Build Your Salon with Phil Jackson

Practical goal setting for salons can turn chaos into clear progress. You’ll learn how to plan your business year by year, quarter by quarter, and month by month with simple steps that work.

Build a Five-Year Plan
Start with a five-year plan using a grid. List your goals down the left and years one to five across the top. Each year, tick off which goals you’ll tackle. Only carry forward the year-one goals to your next stage. Let the rest stay on the side for now.

Break Annual Goals into Quarters
Once you know your year-one goals, make a new grid. List the same goals down the side and Q1 to Q4 across the top. Tick off which goals go in each quarter. Focus only on Q1 for your immediate plan.

Use Calendar Blocking, Not Weekly Plans
After planning monthly, don’t plan by week. Instead, block time in your calendar. Schedule your goal tasks so they’re visible and real. This keeps you on track and avoids missed actions.

Plan for Business Seasons First
Look at your 2025 business patterns. For example, January and February might be your busiest months. December could be slow. Set revenue targets based on these natural peaks and troughs—not by dividing your total by 12.

Set Targets Based on Real Capacity
Some months can handle more work than others. Use past data to set higher targets in busy months like January and February. Give quieter months like December lower targets. This matches your real ability to deliver.

Add Daily and Team Goals
Don’t just plan big visions. Include daily tasks like revenue targets, profit goals, hiring or letting go team members, and new service launches. These small steps matter just as much as big dreams.

Book Holidays Early
Don’t wait until May to plan summer holidays. Book them now. Waiting means higher costs and last-minute client changes. Early booking keeps your team happy and your business running smoothly.

You now have a clear, step-by-step way to set goals that actually work. Your salon will grow with purpose, not guesswork. Like Phil Jackson’s team-building philosophy, success comes from clear plans and shared focus. Ready to build your salon? Visit buildyoursalon.com and start planning your next big step.

Salon goal planning 2026 starts with a clear mind and honest reflection. You’ll learn how to set real, meaningful goals that fit your life and your business.

KEY TAKEAWAYS
Debrief Campaigns with AI
After each marketing campaign, write a short review. Use AI to ask: what worked, what didn’t, what to fix, and if you should run it again. This creates a real record of what helped your salon grow in 2025.

Review Money and Mood from 2025
Look at both your profit numbers and how you felt. What made you happy? What drained you? List what brought money and joy, and what wasted time or caused stress. This keeps you honest without being too hard on yourself.

Set Your Magic Number
Decide how much profit you want for 2026. Think about your lifestyle, tax needs, and savings. This number tells you how much your salon must earn after costs and taxes.

Read to Grow Your Mind
Use the Christmas–New Year break to read books like 100 Million Dollar Offers or 10X Is Easier Than 2X. These help you think bigger about value and pricing, even if you don’t aim for 10X yet.

Filter Goals by Your Values
Use a free printable values deck. Sort cards into “important,” “not important,” and “very important.” Then only keep goals that match your “very important” values. This cuts down your list from 10 to just 5.

Block Time for Your Planning
Pick one 2.5 to 4-hour slot between Christmas and New Year. Do your review, set your profit target, and run the values exercise. Do this after you’ve rested from holiday meals.

Check Last Week’s Episode
Go back to last week’s Build Your Salon episode for a step-by-step guide on using the values deck. It shows how to sort cards and cut your goals to just five that truly matter.

CONCLUSION
With clear steps and honest reflection, your salon goal planning 2026 will be real and personal. Like Phil Jackson’s team, success comes from preparation and purpose—visit buildyoursalon.com to grow your salon with confidence.

December stress salon owners can feel overwhelmed, but knowing your core values helps you stay calm and focused. This episode shows you how to find what truly matters to you, so you can run your salon with clarity and peace.

Use energy patterns to identify values
Notice how different people or activities make you feel. For example, spending time with family might leave you tired, even if you love them. The speaker found she needs quiet time after social events to recharge. That need for solitude shows solitude is a key value for her.

Review time allocation to uncover values
Look at your calendar or journal. If it’s full of meet-ups with friends, friendship is likely important. If you spend hours reading or studying, learning might be a core value. The speaker spends time reading Aristotle, which tells us learning is a big part of her life.

Ask trusted others about your values
Talk to close friends who know you well. Ask them what they think your values are. They might say you care about honesty or creativity. But remember, people only see what you show them. Their thoughts help check your own view.

Use a free downloadable values card exercise
Find a free set of values cards online. Print and cut them into small cards. Sort them into three piles: “very important,” “important,” and “not important.” This simple step helps you see what truly matters.

Reduce values to top 10, then top 5
After sorting, pick the top 10 values. Then choose just 5. It’s hard to cut out some, but that’s how you find your true priorities. These five will guide your choices all year.

Reassess values annually due to life changes
Your values change over time. The speaker did this exercise again after a few months and found her priorities had shifted. Life changes, so your values should too. Check in once a year to stay aligned.

Use Salon Spark for accountability to align actions with values
Join Salon Spark at buildyoursalon.com. It includes a WhatsApp group and weekly calls every Friday at 7.30 UK time. Each month starts with a clarity call to match your goals with your values.

You don’t have to face December stress alone. Just like Phil Jackson led his team with focus and trust, you can lead your salon with purpose. Build your confidence and your business with the support of Build Your Salon. Visit buildyoursalon.com today.

Boost salon revenue december with simple changes that work even if your usual December rush is quieter. You’ll learn practical ways to keep cash flowing and make the most of the holiday season.

Revisit December Leave Policies
Many salons still block staff leave in December, but the big rush isn’t always there anymore. Letting team members take time off can help avoid burnout and still keep profits steady.

Open Briefly Between Christmas and New Year
If you close for two weeks, you might miss out on small but steady bookings. Opening just two days after Christmas can bring in extra income without extra stress.

Train Staff to Upsell Smartly
One salon let stylists offer a full head of foils if a client booked a half head and there was space. They gave a small discount and made £20 extra per client—no extra cost to the client.

Call Clients Before Appointments
Calling clients the day before or on the morning of their visit helped them plan. When stylists offered a service upgrade then, more said yes—because they had time to think it over.

Sell Gift Cards to New Buyers
Don’t just sell gift cards to your current clients. Target their partners, spouses, or friends instead. These are the people likely buying last-minute gifts.

Boost Gift Card Ads on Social Media
Use paid posts on Facebook or Instagram to reach more people. Focus on local groups and hashtags like #ChristmasGifts to get noticed by those shopping late.

Move January Sales to Boxing Day
A January “New Year, New You” sale can be called a Boxing Day offer instead. This gives you a second chance to sell if the first push didn’t work.

You can boost salon revenue december with small, smart moves that keep your team happy and your income strong. Try one or two of these tips and see what works for your salon.
Phil Jackson’s advice on building a strong team fits here—when your staff feel trusted, they help grow your business. Ready to build your salon? Visit buildyoursalon.com for more free tools and tips.

Profit per staff member is the real measure of your salon’s success. You’ll learn how to track what truly matters and grow your business without burning out.

KEY TAKEAWAYS
Track Profit Per Staff Member
Your salon grew from £103,000 to £160,000 in 18 months, but adding three team members didn’t help your pay. You earned less per hour. That’s because revenue alone doesn’t show the full picture. Profit per staff member includes wages, training, sick days, and even team drama.

Include Management Time and Mental Load
When you judge a team member’s value, don’t just look at money made. Think about the hours you spend managing them. Add in the stress, the mental load, and the cost of mistakes. These don’t show on your profit and loss, but they affect your life and your bottom line.

Remove Low-Level Services
Low-level services don’t help your profit. They take time and keep your team from learning high-value work. One salon owner cut these services and freed up space for better, higher-paying treatments. This made room for real growth and better results.

Raise Prices and Reassess Work
To boost profit per hour, you must increase prices and rethink what your team does. Some team members may need to stop doing low-value tasks. It’s not easy, but it’s necessary. Focus only on work that brings real profit.

Downsize with Confidence
Cutting staff isn’t failure. It’s smart business. One owner reduced her team size and found her profit rose. Smaller isn’t worse—it’s often better. You don’t need more people to be successful.

Avoid the Growth Trap
Growing your team just to boost revenue can backfire. More people mean more stress, more drama, and less profit. This cycle hurts your lifestyle. Don’t grow just to feel bigger. Focus on real results.

See the Full Cost of Work
Look beyond the money. Include training time, sick days, and emotional effort. These hidden costs matter. Only when you see the full picture can you tell who truly adds profit to your business.

CONCLUSION
Your salon can thrive without constant growth. Focus on profit per staff member and you’ll build a business that works for you. Like Phil Jackson said, great teams are built with purpose—not size. Find your edge at buildyoursalon.com.

New client marketing for salons is changing fast. In this episode, you’ll learn simple, real-world ways to bring in more first-time visitors – even in tough times.

KEY TAKEAWAYS
Focus on New Clients by 2026
By 2026, you’ll need more new clients, not just repeat ones. People are booking less often, and old tricks won’t bring in enough new business. Start treating new client marketing as your top goal.

Add Fun to Your Salon Experience
Remember when Christmas meant elves, mulled wine, and happy, tipsy guests? That fun vibe brought people in. Now, visits feel like a chore. Add simple fun – like themed days or treats – to give people a real reason to come.

Run ‘Recommend a Friend’ Campaigns at Key Times
Don’t run referral offers all year. Instead, run them when you need new clients – like in winter or before summer. Your best clients will only suggest people they think will enjoy the salon, so these referrals work better than ads.

Stop Relying on Free Social Media Leads
You can’t expect someone watching dog videos to suddenly book a facial. Social media isn’t a free way to get new clients. Use it to stay close to your regulars, not to chase strangers.

Try Old-School Marketing Again
Get on the local radio, write for community magazines, or work with PR. These still reach people who search for services locally. Don’t ignore them just because you’re online.

Keep Your SEO Strong in the AI Age
AI still uses the same SEO rules. Write clear, helpful pages. Add a short summary to each page so AI understands it fast. Keep writing great content that answers real questions.

Use Your Blog for SEO and Social Media
Dust off your blog. Great posts help you rank online and give you easy content to share on social media. It’s a double win – better search results and more to talk about.

CONCLUSION
This episode shows you how to grow your salon by focusing on new clients, not just keeping the ones you have. With smart moves – like fun events, smart referrals, and old-school PR – you’ll build a busy, happy salon. Think like Phil Jackson, stay focused, and grow with Build Your Salon – visit buildyoursalon.com to get started.

New client acquisition for salons is key to growing your business in 2026. You’ll learn practical ways to attract fresh customers without relying on old habits.

KEY TAKEAWAYS
Shift Focus to New Clients by 2026
The time to focus only on loyal clients is ending. Long gaps between visits are now normal. To keep your salon busy, you must bring in new people, not just keep the same ones coming back.

Bring Back Festive Fun in December
Remember Christmas with elves, reindeer, mulled wine, and happy guests? That fun made people want to visit even when it was cold. Now, that magic is missing. Add fun back in to draw people in.

Run Friend Referrals at Key Times
Ask your happy clients to recommend friends, but only during busy times like December or pre-holiday weeks. People who already love your salon are more likely to send good fits your way.

Stop Relying on Organic Social Media
You can’t expect people scrolling through dog videos to suddenly book a salon visit. Social media won’t bring in new clients on its own. Don’t treat it like a free customer source.

Use PR and Traditional Media
Get on the local radio, appear in community magazines, and show up in local news. These old-school methods work better than social media for new people to find you.

Keep Strong SEO Practices
Even with AI search, good SEO still matters. Make sure each page on your website has a short summary. Your current SEO work is still effective.

Use Your Blog to Boost Visibility
Dust off your blog and write helpful, expert-style posts. Great blog content helps you rank better online and gives you ready-made posts for social media.

CONCLUSION
New client acquisition for salons is not about doing more of the same. It’s about trying fresh, real-world tactics that actually bring people through your door. Think like Phil Jackson – focus on team growth, not just repeat names. Visit buildyoursalon.com to build your salon’s future.

Running a salon means thinking carefully about your salon pricing strategy. This episode gives you clear, simple steps to stay strong without scaring off customers.

KEY TAKEAWAYS
Shorter Episodes, More Often
You’ll hear new episodes more often now. They’ll be short—just a few minutes. Perfect for when you’re walking the dog or tidying up.

Audio-Only Format
We’re switching to audio-only podcasts. No more video editing or technical headaches. You’ll get the same helpful advice, faster and easier.

Avoid Negative Social Posts
Don’t post about money worries or politics on social media. Your customers don’t want to hear your stress. Keep your feed bright and welcoming.

No Price Hikes in December
Don’t raise prices in December unless it’s urgent. Customers are already tight on cash after the holidays. Adding stress now can backfire.

Wait Until After January
Wait until after January to review or raise prices. Let your clients recover from holiday spending. A fresh start in January is better for business.

Use Social Media to Sell, Not Vent
If your social media is for customers, keep it positive. Share tips, happy clients, or new services. Not your personal gripes.

Talk to Us
We want to hear from you. Email us with your news, ideas, or what topics you’d like next. A five-star review on your favourite platform helps us reach more salon owners.

CONCLUSION
This episode gave you a simple plan to manage your salon pricing strategy without losing customers. Remember, small choices make a big difference. Like Phil Jackson said, success comes from focus and trust. Learn more at buildyoursalon.com.

Firing bad salon clients isn’t about being harsh—it’s about protecting your time and peace. You’ll learn simple ways to keep only the clients who truly value your work and make your business better.

KEY TAKEAWAYS
Fire the worst clients
Some clients drain your energy no matter how much they spend. If they text at midnight, cancel last minute, or complain about prices, they’re not worth keeping. One coach fired eight of her worst clients and lost £460 a month—but gained back 10 hours every week.

Raise prices to filter out low-value clients
Increase your prices by 20 to 30%. This makes it clear who truly values your work. Many clients will leave, but those who stay are more respectful and easier to work with. You’ll feel more motivated and can politely refer others.

Say no to bad-fit clients
Stop taking on new clients who show red flags early. If they bargain over price or push your boundaries, use phrases like “We’re fully booked” or “We’re not the right salon for you.” This keeps your standards high without guilt.

Create income outside your chair
Stop relying only on appointments. Build recurring income with things like monthly treatment plans, online courses, or a product line. This means money keeps coming even when you’re off.

Automate and grow your team
Use tools to handle bookings, payments, and marketing. Train your team slowly and shift clients to them over time. This way, your business can run without you—like when you take holidays.

Choose your ideal business model
You can’t have everything. Pick between a small, low-stress salon or a larger one with more profit. Decide what matters most: time, money, freedom, or peace.

Know what you really want
Ask yourself honestly: do you want more time, less stress, more money, or creative freedom? Stop chasing what you see on Instagram. Accept that trade-offs are normal. Pick your path and stick to it.

You don’t need to please everyone to succeed. Firing bad clients is not a loss—it’s a step towards a calmer, more profitable business. Like Phil Jackson built a winning team, you can build a salon that works for you. Find your balance and grow with Build Your Salon. Visit buildyoursalon.com today.

Christmas salon discounts to avoid can hurt your profits more than they help. This episode shows you how to keep your margins strong while still pleasing clients at the busiest time of year.

Avoid December discounting
Don’t run sales like “20% off everything” in December. A 20% discount means you need 25% more clients just to break even. It also makes any January price rise feel like a hike, even if you’ve only raised prices slightly over the year.

Replace discounts with bundles
Instead of cutting prices, offer bundles. One salon swapped a 20% discount for “book three services, get an express treatment free.” This brought in £3,000 more profit than the year before — without lowering prices.

Never discount gift vouchers
Gift vouchers should not be discounted in December. They’re meant to be gifts, not deals. Avoid offers like “buy £50, get £10 free.” That cheapens the gift and reduces your income.

Use January for add-ons
Clients who book in December can get a free mini treatment in January. This keeps them coming back, fills quiet months, and gives value without cutting your December income.

Raise prices without discounts
If you plan to increase prices in January, don’t discount in December. It makes the rise feel like a shock. Even with a gradual price increase, the salon that used bundles made £3,000 more than last year.

Say no with confidence
When clients ask for a discount, say “no, we don’t discount our services, but we do have some lovely gift packages available.” Say it calmly, without apology. Confidence builds trust.

Use Black Friday for vouchers
Promote gift vouchers on Black Friday, not in December. Running discounts in December when your salon is closed part of the time is poor planning. It wastes your best earning time and hurts profits.

This episode helps you keep your income high and your brand strong through the holidays. You’ll learn how to say no to cheap discounts and still win loyal clients.
Phil Jackson shares how smart choices in December lead to a stronger January — and a better year. Find more tips at buildyoursalon.com.