Self-Care Mastery for Salon Owners and Beauty Experts

Sit down and see what's going on with the Queen of Salons. Hair, beauty, and more successful tips for business owners. All on Build Your Salon. Hello, hello, hello my salon friend. How on earth are you? Phil Jackson here, Queen of Salons, coming in your ears again with another dose of nonsense here on the Build Your Salon. Build Your Salon podcast. How are we doing? We are nearly halfway through the month, nearly halfway through the year, so it's kind of time to think about reflecting, and if it were me, I'd be carving out some time towards the end of this month for a bit of a mid-year review, if I were you, as we get ready to head into quarter three, just figure out whether we're on track to achieve what we said we were going to way back in January when we set our intentions for the year. Yesterday, I was up in London with my Simple Salon marketing group, and together we set out what the next quarter is going to look like for us marketing-wise, so it's a time to reflect, and a time to pause, and a time to celebrate some wins over the last quarter, and also time to realise where the challenges are, and perhaps we do need to redefine what success looks like for us in 2023. So where are you up to? How have things been for you? I've had some wonderful stories of success through May. It feels like finally we shook off the last of winter. Cost of living conversations seem to be on the decline at the moment. People seem to be a bit more happy to spend some money in our wonderful businesses, which is glorious for us, of course, and I've always subscribed to the idea that business has a season. It has a rhythm to it. It has a spring, a summer, an autumn, and a winter, and unfortunately it doesn't line up with the calendar seasons, which means that it can be a bit frustrating. But we've got to recognise those seasons in your own business. And you can try and take your harvest in the spring, but it means that you're not reaping the benefits of all your hard work. Equally, we can try and sow seeds in the winter, and that's really, really tough as well, and this growth is going to be really hard.

And I think what we've got at the moment in lots of businesses is we're in autumn. We're reaping the rewards of all the hard work we've put in over the last five or six months, where it's felt like we've been doing lots and lots of work, not gaining much traction. Suddenly that's starting to pay off, and it's a bit like harvest time for us, and lots of businesses are feeling a level of abundance. So what season is your business in? Perhaps reach out and let me know. Phil at buildyoursalon.com. Love hearing about how you're doing, good or bad. Uncle Phil's here to listen without judgement, and it's interesting just to see how listeners across the world are managing their businesses right now. So how are things for you? Are you putting some money aside? If you're in abundance at the moment, the temptation is that we reinvest all of that money straight away. Just siphon a little bit off would be my advice. Not that you should be taking financial advice from a free podcast, of course. You should be going to a qualified, indemnified professional, not some old queen sat in an office talking into a microphone without any feedback, I can tell you. But should you feel the need to follow any level of my advice, I'd be putting some money away. Because winter is coming, and there will be another season where you're feeling a little bit short of cash, and perhaps things aren't quite as abundant and things aren't quite flowing as you want them to. So put a bit of money aside in the good times. Put a bit of tithe away so that we've got some resources. I have a little sub-account on my business bank account, which I call my war chest. And I just put a couple of percentage points of everything that I take into the war chest, just so there's a bit of a buffer there, a little bit of cash in the business too. And we can thank COVID-19 for that wonderful business lesson for me, because that's something that I learnt the hard way during lockdown, of course. But the other temptation when things are going well is that we go crazy. We work really, really hard. And we can do that in the short term, but as a long-term strategy, that's a very quick way to burn out. So what I want to talk about today is how we take care of our wellness, how we take care of our self-care in our businesses, because it's important. We've got to understand that we are under a unique set of pressures, a unique set of challenges, a very unique set compared to your team members. We're at a different life stage. We're at a different career stage. We have different stresses to the people that we employ. And I think it's very easy for us to see ourselves purely as service providers in terms of the salon services that we carry out. But there's so much more to it, because your team members aren't lying awake,

worrying about how you're going to cover the invoice for the great big box of tints that arrived in your salon yesterday, or worrying about how we're going to make the payment on that laser hair removal machine, which arrived last month. So we've got a unique set of challenges. And that means that we've got to find a unique approach to self-care and well-being in order to maintain our longer-term success. This constant hustle, this constant grind, this constant 10x, I'm afraid I rage against completely, not just because I'm instinctively lazy, and trust me, I am. If there's a shortcut, I will find it. But it's about promoting a balanced approach, because I think there's a very strong connection between self-care, creativity, productivity, and long-term success. So the better we can strike that balance in the early days, the better we can strike that balance on our day-to-day, the more likely it is that we're not going to burn out. We're going to maintain our physical, our emotional, our mental health in the longer term. So what does that look like? Stop talking in the abstract, Uncle Phil. Give us some things that we can actually do and implement in our business. Well, it's about having a self-care routine. It's about trying to prioritise some of those needs and preferences you have. And it's about creating a routine that aligns not only with your schedule and your lifestyle, but aligns with the things that actually work for you too. So for example, for me, I incorporate meditation into my day. I'm not brilliant at meditation, I have to say. I can only really maintain a routine with guided meditation. I need someone talking to me. Oh, I found, oh my goodness, I don't know if you've ever heard of Asana Rebel, which is an app on your phone. It's not very expensive. I didn't realise. I bought it for yoga. But they have these guided meditations with this chap. I follow him on Instagram, actually. Corey Mascara, his name is. Oh my days, what a dish. And his voice, oh, I'm like butter. Absolutely fantastic. So it works for me. And that works for me. This is the point. So I've incorporated that self-care practice into my schedule, into my lifestyle, into my week. It may not work for you. Similarly, some people find that some exercise is a really strong part of their self-care routine. And they have this almost meditative practice around going to the gym.

I do go to the gym. Not as much as I should. I probably don't work as hard as I should. But, you know, I've kind of made it part of my routine. But it doesn't work for me in terms of feeling like that is self-care. It feels like a chore. It feels like something I have to get through. So it's about noticing your energy around these things. Trying lots of different ways. Even just having some time for hobbies can be really, really useful too. But I think we should be allocating, booking into our appointment systems. We should be booking time for self-care too. So allocate dedicated time and guard that time with your life. My dear, this is important for your longer-term success. So we're experimenting with different self-care techniques. But actually carving out time in our day, in our week, in our month, in our quarter. To make sure self-care is a priority. This isn't selfish. This is self-care. This isn't about you being lazy and slacking off. This is about making sure that you've got the energy and the motivation to come back to work again tomorrow. But we've got to guard that time. We've got to set boundaries. And we've got to manage that work-life balance. In fact, it's not really a balance, is it? I don't like the phrase work-life balance because it implies that we need 50-50. It should be half work, half life. Firstly, I don't like the idea that work and life can't be the same thing. My work is a massive part of my identity. It's integral to my life. So let's call it a work-life integration then, shall we? The other thing, of course, is that over the years, the lines, particularly for small businesses, the lines have been blurred. We're answering inquiries from clients at all hours of the day and night sometimes. Social media means that our friends are also on our work accounts and our clients are part of our personal lives. Listen, we've smudged those boundaries in so many ways. So we've got to make sure that we're establishing clear boundaries wherever we can. Embracing the fact that our work and our personal life is this big hot mess. And instead of striving for separation, just create designated time and make sure that we're doing all sorts of things with intention. It's okay to do nothing. It's okay to be lazy. It's okay to not have an allocated activity for a period of time as long as you're doing it with intention. As long as you knew that was what you were going to be doing this afternoon. What's not okay is fudging around, pretending you're being productive and scrolling through endless reels on Instagram when you should be doing something else. Or you should be parenting. Or you should be taking care of self-care.

We've got to learn to say no. We've got to create designated time for your personal activities, for your relationships. Yes, I schedule time with my kids. Yes, I schedule time with my husband. And that might feel very contrived. It might feel a little cold and a little calculating. But my goodness, it means that my kids and my husband have some time with me every week. And I guard that time. That's a strong boundary. It's a non-negotiable in my calendar. It means that I'm actually prioritizing that relationship, doing it with intention, at least a few times each week. So I think it's better that I schedule it than it just squeezes in around the other tasks. Or worse still, that I pretend I'm spending time with my husband or pretend that I'm spending time with my kids when actually I'm scheduling next week's social media posts. Come on, guys. That's not work-life integration. That's just doing no task particularly well. What would getting paid properly mean to you? A better lifestyle? Less financial worry? Being able to be present and improve your relationships with your loved ones? Maybe even a better night's sleep? I know these are scary times. But if you're continually living paycheck to paycheck, if you can't seem to get ahead financially, I feel your frustration. I have seen your pain. It's time to stop winging it. You know your salon business could be doing more. It's time to finally fix your fear of the figures, take control and charge what you're worth, to step into the shoes of the well-paid, professional salonpreneur you were always meant to be. And that's what my Get Paid Properly program is all about. I'll help you improve your relationship with money, understand the finances in your business, and I'll show you what you should be charging to the penny. All of that without overwhelm and without guesswork. For all of the details of Get Paid Properly and to sign up now, head to getpaidproperly.com. And with the exclusive discount code PODCAST, you can get an enormous £200 off your investment in the program as well. Let's work together to make this the year you finally take control of the money in your salon business. I'm a bit of a magpie as far as my personal time is concerned.

I love a new hobby. I love someone teaching me something and then I love jumping onto Amazon or jumping onto eBay and filling my cart with tools and bits and pieces for my new hobby. And I've got the wreckage of hobbies scattered across my house. The number of things that I've taken up, got really into for a short amount of time and then moved on to the next. There are a few that stick with me. I'm quite crafty. I quite like creating. I love making clothes. I love fabric. I love wool. I love yarn. And I don't know if you're a big fan, but the Great British Sewing Bee is showing over here on the BBC at the moment and it always inspires me and motivates me to create more. So I recognise the importance of having those brain breaks. I recognise the importance of those activities and hobbies. And what I've tried to do is make sure that I am incorporating those in a more social way. So they're quite solitary activities. So what I've tried to do is find classes or I've tried to find groups or I've tried to find organisations that I can be part of to share that hobby time with someone else. So it's a bit more social because I spend a lot of time on my own, you see. Mostly it's me in this office talking to people on Zoom or recording podcasts or writing. I don't spend a lot of time with people face-to-face, which is why seeing my group yesterday was so important to me. So I've tried to embrace my leisure activities. I've tried to find lots of hobbies that bring me joy and bring me fulfilment. I'm also recognising what I need to maintain a positive mindset, to practise self-compassion, to incorporate that social aspect into my spare time as well. Now for you, if you're spending all day every day with team members, if you're spending all day every day with customers in that customer-facing environment, it might be the opposite to you. It might be that we have to notice our energy and notice our needs. And perhaps what you need is that bit of quiet, that one-to-one. Perhaps it's as simple as taking a walk with the dog and putting some AirPods in and just tuning the rest of the world out for a little while. Perhaps that's how we maintain your mental health and keep that positive mindset for you. So notice your energy, notice what you need. What you need more than anything though is priority on sleep and rest. And this was the big game changer for me. As we came out of lockdown and my body clock was a mess and my body was a mess

and everyone's mindset was a mess, let's face it. The biggest change for me was understanding the importance of sleep. For your overall wellbeing, your overall productivity, that consistent sleep schedule, practicing really good sleep habits is incredibly important. And it changed my life. And that sounds dramatic. And darlings, as you know, I am prone to the dramatic every now and again. But really creating that relaxing bedtime routine, switching off all the screens at least an hour before you go to bed, going to bed at the same time, come hell or high water. Actually, that's not quite true. Occasionally life gets in the way, but mainly I'm in bed at the same time every single night. And if you need some professional help with this, get it. I promise you having a proper sleep environment, decent sleep habits is a game changer for your energy for the rest of the day. And similarly, I hear that nutrition and eating habits can be vital too. Now I'm not going to sit here and lecture you on nutritious food and making sure you've got amazing eating habits. Anyone can take a look at my waistline and know that I'm not the person to give any kind of nutritional advice. What I will say, though, is that it's a priority. Of course, we know that some foods make us feel sluggish. Some foods give us energy. Some foods resonate with us on an energetic level. And some we know are going to punish us later. And I would also add into that, of course, hydration and caffeine and sugary drinks and all the rest of it too. I'm not going to lecture you. You know what you need to do as far as your nutrition is concerned. Then finally, what I would encourage you to do is to see balance in your life as a slightly longer term picture. I find it really hard to strike the perfect balance that maintains self-care for me, maintains wellness, keeps my mindset positive and prioritises mental health on a daily basis. I find that really, really tough. But if I look at the slightly longer picture, I can find that balance much more effectively. Let me take a personal example. Let's say time with my children. If I look at my day, there is not a proper balance there. Some days I don't see my kids at all. If I'm doing a salon visit for one of my one-to-one coaching clients, I could be away for two or three days and not see my kids apart from a little bit of FaceTime. So if I look at the day, we're out of whack. Sometimes if I look at the week, that balance isn't there either.

But when I look at the month or I look at the quarter or I look at the year, I can pretty much say that that relationship is in a proper balance to prioritise the relationship, to maintain boundaries and maintain that positive mindset too. Because when it comes to the school holidays over the summer, and that's looming on the horizon, my goodness, that can be a challenge, can't it? But that six weeks over the summer, I barely work at all. I'm nearly with my kids the entire day for the entire summer. So that pushes things, if I look at that week, that pushes the balance in the other direction too. So sometimes taking a slightly longer view can work really well. And we've talked previously about the seasons in our business. Sometimes during harvest season, we need to double down. We need to make hay while the sun shines. We need to make money while there is money available. So it might be that we're working longer hours, that we're pushing harder, we're getting more money in the till. And then over the longer term, we can say, OK, that picture's out of whack in harvest time. But when it comes to the winter, now's a great time to take some time off. When there's less money around, less clients coming in, and I've built up my little buffer of cash during harvest time, that's when I can push back a little bit. And across the year, I'm back in balance. So sometimes we need those bigger breaks. We need those holidays. We need those bigger leisure activities. We need those bigger chunks of time dedicated to ourselves, dedicated to our hobbies, in order to push the longer term picture back into balance. I would also add into that, sometimes we need to recharge and rejuvenate with a business flavour. And if you've never done a business retreat before, I promise you, this can be not just business changing, but life changing. Having that period of time where you are dedicated and focused on working on your business, without the day-to-day, prioritising your business above almost everything else, just for a few days, can be a massive game changer for lots of people. But you wouldn't want to do that every day. It has its power, it has its impact, because it is unusual, because it's pushing the balance in a slightly different direction in the shorter term. But that means more than anything, when we're relaxing, when we're having our leisure time, we've got to do it with intention, and we've got to do it guilt-free. We're not being lazy when we're prioritising self-care. We're not being lazy when we prioritise our wellness. We are maintaining and preserving our long-term viability

and the long-term health of ourselves and our businesses. So I hope that's helped a little bit. I'd love it if you could share how you build self-care and wellness into your daily and weekly routines. Reach out to me, phil at buildyoursalon.com. You know I adore hearing from you, my wonderful salon and beauty business owners. If there's a topic you'd like me to cover in a future episode, reach out and let me know too, because I'm guessing a lot of the time on what I think you might like to hear, given the feedback I've had on previous episodes. But if there's something I'm neglecting, then let me know, my dear. This is your podcast as much as it is mine. And if you've got two minutes, why not give us a little review? You know reading those reviews absolutely makes my day, my week and my month. I always think five stars looks the best on the screen. Just seven short days until I'm coming in your ears again. And until then, take care. Sit down and see what's going on with the queen of salons. Hair, beauty, and more successful tips for business owners. All on Build Your Salon.