Beauty Business Strategies
The podcast where salon, spa, medspa, barbershop, and lash studio owners — just like you — learn quick tips to make more money, inspire your team, and create world-class client experiences.
Beauty Business Strategies
What's Next for Strategies: A Fresh Start
The future of beauty leadership doesn’t live in hustle culture or lone-wolf success stories—it lives in healthy companies where people grow, paychecks are stable, and culture drives the numbers. Robert Maraglia sits down with Barbara and Brett Pierce to share why they bought a three-decade education company and how they’re modernizing it without losing the backbone: financial clarity, team-based pay, and no-compromise leadership.
We unpack what changed our own salons from stressed to strong: real systems, clear values, and a team model that unlocks more than just “two hands.” Barbara explains how focusing on whole-person contribution—education, mentorship, guest experience, and innovation—reduces burnout and lifts results. Brett gives a grounded take on no-compromise leadership: hold fast to goals and values, stay flexible on methods, and build the consistency that creates trust and stable incomes.
You’ll hear how Strategies is evolving education with the online Academy, small-group collabs, and packed in-person events designed for both owners and teams. We talk practical solutions for today’s challenges—churn, no-shows, cancellations—plus the early expectations and clear career paths that keep new talent in the industry. From AI-enabled systems to hands-on workshops, every tool points to the same outcome: resilient, people-first salons that last.
If you’ve been watching from the sidelines, consider this your nudge. Test one new play, pilot a clearer path, and see what happens when your culture and numbers finally pull in the same direction. Subscribe, share with a fellow owner, and leave a review with the one change you’ll make this month—we’ll feature our favorites in a future episode.
To learn more about how Strategies can help you create more profit, fun, and growth potential for you, your business, and your team, schedule a free 60-minute strategy session:
Strategies: https://www.strategies.com
Salon/Spa Business Coaching: https://strategies.com/memberships/
In-Person Salon/Spa Seminars: https://strategies.com/education
Podcast: https://strategies.com/podcast/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strategiesteam
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/strategies
Online Education Portal: https://learning.strategies.com/
The Beauty Business Strategies Podcast is designed to give salon, spa, medspa, barbershop, and lash studio owners, just like you, quick tips to make more money, inspire your team, and create world-class client experiences.
Before we get started, a quick note.
SPEAKER_00:We recorded this between other meetings in different locations, and we found some audio imperfections when we were listening back. We thought about re-recording it, and then we decided no, we're not going to re-record it. It was too authentic. And Robert did such a great job. It was just where we wanted it to be.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, we hope you'll listen past the static for the substance because this conversation matters.
SPEAKER_00:Thank you.
SPEAKER_03:Hi everyone, and welcome to the Beauty Business Strategies podcast. I'm Robert Maraglia, customer experience specialist here at Strategies, and I'm so glad you're tuning in today. If you've been a part of the Strategies community for a while, you probably know we've gone through some exciting changes over the past year. New leadership, new energy, and a renewed commitment to helping beauty business owners build profitable, people-first companies that actually last. Today I'm joined by owners Barbara and Brett Pierce, and we're pulling back the curtain on what this next era of strategies really looks like. Welcome, welcome, welcome, Barbara, Brett. Glad we could do this today.
SPEAKER_00:I know, I'm so excited. I'm really excited it's you, Robert. I love getting to talk to you.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, it's the same here.
SPEAKER_03:Yes, I'm excited. I'm excited. So we'll just get it kicked off. Let's go. Let's start at the beginning. Uh, you know, there's a lot of easier paths in business than buying an education company that's been around for nearly 30 years. So, why strategies? What did you see in this company or the industry that made you say this is worth building on? So that is a loaded question. Let's just go on.
SPEAKER_00:Brett, do you want to start?
SPEAKER_02:Absolutely. I'll begin. I'll begin it. Um, so I'll first answer this way there was already the established relationship. And in that established relationship, Barbara and I have been working with the same company. So we had access to the customers that already believe in things that are all same strategies. And then there's this amazing team that we worked with. So all these people that were with us that were fighting so hard. Not often do you get the opportunity to see how people, how strongly they believe in something, as we did with the people that were working around us. So we were already just we were we we were just drenched and immersed, immersed in and all things move companies forward, all things take care of other people, that heart of service. So we were already there in that part. So there was the love there. There was the love of of that. Could it have been that we went out and built one from the ground up? I'm sure that we could could have could have done that. We would be absolutely capable of doing so. But you had just like you may have that beautiful house that you see that's been built for many of years, you know it was built with with good materials, you know that the the thought that went into it was a well-planned design. And you go and you make that home better by purchasing it. Well, that's the same thing for us for strategies. We wanted to see that portion of it. And so we saw all the the things that were happening now and then the potential of moving it forward with a continued voice, but a fresher look at it, a different, not necessarily vision as much as just having the view of the of the landscape of the uh of the future.
SPEAKER_00:And you know, for me, we as owners of a salon in our, you know, in our area, um, we found strategies a long, long time ago. I mean, it was what, Brett, 2006 that we first started working with strategies as strategies clients. And, you know, coming from myself, I did not come from a background in beauty um in the beauty industry. And so I was doing behind the scenes payroll books, things like that. And I was really kind of confused by how this industry does things at the time. And when we found strategies, you know, was not everybody who comes to strategies comes because they're having some kind of challenge. Sometimes they are just stagnant or they want to grow or they're looking for a different way to view their company. But for us, we had very real challenges. Our company was struggling, it was in disrepair. Strategies helped us get back on our feet and learn how to run it as a company and build a healthy company. And that's something that I have found since is kind of lacking in our industry is that support to build healthy companies or even what a healthy company looks like. We all just keep doing it the same way because the industry dictates how you perform your business or your, you know, handle your business. And what we realized is that strategies helped us become a real company, a healthy company, and and thrive. And so we both ended up um riding two horses with one caboose, as it were. We were both working in the salon and working for strategies and other things too. Um we became coaches for strategies, and then we really got to see more of the industry and how the solid business foundations that we learned at Strategies can help everybody because they're just solid business foundations, period. It's not reinventing the wheel, it's teaching people how to run a healthy company. So when Neil, we knew that Neil was getting ready, he Neil Dukoff was the founder of Strategies and we knew he was getting ready to retire. And what was going to become of the company, we could not bear to watch anything happen to the company. Um we wanted the company to continue so that it could do the work that it had always been doing, which is is help salon spaws, med spaws, and our beauty industry, which is a beautiful industry, thrive, grow, repair, get healthy, excel, evolve, elevate, all of the things. So that's that's the reason that we made the decision is we wanted to see this company continue to serve our industry in the manner that it has been serving our industry for over 30 years, and then some, and to evolve with our industry.
SPEAKER_03:I mean, I joined Strategies in 2015 uh with our company um in in Atlanta, and uh it made such an impact on us that I became a coach in 2018, and then we sold our company in 2019, and lo and behold, who knows what was gonna happen next. Um, but it was and that company's still thriving today. So I I I hear you, I hear that there's this drive and there's this um almost conviction to what you know, that we gotta share it, we gotta spread the news, we gotta share this with people and and help everyone and support them in the best possible way.
SPEAKER_00:Well, and Robert, you point you're pointing out something, you know, that's really important that that the coaches that you encounter at strategies all either owned or were high-level management in a Swan Spa, med spa, in a beauty industry company, just like yourself, just like us. Um, we've all been in the trenches, we've all you know been in this industry. So I think that's a really important thing to know about strategies. And one of the reasons that it was so important to us that we keep this company together was because all of the coaches like you found strategies, found their home, found their healthy company, and then have a passion for, like you, helping other companies grow and get healthy too.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, that's a great point. I'm glad you noticed that, Barbara and Robert. I'm glad you said what you said because you know, I've I grew up my entire life in the beauty industry. I've I've I've been exposed to all aspects of it. And I've seen all the different types of evolutions for it. I've seen the you know different trends that came in and even different ways that things that were handled as far as business went. And I was very fortunate to have my my dad who influenced me mostly on the business side, but on the business side too, he he saw he was really gifted at seeing people. He was gifted at seeing what their their gifts were, and um uh and he was he was gifted in seeing that their skills, the things that they were capable of, that if you expanded on those things, you could make really great people, you could you could grow those better humans, right? And so he saw that aspect and he it it always had inspired me. So as I began to mature in the business and as I began began to you know desire to move away from performing services, because that was my background was performing services, and as I saw, you know, areas for me to to expand in, I started searching for what would be the best way of doing this. And I had tried several different things, several different companies, looking at, you know, uh everything from our, you know, the brands that we worked with, education that they were providing. I was looking at everything, even outside of our industry, and I feel as though I stumbled on something that had been in existence at that time for 20 years, um, and how I missed it, I don't know. But when I did, I was I was like, this is my happy place, this is where I'm home. So you answering the earlier question, you know, why wouldn't we? Because it was already home to me. Why wouldn't we buy strategies? It was already home to me. And then all these people moved into the home with me. Uh and it sounded like a a crazy home, but but but but but but they moved in with us side by side and are locked arm in arm. And everybody in our company took things so seriously while having fun, but I mean, serious in the things that we wanted to deliver to customers, how we wanted the people, other people to thrive, how we wanted them to how them them grow, and we took such pride in it. And it was just natural progression for me, and then for me and Barbara to do it together, that was a dream come true. To be to do this together with her, and I think she feels the same way about me, was just a dream come true. For us to take this and continue to evolve and and continue the legacy.
SPEAKER_03:I love that. Um, Barbara, I've heard you say we didn't buy it to preserve it in amber. You know, so so what were what are you most excited about to evolve rather than just maintain? What do you what do you foresee? What is coming?
SPEAKER_00:Well, you know, strategies has always been rooted in solid financial um stewardship in companies. We've always, you know, really stressed understanding your numbers, understanding the business side and the business foundation. But one of the key ways that we're evolving is our focus on team and growing team members and really owning the knowledge that team members have in the company and and and helping them get to that place where they grow more beyond what they do with their two hands. We're we're very much helping owners and team members look at the company more holistically and what does the company need besides just how fast I can do hair or how quick I am, you know, at you know, how how I adhere to time standards and how many people I run in and out of the treatment room. We're really about how do we grow and evolve as a company where we can use the the talents of the whole individual to kind of elevate the company that we have and innovate. And um, so I really feel like one of the things that we're doing looking on the horizon is getting teams more involved, making sure that team members understand the business side more and what it means for their individual growth. I think a lot of people have this misconception that because we advocate for team-based companies, that we try to make little robots where everybody's the same and cookie cutter. And that couldn't be further from the truth. We're really about elevating the individual in a way where the individual can use all of their skills and avoid the burnout of just how busy they can get or how quick they can sling clients through, but really how they can look at what the company needs overall and help the company grow and educating because it's really hard in our industry to help owners and team members understand how to do that when our industry tells them your only growth path is to get busier and see more people. And so we help companies understand that that is not the only way. And so one of the big key things that we want to do is is that team involvement and getting team involved more in the company and really digging into the culture of your company and and understanding how much culture drives the numbers. And but my biggest thing, like my soapbox moment, is I am absolutely about stopping the churn in our industry. And you've heard me say it before, I'll say it again and again and again. The best count that we can get right now is four out of five people coming into cosmetology schools will not be in our industry two years from now. They come in, they're looking for stable companies with supportive teams and a career path, and they're not finding it and they're bouncing. We, you know, we see such a just a big hole in the bucket where we're losing people from this industry, and they're bouncing to places like nursing. Um great career, but you're here, you love this. Why would you leave it? So we've got to get our companies healthier so people stick.
SPEAKER_03:There's probably structure and education and skills training and a strong career path in nursing, like that's very well laid out. And that's been something that I knew in my company that was not the case. And that's what helped us uh look for strategies to get that.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, and stable pay. I mean, a stable payroll that the you know, they can count on their paycheck and they just show up and do their thing and and work well and work hard and and their pay is stabilized.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, and if you think about like Robert, what you just said there is the the stable portion of it with with what how your company compared to and what you did with it and what Barbara's talking about with like with even in the nursing and talking about the term, one of the things that that is for let's say nursing for a seven second, and we'll talk about that industry. The expectations are very clear when you go into to nursing. It's very clear. And what's gonna happen afterwards is it's very, very clear. Um, who you might go work for, what field you might go work in, that type of thing. The evolution that that we feel like needs to happen to support what Barbara's talking about, we gotta start sooner. We gotta get to the foundational components, get to get to where even in the early parts of education or even prior to going into technical training, whether it be um cosmetology, whether it be aesthetics, whether it be something to do with the med spa, any of that stuff, prior to that, setting the right expectations. Cosmetology, for instance, what often happens is that there's the talk of the love, the passion, the beauty, the beauty you're creating, and that type of stuff, and you must, must have it. You must have it. And there is a lot of conversation around your team, that type of thing. But then we get into a lot of I mean mine, and it stops being about team and how we you're gonna get on this one single pass and it's gonna be, it's gonna benefit you, it's gonna benefit you. But we don't really explain what that really, really, truly looks like even during the admissions process entering into a technical school. And we need to get to that portion of it too. It needs to start early. And it needs to be evolution that happens even for those that are educating others. So when we think about what we have now, what strategies create, what strategies sets people on the path for, we have to make sure that the evolution is such that when we change these things in the industry that it is understood and we give them a career when they exit, not just simply a job, and not just simply going to the only way to do it is to do insta famous, to do something that's individual, to just themselves. Because it's it has been said um many times, and by one of our coaches, um uh Dennis Gullo, in in order to go to go fast, go alone. But in order to go far, go with a team. And we seek those that wish wish to go far, that can continue in it, that don't become burned out, that see that we can work as a team and take our time with developing our skills and take our time and taking care of customers and that heart of service. Because heart of service is here for us, but that's why sometimes hard of that's why sometimes a go-to in the industry that's also got hard of service, but with more consistency.
SPEAKER_03:Right. Right. That that's great. Um you touched on a couple of things, you know, about uh, you know, the ideas that built strategies, the foundations, like poor business outcomes, team-based pay, no compromise leadership. I mean, those things are just like at our core, um, and maybe are you know just are always gonna be and in the cender blocks or the cornerstones of this foundation? Um, you know, but I know you've said it's not about changing what works, it's about changing how we teach it. So how are we gonna do it differently?
SPEAKER_00:Well, we it starts with our our education director, Jess Turkesson, who is so creative and has developed so much education around doing it differently and around that team aspect. Um, we've, you know, it's a lot of getting the information out is how we'll do it differently. You know, we've started Strategies Academy, our online education, and um we've gotten a lot more, our our experience has gotten a lot richer at our classes. Um it's not just going in and and sitting and learning, it's way more doing and collaborating, hands-on, and you know, having that experience that's different, that that creates a community, and that's part of what we want to do is help form that community back together. Um, I feel like there's been a little splintering in our community, um the beauty industry as a whole, and so watching people really come together and knit together. Um so the education and the way that we are getting the information out there is evolving and getting better. Um, and the team members that we have, new and ones that have been with us for a while, are all evolving and learning different ways to get that information out. Um, different ways, you know, even when we're coaching, different ways to engage with the clients that we're fortunate to serve. Um, you know, it it's just evolving the whole process of communication and and how we interact with the people that we're privileged to work with.
SPEAKER_03:I love that. So, Brett, um what does no compromise leadership mean in today's world, especially for owners that want flexibility and balance and no burnout.
SPEAKER_02:Well, so no compromise leadership in just in a nutshell, there is that which we say we will do, we'll do. And we don't compromise on any of the things that we set as our values and who we are. So if a leader chooses, so to chooses things that create that safe world for them, they've got to communicate that with their team. And in communicating with a team, everybody has to live it equally. It can't be what's good for me may not be good for you kind of thing, or what's not good for you is fine for me. We want to have that no compromise approach around those those type of things. So if if a if a leader is looking for that that balance in their life, the best way to get that is in or is to lead by that example and to allow it to be there for them as well, and to not compromise on the things that mean the most to you and that mean the most to the company and mean the most to the team. We just don't want to compromise on that. It compromise, you know, to be no compromise sometimes can seem like a rigid, inflexible way of doing things. It's not. We're just saying that we are not going to give up on those things that we value and we're not gonna forget them just because it became too hard and because somebody made me feel uncomfortable about it. It's who we are and we're gonna stick to that.
SPEAKER_00:I like if I can add to that, I like the phrase we will not compromise on our goals or our values, but we will be flexible on the way we achieve them. So it's not that there's a lack of flexibility, and it's not that it's rigid. No compromise just means when if it has to be done, we get it done. And so we're not gonna compromise on the goal. Um, we're not gonna compromise on who we are, but we can be flexible on the journey.
SPEAKER_03:Right. I love that because I mean we want to be we want that consistency in our paycheck, we want that consistency in uh the doors being open and a place to come work. So that to me, that's like a part of that. You just don't wake up one morning and go, eh, not today. No, you we get up and we go do it. We need to go do it. Um, you know, so I I love that. And um thank you for it. We're still holding true to it. We're just expanding how we share it and helping people understand how it how it does work, because I think it gets easily misconstrued or seems harsh, but really it's like, oh, that's like stability there. I love that.
SPEAKER_00:Well, and you know, Robert, when you think about the flexibility, or that seems harsh, um, it's not harsh when you get a consistent paycheck. So you you know, we want no compromise when it means taking care of our responsibilities to the company. We want no compromise when it means making sure that we hit our goals so that we as individuals inside of the company can grow and continue along our career path. So I think the terminology sometimes makes people cringe, like, oh, that sounds really to use our our words, dictatorial and inflexible. Um, but we're it's not, it just means when it has to be done, we get it done. We just do, we find a way, we adapt and overcome.
SPEAKER_03:Right, right.
SPEAKER_00:And I'm not going to compromise the values of the company for anybody.
SPEAKER_02:Right. No, and these are the commitments that we make.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. There it's a commitment. That's what we're doing.
SPEAKER_00:Yes.
SPEAKER_03:Okay. You've spent the past year really listening to the industry, to our clients, our past members and teams. What have you heard from them that's shaped the direction of this new strategies era?
SPEAKER_00:Well, for me, yeah I've heard a lot of praise and support for the things that we've we've always done right. You know, the healthy companies, the financial responsibility, the understanding your numbers. Um, one of the things that I've heard from the industry that has kind of shaped the direction is, and I know, I know, I know we've heard it, we've heard it, we heard it, the work-life balance thing. Um but what that means to me is how do we create space for people to enjoy their lives outside of their work day? And I I you know, when we say work-life balance, if you think about a seesaw, um, there's still two people on that seesaw. There's still two things on that seesaw. We to to in order to have that life outside of work, we have to have the work to afford it, right? And so what you know, when we think about what people are asking for, it's how do we make the experience in our companies better so that the time that we spend there is more gratifying and more fulfilling for us. So it's not like I can't wait to get away from my J-O-B so I can get to my real life. It's on both sides. I've got my my life outside of work with my family, my friends, and it's lovely. And I also have my life inside of work and it it too is lovely. And I think a lot of times the turn is created by the the situation that we create in our own companies with that go, go, go, turn, turn, turn, you know, focus on your individual numbers instead of that supportive, warm cocoon of this is almost like a family too. And the balance becomes I enjoy both. I enjoy when I'm at work doing the things that I love in my career, and I enjoy when I'm not there having a great life with my family and friends too. And so what we hear is how do we create an environment that people want to be in day in and day out that doesn't run them off into the medical field or another field cause them to leave? And listen, they're leaving. That's just facts, that's numbers, that's statistics. They're leaving our industry quickly. And so, how do we hold them in? Because it's a beautiful industry done right. It gives you that balance and it gives you that harmony inside of your work. So, how do we create the experiences in our company that make people want to stay in our industry so that the work-life balance part of the seesaw is the beauty industry niche that we're in in our companies? So that's you know, one of the things that we're working on.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. And see and you know, in addition to that, and and Barbara said it perfectly because it is the balance between, and if you think about the seesaw, it's it's it's no fun if it's just out of balance. If it if one person's sitting on the ground and one person's way up in the air, we have to have it moving the whole time. That's what creates the excitement around it, and creating the atmosphere for somebody to want to be there. If I if I'm having a great time where I am, I'm gonna want to be there more. I'm gonna want to be a there a part of it. And if it's open communication, if it is a career path, if it is um continued education, if it's the things that really make life exciting for me or bring value to my life, I want to be there in that that world around it. And when we think about what balance really is, the idea for balance was for us not to work too hard in one area and so that you could create balance. It wasn't it wasn't intended for it to not be have things that we needed to get done. And we still had to have those things get done. Thinking about what also that people are looking for out there, some of the things that we begin to hear, and they've been there, but we didn't know exactly how to direct it as much. And it's in the education form. You know, now they're wanting to see more um uh they're they're wanting to get back to real classes, so we're seeing some of that. But at the same time, they want to have the option of online classes, they want to have continued, you know, videos to go back and visit over and over and over, and they want to see that education. They want to be able to revisit it again and re be reminded of it and be and and and see it that portion. Um, when it comes to coaching around those things, the one on one coaching is still very strong, but at the same time, they're really, really loving the small group coaching so they can interact and network with people. So you're seeing all of these, all these different compilations of ways to learn. And as we pay attention to it more, we start realizing. Hey, everybody's got a different learning style, but sometimes those different learning styles depend on the situation, they depend on the mood, it depends on where it's going to be, and it depends on what it is that they're trying to be knowledgeable on. You know, if it's if it's a skill moving in your hands, you got to be there in real life. It's hard to just watch something on a screen. And the same is true if you're networking with people. It's better to be in a group. Being in a large group where we're trying to learn networking, and then having things that are just touch points along the way that are videos and that type of stuff, or or online education, those are the things that kind of keep the wheels going, keep you excited, you know, keep you interested. I can just go listen to this real quick and come back.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Right. So I know that we we've launched the Academy, which is all online. So we offer different subscription packages to that as far as or the or class types or different kinds of outcomes that we're we're looking for. We've off uh just launched the collabs, which we're excited about. Those are um in person um and online with the group coaching. So I'm I'm excited to see that we've we've kind of bridged that gap between people having to be gone so long from their businesses, where they have to make that choice between, oh, I I need to go, but I can't be gone that long. Um, so I I love that we've made that shift already. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:We we've had we had um kind of a frontier move. Uh back in 2019, I think it's maybe 18-19, we had developed online classes. And we happened to be in the forefront just quick enough before COVID hit. And it's like, oh, we are way out ahead of that. And we and it was just very fortunate. We were just very fortunate. So over time, we developed it and got it better. We got it better, got the platforms have gotten better, and we've just been able to expand on it.
SPEAKER_03:That's great. And Barbara, I I mean, you work with Jess as well on the education and building those things out. And uh, what are you excited to see coming up for this next year?
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Well, um right now, currently, I'm most excited. We get asked a lot about conference. Um, are we gonna have conference? Are we gonna have conference? And we had, because of the change and everything, we had pumped the brakes on conference um and promised everybody that we would in one to two years maybe look at bringing conference back. So, in the meantime, what we have going on in 2026 in March, so hurry, hurry if you're interested, um, is the next event. And it's a fairly large event. We've capped it because of the space that we have at 150. Um, and we're fast approaching. So please, if you're interested, hurry and get your tickets for next. But it's a huge event that brings together owners, teams, um, and we're really working through all aspects of we're from numbers to how we grow as individuals and team in our company to leadership. I mean, we go through all of the things in three very jam-packed days. And we talk to owners in owner speak and what owners need to know. We talk the same topics in Team Speak and what teams need to know, and we teach them how to work together. And there's going to be hands-on, there's gonna, it's huge. So that one I'm very much looking forward to. Um, I'm very much looking forward to getting back in the classroom more. We had a smaller um while we retooled education and Jess took the reins and started building um from the ground up our new education. Um, we kind of pumped the brakes a little bit. And so we didn't have quite as many in-person opportunities this year. Next year is packed with in-person opportunities. Um and the resources that go along with these, the downloads, the workbooks, the I mean, there's so much yummy education resources coming for people and so many ways to engage. I feel like we've just flung the doors open and invited everybody in. You want online, we've got you online. You want in person, we've got you in person. You want an event, we've got an event. You want to download some things and get your hands dirty, we got that. We've got smaller coaching packages where we can really focus on the things that you need to get done in your company. So I just feel like we took a look at our industry as a whole and all the different needs, and we found the ways in our style, in our voice, how do we reach people and make sure that they get what they need? And um, and it's not just Jess, it's this whole team. I mean, everybody has had a hand in it, and we've got so much expertise to draw from on this incredible group of people, this team, um, that I feel like it's just gonna be an avalanche of of good stuff coming in 2026.
SPEAKER_03:So I'm excited. Can't wait. Can't wait. So, you know, you both are still salon owners yourselves, and uh we're in the trenches solving the same challenges our clients face. So, how does that show up in how we teach and support owners today? And what do you hope people feel when they come back and experience this new version of strategies?
SPEAKER_00:Well, I think the the way it it kind of shapes what we do. And, you know, going back to what I said earlier, so many people in our company still own companies or recently sold their company because it was really healthy and they could. Um, but it keeps our finger on the pulse. And, you know, look at Brett, he's sitting in his office at the salon, even as we speak. Um, so I mean, we we really are there and we see what's going on in our industry, all of us on the team. We we do, like I said, have have our finger on the pulse and we're looking dead in the eyes at the challenges and the new innovations that we see in in our industry. And we get to train and ground some of this stuff. We get to test it out. You know, we're there, we're utilizing it. AI is a huge thing, it's becoming a huge thing in our company. Um, we have tech strategies that you can take advantage of. And AI is going to be growing along with that tech. And how do we utilize that in our companies? And so there's so much right now that we can see coming toward us because we're still doing the things. We're still there and in those places with everybody else. Um, so I think that really keeps us responsive to the industry. It keeps us immersed with, you know, the up and coming things and the challenges that we have. And and I've lived long enough, Robert, that I've seen multiple generations too. And and they're all different and not in a bad way. We're all all of the generations have their own uniqueness to them. And so, how do we we've got team members that go across all of those generations as well. And so I feel like we've also got the ability to really reach and dig into what do we need to reach all of the generations that we see in our workforce right now, too. So I feel like we we really are in the cat bird seat at the moment with with you know the fact that we can kind of see what's going on and and still be immersed in it.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I think that's brilliantly said too, Barbara. I'm just gonna add this one little last piece of it. It takes us from being sometimes about theory and teaching just this is a theory of what you should do as far as being a leader or talking to your team. We we're living those aspects. And what are what are their most what are their most uh current concerns? And right now in our industry, as far as the cosmetology industry at least goes, you know, one of the challenges you run into is um uh cancellations and no-shows, uh moving appointments out, moving them further out, that type of stuff. Well, you know, we can talk about what are the things that we should be doing to address that, but if we're not living it, we don't feel the same pain. And we do live it. We do feel the same pain, we do see the same thing happen. And it's not unique to just one area, um, not just unique to one area of the industry and not unique to just one area geographically. It's it's it's happening across the board, but we we see what works best. We see how you help to curtail that. And by doing those things, we're able to then take it and put it, put, take that theory and put it into actionable items that we know have worked. And we also, when we work with coaching clients and that type of thing, we get to see it how how it works there. But we can actually come from a place of hey, we do know this, we do, we have experienced this. So this is what you can expect as well.
SPEAKER_03:I love that. So, final question What would you like to say to those watching from the sidelines before we close?
SPEAKER_00:What are you doing on the bench? Life's short. Get off the bench. Like, why are you on the sidelines? And you know, is it fear? Um, been there, had fear. So put that down and and get in, get in the game. Like, what are you doing? And what I would really like to say to those watching from the sidelines is if you've been doing the same thing over and over and over and getting the same results, why are you such a big defender of the same thing? Like, why don't you explore the possibility that there are some other ways out there that you can run your company and gain more health than maybe you have right now? If you're on the sidelines, there's a reason. And it could be fear, or it could be shame, or it could be, you know, I'm not in a good space, or it could be I'm in a good space, but I'm afraid of trying to do better because what if I knock myself backwards? And there's so many reasons that people find themselves on the sidelines and stay there. And I'm old enough now to say, get off the freaking sideline. What are you waiting for?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. And just and and just viewing other people doing well or having successes. I mean, yeah, I understand it, but but at the same time, immerse yourself in it. You know, go for it, be a part of things. And we tend to be an industry, and we tend to be an industry that in order for us to thrive, we have to have customers come in. And those customers have to have change of some sort. Yes, you have people who want the same look time after time. Yeah, that that does occur. But they're also looking for change. And especially when you get into aesthetic, especially when you get into the med spot, they are seeking a change. They want to change it for a better, right? But ask yourself this. Are you willing to accept change? Are you willing to use change to make things better for you? Or are you just wanting to stay right where you are because you're comfortable with where you are? Yeah, it may not be the greatest, but I know what it is. Move away from that. Give yourself an opportunity. Life's too short just to live in that aspect. And that's what we are here for. That's that's what changed my world. It's what changed the world for us for our own salon, was bringing in change, even though it was uncomfortable at times, because it meant we had to we had to do differently than what we had been doing. And even spending had to change, you're like, I don't want to change my spending. But you had to make the change, and then all of a sudden, life is better. So I understand seeing it from the sideline, but immerse yourself and be a part of it. Be of what be a part of what moves the industry further.
SPEAKER_03:We just need to get curious and say what if and give it a try. That's that's what all this is about, is like, well, what if I did do this differently? That could be good. And let's and why, and it would be more fun to do with more people that are doing the same thing. We're not alone in this. We don't have to be.
SPEAKER_02:Very good set, very well said.
SPEAKER_03:I love it.
SPEAKER_00:Robert, you've been asking us questions this whole time. I want to put you on the hot seat and ask you what are you excited about for the coming year for strategies?
SPEAKER_03:I'm excited about um. Um, I I love the new education content that's coming out. Um, I love how action-packed it is and really gives everyone something to take home with them and to refer back to because we tend to be really good for about two weeks and then we forget, and then we go, Oh, I don't remember, and all those things. Um I'm also excited to be a part of the uh client experience team. So really doing what we do, yeah, and um personalizing each um each program for each company and their leaders.
SPEAKER_00:So I and I'm thrilled to have you on that client experience team, Robert, because one of the things I think that Strategies has always excelled at is caring for the people that we are privileged to serve and really getting in there and and digging in shoulder to shoulder and working side by side and you know, feeling having the empathy and the the heart of service um that this industry is known for. I think we excel at that, and you especially.
SPEAKER_02:So having you on that client experience team, one 100%, 100%. And that also is what makes this so great as a as a as a company, as a team, because we learn from each other so much. And I have learned volumes from you, Robert. I really have. I mean, where I know I wanted to be more empathetic, you have a way of looking at things that help us to be stronger in that.
SPEAKER_00:I mean, you just y'all, Robert McWise. You're gonna learn. Stay with the podcast and see more of Robert.
SPEAKER_03:Thanks. Thanks. All righty. Well, thank you guys so much. I was so glad that we were able to get to do this. Uh, thank you, Barbara and Brad. I look forward to connecting again very soon. We're gonna do more of these. I can't wait. Um, and to learn more about everything, we're building visit strategies.com. Thank you for listening, and thank you for being part of this next chapter. We're not just preserving a legacy, we're building the future of leadership in the beauty industry. I'm Robert Maraglia, and we'll see you next time on the Beauty Business Strategies podcast.
SPEAKER_00:Thanks, Robert.
SPEAKER_03:Thank you, Robert.