Build Your Salon with Phil Jackson

Are you staring at empty slots in your appointment book this spring, hoping social media likes will magically turn into bookings? Stop wishing and start doing. This episode gives you a no-nonsense, three-point spring marketing plan that delivers real clients through your salon door.Phil Jackson, your Queen of Salons, reveals the direct, actionable strategies to fill your books NOW, without relying on Instagram.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━📊 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:1. REACTIVATE YOUR LAPSED CLIENTS* Your cheapest client to rebook is one who's already been in.* Pull a list of clients not seen since before Christmas.* Send a simple, direct, personalised message via text, WhatsApp, or even a phone call. Mention their name and usual treatment.* Example: 50 lapsed clients, 20% respond = 10 bookings. At £50-£100 average bill, that's £500-£1000 revenue for an afternoon's work.2. MAXIMISE THE PRE-EASTER PUSH* Easter is a key gifting and treating moment, even if clients aren't religious.* Use the two weeks before Easter to promote "get Easter ready" or "get set for spring" services.* Push gift vouchers as Easter gifts for mums, partners, or friends.* Use point of sale (POS) prompts in your salon; clients often book or buy vouchers if prompted on the spot.3. MASTER YOUR REBOOKING STRATEGY* This is the most powerful retention tool, but most salons use it inconsistently.* Every client leaving in April should have a May appointment confirmed before they leave.* Use reasons like "it's getting busy for summer" or "secure your preferred slot."* Script it for your team: "Can I do this for you?" rather than "Do you want to book?"* A 70% rebooking rate from 30 weekly clients means 21 confirmed appointments for the next month, generating easy, loyal revenue.SOCIAL MEDIA IS A SUPPORT, NOT A DRIVER:* Don't spend two weeks posting on Instagram hoping it fills your books.* Liking a post isn't the same as a booking.* Direct contact with existing and lapsed clients outperforms social media for short-term bookings every time.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━📊 RESOURCES:Salon Spark: https://salon-spark.com━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━💬 WORK WITH ME:1:1 Coaching: https://buildyoursalon.com━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🎧 LISTEN:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BuildYourSalonSpotify: https://go.philjackson.me/SpotifyApple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3MZp6jP━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━CHAPTERS:0:00 - Introduction to Spring Marketing1:05 - The Cost of Waiting Too Long2:00 - Strategy 1: Reactivate Lapsed Clients3:30 - How to Personalise Your Outreach4:40 - The Power of a Phone Call5:30 - Strategy 2: The Pre-Easter Push7:00 - Leveraging Point of Sale Prompts7:45 - Strategy 3: Master Your Rebooking Strategy9:10 - What to Say for Effective Rebooking10:35 - Why Social Media Isn't a Booking Driver#springmarketing #salonmarketing #salonbookings #clientretention #salongrowth━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━Questions? phil@buildyoursalon.com

Are you working flat out in your salon, always busy, but still struggling to pay yourself properly? It's a common trap: busyness doesn't automatically mean profitability. This episode reveals the four critical numbers every salon owner MUST track to turn their hard work into real profit.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━📊 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:BUSY VS. PROFITABLE:* Busyness measures inputs (hours worked, number of appointments, clients through the door).* Profitability measures outputs (what's left after all the busyness and activity).* It's possible to be 100% booked and losing money if your pricing, costs, or service mix are incorrect.* The real question: "Am I busy doing the right things at the right price to generate profit?"FOUR CRITICAL NUMBERS YOU MUST KNOW:* **1. AVERAGE CLIENT SPEND (Average Bill):** * Calculate: Total revenue divided by the number of guests or appointments in a month. * Problem: If your average bill is too low, more busyness won't fix your profit problem; it just means more work for less return. * Action: Monitor monthly, know what it needs to be to hit targets.* **2. COLUMN UTILISATION:** * Calculate: (Amount of time booked / Amount of time available) x 100. * Sweet spot: 80-85% for most salon businesses. * Why 100% is not ideal: No elasticity, leads to frantic work, no buffer for running late or sick team members. * Below 70%: Indicates a demand problem or a client retention problem.* **3. WAGE-TO-REVENUE RATIO:** * Calculate: (Total wage bill, including yourself / Total revenue) x 100. * Target: Should typically not run above 40% of revenue for premises-based salons (includes PAYE, NI, pensions). * Above 40%: Profit will be squeezed. Above 50%: Profit is severely compromised. * Exposes problems of underpricing relative to wage costs.* **4. PROFIT PER TREATMENT:** * Problem: Your most popular treatments are not always your most profitable ones (e.g., a long nail service versus a quick brow treatment). * Action: Knowing this number changes what you promote, what you can afford to discount, and what services you might even phase out.WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR NUMBERS AREN'T GREAT:* **Average Bill Too Low:** Look at your service mix (promote profitable ones), review pricing, improve upselling or cross-selling.* **Low Utilisation:** Address marketing or retention issues. Start by rebooking lapsed clients.* **High Wage Ratio:** Focus on 1. Increasing takings, 2. Reducing hours, or 3. Repricing services. Often a combination of all three.* **Low Profit Per Treatment:** Don't lean into low-margin services heavily; reconsider their role in your offering.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━📊 RESOURCES:Get Paid Properly: getpaidproperly.com━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━💬 WORK WITH ME:1:1 Coaching: https://buildyoursalon.com━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🎧 LISTEN:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BuildYourSalonSpotify: https://go.philjackson.me/SpotifyApple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3MZp6jP━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━CHAPTERS:0:00 - The Difference Between Busy and Profitable1:05 - The Salon "Busyness Trap"2:05 - Why You Need to Make Friends with Numbers2:45 - Number 1: Your Average Client Spend4:10 - Number 2: Your Column Utilisation Sweet Spot6:45 - Number 3: Your Wage-to-Revenue Ratio9:45 - Number 4: Profit Per Treatment11:50 - What to Do When Numbers Are Low14:20 - Your Next Steps to Salon Profitability15:00 - Work with Phil on Your Salon Strategy#salonprofitability #salonpricing #salonbusiness #salonowner #buildyoursalon━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━Questions? phil@buildyoursalon.com

Phil Jackson, your Queen of Salons, discusses the importance of effective quarterly strategic planning for salon owners. He guides viewers on how to properly map out actions beyond just setting revenue goals, emphasising that good planning is crucial for business growth. This video encourages salon owners to develop a clear strategy and focus on goal setting for a thriving business.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━📊 RESOURCES:1:1 Coaching: https://buildyoursalon.com━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━💬 WORK WITH ME:1:1 Coaching: https://buildyoursalon.com━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🎧 LISTEN:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BuildYourSalonSpotify: https://go.philjackson.me/SpotifyApple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3MZp6jP━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━CHAPTERS:0:00 - Introduction to Q2 Planning1:00 - Why Q2 is a Big Opportunity2:00 - The Problem with Reactive Planning2:50 - How to Set Your Q2 Revenue Target4:10 - Breaking Down Monthly Revenue Targets5:20 - Identifying Your Marketing Gap6:20 - Key Q2 Marketing Moments to Plan7:40 - Checking Team Capacity and Finances9:00 - How to Create Your Simple Q2 Plan9:40 - Next Steps: 1:1 Coaching with Phil#SalonBusiness #SalonStrategy #SalonPlanning #Q2Planning #BuildYourSalon━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━Questions? phil@buildyoursalon.com

RESOURCES:Memberships Made Easy: the programme for building a salon membership that actually works. https://queenofmemberships.comFalling out of love with the work that built your business is not failure. It is evolution. And a membership might be the most elegant way to make that transition without abandoning the clients you actually want to keep.This week I am answering a brilliant question from Summer at Flourish Beauty and Academy in Devizes, who wants to use a nail membership to pivot toward skin treatments. The answer applies to any salon owner who wants to reshape their column without burning down what they have built.WHY THIS INSTINCT IS RIGHTMost salon owners who want to change direction either do nothing and stay stuck, or go cold turkey and lose the clients they built their business on. Summer has found a third path. A membership is the bridge that lets you honour those long-term relationships while reshaping your column on your terms.THREE THINGS A TREATMENT-SPECIFIC MEMBERSHIP MUST HAVEABSOLUTE CLARITY ON WHAT IS INCLUDEDTie it to one service or one group of services. One structure, no exceptions.The acid test: you must be able to describe your membership in one sentence. If it takes more than one sentence, it is too complicated. That is probably why a previous membership did not convert.A PRICE THAT REFLECTS THE RELATIONSHIPThis is not a bargain basement discount membership. These are your best long-term clients and they are getting VIP access to a specific team member. Price it accordingly.A 10-15% loyalty reward makes sense. Beyond that, you are undervaluing what you are actually offering.Consider raising your standard prices at the same time as launching the membership.A TRANSITION TIMELINE WITH BOUNDARIESLet your favourite clients hear about it first. Give them a reason to join: locked-in price, continued access, priority booking.Four to six weeks is enough of a launch window. Get your founder members in and locked in.Then hold the line. If someone has not joined the membership, they do not get to book those services. Do not be swayed.THE ONE RISK TO WATCHThe membership manages the exit. Something else has to manage the entrance.If you launch the nail membership but do not actively fill that freed-up space with skin consultations and new treatment offers, you will end up with white space and panic. Get the new menu ready at the same time.WORK WITH ME:1:1 Ultimate Clarity: https://tidycal.com/philjackson/1to1-enquiryFull details: https://buildyoursalon.comLISTEN:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BuildYourSalonSpotify: https://go.philjackson.me/SpotifyApple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3MZp6jPCHAPTERS:0:00 - Evolving Away From the Work That Built Your Business0:24 - How March Is Going and the Listener Question1:12 - Introducing Summer's Question (Flourish Beauty, Devizes)2:51 - Why the Instinct Is Right3:39 - The Third Path: Memberships as a Transition Tool4:30 - Even Solopreneurs Can Use This Approach5:17 - Thing 1: Absolute Clarity on What Is Included6:06 - The One Sentence Test for Membership Clarity6:56 - Thing 2: Price That Reflects the Relationship (Not the Discount)7:38 - Thing 3: Transition Timeline and Holding the Line8:23 - The Risk: Make Sure You Fill the Space You Free Up9:13 - Memberships Made Easy at queenofmemberships.com#salonmembership #salonbusiness #beautysalon #salonowner #saloncoachQuestions? phil@buildyoursalon.com

The clients you are most afraid of losing when you raise your prices are usually the ones you cannot afford to keep. Here is how to put your prices up properly, before the spring rebooking window closes.This episode gives you the maths, the method, and the exact three rules for communicating a price rise without losing the plot or the clients.WHY THE FEAR IS WRONGMost clients will accept a well-communicated price rise without complaintPrice-sensitive clients who leave were going to go eventually anywayRaising prices does not just lose clients at the bottom, it attracts better clients at the topAn underpriced salon cannot afford to look after its clients, its team, or its futureYou are not raising your prices. You are correcting them.HOW MUCH TO RAISE BYIf you have not raised prices in 12 months, you are already behind. A 10% rise covers inflation, wage increases, and product cost rises, and is small enough that most clients accept it without question.The maths: if your average bill is 60 pounds and you do 30 clients a week, that is 18 pounds more per client. 540 pounds a week. 28,000 pounds a year. From a decision you are currently too scared to make.Do not do it in tiny increments. Two price increases a year, done properly, beats six small awkward ones every few months.THE THREE RULES FOR COMMUNICATING ITRULE 1: BE DIRECT, NOT APOLOGETICWrong: "We are so sorry, due to rising costs we have had to make the difficult decision..."Right: "From 1st April, our prices will increase by 10%. Check our price list online."If you apologise, you signal that you think the rise is wrong. You do not. So do not apologise.RULE 2: GIVE NOTICE, NOT AN ESSAYFour weeks is enough. Six weeks is generous. Any more and you are just giving people more time to object.You do not owe anyone a line-by-line breakdown of your overheads.RULE 3: TELL THEM PERSONALLY BEFORE YOU TELL THEM PUBLICLYBrief your team first so they are not caught off guardNotice on reception before the prices go upUpdate your price list and online bookingDo not post it on social media. Social media is for good news.WHAT TO DO IF A CLIENT PUSHES BACKMost will not. For the rare one who does: "Our prices have not increased for X months. This brings us in line with where we need to be to stay profitable." If they threaten to leave, let them. That chair will be filled by someone who values your work.RESOURCES:Get your pricing properly sorted with Get Paid Properly:getpaidproperly.comWORK WITH ME:1:1 Ultimate Clarity: https://tidycal.com/philjackson/1to1-enquiryFull details: https://buildyoursalon.comLISTEN:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BuildYourSalonSpotify: https://go.philjackson.me/SpotifyApple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3MZp6jPCHAPTERS:0:00 - The Clients You Are Scared to Lose0:20 - How March Is Going and Why Pricing Still Matters1:08 - Why the Fear Is Real But the Logic Is Wrong2:06 - Breaking Through Price Barriers (and Who It Attracts)2:48 - You Are Not Being Greedy, You Are Being Sustainable3:36 - Why Now Is the Right Time (Even If March Feels Ropey)4:22 - How Much to Raise By (Do the Maths)5:57 - Do Not Do It in Tiny Increments6:44 - Rule 1: Be Direct, Not Apologetic7:30 - Rule 2: Give Notice, Not an Explanation8:16 - Rule 3: Tell Them Personally Before Publicly9:05 - What to Do If a Client Pushes Back#salonpricing #salonbusiness #salonowner #hairsalon #salongrowthQuestions? phil@buildyoursalon.com

January was all big plans. February was survival mode. And now March has turned up and most salon owners are drifting. Three weeks later it is April, the rush hits, and you are already behind.This episode is your wake-up call. March is the last calm window to make strategic decisions before spring takes over. Here is how to use it.WHY MARCH IS DIFFERENT January is about intention. February is about reality. March is about decision. By now you know what Q1 actually looks like, which staff are performing, and whether your January plan is working. And you still have time to respond. From April onwards you are in reactive mode. Do not make your biggest decisions under pressure.THE THREE DECISIONS TO MAKE THIS MONTHDECISION 1: ARE YOU PRICED RIGHT?Easter is coming. Your books will fill at whatever price you are currently charging.March is your last sensible window to raise prices before clients rebook for summer.A price rise in April lands badly. In March, with good communication, it lands cleanly.If you are avoiding this conversation, it is not going to get easier.DECISION 2: IS YOUR TEAM IN THE RIGHT SHAPE?You have had 10 weeks of 2026. You already know which conversations you have been avoiding.A staff issue left until summer becomes a crisis in your busiest period.March is the time to review, give honest feedback, and make the call.You cannot build a profitable business on a team you have not been straight with.DECISION 3: DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE SELLING IN Q2?Not do you have a price list. Do you have a plan to drive revenue April through June?Most salon owners do not. They wait to see what happens.Waiting to see what happens is a plan. Not a good one.Spring promotions, Mother's Day, rebooking strategy. What does April actually look like?YOUR MARCH AUDIT Block out 20 minutes this week to work ON your business, not in it. Answer these three questions on paper:What did Q1 actually look like? Revenue, profit, team, clients. Honest version.What needs to change before the summer?What are you currently avoiding?The answers you are avoiding writing down are almost always the most important ones.RESOURCES: 1:1 Ultimate Clarity: 90 days, three deliverables, no guesswork. Book a free 30-minute call: https://tidycal.com/philjackson/1to1-enquiryWORK WITH ME: 1:1 Coaching: https://buildyoursalon.comLISTEN: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BuildYourSalon Spotify: https://go.philjackson.me/Spotify Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3MZp6jPCHAPTERS: 0:00 - Why March Is the Month Most Salon Owners Waste 0:23 - January, February and the March Decision 1:18 - Why Q3 and Q4 Are the Worst Time to Make Big Calls 2:23 - Decision 1: Are You Priced Right for the Busy Season? 3:13 - Decision 2: Is Your Team in the Right Shape? 4:07 - Decision 3: Do You Know What You Are Selling in Q2? 4:54 - Your March Audit (20 Minutes, Three Questions) 5:45 - 1:1 Ultimate Clarity#salonbusiness #salonowner #hairsalon #saloncoach #salongrowthQuestions? phil@buildyoursalon.com

Is your accountant actually LOSING you money?It's tax season, and your accountant should be more than just a scorekeeper. This video explains how to get more value from your accounting relationship, focusing on proactive financial planning rather than just reporting past figures. Learn essential questions to ask your accountant to boost your salon business growth and improve your financial health. Because your small business finance deserves more than just annual accounts.What You'll Learn:What most accountants actually do (compliance vs. strategy)Why you're paying for a historian, not a business advisorThe five questions to ask your accountant this weekWhen to change accountants (red flags to watch for)What accountants can't do (but you wish they would)The gap between accounting and strategy (and how to fill it)What Most Accountants Actually Do:Process your bookkeeping (or tell you off for not doing it)File your tax return, tell you what you oweGive you last year's numbers (when it's too late to change anything)Charge £1,500-3,000/yearThat's COMPLIANCE, not strategyYou're paying for a historian, not a business advisorWhat Your Accountant SHOULD Be Doing:1. Monthly Financial Reports (Not Annual)Monthly P&L (ideally) or quarterly minimumBreakdown by: service type, team member, cost categoriesSpot problems WHILE you can fix them (not 12 months later)HMRC making tax digital = quarterly reporting anywayForecasting: See expenses coming, anticipate shortfalls, plan promotionsGame changer: Stop flying in the dark, start steering strategically2. Profit Margin Analysis"Your margin dropped 3% this month - here's why""Product costs creeping up - time to renegotiate"Proactive advice, not reactive reporting3. Tax Planning (Not Just Tax Filing)"Based on current numbers, you'll owe £X in tax""Set aside X% monthly for tax""Here's legal strategies to reduce your bill"No surprises in January when tax bill landsHelp you AVOID the tax hole, not just get out of it4. Strategic Business Advice"Your wage costs are 45% - industry standard is 40%, here's how to adjust""You should be making £X profit on £Y revenue - you're not, here's why""That new treatment? Not profitable. Here's the math."Industry knowledge (don't need industry-specific accountant, but they need to understand your business size)5. Benchmarking"Here's how you compare to similar salons""Your rent is high/low relative to revenue""Your retail margin is better/worse than average"Context so you know if you're winning or losingAbout Phil Jackson:Phil Jackson is a salon business coach with 27 years of industry experience and a Creative Head Most Wanted Award. He helps salon owners in hair, beauty, and aesthetics build profitable businesses without the hustle BS.Work with Phil:If you need help beyond what accountant provides (understanding numbers AND what to do with them):Episode Timestamps:0:00 - Introduction: Tax Time Reality Check0:29 - Phil's New Website (Built with Claude Codex in 1.5 Days!)2:49 - What Most Accountants Actually Do (Historians, Not Advisors)4:35 - What They SHOULD Do: Monthly Reporting & Forecasting6:08 - Profit Margin Analysis & Tax Planning7:06 - Strategic Business Advice & Benchmarking8:53 - The Five Questions to Ask10:25 - Red Flags: When to Change Accountants11:14 - What Accountants Can't Do (The Gap)12:00 - Closing: Last Episode of February#salonbusiness #salonowner #accounting #bookkeeping #profitmargin #saloncoach #beautybusiness #hairdressingbusiness #businessfinance #buildyoursalon1:1 Ultimate Clarity Coaching: 90-day programme delivering your 5-year lifestyle-first business plan, 12-month profit & pricing strategy, and 12-month marketing planBook a free consultation: https://tidycal.com/philjackson/1to1-enquiryWebsite: https://buildyoursalon.comNew podcast site: https://queenofsalons.comEmail: phil@buildyoursalon.com

Your team's been cooped up together all winter. Three people not talking, one being a bitch, one being passive-aggressive. You're hiding in the office. Today: How to actually handle the drama.In this episode, Phil Jackson tackles the uncomfortable truth - staff drama doesn't resolve itself, it festers. Late February cabin fever is real. Here's how to handle it instead of hiding.What You'll Learn:Why drama ages like milk (longer you leave it, worse it gets)Two types of drama (and how to tell which one)Four-step process to handle itWhy your avoidance makes it worseWhen YOU'RE the problemThe Two Types:Type 1: Legitimate Grievances Badly ExpressedReal issue: Unfair scheduling, favoritism, broken equipment, lack of trainingBad expression: Bitching, passive-aggression, attitudeFix: Address issue AND coach better communicationYounger teams especially struggle with face-to-face communicationType 2: Personality Conflicts & Drama-SeekingJust drama: Gossip, cliques, excluding people, underminingNo legitimate grievanceFix: Hard boundaries, consequences, possible exitAbout Phil Jackson:Phil Jackson is a salon business coach with 27 years of industry experience and a Creative Head Most Wanted Award. He helps salon owners build profitable businesses without the hustle BS.Work with Phil:If drama is symptom of deeper problems (unclear expectations, poor systems, lack of leadership):1:1 Ultimate Clarity Coaching: 90-day intensive delivering your 5-year lifestyle-first business plan, 12-month profit & pricing strategy, and 12-month marketing planBook a free consultation: https://tidycal.com/philjackson/1to1-enquiryEmail: phil@buildyoursalon.com

Take a look at next week's diary. Still seeing gaps? That's hope as a business model. You're hoping clients will rebook, hoping they'll spend enough, hoping March will be better. Today: The opposite of hope. Memberships for predictable income, loyal clients, and better cashflow.In this episode, Phil Jackson (the "Queen of Memberships") walks you through how to start salon memberships without overwhelming yourself. After 10 years teaching memberships, Phil knows what works.What You'll Learn:Why hope is killing your FebruaryMemberships vs. subscriptions (and when to use each)How memberships create predictable incomeWhy membership clients have 95-100% retentionHow to start with ONE serviceWho to target (your 7s and 8s, not your 10s)The Two Types:Memberships (Unlimited)Pay monthly, unlimited useWorks for: Hair services, waxingNot for: Services with no natural limitSubscriptions (Defined)Pay monthly, specific allocationWorks for: Beauty, holistic, aestheticsExample: £90/month = 1 luxury facialThe Three Benefits:1. Predictable Income20 members × £50 = £1,000 guaranteedPhil's business: Memberships cover ALL fixed costsPlan, breathe, sleep easier2. Loyal ClientsRetention: 95-100% (vs. 60-70% regular)Don't ghost in FebruaryCommitted, organized, not shopping around3. Stand OutStill relatively unusualValue, consistency, convenience (not discounting)How to Start:Step 1: ONE ServiceMost popular, already profitable, ongoing12-month ideal (6 months works, avoid 3)Step 2: Target Right ClientsYour 7s and 8s (not best, not worst)Good clients who could be amazingStep 3: Make EasyDirect debits/recurring cardsGift options (Black Friday, Mother's Day)Step 4: DeliverTreat as best clientsExtras, bonuses, specialWhat NOT to Do:Discount clubToo many tiersServices people don't wantLaunch unlimited (sell 10 first)

Did someone just hand in their notice? Or maybe you're stuck with staff who just aren't good enough, but you're too scared to let them go. Good news: good staff exist. You're just fishing in the wrong pond.In this episode, Phil Jackson breaks down the five-step recruitment process that actually works in 2026. This is Build Your Salon's #1 most-watched topic—updated for portfolio working, flexibility expectations, and where good people actually are.What You'll Learn:The five points where your recruitment process breaks downWhy "nobody wants to work" means you're looking in wrong placesWhere good staff actually are (not Indeed or Facebook)How to make your offer compelling in 2026Proper interview process that prevents expensive mistakesWhy onboarding determines 90% of recruitment successThe Five Steps:Step 1: Know What You're Looking ForWritten job description before you need itRequired vs. desired skills, culture fit criteria, deal-breakersDesperation hiring = expensive mistakesStep 2: Fish in the Right PondGood staff are already employed, ready to move for right opportunityWhere to fish: Instagram, college tutors, industry events, your clientsAlways be recruiting (even when fully staffed)Build pipeline: "When you're ready to move, call me"Step 3: Make Your Offer Compelling2026 staff want: progression path, training, flexibility, low drama, transparencyInclude: Training budget, 4-day week options, success storiesGood people have options—they're choosing you tooStep 4: Interview Like You Mean ItPhone screen → interview → practical → trial (paid) → referencesCall references, don't just emailReal example: "Car crash" hire because no references checkedStep 5: Onboard ProperlyShadowing, training on YOUR systems, clear expectations12 weeks probation minimumRegular feedback (weekly for first month)Most failures happen in first 90 daysThis Week's Action:Write that job description before you need it.About Phil Jackson:Phil Jackson is a salon business coach with 27 years of industry experience and a Creative Head Most Wanted Award. He helps salon owners in hair, beauty, and aesthetics build profitable businesses without the hustle BS.Work with Phil:If recruitment struggles are symptoms of bigger issues (pricing, culture, systems):1:1 Ultimate Clarity Coaching: 90-day intensive delivering your 5-year lifestyle-first business plan, 12-month profit & pricing strategy, and 12-month marketing planBook a free consultation: https://tidycal.com/philjackson/1to1-enquiryEmail: phil@buildyoursalon.com

t's Friday the 13th. The unluckiest thing you can do today? Ignore your numbers. You might tell yourself a few fibs about how your business is doing—your numbers won't. Let's dive in.In this episode, Phil Jackson walks you through four critical numbers that tell you everything about your salon's health. These aren't weekly metrics—these are quarterly deep-dive numbers that show you exactly what needs fixing and where to focus your strategy for the next three months.What You'll Learn:The four numbers that expose your salon's true healthWhat healthy benchmarks look like for each measureWhy "money in the bank" doesn't mean profitableHow to spot pricing vs. capacity vs. retention problemsWhen being "busy" just means busy being poorThe Four Numbers That Matter:Number 1: Net Profit MarginFormula: (Net Profit ÷ Revenue) × 100Healthy: 10-15% minimum (target 15-20%)Below 10%: You're in troubleWhat it reveals: Pricing too low, costs too high, or bothNumber 2: Revenue Per Client VisitTotal revenue ÷ Number of visitsHealthy: Higher than your most popular serviceWhat it reveals: Pricing structure, retail conversion, profitable vs. busyThe question: 100 clients at £30 or 60 clients at £60? Same hours, more profitNumber 3: Client Retention RatePercentage returning within expected timeframeHealthy: 70% minimumBelow 50%: Churning clientsWhat it reveals: Service quality, pricing alignment, team issuesNumber 4: Utilization Rate(Billable hours ÷ Available hours) × 100Healthy: 85-90%Below 70%: Capacity problemAbove 90%: Pricing opportunityWhat it reveals: Marketing problem or pricing problemThis Week's Action:Calculate all four for January. Track quarterly to see trends. These show you what to work on next.The Brutal Truth:Numbers are facts. If they're bad, fix the business model or keep pretending until you run out of money.About Phil Jackson:Phil Jackson is a salon business coach with 27 years of industry experience and a Creative Head Most Wanted Award. He helps salon owners in hair, beauty, and aesthetics build profitable businesses without the hustle BS.Work with Phil:If you need help fixing what these numbers reveal, that's what Ultimate Clarity does:1:1 Ultimate Clarity Coaching: 90-day intensive delivering your 5-year lifestyle-first business plan, 12-month profit & pricing strategy, and 12-month marketing planBook a free consultation: https://tidycal.com/philjackson/1to1-enquiryEmail: phil@buildyoursalon.com

February is when you notice the gaps in your diary. Those clients who couldn't get enough of you in December aren't rebooking. You don't have one big retention problem—you have three specific leaks in three specific places. Let's plug them before March.In this episode, Phil Jackson identifies the three critical points in your client journey where you're losing people and gives you one practical fix for each that you can implement this week.What You'll Learn:The three specific points in the client journey where you're losing customersWhy "better customer service" is too vague to fix retention problemsHow pre-booking appointments can jump retention rates dramaticallyThe power of one personal touch per visit (and how to systematize it)Why 48-hour follow-up messages work (and how to template them)The Three Retention Leaks:Leak #1: Before They BookProblem: Great experience, intended to rebook, just... didn'tFix: Book next appointment before they leave (every single client)Script: "I need to see you in four weeks time. Let's get that booked now for you."Follow-up: Get permission to text if they don't book onlineImpact: Creates consistency, removes friction, positions regular visits as normalLeak #2: During Their VisitProblem: Service was "fine" but nothing memorableFix: One personal touch per visit that shows you remember themExamples: "How did that job interview go?" / "I thought of you when I saw this product"Implementation: Note one personal detail per visit, reference it next timeImpact: Personal connection beats perfect technical deliveryLeak #3: After They LeaveProblem: Happy client leaves, you never contact them againFix: 48-hour follow-up message (every client, every time)Templates: "Just checking in after yesterday—how's your hair/skin settling in?"Advanced: Product tips, midpoint check, booking promptImpact: Shows you care beyond transaction, keeps you front of mindThis Week's Action:Pick ONE leak to fix (Phil recommends pre-booking—easiest, biggest impact). Team meeting today. Track for one week.Reality Check:If your service is good and you're still losing clients, these are your three leaks. Plug them before March.About Phil Jackson:Phil Jackson is a salon business coach with 27 years of industry experience and a Creative Head Most Wanted Award. He helps salon owners in hair, beauty, and aesthetics build profitable businesses without the hustle BS.Work with Phil:If retention is a symptom of bigger structural issues (pricing, service design, business model), that's what Ultimate Clarity addresses:1:1 Ultimate Clarity Coaching: 90-day intensive delivering your 5-year lifestyle-first business plan, 12-month profit strategy, and 12-month marketing planBook a free consultation: https://tidycal.com/philjackson/1to1-enquiryEmail: phil@buildyoursalon.com

It's February. Maybe you've just had the worst January you can remember, and you were Googling "how to sell my salon business" at 1am. Before you call a business broker, answer these five questions.In this episode, Phil Jackson walks you through the critical questions every salon owner needs to answer before deciding whether to sell or fix their business. Selling might be the right answer—or you might be running from fixable problems.What You'll Learn:Five questions to determine if you should sell or fix your salonThe brutal reality of salon business valuations (and why most owners overestimate)What happens to your income when you sell (and why £30k isn't as much as you think)What you're actually selling (hint: it's probably worth less than you believe)Why "I've tried everything" usually means you haven'tHow fixing your business first maximizes sale price even if you do decide to sellPhil's Perspective:"If you're at your lowest ebb, you've got nothing to lose. Be bold with your marketing, your pricing, your strategy. What's the worst that can happen? It can't get any worse. And remember—UK salon owners, we've had six months of rain. This isn't your busiest time. Hold on for the sunnier days."About Phil Jackson:Phil Jackson is a salon business coach with 27 years of industry experience and a Creative Head Most Wanted Award. He helps salon owners in hair, beauty, and aesthetics build profitable businesses without the hustle BS.Work with Phil:1:1 Ultimate Clarity Coaching: 90-day intensive programme delivering your 5-year lifestyle-first business plan, 12-month profit strategy, and 12-month marketing planBook a free consultation: https://tidycal.com/philjackson/1to1-enquiryWebsite: https://buildyoursalon.comEmail: phil@buildyoursalon.comConnect:📧 Email: phil@buildyoursalon.com🎙️ Podcast: Build Your Salon (available on all platforms)📰 Magazine: Salonpreneur MagazineEpisode Timestamps:0:00 - Introduction: February Reality Check1:22 - Question 1: Selling or Running From Problems?2:11 - Question 2: What's It Actually Worth?4:02 - Question 3: What Happens to Your Income?5:34 - Question 4: What Are You Actually Selling?7:55 - Question 5: Have You Actually Tried to Fix It?9:41 - The Fork in the Road: Which Path Is Yours?10:25 - Encouragement: You've Got Nothing to Lose11:17 - Closing & CTA#salonbusiness #salonowner #sellingabusiness #saloncoach #beautybusiness #hairdressingbusiness #businessvaluation #salonmanagement #buildyoursalon #entrepreneurship

48% of salon owners say staff management and motivation is the hardest part of running their business. For many, February is when this hits hardest. Right after the January buzz comes the February funk.In this episode, Phil Jackson cuts through the cheerleading nonsense to give you five practical motivation strategies that actually work, cost almost nothing, and don't require you to become a rah-rah motivational speaker.What You'll Learn:Why throwing money at motivation problems doesn't workThe five things that actually motivate salon teams (and it's not commission)How a £500 training session beats a £500 pay rise every timeWhy your team members might leave over an £8 mopThe difference between standards and micromanagementHow to make your team feel valued without breaking the bankThe Five Motivation Drivers:Feeling Valued (Not Just Paid) - Recognition and specific acknowledgmentGrowth and Learning Opportunities - Internal skill-sharing and consistent trainingAutonomy and Control - Standards vs. micromanagementClear Expectations and Communication - Crystal-clear targets and monthly one-to-onesCulture That Doesn't Drain - Nurturing environments and work-life balanceKey Takeaway:Money isn't why people joined this industry in the first place. Real motivation comes from feeling valued, growing professionally, having autonomy, clear expectations, and a culture that doesn't drain them.Quick Win:This week, give each team member specific acknowledgment for something they've done well. Not "good job"—actual specific recognition of their contribution.About Phil Jackson:Phil Jackson is a salon business coach with 27 years of industry experience and a Creative Head Most Wanted Award. He helps salon owners in hair, beauty, and aesthetics build profitable businesses without the hustle BS.Work with Phil:1:1 Ultimate Clarity Coaching: 90-day intensive delivering your 5-year lifestyle-first business plan, 12-month profit strategy, and 12-month marketing planBook a free consultation: https://tidycal.com/philjackson/1to1-enquiryEmail: phil@buildyoursalon.comConnect:Website: https://buildyoursalon.comEmail: phil@buildyoursalon.comPodcast: Build Your Salon (available on all platforms)

If everyone in your salon charges the same price - junior who's just qualified, senior who's been with you 10 years - you're leaving money on the table.WHAT TIERED PRICING ISDifferent team members charge different prices based on experience, expertise, and client demand.Hair salons do this well. Beauty salons? Not nearly enough.THE FIVE REASONS IT WORKSREASON 1: HELPS JUNIORS BUILD CLIENTELEWithout tiered pricing, reception has subconscious bias - senior costs more in wages, needs to stay busy. Junior never gets chance to build regulars.With tiered pricing, price-sensitive clients gravitate to junior. Levels the playing field.REASON 2: IT'S FAIR TO SENIOR TEAMSomeone with 2 years charges same as someone with 10 years? That's not fair.Tiered pricing shows there's a career path - not just a job.If you don't take care of your team's future, they'll take care of it themselves. Usually means leaving or going self-employed.REASON 3: COST-BASED PRICING MAKES SENSESenior team costs you more in wages.If they charge same as juniors, you make MORE profit from junior and LESS from senior. That's backwards.With tiered pricing, profit per service stays consistent.Even if you're solo: Have an owner tier that prices in your marketing and admin time.REASON 4: CONTROL OVER WHO DOES WHATScottish beauty salon example: Expert therapists on £18-25/hour being booked for £10 quick brow waxes. Losing money.With tiered pricing: Exclude cheap services from Expert tier. Quick treatments only bookable with junior tiers.Now the maths works.REASON 5: RETENTION TOOL IN DOWNTURNSJanuary hits. Clients get price-sensitive.Without tiered pricing: They leave entirely.With tiered pricing: "Money tight? Try our junior tier instead - same great service, lower price."Keep client in business. When finances improve, they move back up.THE OBJECTIONS"Team offended being called junior?"→ Use Graduate, Advanced, Lead. Language is flexible. Concept isn't."Clients think juniors aren't as good?"→ That's the point. Different experience = different pricing."Clients will complain?"→ They won't. Like airline seats: economy, premium, business. Same destination, different experience."Seniors worry clients will leave?"→ Good - opens space for premium-priced customers."Team conflict?"→ No - if progression is transparent. Set clear criteria: retention, utilisation, training, reviews.HOW TO IMPLEMENTDefine tiers → Set progression criteria → Communicate with team FIRST → Update systems → Launch publicly━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━📊 RESOURCES:Get Paid Properly: getpaidproperly.com💬 WORK WITH ME:1:1 Coaching: https://buildyoursalon.com🎧 LISTEN:YouTube: https://youtube.com/@buildyoursalonApple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3MZp6jP━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━CHAPTERS:0:00 - Leaving Money on Table1:23 - What Tiered Pricing Is2:19 - Reason 1: Helps Juniors3:21 - Reason 2: Fair to Seniors4:19 - Reason 3: Cost-Based Pricing5:14 - Reason 4: Control Who Does What6:09 - Reason 5: Retention Tool7:01 - Objections Answered9:45 - Progression Criteria#tieredpricing #salonpricing #salonbusiness━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━Questions? phil@buildyoursalon.com

Most salon owners leave thousands of pounds on the table every year because they hate selling retail.You feel pushy. You don't want to be that aggressive salesperson. You're afraid of rejection.So products gather dust and you miss massive profit opportunities.Here's the truth: NOT recommending products is doing your clients a disservice.THE MINDSET SHIFTStop thinking of retail as "selling products." Start thinking of it as completing your professional service.You're a professional. Your client isn't. You know which products protect their work, maintain treatments, and extend results.If you don't tell them, you're being SELFISH about your fear of rejection instead of thinking about what's best for the client.PRESCRIBE home care. Don't "sell" products.WHAT DOESN'T WORK❌ Product displays (people don't browse)❌ Vague mentions ("We have some great products...")❌ Waiting until checkout (they're mentally done)❌ Selling features instead of resultsWHAT WORKS✓ Get agreement in CONSULTATION (before starting service)"To create this style, you'll need these products at home. Is that okay before we start?"✓ Show product DURING service (let them experience it)✓ Prescribe BEFORE checkout (not at till)✓ Make it easy to say YESPhysically pick up products. Walk to checkout with them.✓ Handle objections professionally"Expensive?" → "£1.50/week to protect a £120 colour service""I'll think about it" → "Wrong products = results fail sooner = back spending £120 sooner""Next time" → "Damage happens in first few days - next time is too late"ADVANCED TACTICSPRICE IT IN: For extensions or colour correction, include products in service price. Guarantees results, breaks bad habits.TEAM FLEXIBILITY: "Budget tight? If you take all three products, I can do the third half-price."BUILD STORIES: "Sarah struggled with frizz until she started using this. Now smooth all week."THE REJECTION MINDSETWhen McDonald's asks "Would you like fries?" and you say no, do they take it personally?No. Next customer.Same attitude here.WHY THIS ISN'T OPTIONALThis used to be optional. Not anymore.Massive profit opportunity you can't afford to decline.If YOU won't retail, your team definitely won't either.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━📊 RESOURCES:Salon Spark: https://salon-spark.com💬 WORK WITH ME:1:1 Coaching: https://buildyoursalon.com🎧 LISTEN:Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3MZp6jP━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━CHAPTERS:0:00 - Why Leave Money on Table1:18 - Why We Hate Retail2:15 - Mindset Shift: Service Not Sales3:10 - Being Selfish About Rejection4:12 - What Doesn't Work5:15 - Get Agreement in Consultation6:03 - Have Products in Stock6:50 - Prescription Framework7:37 - Price It In Strategy8:22 - Handle Objections9:23 - Not Optional Anymore#salonretail #salonproducts #salonprofitability━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━Questions? phil@buildyoursalon.com

Most salon team targets don't work. Either they don't exist, they're random numbers that sound good, or - here's the killer - everyone hits their individual targets and the salon STILL misses its numbers.That's because individual targets don't add up to the salon target.THE FOUR MEASURES (Track these, nothing else)Stop tracking 17 things. Your salon software has too many reports and it's confusing. Track these four for every team member:MEASURE 1: SERVICE REVENUEHow much money each team member puts in the till from services.Work BACKWARDS from your salon target:- Salon needs £50k/month- 4 team members- £50k ÷ 4 = £12.5k per personIf everyone hits £12.5k, salon hits £50k.MEASURE 2: RETAIL (Units, not revenue)How many products did they sell?Why units? Selling 15 shampoos is harder than selling one set of expensive straighteners. We're measuring the HABIT of retailing.MEASURE 3: UTILIZATIONPercentage of column full with paying customers.Target: 80-90% (85% is sweet spot)- 100% = no breathing room, stressed model- Below 70% = not making moneyMEASURE 4: REBOOKING OR RETENTION (Pick one)Rebooking: Percentage who rebook before leavingRetention: Percentage who return within service cyclePick REBOOKING - you see results faster. Most retention reports are unreadable.Target: 60%+THE THREE-LEVEL SYSTEM (Makes it motivating)Each measure needs THREE numbers:TARGET: Challenging but achievable (15 retail products/week)CELEBRATION: Above target (20 products/week)When they hit this, recognize it publicly. Gives high performers something to stretch for.MINIMUM ACCEPTABLE: Below target (10 products/week)Don't mention in 1:1s. It's YOUR internal line - when coaching isn't working and you need a capability or disciplinary conversation.THE 1:1 STRUCTURE (10-15 minutes max)"Your four numbers from last week:- Service revenue: £1,300 (target £1,250) ✓- Retail: 12 units (target 15) - slight miss- Utilization: 87% (target 85%) ✓- Rebooking: 58% (target 60%) - closeWhat challenges? What should we focus on?"Done. 10 minutes.Frequency: Monthly if performing well (around payday). Fortnightly or weekly if struggling.THE COACHING TOOLKITFor each measure, have 3-5 tactics to coach:Service revenue low? Upsell treatments, extend appointment times, fill gapsRetail low? Prescribe like a doctor, show product during service, explain resultsUtilization low? Increase rebooking, reduce cancellations, fill last-minute gapsRebooking low? Pre-book at till, create urgency, review service qualityTargets without coaching toolkit = pointless.THE BIGGEST MISTAKEIndividual targets don't add up to salon targets.ALWAYS work backwards from salon target. If everyone hits individual targets, salon should hit its targets.COMMISSION VS TARGETSDon't coach people toward commission targets. Commission should MOTIVATE them. If you have to coach them to hit commission, the commission structure isn't working.Coach them toward SALON targets - what YOU need them to achieve.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━📊 RESOURCES:Salon Spark: https://salon-spark.com💬 WORK WITH ME:1:1 Coaching: https://buildyoursalon.com🎧 WATCH:YouTube: https://youtu.be/o5ErCGsd2w8CHAPTERS:0:00 - Why Most Targets Don't Work1:20 - Problem 1: No Targets2:12 - Problem 2: Random Targets3:02 - Problem 3: Don't Add Up3:52 - Problem 4: No Coaching4:44 - Four Measures Only5:42 - Why Separate Service/Retail6:39 - Retail: Units vs Money7:32 - Utilization (85% Sweet Spot)10:03 - Rebooking vs Retention10:56 - Three-Level System12:39 - Minimum Acceptable Line13:37 - Coaching Toolkit#salonteamtargets #salonKPIs #salonmanagementQuestions? phil@buildyoursalon.com

Referrals are the best source of new salon clients - but most salon owners get it completely wrong. They put up a poster saying "Refer a friend, get 10% off!" and wonder why nothing happens.Here's the problem: referral programs fail because you run out of steam.You can't maintain referral-focused energy year-round while also running your salon, doing your marketing, managing your team, and actually doing hair.So referral programs die by March. The poster fades. Nobody notices it anymore.The solution: Split your referral strategy into TWO parts.PART 1: ALWAYS-ON FOUNDATION (Background referral generation all year)- Shareable transformations (before/after photos sent automatically to clients)- Branded Instagram templates (make it easy to tag you)- New client welcome system (acknowledge who referred them)- Thank you texts (when someone refers, thank them immediately)Set it up once. Runs forever. Generates referrals passively.PART 2: FOCUSED REFERRAL CAMPAIGN (One month, high energy, then STOP)Pick ONE month per year (or two maximum).Week 1: Announce the campaign- Email everyone: "This month only - refer a friend, you both get [REWARD]"- Make the reward generous (not 10% - that's not enough to change behavior)- Stacking rewards (one customer sent us 13 referrals in one month!)Week 2-3: Push hard- Mention to EVERY client in salon- Post about it on social media- Send reminders by email- Create urgency ("This month only")Week 4: Final push- "Last week! If you've been meaning to refer someone, now's the time!"Then STOP. Campaign over. Back to normal.WHY THIS WORKS:✓ Focused energy for one month is sustainable (year-round isn't)✓ Creates urgency (if it's always available, nobody acts)✓ You don't burn out (the always-on foundation keeps ticking over)✓ Referrals have minimal wasted marketing effort (your clients pre-qualify who they refer)The mistake: Running referral campaigns for 3-6 months. You'll run out of steam by month 2.Better: One month of brilliance beats six months half-arsed.Pick your referral month (February is great if January was quiet, August works if you need summer boost).━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━📊 RESOURCES:Salon Spark (Weekly Accountability + Community): https://salon-spark.com→ £75/month, cancel anytime, try it for £1 first month━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━💬 WORK WITH ME:1:1 Coaching: https://buildyoursalon.com→ Book a call for help implementing referral systems━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━👋 WHO I AM:Phil Jackson. Ex-salon owner (award-winning, since 2001). Now I coach salon owners who want profitable businesses without the hustle BS.This podcast is for the ones who take their business seriously.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🎧 LISTEN:Spotify: [your episode link]Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3MZp6jPWebsite: buildyoursalonpodcast.com━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━CHAPTERS:0:00 - Why Referrals Are the Best Source1:18 - The Problem: You Run Out of Steam2:14 - Why Referrals Have Less Wasted Effort4:05 - The Poster That Doesn't Work4:51 - Two-Part Referral Strategy5:44 - Part 1: Always-On Foundation6:27 - Step 1: Shareable Transformations7:21 - Step 2: Branded Instagram Templates8:01 - Step 3: Acknowledge New Client Referrers8:49 - Step 4: Thank You System9:41 - Part 2: Focused Referral Campaign10:22 - Make It Rewarding (One Customer Sent 13!)11:17 - Mention to EVERY Client12:06 - Don't Extend It - You'll Run Out of Steam#salonreferrals #salonmarketing #salonreferralprogram #salonbusiness #wordofmouth━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━Questions? Email: phil@buildyoursalon.comNeed help with salon marketing? Reach out - let's chat!

If you're working harder than ever and not making profit, there's a good chance your prices are too low.But raising prices feels terrifying. What if clients leave? What if nobody books?Here are the 3 signs you're definitely undercharging - and exactly what to do about it.WHY YOU'RE STUCK AT LOW PRICES:Fear #1: Clients will leave(Spoiler: The ones who leave over £5 weren't your clients anyway)Fear #2: Columns will be empty(Reality: When you charge properly, you need FEWER clients to make the same money)Fear #3: You don't feel "worth it"(That's imposter syndrome talking. You're worth more than you're charging.)THE 3 SIGNS YOU'RE UNDERCHARGING:Sign #1: Fully booked but not making money- Columns rammed, working 50-60 hours, barely scraping by- You're discounting your time - making £10-15/hour after costs- The market is telling you that you can charge moreSign #2: You're attracting price-sensitive clients- They ask "How much?" before "What can you do?"- They negotiate, cancel frequently, don't tip, complain constantly- Cheap prices attract cheap clients- Premium prices attract people who value quality- "Every time you price someone out, you price someone in"Sign #3: You're cheaper than competitors (and shouldn't be)- If competitors charge more and you're equally good (or better), you're leaving money on the table- Don't obsess about competitors when setting prices- Don't let someone else's business model dictate your charges- Premium pricing = premium perception (and better coffee, training, decor)HOW TO RAISE PRICES WITHOUT LOSING EVERYONE:Step 1: Run the numbers- Understand WHY you're charging what you do- Set prices based on the profit YOU want to make- Make it a no-brainer for the right customersStep 2: Announce it properly- 4 weeks notice minimum- Small sign on reception: "From 1st March, new prices"- No apologies, no drama- Current clients can rebook today at old prices (increases rebookings)Step 3: Handle pushback- Most people complain but don't change behavior- Listen, but don't negotiate- Tiered pricing helps retention (can't afford top stylist? Book someone else)Step 4: Replace the clients who leave- That's a marketing problem- The right clients will find you at premium pricesYOUR ACTION PLAN:Put a date in the diary. If it were me: 1st March.That gives you 2 weeks to set new prices and get the announcement up.RESOURCES:Get Paid Properly (Profit & Pricing Program): https://getpaidproperly.com→ The complete system for setting profitable salon pricesWORK WITH ME:Salon Spark: https://salon-spark.com→ £75/month, cancel anytime, try it for £11:1 Coaching: https://buildyoursalon.com→ Book a call for intensive pricing and profitability helpWHO I AM:Phil Jackson. Ex-salon owner (award-winning, since 2001). Now I coach salon owners who want profitable businesses without the hustle BS.In my own salon, we promised to be the most expensive haircut in town. If anyone matched our prices, we'd immediately increase ours. Some people came to us BECAUSE we were the most expensive.WATCH/LISTEN:YouTube: https://youtube.com/@buildyoursalonApple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3MZp6jPWebsite: buildyoursalonpodcast.com━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━CHAPTERS:0:00 - Working Harder, Not Making Profit1:12 - Why You're Stuck at Low Prices2:02 - Fear #1: Losing Clients2:55 - Fear #2: Empty Columns3:48 - Fear #3: Imposter Syndrome4:35 - Sign #1: Fully Booked, Not Making Money5:31 - Sign #2: Attracting Price-Sensitive Clients6:23 - The Groupon Story8:01 - "Every Time You Price Someone Out, You Price Someone In"8:50 - Sign #3: Cheaper Than Competitors10:29 - How to Raise Prices Without Losing Everyone11:06 - Step 1: Run the Numbers11:50 - Step 2: Announce It12:35 - Step 3: Handle Pushback, Step 4: Replace Clients#salonpricing #salonprofitability #raisingprices #undercharging #salonownerQuestions? Email: phil@buildyoursalon.com

Finding good people for your salon feels impossible. Zero applications, ghosted interviews, or people who show up for one day and disappear. Recruitment in 2026 is brutal - but some salons are still finding brilliant people.Why it's harder now:Post-COVID shift: People want flexibility, development, culture (not just a job)Gen Z researches you on Instagram before applyingCompetition is fierce: Everyone's desperateIf your strategy is "post an ad and hope", you're screwed.In this episode:The 3 mistakes killing your recruitmentAlways-on recruiting (build your pipeline BEFORE you need people)How to make your salon visible to potential employeesWriting job ads that actually attract good peopleWhat flexibility actually means in 2026Your January action planStop desperate scrambling. Build your employer brand and pipeline.Work with me:Salon Spark: https://salon-spark.com£75/month, try for £11:1 Coaching: https://buildyoursalon.comWatch/Subscribe:YouTube: Watch on YouTubeApple Podcasts: Listen on AppleWebsite: buildyoursalonpodcast.com