The Salon I Always Wanted Was Smaller Than I Thought – with Tegan from Moosh

Sometimes the dream you were chasing is not the dream you needed. In this episode, Sam and Jen are joined by one of Sam's dearest friends and biggest cheerleaders, Tegan from Moosh. After 10 years in business, a team that grew to 11 and has since come back to two, Tegan opens up about what it has actually taken to come back to herself, her vision and the kind of salon she always wanted to build.

This is a conversation about the slow, quiet realisations that only come from time in the chair. The grief of losing long term staff. The bittersweet beauty of regular clients moving on. The financial honesty most owners avoid. And the moment you walk into your salon, hear how peaceful it is, and realise this calm was the goal all along.

Tegan is open, warm and full of the kind of gusto that makes everyone around her feel like they can do anything. But this episode shows another side of her too. The leader stepping into herself for the first time. The mother holding boundaries. The owner choosing service over sacrifice. And the woman who genuinely loves what she does and is finally ready to enjoy it.

What we cover

• 10 years of Moosh, from 40 square metres to a commercial purchase

• Going from 11 staff down to two and what that has taught her

• The grief of losing long term team members and regular clients

• Why your business cannot be built on sacrifice

• Coming back to your vision and rebuilding from there

• Knowing your numbers as the antidote to fear

• Hiring for personality over skill

• The trap of panic hiring and why it never works

• Leading through different seasons of life and team

• Why being a hairdresser does not have to be the thing you outgrow

She's back. And the salon she always wanted was here all along.