How I Built A Fully Booked Business in 3 Months

Hello, Jodi. How are you? Hi, Hunter. I'm good.

I'm so excited to be here with you. I'm so excited to have you, and hello, listener. I am super excited to have Jodi in the house today. My name is Jodi Brown, and I was actually a hairstylist for 15 years, daughter of a hairstylist and salon owner, and now I do full-time marketing, content creation, and education.

Jodi, um, helps me with my marketing and my social media and things like that. And she'll be, like, prompting me and asking me the questions that you may have on your mind. So, Jodi, thank you so much for being here to do that with me today. So, Jodi, you know my story, right?

Like, you know- I do. You do know my story. Okay, well, for those of you who don't know my story about how I moved out to a brand new area to live with my ex-boyfriend. Don't ever move for a man, y'all.

That is the lesson that I learned from that. Preach. Um, I moved to a brand new area, uh, a, a much more rural and more conservative, um, than where I grew up and I built my original clientele. Um, and I started working, um, and opened up my own salon in that space, nice- a salon suite, and I was very quickly able to blow it up to three and a half months book solid, five new client requests a week.

Wow. Um, and I learned a lot from that experience. Mm-hmm. And I found that a lot of the marketing, studying, and also just the personal experience that I had with that, um, has been able to translate really well in how I teach others how to grow their clientele.

Mm-hmm. Um, and it's become, like, a proven, repeatable thing that I teach. And so, I think that, uh, what would be cool to do today is going into depth with that story and how that all played out for me. Yes, I've heard this story, and I've actually been dying to break this down even more, because I think there's, you know, that's a very impressive feat- Yeah.

to blow up that quickly, and so I'm curious. What was w- you opened the salon suite. Mm-hmm. What was your first kinda plan of attack when it came to getting this off the ground and getting the clients in the door?

Yeah, I think it was client experience first and foremost. Mm-hmm. Um, I talk about, a lot, how, like... Huh, I've talked before about how, you know, if you had to choose, like, which department of your business is the most important to focus on first, whether that be your administrative stuff, um, or your client experience, or your marketing, right?

So, like, how you get new clients into the door or how your social media is. Should we focus on that first? Mm-hmm. Should we focus on client experience first?

Should we focus on our backend stuff being taken care of first? Like, for me, it's, like, client experience is first and foremost, because- Mm-hmm. every single time you have a new client come into your door, you've spent effort or time or space getting that new client into the door, right? Yeah.

And you don't want that to go to waste. You want that new client to actually come back. Right. And if your client experience isn't amazing in the first place, then you're gonna have a really hard time getting that person to come back, and then all your marketing efforts go to waste.

For sure. Furthermore, it's really hard to, it's really hard to market something if you don't have a great experience. Right. And on the flip side of that, um, it was also just really diving deep into my specialty as well too and how my specialty aligned with my experience, right?

Mm-hmm. Um, and I think that's honestly, like, the biggest thing, was the specialty and, like, me diving really deep into that and then aligning it with the c- client experience and exemplifying that as much as I could with my content. So, yeah. What was your specialty?

Um, low maintenance color. Oh, okay. Yeah. Okay.

Uh, I kind of, like... At the time, at the time, it was like, I never, I never cornered myself into being, like, a blond low maintenance person. That was never my thing. Um, I liked, and this is for those of you who are like, "Hmm, I'm afraid to niche down and, like, not do everything, uh, or not do just one thing forever," I was a low maintenance highlight specialist.

Like, that's what I did. Right. And so, I did, like, all types of, like, brunette highlights and caramel highlights, and I also did blonding a lot, of, as, as you do when you are that specialty. Right.

Um, but yeah, that's what I leaned into, and that's what I did the majority of the time. I love that. So that was kind of w- when, what year did you open? 2021.

2021? Yeah. Okay. So, what role do you feel like...

'Cause you were in a rural area, right? Yep. So, you were, would you say it was, like, small town? Yes.

Like, okay. So- It's Amish country. Okay, okay. Like, literally farms, horse and buggies on the motherfucking street.

Right, right. Like, like, literally on the, on the street, you are swerving around the horse and buggies, and there's horseshit on the road. Wow, okay. Like, very much that.

Okay, so , so what made you... Like, like, how did you know that that niche and that, like, specialization, w- you'd have a market for it? Like, how did you determine that? Well, honestly, it was just, like, what I really loved to do.

Okay. And I, I think that, you know, I think it's okay to, if, like, when you're choosing your specialty, I think it's okay to consider, like, what are the gaps- Mm-hmm. and, like, figure out, like, w- is there a market for this? Like, I think that's important- Mm-hmm.

to consider. But I think what's first and foremost important to consider is, like, what do you actually enjoy doing- Mm-hmm. and what are you an expert doing? Mm-hmm.

And that's just what I enjoy doing and what I was an expert doing, and I was like... And it, it just naturally, fortunately, a niche that is, is needed- Right. everywhere- Right. no matter where you go.

So, I was confident that, you know, I'd be able to make it work. Right. How did that affect the way that you marketed? Like, d- was there ever a fear when you first opened- Mm-hmm.

that you maybe were gonna be too niche for the, the size of the town that you were in? Right. Um, yeah. Yeah.

Very much so. Uh, particularly, uh, I feel like...A lot of the time, when you're doing, like, low maintenance highlighting, it's very often you'll see, like, younger girls with, like, long beautiful, like, curled hair. Right.

You know what I mean? And when you're in, like, this rural small town, like, you may not s- find that there's a lot of people who maybe vibe with that or relate with that. Right. But, there ended up being a lot of people who vibed with and related with that, and I think that also too, like, my ideal client and who I was speaking to, was never, like, of a certain age, you know?

Um, and it, and it didn't have a certain hair length to it either, you know? It was just about the highlights, right? Right. And again, this is where I'm saying, like, you don't have to corner yourself, but you can still lean into something that is specific and make it work as far as a specialty goes.

Um, but yeah, I just, I don't know, I, I, honestly, like, leading up to opening up my own salon suite, I had a huge pit in my stomach. Right. Like, it was, like, terrifying for me to sign up for, you know, opening that thing up with no clientele ba- basically. Right.

Uh, but I had done a lot of my homework of, like, figuring out, like, just marketing strategy, just in general, you know? And I, um, had been a bus- uh, I, I had done a lot of business education, particularly around, like, sales and retail, and add-ons and things like that, and giving a great client experience. Like, I already had a lot of that, um, knowledge from being an educator. Right.

And, for a brand. Right. Um, and I just was fascinated with marketing and I just felt like I was equipped with the tools that I needed and the knowledge that I needed to make it work, and I was willing to do the shit that was required and work OT to make it work. Right.

Um, so I knew what I was good at, I knew how to get the message across of, of what I do, and that I'm the expert in it. Right. I understood the person that I was speaking to and what their pain points were, related to my specialty, and how to share with somebody, like, "Hey, this is possible. Like, you could have beautiful highlights-" Right.

"... that last you more than three months, and actually they'll look great even when you come back to see me." Right. Like, you'll have people the day that you're getting your hair done giving you compliments about your hair and you haven't even got your hair done yet, right?

Um, and so I, I just knew the language that I needed to use to be able to connect with those people to make them understand the value in my service- Right. and, uh, fit their lifestyle as well, too. Right. Totally.

The other thing I think that was a massive, um, attribution to my success was, you could probably, and this is just, like, what my clients have shared with me. You could just, like, feel my passion for, for what I did. Right. Like, I was so willing and committed to serving my clients, and it's always been that for me.

Yeah. Like, e- like even with doing hair, it's always been about, like, the passion and the impact. Right. Like, it was never the money for me.

And you know, I will say, like, I, I, that takes, i- i- that comes with privilege, you know? You have to have privilege to be able to make that your first and foremost priority. For sure. Um, but I think clients feel that and notice it and appreciate it, and I heard that all the time.

Like, they would just be so, like, "Hunter, it's just really nice to see how passionate you are and how much you actually care about the service that we're doing today and how much you care about what I leave here with." You know? And I think that that translates into the education that I do now too, is just, like, I just really give a shit about it, and I really love freaking doing it, you know? Right.

And the money side of it comes after, and, uh, uh, I think that that's what really helped me blow up as well too, was I, I would post not just about the hair but also, like, in, when I did post about the hair, I would talk about, like, how much detail and care I put into making sure that it was good. Right. Mm-hmm. And that that client was taken care of and how I showed how I made relationships with my clients with, with the stories that I would tell with those posts.

Then I would also be talking about my client experience and talk about why I did this so that you could have a great experience with me, like my thought behind it, but making it framed for it's in service of, for you, like it's all about you. Yeah, just, I think a lot of passion came with, came with the success. I love that, and I think that's contagious too.'Cause then your clients feel that passion, they're excited, and then they're telling people.

So I love that. They feel like they're a part of something. Exactly. Like, making somebody feel like they're a part of something I think is a really powerful, um, powerful thing to do.

Yeah. And so, like, if you are, like, specializing in something and you're making a difference doing it, like, you can make a lot of buzz and noise if you are really solving a problem in a big way and making people feel really excited and, um, happy with what you're doing for them. I love that. Were there any, like, unexpected challenges in that first year?

Like, was there anything that happened that you're like, "Oh my god, that, I was not expecting this to be this hard"? Yeah. Two things. Um, the first thing was, being in a salon suite, as anybody who's opened up a salon suite knows, if people aren't already sharing really personal things with you, or talking about controversial things with you that you don't agree with already- Yeah.

or, like, trauma dumping on you already, like, it, it really gets amplified when you're in a salon suite because it's just you and that person. Mm-hmm. And it feels so safe and private. Um, I found a lot of, a l- uh, I found I had to navigate a lot of people, like, just dumping their trauma on me- Right.

like, all the time. Um, which I was able to figure out how to navigate, you know? It's just like- Yeah. communicating and being like, "Hey, this feels a little bit heavy for me right now."

Right. Um, "If you don't mind if we just talk about something later, I'd really appreciate it. Although I love being a safe space for you, today is just a little bit heavy for me, and I'd appreciate if we could move onto a different topic." You know?

Right. Something like that, even, even if it was, like, political, you know? Same, same concepts. Um, second thing that ended up happening was, it was way too fucking much.

Right. Like, the three and a half months book solid, five new client requests a week, but then also, like, really confronting the new challenge of being a business owner and the amount of responsibility that came with that. Right. Um, we, in our last episode, we were talking about if the grass is greener, you know?

Yeah. With, being an employee. And I have personal experience of getting into that salon suite for the first time and being absolutely, disgustingly overwhelmed. Right.

Like, working my...... ass off. Right. Working my absolute ass off, like going ...

Like, I remember I would go to my friends' houses, and I'd literally ... We'd, like, watch a movie or something. Yeah. I'd, like, pull out my laptop and, like, start working- Right.

like, while I'm, like, hanging out with my friends. Like, that is, like, so, like ... It's so stupid. Like, that's, like, not a, like, a o- a life worth living.

And I, and I kind of had, like, a realization, like, "How is this supposed to be, like, a long-term sustainable career path-" Right. "... if it's always gonna be like this?" And so, that's kinda what brought me to what I'm doing now today, which is, like, teaching people how to streamline things, because I had to streamline things.

Like, I had to set boundaries. But I also was really passionate about making sure the business was successful, so I wanted to do that all in a way in which it wouldn't jeopardize my success. And that's what I fricking did, and I did it successfully. Yeah.

So- That's amazing. Yeah. Was it hard? And, like, were you nervous to roll out- Yes.

the new things? Ta- talk me through that. What was that like for you? Like, all of my systems and boundaries and shit like that?

'Cause it's proven now, right? Yes. When you did it- It was not. that was not proven.

It could have just, like, blown it up for you. No, 'cause that is so tea. Like- ... when I, when I decided that I was going to change my pricing structure, raise my prices, like, a fuck-ton- Right.

Like, I'm not ... Like, like, I raised my prices, like, $100 within the span- Wow. of, like, six months. Great.

Like, that was no joke. That's a lot, yeah. Um, I was online booking only moving forward. Like, that was what it was.

I stopped pre-booking. Mm-hmm. Like, this all at the same time. Wow.

Like, I ripped the Band-Aid off all at the same time, right? I was terrified. Like, I absolutely was terrified. Right.

And it didn't ... And yes, like, every time you have evidence of a fear not coming true when you actually do it- Yeah. it makes the next time you have to do it easier, but it's still always gonna be scary. Like, every single time you roll out a change, like a price increase or whatever it may be, it's always gonna be scary, right?

But that was a lot. Right. Like, I had done a price increase before that happened, but this was like, "I'm changing everything." And I was scared, but I also knew that I had built a strong, built a strong enough foundation that I would be okay no matter what.

Right. The other thing I knew was that I had set up every single thing in the best way possible for the clients to still have amazing experience with me. Right. Like, I knew that I was taking good care of these clients, and also all the changes that I was making was going to allow me to serve them even better.

Okay. And so, I think that that's the important thing, is like, when you are doing a price increase, when you're changing your structure, when you decide that you're not gonna work Saturdays anymore- Right. think about, "How does this benefit the client?" Right.

You know? Like, 'cause it does. Yeah. It absolutely does, because you need to have your cup full to be able to pour into others.

A price increase allows your most loyal clients to be able to get a more convenient appointment with you, because you don't have your clients who aren't willing to pay more taking up those spots. For sure. You know? Like, you, it's just having that perspective, I think, is really important.

And that's what the biggest thing that helped me roll all that shit out- Right. was, was like remembering, "I, I set this up professionally in the best way possible, still offering a great client experience. I've done the work to make it so I have a steady foundation to where if I do have fallout from this price increase and these structural changes, I'll be just fine." Right.

And also, it's all mutually beneficial, for me and the client, at the end of the day. Do you remember ... Was there, like, a straw that broke the camel's back when it came- Yes. to this, like, making this decision?

Yes, Jodi, and I feel like I've told this story a million times- ... but I know that you're gonna tell me to just say it again, so- ... I'm just gonna say this story again. You're reading my mind.

Uh, yeah. So, um, yeah. Uh, one ... The ...

I mean, there were many things. There were many indicators that I needed to change shit. Right. Um, but o- ...

I remember one time, I ... And I was working a lot. Like, I was really overworking myself. Like, it was ridiculous.

Like, I was working, like, six days a week. Oh, wow. Um, and long hours doing so. And I remember my client Ann, who I absolutely love, I actually went to high school with her, uh, she wanted to get in on, like, a Friday evening, and she had, like, an event or, like, a vacation or something that she was going to.

Mm-hmm. And I was like ... And I was already booked for, like, an eight-hour day on Friday, but I was like, "Okay, screw it." Like, "I'll throw her into the end of the day and I'll stay a little bit longer."

So, it ended up being a 12-hour day. We were just doing, like, a cute little balayage on her, like, as I do with, like, many people. I went to tone her, and her hair was turning purple. Oh, gosh.

And her hair was not- We've all had that moment. Yeah. Her hair was turning purple, and her hair was not supposed to be turning purple. It was supposed to be, like, a pretty, natural gold situation.

And I, like, go back over to my mixing station, and I look, and I grabbed an 8:2 instead of an 8:3, which is an 8 Violet instead of an 8 Gold. And the 8 Violet was not just, like, a cute little, like, light lavender. It was like, "Fuck." It's like, "Fucking purple."

Like, she was purple, yeah. So ... And so, uh ... And so, I'm like, "Oh, love that for me."

I was able to, I was able to color correct it and, like, a- and she didn't even notice. Like, it was fine. Like, I just, like, double toned it, like, used Gold- Right. to neutralize it.

It was fine, whatever. But the principle was, I realized that I messed that up because I was exhausted. Right. Like, it was a 12-hour day.

Like, I was so tired. And I had already worked a full week, right? Mm-hmm. I had been consistently overworking myself already.

For sure. And I don't think that that would have happened if I wasn't so exhausted and I wasn't over, overstretching my availability and how much I serve people. Right. Um, and with that, I did a disservice to myself, 'cause I had to deal with the stress, the shame of, of effing up her hair.

Yeah. Um, I had to eat cost because I had to double tone it, right? Um, and then it could've been a lot worse- Right. for me as well, too.

Um, and then I did her a disservice, 'cause I effed up her hair. Right. And that's not what she's here for. Right.

You know, I'm sure Ann would rather me ... W- I'm sure Ann would rather come to me after her vacation, not have the, not have the hair of her dreams for her vacation- Right. versus her hair be fucked up and purple. Uh, yeah.

You know? You're probably right. So, so, that was a big turning point for me. That's when I was like, "Damn, I really need to make a change."

Yeah. And, uh ...... uh, when I also another, another thing that just reinforced my idea of, my theory of, like, this is not just for me, it's for the client as well. Right.

You know? Yeah. A burnt-out hairstylist or a burnt-out service provider is not gonna be, like, at that top form. No.

I don't w- I, f- I don't want to go to a service provider of any sort who doesn't want to work with the style of whatever I want. 1000%. Right? Like, I don't, I wanna go to the person who, like, loves the work that they're doing on me.

Yes. The type of thing that I'm asking for. Yeah. 'Cause then I know that they're gonna do a good job.

I wanna go to a service provider who is well-rested and passionate about what they're doing. Mm-hmm. And has enough rest to be able to do a great job. I wanna go to a service provider who is working hours that are, that make sense for them because I know that they're gonna show up and do better.

I wanna go to a service provider who is making a great living because I know that they're not gonna be resentful of what they're doing and they're not just gonna try to, like, get me in and out. Yeah. They're gonna give me a quality service because they take pride in what they're doing and they're happy about the money that they're making. You know, it's like, think about you as a consumer.

Yeah. Like, who do you wanna fucking go to? Absolutely. And what experience do you want to experience and what's required of that, of the service provider, and think about how, what's required of you as a service provider, service provider to offer that experience.

I love that. That's so true. I think that's something that we kind of forget. We think that all the self-sacrifice is, like, for the benefit of everyone else, but oftentimes it really isn't.

It's not. Yeah. And there are times and spaces where sacrifice is essential. Absolu- And I talk about this a lot.

Yeah. Right? There is absolutely times where sacrifice is essential. Um, but when it's so consistent- Mm-hmm.

where you, like, don't see a light at the end of the tunnel or you don't really understand what, like, the long-term benefit of it even really is, uh, when you are getting, like, chronically burnt out, then that's when it doesn't make sense. Right. You know? Uh, uh, so there's value in sacrifice, but not when it's consistent and not when it's not actually getting you anywhere, because that's, it, I was just on a hamstr- like, I was making great money.

Right. I was serving people really, like, okay. Yeah. Yeah.

You know? People were happy with their hair, but at, like, at what cost? Yeah. And, and, eh, it wouldn't make sense for me in the long run.

I probably would've closed my salon suite. For sure. For sure. Yeah.

So, after you, you know, were the guinea pig of all these, like, methods and systems, how did your clients react? To my- To your, like, the new- ... changes? systems.

Like, yeah. After all this- Everybody was great. Yeah? Yeah.

I, I ha- I maybe had, I, of course, had fallout from a price increase, you know. I raised my prices a shit ton. Right. Um, but that, you know, that's just, like, to be expected, and, and I offered those people suggestions to go elsewhere.

Yeah. Um, kindly and with, with grace and gratefulness. Um, I had some people who were apprehensive with online booking because they just didn't feel super confident with technology. Right.

And that's gonna fucking happen, and I was like, I just reassured them that, like, I had set it up to make it super simple. They had to just choose from these three options, and this is the one that you're gonna choose every single time, Susie, because that's the one I do with you every single time. Right. That's all you gotta fucking do.

Right. Super simple. And I'll walk you through it on your phone with you right now. I'll bookmark it to your phone.

I'll give you this client-only app so you can access it really easily. Right. You know, it's, like, it just, like, the majority of people will get on board. As long as you've laid out the information simply and easily, you've set up your, you've done your due diligence of making your client experience amazing with those aspects- Yeah.

with whatever structural changes you're making, and it's easy to understand, the majority of people will be fine and get on board. Right. Like, it just is what it is. As long as you're offering a great service at its core.

And then the so- small few who aren't into it, who react negatively- Mm-hmm. they'll either leave. Okay, bye. Yeah.

I, like, I, like, for me, I am not willing to work with people who aren't willing to get on board with me to do the things that I need to be able to give them a great experience. For sure. You know? Like, this is essential for me to run my business and give you an excellent experience, and if you can't do that, I can't give you a great experience.

Right. So I'm just not gonna fucking serve you anymore. Right. And that's on you, sister.

Right. You know? I, I've done my due diligence of setting this up to be as easy and, uh, clean and convenient as possible. Yeah.

So, you gotta meet me halfway, or else I can't do your hair. And there's plenty of other people who will be willing to do those things. Yeah. You know?

For sure. On the other f- flip side, let's say it's somebody who's, like, kinda willing to get on board, but they're feeling a little bit frustrated or apprehensive, whatever it may be, then you sit down, you give them some personalized attention upfront, and then they're good to go after that, you know? You take their phone, you show them how to do it. Yeah.

You give, you start to, another tip that I give for people who, like, wanna, like, implement online booking or, like, do it as, like, a really, like, strict structure, like, online booking only, right? Um, is, like, print out, like, booking cards. Like, like, write down, like, the, the cards can have, like, the instructions for online booking. Right.

And then you can write down exactly what they need to book online, right? Um, an advanced strategy that I teach my students is, like, have an online booking page where, like, all the things are listed out on there, and then you embed your online booking onto that page. Great. So you have full customized control o- of the page.

Mm-hmm. And then your widget is on there, but then you also have, like, all the instructions that somebody needs on that, on that for the further details that you may not be able to put on your online booking site, right? So, there's, there's fucking options. Yeah.

Like, you can l- again, like, you can have the best of both worlds. Like, you can make it work, but you have to do your due diligence of setting it up so that way the client can do it confidently. I love that. My last question, if you could go back and you could, you know, restart, if you were restarting your salon suite, is there anything you would do differently?

You know, I'm tempted to say I would not have over-stretched myself. Right. I'm, like, tempted to say I would have had stronger boundaries in place. Right.

If I were to start again, or, like, with the lessons I've learned, that's what I want to say. Right. But if I didn't have those experiences, if I didn't sacrifice, if I didn't kind of screw myself over, I wouldn't be where I am today. Sure.

I wouldn't have learned the lessons that I've learned today. I also wouldn't have been able to be my own guinea pig- Right. to then help, uh, tons of other people with the same issue. Right.

You know? I think I just, generally, my philosophy is I don't really have a lot of regrets for things that I do. Yeah. Especially in my business, because I will alway- always learn a lesson from it.

Love it. And there's always something that you can take from that and move forward with in a more positive light. So, I wouldn't do anything differently. I love that.

Yeah. Well, now you're saving so many other hairstylists, you know, from that phase. That's the goal. Yes.

And that's, I think that's, yeah, definitely something really special. So, thank you for sharing. Thank you for letting me dig into your story a little bit. Yeah, absolutely.

Thank you.

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