Transcript
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Do you feel like you were meant to have a kick ass career as a hairstylist? Like you got into this industry to make big things happen? Maybe you're struggling to build a solid base and want some stability. Maybe, you know social media is important, but it feels like a waste of time because you aren't seeing any results. Maybe you've already had some amazing success but are craving more. Maybe you're ready to truly enjoy the freedom and flexibility this industry has to offer. Cutting and coloring skills will only get you so far, but to build a lifelong career as a wealthy stylist, list it takes business skills and a serious marketing strategy. When you're ready to quit just working in your business and start working on it, Join us here where we share real success stories from real stylists. I'm Brit Siva, social media and marketing strategist just for Hairstylists and this is the Thriving Stylist Podcast.
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What is up? And welcome back to the Thriving Stylist Podcast. I'm your host, Britt Siva and today we are talking about something incredibly timely. But I actually hope that the conversation we have today can be quite timeless. We have noticed over the last five years, six years, I guess it is now that our business is relatively fragile, it can change in any moment. There's so many pros being a part of the service industry. However, there's some cons too. And when times are good, they're really, really good. And when times are bad, they can be terrible. And we've had several situations in very recent years and it feels like hitting back to back to back where a lot of stylists and service providers in general have felt a little bit out of control in the volume of clients in which they serve. And whenever I talk about building clientele, I talk about like a faucet, like faucet on, faucet off. And when faucet is on, there's abundance and clients pouring in and everything feels amazing. And when it's faucet off, it can feel dry, it can feel like a drip, it can feel dismal, stressful. Most stylists don't like to operate with a dry bank account, so it's frustrating. Based on very recent events, the government shutdown, to be specific, that happened in the fall of 2025. We experienced a period and a season for some stylists and salon owners that felt a little bit like Covid, like their business that once was dried up overnight and their community was deeply impacted. And it felt like once again they were completely out of control. And while I wish we could say no worries, that's never going to happen again, the reality is it will likely continue to happen. It will likely continue to be unpredictable. And this episode is dedicated to the times when a community, a group, an area, a nation hits a point where business is not operating as normal and things need to change. However, we want to make decisions that don't just service in the now, but really support our business and our community for the long haul. So let me start by reading you a DM and then I have some facts and figures to share. So this DM came in from a stylist in Maryland and this stylist says DMV has been hit hard once in the beginning of the year when they laid off and made everyone not be able to work from home anymore, and then in parentheses government employees. To clarify, we live in an area where there's a lot of people who work for the government and or are contractors through the I do think that the DMV area has likely been hit harder than most. However, I'm in the Silicon Valley area and we too saw a huge pushback when coming back to the office was a thing. San Francisco, I know saw it. I'm going to guess a lot of major cities did. So I think DMV has been hit particularly hard because they're so government focused, but I think there's a lot of areas that can relate to this. Then she says, I lost a decent amount of clients from that. Now with the government shutdown, I am at a 15 year low when it comes to my business. I've been doing more than ever before and have never had so many openings. November's in the past. I've always been fully booked. I'm completely stressed out because I am fully booked for December. However, I'm worried that everything is going to fall apart before those appointments ever come together. I network with lots of other stylists in my area and they all said that they're having the same issues around here. So I tend to think it's not just me. Here's the part that I think is key, she says. I feel like I've tried everything. Running promotions, I've done emails, I've done text blasts. I'm not even sure at this point where to go go. I'm feeling completely lost. This feels like one of those situations where it's affecting everybody. Our clients aren't getting paid, which means we aren't getting paid. And I can't find the solution to all of this. The way that was asked was just so relatable. I think we've all been at that point. Even if in your area over the last few months or the last year, you haven't felt that pressure. For most of us, we did in 2020. And that feeling of it's not just me who's struggling. I don't think it's just me doing something wrong. We as a community are in this together and we're having a hard time. Now, what I do have to say is I am very well aware that I see things from a different angle and a different perspective because when you talk to a lot of our Thriver Society members, they're not feeling it quite in the same way because they've built systems and funnels and some of them have been doing this for a decade now. They've insulated their business in a way where.
