Permission to Be Exactly Where You Are – with Sam and Jen

Sometimes the most important conversations are the ones that happen between two friends who are deep in it themselves. In this episode, Sam and Jen pull back the curtain on where they are each at right now. In their businesses, in their teams and in their lives and give each other, and you, permission to just be in the season you are in.Sam is back on the floor full time and genuinely loving it. Jen is in the hustle, building her team and finding her rhythm. Neither of them is where they thought they would be. And both of them are okay with that. This episode is a honest, grounded and at times deeply personal conversation about what it actually looks like to run a small salon business in real time, without the highlight reel.From wage ratios and retail to radical honesty and gratitude, this one covers a lot of ground. But the thread running through all of it is the same. The season you are in right now is not a detour. It is the journey.What we coverWhere Sam and Jen are each at in their businesses right nowSam's return to the floor and what that season has taught herJen's hustle of building and filling her team's columnsWage ratios, what they should look like and how to check yoursRetail as a tool for genuinely helping clients, not selling to themTraining young team members consistently and why bite size beats once a weekThe difference between being in your business and running it from aboveThe time is going to pass anyway. You may as well be in it.Timestamps00:00 Episode Summary02:29 Hospital Detour and Boundaries04:50 Easter Break Reset Rituals06:59 Back on the Salon Floor09:00 Booked Out and Waitlist Systems10:34 Jen’s Hustle to Fill Columns12:24 Training Young Staff Fast14:43 Offers Referrals and Memberships16:37 Choosing Your Season in Business18:27 38 Hours on Floor Plus Admin19:42 Capacity and Wage Ratio Basics22:23 Salon Cost Benchmarks23:38 Tracking Wages Weekly24:39 Team Targets and Performance25:47 Retail Without the Ick28:05 Owner Lessons and Expectations32:09 Work for Yourself Myth35:25 Quarter Two Focus36:55 Gratitude and Seasons46:04 Closing ThoughtsMentioned in this episode:https://www.salonrising.com💖 Celebrating Our Podcast Partner – Christophe Robin, proudly distributed by McM ImportsWe’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💛 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