Is "Working Smarter Not Harder" Just an Excuse to be Lazy?

Hello, friend. Welcome back to the Modern Hairstylist Podcast. Today, we're gonna be talking about is "working smarter, not harder" just, you know, a fun little quote and excuse for being lazy? We're gonna be talking about, like, what the term "work smarter, not harder" actually means to me, at least, and what it means to successful industries and companies all around the freaking world.

Because I think that there's some misconceptions around what "work smarter, not harder" means. I have been in a space which... This is why I decided to record this episode. Um, I've been in a space in conversations where people have taken this term out of proportion, and I think it kind of possibly can come from personal experiences and just, like, a teensy-tiny bit of fear of change, possibly, and comparison, which is totally normal.

But here's the tea. This is where this is coming from, okay? Let me just, like, give y'all the juice. So on the good old days of Clubhouse, back in the antique days of Clubhouse...

Um, if y'all don't know what Clubhouse is, it's an audio-only social app in which you could, like, create these rooms, and there could be a bunch of people who would come together, and we'd all have collaborative conversations. And, um, the beauty industry had a moment, a hot moment, where the Clubhouse was hot. Um, that's, like, really where I started a lot of my... The beginning of my education journey, and I was able to create some beautiful connections on there and have great conversations.

I hosted a room, and it, it had something to do with working smarter and not harder in one way or another. And I had a couple of influencers, like, like, big industry educational influencers and also seasoned stylists join the conversation and talk about, you know, the old-school hairstylists versus the new-school hairstylists or the old-school hustle mentality of the industry versus the new-school mentality of working smarter, not harder, right? And I think a lot of this comes from... I'm just gonna te-...

I'm just gonna say it straight, is, like, Britt Seava and, like, a lot of the other educators within our industry and our space as of right now who have really brought to the forefront other Fortune 500 companies' tactics and, and, um, theory and bringing that to us and really, um, applying the concept to us that we can more efficiently, more successfully, and faster get to the space of success than we have traditionally all in the past, right? Based upon what resources are available to us and the education and the way that consumers are behaving nowadays. And so with this newfound knowledge, you're seeing a lot of these stylists, especially newer stylists, you know, coming out of the gate and just murdering it, right? Like, murdering it, and being able to grow a business, a great, successful business for themselves very fast through modern marketing and, and resources and tools, yada, yada, yada.

And so I find that with this transition, you know, there's been a lot of more seasoned stylists who have taken note and wanted to change and keep up with the times, especially ones that always stayed educated, always were passionate and motivated, and there are others who have taken a different path to get to where they were, right? To achieve the success that they've achieved, um, have been told a v-... And taught a very different message and narrative from the very beginning of their careers of what it looks like to achieve success. And so I feel like there's kind of, like, two different types of more seasoned stylists in this day and age, and I know which one I wanna be when I'm 20 and 30 years into this.

I wanna be taking notes from what's working right now. I wanna always be educating myself and seeing what's going on. One of the very massive industry educators kind of, like, took the conversation and kind of, like, put it into a space of almost framing the mentality of working smarter, not harder, as just being lazy, as just being, like, against th-... Going against the grain of working hard, right?

Hard work. And honestly, the way that they put it and the way that they expressed their concerns, it kinda made sense to me, but I think there was a misconception in the way that everything was communicated and the way that the whole thought was provoked. And I wanna basically just break down what "working smarter, not harder" means, a- and I want to really get into it and talk about what we have coming up to further push the message and further equip hairstylists and especially independent beauty pros with the tools, resources, and education that they need to be working as smartly as possible so that way they're not working themselves into the ground, so that way we can prevent burnout, that way we can achieve all the success that you are capable of without having to dig yourself a hole of hard work, you know? Um, because I truly don't believe that working smarter means that you're not putting in hard work.

I think working smarter comes with working hard. In order to work smart, you have to work hard. It doesn't mean that you have to work harder to get there, right? It just means that you're not gonna work as hard because you're working smarter, and you'll be able to get to where you want to go faster and in a more efficient way.

So I'm gonna stop rambling, we're gonna cue the intro music, and we're gonna get into it, so let's go. Let me guess. You are a hustling, bustling hairstylist behind the chair, working so hard to build a beautiful career for yourself, one that gives you time, freedom, and energy to spend with yourself, your family, and your friends. But you feel like you're always working in your business even when you're not behind the chair.

My name's Hunter Donia, and I help you automate your systems and implement really beautiful strategies so you can grow your business without the overwhelm, and this is the Modern Hairstylist podcast.So, let's start by talking about what the beauty industry used to look like and why we're in this space where we find a lot of really amazing, seasoned, influential, experienced stylists getting a little bit upset or concerned about this new message of working smarter, not harder. I think that we can all agree, I mean, I came into the industry when this was starting to change, right? Like, this was, it was just, like, the inklings of this starting to change and I was completely unaware of the working smarter, not harder mentality and what those strategies actually looked like.

And I was in a salon with very seasoned, very experienced, like, next level stylists, right, who had been doing it for a long time and who were kicking ass behind the chair and who have worked really hard and hustled really hard to get to where they were, and possibly were still hustling to maintain that success level, right? And I think, you know, uh, what it has always been is, if you wanna be successful as a hairstylist, you have to work six days a week, on weekends when you don't want to, and you have to work crazy long days. You have to fit all your clients in, every single one of your clients is ripe, you have to ask every single one of your clients for referrals, you have to go hand out cards at the mall. You have to just wait.

You have to be patient to grow a clientele. In order to maintain that success, you have to keep on working hard, keep on working hard, keep on working hard. And that is what it is, right? And I think that that toxic mentality has just kind of been burned into a lot of people's brains because of how they got into the industry and how we ha- as a trade, have been traditionally stripped of the education that we needed to know that that's not actually the case.

And just the lack of resources and connectivity and of what we have now, right? With social media and with very easy and effective ways to gain awareness in your own regional local area, right? So, I feel like what has happened is now that all these new wave people are coming in and there's this general understanding that you can grow your tr- clientele really quickly and that there is a much bigger emphasis on, you know, really as a generation, like, wanting to prioritize our mental health and our personal care, I think that a lot of the seasoned, more experienced people are like, "Wow, these, like, this new generation of hairstylists is, like, really lazy and they don't wanna put in the work to get to where they need to go." Or they don't understand why they want to spend all their time posting on Instagram instead of coming in early, staying late on their days off, right?

When in reality, it's we know that that time spent on Instagram is actually going to make them more successful at the end of the day. The small efforts that you make towards growing your business are most oftentimes, especially the ones where you're not doing the labor, right? When you're not working in your business, when you're working on your business, that is when you see the most massive success. And I think it's just kind of, like, shaken up the people who have put in all of their time, all of their effort, all of their energy into something so intense and have sacrificed a lot.

Sacrificed time with their family and friends and their kids, sacrificing off time on Saturdays and their weekends, all these things. Like, it must be really difficult for... And I mean, uh, it's not like I haven't been there per se for the first couple years of my career, but definitely not as long as a lot of, a lot of the seasoned stylists out here. It must be really difficult to see these new, these new kids getting into this gig and just getting it like that, in- in, like, a snap of a finger, you know?

It- it really, I could really imagine how annoying that would be. That would piss me off. Would that piss you off, Caitlyn? Yeah, it definitely would, but I mean, I'm also the type of person though that when I see something like that working for someone else, it, like, lights a fire under me and I'm like, "I need to change something," but that's a completely different story.

I do just wanna add though, like, I feel like talking about, like, working smarter, not harder, and then we have, like, the older- older generation of stylists of which I was part of this generation as well that are still so focused on hustle culture. It's like the battle verse of the two. I'm gonna throw, like, a bunch of cliches out here. So like, we've got hustle- hustle culture and then we've also got, um, something that I still do believe in, which is short term sacrifice for long term gain.

Like, I definitely believe that putting in some hard ass work will get you places, but know that you don't have to literally kill yourself to create what you wanna create and it doesn't have to last an eternity. That's, I think, the big difference and, like, understanding that, like, working smarter, not harder will help to streamline that quicker. I- I just threw a lot of shit out there, so keep going. No, that was not a lot of shit.

That was perfect shit and I loved it all and it totally makes sense and that brings me into my point, which is that short term sacrifice for long term gain, it has proven to be true for me, for Caitlyn, for a lot of people. Like, it just is what it is. It just proves that working hard is still important, right? Working hard is still important, like, working towards your dreams and your goals and to really reap the benefits and get what you want, it takes hard work, dedication, and passion, right?

However, it can be done in a smart, efficient way, right? Like, you can work your ass off towards something in a really smart way and get there quicker and be more successful doing it or you can work hard without a strategy and just the way that it's always been done and just without any endgame and...... just keep on doing the same thing and getting the same results and, and taking a much longer time to get to where you wanna go. And so, I think that what I wanted to talk about was working smarter, not harder means having streamlined, well-thought-out strategies for all the moving parts in your business so the efforts that you make have a bigger impact with less hustle, right?

That is the entire goal. Any successful business, any CEO, anybody who is evaluating the time and the efficiency of how their company is operating and growing is going to look at all of the processes and how people are working and if the way that they're working is the most efficient way to get them to where they need to go in a quicker, faster, more profitable way. And so, when people say, like, working smarter, not harder is just being lazy or not wanting to put in the work, when in reali- i- i- in reality, there are just plenty of other more impactful tasks that somebody could be doing besides going out and, like, handing out your cards at the mall. As much as it may look like it's lazy to sit on your phone and post on Instagram and film funny Reels and stuff like that, that shit will transform your business, right?

It literally will. And so, the tea is here, is I just wanna make sure that we're clear, okay? That the hard work, it has to come in and people, if they want what they really want, and if they wanna achieve goals and they wanna achieve success, you should work hard towards that goal, especially in the beginning. And there a- is gonna be some sacrifices that you want- you have to make if you want what you wanna get.

But does not mean that you have to do what everybody else has done that is- has been doing it 20 years longer than you to get to where you wanna go, because things change all the time. Your own situation is very different than who- what that person's was 20 years ago. The world is different, consumers are different, and there are just more resources and tools and different ways of doing things to get to where you want to go, faster and easier and better. Do you have any thoughts, Caitlin?

Yeah. I feel like looking at the phrase working smarter, not harder, I feel like another way to understand it, it's not about, like, working smarter, not harder. It's about changing what you're doing now to make what y- what you're doing now work more efficiently, basically. Like, it's all about efficiency.

And so, it's not that we're saying you should be spending less time doing things that move the needle for you. It's that, what can you be doing to save time that will help move the needle for you as well? Like, there's so many factors here. So, and I also wanted to ask too, like, I feel like when we hear the phrase, a lot of people, when we hear the phrase work smarter, not harder, um, it's kind of like, "Okay, great, that's all fine and dandy, but, like, how do I actually do that?"

So, can you give us, like, a couple of examples too of things that would be considered, like, quote-unquote working smarter, not harder? Yeah. So for a hairstylist or somebody in the beauty industry, that could be finding ways to cut down time in your services throughout the day. So, looking at more efficient patterns and placements for your highlighting techniques or your styling, or figuring out how you can set yourself up for success as much as possible in the salon space, like, in an organized, systematized way so that way things go by more efficiently and smoothly.

Like, how do you have to set up your tray in a way where you can grab things very easily in a certain order and space? And, and, and where do things need to be placed in the salon so that way you can reach them and grab them as ease- Like, those little tiny things that we don't think about, it- they truly make all the difference. What can your checkout process look like, um, if you had possibly a more simplified menu or if you required cards on file? So that way you weren't spending fif- Or if you removed pre-booking possibly, right?

Something like that, right? Um, how could your checkout process be more efficient and make your life easier outside of the salon in order for you to do things quicker, faster, and not have to work as hard? I know that me doing all the above that I just said, simplifying my menu, uh, removing pre-booking, all of the things, like, my checkout process is so fast when it an- when it used to be, like, a whole, like, 20-minute, 15-minute process along with the conversations, figuring out when I can fit them in, like all the things. I'm like, "My next client is outside the door, and I need to get them in," right?

Like, that adds up. And so those little things that you look at a- behind the chair at least, right? Like, those things can add up and completely change how you run your day and how you're able to serve people and the amount of energy that you leave with when you go home. And other, other than that, you know, looking at ways where you can make your money work for you instead of spending it and, and hoping for the best and just keeping on doing the same thing that you're doing over and over, right?

Um, making sure that you're investing it into spaces that are actually gonna be moving the needle forward for you in your life and getting you more freedom and e- and helping you achieve your goals versus just being in the same cycle and trap of how you spend your money and manage your money, right? And so many other ways. Utilizing technology. If you listen to this podcast before, you know that I will preach to you hard about how much delegating things to technology will make things way more efficient for you and completely regain so much freedom and time back into your life.

And time truly is money. Like, as a CEO of your company, you should be evaluating how important your time is, period. Like-There is no more valuable resource than time. And in order to save as much time so you can make as much of an impact as possible, you need to be saving time and you need to be figuring out how to work smarter, not harder, right?

And so a lot of these things that I just talked about, a lot of these examples that I just went down through are going to be covered in a very exciting, uh, project and event that we're gonna be putting on called The Modern Hairstylist Summit. And, uh, The Modern Hairstylist Summit is going to be a three-day virtual event literally teaching you how to work smarter, not harder in your business with 18 educators from around the industry with names that you may know such as Britt Seva, Cash Lawless, Jamie Dana, Krystal L We have Ebony Nelson. We have so... Nina Tulio, Jay Ladner.

We have badass educators coming to teach you specifically, as the independent stylists, how to work smarter, not harder in your business, how to save that time, how to make that money work for you, how to make sure that in the chair, you are doing services as efficiently as possible, and so much more. And the best part about this event, it is completely free for you to attend. And so all you have to do is go to hunterdonia.com/MHS and you'll be able to go ahead and register there for your free ticket.

And when you register for free, you're gonna be able to attend all of these presentations live, okay? And be connected with the community and some of our educators are going to have live Q&As and it's going to be so much freaking fun. You'll be able to have access to replays for the three full days of the event, um, for a limited time. However, you can purchase our all-access pass, which will give you unlimited replays for all of the presentations and a bunch of bonuses from our speakers.

And all of the money that is made from those all-access pass purchases is going to be moved into a BIPOC Beauty School scholarship. So if you want to bring your career to the next level, if you wanna learn how to make the most out of your time and work smarter, not harder to get to where you want to go in your business and you want to help a really important and amazing initiative, we would absolutely love to have you and see you at The Modern Hairstylist Summit. Again, it's going to be August 7th through the 9th. You can go to hunterdonia.

com/MHS and there you'll be able to register and get your free ticket or sign up for the all-access pass and help us make some money for the, uh, Beauty School Scholarship through Beauty Changes Lives. So, we are so excited to have you there. It is going to be a badass event. We, me- thank you so much to my team really quick, because, like, they have put so much effort into making this just so next level and amazing for you.

And the speakers are no fucking joke, and they are so excited to bring you the fire, and it's just gonna be amazing. So we really hope to see you there, and I hope that this episode has given you some permission, some motivation to start to streamline your business as much as you possibly can so that way you can get to your goals quicker and get all the success that you deserve and that you are capable of achieving. So, on that note, we are going to leave the link also for the registration in the show notes. We're gonna be sharing a bunch on social media and sending out emails and all the good things.

All your favorite educators are gonna be talking about it too, so just get ready to be bombarded. It's like, you might as well come, right? Like, like it is what it is. So very much go ahead and register.

Thank you so much for tuning into the Modern Hair Stylist Podcast. I hope that you enjoyed this episode. Cannot wait to see you in the next one. Peace out, girl scout.

Bye bye.

End of transcript. © 2022 Hunter Donia LLC.