Four years ago, I made one of the scariest decisions of my life, I walked away from behind the chair. My books were full, the money was great, and from the outside, everything looked perfect… but I was exhausted. I knew deep down that if I wanted to hit big numbers and do big things, I couldn’t keep operating the same way.

Sometimes, you have to quit really cool, money-making things to get to where you actually want to be.

This week’s episode is a raw, behind-the-scenes look at the five things I quit that helped me hit my first million-dollar year. These shifts didn’t happen overnight, but they changed everything about how I lead, grow, and think as a CEO.

Here’s a peek inside:
☑ The moment I quit doing hair (and how that single decision tripled our salon’s revenue)
☑ Why doing it all yourself keeps you small and how hiring the right help changed the game
☑ The uncomfortable truth about avoiding your numbers (and how data became my superpower)
☑  What happened when I stopped holding onto money so tightly and started investing strategically
☑ The costly mistake of “hiring anyone with a heartbeat” and how I fixed our culture for good

This episode will challenge you to look at what you might be white-knuckling in your own business, the things that feel safe but are actually keeping you stuck.

If you’re ready to make more by doing less, this one’s for you.

✨ Your permission slip: Quit something on purpose. Because once you do, the coolest opportunities start to open up for you.

🎧 Listen now and start thinking like the million-dollar CEO you’re becoming.

Grab the Ultimate Assistant Guide Here 👉🏼 https://lg-education.mykajabi.com/ultimateassistantguide Use code 2025 to get $200 off! 

Suggest Podcast topics here ⬇

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This one’s hands-on! Grab your planner, Google Calendar, or wall calendar because we’re mapping out every single major date, goal, and event for 2026. From one-on-ones and education days to retreats, content days, and (yes!) your own vacations, this episode will help you build the kind of rhythm and structure your team needs to thrive.

If it’s not on the calendar… it’s not happening! Let’s plan smarter, lead intentionally, and set your year up for success.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

1. Why Planning Now Matters
Stop leading in reactive mode, leadership is intentional. Learn how early planning shapes your energy, confidence, and clarity all year long.

2. How to Organize & Communicate Your Calendar
From Google Calendar to Slack or Facebook Groups, get a simple system to keep your team aligned and accountable.

3. What to Schedule for 2026

• One-on-Ones & Assistant Classes

• Team Retreats & Photoshoots

• Education Days & PK Classes

• Leadership “Train-the-Trainer” Events

• Promotions, Recruitment, and Gratitude Fridays

• Vacations + Financial Review Days (yes, both!)

4. How to Lead Proactively
Plan now so your team always knows what’s coming next. When your year is organized, your culture thrives.

Mentioned in This Episode:

• One-on-One Framework: https://lg-education.kit.com/34c2734255 

• Photoshoot Inspo Folder:  https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-gtqkkVV-eff4CADOaUp4Jzi2pq7C84E?usp=sharing 

• Pinterest Boards for Photoshoot Ideas:
  #1- https://pin.it/6kHPbeNRv 

  #2- https://pin.it/5lwIil9qh 

   #3- https://pin.it/7acGydQl6

• Team Retreats Episode:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/level-up-with-lacey/id1680369235?i=1000665041550 

• Train-the-Trainer Episode:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/level-up-with-lacey/id1680369235?i=1000624382657

• Train-the-Trainer Guide:   https://lg-education.kit.com/4ccedb98dc

  
  

Pour a coffee (or glass of wine 😉), open your calendar, and block out your entire year. Your future self will thank you.

📧 ⁠[email protected]⁠

📱 Text Line: 218-392-9054

💖 Instagram: ⁠@lacey_gebo⁠

Everyone loves the idea of having a team… until they actually have one. When I hired my first assistant at 23, I thought it would make my life easier… instead, it made me a better leader. It gave my body a break, but not my mind.

“New level, new devil. New opportunities come with new challenges.”

Fantasy vs. Reality

We all think once we hire, everything will get easier. But in reality, chaos comes first. You go from working in the business to growing people.

Assistants: The Most Misunderstood Role

Assistants aren’t “help.” They’re our right hand, our Co-Stylists, our future leaders. When you hire out of desperation, you create misalignment not culture.

“You can’t lead people until you’ve learned how to train them.”

The Hard Truths

You’ll be the bad guy sometimes. You’ll lose sleep. You’ll care more than they do. But every tough moment shapes you into the kind of leader your team deserves.

“If you avoid confrontation to keep the peace, you’ll start a war inside yourself.”

Why We Do It

Because it’s worth it, the lightbulb moments, the growth, the legacy. Leadership stretches you. It’s hard as hell, but it’s the most meaningful work you’ll ever do. 

Ready to start training your first assistant the right way?

 Grab our Ultimate Assistant Guide for $99 👇🏼

https://lg-education.mykajabi.com/ultimateassistantguide

Tired of holiday promos that flop or feel forced? In this episode, Lacey shares the story behind Salon Lace’s most successful holiday promotion ever - Luck of the Draw. It boosted retail sales, built team momentum, and turned the salon into a place of pure excitement all month long.

1. The Concept:
Every guest drew a card when they walked in- and their discount depended on it:
2–10 = 15% off, Face cards = 20%, Ace = 25%, Joker = BOGO.
Once guests held that discount in their hand, they couldn’t resist stocking up.

2. The Team Incentive:
Stylists kept the cards from guests who purchased retail and built poker hands throughout the week.
Best 5-card hand won prizes - everything from gift cards to a Redken Symposium ticket.

3. The Vibe:
Poker decorations, upbeat music, and cards taped to mirrors the whole salon came alive.

“Don’t just decorate your salon - activate it. The energy should hit your guests the second they walk in.”

4. Why It Worked:

• Created momentum and competition

• Boosted sales instantly

• Strengthened salon culture

Don’t overcomplicate your holiday marketing. All you need is creativity, a competitive twist, and a team that’s excited to play the game.

We’ve got you covered -grab a peek at our Luck of the Draw Inspiration Folder 👉🏼 https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1PLE9q1gYl_x661RrOzUC8JR806cEjjmJ?usp=sharing 

Tag @laceygebo if you run this promo- she wants to see your poker hands and holiday setups!

“Am I too intense? Do I expect too much? Am I the problem?”

If you’ve ever asked yourself those questions, you’re not alone.

In today’s episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on a conversation that so many salon owners are having behind closed doors. Maybe you’ve had a stylist say, “This job is too mentally taxing.” Maybe a team member made you feel like your standards are “too much.” And maybe, just maybe, you’ve found yourself softening your expectations out of guilt.

I get it. I’ve been there. I even had one of my own leaders tell me that everything we were doing inside Salon Lace, one-on-ones, assistant classes, extension training, photoshoots, retreats, train-the-trainers was “TOO MUCH.” And I’ll be honest, for a moment, it made me want to shrink back and do nothing at all.

But here’s the truth: high expectations are not a weakness. They’re a leadership strength when they’re clearly communicated.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✨ Why guilt creeps in when your team pushes back, and how to stop doubting yourself.
✨ The difference between a wrong fit and a right fit (and why the wrong ones will always call your standards “too much”).
✨ Why lowering expectations doesn’t protect your salon, it destroys your culture.
✨ The balance of grace: how to show compassion without lowering your standards.
✨ How to set crystal-clear expectations from Day 1 so your team knows exactly how to rise to the bar.

Here’s the reframe: it’s not about lowering the bar. It’s about finding people who are willing and excited to rise to it.

Because the right people? They’ll call your standards home.

This week, I want you to audit your expectations.

Where have you lowered the bar out of guilt? And how can you reset it clearly with your team?

Need help creating those expectations?

Grab our Dress Code → https://lg-education.kit.com/2e4e9f724d

Grab our Ultimate Assistant Guide → https://lg-education.mykajabi.com/ultimateassistantguide 

It’ll give you the systems, visuals, and clarity you need to lead with confidence.

Suggest podcast topics here ⤵️ 

https://forms.gle/ThasbxyzUSVv6i2w8

Follow us on social!

Instagram: @lacey_gebo

Facebook: The New Era of Assistant Training

If you avoid conflict to keep the peace, you start a war inside yourself...

Sit with that for a second.

In this episode, I’m diving into one of the toughest, but most necessary parts of salon life: conflict. We’re talking about why so many stylists bounce at the first sign of tension, why it’s destroying salon culture, and how you can start repairing instead of replacing.

I’ll share personal stories from my own leadership journey (yep, the messy conversations I wish I didn’t have to have), plus practical tools you can use to face conflict without blowing up relationships. By the end, you’ll walk away with a simple framework that works in any salon conversation owner to stylist, stylist to stylist, or anywhere in between.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:

• Why “cancelled culture” is killing growth in salons and shortening careers.

• The mindset shift from replace to repair  and why it multiplies trust.

• The REPAIR framework: six steps to navigate tough conversations.

• Team agreements that keep culture strong (and prevent ghosting + gossip).

• The difference between protecting your peace and canceling conflict.

• How to coach yourself and your team to handle conflict with confidence.

Conflict avoided becomes conflict compounded. Conflict processed becomes trust deposited.

If you’ve been peace-keeping to avoid a scene, it’s costing you more than you think. This is your challenge: water your own grass. Have the hard conversation. Growth is on the other side.

👉🏼 Tune in now to hear why cancel culture doesn’t belong in your salon and how to start building a culture of repair instead of replacement.

Suggest podcast topics here ⤵️ 

https://forms.gle/ThasbxyzUSVv6i2w8

Follow us on social!

Instagram: @lacey_gebo

Facebook: The New Era of Assistant Training 

Back in 2020 when we switched to a rental/hybrid model, I made a big mistake: I brought in renters from other salons who weren’t aligned with our culture. They were talented, sure… but they didn’t know our systems, our standards, or the “Salon Lace way.” And honestly? That was on me.

That’s when I realized: chair rental without structure = chaos.

In this episode, I’m sharing how we turned things around and why, at Salon Lace, the cost of admission is simple, every renter goes through our Assistant Program. It protects our culture, sets clear expectations, creates consistency for guests, and builds a team that feels connected (even in a rental model).

We’ll also talk about what to do with experienced stylists, how to market chair rental the right way, and why your culture is the real selling point.

🎧 Tune in to learn how to protect your culture, avoid the chaos, and build something lasting.

👉🏼 And if you need a step-by-step framework to onboard and train your Assistants, grab my Ultimate Assistant Guide, normally $299, but right now it’s just $99 with code 2025. ⤵️

https://lg-education.mykajabi.com/ultimateassistantguide

✨ Mentioned in this episode: Here are 3 post options you can use when hiring for a booth renter 👇🏼

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FfEbRG48lsE5uxUjSAOA8-HfX0ik5swvzt8J9yCMXc0/edit?usp=sharing

Suggest podcast topics here ⤵️ 

https://forms.gle/ThasbxyzUSVv6i2w8

Follow us on social!

Instagram: @lacey_gebo

Facebook: The New Era of Assistant Training 

Minimum wage in Oklahoma has been $7.25 since 2009 and for years that’s exactly what I paid my assistants. Later, I raised it to $10 an hour… and nothing changed. So why do salon owners feel pressured to pay assistants “well above” minimum wage?

In this episode, I’m sharing the pros, cons, and my perspective on paying assistants minimum wage, how to set pay based on your numbers (not guilt), and why your culture and education matter far more than the hourly rate.

What You’ll Learn:

• The real pros and cons of minimum wage pay
• How to calculate what your salon can actually afford
• Why assistants don’t choose salons based on $1–$4/hour differences
• Simple ways assistants can earn more beyond base pay
• My POV: pay what’s sustainable and release the guilt

Key Takeaway
Assistants don’t join your team for a paycheck, they join for your leadership, culture, and training. Build a program so clear and valuable that growth opportunities, not just wages, make them feel invested.

Suggest podcast topics here ⤵️ 

https://forms.gle/ThasbxyzUSVv6i2w8

Follow us on social!

Instagram: @lacey_gebo

Facebook: The New Era of Assistant Training 

In today’s episode, I’m sharing 12 of my favorite activities we’ve used to grow future leaders. These aren’t fluffy icebreakers… they’re the exact exercises that have shaped my team, strengthened our culture, and created lasting impact. They’re practical, interactive, and you can start using them with your team right away.

I even created a free companion resource for you! 🎉

It’s called Leadership + Personal Development Activities for Your Future Leaders, and it has all 12 activities (plus more!) laid out step by step so you can easily implement them in your salon.

👉🏼Grab your free guide here: https://lg-education.kit.com/4ccedb98dc

One of the activities I love most is our Full Focus Annual Goals Deep Dive. If you’ve been around for a while, you know I swear by the Full Focus Planner, and I use it with my team to help them dream big, set aligned goals, and take ownership of their growth. If you don’t already have one, you can grab it here → https://www.amazon.com/dp/1737211955?linkCode=ssc&tag=onamzlaceygeb-20&creativeASIN=1737211955&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.3HX9TWMWKLOJT&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ons_mixed_d_asin&th=1

These activities don’t just create stronger trainers, they create confident, heart-led leaders who know how to pour into others. When your culture is built on leaders like that? Everything changes.

Suggest Podcast topics here 👇🏼

https://forms.gle/eP3MmFFc8hNJSh9v8 

Life has seasons and sometimes morning routines just don’t fit. If you’re a new mom or in a messy season, give yourself grace. Your time will come.

In this episode, I share my current playbook, my three morning non-negotiables, and the simple hacks that keep me grounded as a salon owner, mom, and business coach. It’s not about a “perfect routine” — it’s about consistency, rituals that fit your season, and giving yourself permission to keep it simple.

What You’ll Learn

✨ Why consistency always beats intensity
✨ My 3 non-negotiables for a “win” every morning
✨ A peek at my weekday routine + productivity hacks
✨ How to build rituals around your season of life

Links & Resources

• Daily Devotional-  https://www.amazon.com/dp/1424552869?linkCode=ssc&tag=onamzlaceygeb-20&creativeASIN=1424552869&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.3HX9TWMWKLOJT&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ons_mixed_d_asin 
• Day of the Week Closet Dividers- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09QT54DK9?linkCode=ssc&tag=onamzlaceygeb-20&creativeASIN=B08BC1TH3W&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.3HX9TWMWKLOJT&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ons_mixed_d_asin&th=1
• Kettle- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CZ77B7RG?linkCode=ssc&tag=onamzlaceygeb-20&creativeASIN=B0CZ77B7RG&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.3HX9TWMWKLOJT&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ons_mixed_d_asin&th=1
• Cinnamon Tea- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0065JA1IQ?linkCode=ssc&tag=onamzlaceygeb-20&creativeASIN=B0065JA1IQ&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.3HX9TWMWKLOJT&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ons_mixed_d_asin&th=1
• Full Focus Planner- https://www.amazon.com/dp/1737211955?linkCode=ssc&tag=onamzlaceygeb-20&creativeASIN=1737211955&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.3HX9TWMWKLOJT&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ons_mixed_d_asin&th=1 

• Skylight Calendar - Get $20 off your Calendar by using the following discount code: FRIEND-XV2MSH8. You can use this discount when purchasing a new Calendar at https://myskylight.com/products/skylight-calendar

Final Thought

Your routine doesn’t have to look like mine but it should feel like yours. Anchor your day, protect your peace, and give yourself grace when it’s messy.