[00:00:00] Antony Whitaker: Welcome to the Grow My Salon Business podcast, where we focus on the business side of hairdressing. I'm your host, Antony Whitaker, and I'll be talking to thought leaders in the hairdressing industry, discussing insightful, provocative, and inspiring ideas that matter. So get ready to learn, get ready to be challenged, get ready to be inspired, and most importantly, get ready to grow your salon business.
[00:00:27] Antony Whitaker: Hello and welcome to today's episode of the Grow My Salon business podcast. I'm your host, Antony Whitaker, and it's great to have you here with us today. At the end of every year, I always like to say thank you to you for being a listener to the podcast and for being part of our community, for the reviews that you write and for the feedback that you give.
[00:00:48] Antony Whitaker: We have regular weekly listeners now in over 70 different countries every week, which absolutely blows me away. Some of you I know personally, but most of you I don't, but the fact that you turn up every week and listen to me and the diverse range of incredible guests that I bring to you is greatly appreciated and not ever taken for granted.
[00:01:12] Antony Whitaker: Every third episode is just me and often times I'm answering a question or discussing a topic that someone has asked me to talk about. Other times I'm giving you an insight into some of our courses or some of the free or paid for content that I feel can help you to succeed in business.
[00:01:32] Antony Whitaker: I never want these short episodes where there's no guests to feel like I'm preaching, but for some reason the pre-Christmas message always feels a little bit like the weekly sermon according to Antony, so please cut me some slack because it's never intended as such. But as we come towards the end of another year, the routine that we've had for the last 12 months starts to change and We wind down a little and we start wrapping things up for the year.
[00:02:02] Antony Whitaker: And I don't just mean wrapping up gifts, but wrapping up projects that need finishing, or maybe realising that what seemed like an important project is either now no longer relevant or, alternatively, maybe you're moving it to the top of the list for the coming year. But aside from that, I think it's also inevitable that the end of a year is a time of reflection.
[00:02:26] Antony Whitaker: Whether it's reflection on the progress that you've personally made during the past year, or perhaps it's reflecting on why maybe things haven't gone as you planned. Either way, there's always a lesson to be got. So, a little time spent looking back makes you better prepared for looking forward into the future.
[00:02:47] Antony Whitaker: And that's important because as much as you might be wrapping up 2023, at some level you're probably starting to formulate what you want 2024 to be like. But aside from it being a time of planning and reflection, the end of year can also be an emotional time. We get together with family and friends and many of us celebrate Christmas and inevitably for most people there's going to be a range of emotions and expressions of love and absolute joy and sharing happiness, fun and laughter.
[00:03:23] Antony Whitaker: But Christmas Can also be a sad time for a lot of people because they have memories of the people that are no longer with them. Sometimes that's family, other times it's friends and even colleagues. In some cases, it might be because they have passed away and we think back to previous Christmases and the special memories that were made.
[00:03:46] Antony Whitaker: In other cases, they haven't passed away, but in many instances, maybe for any number of reasons, they may not be a part of your life anymore, whether that was a decision that you made or perhaps that they made. Either way, there's often a range of emotions from sadness and sometimes anger to love and forgiveness.
[00:04:07] Antony Whitaker: Maybe it's a time for reconciliation, or maybe it means it's simply time to let go and to move on. Life can be complicated, and families and the relationships within them are equally complicated, that's for sure. 
[00:04:23] Antony Whitaker: But if we are to believe what we see on the TV commercials from all the big department stores and grocery stores over the festive season, then we would assume that the world's a happy, loving, gentle and kind place. And for some people it is. And for most of the people listening to this podcast, then the chances are good that you predominantly live in a world that is safe and relatively peaceful and you have a roof over your head and a bed to sleep in at night.
[00:04:53] Antony Whitaker: You have people that you love and that love you back and you have food in your belly and some money in your wallet. And if that's you, and it probably is, then, like you, I'm lucky because I live in a country that is not directly at war. I have a loving family, I have a roof over my head, and there's food in the fridge and I get to sleep in a warm bed at night, and for that I am forever grateful.
[00:05:19] Antony Whitaker: But just because that's my reality, and hopefully yours too, it doesn't mean that it's the reality of everyone in your immediate circle. Because at this time of year, lots of people are struggling, some financially and some emotionally. Some people will choose to talk about it and others won't. So, whether it's the clients in your chair, or the people on your team, or even the stranger in the street.
[00:05:47] Antony Whitaker: Take a moment to reach out and connect in whatever way is appropriate. Sometimes for those people on your team or perhaps even the clients in your chair, coming to the salon is their safe place. It's where they feel valued and important and looked after. But their life at home can be a very different place.
[00:06:09] Antony Whitaker: Some of them have major relationship problems, others have financial challenges, and they don't know how they'll get through the next couple of weeks. Others are simply lonely and maybe have no one that they can go to over the Christmas period. Or if they do, for whatever the reason, they simply aren't welcome anymore.
[00:06:27] Antony Whitaker: I think that most people put a lot of financial pressure on themselves at this time of the year. Whether it's buying gifts for others or spending money on themselves. But I really believe that the single most important gift that you can give can be summed up in one word and that is the gift of kindness.
[00:06:47] Antony Whitaker: So, go out of your way to show a little kindness to everyone you come into contact with on a daily basis and perhaps go out of your way to show an act of kindness to someone who you wouldn't normally come into contact with. But most importantly, be kind to yourself at this time of year. 
[00:07:05] Antony Whitaker: Speak nicely to yourself. Congratulate yourself for all you've achieved, because you have surely achieved a lot. And if there are ways that you've fallen short of the standards and expectations that you've set for yourself, then forgive yourself for not measuring up to the standards that you may have set.
[00:07:27] Antony Whitaker: Remember, you are only human, and I'm sure that, like everyone, you will make mistakes too. 
[00:07:34] Antony Whitaker: That's just a part of life, so look for the lessons and learn from the mistakes you make and then move on. Like every year, 2023 would have had its challenges and its opportunities, but whatever they were, you have got through them.
[00:07:50] Antony Whitaker: 2024 will also have its challenges and its opportunities. You will evolve. Sometimes you will win, and sometimes you will learn. You will meet new people, you'll form new friendships, and there'll be exciting opportunities that you can't always even imagine. But at the time of releasing this episode, you still have two weeks of 2023 to go.
[00:08:15] Antony Whitaker: So no matter where you are in the world, from Melinda and I, to you and your family, enjoy your Christmas, get some rest, drive safe if you're traveling, and most of all, remember to be kind to yourself. So, as we start wrapping up this episode, next week's podcast will come out on the 26th of December, where I'll talk with my good friend and fellow podcaster Gordon Miller for a look back at 2023 and a look forward to 2024.
[00:08:46] Antony Whitaker: So don't miss it. Until then, we have multiple free resources on our website from our weekly podcast to the two-minute salon manager videos, as well as our paid for resources, whether it's our books, one to one coaching, or our online courses. And in January, we'll be relaunching our online money program, which as the name suggests, is all about building the financial systems and knowledge that you need as a salon owner.
[00:09:11] Antony Whitaker: So if you want to find out more about any of those things, then visit us at growmysalonbusiness.com or on Instagram at growmysalonbusiness. And I'll also put those links in the show notes for today's podcast. On our website. So to wrap up, I just want to wish you a safe and happy Christmas. And I want to thank you for listening to this week's short episode of the Grow My Salon Business podcast. So until next week, keep safe.
[00:09:40] Antony Whitaker: Thank you for listening to today's podcast If you'd like to connect with us you'll find us at Grow My Salon business.com or on Facebook and Instagram at Grow My Salon business And if you enjoy tuning into our podcast make sure that you subscribe like and share it with your friends Until next time this is Antony Whitaker wishing you continued success