Originally aired January 31, 2024
In this episode, Nina shares some thoughts about the 'everyone is slow' narrative being shared on the salon industry socials. The fact is, not everyone is slow, busy, sad, happy, or anything. This is another example of black-and-white thinking, coupled with remembering the algorithms can be deceiving and distracting. Nina also shares insights on some key areas of your salon business to look at when things slow down and you don't know why, starting with having clarity around your salon brand story which is the foundation for every decision you make in your business. You can learn more about Creating Your Awesome Brand, a complete course for beauty pros here, and find Passion Squared on the socials here and the web here. You can find examples of post-experience salon client communications here. Thank you so much for listening, and if you know someone who needs to hear this episode, I'd be super grateful if you shared it with them. Thank you! 

Originally Aired May 1, 2024

In this episode, Nina revisits a conversation around our collective loss of perspective as an industry thanks to the algorithms on social media feeding into our fears and insecurities by amplifying the most enraging pieces of content. Remember, your content is your marketing, and what you choose to engage with online has a direct impact on your salon business and brand. And when you choose to engage, you are feeding these ridiculous narratives about our industry and causing harm to your nervous system, mental wellness, and salon business. Nina also shares a few tools to help you stay focused on what matters, and less on what doesn’t. You can find us on the web here, and on the socials here and here. You can listen to the 2024 The Year of Perspective for The Salon Industry here and the Instagram post mentioned here. You are so loved. Thank you so much for listening! 

In this episode, Nina shares some thoughts about creative slumps in content creation including a process to work through your slump. We talk about the importance of genuine connections and the struggle with passive content consumption, the difference between creating content for marketing your business and influencers who create content as a business, and the need for a periodic reset to find inspiration, value, and back into your rhythm. We also touch on the importance of seeking context in the online space. You can find Passion Squared on the socials here and on the web here. Thank you for listening! 

In this episode we bring back our bestie Gordon Miller and talk online learning, education, context (yes, again!), voice, digital, social, inspiration and more. You can find Gordon at hairbrained.me, @hairbrained_official + on his personal Insta @gordnm

In this What’s On My Mind episode I share my thoughts context, Insta experts, Insta education and importance of understanding and using The Celery Test as shared by the awesome Simon Sinek in the book Start With Why when both giving and getting advice. You can find me on the gram @passionsquared Thank you so much for listening.

In this episode Erica Santos of House of Cabelo Salon talks about how she handles the tough stuff of salon ownership, lesson of working with a business partner, career paths, growth, opening a second salon location + more. You can find Erica on the gram @hairbyericasantos Thank you so much for listening.

In this What’s On My Mind episode I share some insights on control issues, finding perspective when plans go sideways, and why and how consistent social media breaks are critical to being an awesome leader. You can find me on the gram @passionsquared Thank you so much for listening.

In this extended What’s On My Mind episode I share some social media 101, why it’s time to get back to the fundamentals of social and my thoughts on the Vero app. You can find me on the gram @passionsquared Thank you so much for listening.  

In this episode Shurie shares her journey from photographer to studio owner, her thoughts on understanding the millennial generation + what it takes to create awesome content to build awesome engagement on Instagram. You can find Shurie on the gram @shurie 

In this episode, Noelle Weatherwax of Concrete Rose Salon in Santa Cruz, shares her journey from being homeless to becoming an unexpected salon owner, why she chose the name Concrete Rose for her business along with the little things that fueled her passion for growing people. You can find Noelle + Concrete Rose Salon on the gram @noelle.concrete.rose and @concreterosesalon

In this episode Mahogany Plautz, owner of Carve Salon in Minneapolis, shares her journey into becoming a salon suite owner, how being an educator has empowered her as a leader, and stepping into her purpose of inspiring more equal representation of people of color in pro beauty. You can find Mahogany on the gram @mahoganyhairstylistmpls  

Thank you! 

In this EXTENDED and oh so honest episode with special Guest Gordon Miller, CEO of Hairbrained, Gordon talks about some of the most common challenges he has experienced with small business ownership + leaderships. The pain that sometimes comes with owning a salon, what to consider before opening, and lots of other juicy wisdom and advice.  

In this episode Jason shares his unplanned journey from stylist to owner, one thing he wish he knew before becoming an owner, the wisdom found in his recovery and what passion + purpose means to him.   

In this episode, Nina welcomes Sean Paisant, Owner of Entrust Hair in Portland, Oregon, and seasoned haircutting educator. Sean shares his journey of building, leading, and growing Entrust Hair over the past 14 years, the origins of Entrust, the shift from an employment-based to a lease-based salon model, the importance of focusing on community and connection between clients and other hairdressers in the salon, and valuable insights into building a loyal clientele through offline word-of-mouth and elevated salon experiences. Sean also shares his view of some of the challenges and changes in the salon industry, the significance of having a routine, and finding his rhythm. You can find Sean on the socials here and Entrust Hair here. You can find Passion Squared on the socials here and on the web here. Thank you Sean for being our guest, and my awesome neighbor, we love you! 

In this What’s On My Mind episode I talk the perception that I am always positive and the tools I use to keep my promise to you and live my purpose. 

In this What’s On My Mind episode, I share my thoughts on living and thriving with anxiety and panic disorder and my personal process for dealing with it all. 

In this episode Aura shares her journey of moving with grace through two major burnouts, on how self care has become her guiding light and how purpose her purpose to teach brings her joy.

In this What’s On My Mind episode, I share my thoughts on how balance is unattainable and why finding your rhythm is where I suggest you focus your energy.

Ash Fortis shares her journey from beauty school to ownership, how she navigates the sometimes not too pretty part of social media and how she has managed to stay true to her creativity as an artist. This episode has a little appearance by Courage Jude towards the end, lol!

In this ͞What’s On My Mind͟ episode, I share my thoughts on the latest Instagram algorithm rumors and why you need to ignore it.

In this episode Amber shares her experience from 17 years of being a creative small biz owner and how self-awareness is a big reason she has been able to move through the struggle with grace.

Originally aired January, 31, 2024
In this episode, Nina shares some thoughts about the 'everyone is slow' narrative being shared on the salon industry socials. The fact is, not everyone is slow, busy, sad, happy, or anything. This is another example of black-and-white thinking, coupled with remembering the algorithms can be deceiving and distracting. Nina also shares insights on some key areas of your salon business to look at when things slow down and you don't know why starting with having clarity around your salon brand story which is the foundation for every decision you make in your business. You can learn more about Creating Your Awesome Brand, a complete course for beauty pros here, and find Passion Squared on the socials here and the web here. You can find examples of the post experience salon client communications here. Thank you so much for listening, and if you know someone who needs to hear this episode, I'd be super grateful if you shared it with them. Thank you! 

In this episode, Nina welcomes back Stacey Rackham, leader and owner of Mint Hair Crafting Salon in Ferndale, Michigan. They dive right into Stacey's new concept, Melt, which focuses on scalp care and head spa experiences inspired by Japanese wellness techniques. Stacey discusses her journey of creating the Melt head spa experience, the challenges faced, and the overwhelmingly positive feedback from salon guests and her team. We talk about how Mint Hair Crafting builds new guest relationships through staying active in local Facebook groups and events like her recent puppy yoga fundraiser, and how she continues to enhance the Mint Hair Crafting experience. We also discuss Stacey’s dedication to nurturing her salon guests and team, and yes, we also talk about our shared love for Taylor Swift. Lol. You can find Mint Hair Crafting on the socials here, on the web here, and find Stacey here. Thank you Stacey for being our guest. We love you! 

In this episode, Nina revisits the January 2024 episode on perspective for the salon industry, and reflects on significant global and consumer trends impacting the salon industry from 2023 to 2024, emphasizing the importance of providing care, building trust, and creating value for salon clients. We dive into topics ranging from customer psychology and economic factors to specific salon industry trends such as the skinification of hair. Nina highlights the need for businesses to adapt to consumer behaviors, improve salon client experiences, and stay focused on the fundamentals of growing your salon business, focusing on lifetime client value and the importance of clear communication and consistent experiences, online and off, and strategies to retain clients, manage prices, and realign business practices, concluding with advice on focusing on fundamental values and avoiding the distraction of online discourse. You can find Passion Squared on the socials here and here, on the web here, and Creating Your Awesome Brand, a complete course for beauty professionals here. Thank you so much for listening!

In this episode, Danielle Green, the owner, and creator of Radically Curly Salon, an employment based salon in Las Vegas returns to the pod. We discuss Danielle's recent move to a large salon from a quad salon suite, to accommodate her growing clientele and team. Danielle shares the journey and motivations behind creating the Radically Curly Salon brand, which focuses on celebrating all natural textures of hair. Danielle also discusses her wisdom and insights from the build-out of the new Radically Curly location including the importance of external support systems like a business attorney and CPA, and the challenges and rewards of transitioning to a larger space. We also discussed marketing strategies, client referrals, self-care practices, and maintaining healthy boundaries as an entrepreneur. You can find Radically Curly Salon on the socials here and here, on the web here. Thank you Danielle for sharing your wisdom, again, with us! And thank you to our listeners for being here. We love you!

In this episode Nina dives deeper into a recent Reel they shared on the connection between your salon brand, your salon experiences, and your salon prices. When your prices are aligned with the experience you deliver, and you’re attracting salon clients who see value in the experience for the price, you are good. When your salon prices are out of alignment with the experience you deliver, that's where you may struggle. We also talk about the importance of context when absorbing content on the socials about your salon pricing. The Reel mentioned in this episode can be found here. You can learn more about the Creating Your Awesome Brand course here, find us on the socials here and here, and on the web here. Thank you so much for listening! 

In this episode, Nina sits down with Kristen Peckich, the owner of La Pomponnee Salon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We discuss Kristen's 32 years as the owner and leader of an employment-based salon, her unusually low turnover of team members and clients, her salon leadership philosophy, lessons learned, and transitioning from working behind the chair into a full time leadership position. We also talk about Kristen’s most impactful marketing strategies focusing on client care and how Kristen practices self-care while serving others. Thank you Kristen for being an inspiration to our industry and for being our guest on the pod. You can find La Pomponnee on the socials @lapomponnee Thank you for listening! 

In this episode, Nina revisits a conversation around our collective loss of perspective as an industry thanks to the algorithms on social media feeding into our fears and insecurities by amplifying the most enraging pieces of content. Remember, your content is your marketing, and what you choose to engage with online has a direct impact on your salon business and brand. And when you choose to engage, you are feeding these ridiculous narratives about our industry and causing harm to your nervous system, mental wellness, and salon business. Nina also shares a few tools to help you stay focused on what matters, and less on what doesn’t. You can find us on the web here, and on the socials here and here. You can listen to the 2024 The Year of Perspective for The Salon Industry here and the Instagram post mentioned here. You are so loved. Thank you so much for listening! 

In this episode, Nina talks about the recent ban on non-compete agreements in the US and why that’s awesome news for the salon industry in creating a positive and supportive environment for your salon team members, focusing on building trust through clear communication, expectations, and shared vision. Nina also talks about how this new ruling is directly connected to your salon brand story which is the foundation for your Salon Team Handbook, which is about building trust, clarifying your salon brand values, and helping create a healthy salon culture. You can learn more about Creating Your Awesome Brand, A Complete Course for Beauty Professionals here, and find Passion Squared on the socials here and here. Please share this episode with folks you feel would gain value from the message. Thank you so much for listening! 

Originally aired January 3, 2024

In this episode, Nina proclaims 2024 to be the year of perspective for the salon industry. One viral TiKTok or some comments from random strangers on the Internet is not fact, or truth. The algorithms are designed to feed off our enragement and discourse. Because of that, we are collectively losing perspective around how different salon businesses and models work, how salons make decisions aligned with their brands, and how salons grow. Whether it be overcorrecting and confusing healthy boundaries and walls, connecting the prices you charge and client feedback with your personal worth, tossing out the fundamentals of client retention and happiness, deciding salon business ownership wasn’t for you, having the best year ever, or the worst, we talk about it all to help you regain and retain perspective to have a more awesome, authentic and aligned with your brand year. You can find Passion Squared on the socials here and here, and on the web here. You can learn more about Creating Your Awesome Salon Brand here. Thank you so much for listening. Cheering you on, every day, always! 

In this episode, Nina share insights on generational discourse drawing from their own experiences as a young hairdresser and marketer, the importance of listening to different generations and their perspectives, and how it applies to both your salon business and life and shares some tips from a blog they wrote in 2013 on how to be a more empathetic leader to future generations. Nina also shares why the word awesome has always been a big part of their vocabulary. You can find Passion Squared on the web here, and on the socials here and here. Thank you so much for listening! You are awesome! 

In this episode Nina dives into the trouble with comparing your salon brand to the one down the street, revisiting a Passion Squared blog post from 2014 on the importance of having clarity around your own salon brand story, marketing strategy which includes your salon pricing, your business objectives, desired outcomes, overhead, and all the things. This episode also includes a little reminder about your rhythm, knowing that some days you’ll be in your flow, some days you’ll be on fire, and some days, like for Nina today, you will be in your slow era. All the days and eras matter. And so do you. You can find us on the socials here and here, on the web here, the Creating Your Awesome Brand, a complete course for beauty professionals here, and The Pricing Playbook Class mentioned in this episode here. Thank you for listening. 

In this episode, Nina dives into a few key actions that can have an immediate impact on your salon business and brand. New salon clients find you via search, whether it be through search engines, voice, AI, referral platforms or the socials. Every word matters, which means your captions are more important than ever. In this episode I share an exercise I did that proved how social media posts can significantly contribute to how your salon comes up in search engines. We also talk about the missing context of the ‘charging your worth’ messaging in the salon industry, and give you some fundamental tools to help you refocus your energy on your own salon brand and get out of comparison. You can find us on the socials here and here, on the web here, and Creating Your Awesome Salon Brand, a complete course for beauty professionals here. Thank you so much for listening! 

In this episode on the pod, Nina comes to you for a little catch up after being under the weather this month to celebrate Passion Squared's 12th birthday, dive into respurposing content, navigating sick days with salon clients, healthy boundaries vs. walls in your salon business, and some things to consider before discounting your salon services when you're business is slow and you're not sure why. Thank you so much for listening! Whether you've been here since day one or just arrived, thank you for your trust, support, and love. We're so grateful you're here. 

Links mentioned in this episode:
Creating Your Awesome Brand Course 
Passion Squared

Episode Timestamps

01:52 Celebrating 12 Years of Passion and Gratitude 

03:44 The Importance of Healthy Boundaries and Your Salon Business 

07:44 The Difference Between Healthy Boundaries and Walls

11:28 The Impact of Discounting on Your Salon Brand and It’s Value

In this episode, originally aired in June 2023, Nina shares some simple, high-impact ways to show your salon clients you care, build trust, and create more value for them. These simple actions, which have nothing to do with social media or algorithms, can help you retain awesome clients, and help you generate more revenue in the process. Also in this episode, Nina shares the real reason behind their obsession with squirrels, birds, and trees which is a story of hope and healing. You can find Nina and Passion Squared on the web here and on the socials here and here. Thank you for listening! 

In this episode, Nina dives into the connection between your salon brand story and your salon's social media content and shares some simple processes to stay focused on creating content that connects you to the salon clients you wish to serve. If you are looking to streamline your social media content process, build relationships with new clients, get out of comparison, and reduce overwhelm this episode is for you. You can find more information on the Creating Your Awesome Brand Course here, Passion Squared on the web here and on the socials here and here. Thank you so much for listening! 

In this episode, Nina sits down with special guest, and long-time friend Candice Moore. Candice is the owner of Moore Grace, a company dedicated to healing, restoration, and hope at the soul level. Candice is a transformative leader, a powerful motivational speaker, a gifted storyteller, and a published author. In this episode, Candice shares what emotional fitness and wellness look and feel like, both at work and in our everyday lives from identifying, processing, and healing traumas, to how to show up fully for yourself, and those you serve and care about. This is a must-listen episode for those of you committed to doing the inside work, building your self-love and self-worth, and feeling more purpose and joy in your lives and businesses. You can find Candice online here and on the socials here and here. Thank you for listening. You are so loved. 

In this episode, which originally aired on February 6, 2023, Nina dives deeper into an Instagram post shared last week on being mindful about creating content drenched in justification around the value, worth, and pricing of your brand services and products. Whether you are a stylist, a salon, a fitness trainer, a massage therapist, a lash artist, or a content creator, always remember your content is your marketing. When you find yourself sharing content that speaks to your value, worth, and pricing, ask yourself who is this targeting and whether is it adding value and solving a problem for those you serve. Your current clients already know the value of the experience you deliver at the price you set. Your future clients will decide that they value the experience you deliver at the price you set. Those who don't see value in the experience you deliver at the price you set aren't your people. If you are ready to gain clarity around your brand and say goodbye to justifying, you can find the Creating Your Awesome Brand Course here. You can find Nina and Passion Squared on the socials @passionsquared and on the web at passionsquared.net Thank you for listening.

In this episode, Nina shares some thoughts about the 'everyone is slow' narrative being shared on the salon industry socials. The fact is, not everyone is slow, busy, sad, happy, or anything. This is another example of black and white thinking, coupled with remembering the algorithms can be deceiving and distracting. Nina also shares insights on some key areas of your salon business to look at when things slow down and you don't know why starting with having clarity around your salon brand story which is the foundation for every decision you make in your business. You can learn more about Creating Your Awesome Brand, a complete course for beauty pros here, and find Passion Squared on the socials here and the web here. Thank you so much for listening, and if you know someone who needs to hear this episode, I'd be super grateful if you shared it with them. Thank you! 

In this episode, Nina sits down with long-time friend and award winning hairdresser Ira Pope Sage. They talk about everything, from how Ira became a hairdresser, to his first years as an educator, to navigating his fears and helping others navigate theirs as an educator, to what creates an awesome salon or education experience, to the daily rituals that help Ira stay healthy, grounded and strong. This is a must listen episode for everyone in the salon industry, there are so many gems Ira shared to help you. You can find Ira and his tour dates on the socials here, and find Passion Squared on the web here, and on the socials here. Thank you Ira for being our special guest, we LOVE you! And thank YOU for listening! 

In this episode, Nina shares a reminder that sometimes it's best to keep the snark in the group chat. Whether it's the latest Calico Hair trend, or things some salon clients do that give you the ick, you need to remember that your salon brand content is your marketing, and everything you post, share, like and comment on can be seen by your current salon clients and potential future clients. Jokes are fun, however, they do not always land well with salon clients, and could create a crack in the trust you've worked so hard to build with them in your salon, which can greatly diminish lifetime salon client value, the amount of happiness, joy, referrals, and revenue your clients bring you over the lifetime of your relationship. The blog from 2015 mentioned in this episode can be found here. You can find Passion Squared on the socials here, and the web here. Thank you so much for listening. 

We’re sharing this episode again (original episode aired June 2023) as the myth around professional salon products not being profitable keeps coming back to our inbox, as recently as this week.

In this episode, Nina talks about the true purpose of providing home care solutions for your clients and some of the false narratives being shared in the professional salon industry. The truth is, your salon client's happiness matters not just on the day of their salon visit, but also, all the days in between. The purpose of offering home care is not about money or profits, it's one of the results, however, not the most important result, which is client happiness, convenience, and lifetime client value, which is the amount of happiness, joy, referrals, and revenue your client brings you over the lifetime of your relationship. Nina also breaks down the simple math of professional home care, dispelling a narrative about it not having any profit. These narratives, which lack significant context, cause harm and create confusion. It doesn't have to be that way. Together, we can change the narrative, which allows you to make more aligned decisions for your salon business and brand. Thank you so much for listening. You can find Passion Squared on the web here and on the socials here and here. 

In this episode, Nina dives deeper into a post shared last week on the Passion Squared socials that spoke to the Stanley cup memes and folks comparing them to investing in professional salon products. The memes were funny and also created an opportunity to talk about brand value and lifetime salon client value. The deeper dive in this episode is about understanding the connection between educating your salon clients, and how that can translate into lifetime client value; the amount of joy, happiness, referrals and revenue your clients bring you over the lifetime of your relationship. Nina shares some perspective and insight from a comment on that post, challenging the idea of recommending 'non-professional' product alternatives to salon clients who do not have the budget for professional products. The truth is, the actual value and differentiation of professional salon products come from you, the pro, the expert behind the bottle, and not always from what's inside the bottle. Please listen to this with an open heart and mind. And if you have questions, I'd love to hear from you. You can find the original post here, and find us on the socials here and here, and the web here. Thank you for listening! 

In this episode, Nina proclaims 2024 to be the year of perspective for the salon industry. One viral TiKTok or some comments from random strangers on the Internet is not fact, or truth. The algorithms are designed to feed off our enragement and discourse. Because of that, we are collectively losing perspective around how different salon businesses and models work, how salons make decisions aligned with their brands, and how salons grow. Whether it be overcorrecting and confusing healthy boundaries and walls, connecting the prices you charge and client feedback with your personal worth, tossing out the fundamentals of client retention and happiness, deciding salon business ownership wasn’t for you, having the best year ever, or the worst, we talk about it all to help you regain and retain perspective to have a more awesome, authentic and aligned with your brand year. You can find Passion Squared on the socials here and here, and on the web here. You can learn more about Creating Your Awesome Salon Brand here. Thank you so much for listening. Cheering you on, every day, always! 

In this special episode of the pod, Nina is joined by author, writer, storyteller, content creator, and small business owner Roxan McDonald. Roxan shares her story of how she became a writer and storyteller, her viral rise on TikTok, not being nice, where gratitude fits in her recovery and life, moving to a new country and we dive into Roxan’s latest creation, the Spiritual AF Activity Book and Journal. You can find Roxan on the socials here and her new book here. You can find Passion Squared on the socials here and on the web here. Thank you so much for listening!

In this episode, Nina responds to a question from Evan Joseph about dealing with a salon client who is being unreasonable and combative. There are several things to consider when deciding how to handle upset or angry salon clients; your business Agreements, your brand, lifetime client value, and the outcome you seek. Having healthy boundaries is essential in business, and Nina shares a few different ways to respond to these situations in a healthy way along with an example from My AwesomeAF Healthy Boundary Handbook which has several conversation frameworks like this to help you navigate the most common issues that arise. You can find Nina on the socials here and here, and on the web here. You can get a copy of My AwesomeAF Healthy Boundary Handbook here. Thank you so much for listening. And thank you @evanjosephcurls for inspiring this episode. 

In this episode, Nina talks about the true purpose of providing home care solutions for your clients and some of the false narratives being shared in the professional salon industry. The truth is, your client's happiness matters not just on the day of their salon visit, but also, all the days in between. The purpose of offering home care is not about money or profits, it is one of the results, however, not the most important result, which is client happiness and convenience. Nina also breaks down the simple math of professional home care, dispelling a narrative about it not having any profit. These narratives, which lack significant context, cause harm and create confusion. It doesn't have to be that way. Together, we can change the narrative, which allows you to make more aligned decisions for your business and brand. Thank you so much for listening. You can find Passion Squared on the web here and on the socials here and here. 

In this episode, Nina shares some simple, high-impact ways to show clients you care, build trust, and create more value for them. These simple actions, which have nothing to do with social media or algorithms, can help you retain awesome clients, and help you generate more revenue in the process. Also in this episode, Nina shares the real reason behind their obsession with squirrels, birds, and trees which is a story of hope and healing. You can find Nina and Passion Squared on the web here and on the socials here and here. Thank you for listening! 

One way to reduce team discourse, leadership overwhelm and angst is to have clear, simple, aligned, and compassionate communication. And while that sounds like, duh Nina, the truth is it's one of the most common reasons discourse is created in the first place, and why people quit. Unmet expectations, broken promises, or misaligned expectations come back to communication. In this episode, Nina shares the Awesome Team Handbook framework they created for clients of Passion Squared, along with some crucial details and context. Whether it's team, tenant, or client agreements, the more clear you are on your brand, the more clear your communications will be. Healthy communication, happy people. You can find the Team Handbook Template here, the Client Agreements Framework here, and find Nina on the socials @passionsquared and at passionsquared.net Thank you so much for listening! 

In this episode, Nina shares the Healthy Boundary Conversation Framework from My AwesomeAF Healthy Boundary Handbook to help guide you through some of the more challenging discussions when salon clients are asking about the pricing of your services and when you have a price increase. Nina also walks you through the differences between healthy boundary communications on price increases and no boundary communications. You will immediately feel the difference. You can apply these frameworks to any difficult conversation, and the ones you tend to avoid. We also talk about Taylor Swift, because, of course, we do. You can find My AwesomeAF Healthy Boundary Handbook here and find Passion Squared on the socials here. Thank you so much for listening!