening takes: developing staff intentionally  03:00 — AI isn't a replacement for thinking  05:00 — Question 1: Beliefs we've changed over time  07:00 — Question 2: Business mentors and influence  08:00 — Question 3: What people misunderstand about us  10:00 — Question 4: What we've learned from each other  14:00 — Question 5: What we hope our children learn  16:00 — Question 6: Advice we no longer believe is universal  18:00 — Question 7: One skill every owner should master  20:00 — Question 8: Risks worth taking  22:00 — Question 9: Why we've ignored conventional wisdom  25:00 — Question 10: What people don't see behind the scenes  27:00 — Question 11: Beliefs we're unlikely to change  29:00 — Question 12: What could have caused Hello Hair to fail  33:00 — Question 13: Becoming less certain with experience  36:00 — Question 14: Compliments that meant the most  39:00 — Question 15: The hardest core value to lose  41:00 — Final reflections on asking better questions Links and Stuff: Our Newsletter [https://hellohairco.us6.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=c58806b8e3601b14954656ef9&id=8e276a5fe4] Mentoring Inquiries [https://www.hellohairco.com/pro] Find more of our things: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/hellohairpro/] Hello Hair Pro Website [https://www.hellohairco.com/pro]

Why Small Businesses Matter More Than People Realize [EP:250]

"Send us a message!" [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1850976/fan_mail/new] Episode 250 feels like the perfect time to talk about something bigger than salons. As this episode releases alongside America's 250th birthday celebration, we found ourselves thinking about opportunity, entrepreneurship, responsibility, and why small businesses matter so much to the communities they serve. In this episode, we discuss how small businesses create opportunity, build stronger communities, support education, develop leaders, and give ordinary people the chance to build something meaningful. We also talk about profit, responsibility, community involvement, leadership, culture, growth, and why owning a business is about far more than simply making money. Whether you own a salon, run a business, or dream about starting one someday, this conversation is really about something bigger: The opportunity to build something that matters. Your business should serve you, so that you can serve others. And small businesses give people the opportunity to do exactly that. Key Takeaways * Small businesses create opportunity.  *  Every dollar spent is a vote for what you value.  *  Profit is not greed—it's sustainability.  *  Ownership comes with responsibility.  *  Education and growth create long-term value.  *  Strong culture protects itself.  *  Opportunities can change the direction of a life.  *  Community involvement strengthens businesses and neighborhoods.  *  Being busy is not the same as building a business.  *  Small businesses create hope for a better future. Time Stamps 00:00 — Episode 250 + America's 250th celebration  01:00 — Opening takes: leadership and Facebook advice  03:00 — Why awards and recognition often don't matter  06:00 — Opportunity, capitalism, and entrepreneurship  08:00 — Why small businesses matter  09:00 — Community impact and giving back  11:00 — Every dollar is a vote  13:00 — Supporting vendors and local relationships  14:00 — Education and investing in people  16:00 — Small businesses that changed our lives  20:00 — Why opportunities matter  21:00 — Why owners struggle with profit  23:00 — Profit, sustainability, and responsibility  25:00 — The difference between income and profit  27:00 — Why hope isn't a business strategy  29:00 — The responsibilities of ownership  32:00 — Growth opportunities for staff  34:00 — Difficult conversations and leadership  35:00 — Responsibility is the price of ownership  36:00 — The opportunities we're most proud of creating  38:00 — Culture, education, and apprenticeships  42:00 — What we'd lose without small businesses  45:00 — Being busy vs building a business  48:00 — Creating opportunities for others  49:00 — What we hope people take from this episode  50:00 — Why small businesses create hope Links and Stuff: Our Newsletter [https://hellohairco.us6.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=c58806b8e3601b14954656ef9&id=8e276a5fe4] Mentoring Inquiries [https://www.hellohairco.com/pro] Find more of our things: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/hellohairpro/] Hello Hair Pro Website [https://www.hellohairco.com/pro]

How We'd Build Hello Hair Again (Much Faster) [EP:249]

"Send us a message!" [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1850976/fan_mail/new] If we had to start over tomorrow, would we build a different salon? Not really. But we'd absolutely build it faster. In this episode, we break down the biggest lessons we've learned from building Hello Hair Co. over the last six years. From hiring, pricing, education, marketing, leadership, one-on-one meetings, apprenticeships, and long-term thinking, we share what we'd do differently if we were opening a business today. We also talk about the mistakes we made, the things we got right, and why experience often isn't about discovering new answers, it's about recognizing the right answers sooner. If you're building a salon, thinking about opening one, or simply trying to grow the business you already have, this episode will help you avoid some of the lessons that took us years to learn. Your business should serve you, so that you can serve others. And sometimes the biggest advantage isn't knowing more, it's moving faster. Key Takeaways * Hire for your framework, not around it.  * One-on-one meetings build stronger teams than staff meetings.  * Stop trying to make everyone happy.  * Marketing is an investment, not an expense.  * Pricing should be built on math, not hope.  * Education works best when expectations are clear.  * Most business advice is attached to someone else's goals.  * Facebook is not a substitute for business strategy.  * Mission, vision, and core values simplify decisions.  * Experience often comes down to recognizing the right answers sooner. Time Stamps 00:00 — Intro + learning alongside your team  01:30 — You're not the main character in someone else's story  02:00 — If we opened a salon tomorrow...  03:00 — What we'd do differently first  04:00 — Understanding leases and business foundations  05:00 — Hiring slower and hiring for the framework  05:30 — One-on-one meetings and leadership  07:00 — Worrying less about people leaving  09:00 — Why clarity beats people-pleasing  11:00 — Investing in marketing sooner  13:00 — The long game of SEO and Google  14:00 — Optimizing salon space for growth  16:00 — Simplifying pricing and profitability  19:00 — Improving the hiring process  21:00 — Education: what we got right  22:00 — Pushing people too quickly  24:00 — Business advice we'd completely ignore  25:00 — Why Facebook isn't your business mentor  26:00 — Mission, vision, and core values  28:00 — The story behind Hello Hair Co.  31:00 — The biggest lesson: speed matters Links and Stuff: Our Newsletter [https://hellohairco.us6.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=c58806b8e3601b14954656ef9&id=8e276a5fe4] Mentoring Inquiries [https://www.hellohairco.com/pro] Find more of our things: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/hellohairpro/] Hello Hair Pro Website [https://www.hellohairco.com/pro]