Thriving Stylist Podcast

Episode #413 – Take Home 6-Figures Without Extensions, Assistants, or Double Booking

Host: Britt Seva
Date: November 24, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Britt Seva addresses hairstylists and salon owners navigating the rapidly changing landscape of the beauty industry. With rising living costs and increasing pressure for stylists to be primary earners, Britt unpacks actionable strategies for achieving a six-figure take-home income—without relying on extensions, assistants, or double-booking. She dispels common myths around what’s required to be a high-earning stylist, breaks down financial targets with clear math, and contextualizes everything within real economic and industry data.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Changing State of the Industry

• The “Great Divide”:
  • The industry is now sharply split between stylists who are thriving (in-demand, raising prices, growing) and those struggling or leaving.
  • The “middle class” of stylists is being squeezed: “We are haves and have nots in a bigger way than we ever have been before.” (06:42)
• Why It Matters:
  • There's less room for "average" stylists. Achieving a sustainable, comfortable life requires intention, strategy, and sometimes scrappiness.
  • "The idea that you could go to cosmetology school and make a little living, that kind of vision of the industry is really, really changing.” (09:57)
• Societal Context:
  • Women are increasingly primary breadwinners (16%), or earning equal to husbands (29%)—45% at parity or higher.
  • Median US household income is $80,000, but in large cities, a single adult needs $85,000+ for comfort; for a family of four, $200,000 is now the benchmark for 'comfortable but not lavish' (08:07).

2. Dispelling Six-Figure Myths

• Assumptions Broken Down:
  • You don’t need to do extensions, hire assistants, or double book to be successful.
  • “There’s a lot of broke extension specialists… not all of us are good at everything. I’m terrible at cutting hair… It’s okay to not do extensions, and you can still make great money.” (14:33)
• Extensions Are Not a Shortcut:
  • Many believe high-earning stylists must be extension specialists; Britt counters this with examples and cost breakdowns.

3. Centering on Business Skills and Marketing

• Skill Set Beyond Technique:
  • “Cutting and coloring skills will only get you so far, but to build a lifelong career as a wealthy stylist it takes business skills and a serious marketing strategy.” (02:05)
• Britt urges stylists to not just work in their business but work on it—consistently learning business, marketing, and client retention strategies.

4. The Million Dollar Math: How Six-Figures Actually Works

• Calculations Simplified:
  • Target: $100,000 take-home. Assuming a 50% take-home rate, you need $200,000 in service sales per year (16:52).
  • Factor in two weeks unpaid vacation (work 50 weeks/year).
  • Weekly Service Target: $4,000/week = $200K/year.
• Breaking Down the Daily Goals:
  • 5 days/week: $800/day | 4 days/week: $1,000/day | 3 days/week: $1,300/day.
  • “$100 for a haircut style would get you there. If you were doing 8 cuts a day, $100 apiece, you’d be at $200,000 a year in services.” (18:43)
  • Also works for high-value color: 10 x $400 blonding services/week = $4,000/week.
• Applicability:
  • “If you're in a city where you’re like, oh, Brit, if our family was making 120 a year, we’d be in good shape, these principles still apply. You could just scale it down.” (13:37)

5. Real-World Examples

• Case Study:
  • Britt highlights a Thrivers member: $300,000/yr, no assistant, no extensions, 4 days/week.
  • Her weekly target: $6,000 in services ($1,500/day). For example: 8 x $190 haircuts/day or 5 x $300 root touch-up clients/day (20:53).
  • “She’s hustling to make it happen. There’s no doubt…the 4 days a week she’s in the salon, she’s working really hard. Would it be worth it for you?” (21:37)
• Barbers Example:
  • Many barbers achieve these numbers with shorter haircuts and high frequency: “I know some barbers who are making bank right now… just working hard three or four days a week and then enjoying life the other half.” (19:54)

6. Seasonality and Flexibility of Effort

• Industry Advantage:
  • Stylists can “turn the faucet on and off.” Want to go all-in for a financial goal? You can. Need a slower season? That’s possible too. This flexibility is rare in 9-5 jobs.
  • “If you were able to do $300,000 a year in services working four days a week, but the days that you worked, you’d grind, would it be worth it for you?” (22:06)

7. Assistants: When, How, and Why (or Why Not)

• Math and Logistics:
  • A full-time assistant costs $20,000–$35,000/year, often about 10% of revenue.
  • Hiring an assistant means increased complexity: scheduling, providing education/mentorship, and organizational demands.
  • “They want dedicated education and mentorship time with you…most stylists aren’t prepared for that lift.” (24:34)
• Assisting Programs:
  • Britt advocates modern, well-structured assisting programs, but emphasizes they’re rare:
    “It’s rare that I talk to a salon owner where I’m like, your program’s badass. That is like one in a hundred. It’s so, so, so rare right now.” (26:12)
• Summary:
  • Assistants can raise your earning potential and efficiency, but also cost time, money, and stress. Six-figures is possible without them if you prefer simplicity.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “There are stylists who are thinking about leaving the industry or leaving the industry in troves, like, this is not worth it. This is too hard. We have so much of that happening right now. You'll see it and hear it all over the place. We're seeing salon closures all over the place. That being said, I'm also talking to so many stylists and salons who are expanding and have more clients and more business than they know what to do with and are on their third price increase for the year as per usual.” (06:42)
• “I see a lot of chatter around like, ‘well, they're making good money because they do extensions.’ Or ‘if you want to make good money, you have to be an extension specialist.’ Not true. There's a lot of broke extension specialists...It's okay to not do extensions, and you can still make great money.” (14:33)
• “The bar has to be raised the way that trades are going to work over the next several years. It just has to. And so if you're willing to be consistent and really mentor somebody in a very deep way and build business together with them, heck yeah, I'm here for it.” (27:01)
• “It is possible for those who are willing to pour in and do the work.” (29:01)

Key Timestamps for Segments

• [06:42] – The “Great Divide” in the industry and how the middle class is disappearing.
• [08:07] – US economic and demographic shifts, breadwinner data, and living cost realities.
• [14:33] – Myths around extensions, assistants, and double booking as earning requirements.
• [16:52] – Setting realistic six-figure income targets: the $200K services formula.
• [18:43] – Breaking down daily/weekly earnings targets for various service mixes.
• [20:53] – High-earning real-world stylists and practical breakdowns.
• [24:34] – True costs and obligations of working with assistants.
• [27:01] – The need for elevated, consistent assistant programs and mentorship.
• [29:01] – Final encouragement and takeaways.

Britt's Final Thoughts

• Six-figure take-home is accessible to stylists who are strategic, business-savvy, and willing to focus on high-value, in-demand services—even without extensions, assistants, or double booking.
• The industry’s flexibility remains a major asset: you can adjust your effort and schedule based on your season of life.
• Building a truly lucrative career requires business knowledge, marketing proficiency, and ongoing adaptation—not just technical skill.
• If you want more personalized advice or to share what's working for you, Britt encourages DMs on Instagram @brittsiva.

“So much love, happy business building, and I’ll see you on the next one.” – Britt Seva (29:29)