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Welcome to Suite Independence, the podcast designed exclusively for established beauty professionals ready to transform their careers and build the salon business of their dreams. Hosted by industry veteran Kristin Kienzle, founder of Utopia Modern Salon Suites, this show is your essential guide to thriving independently in the beauty world.
Kristin, with over 34 years of experience, understands the unique challenges and incredible opportunities you face. She created Utopia to be a supportive, inspiring community where independent beauty professionals can flourish, and this podcast extends that mission directly to you.
Forget the styling tips; we're diving deep into the business and personal development aspects that truly empower your success. Each episode offers insight, inspiration, and clarity to help you succeed and build your career in a healthy way. Whether you're looking to grow your client base, refine your business strategy, enhance your financial literacy, prioritize your well-being, or ultimately own your own salon, Kristin shares the wisdom and actionable advice you need.
Join a community dedicated to empowering beauty professionals to reach their full potential, ensuring their businesses thrive and afford them the lifestyle they desire. Tune into Suite Independence and start building the vibrant career and fulfilling life you deserve.
Ep16
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[00:00:00]
You Are A Business Owner
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Kristin Kienzle: If you are listening to our podcast, chances are you are a business owner. However, it's likely you don't think of yourself that way. You probably identify yourself by the service you provide So today I'm so excited for you to meet my business coach, Lee Gray, She's going to give you some powerful insights that you can start using in your business today
Kristin Kienzle: Welcome, Lee. Thank you for being here on my [00:01:00] podcast. I've been so excited about this. You are a dear friend, my business coach, and this is so fun.
Lee Gray: Thank you.
Meet Coach Lee Gray
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Kristin Kienzle: Um, today we get the pleasure of being in one of our salons. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. We're in our first Utopia Modern Salon Suites building that we built, and Tatum's suite, which she calls her business Pink Hazel Salon- Mm-hmm
was one of our first tenants, one of our... She's been with us since we opened, and she also happens to be your hairstylist. She is. So you must feel real at home here.
Lee Gray: I do. I feel... I love it. I think she just... One of the things I really like about Utopia Modern Salon Suites is everyone has their own, you know, look, and I love Tatum.
She's clean and crisp and everything's in its place, and she... That's how she does everything. And I just- Yeah ... feel really good in here when I'm here. Yeah, it's fun.
Kristin Kienzle: Yay.
Lee Gray: Yeah.
Kristin Kienzle: Well, we're not gonna do your hair today, but- Okay ... um, tell us about you and- Okay ... how you got to where you are.
Lee Gray: Hmm.
Lee’s Coaching Journey
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Lee Gray: Well, um, [00:02:00] I, I own a business coaching firm, ActionCOACH Business Coaching, and you're a client.
Um, we're located in, in Wichita, Kansas. ActionCOACH Business Coaching is, uh, a franchise organization. It's the number one coaching firm in the world, with over 1,000, uh, coaches around the world, and we work in over 85 countries. And we have systems that we have used over and over again successfully with many, many clients.
We just launched a new software that people can input all of their dashboard data for their business. And so we're integrating tools to help with the coaching process and, and, and as that goes, it's been very exciting to have that. I mean, the way of the world is they want more information, more information.
Um, so I, I have that. I also have a podcast that I do. I'm a podcaster. My podcast is Second Act Business Owner podcast, and so I'm a business owner, and I am a podcaster, do a lot of public speaking, and I'm also a, an author of a book. And what got me here is I've always had businesses [00:03:00] on the side. I have a degree in organizational leadership and management, which you would think is, "Oh, well, that fits really well with coaching," but it really doesn't.
What fits well with coaching is being a good coach and learning- Mm-hmm ... and helping your cl- clients and, and understanding where they are in their mindset so that you can- Mm-hmm ... you know, move the process along with them. But that's what I do, and, uh, so I've always had businesses on the side. When I lost my job at the age of 50, started this business at 51, we have that in common- I decided I was never gonna work somewhere where someone could control my life. I'm gonna work for the biggest idiot of all, me. and, I haven't looked back. I'm really glad. I'm, I'm, a, top coach in ActionCOACH I'm in the, in the top 25 in the, in the United States. Very proud of that, and, what we do for our clients is really actually amazing.
A little bit about me.
Kristin Kienzle: Thanks.
Well, you are so much like myself and all of our beauty professionals who work at Utopia. Yeah. We don't wanna work for someone else. We don't want [00:04:00] to run the risk of getting fired or- Right ... be told we can't take Friday off if we want to. We wanna be in control of those things.
So we always kind of joke that we would be terrible employees at this point. Oh, sure. We would all get fired. Yes. Yeah. who is your target cl- or not target. Hold on. Okay. I don't ... Who's your ideal client? Okay. It's, yeah. Yeah.
Who Coaching Fits Best
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Kristin Kienzle: So I became a client of yours- Mm-hmm ... when I had opened my first salon and was ready to open my second one and didn't know how to.
Lee Gray: Right.
Kristin Kienzle: And I think that you and I worked well together, so I've gotta be one of your ideal clients.
Lee Gray: Oh, you are.
Kristin Kienzle: But
Lee Gray: An ideal client
Kristin Kienzle: But who do you like to work with? Oh. What types of business owners?
Lee Gray: That's a really great question, and, and, and it took us some time to get really clear on that. there, there are some financial places a business needs to be to, in order for us to really help them.
Um, and so I don't work with micro businesses or teeny-tiny businesses. There's other resources that I can recommend for people to do that. Um, our ideal client is three or four employees, um, at least 3 or [00:05:00] $400,000 in revenue, and, and the reason for that is they've gotta have enough to start with so that they can get some runway to take the business to, the business off.
Now, if someone comes to me and is very early on, which, which we do work with clients very early on who have an operating budget, and they have a big plan for a, a good amount of revenue, we'll bring those people on. Mm-hmm. But I wanna work with people who, who have a team and who wanna bring a team on, 'cause we specialize in helping people transition, to owner, to CEO, to working on the business instead of in the business so much.
so I wanna work with people who have a team so I can help them leverage that team. Now, I have some very successful clients. You don't have a large employee team, and you still are our ideal client for a couple of reasons. Uh, the financial things all fit, but your mindset. You have a growth mindset, and I'm looking for that.
In fact, we give, our clients some little tests and things that they do before we come together with them, because if they're not gonna work hard in the beginning, [00:06:00] they're not gonna wanna work hard when things are tough, and things do get tough- Mm-hmm ... when we're trying to grow our business or scale or sell or whatever.
Utopia Pros And Paths
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Kristin Kienzle: So the beauty professionals that come to us and want to lease a suite and be a part of our community all come from different places.
Lee Gray: Right.
Kristin Kienzle: We've got people who are just pretty early out of school- Mm-hmm ... beginning their business, and, and they wanna take the leap and open a suite and be independent right away. Sometimes that goes really well for them. Mm-hmm. It's a lot of work, but I've seen them be very successful. Um, we've got people who have owned big salons and spas who close it down and come here because they just wanna take care of their clients.
Sure. We have every kind. And then we have those who start from scratch- Mm-hmm ... build here, and then this is their launchpad. Yeah. This is where they go- For their second act ... for their second act. Yes. Right. For their next big thing.
Lee Gray: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Kristin Kienzle: And I love watching that. You know, I think a lot of times people think, "Oh, aren't you upset that they're leaving?"
Mm. But there's nothing more exciting to see.
Lessons From A Success Story
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Kristin Kienzle: So one of our very first [00:07:00] tenants who leased with us when we were building our very first building is a girl named McKenzie, and she's a nurse- Mm-hmm ... practitioner who at the time was working in a urology clinic and just starting out her practice here at Utopia.
Mm-hmm. And it was the coolest thing to watch her for, I wanna say three years, build that business, and now she owns a brick and mortar spa with employees- She does ... and she's doing very well. Mm-hmm. And the reason I bring this story up is because I watched her starting and growing, and then I saw the point where she hired you- Uh-huh
and brought in systems. She did. A lot of organization. Mm-hmm. She did a lot of work. She did a lot of mindset work. I watched her evolve into, you know, a nurse starting a s- very tiny small business to someone who has confidence and success and owns a really beautiful med spa today. She does. It
Lee Gray: is
Kristin Kienzle: great story.
And so seeing [00:08:00] that is so inspiring. Uh-huh. And I want everyone who comes to Utopia to know that if this is their last stop and they just wanna ride out- Mm-hmm ... their career here, that's great. Um, but also if this is a springboard for the next thing, that's great too. I know Tatum, who does your hair, she's super successful.
She's a mom. She, she juggles all the things. Mm-hmm. She's got her, you know, she's very involved in her school and her kids. She runs a very, very structured business. She's very skilled. She is, yep. And I think she has o- one of the most beautiful work-life balance examples that I see- Mm-hmm ... in our salons.
She really stands out that way.
Nonnegotiables For Growth
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Kristin Kienzle: but all that said, what do you see, when you're looking at these beauty professionals, wherever they're starting at Utopia, and wherever they're planning to go, what are the most important things that you as a coach comes to mind, like, they need to know this, this, this, and this?
Lee Gray: Yeah. Uh-huh. Well, I think the, the, one of the most important things is to stay on top of the things in your industry. Just because you start [00:09:00] a business doesn't mean you don't continue to learn, so whatever that is. Like, my coaching business, I'm educating myself constantly, constantly. Now, the beauty pros, many of them are gonna go back for tech- technique stuff- Mm-hmm
and I think that's great. Um, but they wanna keep on top of that and tell their clients those kinds of things. Mm-hmm. It's really important, um, when you're getting educated to say, "Hey, I've in- invested my, uh, some time and money into, to a new product, new service. I'm very excited about that." So that's one thing.
Um-
Kristin Kienzle: What can that do for them? When they, when they share that with their client, when they're investing and they're sharing it, where does that take them?
Lee Gray: Really good. It gives them confidence, and it also, um, tells them their, tells their customers that they're interested in maintaining and, or becoming better- Mm-hmm
at their craft. Mm-hmm. And I, it's important to, to let people know. Oftentimes we, we just, oh, we do something and we don't tell people, but we want other people to know, 'cause they don't know. the other thing they can do is have some kind of- have some kind of guarantee among their business maybe.
Oh. Maybe a guarantee in this industry, like with your pros [00:10:00] could be that, you know, I call you back within 24 hours if you need to, if you call me. Mm-hmm. I mean, no one would be expected to, uh, to, to have a turn on any time qui- uh, sooner than that. But you could guarantee something like that- Mm ... and really elevate your practice as a solopreneur here in a suite.
You could separate yourself from all the other people in town, in the state, whatever, just by doing a handful of things that set you apart. Continuous education, letting people know about the education that you get, and then setting some, some, um, guarantees around your business.
That can really set you apart. I mean, you can guarantee the end result of your hair. Mm-hmm. You know, uh, and or whatever the service is.
Kristin Kienzle: Yeah.
Lee Gray: So with the gal that we were talking about earlier, what I saw her do was she would commit to doing something every single week, which means over 52 weeks she accomplished 52 things.
Some were big, some were small, but it was consistent- Mm-hmm ... consistent, consistent. So where is, the consistency with your s- professionals here in, [00:11:00] at Untopia Modern Salon Suites that they're doing to continuously improve? Hopefully that answers some of that.
Maximize Income Fast
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Kristin Kienzle: So all of our beauty professionals are here to make a living.
Lee Gray: Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Kristin Kienzle: And most of them love it. A lot of them do it for the love- Mm-hmm ... but at the end of the day, we're all here to make money- Amen ... you know, pay our bills, go on vacation- Right ... whatever, save for retirement hopefully.
Lee Gray: Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Kristin Kienzle: What would your advice be to them to how they can really maximize their income?
Lee Gray: I'm so glad you asked. Oftentimes, especially in a service caring industry, sometimes we get so care, we get so much care involved in what we do, we don't think about the business side of things. And first thing I would tell all of the pros and all the people listening to this podcast to raise your prices.
Raise your prices. Did I just say that? Yes, I, and I say, you know, profit is not a bad thing. If w- if we're not profitable, we can't be here. If you haven't raised your prices in six months, it's time to raise your prices. And you need to do it more often than less often because if you [00:12:00] go from, a, $100 service to, "Oh gosh, I, I need to, I need to raise it $25," that's
Sometimes that can be a little, a little much. But if you do it incrementally, most people don't notice it. I mean, if ... Do you know how much a gallon of milk costs? Mm-mm. Nobody knows how much a gallon of milk costs. I really don't-
Kristin Kienzle: Or coffee.
Lee Gray: Coffee.
Kristin Kienzle: I mean, you drive through and get a coffee. I don't know.
Lee Gray: Who knows? It's $7? $5, $8, $12. I don't know. Who knows?
Kristin Kienzle: If it changed, I would never notice.
Lee Gray: It is. Yeah, it, same here.
Add Value And Sell Products
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Lee Gray: And, and, and then the other thing, too, for everyone in a Utopia Modern Salon Suite, um, what kind of added value is there that y- that you come in here? Like, when I come in here with, with Tatum, she puts me there when she does the shampoo, and she puts this hot towel around me and covers my eyes and rubs my head.
And I'm like, "Okay, this is isn't what I thought I was gonna get," but I, I feel so wonderful when she does that. Mm-hmm. So that's something that's added value. Doesn't really cost her anything. I'm already in the chair, or I'm already in the bowl. So what can you do to add value, uh, to your clients that doesn't cost anything if you're already in the room?
And that's the thing that [00:13:00] people will remember.
Kristin Kienzle: And sometimes I think it's just as simple as showing up on time, coming, appearing like you're here to work.
Lee Gray: Yes. Y- you should look- And I think we could- ... like your very best client.
Kristin Kienzle: Yes. Oh, yes. Yeah. Mm-hmm. I love that advice. Yes. So they
Lee Gray: should- Look like your very best client.
If your very best client- Okay ... you know, is, is higher end or whatever, I mean, i- you don't have to get dressed up anymore these days. Right. It's pretty casual, upscale casual. Be put together. Mm-hmm.
Kristin Kienzle: Look like you tried.
Lee Gray: Yeah. Put your jewelry on. Make sure you have your makeup and everything, and, and, and your hair.
If your hair isn't done, if you're ... You need to do your fa- if you're a face s- if you're selling facial products, put your face on. Sure. Make your face look more beautiful than i- ... You know, I wanna look like you when you're working on me. And that's so, so important. And, and the being on time. The other things that Tatum does is she has the little snacks here, um, and always offers me one.
I, I sometimes take them, sometimes I don't. And that's, that's memorable 'cause, you know, oftentimes, especially women, we come in to have our hair, our services done, and we're exhausted. And we've been- And you're here for
Kristin Kienzle: three
Lee Gray: hours ... We're here [00:14:00] for three hours, and we haven't eaten anything. And, and so she gets us a nice coffee, which you have these beautiful, the s- the setup.
You have that coffee bar, and you have the tea and the water and all that, which is so nice. I love that when I come here and experience. Mm-hmm. The other thing I want the s- the pros to know about is I s- the products behind me, if, if you are putting a product on my hair, I need to see it. Show it to me.
Tell me about it. Let me smell it. Do you like the smell of it? Talk about the product so that I can buy it from you. Mm-hmm. Then you can guarantee the results that you are providing with my cut- Mm ... and all the other services. I, I- Over the years, I've had I don't know how many cuts, and very, very few people have ever offered me the product.
So uh, if you're putting three or four products on my hair, I should be buying those products from you throughout the year-
Kristin Kienzle: Or you won't get the same results- Or I
Lee Gray: won't get
Kristin Kienzle: the same result ... and the customer won't be happy.
Lee Gray: And- And then
Kristin Kienzle: that comes back to, in your case, the hairstylist ...
Lee Gray: it does, and the added value.
and that's going to add a, a, maybe let's say my h- hair service is, is $100 for simplicity, and I buy a $20 product. I now have a [00:15:00] $120 average sale- Mm-hmm ... instead of 100. Mm-hmm. And my client's getting what they need, and it's not... it does not oversell. It is not overselling when you show someone what product you're putting on their hair and recommend it to them.
It's service. The hairspray, the conditioner, all of it. Yes,
Kristin Kienzle: yes.
Lee Gray: Yeah. Yeah. So I would say that, so find something that you can add value, like the massage or the, whatever your service is. Add value while I'm already here, and then raise your prices every six months. And, you know, it, it, the...
Everything's gone up. I mean, in, a- as we're having this conversation today, gas prices are through the roof. Everybody's costing more to get where they wanna go. It costs more to get products to, to the door, blah, blah, blah. So people understand there's a price increase from, from time to time. Yeah. So price increase, add value, uh, add transactions to everything you do, and offer great service by doing it, by giving me the products, recommending products that are gonna make my hair, be the way I, I want it to be, that you, you prepare my hair for me and it looks [00:16:00] good, or my skin looks good and I wanna s- I want it to stay that way.
Stand Out In A Commodity Market
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Kristin Kienzle: So a lot of the services that are provided here at Utopia, whether they be haircuts, facials, even Botox injections- Mm-hmm ... all these things are, to some degree, a commodity. Anybody can do it.
But what is it that sets people apart so that they're the one who's chosen, so that they can build the clientele and retain the clientele? What would you say to them so they're not just another person who does a great haircut or gives a very relaxing facial?
Lee Gray: I, uh... Those are really great questions and, and yes, it's a commodity, but we do have to differentiate, and so how do we do that?
I think that's what you're asking. And, first of all, when someone calls uh, Botox is a good example. A really good example of someone calling saying, "How much are your in- how much is a-" How much
Kristin Kienzle: per unit.
Lee Gray: How much per unit. That's the number. Mm-hmm. "Well, it depends. Can I ask you some questions?
Because, it, I wanna make sure that I, I... that we get the results that you're looking for. Tell me a little bit about your skin. How long has it been since we, since you had... Have you ever had a treatment [00:17:00] before? And I also wanna let you know that, um, we do not use a non-Botox product. We are literally using..."
You wanna tell them if you're using Botox-
Kristin Kienzle: Mm-hmm ...
Lee Gray: that it's not Dysport or some other product that is- Which
Kristin Kienzle: those products are fine too,
Lee Gray: right? Those products are fine. I s- I just say tell them what you're using- Yeah ... and, and how you're trained on it and why you've chosen it for their skin. That's huge.
That's the most important thing.
Kristin Kienzle: I think people are afraid to do that because they feel like they're selling or bragging or promoting themselves- And it's just the
Lee Gray: opposite ...
Kristin Kienzle: but it is, and I love this coming from you as a very experienced, successful business coach- Mm-hmm ... but also as a client.
Lee Gray: Yeah,
Kristin Kienzle: yeah.
You re- you are a service-
Lee Gray: I have, I have ...
Kristin Kienzle: receiver.
Lee Gray: I am. I am. Mm-hmm. And then I also love the reminders to come back. I'm not offended when someone sends me a text and says, "Hey, we miss you. It's been a while since you've been back. You... It's time." I'm... I, I think we need to over-communicate- Mm-hmm ... even though it feels like we're over-communicating.
But to the recipient, it doesn't feel that way. And I'm not suggesting you text me every week and ask me about my skin or my hair or from whatever service, but a [00:18:00] consistent reach-out is, is- Mm-hmm ... absolutely minimal today in this, in this world. I agree. Mm-hmm.
Kristin Kienzle: I feel like as busy working professionals and moms- Mm-hmm
we just forget. Yeah. I, I mean, there are so many times I think, "Oh, I need to make a..." waxing appointment.
Follow Up Wins Clients
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Kristin Kienzle: Oh, yeah, I'll do it. And then I get distracted, and next thing you know, six days go by and I still haven't done it. But if that person would reach out to me and say, "Hey, I haven't seen you. You're due. Do you want to book now?"
Yes. When can you get me in? And boom, it's done.
Lee Gray: I love that.
Social Media Client Stories
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Lee Gray: I'll tell you something else that, s- uh, salon pros should be doing and m- most are not, and that's social media. I mean, you're in your space. You've got your happy client. They look the best. They look ... Let's say it's hair, for example.
sit down and have a conversation with them and put it on Instagram. We're here. And, and, "Oh, I hate myself on, on camera. Oh, I can't do an interview," blah, blah, blah. You can, and it's- Mm-hmm ... outside of your comfort zone, and that's also going to separate you from all the competition, 'cause everyone else is afraid to do it.
Tell people why you love what you do [00:19:00] and what you did to my hair, and, and, "Lee wears this hair because of this," or whatever. I'm happy to do that for you. Mm-hmm. Your clients want to support you and promote you. They're right here. Doesn't cost anything, and it helps you tell other people without telling other people, you know, what, why your clients love you.
Kristin Kienzle: It also showcases the experience itself. It does. I think that would give people FOMO, like, "I wanna be that person."
Lee Gray: Uh-huh. Yes. Yeah. I mean, sitting here with this stuff in the background and everything, and it's, it's a private suite where I get my- my hair done. No one can hear us conversing. It's a great experience, and how do you show that without showing it?
Kristin Kienzle: Yeah. That's great advice.
Lee Gray: Yeah.
Automate Retention Systems
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Kristin Kienzle: So you mentioned that these people should be following up- Mm-hmm
and really staying in contact with their clients for acquiring new clients and retaining them.
Lee Gray: Yeah.
Kristin Kienzle: But I'm gonna tell you that I think a lot of them are gonna hear this and think, "When am I gonna do that? I'm behind the chair, I'm talking all day, I go home, I've got kids," whatever it is. How do you actually [00:20:00] help them put that into place as a coach?
Lee Gray: It's a good question. So we just need to identify what can be automated, because there are automations that can happen that are really pretty easy. It... Honestly, a spreadsheet, in some cases, of all your clients and their birthdays or whatever would be one system. Let's say you wanna acknowledge, for customer retention, my birthday every year.
I mean, everyone loves to have one, someone tell them they're thinking about them. I love my birthday. I know. Yeah. When, you know. So you could do that in an Excel spreadsheet, and then you could, uh, im- import it into your calendar or something like that. That's one au- au- automation that's pretty simple.
Mm-hmm. And you just ask people- It's
Kristin Kienzle: free.
Lee Gray: It's free. Yeah. And then in your onboarding process, you just need to add, uh, add it to the, the questions that you ask when you, when you first onboard. So here, I, uh, fill out a form the first time I come in, and I answer questions, and so just add that. "When's your birthday?"
Mm-hmm. Date and month. You don't have to ask the year. So that's one thing. Um, and then the other thing about automations, and Tatum does a really good job of it here, she schedules my two or three [00:21:00] next appointments when I'm here every time. That way I'm, I know what I, um, when I'm gonna get, and I'm not, don't get too far be- behind on that.
And then- You're, you're built up. You know what your income's going to
Kristin Kienzle: be ... your system automatically sends you reminders Au- yep.
Lee Gray: It, it gives me an automatic reminder. It texts me, and I love that about that
Kristin Kienzle: And what I wish people would know who are resistant, a lot of them do use the software that does that.
Mm-hmm But for those who resist, um, those things save you so much time in texting and phone calls. Oh my goodness. "Hey, I can't make it. When is my appointment?" Oh
Lee Gray: my gosh. "
Kristin Kienzle: I need to change it," whatever. It can all be automated. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm And so while you're behind the chair or while you're sleeping, people are managing their own appointments.
Lee Gray: That's exactly right. Yeah. So find out. That's where the, the, you know, an entrepreneur, even a solopreneur, has to, to learn you can only earn more if you learn more. Mm-hmm. And imagine learning more about a system that you can implement into your business that allows you to have, you know, 25% more time.
Mm-hmm. And that's [00:22:00] probably what it is. If someone's trying to manually take care of their clients through texting and reminders in that way, they're probably spending 25% of their time, they don't even realize it, on that, and it could be automated. They could gain that back.
Kristin Kienzle: And they're not getting paid for that time.
Lee Gray: And they're not getting paid, no. And it, and it may cost them three, four, five, um, services that they could be doing. Oh, yeah. So if you think the software costs more than you doing it, it's not. It's just the opposite.
Kristin Kienzle: Absolutely.
Lee Gray: Mm-hmm.
Kristin Kienzle: Yeah.
Lee Gray: Yeah. So that's a very good question. Um, and the industry has lots of, automated products that you can buy, you know, starting at- Mm
30, $40 a month, all the way up to a couple hundred dollars a month. Um, but even a, even a couple hundred dollars a month, if it is like having another person help you, is really a great investment for a solopreneur. You know, and you might as well. You might as well- Yeah ... um, not do all the icky work. You know, who likes it?
Nobody likes it. Yeah. So let it be automated.
Mindset of Ownership
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Kristin Kienzle: So I began working with you when I was still behind the chair- Mm-hmm ... and getting ready to open our second location, and you were very helpful to me [00:23:00] as a solopreneur and also as someone building the suites business. one of the very first things we worked on, and I actually enjoyed it, I, I think some people may resist it, but I think it was great, is, is mindset shifts- Mm-hmm
and, um, perception of myself. You worked hard on my confidence. You worked hard on my, just the way I think about things and the way I do things, and you taught me how to be a leader. So these people who... Now someone like McKenzie, who's gonna go open her own spa, definitely, I'm sure that was extremely valuable- Mm-hmm
to her as well. Yeah. But what I do see is that people come in here, and they've been in a commission salon or a spa or even working from their home or whatever, and now that they're here, and they are leasing these four walls, they've branded it beautifully. They've decorated it. They've invested a lot of money and a lot of time.
Sometimes it's hard for me to get them to view themselves as now they're business owners. What, what advice do you have for them about mind shift and- Mm-hmm ... and [00:24:00] confidence and all those things?
Lee Gray: Those are, those are really important things. Fir- first thing, Kristen, I think is to coach them that to d- when, when you ask someone what do you do for a living, let me ask you, what do you do for a living, Kristen?
What do you do? You're
Kristin Kienzle: asking
Lee Gray: me? Mm-hmm.
Kristin Kienzle: Well, for years I said I do hair.
Lee Gray: Yes.
Kristin Kienzle: And that's how I identified myself- Yes ... and who I was. Now I say I support independent beauty professionals by providing a community and a space for them to be business owners.
Lee Gray: I love that. So if I am a s-, um, in a salon suite- Mm-hmm ... I am, I own a salon business. I own a salon business or a, I'm a, I own a salon business.
I'm not behind the chair. I'm not, I don't do hair. I own my own salon business. I love that, and that's how- Mm-hmm ... they should introduce themselves so if someone asks what they do. That, it starts there. Yeah. And I would coach all of them to say that. Uh-
Kristin Kienzle: I love that. I mean, whatever their business name is-
Lee Gray: Yeah
you know, or what's their-
Kristin Kienzle: I,
I
Lee Gray: own Pink ... I own their little- ... Pink Hazel Salon. Yes. That's the suite we're sitting in here. Yes. I own Pink Hazel [00:25:00] Salon. I've been doing it for, for a few years, and, and then they'll say, "Oh, um, how long have you been doing it?" or whatever, and they begin to ask questions. If you tell them you just do hair, then they conjure up a haircut, and that's it.
Yeah. And it's so much more than a haircut.
Kristin Kienzle: That is huge.
Lee Gray: It's huge.
Kristin Kienzle: And that gives them so much more credibility with- Mm-hmm ... the clients they're taking because they can see-
Lee Gray: Yeah ...
Kristin Kienzle: they're, they're managing a lot of things, and I think there's some respect that comes with that.
Lee Gray: You know, in the coaching, um, class we, or in our coaching programs when we do group, we teach everyone to say, "I'm the founder."
So I'm the founder and owner of Pink Hazel Salon.
Kristin Kienzle: Mm-hmm.
Lee Gray: And that is huge, and it's the truth. Mm-hmm. You are also a stylist, but you are the CEO and founder of Pink Hazel Salon. I've said Pink Hazel Salon. There you go. Uh, Tatum, you're welcome. And that's hugely important, and it- it'll- it'll- it'll really impact the shift over time about how you show up.
Mm-hmm. How you show up in your business, how you show up for your customers, how you show up online, all those [00:26:00] things, so I l- I love that for mindset, you know? And then the mindset matches who you are when you come to work.
Look Like the CEO
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Lee Gray: We talked earlier about dressing as your best client, showing up as your best client all the time.
That- that's a mindset thing. Pretty soon it'll, will become common. People who are dressed a certain way, no matter what way, are treated how they're dressed. And you wanna be treated like the CEO owner of your business. It is that. It's truly that.
Kristin Kienzle: As you're saying that, though, I'm thinking about, like a lot of our estheticians and waxers, they wear scrubs.
But they still look put together. They
Lee Gray: do.
Kristin Kienzle: And they don't look like their clients because they're dressed- in scrubs. We
Lee Gray: want them to look like that.
Kristin Kienzle: But they look-
great.
Lee Gray: They still have to have- They, they look like- ... nice looking scrubs. Yes. They still wanna have their makeup and hair done. The jewelry needs to be r- appropriate- Yeah
and, and, and branded. You know, and maybe a certain color. But yeah, you do kind of expect- They do ... you do kind of expect to have, uh, your, your... a nurse who's in that, in that kind of a practice have [00:27:00] scrubs on. Sure. But it's an elevated look, too.
Kristin Kienzle: It is.
Lee Gray: Mm-hmm.
Kristin Kienzle: And talking about that, I'm visualizing all of them.
They, they wear it well.
Lee Gray: They do. They do. I've e- even seen where the sneakers, and they have- Mm-hmm ... the real pretty colorful sneakers. And you can, you can do that. And, and that, that's, that's appropriate. It would be inappropriate to come in street clothes- Mm ... doing a procedure, so.
Keep Learning Business Skills
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Kristin Kienzle: I think that a lot... All of these things are already happening here at Utopia- Mm-hmm
which I'm very proud of. N- and not all of them, and not everybody's doing all of them, but we're doing really well. You really are. We have some really s- Mm-hmm ... all of our beauty professionals are very successful, and, and I'm super proud of that. But I think that it's good to hear because you can always learn something.
I always pick up something, you know? Yeah. And there, that kind of goes back to continuing the education, reading the book. I can read the same book seven times over. There's one that I have read seven times over.
Lee Gray: I'm with you.
Kristin Kienzle: And I pick up something different every time.
Lee Gray: Mm-hmm.
Kristin Kienzle: And I think I just continue to, to fill in the gaps and, and improve.
Lee Gray: Yeah, yeah. [00:28:00] And, and the, the other thing is to, you know, h- have people read. I know you've provided education in to your pros here, too. Um, uh, because, you know, y- you're a business owner, you have to learn about taxes, you have to learn about- Mm ... you know, the, the, the legal things, you know? Mm-hmm. Uh, you have to learn about, keep on top of the, the products and all that.
Um, so it's a big deal. It's a business. It is a business. It's not a-
Kristin Kienzle: Yeah ...
Lee Gray: it's not just a title. It is a business.
Simple Money Habits
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Kristin Kienzle: So let's briefly, we'll keep it very brief- Okay ... so we don't lose people, but let's talk about the one thing that nobody likes to talk about, and that is finances. Give us some quick, simple tips for beauty professionals, the things they need to be watching-
Lee Gray: For
Kristin Kienzle: beauty-
and paying attention
Lee Gray: to. Oh, okay. I, I think that, um, first of all, pay yourself first. Okay. And, and decide what that looks like. And that, that is really important. Um, pay yourself first.
Kristin Kienzle: Okay, now you've got their attention. Uh-huh. So now they're gonna wanna hear this one.
Lee Gray: Yes. Pay yourself first. Keep them interested.
And have it be consistent, have it be regular. [00:29:00] And then put away money that isn't yours. So if you have taxes to pay, you know you're gonna have to pay about 20% of, of what you make is gonna have to go to tax- is gonna have to go to taxes. So you put that into an account. Uh, and then you know- I love
Kristin Kienzle: how you said it isn't yours.
Lee Gray: No, it isn't. And when people say- I made this much. Oh, minus 20% for taxes. Yeah. So it isn't ours, and we have to treat it that way. Mm-hmm. Uh, it can get us into trouble if we try to invest in things and use money that isn't ours. So have an operating account. I think 20% of what you, you think you'll earn over a year's period is, is a good amount to have so that when something does come out or if you wanna buy a device or you need to spend $200 or $300 or $800 on a Dyson, and I mean, all the...
I mean, $600, $800 for a pair of sheers nowadays. Mm-hmm. And you need money- On up. And on up. So we need to have an operating account for those kinds of things because we wanna not have it be borrowed money, ever borrow money for something that you just need to have on hand. So I'd say those are [00:30:00] the... Pay yourself, put the money outside of your reach that isn't yours, and that's that 20%, and then 20% in an operating account.
And then celebrate when you have your best month. Every time you have your best month, celebrate. Tell people, "I wanna thank all my customers for the best month we had here at whatever salon. Thank you. It was a pleasure to serve every one of you." I'm happy, I am happy to see someone making money and being happy and taking care of their clients.
Kristin Kienzle: I love that. You took the most daunting, daunting topic and made it fun-
Lee Gray: Yes ...
Kristin Kienzle: and exciting.
Lee Gray: Yes. Funny- Good job ... how money is fun. I like to say have fun, make money. Have fun making money.
Kristin Kienzle: Oh, I love that.
Lee Gray: Yeah. I mean, what a great career to have. Mm-hmm. And what a great opportunity people have in these suites.
Yeah. They get, they get all the support that you give them, and they get to run their own business without all that other risk. Ah, it's great. It's a great, it's a great opportunity for, people in the industry, and they can stay, like you say, or they can skip and move on. This can be a, a, a jumping-off point, but either way, [00:31:00] it's great.
Kristin Kienzle: Mm-hmm.
Lee Gray: Mm-hmm.
Kristin Kienzle: I agree.
Lee Gray: Yeah.
Podcast Book Coaching Info
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Kristin Kienzle: So before we wrap, I wanna say, first of all, this has been really fun.
Lee Gray: It's been a blast.
Kristin Kienzle: I've been- I love it ... dying for you to get on my podcast- Yep ... and share all the things that you've taught me that I know will be beneficial- Mm-hmm ... to the people who work at Utopia or anyone else- Yeah ... who's thinking about going independent anywhere else, so super valuable, and you made it fun. You even made talking about money fun, which- Good
is just magical.
Lee Gray: Good.
Kristin Kienzle: Um, but this was also a fun day because you also have a podcast- I do ... and I got to be a guest on your- You did ... podcast. So tell us a little bit about your podcast and where these people can find you- Okay ... if they want to buy your book-
Lee Gray: Okay ...
Kristin Kienzle: listen to your podcast, or reach out to you for coaching.
Lee Gray: Okay. I would be happy to do that. Uh, my podcast is The Second Act Business Owner, and it's everywhere, on all the places that you currently listen to your podcasts. And what I cover in my podcast is b- pretty basic stuff. Every week I give you real-world advice [00:32:00] that works in business. Mm-hmm. And I've had people call me and say, "Oh, that episode you did on sales, I didn't even think I needed to know about sales, and that was the best episode ever."
But n- we, we are all in sales if we own a business, that's for sure. Um, so find me there. Uh, the book will be out soon. I'm, I'm sure by the time you're seeing this it'll be close to being out. If not, it'll be on Amazon, and it's the same title, The Second Act Business Owner. And then of course I have my coaching business, ActionCOACH Business Coaching, and you can find me, Google me there, or you can just call me at my cell phone number, 316-640-2193.
Happy to have a conversation with you. And if it looks like maybe we wanna meet, uh, meet up, I've got a strategy to, um, find out about your business. I'll give you some paperwork to do. We'll come together, and we'll see if we can make some magic happen for you. So thank you. Thank you. Thank you for having me today.
It was a lot of fun. It was a lot of fun. You were fun. And you did really good on my pod- podcast. Thank you. You did very good on my podcast. That
Kristin Kienzle: was really fun
Lee Gray: too.
[00:33:00]