Thriving Stylist Podcast Episode #414

8 Annual Planning Mistakes Stylists & Salons Should Avoid This Year

Host: Britt Seva
Release Date: December 1, 2025

Episode Overview

In this actionable and reflective episode, Britt Seva breaks down how stylists and salon owners can develop a strategic annual business plan that drives real growth and avoids common mistakes. Britt emphasizes the shift in the beauty industry over the past decade—the days of relying solely on referrals are gone, and a real marketing strategy is more important than ever.

Britt guides listeners through her step-by-step process for annual planning, highlighting the importance of combining emotional reflection with hard data to set achievable (and motivating) goals, track progress, and actually reward yourself for success. This episode is packed with practical advice, journal prompts, and Britt’s signature straight talk. A downloadable PDF for following along is also offered at thrivingstylist.com/8steps.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Importance of Annual Planning

• Timing Is Everything:

  • “If you wait until January or February to do this, you've already lost potentially 20% of the year and we don't wanna be losing any time now.” (04:57)
  • End of the year is the ideal time for reflection and planning.

• Industry Changes:

  • Relying on reputation and word-of-mouth is no longer enough.
  • Success now demands intentional business and marketing strategy.

Britt’s 8-Step Annual Planning System

Step 1: Use a Physical Notebook

• Why Pen & Paper?
  • Engages the “reticular activating system” in your brain—enhances goal achievement.
  • Physical presence makes your goals harder to ignore or forget.
  • “95% of my business is digital. Everything we plan on paper gets put into a computer. But because of the way we're going to strategically look at your business, I have tried Digital Annual Planning 7 Ways to Sunday...and I've yet to find anybody who does their full annual plan digitally.” (08:13)

Step 2: Emotional Reflection

• Britt prompts listeners with six powerful questions:
  • Am I happy with my business right now? (definitive yes/no)
  • Is my business allowing me to achieve all I want for my life?
  • Am I proud to tell people about my business and my career?
  • What is people's perception of me professionally?
  • What do people professionally compliment me for?
  • What are some things I wish were different in my business?
  • “When we're wishing, I ask that you don't be realistic...Wish was the key word. Like if you had a magic wand.” (16:59)

Step 3: Factual Reflection

• Analyze your business with no emotion:
  • What is your gross revenue to date?
  • What was your take-home pay?
  • What was your profit margin (for independents or leaders)?
  • Evaluate your marketing efforts (not results yet).
  • What are your marketing results?
  • What does your retention look like (base and new guest retention)?
  • What is your new guest demand?
  • If you’re a salon leader, run through these numbers for your whole team.
  • “Sometimes when we do this, it's eye opening, sometimes in a good way, sometimes in a bad way.” (21:02)

Step 4: Market Research and Inspiration

• Use your phone for good: research top stylists and salons.
• Identify gaps and blind spots in your business.
• Don’t make excuses for why others are succeeding; focus on actionable insights.
  • “Some of you are truly living in that reality…so talented, so educated, I know I do good work and I'm overlooked. Like, overlooked and underappreciated. That has to be frustrating.” (25:26)

Step 5: Dream About What Could Be Different

• Imagine bold changes, not just “realistic” ones.
• Reference:
  • “We overestimate what we can achieve in a day and underestimate what we can achieve in a year. You can change your entire life in a year.” (26:19)
  • Lack-mindset is the real barrier, not time.

Step 6: Set Tactical, Motivating Goals

• Britt challenges “SMART” Goals (“Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Bound”):
  • “Achievable is where you lose me. I don't think it should be totally unachievable, but I think the word achievable makes people play small.” (29:30)
  • Push for growth, not comfort—“an extra $500 a month is not going to make a massive impact in your life.”
  • Be specific (e.g., instead of “make more money,” set a dollar amount and break it down by month, week, day).
  • Avoid tight timeframes that kill momentum if life intervenes.

Step 7: Create a Physical Goal Tracking System

• Break annual goals down to actionable daily numbers, then record progress:
  • Example: “$18,000 divided by 12, how much more is that per month?...then per week...then per day…$89 a day? It’s not that much!” (33:58)
• Check numbers monthly in a journal, not just digital software.
• “You need to write it down. What would happen if you lost…your digital records or changed booking company?” (36:34)

Step 8: Reward Yourself!

• Use a color-coded system, stickers, or markers for achievement.
• Plan actual rewards for major milestones to stay motivated:
  • “If you make an extra $18,000 in your business next year…do something to really mark it. Maybe it's a day at the spa…a fancy dinner…that new pair of shoes.” (39:13)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On why physical planning matters:

  • “Technology is amazing. There's some things it just can't pull off. And this is one of those things.” (09:44)

• On not playing small:

  • “Achievable makes people play small…we need to really think about what big moves we can make to change our life.” (29:42)

• On the real catalyst for growth:

  • “It's lack mindset that says like, well, it takes years to find success or years to turn your life around. No, it doesn't.” (27:15)

• On being honest about the numbers:

  • “I'm amazed when I'm…talking to a stylist in the DMs…‘how much did you do in services last month,’ and they're like, ‘Oh, I don't know. Let me look it up.’ What? How can you not find that in like 12 seconds?” (36:14)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Why Annual Planning and the Current Industry (Intro): 03:10 – 06:20
• Step 1: Physical Notebook & Science Behind It: 07:48 – 11:24
• Step 2: Emotional Reflection Prompts: 13:01 – 18:16
• Step 3: Factual Reflection and Tracking Numbers: 19:00 – 24:42
• Step 4: Market Research for Inspiration: 25:20 – 26:11
• Step 5: Dream Big, Not Just Realistically: 26:18 – 28:13
• Step 6: The Problem With SMART Goals, How to Set Better Ones: 29:21 – 34:28
• Step 7: Build a Goal-Tracking Habit: 36:03 – 39:07
• Step 8: Celebrating Wins—Rewarding Yourself: 39:13 – 41:00

Takeaways for Listeners

• Annual planning is essential for thriving in today's beauty industry—avoid winging it.
• Combine both heartfelt reflection and cold, hard data to get clear on your business reality.
• Dream bigger for your goals and don’t play small—significant transformation is possible within a single year.
• Physically writing your plan, tracking progress, and rewarding yourself will keep you accountable and motivated for the long haul.
• Download the companion PDF at thrivingstylist.com/8steps for step-by-step guidance.

“So much love, happy business building, and I'll see you on the next one!” — Britt Seva (41:23)