Most Salon Owners Ignore March - Here's Why That's Fatal

March is the month most salon business owners waste. January was all about big plans, February was all about survival mode, and then March turns up and everyone just seems to drift. Three weeks later, it's April, and you're already behind, but not this year. Hello, hello, hello, my salon friends. Phil Jackson here, your queen of salons, coming all over the internet with a great big dose of my Wise Owl Wisdom. How on earth are you? Achingly well, I hope, as we take our first step into March. So, how was February? How was January? January, I think, is kind of, we let ourselves off a lot in January, because it's all to play for, and we've got this fantastic new year to play with. January's all about intention. February, reality bites, and we all kind of batten down the hatches and go into survival mode. That said, there's got to be, you know, I've got to note that actually my Salon Spark coaching group have done extraordinarily well in February. February, we've had some really, very strong business results. Okay, not everybody hit their targets, but, you know, I challenge them. I push people to set targets that are just a little outside their comfort zone each month, but we did get some people absolutely slaying it. So, a big call out to my Salon Spark buddies. I'm super, super proud of you. But March has a different feel. March is all about decision, because by March, you know what Q1 actually looks like financially. You also know which staff are performing, whether the plan that you've made in January is working, but you've still got time to respond. From April onwards, we start going into reactive mode. We start getting overtaken by bookings, and then school holidays, and Easter, and then suddenly it's summer. So, the window to make those strategic decisions is approximately now. Miss it, and you're going to be making those same decisions in a panic in June, or worse still, when we get to Q3 and Q4, because the truth is most salon owners make their biggest decisions in a reactive way. And I'm talking about things like price rises, staff changes, marketing pushes. They wait until Q3 and Q4, when the pressure is highest, and you're thinking, when the pressure is high, your thinking's at its worst. So, what I want you to do in March is make those decisions from a calmer place. So, three key decisions I want you to look at in March.

Decision number one, are you priced right for the busy season? I know we're already thinking about money, we're already thinking about tax season. Easter's coming, spring's coming, and your books will fill up a little bit more over the warmer weather. But at what price? If you haven't raised your prices yet this year, March is probably your last sensible window before those clients start rebooking at current rates for the summer. Price rise in April can feel a bit negative, particularly if people have got tax bills to pay, and the 5th of April and, you know, things like minimum wage going up and all the rest of it can actually put people onto the back foot financially. But March, with decent communication, lands really cleanly. So, if you're avoiding this, it's not going to get any easier. This is about as good as it's going to get. Decision number two, is your team in the right shape for the busy season? So, we've had 10 weeks now of 2026. You know which conversations you've been avoiding. That staff issue left until the summer becomes a crisis in your busy period. So, March is time to review the team, review each team member, give the feedback, and make the call. You can't build that profitable business on a team that you haven't been honest with. And then decision number three, do you know what you're selling in Q2? Now, I don't mean, have you got a price list? I know what's on your website. I mean, do you have a plan to drive revenue profitably April through June? Most salon owners don't, not until they get there. They're waiting to see what happens. But waiting to see what happens is a plan, but it's not a very good one. So, what are your spring promotions? What are you doing around Mother's Day? What are you doing for your rebooking strategy? What does April look like? So, we've got to do a little bit of an audit, a little bit of a temperature check on how the year is going. So, block out about 20 minutes this week, not to work in your business, but to work on it. And I want you to answer three questions, take a new page in that shiny new journal. Firstly, what did Q1 actually look like in terms of revenue, in terms of profits, in terms of team, in terms of clients? Honest version? And what needs to change before the summer? And what are you currently avoiding? Write those answers down on paper, because the answers that you're avoiding writing down are nearly always the most important ones. That's your March audit.

It takes less than half an hour. And if you do it, you'll spend the rest of the month doing the right things instead of the things that just feel urgent. So, March is your window, the pricing conversation, the team conversation, the planning conversation. They're all possible this month without the noise and the pressure that comes from April onwards. The salon owners who look back on 2026 as the years things changed are the ones that take action this quarter. But if you're listening to this and thinking you don't know where to start, that's exactly what my one-to-one ultimate clarity solves. Over 90 days, we build your five-year business plan, your pricing strategy, and your 12-month marketing plan. All done. No guesswork. You can book a free 30-minute conversation with me using the link underneath this episode. The link's in the show notes. Next Friday, we're going to start talking about how to raise your prices without losing clients. In the meantime, what have I missed? How has Q1 been for you? Reach out and let me know. My email address is scrolling at the bottom of the screen right now. Also, could you please do your Uncle Phil a little favour? If you're listening over on Apple, and I'm targeting Apple listeners first, could you please take a minute just to leave me a five-star review on this podcast? It's the easiest way to make sure more of our wonderful salon owner friends get to hear about the podcast. Takes you two minutes, makes all the difference to me. Heck, it will even make my week go with a swing. Just a few short days until I'm coming all over the internet again, and until then, take care.