Salon Rising: The Podcast

Transcript 

Every salon owner will understand when Jen says, I have bought a salon. She's bought a salon. I'm going to take my crown off, give it to you. Thanks. You're welcome. I saw a salon rising myself. I sat in the airport. with my piece of paper and I drew my little cell on and I wrote Jen's cell on across the top and then I wrote everything that I wanted it to be.

If your mind is really clear on what you want, then it's like nothing else clouds it and it can be presented to you the way that you want it. It's just reminding you that you can do hard things. That's all it is. It's just that it's reminding you that you can do the hard things to get there. Two lessons in that.

So A, Jen, People will help you speak up and be yeah You don't have to do it on your own go to the people that can help you Like we think we don't need to do this I swear if these people had Google reviews, they would not have jobs. Yeah, it's So bad, like the level of service from not a service based industry is disgusting.

But there was an instant insight where I said to her, would that be okay for LaSorella and Jen said, hell no. Yeah. And I said, so then what makes it okay for August? I learned that from you. I do not make those decisions based on emotion. I was not being driven by fear or excitement. It was purely strategic.

As every salon owner feels at times. It's a beautiful, terrifying, fucked up journey, but we're all here for it. Hey lovers, just a quick one. If you listen to us and you love us, could you please hit that subscribe button? I know it's a pain, but that little button means the world to us and our podcast and means that we can get more great guests on like we know you guys love listening to.

So. Do a girl a favor, hit subscribe, and we would be so grateful. We just wanted to say a massive thank you to our podcast sponsor, Kevin Murphy, distributed by AusDare, and thank them for being the most amazing brand partner for Salon Rising. This brand is truly incredible and we are so excited to work alongside you.

Welcome back to Salon Rising, the podcast. I am the host today because Jen is my guest. I was about to say welcome Samara. Welcome Jen to the podcast. Did I say your intro okay? You forgot the inner sanctum. Oh shit. Welcome back to the inner sanctum. Salon Rising, the podcast. Welcome Jen. Hey Sam. Sorry.

There's a lot being moving on, you guys will probably be able to have heard in different episodes where Jen's like, something's happening, something's moving. You're given a lot of testers, like teasers on different pages and stuff. So something's happening. Jen is not pregnant. Oh my gosh. Can you imagine?

Oh my gosh. What an announcement that would be. My poor husband. Um, but she has given birth to something. Um, and every salon owner will understand when Jen says, I have bought a salon. She's bought a salon. I'm going to take my crown off, give it to you. Thanks. You're welcome. Yeah. So we thought we'd talk about it today because it has not been, it has not been a smooth ride.

Um, Jen bought a salon, like Three months ago. How long has it been? I don't remember. I don't remember a time before this was happening. Yeah. It was really so much harder than I thought it was going to be. So let's go back. Rewind. Why did you buy a salon? I was like, okay, so you've got salon rising and you're doing your master's in business.

And she was like, I'm going to buy a salon. And I was like, I concede that perhaps I bit off a little more than I could chew at the time. I was like, what? And you were like, yeah, I just It's time. So let's back it up. You were renting a chair. So you went from home to renting a chair. Yes. And then when you were renting a chair, you were like, I could do this.

Do you know what it was? I came in here one day and was doing an education day with, um, the beautiful Charlene from Kevin Murphy. And there were a heap of freelancers in here that we, when we were doing it, there were people from like salon groups and stuff as well. And we were talking about. The rent that some people were being charged for their chair.

And it was quite exorbitant, and I was like, on my high horse, like, that is ridiculous, you need to be looking around. I said to this particular person, I'm like, if you're going to pay that much to rent a chair, you should just find yourself a space. And then I went home and had advisor's remorse, where you're like, maybe I shouldn't have said that.

Perhaps I'm too out of touch. Oh my god, what have I done? So then I was like, I need to look into this myself and make sure that I've given this person, like, valuable advice. And then when I started looking into it, I'm like, fuck, am I renting a chair? I need to buy a salon. So that's where it came from. And I do, even with all the shit fight that it's been, I still do think it was the right thing to do.

Again, I'm going to preface this. This is not for everyone. If you rent a chair, this is not saying that you definitely should go and get a salon because it is It's a lot more work, a lot more responsibility, a lot more stress, a lot more finances. Like it is a lot more just to go and get a salon because you've got to commit to the fact that you're going to build something.

Whereas when you're renting a space, you can be way more flexible. So if, if you look in your values and you know that that you. like working less, having more time off you like the flexibility right now where you're in your life and you don't want to dedicate yourself to going stronger in your business, then it's not the right move.

So we talk about your values. And I was absolutely happy renting a chair, like nothing had happened there. I mean, and we've talked about this, like there were some aspects of the space that were a little bit challenging that I was in, but you can find, I know some amazing. freelance only co working spaces that are just so incredible.

Yeah. And that's, and they have to be set up. So where you were working before was, um, not a hairdresser and it was set up as a beauty space and with hair put into it. So I think that's the thing too, is nobody knows what a hairdresser needs other than a hairdresser within their space. Like it has to be so thought out.

So even when we built La Sarella. like this 2. 0, it had to be real, like where the mirrors are, where the placement is, where the chairs go, everything had to be real thought out. Otherwise it's really hard to work. And that's what you were finding. Yeah. And once I, once I saw what was out there and realized that I could do it.

And I think I said this the other day to someone, I was like, I feel like, especially with the masters and stuff and, and this. I feel like this year I just had a lot to prove for myself. Yeah. I just tried to do it all at the same time. Yeah. But it was like, yeah, it was a, I also thought it would be, it's great social proof for what we do at Cell and Rising to be like, I think sometimes people, and I mean this in a, not in a judgy way at all, but sometimes people can be like, well, you're really successful.

It's like, no, what, what you teach really works from the ground up. So we're going to prove that. That's me, I've got a best friend. She's going to tell me what to do. Um, I think though, you, you do know a lot as well because you've been in so long. Um, Jen's like, all right, I'm in the budget sheets and all right, I'm putting this away.

And yeah, it feels nice for me to still be like, I love to help. So even when I have, um, like team members that have left, even when I got like my, Oh my God, I'm going to pay road. It's happening. Yeah. I love that. I love when. Like, you know, people have left me within the salon and still feel like they can come back and ask me advice because it makes me feel valued and still needed.

Yeah. And like that need thing is like, I want people to need that help. So I, and I like to help. So it's really nice that, you know, I can be like, yes, yes, yes, that's the right thing. Make sure you put this away. And as you said, but I look back actually when you were talking then it's exactly the route I went.

Thank you. I know. I know. And I just didn't, it was so long ago, it was like 15 years ago, but I went and freelanced in a beauty salon that wasn't set up for a hairdresser. And at that time the rent was cheap, but that time, 15 years ago, it was expensive. And when I realized I could be paying a hundred dollars more a week for my own space, I did the same thing.

Exactly the same thing. That's how we got La Sorella. That's, that's exactly what it was like. And so. I started looking around and I'd found there was lots available, like there was lots out there and, but everything was like, it's good, but like, it's good, but I don't like this or it's good, but I'm not sure on that, like nothing felt like it was the right place, you know, like it was, it was like, it's everything's, but I just feel a little bit like, uh, and it wasn't until, um, Actually, so it got to the point where my husband and I were just like, maybe we just need to build one.

Like maybe we just need to find a space and build one. So then we started looking for empty spaces and we found this spot, which like it was a good location for us, but. It was in an old, like it wasn't an amazing building or anything like that. Anyway. It's so, and it's so much cheaper for anyone that thinks I can just chuck some chairs and floors and be done.

It is so much cheaper. finding a space that's already set up. Like I think about, uh, I sell La Sorella original for like 30 grand. Like there's no way you could set up a space for 30, 000. And I think too, I was really lucky because I had been in the background with, um, the girl who had built the beauty space that I was working out of from her being in a gutted space and seeing the whole like build, I knew how much that cost and I knew how much.

Um, and so I was acutely aware of just how much it was going to cost us to do something from the ground up and even if it's simple, you know, even for us, like we, when I bought the first last roller, We didn't keep the same, we gutted, we pretty much, when I say gutted it, we didn't gut it, we painted it, but we kept everything that we had, and then we just developed over time, because it was a really tiny little salon, and we developed it over time, but that's the only way, if I had to build that from scratch, I would have gone under straight away.

Oh, I know. Yeah. And so the. It's so funny. I was down in, so we put an application in for this place to find out how much it was going to be. It was so ridiculously expensive for this tiny tiny, like I could have maybe fit three chairs and two basins in, but probably just, Two chairs. Is it near your house?

Um, yeah, like not far. And I was super disheartened. I was down, it was when we were down in Melbourne educating. Yeah, and you'd said to me, I think I found this space. Yeah. I'm going to get the rent idea. Yeah, and then I was sitting at the airport because you were still down in Melbourne and I had like a really long layover.

Yeah. So I was sitting there and I'd gone through, I was Uber ride on the way to the airport like, maybe it's just not going to happen. Maybe I just need to let this go. Okay. Maybe I just, it's not the right time, you know, so I sat, so I saw Salon Rising myself. I sat in the airport with my piece of paper, and I drew my little salon, and I wrote Jen's salon across the top, and then I wrote everything that I wanted it to be.

And not just what I wanted it to look like, but it's like, it had to be no further north than this, no further south than, like, I literally did north, south, east and west, and went round the whole thing, it's like, no further north than this far, no further south than this far, no further west than this, da da da da, I did, um, how it felt, how big it was, how much it cost me, everything.

Um, and people don't understand, like when you hear the next part of this for Jen, it's so important to get full clarity of that and full clarity gives you this sense of peace that you're like, Nope, no, no, like nothing. You don't hold on to anything else until it encompasses all of that. Yeah. I remember us doing that with exactly this space.

We did the same thing. Couldn't find anything. And then the time we did this, we found everything. Exact process. Yeah. We saw everyone wanted windows and trees and everything, separate basement rooms, so it was really, really distinctive. But I did that with my first house. I will do it with every further decision.

Funny enough, Rich, um, when he came over one year from London, he and Sarah went back and did that for the life that they want and they have that now. It's really important to really get visual. It's so powerful. It's so powerful. Really visual on what you want. I did it. I would like to say that I manifested my beautiful man into my life because the same thing, everything that I was really important to me, it manifested in.

And it's not always every, it was pretty much every single thing with him, but the things that it wasn't were always, there were negotiables anyway. And then also some of the things that doesn't come to pass that you think you want, there's a reason behind that. Exactly. So I remember saying that I wanted a partner that I met to have a really big family And then when it came to it, I was like, I don't have time for someone else's big ass family.

So you've also got to trust that when you put these things down, they will come to pass how they meant to. And how they meant to. A hundred percent did for you. But then it's such a mind. Well, yeah. So the next morning I woke up and it's really funny. Like I'd looked at all these places and I'd been going through business brokers and stuff like that.

And then on Facebook marketplace the next morning, as I was looking for a cheap car for my 16 year old, who's going to learn to drive. I found this expressions of interest and the thing that really got me about this one is that I had written in my little gen salon that I just wanted it to feel a bit like a little lacerella.

And when I sent you that photo, The spa even you would like, it's like a little last . It's, it was like our, like the end of the like once, yeah, the finished result of what our last salon was before we moved here. Yeah. Yeah. So I was like, okay. So yeah. And then we began the journey of buying a salon. So, yeah.

In that guy's, it wasn't even 24 hours later like that. No, it wasn't. This came up and you didn't look for it. It just presented itself. So. In all areas of all aspects of life. This is why we speak so hard on Really, and it's not. It's not, man, I don't, it's what a manifesting whatever anyone says, but it's a mindset piece.

Yeah. If your mind is really clear on what you want, then it's like nothing else clouds it and it can be presented to you the way that you want it. It's such a mind. I was gonna say, fuck. Everybody knows we swear on here. It's such a mind fuck though. Like I found because. It did present itself, but there's been so many challenges along the way that you're like, is this not right?

But then it was actually my acupuncturist who said to me, she's like, no, it's just reminding you that you can do hard things. That's all it is. It's just that it's reminding you that you can do the hard things to get there. I like, even at points for me with you with this, I was like, is this like, you are having to push so hard for this, but like, I was like, I, I never experienced when I bought lastarella like 15 years ago, I never experienced, I remember just being like, I need money in the bank.

It was like, here you go. And then we moved forward and I bought Salon. Oh my God. Like two weeks later and that was done, you know, but I definitely think there's instances Yeah. Like that. And I, I think what. What kept me going in that time, and I think it was that you that said this to me, because I had been, so what happened is that I've been working out of the space as we've been going through the buying process anyway.

The, the person who's selling the salon to me has moved 10 hours away. So I've moved in and just started working from that space. And then we've just slowly been going through it. It's how I feel in the space That has kept me going to feel like, no, this is the right thing. Even when I just keep bashing myself against brick walls with, and again, it's not, it's not the seller per se, like she's been amazing.

It's all the, I don't know how people in the corporate world get anything done. Okay. Let's go. Let's rewind it back then. Cause we're going. Okay, so you found the space, you went and saw it. Yep. You loved it. Loved it. Um, and then it's the process of getting the funds. Yep. Getting, um, to the funds, the, Lease sorted, um, and then dealing with broker, weren't you?

No, the broker was the bank. Yeah, the broker was dealing with the bank. The solicitor to do the contract of sale. And the, um, company that look after, like, the lease. Yep. The lease agreement. Yep. Alright. All of those people are not on my Christmas list. Yeah, okay. Like, no way. And that's the difference between it being easy or it not being easy.

Yeah. Remember, at the end of the day, my landlord was the most extraordinary human in my last place. Oh, he was incredible. He was incredible. So, at the end of the day, it was all really easy because, and we just went through his lawyers done, dusted. I had a lawyer. It was easy. Yeah. Bob's your uncle. You finish.

You move in. I don't know though. I was 23. I don't know if at 23 I would have had the perseverance to do what you've done. Right. Right. You know what I mean? So I think that at the end of the day, I feel like there's a real lesson in, in this for me though, because I realized in talking to people that the experience I was having with some of these people is really not okay.

Yeah. And as you know, like you, always give me shit about my wedding ring. It's like, hey, do you like your wedding ring yet? And it's that same thing. Like there's so many things. Just so everyone knows Jen doesn't, she had it designed. And then when she picked it up, it was nothing what she wanted. And she'd said, I didn't have it designed.

I had it changed. So I had to start, I had a stone put in it. And when I picked it up, they had put it in the wrong place and completely ruined my ring and I've never been able to look at it again. And it's so sad because it's such a beautiful ring. And she never said it. I never said anything. So every time she looks at it, she's just like, it's not what I want.

So, we're coming to interesting conclusions that Jen needs to speak up. Yeah, because I think There's a lot of these and I think too is a service based industry, right? Yeah, I swear if these people had Google reviews, they would not have jobs. Yeah, it's so bad like the level of Service from not a service based industry is disgusting.

It's really I find this. Oh, I love the I talked on this because the other day I was talking to a client about, um, you know, I have been unwell, getting really bad kidney infections and things like that lately. I ended up in hospital for them. Kidney retreat. My kidney retreat. You know how you like, I just need to have a little accident, so I ended up in hospital for a couple of days, you know, nothing bad, but just like, that's exactly what happened to me.

Um, but so many doctors just like, you kept waiting. You just flubbed off what they tell you is not. And, and you just walk away and you expect it to be bad and you just pay it and you move on. Whereas a hairdresser, we can't give you a warmer color than what you wanted. And we get absolutely destroyed for it.

You know, we had a one star review come through from a guy who. We didn't answer him in the morning within an hour and just went absolutely postal. But so many businesses that don't have Google reviews can treat you so shitty, this lawyer, this, um, body corp company, the bank, but we're just muzzle because there's nothing to say, but yet other businesses like us or a small restaurant or a small cafe, we get absolutely destroyed by people who think that they can do that.

I feel like it's those people that actually are writing those reviews. Like, I don't think anyone who works in a service based industry that is on the receiving end of those reviews does what, I think it's the people that, because yeah, I tell you what, the, the. I don't understand what it is where people just don't do their job.

Yeah. Why can't people just do their job? So you, so Jen, to get the finances, Jen went through a broker because it was going off your mortgage and stuff like that. Well no, it's It's not, it's just that they can secure it against it, so it's not off my mortgage or anything like that. Yeah, but it secures, yeah, it secures against your mortgage when the bank takes it, so that it's because you're really asset rich, so it comes off that type of thing, doesn't it?

The, the chauvinistic behaviour that I have experienced in small business lending is disgusting. That's disgusting. So, I would love to know if a man would be asked, and can I just say, my business loan is really small. Yeah. Like, in the grand scheme of things. It's nothing. It is really, really small. Yeah.

And, I would like, so, for example, some of the questions that I've been asked, I'm like, oh gosh, but like, you work in two jobs, how are you planning to juggle that? And I'm like, are you going to ask a man that? Yeah. So even to the point where, and I have to be really careful, but you know, being rung by the manager and being like, yeah, cool.

I'm just with a client. I, so I can't talk right now. And really lucky that I was with a client otherwise on that day, especially Jen probably would have gone postal and just being like, yeah, so I probably let you go. Like you've probably got something with the kids or something. It's like, no mate, I'm at work.

I'm at work. And you want to talk about what's hard to juggle. It's hard to juggle all the bullshit that you keep sending me. I find this, like, I think about it in my head. It's really sometimes about who, you know, right. So my business, my original is, and the irony. So afterwards is like, why did I do it this way?

And there are so many people that I should have spoken to, but that's the lesson here, I think it's like, okay, I'm like, I know exactly who you're thinking of. That's someone I should have contacted and who we've worked with on the pod before who comes from small business lending, but also talking to those people afterwards, made me realize that what I was putting up with was not acceptable, not acceptable.

because my so my bank manager over to, so was one of my close, was a client, is a very close friend of mine now. But I also think it's interesting, so she's very, very, very high up in the bank that I bank from, I'm not going to say names. It's an amazing bank, I could highly recommend it. Um, I'll just say it because it was, it's, I've had amazing experiences.

So I'm with NAB Banking and I've been very lucky That she's always taken the most incredible care of me, but as she's progressed, she's Matt, she's very high up now, but I think it's being led by a woman and the men underneath her. So I now deal with the men underneath her, but the men underneath her have been incredible.

But that, and that's what Ange said too. It comes down to leadership. Yes. So the leadership that. I have experienced in this process. Horrific. Has been horrific. Yeah. Ironically at the time when I'm doing leadership in my masters. Yeah. And yeah, that, that was the thing that was really throwing. It's like, I knew, I knew that it was a lot to be asking of myself to be trying to do work and buying a business and doing a masters at the same time.

And working at Solar Rising. But dealing with the constant barrage from them was a full time job. I just, you were like, they're asking me for this now, and now they're asking me for this, and then they've said this, and I'm like And things that were not even relevant, and it comes down to that lack of leadership.

Like, not having that leadership to say, oh, that's actually not relevant. And all, like, in perspective, It, when you say I didn't pay a lot for it, it's like a medium car these days. Oh, I tell you what, I could have gone in and bought a car and had that financed for the same amount in an hour, I reckon. Yeah.

And moved on with my life. So how long has it been since you looked at it? So August, September, October was November. So four months.

Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Cause I said all I want for my birthday is my salon. Oh yeah. All right. So it's been since I actually got, so mid August. Yeah. Oh my goodness, gracious. Yeah. And then the real estate wouldn't deal with you. Oh, so yeah, the, and that's still ongoing. And again, I've got to be really careful about this because that person is now in charge of my lease for the next three years.

But yeah, what incompetence? Yeah. Like next level incompetence and just refused to like has only to this day. And I have been contacting this person. for three months now. Yeah. Has only started responding to me since last Friday, which was when my first rent was due. See, again, it's like the disrespect of people.

Like, yeah, I'm not going to show you anything yet because, uh, you I'll wait until you do your dues first. It's just, But it was such a challenging situation because I had this solicitor that refused to talk to the real estate because apparently that's not his job. I'm not 100 percent sure what his job was.

The solicitor was also horrific. Yeah. And considering that your sister in law and your cousin are both solicitors but in different sections of the law. Well, the hard thing was that my, um, sister in law had recommended this solicitor to me. And so she, but again, it's a lesson because. We know that past Jen would have just not said anything because we don't want to upset anyone and we don't want to do and just let it all just fall apart around us.

Whereas I was like, no, I'm going to call my sister in law, bawling my eyes out, call in the big guns and get her to fix it for me. And she did, you know, whereas that's not. I was like, oh, I have to muddle through. Two lessons in that. So, A, Jen, people will help you speak up. And B, you don't have to do it on your own.

Go to the people that can help you. Absolutely. Like we think we don't need to do this, like we need to, like, there are people in these specific jobs. I think it's what we do though that reminds, that reminds me of that. And again, when we were away on our Mastermind weekend and we were talking about, you know, We were talking about that's when we were talking to the girls and it's just like, this has just been a nightmare and the solicitors and then hearing some of the experiences that they had had with their solicitors.

It's like, yeah, see, it's not okay. What you've done. No, it's not. Other people are having experiences that are amazing and how you're behaving and the service you've provided is not okay. It's exactly what we talk about when we talk about Paris. Oh, absolutely. My accountant. For anyone who doesn't know, because everyone knows who Paris is these days.

Everybody knows who Paris is. Everyone knows who Paris is. Um, but it's exactly the situation with Paris. Yeah. Like, not all accountants are created equal. And I mean, God love that woman, because for, for example, this is a great example of just some of the fuckery I had to deal with, to the point where I was actually sending her emails called finance fuckery.

Yeah. Um, the, so as we've spoken about in the pod, um, Paris used to be at a, oh my god. Drink your tea. Sip, sip.

The lingering whooping cough. Um, Paris used to be at a firm, which she had moved on from, so when it came tax time, she was just getting set up, it's like, do mine, obviously, because I work for myself, so it's a bit more convoluted. But she's like, just do Tim's in the ATO portal, it's really easy, follow what I've done, you'll be fine.

Which we did. So when we had to supply tax returns, as you do when you're doing any form of finance, the one was a pdf, which was originally from the past firm that we used to be with, and the other one was the pdf from the past firm. The government website, , you know, the government tax website, and it wasn't accepted.

Do you know why? 'cause it didn't look the same, because they didn't look the same , not because in any way the numbers on them didn't match, but because they did not look. the same. I wish we could say what bank you went with and we'd just burn them to the ground. I know. But it's just like, it's not NAB because NAB's amazing.

It's not. Um, yeah, it's not. So that, so I then had to, you know, anything that I needed, Paris is like, just send it, just send it because it's like, now they want it to look the same. So I had to get her to put it through her Xero so that it looked the same. Oh my god. Not change any information. Thank God for accountants.

And the good customer service, you know, we spoke about this. So I, um, have an amazing lawyer as well. Funny enough, she's Jen's cousin who is the greatest human who supports me massively. But she's the same with Paris and now Paris and my lawyer like love each other. But it's continues to build people's like, Oh, I just, when they're in, big corporations like this and they don't have those leadership abilities.

They don't have someone that's strong in leadership at the top or they don't have someone that's that or it's someone like a solicitor who doesn't know leadership and just running their business. Like it's just the reason why businesses get successful is because the person at the top is a leader and knows how to lead and support a team at which point they flourish.

And that's, that's I mean, to like, just sidestep a little for a second with all the leadership studies I've been doing in my masters as well, I see that so clearly in these situations. And we had this conversation about how, you know, leadership, the difference between leadership and management is that ability to be able to manage the human aspect as well as the financial and strategic aspect.

Yeah. And what I have seen. From the alleged leadership skills of a lot of people that I've dealt with in this process is they're not leaders, they're managers. They don't know how to manage the human aspect. So let's put a positive sprinkle on it then. This has been able to really touch people's hearts.

Considering you're doing this, buying a salon, working, doing your master's and you're in leadership in master's at the moment. It's really been able to give you the growth moment in, in, in looking at different scenarios. I mean, I did not want to grow a couple of weeks ago. I was like, fuck this, growing, this is so shit.

Jen and I laid in bed at like, 2am on the mastermind just talking because we hadn't caught up in so long and I was just like, I don't want to grow any more. I don't want to. I'm tired. Let me learn all my lessons and just stay the fucking peaceful. But it just doesn't. Yeah. And And I'm definitely starting to feel more grateful for them now and I can't, like, I'm trying really hard at the moment to not focus on those couple of people that have made it such a shit journey because I have had amazing people who have really, really supported in every aspect, like obviously great friends and family.

Like my sister in law who just totally went in and bulldozed this like she's just a force to be reckoned with and so supportive and then the, um, you know, like our reps are incredible, our accountant is incredible, I've had, um, a software company that's been super helpful and all that sort of thing. So there's been people that have really been.

Amazing. And the journey and I just need to focus on them and not worry about all those other fuckers. And it's been so funny because obviously it's been like four months. So we've had podcasts that we've done ever since. Yeah. And when we did a podcast not long ago, at the beginning stages of this, and it was talking about how important it is to take ownership and to rebrand and rebrand.

Yeah. And Jen had never. Initially she had never, and she was never going to rebrand. And she listened to that episode and she was like, I'm going to rebrand. And then one day I just got this like, I was like, what's the word? Barrage. Um, barrage of messages, like with all these different names. And I was like, okay, I'm just going to call her.

And I was like, no to all of them. Like, I was like, I love you, but no, I don't think you should. I don't think. It should be personal. I think you should, at that point, you were like But there's such a personal story behind the name. It's just not personally associated with my name. Which is exactly what Last Hour is.

But, um, I just said to Jen, like, I think we, I, like, and each their own. People call it after themselves all the time. Yeah, yeah. And things like that. You know, I said to Jen, I know where you'll want to go eventually with this. And it's not always going to want to be completely attached to you because when you attach it to your own name, it's a little bit harder if you attach it to a personal name.

Jen wasn't even going to attach it to her own name. At that point, she was thinking about touching it to her daughters and I was just like, it makes it confusing. So we kind of talked through it. And then Jen came to the name, which is August, August, August Hancock. Yeah. Why? Many years ago, I was on an aeroplane watching a movie called August Rush.

I love this movie so much. It's about a musical prodigy child. My children are literally musical prodigies. And I bawled my eyes out and I sat there and I felt at the time it was perhaps an emotional response to have to a movie, but it's like, whatever, it's like, if I have a child, I'm going to call them August Rush.

And then I found out I was pregnant with my son and my husband was like, there is no way on God's earth you're calling my child August. I love the name August. So Then when the other main character in that movie's name was Lila. So then when I found out I was having my daughter, I wanted to call her Lila.

And he's like, it's a no from me, but I'm going to meet you halfway. And we'll go Isla. So this time it's like, I'm giving birth to my first business. Can I finally have my August? He's like, you can, it's amazing. Not that he, not that he's dictating what I call it, but he's like, it's so good. And then when we looked up.

what it meant. He's like, I think it sounds amazing. It's like August Hair Co because I've got a cosmetic nurse that works in the space as well. So I wanted to have like, there is other stuff. But August, the meaning of August is respected and impressive. And it's like to be an August company is to be an express in, um, respective and impressive company.

So I was like, yeah, I really like that. And it's that and I really feel comfortable with that name. And I was like, yes, all right. Because I think it's, it's, I think it's very important to name it something that's, it's like, that feels like. Yeah. This, you know, like people say, why La Sorella? And it's got so many strong meanings behind it.

If anyone doesn't know, it means my sister in Italian. So, so many strong links to like females, to my sister, to an ode of. Sisterhood in here, all of the things. So I think it's really important to have a name that was, it's very connected to you because it's part of your why. Absolutely. Yeah. It is definitely part of my why.

Yep. So looking back, we know you would have changed your bank, your solicitor. You couldn't have changed the other people, but. But looking back, not knowing those things, what would have you done differently apart from changing a solicitor in your bank? Anything? No, I don't think so. Like everything else, I, it's just been that process.

So there was one bit in this process I remember, you know, cause it's been a long process, sitting on, I was sitting on Burley Hill with Albs and I got a message from Jen, a voice note I think, and you were like, um, I pulled the pin. I pulled the pin. It's doubled. Yeah, the price doubled. And I was like, what?

And Jen said, yep, like we, I'd kind of come to the agreement. I knew how much I could spend. I offered. But now the next day it had, it's doubled. See. I felt really calm and comfortable in that space because I knew exactly what I was willing to do. And I wasn't going to be emotionally driven by that. And my husband was super emotionally driven by it.

He was like, Oh my God, I'm like, no, no, this is how much. I am going to pay for that. I know the numbers because I know how to do the numbers. I know how to work that all out. And I know that this is how much we can pay for it. I think when you said that, that's so important because I've spoken to people in the past, um, and.

Of people that are going in to buy a salon, they're, they're talking about, you know, should they do some mentoring before they buy, blah, blah, blah. They have no idea what the number is. They don't know what it makes every week. They don't know what the clientele number is. They haven't seen the tax returns.

They pretty much are like picking it up and passing it to an accountant or lawyer and saying, is this okay? Yeah. And none of that is okay. Because for me, if I was buying a business, I would be. looking at every single number and going back and forth. What is this? What is that? What is this? Because at the end of the day, yes, to a point, if you're buying a lower price business, it's not exorbitant.

If you're buying anything, spending anything substantial, you have to know what every number is because. You are buying the clientele. I almost went backwards. Right. Like I, it's more that smaller size thing. It was the fact that it's like, you can tell me all this stuff, but you can't guarantee that. Yes. So what I will pay is based off.

What I am comfortable to know that if none of that eventuates, Yes. I'm still comfortable with how much I paid. And that's more in the space of Jen was comfortable with paying for just the space. Yeah. I'm happy with just the space. If I just get the space if I just walked into that space and had that, I had that beauty room with that option to rent.

I had, um, a space to be able to work on my own clients and I knew that I could make that work if nothing else worked. Yep. But then that's what I was comfortable with and that's why I was absolutely not going to spend a cent more. But if you're spending any more than that, where you think, I have to make this much enabled at the business to run and I've got to have all this staff and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, that's where you should know your numbers indefinitely.

Because even when I've, you know, they're like, Oh, I'm going to hire another staff member and I'm going to do this. And I was like, you can't even tell me what's turning over a week right now. And if we don't know what it even turns over a week. How do we know how to make decisions based on what it needs?

But that's what I, I learned that from you. I do not make those decisions based on emotion. I was not being driven by fear or excitement. It was purely strategic. Yes. It was like, I know what this needs to be. Yes. So in that, and I was, it was like, okay, and I was no worse off to say no to that. Yes. It's like, I don't have to, I want to do this, but I don't have to.

Yes. I'm in a position where I can keep working where I am. Nothing has to change there. Um, but it was Nice, because obviously a couple of days later she contacted me, she's like, I've had some time to think, and I really want you to be the person that buys the business. So if you can meet me at that original price, then we're good to go.

And I do get that because I know, especially having worked in the space with the owners for like a bit of time now, they loved that space. Like the only reason they let it go was because they had to move so far away. And so it was just that sort of like, letting go losses for them. It's like, um, Under the Tuscan Sun.

Yes! When she goes to buy the house and the lady's like, Yes! It's exactly like that! You're not paying enough for it! It double! And she was like, I can't pay double, I need my workers. Like, it's like the emotional attachment. Okay, well, I haven't charged enough. It has to be double now. Yeah. Yeah. Um, and I'd get that.

If I sold La Sorella, like my, Yeah. There'd be so much emotional attachment to it that you're like, Yeah. Oh, how do you like hands off that as well? And that's been a really challenging thing to navigate as well, because I am going to change things in that space. Oh yeah. And it's so hard to not, you know, like just walking that line of not wanting to make someone feel rubbish about what they had, but knowing that you and, and I've been really lucky we've had lots of open conversations about, and I was cautious, like, so what are you going to change?

And I was just like, I don't want to do that babe. I don't want to be like the way it is is shit. She's like, no, I'm excited. I'm excited to see the next step. Tell me what you're going to change. I'm like, the desk is moving. She's like, really? Where's it moving? I was like, it's going over here. I think I'd feel the same way.

Like if someone came in here and completely flipped on its ass, I'd be like, well, what was wrong with it in the first place? Yes. That's what When I saw Lothrilla, the original Lothrilla. She just loved it so much that she didn't change anything until she changed the basins and that was so much better.

And then I was kind of like, why didn't I do that? Why did she have a better idea? We had honed that space within an inch of it's life. No, but then she still, she changed the basins and the basins were beautiful when she changed them. How did she change the basins? She, I'll have to show you, but she ended up like painting the back wall and then building like this beautiful little bench like this.

And like, it was gorgeous, gorgeous when she, I don't know, it's like, Fuck, why didn't I think of that? Um, did a beautiful job on it. So, and I was like, damn it. You know, you do think that, but that's the same thing. You're going to change the way it runs, the price list, how things are booked, everything. And also you had a hairdresser in there who's no longer in there.

Oh yeah, that's a whole nother, that is a whole huge situation that I cannot share on this podcast. Yeah. Yeah. But it was a ride. It was a ride. It was a Oh no, I haven't even told you what expanded on that situation since we last talked about that. Everyone that's listening to the podcast right now is like, Jen!

Fuck you, Jen! But there was an instance in that, funny enough, there was another side of this for Jen, but there was an instant in that where I said to her, would that be okay for La Sorella? And Jen said, hell no. Yeah. And I said, so then what makes it okay for August? And Jen was like, Wake up call. I need that.

So, sometimes we have to remember that our standards need to be just as strong for ourselves as what they should be for our friends. Oh yeah. Because it's easy for us to be like, Oh no, well. I think of that in so many decisions I've had to make since we had that conversation. And it's like, I know there's certain things, it's like, I would never allow that to happen in your business.

Never in a million years. So why would I allow that to happen in mine? So it's, yeah, it's been a really profound little click in my brain to think about it like that, to be like, no, yes, that's not okay. Yes. It's so, yeah, it's so interesting, but you know, even with those things like changing stuff, it's so hard and I really feel for the people in our programs now.

Like it's been, it's been really good. It's been humbling to be like, you know, it's, we sit there and it's like, no, you need to do this and you need to have respect for yourself and you need to have respect for your boundaries and all this sort of thing. And it's been like really niggly to have people just saying to me constantly, Oh, well you, you're going to have to do that.

Like, you're going to have to do it like that. It's like, I am not going to do it like that. And. I've had a lot of that. A lot of that about the services that I will offer and the way that I will do things and all that sort of things. It's like, it's taken so much to just stick to my gums and be like, no, I don't work like that.

Because people have opinions on, you know, people still have opinions on the fact that hairdressers have to open a Saturday. They have to charge a certain amount. They have to work certain hours. Like there's still all of this, what they think is our glass ceiling. Yeah. And it's just, I mean, having said that, owner by owner, we're blowing that shit up.

I do work on a Saturday because for where I'm in my life, no, it works. But it works. Yes. I like working on a Saturday. Yes. No, but I just mean in different like Yeah, it all different factors. It's like, but I did have someone say to me. It's, it's so funny because I feel myself get my back up on all these things.

I did have someone say to me, Oh, well, you just have to open on a Saturday. It's like, no, I don't. Yes. I don't have to. I will do what if I want to open between one and four on a Tuesday and that's it. That's all. And I want to charge 1, 000 for that. Every second I work. Yeah. I will do that. Yeah. It's my business.

I don't make money. It's none of your business. Yeah. It's like people at this time of year. Yeah. Yeah. That are like, you can't put your Christmas tree up. It's November, bitch. It's my own house. I will do whatever I feel I want to do. It's nobody's business. There is no rule that says you have to put it up on December one.

Otherwise you will turn into a pumpkin bitch. If I want to put my Christmas decorations up in June, I will. Cause it's my life. Exactly. I think it's really important to stop putting those. I feel like they just. keep putting the shadows around us. Oh my God, I, I have to, I have to, I have to rule book, rule book, rule book.

Yes. This is what people are and just going, no, this is my journey and I will make it how I want it. And it's so funny. It's been a real like, no, like my husband is just the cutest. Like he's so excited about this journey. It's ridiculous. And you know, he's every day, he's like, give me more cards. I need some more cards, like, but I also had to sit down and have this conversation.

It's like, you can't give these cards to everybody. Some people I am not going to do like, this is the, like, do not give some cards to someone who is on a budget. Do not give the cards to someone who has this. That's not the people. We don't need to have everybody in the door. We just need to have the people that really want to come in the door.

Yes. And that is like. Are you sure? I'm like, yes, I am sure. Stay the course. We're going to be okay. I was thinking the other day, I was like, Oh, I haven't even been up and seen it yet. But life is like, yeah, the days you're open are the days I'm open. Yeah. And then you're not open the days I'm not open. And then when we're not open, we're here.

I was like, the next pod we need to do that. I know. I actually thought driving down this morning, I was like, I should have said we should do it there. I didn't even think about it. I was thinking that myself this morning. Um, yeah. Um, we need to do a pod there then, before we go, um, because I need to get in and see it and experience it.

Let me get my new front desk first. Um, but from one salon owner to a new, very new one, yes, I'm very excited for you. Thank you. Um, and I can't wait to be on this road with you through the, through the, through the The highs and lows. And obviously Jen's been in salons for so long. She's done this for so long, but even for me now, I'm like.

I look forward to you ringing me that day and being like, Fuck, I have no idea. I watch this from the outside but actually experiencing it, this is fucked. And I'm like, I'll be like, Welcome my friend, do you want to ban it down tonight? Yes, this was a bad idea. Um, because we all get to those moments and we have those moments of like, you know, utter joy and then moments of utter devastation.

Yeah. But we are all excited for you. So everybody, please make sure it's not changed to August yet. Oh, it, it has, it has changed. Hopefully, I will have control of that change by the end of this week, but by the time this comes out, it's totally changed. Okay. So August Hair Co. Yeah. Um, jump on, give Jenna a follow, say hi.

She'll be so excited to see you over there. I definitely will be. Um, and yeah, it's really also exciting from this point of view to, you know, as Jenna said, she's implemented so much that we do in Salon Rising. Oh, for sure. Anyway. Okay. Bye. But to be able to, again, look at that, foster that, see how she's moving through that, because it just allows us even to create more.

It really does. For people that are going through it and how we can assist someone buying a salon or someone being brand new. I think it does so much to have the two businesses. Under the Sell and Rising umbrella and have them in two such vastly different stages is only a good thing for what we can offer and provide people.

Agreed. Because, you know, those new businesses as Jen goes through hers being a new business owner, you know, it's, she will be able to provide so much insight to the little things she's feeling that I've potentially forgotten over, you know, but I I think, yeah, it's an exciting new journey. We're very excited for you.

Thanks, babe. And we're looking forward to how this shitshow unfolds as every salon owner feels at times. It's a beautiful, terrifying, fucked up journey, but we're all here for it. Yeah. So congrats. Thanks, babe. And we'll see you guys soon. Thanks, guys.