
Loading summary
Giovanni Vaccaro
Study and play come together on a Windows 11 PC. And for a limited time, college students get the best of both worlds. Get the unreal college deal Everything you need to study and play with select Windows 11 PCs. Eligible students get a year of Microsoft 365 Premium and a year of Xbox game Pass ultimate with a custom color Xbox wireless controller. Learn more@windows.com studentoffer while supplies last ends June 30th terms at aka mscollegepc.
Travis
You're listening to the Travis Makes Money podcast presented by gohighlevel.com for a free 30 day trial of the best all in one digital marketing software tool on the planet, just go to gohighlevel.com travis what is going on everybody? Welcome back to the Travis Makes Money podcast where it's our mission to help you make more money. On this episode of the show, I have a new friend, Giovanni Vaccaro. He's the co founder of Glam Squad, the nationally recognized beauty platform that has delivered nearly 2 million services and built a community of more than 2 and beauty professionals across the United States. Former hair stylist turned entrepreneur, Giovanni helped scale Glam Squad from an idea into a category defining brand. He's also the founder of Peak Mode where he coaches founders, executives and business owners on leadership, performance and identity. An award winning leader in speaker, Giovanni's work has been featured in Vogue, the Wall Street Journal, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Good Morning America, and today's show. Giovanni, what's up man? Welcome to the show.
Giovanni Vaccaro
Hey man, I'm happy to be here. Thank you for having me.
Travis
So let's go back in time here, my man. Tell me the first time that you ever made a dollar that got you really excited. You just were so shocked that somebody was actually willing to pay you money to do this thing.
Giovanni Vaccaro
Well, I've made, I made money way before I made this dollar that I was excited about. For a while I worked for my dad in the restaurant business at his pizzeria and that was a great experience, but not what was getting me excited for life. And so When I was 19, I went to cosmetology school, graduated when I was 20 and got paid $25 for my first haircut that I gave to a friend of mine. I was given haircuts for free all the time, man. Like, I just wanted to practice and learn my craft and build the skill.
Travis
What, what got you interested in that?
Giovanni Vaccaro
Well, I, I always loved at a very early age, I loved helping people build their confidence and I just didn't know how to do it I didn't know what avenue I was going to take, but there was something about connecting with people one on one and helping them feel good about themselves. And when I was 16 years old, I had made enough money to go and get a good haircut at, like, a salon in Westchester, New York. And so I went to that salon, and I'm, like, learning about the whole salon vibe. And I'm sitting down. I remember this hairdresser from Europe named Victor who's cutting my hair. And I'm looking around, I'm like, this is. This is my style. Like, people are walking in. There's energy, there's music. It's creative. And Victor was telling me just, like, how cool it was to be a hairdresser. I was like, okay, I think I can get into this. And so a couple years went by where I didn't. I didn't jump on that idea yet, but I knew that I was starting to work towards it, so I had to tell my family that I didn't want to take over the family business. And they. They shockingly accepted that. And then I went to cosmetology school and became a hairdresser.
Travis
What was the family business?
Giovanni Vaccaro
Pizza restaurants.
Travis
Pizza restaurants.
Giovanni Vaccaro
Pizza restaurants still exist today. And look, it's a great business. It's a hard business, but, like, at the end of the day, I wanted to just carve my own path. That was so important to me.
Travis
I was gonna say it sounded like they named you to be in the pizza business
Giovanni Vaccaro
or a hairdresser. I mean, you can go both ways.
Travis
That's true.
Giovanni Vaccaro
You know, you go both ways. Yeah.
Travis
So not. Not really much pushback from your parents. Which sounds like was surprising to you.
Giovanni Vaccaro
Yeah, I think when you're. When you're about to break the news to somebody, I don't know, at that age, my mind went to, like, the worst possible scenario. I mean, sometimes it even. It even happens. Now, even with all the mindset work that I do, I still think, what's the worst thing that's going to happen? And sometimes our brains default to that. So at the time, I was thinking that my family was gonna hate the idea, disown me, and just. It just wasn't gonna be good. And I told my dad in Mexico, we were. We never took family trips. I mean, we traveled every once in a while, but not like. Like a real vacation. And we went to Mexico, and I got. Got my dad some. Some tequilas, and I. I broke the news, and he was like, oh, yeah, he was. It was a smart move. Yeah. And he, he was, he was cool with it.
Travis
Yeah. So the lesson is, when you break bad news to your parents, give them
Giovanni Vaccaro
tequila first, give them alcohol first, or. Yeah, that's right.
Travis
Have you found value in picturing the worst case scenario?
Giovanni Vaccaro
There's definitely value in entertaining what is the worst thing that can happen? And actually, a lot of the work that I do with my clients with peak mode is when you're trying to break the identity of somebody. You're trying to build on somebody's identity and somebody is stuck, or they have this imposter syndrome of like, well, I don't want to take this risk, or I don't want to make this move into stronger leadership or this new company, or I want to be a founder, but I am afraid to take the lead. We're holding ourselves back. And so what I'll do is I'll say, okay, what's the worst thing that can happen? Worst possible scenario. And when you start to play that over and over again and people see it, they realize, oh, the worst. Actually, it ain't that bad.
Travis
Not that bad.
Giovanni Vaccaro
There's some, there's some research, man, that like 93% of the time, the worst possible scenario never happens.
Travis
Yeah. Yeah.
Giovanni Vaccaro
So when you start looking at it from a data perspective, and then also when you start to really excavate just the fact that the worst ain't. It's not that bad. So it really helps people take that leap.
Travis
Yeah.
Giovanni Vaccaro
Guesstimate to forward action.
Travis
For sure. For sure. I found that it helps me mitigate the fear. You know what I mean? Like, it sort of like puts the boogie monster out of the closet and into the light where it's like, oh, it's really not that scary. Like, I'm, I, I'm building up this fear in my mind, and then if I really allow myself to go to that place. You know what I mean? Like, we just, I think we just tend to overestimate the things that we need in life. And so we look at the worst case scenario, like, oh, what a terrible thing. And it's like, did you have. Do you have food?
Giovanni Vaccaro
Do you have shelter?
Travis
Do you have water? Do you have oxygen? Like, you're fine. Then, you know, like, you, we can get this thing rolling again. We can do this.
Giovanni Vaccaro
Right? That's right. And then if. When you can make the, when you can make the pain of not doing that thing greater than the pain of actually doing it and taking that leap, it becomes crazy powerful because the, the fear, the fear can be there. It's okay to have that fear. And even. Even if you do this work and you worst possible scenario and you see it and you identify it, you carry forward, the fear can still be there. It's just moving, taking action. Even with the fear there, that's when it becomes really powerful. Because then you start realizing, oh, I'm building this muscle of doing the things that I said I'm going to do. That gives me more confidence.
Travis
Yeah. And the fear sort of. In my. In my experience, has sort of shifted from being a fear of failure or fear of embarrassment and that being the driving force to more like a fear of regret. A fear of regretting not doing this thing, not giving this a shot, even if it does not end up the way that I want it to end up, will I look back on this and imagine the scenario where it's like, man, I wonder what would have happened if. Which is, to me, like, one of the worst phrases you could potentially utter as a human being to be in that position.
Giovanni Vaccaro
That's right, man. So with. With my. With my clients at peak mode, what I'll do is when somebody is kind of stuck in this moment, what I'll do is we'll make that regret real. So I'll be like, travis, you know, it's two years from now. You want to do the thing, I'm going to call you up and let's in. In first person. Like, it's happening right now. I want to. What's life like for you today? And you make that regret real. Oh, I didn't do. I didn't open up the restaurant two years ago when we talked about it. Oh, tell me why. Oh, well, I was afraid. And then this got in the way. And then this got in the way. And then I talked myself out of it. And you start making that regret real. Like, you feel it on an emotional level, you can really help people understand that that fear of regret is 10 times worse and more powerful than the fear of actually doing the thing and potentially succeeding or failing. Right. Which is both possible.
Travis
Yeah. Because in one scenario, there's literally nothing you can do.
Giovanni Vaccaro
Yeah. You know, that's right.
Travis
Things you can do about it. You can't do anything to change it. It's like if you take action and you get hit with an obstacle or you're failing or something bad happens, you get rejected, whatever. It's like, yes, but there's something I can do about it. At that point, I can get back on the horse. Like, I can get back on. I can. I can keep pedaling. You know what I mean, like, I can stay in the race, you know?
Indeed/Advertisement Voice
Yeah.
Travis
Regret form. It's like, well, there's. I can't. I can't do anything to change what I decided not to do four years ago. And now I'm in a wildly different position. And I. You know, not in a position where I could have taken advantage of the opportunity that was in front of me at that time. And now that's just gone, you know, nothing I can do about it.
Giovanni Vaccaro
And that closed. You've closed yourself off. And. And what I'll also tell people is like, so my story is, when I left the salon world to start at this company, Glasgow, my business partners, like, you, better believe that imposter syndrome was real. That, like, saboteur that was trying to sabotage all my thoughts in my head was as loud as it's ever been because I was stepping into the unknown. I was stepping into a world where I was ra. I was raising money with my business partners. I had. My education was cosmetology school. I didn't go to Harvard Business School or Columbia like my business partners did. And I'm sitting in this room, Midtown Manhattan, 50th floor, overseeing all the city, and we're trying to raise serious capital for this business. And I've never done this before, man. So my imposter syndrome, all my thoughts were negative. And I just. Having the tools to actually quiet that down is so essential and so important. But for me, what's interesting now is I look back and I say, okay, safety and security is just an illusion. Like, people don't take the risk in their lives a lot of times because they're like, well, my job is safe and I feel secure and I've got this and I've got that. Okay. But that's all an illusion. Like, that can be wiped away in a second.
Travis
Yep.
Giovanni Vaccaro
And so. And I. A lot of times what I'll tell people is when you. If you're just staying still, doing the same thing that you're doing over and over again, you're absolutely not safe and secure because this world is moving so much faster than you are. So you're going to be obsolete in, like, six months to a year. So the safety. The safety and the security actually comes in adapting, being innovative and being curious as to what you could possibly do.
Travis
It's a bigger risk to not take any risk.
Giovanni Vaccaro
That's the biggest. The big. There's like that quote. That's like the big. The biggest risk of all is not taking the risk.
Travis
Yeah, Yeah. I think that's Mark Zuckerberg who said that. But it, yeah, it's, it's. Especially now, especially now. Like I just had somebody on the show recently were talking about her parents generation and she's I think in her late 50s, early 60s. So her parents were, you know, around in the 50s, 60s and things like that and that they had a job and they were in the safe path. And I was like, yeah, but to be fair to them, at that time the safe path was much safer. You know, like you could be at one place for 40 years and retire and get a pension and get your Social Security and live in the same house that you bought for $22,000. And you know what I mean? Like everything's siloed, it's in one area. You're prob. Going to move. You know, it just is not that way anymore.
Giovanni Vaccaro
Sure.
Travis
The modern world requires you to take risk or at the, in the very least it rewards the people who take the most risk. And if you sit there and wait for the storm, you know, it's like the, if, if you, if you're on the water and a storm's coming, you can either decide to sail through it or you can sail around it, but you can't sit there and do nothing. And if you're not taking any risk, then you're just in the boat choosing to do nothing and waiting for the storm to come, in which case you will be not prepared to make it through the storm. So yeah, it's, it's counterintuitive, spot on, yeah, kind of shitty. But it is what it is.
Giovanni Vaccaro
It is what it is. And it also depends on, you know, you talked about this person who was born at a different time, but that's very true. Like you look at when you were born is going to have a massive effect on your belief systems, on your values and also what risk is to you. You're born in the, during the Great Depression, you're going to have a different experience than somebody who was born in the 60s and 70s or at a time where, you know, America or wherever people are from was thriving. Right. And if you are, you know, look at, look at people coming out of college today that have spent all this money going to school and now the job market, the job market for these entry level positions is like non existent. They're going to have a different relationship with risk because what they're saying is, man, I just want to get a job. You know, I, I mentor some of these people coming, some of these young kids coming out of school and It's. It's tough out there for them. And then there's the whole conversation around AI So, you know, being thoughtful around what is. What is my risk tolerance and what does that actually mean to me based on my belief system and what my goals and what my identity is in this world today. So just things for people to think about.
Travis
Love it, man. Let's get back into your story a little bit. So how long were you hairdresser before you decided to start this company with your partners?
Giovanni Vaccaro
I was in a New York salon called Frederick Fakai, which was at the time, one of the top salons in the country. I mean, incredible clientele. I spent nine years there, and I spent nine years there, only there, building my book, working with different clients, traveling and doing sales leadership for the company. And it was an amazing experience, man. I love my clients. I love the energy. I loved all of it. But I knew that I want. I was, like, craving something more. I was. I want to build something from the ground up. I wanted to be excited about building a team and using my values to lead. It was, like, it was a moment in time for me, and I just didn't know what I wanted to do, though. And I just. I didn't want to be behind the chair, and I didn't want to open up a salon. And it's funny when you open yourself up to opportunities and you network, you know, I tell everyone that I work with is just like, your relationships are everything. So I had these incredible relationships, and one of my clients who was in private equity had approached me with, you know, hey, would people be interested in having, like, salon services at home, like, in the comfort of their own home? And this is right around the time that I would. One is, I would have clients ask me to come to their house to do their hair. Cause they, like, you know, they've got money.
Indeed/Advertisement Voice
They.
Giovanni Vaccaro
They don't want to come to the salon. It's just convenience. Like, I'm busy. I want somebody. Yeah, I want somebody to come to me. Like, that's more important. And so kind of, you know, put two to two, two and two together. At the time, it was 2013, so everyone was talking about Uber and Rent the Runway and grubhub and all these, like, come to you services? So I'm like, there's. There's definitely a market for this. I sat on that for about a year. Like, I was. Like, I said before, I would. I. I. I was comfortable, man. I was making fantastic money for a hairdresser. Like, the average. The average Salary for a hairdresser back then was like 35 to $40,000 a year annually. Right. And I was like 15 Xing that. I mean, I was making great money for a 28 year old.
Travis
Yeah.
Giovanni Vaccaro
And, and then I said, you know what? Same thing. I either stay here and regret not taking this leap and I had a mentor and a coach in my, on my, on my side that was like pumping all this belief in me, or I take this, I take this risk, step into the unknown and learn all of these new skill sets and really build something from the ground up. And innovative technology meets beauty. And so took a year, but we built the company and in 2014 we launched it. And now we're 12 years in and we're in 18 different cities across the country. We've got about 2,000 beauty professionals that work with us and we have had about 250,000 clients use our service. So it's grown into something that's national and a really just a fantastic service for people to use.
Travis
Where did the partners come from?
Giovanni Vaccaro
Partners came from. So the person that brought me in was the person that brought all of my other partners. And so at the time, there was four partners in total. Now we're, now we're two partners that run and operate the business today. But back then it was, it was all his contacts. So it was somebody who is my partner today who is David Golwitz who came from the.
Indeed/Advertisement Voice
When you need to build up your team to handle the growing chaos at work, use Indeed Sponsored jobs. It gives your job post the boost it needs to be seen and helps reach people with the right skills, certifications and more. Spend less time searching and more time actually interviewing candidates who. Check all your boxes. Listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit@ Indeed.com podcast. That's Indeed.com podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Need a hiring hero? This is a job for Indeed. Sponsored jobs.
Schwab/Advertisement Voice
Trading at Schwab is now powered by Ameritrade, giving you even more specialized support than ever before. Like access to the trade desk. Our team of passionate traders ready to tackle anything from the most complex trading questions to a simple strategy. Gut check. Need assistance? No problem. Get 24. 7 professional answers and live help. And access support by phone, email and in platform chat. That's how Schwab is here for you to help you trade brilliantly. Learn more@schwab.com trading finance hedge fund world
Giovanni Vaccaro
and and then myself, who comes from the beauty creative world.
Travis
Dude, it's. I mean, you hit the nail on the Head we say relationships are everything. You just, you don't know what you don't know until you get around people who are really good at something that you don't know anything about. And sometimes you're, your expertise is just by definition limited to a certain sector. But it's like, but you were also a really important piece of that puzzle because they needed somebody who was in that world where you are. And it's. As long as the partners are complementary, the skill sets are complementary and not wildly overlapping, then it's going to work out. Do you have some advice on business partnerships and how to make them successful?
Giovanni Vaccaro
Well, I think you hit it right. It's like if, when you're, when your business partners have the same exact skill sets as you, I can see that there's going to be some friction there. But when you have, you know, I always say hire for your weakness. So when you have your business partners, you're bringing them on when they are great at what you are not great at and vice versa. There's just a beautiful. It can become a much more cohesive and connected partnership. And so when I look at my business partners, I only speak from experience. By the way, when I look at my business partners are my business partner today. It's like we have completely different skill sets. We value each other, we believe in each other's work, we trust each other. But man, when it comes to like data and being wildly analytical, like that's my business partner on my end, the creativity, the relationship building, the knowledge of the, of the beauty professional community of, of the beauty space itself, that's where I come in and we kind of put two, two together and we've nurtured each other in what we're both good at. But I would always also say that when you finding your business partner, their values, man, like you gotta take this stuff slow. And I've seen people rush into let me get a business partner because I either don't want to fund this myself or I don't want to take on all this responsibility. And you're bringing people in and the worst thing that can happen, it's like a marriage. The worst thing that can happen is this person doesn't share the same values as you or sees a different path as you. If you're like, I want to be in this full time versus I want, I want this to exit in three years, man, you're going to have some friction throughout that relationship. So you've got to align not only with your business partner, but also with the money if you're raising capital, the money that you're bringing in, I have seen, I have a lot, a lot of founder friends, people who regret who they brought in, people who can't stand every single time they have a board meeting because they're going to get on by whoever and it's going to suck. And at the time, they just wanted the money. But a year, two years, you got to look ahead. You got to anticipate what's this relationship going to look like.
Travis
Yeah.
Giovanni Vaccaro
How am I going to find excitement and joy and fulfillment? Because the, the job itself is so hard. Layer on top of that, the bullshit that people have to go through, you sort of, you can, you can quickly. You can quickly lose yourself. Yeah.
Travis
No kidding. Yeah. Investor capital is not created equal.
Giovanni Vaccaro
Yeah.
Travis
There's smart money, there's dumb money, there's neutral money. You got to figure out which of those three you want.
Giovanni Vaccaro
That's right.
Travis
And, and be willing to turn down a check when the alignment's not there, which is probably the most difficult part.
Giovanni Vaccaro
So hard, but so, so hard to do. Turn down a check, turn down. To turn down a distribution opportunity. Whatever it is. It's incredibly hard to do. But, you know, you. You operating from a place of what's this going to look like three years from now? You know, if you can put yourself into the future and look back. That mindset has really, really helped me and helps the clients that I work with is think about your decisions today, put yourself in the future, tomorrow, three years from now, how do you think this all plays out? And when you can do that, you start becoming less impulsive and you start operating from a place of weakness and start thinking about things. Future state, which is really helpful for those listening.
Travis
I think the big takeaway here is dig your well before you're thirsty. Make sure you're building active relationships with people who know what they're doing, know what they're talking about. Because sometimes maybe the business idea isn't even gonna come from you. Maybe it comes from a friend or a mentor or somebody you freaking play chess with in the park on Thursdays. I don't know. But when you build those relationships some, at some point, the time comes where magic can happen. Like it did with Giovanni and his partners. Giovanni, I appreciate you taking the time to come on the show, share a little bit more about your journey. What you got going on. Can you tell people where to go to connect with you a little bit better?
Giovanni Vaccaro
Of course, man. So you can check me out@giovaccaro.com that's my website. If you're interested in learning more about coaching, you can sign up for a discovery call right there. And really what I focus on is people, but founders, execs, leaders who are high performers. And I help them eliminate what's holding them back and build the identity that's required for that next level, whether that's income, whether that's impact, whether it's fulfillment, or all three. And you can go to my Instagram, which is Giovanni Vaquero, first name, last name, Giovanni Vaquero.
Travis
That's V A C C A R O over on Instagram. Or giovaccaro.com if you want to go check out his website and look at his coaching and things like that. Giovanni, appreciate you taking the time, man. I know you're really busy. I do not take that for granted. Everybody else tuning in, Remember, money only solves your money problems, but it's easier to solve the rest of your problems and you got some money in the bank. So let's start there. Here in the Travis Makes Money podcast. Thanks for tuning in. Catch you guys next time. Peace.
Date: June 29, 2026
Host: Travis Chappell
Guest: Giovanni Vaccaro
This episode focuses on the crucial role of risk-taking, confidence-building, and self-belief in the journey to making more money and building a fulfilling career. Giovanni Vaccaro, co-founder of Glam Squad and founder of Peak Mode, shares his transformation from a young hairdresser to a successful entrepreneur, offering insights into overcoming fear, handling imposter syndrome, nurturing valuable relationships, and the importance of strategic partnerships. The conversation is authentic and motivational, providing actionable tips for listeners at every stage of their financial and entrepreneurial journeys.
Overall Takeaway:
Real change, wealth-building, and fulfillment require boldness, self-awareness, and a willingness to take risks that align with your values. Building the right network and partnership, facing down limiting beliefs, and learning from both wins and setbacks are essential steps to creating your own path.
For practical, inspirational money-making insights and to hear more stories like Giovanni’s, tune in daily to the Travis Makes Money podcast.