Should Independent Hairstylists Go Back To Commission?

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. Okay, Hunter.

So you shared with me that there was a Facebook comment about going back to a commission salon. So we're gonna talk about, like, w- is the grass greener. There's definitely, you know, stylists thinking about this. So the Facebook comment that sparked this episode was, "I was wondering if anyone here has had a positive commission salon experience.

I'm a busy mom, and while I love being independent, I'm struggling to balance my personal life and giving my clients everything I want for them." And so your response was excellent, but we're gonna actually wait till the end of the episode to read that. We're gonna tell you exactly what Hunter said in response. But first, I wanna talk about, w- like, going back to a commission salon.

Like, is this a, a conversation a lot of stylists are having right now? Yeah. I definitely think it is. Um, I think that we had a big independent boom post, uh, pandemic.

Mm-hmm. As we've seen, like, salon suites going up all over the place. Uh, and I think people have just really, you know, with pandemic, really c- reconsider how they're spending their time in, in their life, right? Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm. Um, and so, therefore, you know, a lot of people went into being independent, owning their own business in one way or another, especially suites, and n- not really understanding or realizing what they were signing up for. Um, nobody... Nobody ever tells you that being a business owner's gonna be really hard.

It's oftentimes- Mm-hmm. very glamorized. Mm-hmm. Um, and, you know, es- especially for hairstylists, uh, 'cause you have a full-time job of being ...

of doing labor. Right, right. You have a full-time job of psychologically, emotionally, um, just tangibly, physically, like, just exerting so much energy full time. Right.

By just doing the hair. Mm-hmm. Like, that is, like, your full-time job. For sure.

Like, that's what you signed up for, right? Yeah. And then you don't realize as a business owner, and even as a commission stylist, that you are signing up for a whole ton of other responsibilities- Right. if you are trying to exceed the m- the, uh, average wage of a, a hairstylist, or salary of a hairstylist in a year, which is $28,000.

Right. The things required to get beyond that number, uh, require a lot more than just doing the hair behind a chair, and being good at hair too. Right. And so the responsibilities come down to you being an administrator, and you being the receptionist, and, uh, you keeping up with your business filings and taxes.

Right. And you creating a great client experience, and you staying educated, and then, of course, marketing yourself. Yeah. Figuring out the game of getting new clients into the chair, and then keeping your existing, existing, existing clients that you have, and posting on social consistently.

And it's, it's a lot. You're signing up for two, two full-time jobs. Right. Like, that's what w- you really need to think of it as, right?

So I'm not surprised that, you know, I believe that this conversation h- is probably becoming more increasingly so a popular one. Mm-hmm. Or a common one. Um, because we had a lot of people come in, not realize what they're getting themselves into, or not do the things required, or educate themselves on what is required- Right.

to make it sustainable, or to be successful in doing so. Or maybe they did, and they have to do it all, and it's o- overwhelming, and it's a lot for them. So then, therefore, they're burnt out, right? So they're either unsuccessful because they are not doing the things that are, that are required, or they are doing the things that are required, and they're burnt out because of it.

Right. And so, um, yeah. I think that that's the circumstance we're in right now. Well, and I think it's interesting too, because the way that the, the comment was phrased was like, "Has anyone ever had a good experience at a commission salon?"

Right? Yeah. Yeah. Sometimes.

Like, it's almost like, where is this unicorn- ... of, like, a good commission salon experience? Yeah. So what do you feel like that comes from?

Yeah. Like, d- do you think that it was, you know, this level of bad experiences that kinda drove people out of salons? And, and, like, if that was the case, then, like, why are we rethinking that, you know? Yeah.

You know, that's a really good question. Uh, my thing, my answer to this, to, or I guess, my thoughts about commission salons always are- Mm-hmm. you know, the majority of the time, especially, especially, like, 15 years ago, let's say- Right. or, or prior, y- you have somebody who has no idea what the hell they're doing as far as running a business goes- Oh, yeah.

opening a full-blown business, like, and a big business, too- Yeah. like, where you are solely responsible for facilitating a space for others to make a living. Mm-hmm. Like, it's not that...

It's not just like you're paying, like, your employees, like, a, like, a standard salary- Right. or, like, an hourly rate, right? It's like, you are facilitating a space for those people to make their own livings. Yeah.

Like, there is so much... There is so much that goes into that and doing it successfully- Right. Right. but then you, but, but commonly, you have very unexperienced people- Yeah.

or people n- who don't have any experience beyond being an employee opening this type of business- Right. in this, in this industry. So it's very unique. Yeah.

Like, it's very unique to us as an industry, I feel like. Yeah. And that's oftentimes why you will have such terrible employee salon experiences, is because people don't understand, as salon owners, you're signing up to be a leader, and there is so much that goes into leadership. 100%.

100%.... and running a business and facilitating that space, and then on top of it, also still doing hair, 'cause a lot of salon owners still do hair. Well, and yeah, I mean, I was in salons 15, like, I was in salons for 15 years before I stepped away five years ago, so - Yeah. that's fun to think about, but, um ...

But yeah, I feel like, you know, up until social media, like, where were salon owners talking to each other? Because I know- Right. there was so much of a competitive, almost, atmosphere between salons, um, and, you know, commission salons were definitely the norm, so I feel like you're right. There's not as much, like, w- the leadership conversation.

There w- there were no conversations. No. It was the Wild West, essentially. Literally, uh, uh, unless it was for the brands, right?

Yes. The brands, I, I feel like, often wanted to bring business education to the table for their salon owners because brands w- are brands who were smart and who are smart now, understand if the salon owner does well, if the business does well, they can continuously afford the brand, right? Mm-hmm. And if the brand is the one who's giving that, them that education or that business support, then they're gonna wanna stay loyal to that brand, right?

So, the only place that that conversation was really taking place was with brands- Okay. and, uh, fortunately, in the past couple years, the, the, that education, either from an independent, uh, standpoint or from the brands, is becoming more desirable from salon owners. But prior to that, like we said, 15 years ago where it was wild, wild west, brands would put out business education, but nobody would bite. Right.

Um, and so although it was there, and there, there really was not much of those conversations happening. You're very, you're very right about that. For sure. So do you think that's changed a little bit?

Like, you know, what ... Do you s- do you see a lot of, like, you know, commission salon owners and, and commission salons in themselves, like, evolving in the same way that the rest of the industry has, would you say? Absolutely, yes. Um, and so to answer the question, yeah, there's tons of people who are in a commission salon and having a great experience, and it's a great fit for them, and there are some amazing leaders out there.

Right. Like, I've spoken to them. For sure. You know, I've worked for them.

Yeah. They, there are leaders out there who are super business oriented, who are passionate about being a leader, and understand the responsibility that they have- Right. in being a salon owner and facilitating that space to help you- Yeah. make a living, right?

So, it exists. Right. Is it far and few? Yeah.

Right. It unfortunately is, and the reason why is because it's so hard to be profitable, um, as a, as a salon owner and to own a salon. It's so hard to be profitable, first off and for- foremost. Um, uh, you're signing up for a lot of responsibility as a salon owner, like, way more than any other role.

Oh, tons. Like, like, uh, and, and that can be a lot of pressure, and so salon owners, like, if, especially if they are still relying on doing hair themselves- Mm-hmm. to make their own living, how the hell is this person going to ever have time and space to be able to pour into the development of the business itself- Right. and then give those employees an excellent experience if they already have a full-time job of just doing hair behind the chair, you know?

Yeah. Um, and so be- that's why it's so far and few in between is 'cause, again, you have these people who are coming in unexperienced, with no business experience, not really understanding what they're actually signing up for, um, in both aspects, right? The independent stylists, b- opening up their own business, and then also somebody opening up their own salon, which I would say is even, even 10 times more - Right, right, yeah. that you really don't know what you're signing, signing yourself up for.

Um, so yeah. Again, uh, to answer your question, long story short, it's, it's far and few in between still to this day. Does it exist? Absolutely.

Yeah. And does it exist maybe more in, like, bigger cities? Unfortunately, yes. You know?

So, like, if you're not in a, a, in a, in a town that has those types of salons or has access to those types of salons where you feel like you'd be able to be an employee and thrive within that space and enjoy that, that, then, um, you're kind of limited with your options, I feel like. For sure. For sure. So, are there times where you feel like it makes sense for someone, 'cause, you know, if this is a conversation that is going on in the industry, do you feel like there are times where it's like, okay, yeah, maybe you should consider going back to a commission salon?

Yeah. What does that look like? You guys are gonna hear my bias here. Because I love being a business owner.

Right. Me, too. And I've also seen so many people who are in this industry who opened up their own business be able to work through bullshit and then create such magical things for themselves. For sure.

Like, I, I just started my, at the time of recording this, I just started my, like, high-level advanced mastermind. It's, like, a little bit more private and intimate, and I'm working with, uh, gr- right now, at least 10 stylists who are doing very well in their business. Right. And they are all independent.

Mm-hmm. And, um, they are just making a killing. Right. Like, they are making an unimaginable amount of money that, like, if I would tell, like, somebody outside of our industry- Right.

that, that a hairstylist was doing this, like, working three days a week, making more than 100K- Right. netting more than 100K- Right. like, they would be shook, right? Oh, for sure.

They are shook. And so, like, it's possible, and, like, it's, like, in small towns, you know, it's with all different types of specialties. Like, it's possible, and so you, y- so again, you're gonna hear my bias here because with ... I have somebody, I have somebody, the highest performer in our entire group.

She has, I think, eight children. Wow. Yeah. Eight children.

And she's running her business by her damn self, making a shit ton of money. Wow. So, this is why I'm saying you're gonna hear my bias because it's possible, okay? 'Cause it's absolutely possible for you to open up this business and do the two full-time jobs of actually owning the business but then also doing the hair.

Right. And make magic for yourself, and it, for it not to be overwhelming, for y- it to be sustainable, for you to profit, for it to be a long-term thing for you. Mm-hmm. Um, you just have to lean into the education and, like, the strategy, and, like, be willing to go th- go along with the roller coaster.

Right. And so, like, and this may sound terrible...But your question was, is there a time when somebody ... when it's right for somebody to go back to a commission salon- Yeah.

let's say, and I'm gonna say go back to. Yes. Yeah. Right?

Because the majority of my people listening to this are independent stylists right now. For sure. So, I'm gonna say go back to a, a, a commission salon. I'm gonna say, when you've given up.

Right. Like, when you've decided, like, it's time to give up, you know? Right. Like, when you are, are, like, "I'm not willing to show up and put in the damn work."

Right. And you don't see the value in what's possible. If you don't believe in what's possible- Right. from doing the hard work anymore- Right.

Then that's when you do it. But if, if you're, if you understand, like, how powerful and beautiful it is to be able to have autonomy over, you know, the decisions that you make in your business- Hmm. Right. And when you work, and how you present your services even, who you work with.

Like, the environment that you're in every single day, the experience that you offer people, like, if you find the, if you find the pros to be worth the hard work and the rollercoaster- Right. And understand that it's not always gonna be perfect- Right. And there's never gonna be a day where there's not something you're worried about, or something that you're stressed out about- Right. Then that's, that's when I say, keep fucking going, because going back to being an employee, I'm an employee right now.

Right. For people who don't, who aren't familiar. So, I had, I had my salon suite for a while, and was super s-successful in it, and then my education business really blew up, and I have a team, and I have a ton of, of, of students. And so that took up the majority of my time, and it was my, my major focus.

And I unfortunately had to take steps back from being behind the chair. Right. Not, not because I wanted to. Right.

It's because I had to. Yeah. I love doing hair. And, like let's say that I did not have this education business right now.

I would have the s- the sickest business doing hair. Like, it would be dumb how much money I'd be making- Right. With, like, a little amount of work going into it. Right.

Right. And, like, having great work/life balance, right? Right. Um, but I decided that this bigger mission that I had is, is, is where my priori- priorities need to be, because it's, it's where I'm making a big impact, right?

And so, I decided to be an employee again, and I'm doing hair about once a week. Nice. And, eh, I'm really loving it, because I have this entire other business that I have to give my energy. Very true.

And so, going in, doing the hair, and then going home is great in theory, right? Mm-hmm. But I'm only doing it once a week. Right.

And even when I'm doing it once a week, I ... And if you're listening to this, y'all, 'c- 'c-'cause now I'm an employee, right? So, like, I gotta, like, I gotta watch my mouth, right? But, like- Even the little sh- stupid, annoying shit that, like, I hated as an employee, where, like, the manager would be like, "Hey, Hunter, can I talk to you for a second?"

And it's some fucking bullshit, you know? Right. That I didn't feel like hearing, or like, didn't feel like talking about. Mm-hmm.

Or it's like something, like, stupid. Like, it, it infuriates me, right? Right. So, I couldn't even, I couldn't even ima- Or, like, ha- ha- somebody having control over what I'm doing with my clients every single day.

Right. Or, like, the experience around me. Like, I, I, I hate it. Right.

I, I really do not like it. Right. 'Cause, like, I know how to freaking give my clients a great experience. For sure.

I know how to take care of them, I know how to make money. Like, I know how to run a freaking business very well. Mm-hmm. And so, when I'm in that type of an environment and somebody is dictating things, or giving me, like, uh, I don't know, like, uh, uh, uh, uh- Feedback?

Feedback, that's great. Feedback. It's terrible. It sucks, you know?

Yeah. Um, and you know, it's essential. Uh, yeah, salon owners have to do it, and managers have to do what they need to do to, to, to keep their vision- Of course, yeah. In line, right?

Mm-hmm. And that's absolutely understandable. Um, but in the perspective of me being a business owner, and- ... a, you know, an experienced business owner at this point, and then that happening, I was like, if I was doing this five, five days a week, I would go crazy.

Right. You know? It, it wouldn't work. No.

It, it genuinely wouldn't. And so, from my own perspective and experience, I'm saying, like, you know, I just don't think it's worth it. Yeah, I feel like, do we feel like it's maybe a little bit of, um, the grass is greener? Yes.

'Cause like, there's hard parts of being a business owner, like, a thousand percent, right? But, like, do you think maybe people are forgetting- Yes. the hard parts of being an employee? Yes.

Well, I mean, when you're in something, all you're gonna see is what's right in front of you- You're right. And how painful that is. Of course. Um, and you're not going to remember, you know, the pain of the other thing, because the thing that you're in right now seems so first and foremost, you know?

Um, and so, I, I guess, you know, remember why you left. Yeah. But then, also, remember what was your why for opening. Right.

And you know, that's my advice to anybody who is actually considering the opposite, which is going from, like, an, an employee- Right. To opening up your own space. My advice is, is, uh, I really hope you're not just doing this to leave the negative stuff. Right.

I hope that you're also doing this to be a business owner- Right. And to, like, take advantage of being a business owner, and, like, and, and, and signing up f- with a why for it, you know? Um, because it's important that you have that, because if you are only opening up a, uh, your business, so if you're only own- going on your own because of the negatives- Mm-hmm. Then you're not really starting off on a great foot.

True. Even from, like, if we w- Y'all know I'm not woo-woo, okay? But, like, even from, like, a woo-woo perspective, right? Like- I think you're a little bit more woo-woo than you think you are.

I know. That's what everybody fucking says. Everybody says that I'm more woo-woo than I think. But, like, even, like, if you, like, if, if this resonates with you, right?

L- like, even from, like, a woo-woo, spiritual perspective, like, is, is starting a new endeavor only because you're leaving the negative- Right. Really a great way to start off with things? Right. Because then you have to, like, deal with what you've put yourself into- Mm-hmm.

Like, moving forward. And if you don't have a strong why for making that happen and move, making it great, right? Then it's gonna be really hard to continue, continue on. And, and, and when you are in difficult spots, when you are overwhelmed, when you are stressed out, when you're thinking to yourself, is this even worth it at the end of the day, if you don't have that why, then it's gonna be impossible for you to, to want to continue forward.

Yeah. No, I agree. I think that ... I love how you phrased that, too.

And I think it's, it's about accepting that piece of what being a business owner is gonna mean- Yes. And just having the additional work be worth- Yes. All of those things. Like, I remember being, I was an employee when I had a small child, and I remember having to be like, "Is my toddler really sick enough for me to cancel clients?"

Mm-hmm. And, like, you know, I think that those are the things that we forget about sometimes, when we do have absolute control over our days. Yeah, dude. Um, that, you know, that is kinda one of the things you're giving up.

So, I think that's a really, really important point. Yeah. And, you know, a-another thing that people will say a lot of the time is, like, "But you have a business, so you're good." when you're an employee, you're helping build somebody else's vision.

Mm-hmm. And I don't think that's entirely true. Not entirely. Like, I think, again, like, there are people who are in commission salons and who are employees who are lo- who it's the perfect fit for.

Right. Yeah. And they are making beautiful livings for themselves. Mm-hmm.

And they are happy. Like, it's absolutely possible. For sure. Um, 100%.

A lot of people will say, like, "Instead of building somebody else's vision, I wanted to build my own," right? And so, granted, like, I think that there are, are stylists who are in commission salons who are employees who are making a beautiful, creating a beautiful life and vision for themselves. It's a- absolutely possible, it's absolutely happening right now. But at the same time, you also kind of do wanna think about how, like, how much, how much power there is in building your own vision for the future and having complete control over what that looks like.

For sure. I mean, even, let's say, you know, you're in a crisis. Like, let's say that, I mean, girl, we are in crazy ass times. Mm-hmm.

Like, crazy ass ti- like, more than we have ever have been before and it's just gonna increasingly get more crazy, I, I, in my opinion, right? Yep. And this is in all aspects. Y'all can interpret that however you want to.

But, like, let's use the pandemic for an exam- as an example, right? Mm-hmm. When you have crisis, when your business is not doing well, do you want somebody else to be in control of what happens next or do you want to be in control of what happens next? Right.

I think it's so powerful to h- be in control of what happens next with your business- Yeah. when you are faced with hardship because you are going to be able to make the best decision for yourself. Yeah. Versus somebody else making a decision for how you work and how you move forward.

Mm-hmm. Um, I just think that's actually a lot more of a secure thing to be able to have, uh, control over. Yeah, absolutely. I think there's a misconception around security when it comes to being an employee too.

Yes. 'Cause, like, when you're a business owner, okay, you might lose a few clients, you can course correct a lot faster, whereas if you, you know, get laid off or, or what that looks like, I feel like there's a misconception surrounding what it means to have, like, job security as- Yep. a business owner versus an employee. Yeah, I don't know if this is, like, an extreme example, but, like, let's say that you're, like, v- let's say your salon, like, gets canceled .

Right, right. Yeah. 'Cause, like, w- I- it's happened. It's happened and, like, we're living in that day and age, right?

Yeah, yeah. So, like, it's a very realistic example, right? Like, let's say that your salon that you work in, li- li- that you are representative of, like, you are a face of this brand and you are now associated with this brand, right? Mm-hmm.

Let's say that the brand does something that is not aligned with you and your core values and then affects the public's perception of you, right? Mm-hmm. Like, that's risky. Mm-hmm.

So you are carrying a lot of risk by being an employee and you're also carrying a lot of risk by being a business owner. Right. Which risk do you think is worth it? Choose your heart.

Yeah. I feel like that's, you and I both love that phrase . Yes. Choose your heart, 100%.

That's so good. So, are there any parting thoughts, like, you know, for someone who's listening who's independent who's considering going back? Like, what are, like, the top three questions you'd say, "Ask yourself this before you make any decisions"? Well, I'm, uh, I'm, I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm just also going to say too, and you'll probably read this in my answer to this Facebook comment that we got- Okay.

Right. is, what I'm trying to teach people and what I've successfully taught people, and, like I said, if I had my own business right now where I was just doing hair and I didn't have all this other stuff, like, I'd have it made. Right. And the reason is because of the systems and the strategy that I have in my business and the strategy and automation and systems that I teach my students.

And so, like, if you feel like you're working your ass off all the time, like, what have you done or what resources have you leaned into or how have you set up your business to make it so that stuff is streamlined without jeopardizing your success? Mm-hmm. Because we can streamline it and we can have boundaries all we want, but if we don't do it in a strategic way that's still offering a great client experience, then we can s- screw ourselves over. Mm-hmm.

And so therefore, what I teach you is how to have the best of both worlds, is how to make it so when you go home, you can truly mostly turn things off, right? Yeah. And you can just focus on the things that actually grow the business and move it forward versus just the shit that maintains it- Right. that actually takes so much of your energy and burns you out way more than you think it does and you realize that it does.

Um, and so, I would just also, I just, I think it's very important in this episode to also talk about that. Like, it's possible f- it's absolutely possible for you to be a business owner, to be able to streamline a lot of that responsibility. Right. And as you progress in your growth as a business owner and how well you're doing, right, you can offload more and more and more of that stuff.

Right. Like, you ca- you don't even have to, eventually, you might not even have to think about how you're gonna get a new client into your chair. Right. Like, genuinely, like, you can delegate those things.

You can systematize them. But you have to work your way up to that first. You have to have enough profit, you have to have enough experience, you have to have created your own success so that way it's easy for you to delegate the things that are working to either other things, other systems, or other people. Right.

And so, the place that we start is with the bullshit, lowest value tasks, which is communication with clients, all right? Right. It's not bullshit. It's a very important, and of course we want it to be good.

Right. But it does take up a lot of energy and time and space. It's also just o- in alignment with consumer behavior to be able to respond as quickly spot- as quickly as possible. And so if you streamline and automate that stuff, it immediately takes a massive weight off of your shoulder.

For sure. You know? And so, I'm just, to the person who's like, "I'm super overwhelmed. I feel like I'm working all the time," what have you already done to streamline- Yes.

the shit that you have to do? Yeah. Have you exhausted all of your options? Right.

Yeah. Are you looking for, like, that easy button that won't be so easy - Period. in a month ? Exactly.

Yeah. I love that. That's so cool. Okay.

Lemme read y'all my response to this, to this, uh, to this question. "Hey, Vanessa. I have had positive commission salon experiences, but would take the ownership and power of choice that comes with the extra responsibility any day over being an employee full-time again. There's absolutely a path to more balance as a business owner, but it takes short-term sacrifice to make it happen.

Getting up earlier in the morning sometimes, learning the strategy and the systems, making difficult changes, all the things that we've taught in my programs. Once you're at a certain point, after the hard work, a lot can be hired out and you just show up to work and make money doing what you love with no boss telling you what to do or how to do it. For me, the pros outweigh the cons, and the hard work and sacrifice I made in the meantime absolutely paid off in the long run, and I'm so glad that I decided to stick it out." Period.

I love that. So that's my message to all of y'all, okay? Is that- So good. you have to, like, be willing to sign up for ...

You have to be willing to go on the roller coaster that is being a business owner to be able to get all the pros and the benefits of it. Yeah. And nobody has, nobody who has done anything great hasn't had to sacrifice and had to struggle along the way, and it's just inevitable that there's gonna be overwhelm, there's gonna be stress, but you can do a lot of things to mitigate it, and then it's only gonna get better and better and better and better the more that you grow as a business owner. I love that.

If it were easy, everyone would do it . Exactly. 100%. I love that.

Yes. Yeah. Love that.

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