Salon Owners Collective

By Larissa MaclemanBusiness Entrepreneurship Marketing Management

Salon Owners Collective episodes

October 12 Why You Sabotage Your Salon the Moment It Starts Working
You finally have a great month. And then, somehow, you find a way to wreck it.
Recorded at the bar in Bali the day after the Turning Pro intensive, Larissa Macleman, Founder of Salon Owners Collective, and Joel, SOC's Boardroom Coach, unpack what happened when 40 Salon CEOs decided to stop living with their amateur habits.
Episode Overview:
Turning pro isn't a course, a certification, or a revenue milestone. It's a decision. Joel walks through it all, the fix, the decision and the upper limit, and why most salon owners never get past the first step. You'll hear the question that showed every owner in the room what they needed to fix first, the line they had to cross on day two, and the reason your brain quietly works against you the moment things start going well.
Key Topics Covered:
The difference between an amateur habit and a pro one, and how to see yours clearly
Why you can't decide to grow while you're still standing in the thing that's making you unhappy
The one question that surfaced every owner's first move in under 15 minutes
Why intent is the reason so many salon owners stay exactly where they are
The upper limit, and your version of self-sabotage.
What replaces push, push, push when you want to stay at your best for years, not weeks

Larissa Macleman is the Founder of Salon Owners Collective. Joel is SOC's Boardroom Coach, working with Salon CEOs on leadership and mindset at the highest stage of growth.
3 Reasons Why Every Salon Owner Should Listen to This Episode:
1. Discover the question that shows you, in 15 minutes, what has to change before anything else in your salon can.
2. Find out why your best months are so often followed by your messiest ones, and what's really behind it.
3. Learn the one thing 40 Salon CEOs left Bali committed to, and why it matters more than working harder.
Ready to turn pro in your salon, and have a plan for what comes next?
Book your free Game Plan Call. We'll build a strategy plan to move you from stuck into momentum and toward a $1M salon, and work out together whether Salon Mastery is the right fit for you: https://bit.ly/ApplySMRiss
20 min
October 05Delegate Faster in 5 Minutes: Stop Doing Manager Jobs on an Owner’s Schedule
You didn't achieve anything today. And it wasn't because you didn't work hard enough.
In this episode, recorded poolside in Bali just hours before Larissa switched off for a week, she breaks down why overwhelm isn't a productivity problem at all, and gives you the exact system to fix it.
Overview:
Every salon owner has three types of work sitting on her plate, and most of them can't tell the difference between the one that grows the business and the one that's just noise. In this episode, Larissa introduces the rocks, pebbles, and sand framework, and the profit and energy audit that tells you in minutes what to prioritize, what to protect, what to delegate, and what to delete completely.
Key Topics:
Why you need to stop saying " I don't have time" and start making time
The difference between a project, a task, and the daily duties that aren’t even yours
The four-box filter that tells you instantly what to prioritize, protect, delegate, or delete
The exact business stage where you have to start handing your day to somebody else
What burnout actually is, and why working hard isn't the cause
Why doing less, done better, beats doing more of everything
Resources Mentioned:
The profit and energy audit framework walked through live in the episode.
3 Reasons Why Every Salon Owner Should Listen to This Episode:
Discover why the busiest hour of your day might be the one costing your business the most.
Find out the exact filter that tells you what to prioritize, protect, delegate, or delete in under five minutes.
Learn the real definition of burnout, and why it has nothing to do with how many hours you're working
Ready to build a plan that gets you out of the sand and into momentum?
Book your free Game Plan Call: https://bit.ly/ApplySMRiss
20 min
September 28The 3 Problems Facing Every Salon Owner in 2026 and How to Fix Them
54% of salons aren't going to make it to 2030.
That's the number Larissa and Joel landed on when they ran the research. In this episode, recorded poolside in Bali during their annual Salon Mastery intensive, they break down exactly why, and what separates the salons that will survive from the ones that won't.
Episode Overview:
Six years on from COVID, the economics of running a salon have shifted for good. Client spending has changed. The team you can hire has changed. And AI has changed how we show up on our socials. In this episode, Larissa and Joel unpack the three biggest shifts hitting every salon right now, and the one constraint that's quietly deciding who makes it to 2030.
Key Topics Covered:
Why your salon's real competition isn't the salon down the road
The "triple constraint" that means no salon gets to be fast, cheap, and high quality all at once
Why your top-performing team member might be the one most likely to walk
The specific mental narrative running through the head of almost every salon owner right now
The AI mistake most of the industry has already made, and what to do about it instead
What "experience is the new currency" actually means for your pricing and your profit
Joel is the Boardroom Coach at Salon Owners Collective, working with SOC's $1M+ salon owners on strategy, leadership, and profitability at the highest level.
Resources Mentioned:
MySalonCEO™ and Jemima, SOC's AI coach, referenced in the discussion of building an AI that sounds like your salon instead of generic AI.
3 Reasons Why Every Salon Owner Should Listen to This Episode:
Discover the one constraint that's quietly deciding whether your salon survives to 2030, and why trying to have it all might be the riskiest move you can make.
Find out why your best team member could be the most likely one to leave, and it's not about a pay rise.
Learn the exact mistake almost every salon has made with AI, and the shift that makes your brand impossible to copy.
Ready to future proof your salon?
Book your free Game Plan Call: https://bit.ly/ApplySMRiss
34 min
September 21The Question That Separates Salon Leaders From Everyone Else
You don't get in life what you want. You get in life who you are.
And if that's true - and we believe it is - then the question isn't "What strategies should I implement?" or "What systems should I build?"
The question is: Who am I?
Not as a person. As a leader. As the person running your salon every single day.
Most salon owners never answer that. And the cost is massive.
Episode Overview:
In this episode, Larissa and Joel break down the exact framework every Salon CEO needs to step fully into her power - without needing to do more, work harder, or sacrifice more of your life.
You'll discover the three-part system for answering "Who am I?" - and why the owners who do this work are the ones who build scalable, sustainable businesses that don't require their constant presence.
Why most human beings are walking around completely confused about who they are- and what that confusion is actually costing your salon
The three-part framework: Distill your personal values, discover your life purpose, create your leadership philosophy - and what changes when you do all three
The difference between internal and external identity work- and why most personality tests and frameworks miss what actually matters
How knowing who you are makes you a better decision-maker- and why decision-making speed is what's actually slowing you down
The confidence that comes from clarity- and how it carries you through the hardest moments in business and life
Why your leadership philosophy determines whether your team steps up or stays stuck- and what it means to be the calm in the chaos
Operating at your sustainable potential- the difference between working harder and working smarter
How to build a business that doesn't need you for everything- the specific work that makes that possible
Joel is the Boardroom Coach at Salon Owners Collective. With 25 years of coaching experience across youth at risk, high-level leaders, and salon owners, Joel specializes in identity work and leadership philosophy - the foundation that everything else is built on. He and Larissa are the architects behind Salon Mastery's three-day intensives and the ones who guide salon owners through the work of discovering who they actually are as leaders.
Resources Mentioned:
Les Brown's "You don't get in life what you want. You get in life who you are."
The three workshops coming this summer: Distilling Personal Values, Discovering Life Purpose, Creating Your Leadership Philosophy
The Bali/Fiji intensive for Salon Mastery clients
3 Reasons Why Every Salon Owner Should Listen to This Episode:
Discover the one thing that determines whether your team steps up or stays stuck- and it has nothing to do with the right hire or the right training
Find out why decision-making speed is what's actually holding you back from growth- and how clarity about who you are changes that
Learn the exact work that gives you the confidence to lead through chaos, change, and hard conversations- without burning out
Ready to step fully into your role as Salon CEO?
Book your free 30-minute $1 Million Salon Growth Blueprint will help you find your next move. 30 minutes. We look at your salon, where you are, what's blocking you, and we build your exact growth blueprint. Not a pitch. A plan: https://bit.ly/ApplySMRiss
35 min
September 14Your Manager's Not In. Here's Why - And What To Do About It
Your manager isn't the problem. The relationship structure is.
In this episode, Larissa and Joel break down the exact framework, the Triple T, that transforms the owner-manager dynamic. If you're still doing your manager's job while she "isn't stepping up," this episode reveals what's actually happening and how to fix it in days, not months.

EPISODE OVERVIEW:
You'll discover why your manager isn't stepping in (it's not because she doesn't care). You'll learn the exact framework that brings her into real ownership. And you'll understand the rhythm, just fifteen minutes a week, that keeps you connected while she steps up.

Most owners think they need to hire a better manager. The real breakthrough? Building the relationship structure that brings the manager you have fully in.

KEY TOPICS COVERED:
Why it's always the owner's fault (and why that's the path to freedom)
The critical difference between blame and responsibility in leadership
Understanding the "messy middle": why results don't come immediately and how to stay with it
The Triple T framework explained: Training, Trying, Testing
How to train someone in just four days (and why it works)
Why your manager needs to fail and how to let her
The invisible fear keeping most managers on the outside
Bringing your manager into business numbers (and why it matters)
The power of taking your manager to professional development
The OMA (Owner-Manager Alignment): the 15-minute weekly rhythm that changes everything
One marker that tells you the relationship has shifted
ABOUT THE GUEST:

Joel is the Boardroom Coach and Leadership Coach at Salon Owners Collective, specialising in the owner-manager relationship and team dynamics. He works with Larissa to help salon owners understand that the quality of their team is a direct reflection of the quality of their leadership — not a reflection of who they hired.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:
The Triple T framework: Training (owner's responsibility), Trying (manager's responsibility), Testing (both)
The OMA (Owner-Manager Alignment): 15-minute weekly connection ritual
Easy conversations vs. hard conversations framework (referenced from earlier workshops)
Business numbers transparency and financial literacy for managers
Ready to transform your manager relationship and build a team that runs without you?

Book your free 30-minute Game Plan Call: https://bit.ly/ApplySMRiss

3 REASONS WHY EVERY SALON OWNER SHOULD LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE:
Discover the one thing stopping your manager from stepping in (and it's not what you think)
Most owners blame the manager. This episode reveals what's actually happening on the inside.
2. Learn the exact framework that brings your manager into real ownership — in days, not months
The Triple T removes guesswork from delegation and gives you a clear rhythm.
3. Understand why helping your manager win is your job as a leader (and what happens when you finally do it)
When your manager feels connect
25 min
September 07The $50K on the Shelf
Your bank account is nearly empty. Your revenue looked solid. Your team showed up. It doesn't compute. But here's what I know: the money isn't gone. It's in your salon right now. It's just in the wrong place.

In this episode, I'm walking you through where hidden cash lives in your salon, why knowing one specific number changes everything about how you manage your business, and the framework that tells you exactly how much stock should actually be on your shelf - and what to do when it's too much.
Most salon owners have no idea how much money is sitting on their shelf right now. And that gap - between where your cash is and where it should be - is the cash you can move back into your bank account.
Key Topics Covered:
The specific moment you realize the money isn't gone, it's just stuck
Why one salon owner had $50,000 on the shelf instead of in her bank account
The "magic margins" framework and why stock is one of them
The rule: your total stock on hand should represent 1–3% of your annual revenue
Why your team isn't selling the product they "love using"
How to give your team a clear boundary on stock without drama
The handbag story: what happens when you find $30,000 of cash you didn't know you had
Why the CEO Dashboard catches cash problems before they become crises
One move: find your number this week
If you want help finding the money in your salon, understanding your numbers, and building a clear plan for where your business needs to go next.
Map your next move with a 30minute Million Dollar Salon Growth Blueprint and discover the exact framework I use to find hidden cash, unlock profit, and build a salon that runs without you carrying it.
I only work with salon owners who are ready to move from stuck into momentum - because this work is personal and the results need to be real.
➡️GET STARTED
3 Reasons Why Every Salon Owner Should Listen to This Episode:
Discover where $10,000–$50,000 of your cash might be sitting right now- and how to move it back into your bank account without hurting your business
Learn the one number that tells you whether your stock is helping or hurting your profitability- and what to do when it's telling you something's wrong
Find out what your team is actually doing with that product they "love"- and why using and selling are two completely different conversations
25 min
August 31Why Your Team Meeting Isn’t Working (And What To Do Instead)
The Five Meetings Your Salon Actually Needs
You've sat down to run a team meeting. You've talked about goals. Everyone nodded. And then nothing changed.
So you stopped doing them.
Larissa Macleman - founder of Salon Owners Collective, 20-year salon owner - sits down with Janine from Hair and Barber, and Colour Bar Manager. They've known each other since they were both baby salon owners trying to figure it out. Now they're breaking down the five meetings that actually move the needle.
Not five random meetings. Five specific meetings, each with a real purpose, each designed to build accountability without you having to chase people around. Because the real problem with most salon meetings isn't the meetings themselves. It's that owners are running the wrong ones, running them without purpose, or running them so inconsistently that nothing sticks.
What you'll discover in this episode:
Why most salon owners dread team meetings (and how one structure flips that in a week)
The daily nine-minute huddle that moves your financial needle faster than anything else you could implement
The one meeting most salon owners skip entirely — and why it's costing them their top talent
How to build real accountability and follow-through without becoming the person chasing every task
How to structure meetings differently depending on your team member's development stage
What the owner's actual role should be in meetings (it's probably not what you think)
Why consistency beats perfection, and how to start if not everyone's there
THE FIVE MEETINGS:
Daily Huddle (9 minutes, daily)
All-Team Meeting (60 minutes, weekly)
One-on-One / Talent Development Meeting (30 minutes, weekly or more/less depending on experience)
Talent Development Workshop (monthly minimum, skills training)
OMA — Owner-Manager Alignment (fortnightly, 30 minutes, if you have a manager)
This episode is for any salon owner who's been running meetings that feel pointless, who's stopped doing them altogether, or who's wondering what they should actually be talking about.
If you've ever thought a meeting was a waste of billable time — this reframes that completely.
FREE STRATEGY CALL:
Ready to build a system around your leadership? Book your free call here: https://bit.ly/ApplySMRiss
3 Reasons Every Salon Owner Should Listen to This Episode:
✅ Discover the one nine-minute meeting that moves the financial needle faster than anything else you could be doing
✅ Find out which meeting most owners skip entirely (and why it's costing them their best people)
✅ Learn the real role you should play in meetings — and why you're probably doing it all wrong
34 min
August 24Nine Minutes That Add $100K to Your Salon
You've hired the right people. You've trained them. And somehow they're still performing at 60% of what's possible. The trap? If you're still the most important person in your business, you're not building a business-you're building a job you can never leave.
In this episode, Larissa reveals why team underperformance isn't a motivation problem-it's a visibility problem. And she shares the exact nine-minute morning huddle system that makes your team's daily target visible, personal, and theirs.
Episode Overview:
You'll discover why your team is underperforming (and it's not what you think), the step-by-step morning huddle framework you can run tomorrow morning, and the exact math behind adding $100,000 to your salon in the next 12 months from the people already standing behind your chairs.
Key Topics Covered:
The real reason your team is stuck at 60% (and why motivation won't fix it)
The visibility problem holding most salon owners back from their next $100k
The three-part morning huddle system: Wins, Numbers, and Plan
How to calculate exactly what each team member needs to find today
The past-client-history strategy that plans the perfect service before the appointment happens
Why revenue can stay the same while profit nearly doubles (the Harper example)
How to hand off the morning huddle so it doesn't depend on you
The math: $300 more per week = $100k in 12 months
Resources Mentioned:
Salon Mastery Program:https://bit.ly/ApplySMRiss
The Salon Career Pathway Guide:https://bit.ly/SOC-SalonCareerPathway
CTA:
Ready to map out exactly where the gaps are in your specific business? Book your free Game Plan call: https://bit.ly/ApplySMRiss
3 Reasons Why Every Salon Owner Should Listen to This Episode:
Discover why fixing motivation has never worked-and what actually shifts your team into ownership
Learn the nine-minute morning framework that makes your team stop guessing and start hunting
See the real numbers: how a salon went from negative $12,000 profit to $215,000 yearly without hiring anyone new
13 min
August 17The One Number That Ends the Payday Panic
The One Number That Ends the Payday Panic
Six times a year, Larissa Macleman was convinced her salon wasn't going to make it. Bad week. Team off sick. Clients cancelling. Every single time, she panicked. And every single time, when June rolled around, she'd made her goal.
In this episode, Larissa Macleman, founder of Salon Owners Collective, breaks down the number that ended the panic for good, the exact maths behind it, and how any salon owner can use it to know if they're really tracking for $1 million, without waiting three months for an accountant's report.
What you'll discover in this episode:
The one number to track instead of your weekly revenue
Why the weekly number makes you feel like a genius one week and a failure the next
The exact calculation to know if you're trending for $100,000 more this year
What six figures of growth actually costs each stylist, per week
Why the growth has to come from your team, not from you getting back behind the chair
The one shift that lets you stop running on gut feeling and start running on data
This episode is for any salon owner who has felt that stomach drop on a bad Thursday, wondered if payroll would land, and then found out months later she was on track the whole time.

FREE GAME PLAN CALL:
Ready to build a full strategy for your salon? Book your free call here: https://bit.ly/ApplySMRiss
3 Reasons Every Salon Owner Should Listen to This Episode
✅ Discover the one number that ends the payday panic for good
✅ Uncover the exact maths to know if you're tracking for $100,000 more this year
✅ Find out what it actually costs your team, per person, per week, to add six figures to your salon
14 min
August 10You Can't Build a Million-Dollar Salon While You're Hustling
The Answers Come in the Gap
You know that moment. You're not trying to solve anything. You're in the shower, or you're swimming in the pool, and suddenly the answer is there. Clear. Simple. The thing you've been chasing for weeks.
Most salon owners never get to that moment. They take holidays and bring the laptop. They step away and they're still checking emails. So their brain never actually stops. Never actually thinks.
In this episode, Larissa Macleman and Joel Bouzaid record live from a coaching conference in Thailand — and share the conversation that's been shaping why they bring their salon owners to intensive events like Bali every single year.
It's not about the destination. It's about three very specific things that happen when you finally create white space. What you discover when you're around people ahead of you. And why resetting your nervous system is the missing piece in scaling past a million dollars.
What you'll discover in this episode:
Why the best ideas don't come in meetings — they come in the gap
The real cost of running on hustle when you're trying to scale to a million dollars
What happens to your nervous system when you finally switch off (and why your business depends on it)
Why being around people ahead of you is non-negotiable for your growth
The moment business shifts from feeling heavy and stale to feeling light and inspired again
This episode is for any salon owner who's been grinding. Who feels stuck. Who wonders why business feels so heavy when it shouldn't.
You can't build a million-dollar business while you're just hustling. Here's what actually needs to happen.
Larissa Macleman is the Founder of Salon Owners Collective and Salon Mastery, a 20-year large-format salon owner, and the architect of the Million Dollar Growth Plan.
Joel Bouzaid is the Boardroom Coach and Leadership Coach at Salon Owners Collective, bringing 20+ years of business scaling experience to salon owners ready to step into CEO leadership.
FREE STRATEGY CALL:
Ready to discuss your salon's growth roadmap? Book your free strategy call: https://bit.ly/ApplySMRiss
3 Reasons Every Salon Owner Should Listen to This Episode:
✅ Discover where the real answers actually come from — and why you've been looking in the wrong places
✅ Find out what's really costing you at the million-dollar mark (it has nothing to do with hustle)
✅ Uncover the one thing that shifts business from feeling heavy to feeling light (and how to get there)
19 min