Thriving Stylist Podcast

#448 - The Big Marketing Shifts Salons are Making in 2026

This episode is different from anything I've shared on salon marketing before, and that's intentional. The foundation of what I'm about to share isn't based on gut feelings or personal opinion. I analyzed the social media activity of salons I know for a fact are scaling financially, growing their teams effortlessly, and turning real profit margins. And then I looked at the salons where the following is big but the revenue isn't moving. The contrast is striking. For the first time on this podcast, I'm speaking directly to salon owners about marketing, not just stylists. Because the strategy looks completely different when you're building a team, filling multiple chairs, and trying to attract the caliber of stylist who actually moves the needle. What's working in 2026 is not what worked three years ago, and the salons that haven't caught up yet are feeling it. If you want to know what the fastest growing salons are actually doing on social media right now, this episode is your blueprint!  The first four episodes of After The Last Client are now available! Head over to www.afterthelastclient.com/ to watch the episodes, binge the series, and nominate the guests you want to see featured next season. The beauty industry is changing faster than ever. What worked in 2022 or even 2024 won't cut it in 2026, so are you ready? Grab our FREE 2026 TREND REPORT, The 2026 Must-Know Business Realities, Strategies & Trends for Stylists and Salon Owners now at https://thrivingstylist.com/mustknow/. Do you have a question for me that you'd like answered in a future episode like this one? A great way to do that is to head over to Apple Podcasts and leave a rating and review with your question. I'm looking forward to answering your question on a future episode on the podcast!  If you're not already following us, @thethrivingstylist, what are you waiting for? This is where I share pro tips every single week, along with winning strategies, testimonials, and amazing breakthroughs from my audience. You're not going to want to miss out on this. Learn more at: https://thrivingstylist.com/podcast/ 

#447 - The Growth Map Framework Every Salon Should Steal

Last week we talked about why the systems still running most employee-based salons today are quietly failing, and how that failure is landing on owners as a people problem when it's really a structure problem. This week, we're getting into the actual framework. The four levers I'm covering in this episode are the same ones I use when I walk into a salon, pull back the curtain, and start rebuilding from the ground up!  So, if you've been wondering what it actually looks like to run your salon like a real business, this episode is a great place to start. The first four episodes of After The Last Client are now available! Head over to www.afterthelastclient.com/ to watch the episodes, binge the series, and nominate the guests you want to see featured next season. The beauty industry is changing faster than ever. What worked in 2022 or even 2024 won't cut it in 2026, so are you ready? Grab our FREE 2026 TREND REPORT, The 2026 Must-Know Business Realities, Strategies & Trends for Stylists and Salon Owners now at https://thrivingstylist.com/mustknow/. Do you have a question for me that you'd like answered in a future episode like this one? A great way to do that is to head over to Apple Podcasts and leave a rating and review with your question. I'm looking forward to answering your question on a future episode on the podcast!  If you're not already following us, @thethrivingstylist, what are you waiting for? This is where I share pro tips every single week, along with winning strategies, testimonials, and amazing breakthroughs from my audience. You're not going to want to miss out on this. Learn more at: https://thrivingstylist.com/podcast/ 

Bonus: Uncapped Commission FAQ's and Real Owner Stories

A few weeks ago, my team posted something on Instagram that we could not have predicted would take off the way it did. The graphic said uncapped commissions will be the salon standard within three years, and the response was unlike anything we've seen. 260 shares, 461 comments, hundreds of DMs and emails from salon owners who were equal parts excited and scared. So we made this bonus episode to answer your questions directly! This week you're not just hearing from me. You're hearing audio clips from real Thriving Leadership members who have implemented our profit priority compensation method and are sharing exactly what it's looked like for their businesses. You're also getting a clip from our bootcamp that breaks down the logic behind why we built this method in the first place. If you still have questions after the uncapped commissions episode from a few weeks back, this one is going to fill in a lot of gaps. The first four episodes of After The Last Client are now available! Head over to www.afterthelastclient.com/ to watch the episodes, binge the series, and nominate the guests you want to see featured next season. The beauty industry is changing faster than ever. What worked in 2022 or even 2024 won't cut it in 2026, so are you ready? Grab our FREE 2026 TREND REPORT, The 2026 Must-Know Business Realities, Strategies & Trends for Stylists and Salon Owners now at https://thrivingstylist.com/mustknow/. Do you have a question for me that you'd like answered in a future episode like this one? A great way to do that is to head over to Apple Podcasts and leave a rating and review with your question. I'm looking forward to answering your question on a future episode on the podcast!  If you're not already following us, @thethrivingstylist, what are you waiting for? This is where I share pro tips every single week, along with winning strategies, testimonials, and amazing breakthroughs from my audience. You're not going to want to miss out on this. Learn more at: https://thrivingstylist.com/podcast/ 

#446 - Your "Best" Stylist Doesn't Deserve a Promotion

Picture two stylists. One is a money machine, hitting every metric, booked solid, making multiple 6-figures. The other is producing 30% of that revenue but mentoring newer team members, showing up on time, taking great photos, and supporting the salon's culture in every way possible. Now ask yourself honestly: who is your current system set up to reward? If your salon's promotional path is built primarily around revenue-based KPIs, chances are stylist number one wins every time, no matter how much damage they're doing to your culture. And that model, which worked just fine 10 and 20 years ago, is collapsing fast right now. In this episode, I'm breaking down exactly why the traditional salon promotion structure is broken, the specific flaws in the old model that are quietly costing you your best people, and what we do differently in Thriving Leadership to fix it for good. Ready to see exactly how this works for your salon? I'm hosting a free 3-day training starting July 13th where we dig into all of it. Head to www.thrivingstylist.com/nextlevelsalon to register. Spots are not held, so make sure you sign up before the 13th to get access! The first four episodes of After The Last Client are now available! Head over to www.afterthelastclient.com/ to watch the episodes, binge the series, and nominate the guests you want to see featured next season. The beauty industry is changing faster than ever. What worked in 2022 or even 2024 won't cut it in 2026, so are you ready? Grab our FREE 2026 TREND REPORT, The 2026 Must-Know Business Realities, Strategies & Trends for Stylists and Salon Owners now at https://thrivingstylist.com/mustknow/. Do you have a question for me that you'd like answered in a future episode like this one? A great way to do that is to head over to Apple Podcasts and leave a rating and review with your question. I'm looking forward to answering your question on a future episode on the podcast!  If you're not already following us, @thethrivingstylist, what are you waiting for? This is where I share pro tips every single week, along with winning strategies, testimonials, and amazing breakthroughs from my audience. You're not going to want to miss out on this. Learn more at: https://thrivingstylist.com/ 

#445 - Salons Are Closing at Scale...Here's Why and How to Prevent It

Something is happening in our industry right now that we just need to talk about. Salon closures are happening at scale, coast to coast, and I've personally saved over 60 closure announcements on Instagram just since the start of 2026. This is not normal, and pretending it isn't happening isn't going to help anyone. In this episode, I break down exactly what's driving these salon closures right now, the specific mistakes that are quietly working against so many owners, and what the salons that are winning are doing differently.  The industry is not broken. It's evolving fast, and there is still so much opportunity on the other side of a change in plan!  Ready to see exactly how this works for your salon? I'm hosting a free 3-day training starting July 13th where we dig into all of it. Head to www.thrivingstylist.com/nextlevelsalon to register. Spots are not held, so make sure you sign up before the 13th to get access! The first four episodes of After The Last Client are now available! Head over to www.afterthelastclient.com/ to watch the episodes, binge the series, and nominate the guests you want to see featured next season. The beauty industry is changing faster than ever. What worked in 2022 or even 2024 won't cut it in 2026, so are you ready? Grab our FREE 2026 TREND REPORT, The 2026 Must-Know Business Realities, Strategies & Trends for Stylists and Salon Owners now at https://thrivingstylist.com/mustknow/. Do you have a question for me that you'd like answered in a future episode like this one? A great way to do that is to head over to Apple Podcasts and leave a rating and review with your question. I'm looking forward to answering your question on a future episode on the podcast!  If you're not already following us, @thethrivingstylist, what are you waiting for? This is where I share pro tips every single week, along with winning strategies, testimonials, and amazing breakthroughs from my audience. You're not going to want to miss out on this. Learn more at: https://thrivingstylist.com/podcast/