Stop chasing the next thing and enjoy the salon you built – with Kelly Christie aka The Skin Queen
There’s always a next thing. Another staff member. A bigger week. A shinier machine. And somewhere in the middle of all that chasing, the salon you worked so hard to build stops feeling like something you get to enjoy.
Sam and Jen are joined again by Kelly Christie, aka The Skin Queen and owner of The Facial Bar on the Gold Coast. Kelly is back with an honest update. It covers an expensive equipment lesson, a team of three who love coming to work, and a plan to step away for three months and see the world.
It’s a conversation about wanting less and feeling more, and plenty of Australian salon owners are quietly landing in the same place.
What we cover
- What an expensive IPL device taught Kelly about supplier training and support
- Why merchandising still sells, even when you hate doing it
- Going from a team of 14 to 3.5 and finally being fully booked
- Saying no to clients who aren’t the right fit
- Why so many owners are choosing smaller, calmer businesses since COVID
- Rewarding your team with a trip instead of separate gifts
- Setting your clinic up to run while you travel for three months
- Letting your team lead themselves, with clear expectations and consequences
- Asking how you want to feel in 2027, not just what you want to have
- The impact you have on clients who sit in your chair feeling vulnerable
The next thing can wait, because the salon you built is already worth enjoying.
FAQs
Is a smaller salon team more profitable?
It can be, because a smaller team usually means lower wages, less stock and a more loyal clientele. Sam from La Sorella only became fully booked once her team went from 14 down to 3.5.
How can a salon or skin clinic owner take extended time off?
Start with a team who can lead themselves, with clear expectations and a manager you’ve trained in leadership. Kelly is spending the year ahead getting The Facial Bar running smoothly so she can step away for three months.
What should you check before buying an expensive salon device?
Look at the training and support behind the machine, not just the machine itself. Kelly learned this the hard way when a $40,000 to $50,000 IPL device came with a few hours of training and didn’t get her clients the results they’d paid for.
Transcript
[00:00:09] Samara: I have said my entire business life, "I just wanna be fully booked. I just wanna be fully booked." Mm. "I just wanna be fully booked." I didn't become fully booked until we were a team of 3.5.
[:And now people that have actually been in it, they're like, it's not for me.
[:[00:00:43] Jen: You have to make time because nobody knows what's out there and what the future holds, and you can't just let these opportunities go or think that, "Oh, I would've really loved to do that."
[:[00:01:01] Samara: Instead of being like, "Okay, this is what I expect from you. This is what you will get in return, but this is also the consequence if you don't do it."
[:Before we dive in, just a quick little love note from us. If this podcast has ever made you laugh, cry, think, or feel seen, please hit that subscribe button. It's the easiest way to keep the magic going and it helps us land more incredible guests for you.
Go on back, your girls, subscribe now and let's keep rising together.
[:[00:01:40] Samara: Good morning.
[:[00:01:44] Samara: It was almost off again.
[:[00:01:48] Samara: Yeah.
[:We're just not coming."
[:[00:01:55] Jen: Oh.
[:[00:01:59] Jen: We didn't. That was the problem.
[:[00:02:01] Jen: is why we not
[:[00:02:05] Jen: So-
[:[00:02:10] Jen: Yeah, we had like, we have had a couple of weeks where we didn't get a podcast out just because-
[:[00:02:18] Jen: Yeah. Just life really got us.
[:[00:02:23] Jen: Yeah.
[:[00:02:24] Jen: already had to reschedule today three times.
[:[00:02:28] Jen: Yeah.
[:[00:02:29] Jen: we're
[:[00:02:29] Samara: We're here.
[:[00:02:31] Kelly: here
[:[00:02:43] Kelly: Oh, like, what an honor. So exciting. Because when you look at all the guests that you've had, whenever I hear somebody come back on the podcast again, I'm like, oh, they must be really special.
So thank you.
[:[00:02:56] Jen: You are special.
[:[00:03:01] Jen: So we
[:[00:03:11] Jen: What's going on with the air con? I don't know. Business life. Business life. Um, so tell us, Kelly, what's been happening in your business life?
[:[00:03:31] Jen: Oh, yeah, my horse has bolted.
[:[00:03:43] Kelly: Mm ...
[:[00:03:45] Jen: horse is dragging me behind it. You've
[:[00:03:50] Samara: The stirrup- And you're just being- Bouncing over- Yeah
every bump as I go. Yeah.
[:And they're like, "Oh my God, I'm so sorry for everything you've gone through. You've done so well." But now I've accepted that there's always shit, and there's always- Yeah ... rocky periods, and there's always... And I don't even think it's just because I'm a business owner. I think it's because of who I am as a person.
There's always gonna be some sort of curveball that life throws. And, you know, when-
[:Life is certainly a far lot easier for me now. But I think what you need to learn to do is be present and be- In the
[:[00:04:46] Samara: yeah, and be really- Yeah ... grateful in the good times. Because, you know, we think that life is without pain or without struggle or without- Mm ... the drama or all, but without those things you can't see the light in all the other things.
Without the darkness, you can't see the light. Yeah. So, you know, I think w- with what you're saying, we just think that we've just gotta get through this hurdle and then business will be, will be fine. And we get through this hurdle, but it's just ever-evolving, I think.
[:Just finish the podcast. And we're done. And we're done. We're well done. No, but it's so true. Like, it's just what it is, and so I think now as life throws curveballs at you, like, "That's okay, I know how to handle it." Mm. Yeah. You've just gotta take the deep breaths, and as I was saying to Jen before we started, just not self-medicate and drink every weekend, because that's not gonna help either.
[:[00:05:37] Kelly: Disney movies.
[:Oh, yes. I've watched it 3,242 times, so it's fine. It's a comfort movie. It can be in the background, yeah.
[:[00:05:57] Samara: Yeah. Sometimes you need those, like, comfort times of just being like, "It's okay, I can sit here." But for me it's very much switching out of, like you said, it's not the self-medicating, it's the coming out of socials.
[:[00:06:07] Samara: Coming out of the things that potentially are being exhausting, and stepping into things that give you joy.
[:[00:06:13] Kelly: That's it. Yeah. Yeah. But apart from that, business has been good. Not without challenges, as always. We've got a new team member. I think at the time I'd just... When I came on last time, I think I'd just hired two therapists.
[:[00:06:25] Jen: You
[:[00:06:26] Jen: Oh, that's really good.
[:[00:06:30] Jen: Has it been two years since we did your first-
[:[00:06:36] Jen: Wow.
[:That would've been- That is wild ... like 2024, wouldn't it? Yeah. Maybe.
[:[00:06:42] Samara: I don't know. Life just goes so quite quick.
[:[00:06:45] Samara: I don't know what.
[:[00:06:54] Samara: So how many have you got now?
[:[00:06:55] Samara: Yep.
[:[00:06:58] Samara: your same manager?
[:[00:07:01] Samara: Yep. Yep.
[:[00:07:15] Samara: Yeah.
[:[00:07:18] Samara: I think it's also hard when you're in that role because you sit in the middle ground of answering-
[:[00:07:25] Samara: Yeah Mm. Like, you wanna be besties with your co-mates because that's where it's fun, but then you're also expected to rise to do what needs to be done, and I think that's a really hard- space to almost sit in.
Mm. Yeah. Especially young. Yeah. Yeah. You know? 'Cause when you're young, you just wanna have, you know, a fat time and be able to play. Like, and then you're expected to kind of manage them at the same time. I think that's a hard space.
[:[00:07:51] Kelly: Definitely.
[:[00:07:52] Kelly: But even for me, I'm the same. I wanna have a fat time and hang out with the children.
[:[00:07:57] Kelly: Um, so that's a work in progress, but that's okay. We're, that's one part of my role that's kind of evolved now. Like, I think I, before I was working still a couple of days a week, now I'm back to two days a week, just more focusing on the team, just finessing a lot of things. Had a few things this year.
A few hard life lessons with business.
[:[00:08:17] Kelly: I brought in a, um, device at the beginning of the year, and the agreement was that I would have it on loan for six months, and I got to buy it at the end of the six-month period. It- To make
[:[00:08:29] Kelly: Um, well, the whole thing was that I was supposed to post a lot of before and afters with the device so they could build their marketing collateral.
Mm-hmm. Right. I was like, "Yep, beautiful." And then, um, we actually went to Beauty Expo, my husband and I, last year, and we had a look at lots of different devices, and we were so confused. We went in feeling like, yep, we're quite certain on one or two, and we left after looking at them all more confused than before.
More confused. And these devices are 40, 50,000, so not cheap. Mm. It's an IPL device. Um, and we just had such a bumpy road. So the device was supposed to come on the 19th of January. Didn't. We didn't get it till, like, February. Then we were supposed to have a whole day of training. The trainer flew up from Sydney, maybe trained us for three hours, and then pissed off.
Didn't teach us how to do a test patch, clinical endpoint, anything that you need to know to use an expensive device.
[:[00:09:18] Kelly: Then we're kinda peer pressured into doing an event in March, beginning of April. Like, end of March, April, and it flopped 'cause we didn't know how to talk about it- Mm ... 'cause our training wasn't sufficient.
Mm. And the CEO kinda noticed that, and then she was like, "What's gone on?" And I said, "Well, we don't know what we're doing." So then we were sent in a different trainer to be taught how to use it in smart mode, which it's just you press a button and it does the settings for you, and it just wasn't getting results for us.
Mm. Mm. So come maybe, I'm gonna say May, they were like, "Hey, you've got three months left. Um, you haven't really produced a lot of before and afters. You're not holding up your end of the bargain. What's going on?" And I said, "Okay, let me go and have a look at everything." Said to the girls, "Let's rally. Let's pull together our before and afters."
No changes, and we'd sold hundreds of packages. Not hundreds, but hundreds of dollars worth of packages to people.
[:[00:10:09] Kelly: Yeah. That's
[:[00:10:10] Kelly: Not getting results. And so I went back and I said, "To be honest, we've not seen any of the results."
[:teach and train- Yeah ... and rally behind you and constantly give you information. We know that with our education. Yeah. How it is, like even my girlfriend who's my educator, she comes in, she's like, "Why is it the salon not merchandise?" I'm like, "I don't like everything up." She's like, "That's nice." Puts everything up.
Mm-hmm. Puts stuff on the front desk. And it sells. And the following week it all sells. Like literally. It's literally just the motivation. And I'm just like, I just text her and I was like, "I'm really... I- I just- I shut up." Like- ... it's sitting on the front desk, it's a $220 product. My client's like, "Should I buy this?"
I'm like, "Yep." She goes, "Okay." Yeah. And I was like, "But if it wasn't there, if it wasn't on the table," but you need companies behind you that are actually going to be like constantly like, "This is what you should do," and not waiting for you to ask them.
[:[00:11:05] Kelly: Long story short, had a massive falling out with the CEO, expensive mistake later.
Brought in another device, also very expensive. Got really great training, getting great results, but also too, that machine, you know, once we got rid of it out of the clinic, we were kinda left high and dry while we found an interim solution. Mm. And just had a bit of a shit time in terms of like losing clients.
Yeah. Like brand reputation, um, well our reputation with using the brand going like down the shitter, just like such an expensive, expensive mistake. It's okay, you live and you learn though, we never- But
[:Mm. "And we thought it was, and we thought that was gonna give you everything you guys needed."
[:[00:11:50] Samara: But it wasn't." And sometimes we don't know until we actually are at the end what we need to do.
[:[00:11:56] Kelly: Yeah. And I think now that we're in November, we've brought on a new device. Well then I went away to Europe for four weeks, so then I was like, okay, well now I've got all these unhappy clients, we've got people who've got packages for this treatment.
Mm. We now don't have a machine, and I'm about to go for four weeks. Good luck, team.
[:[00:12:16] Kelly: Pretty much ... "
[:[00:12:17] Kelly: out." I know. Um, honestly, they've handled it so well. I should probably go buy them flowers. It's all good. On the other side of it, we've really worked things out. Um, but that's been a really tricky thing in business.
But I, just if I go back to the whole retailing, merchandising, I'm a bit of a Grinch when it comes to Christmas. What's your girls' view on Christmas? I- You're kinda
[:[00:12:41] Kelly: like you're looking at me like, "Who is this person?"
[:But I think it's because I, it depends on the year. Mm. So when I say I love Christmas, it depends on the year, babe. Mm. I am really excited for Chri-
[:[00:12:59] Samara: Are we
[:[00:13:00] Samara: about-
[:[00:13:01] Jen: Christmas business-wise or personal-wise?
[:[00:13:04] Samara: Oh no, I'm fucking- Oh no, I love Christmas ... love Christmas. Okay. Like, when I went to get toilet paper, I also got-
[:[00:13:11] Samara: No. Butcher's paper. No, no, like that craft paper.
[:[00:13:14] Samara: yeah. And paint pens, and I'm, like, doing a Polaroid wall for my children. Ooh, I love that. Like, I have gone so ham. When I said I was on the laptop yesterday, it was creating all of the things for my children's Christmas.
Like, it is... And I have nine boxes of Christmas decorations that don't include Christmas trees- Wow ... or outdoor decorations. No, I am-
[:[00:13:35] Samara: very much a Christmas,
[:[00:13:41] Samara: Oh. Oh, yeah. I think it's also, I think if you do decide one day to have kids, I think it changes when you have children because you really- Yes
create. Like, I'm creating all of the memor- Like, Christmas is a lot for me. Yeah. I do a lot, but it's more so I do it all to see all of the joy in my children's face. So that's what- And I understand that, but not- ... Christmas kinda unlocks, whereas if it was just us- It would just be a day-
[:[00:14:08] Samara: that probably felt, but you'll be able to create that over time where you build your birthday into that.
[:And she's like, "Right, your salon is going to be New York Christmas theme. We're gonna go to the reject shop. We're gonna get all these decorations." "We're gonna do this. We're gonna merch everything." I've already merched it. I've gone on ClawDesign. I've printed my, like, little A3 or A5, whatever size they are, um, shelf talkers with prices for things, put things out, and things are selling.
[:[00:14:48] Kelly: Go figure.
[:[00:14:51] Kelly: I know.
[:and it's beautiful. You're
[:[00:15:03] Samara: up? No. It's too much. Wow. Too many things to do. I'm putting it up at my house.
[:[00:15:13] Samara: house ...
[:[00:15:14] Samara: I think, too, it, the pa- it's the pack down- Yeah,
[:[00:15:18] Samara: for me for Christmas, and because our team is so little. Um, but I am baking. I am-
[:[00:15:25] Samara: you love baking ... being an absolute mental this year, and I'm baking every single client shortbread cookies this year. Love. So I've gotta bake, like, 600 shortbread cookies, and I've bought the little bags and little stickers and...
[:[00:15:53] Samara: I know. Yep, I know. But that's
[:[00:15:56] Samara: But I just, and like I cook for ev- Like, that's just, like, so that's why I'm trying to get everything done now.
[:[00:16:02] Samara: Christmas shopping I wrapped yesterday. Like, I'm trying to get everything organized so that Christmas gets to just be a joy. Mm. But it's the same with the salon.
The salon is the craziest time of year. We, um, but I think this Christmas more than ever, more than any Christmas I've had, I'm the most excited for this Christmas because even the Christmas week we're working Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. We have Christmas Eve off, and it's f- full to the brim. Like, beyond full, but with all of our favorite people.
Favorite people. Yeah. Like, with all clients that I'm just gonna enjoy doing and laughing and spending that f- three days with, that I'm actually, like, I don't... Like, whereas Christmas in the past has felt just overwhelming 'cause there's just so many people and- People are moving and canceling and blah, blah, blah, where we s- But see, I feel like- Now that our salon's smaller, we don't have that
[:[00:16:58] Kelly: Yeah, it's very interesting for us in skin because everyone's getting their hair done, their lashes, their nails, all the instant beauty.
[:[00:17:05] Kelly: So yeah, we actually wind down. We're finishing on the 19th this year.
[:[00:17:08] Kelly: Um, also too, don't forget, we're doing peels, needling. People wanna go to the beach- Mm ... and they wanna go, "Ooh." They wanna get exactly, yeah. So they're not doing things like that, but January's big for us.
[:[00:17:17] Kelly: But, um, this year I've focused really hard. I actually started working with a business coach.
Gift
[:[00:17:21] Kelly: Gift vouchers- For your guys? ... are always good. Yeah. Yep, we'll do Black Friday, Christmas packs and retail. Um, but I've been working with a business coach this year to really m- learn how to manage my money better, 'cause I've realized it's me, I'm the problem. I've got a spending problem.
[:[00:17:35] Kelly: It's me. It's all good. Hi, I'm the problem. And I've been focusing so much on profit, and I'm actually taking my, um, team to Bali.
[:[00:17:43] Kelly: Yeah, so we finish on the 18th, and we're flying to Bali for, like, our Christmas party closed down on the 19th, 'cause we've had a mammoth year. I've traveled
[:[00:17:52] Kelly: Well, that's what I'm figuring out right now.
[:[00:17:55] Kelly: Because I said to my husband, "I kind of low-key wanna wake up in Bali, get a coffee, get a massage, go to the airport, fly home."
[:[00:18:03] Kelly: But I wouldn't get home until Christmas Eve at 9:00 PM, but-
[:[00:18:08] Kelly: They're gonna go home on the 23rd.
[:[00:18:10] Kelly: Yeah. So I booked their flights there and accommodation as their Christmas present. Um, and I usually do, like, a birthday present, I usually do, like, a anniversary work present, but I've lumped it all into one this year.
[:[00:18:21] Kelly: yeah. Mm. So not an investment, but I think we've done quite well as a team- Yeah
[:[00:18:26] Kelly: we've deserved it. Yeah.
[:[00:18:33] Kelly: Mm.
[:[00:18:36] Kelly: Yeah, well, we looked at doing either the Langham or going up to Port Douglas. Yeah, nice.
[:[00:18:40] Kelly: nice. It's actually, it cost me, I think all up with flights and accommodation, maybe, like, three grand.
[:'cause we would be doing it now. Exactly. Yeah. Like, that's kind of what terrifies me, whereas if you were know- knowing you were coming back and then having a holiday, it kinda works. But for us, I'm kinda like, I don't wanna bring them back and then get them unwell. Yes.
[:[00:19:11] Samara: and then none of us can work. Mm.
Like, that's what makes me nervous.
[:[00:19:16] Samara: Yeah, yeah.
[:[00:19:17] Samara: Um-
[:[00:19:22] Samara: Yeah.
[:[00:19:23] Samara: Good way, and- Need it ... what do you see for next year?
[:I just actually did a reel in the car before I got in here. I hate to fearmonger, it's not who I am, because I'm a very, and as we are as business owners, figure it out and get shit done. But there's another looming rate rise tomorrow. Love that. Mm. Thanks, RBA. Homeowners, business owners, we all, like, panic, I feel like.
We all like . I do. But at the same time, we've really remained so stable. So next year, I really just wanna focus on scaling with ads. The team's sitting at maybe, like, 70% capacity. And then I always look up to yourself, but you've been in business for a long ass time. 25,000
[:[00:20:13] Kelly: Salon.
[:[00:20:17] Kelly: So that's the goal,
[:[00:20:33] Kelly: Okay.
[:Yeah. So we're not pushing anymore to find clients from wherever and accept what- wherever. We say no a lot. Mm-hmm. So I say, I've said no four times just last week alone. Yeah. I'm like, "No, no, not our type of work. Not our type of work, sorry. No, we don't do that. No, we don't do that." And we're really okay with having this small clientele that is s- just so, like, joyful and, um, so giving and just our ultimate clientele.
[:[00:21:31] Samara: Then I could definitely put on another staff member, but I would not be able to say no to the people I wanna say no to.
[:[00:21:40] Samara: Until my business just kept dropping. Oh. So I was, when I, when I built, you know, you're always building for more, for more, for more, for more.
[:[00:21:48] Samara: Built to 14, and then it's hectic. Yeah. And then you'd like, you know, at Christmas times we're having $40,000 weeks. Yeah. You know, when you have these huge teams, but you also have, your expenses are extreme. Mm. Yeah. You've got a team of 14. Mm-hmm. You've got stock out the wazoo. It's so much. So as we've kind of decreased, decreased, decreased, we got to six, we're still fairly busy, but now that we're, you know, three full time- I feel like
[:[00:22:16] Samara: Yeah.
[:[00:22:30] Samara: Yeah. Mm. And now it's just, like, so consistent. But the thing is, for me, I've never worked on the floor more than I have, and I've never felt more at peace.
Yeah. I come, I do my 38 hours, and I go home. So even me on a Monday having to do all the bookwork- Yeah ... it's just so much less.
[:I think I showed you a picture of her too- Yes. Yes ... when I came to your salon. Yeah. Mom used to own a salon in, Ashmore. I think it was in '99, and she had even old photos from, like, her old salon and when she worked as a hairdresser in 1986 in London, and she, um, she's just got albums where she's been to Greece, Italy, like Dubai, Egypt, Singapore, everywhere when she was in her 20s, and I grew up looking at that photo album, always wanting to travel.
And then my first experience was when I went to New Zealand as a family holiday, and then when I was 15, I did student exchange in Japan for six months. Loved it, and I was like, "That's it. I've got the travel bug." And right after school, I wanted to go travel. And Dad was like, "No. Get your qualification, get a degree, get something, so then you have something to fall back on.
Because if you don't do that, then you're never gonna get it." 'Cause he was like, "I know what she's gonna be like." So I did that. I went and did dermal therapies, and then I fell into my career.
[:[00:24:00] Kelly: Nearly 12 years have passed.
[:[00:24:03] Kelly: And we've got two-
[:[00:24:04] Jen: how it happens, though. Yeah. It happens just like that, and you just fall into it.
So it's so good that you're really making the space to, to make that happen.
[:Yeah.
[:[00:24:21] Kelly: And I'm not getting any younger. I turn 32 in a couple of weeks, so it's kinda like, what am I doing? Mm. Do I wanna keep plodding along, or what do I actually wanna do? So big goal is to go traveling next year, and I have already presented it to the team, which is kind of also why I'm taking them to Bali, and I said that.
Yeah. I said, "This is what I wanna do. This is why I'm also taking you to Bali. Obviously can't control you. If you're gonna quit, you're gonna quit." And they were both like, "Are you... Don't be so silly. Like, that's not gonna happen." We'll see. Um, but at the same time, it's, I said to the girls, like, "That's what I'm working towards, getting the clinic really optimized."
Yeah. "So I can kinda manage it remotely for a period of time." Because, yeah, when else am I gonna do that? Mm. Like, if it's a life goal, if I was to get hit by a bus tomorrow, God forbid, and pass away, it'd be my biggest regret that I've not done it.
[:[00:25:05] Kelly: Mm. feel like in my soul until I go and do this, I'm not gonna want to have kids and go onto that next stage.
So yeah, keeping the business quite stable, keep it on the track that it's going. As you were saying before too, everybody wants to, the next thing, the next thing, and the next staff member and, you know, the bigger weeks, and all this sort of stuff. I'm actually really happy where business is. If I can maintain this for another 12 months-
[:[00:25:29] Kelly: be laughing.
[:[00:25:44] Jen: yeah, yeah.
[:And I was like, "I'm just good." Yeah. Like, the business is good, and all the... I was like, "The business is great. I love it, and home life is great, and the kids are great." And so, like, sometimes you're like, I've spent, I spent so long chasing more, and more, and more, and more, and more. Yeah.
[:[00:26:06] Samara: That you actually have to end up going, "I want less."
And I guess, you know, with the sad thing for everybody, that includes the pod. Yes. Because it's, Mondays are now gonna become, you know, I could have, I can be a mum on those days, and I can go and do the things I need to do with the kids, and I can have a t- a day off, and I can, you know, be wrapping Christmas presents and stuff like that.
And you have to get to a point where you're like, "Something's gotta give." 100%. And in what area do you want them to give? Like, what do you actually want your life to look like, and what are you holding that almost makes you feel like, ugh? Like, what's a chore in your business right now? Yeah. I think that's a big one, is what's a chore?
And if it's being on the floor, then fine, get off the floor. Get team members, run your t- like, and run the team instead. But for other people, it'll be like, it's running teams. The chore is running the team. Mm. Yeah. It's like, well, then get back on the floor and don't run so much a team anymore. Mm.
[:[00:27:01] Samara: You know?
Or they might be like, "Well, I hate doing X, Y, and Z." It's like, okay, well, find ways to make those things easier. Have a cleaner. Have someone that comes and does- A bookkeeper ... does your stock. Yes, yeah. Have a bookkeeper. Exactly, yeah. You know, all of the things that can then give you a little bit of-
[:I will pay you in the break, Carla, I promise.
[:[00:27:25] Samara: Um, I auto-transfer, the, my cleaner just left, I auto-transfer every week so I don't have to think about it. But it's like where can you take things off your plate and then s- instead fill it with things that make you happy?
[:[00:27:37] Samara: That feel joyful, you know?
And I still keep my, like, team meetings and stuff like that in with my girls, but most of the time it's like, all right, what do we need to tweak? Yep. And this week it was like, all right, we need to be better at our retail, and then we hit a huge retail week. But sometimes it's just the little tweaks, and it's more so about sitting down having breakfast and kind of connecting back in with each other- Yeah
and stuff like that. Catching up. Catching up, spending time, everyone. Like our Christmas party, it's really beautiful to hear Laura talk about our Christmas party to people because they're like, "What are you doing?" She's like, "We're going to Langham." Like, "That's cool. What are you doing?" She was like, "We're just hanging out.
We just wanna be with each other and just spend time because we adore each other." And it's so nice just to hear those things come out of your team's mouth rather than All of the expectation of everything else
[:[00:28:24] Samara: Yeah.
[:I don't know if I said, I think I said on an earlier podcast, like, we had a friend, um, of my husband's from school this year, and his sister, who's only literally three years older than my husband and I, has been diagnosed with early onset dementia.
[:[00:28:46] Jen: And, you know, like, I think there's, people can be complacent about the fact that the time will come.
[:[00:28:53] Jen: Whereas you just have to make time.
[:[00:28:55] Jen: You have to make time because nobody knows what's out there and what the future holds, and you can't just let these opportunities go or think that, "Oh, I would've really loved to do that."
[:[00:29:07] Jen: Because you kinda have to make these things happen. I think
[:work it out from there.
[:[00:29:17] Samara: yet.
[:[00:29:25] Samara: Yes.
[:Like, but now is the time. But this is what sparked it for me, Jen. So at the beginning of last year, I had an uncle overseas, um, he was diagnosed with cancer and passed away. I've also, um, we've... Cam's lost his grandad a couple of weeks ago, and then his mom's best friend passed away suddenly. Our next-door neighbor at Mom's house, who Mom's been in her house for 25 years, just passed away suddenly.
[:[00:29:57] Kelly: and then Dad's gone through a whole cancer thing as well, and it's like, yeah, if you're not-
[:[00:30:04] Kelly: Yeah ... is a big driver Life's short. Yeah. But also life's so precious.
[:[00:30:08] Kelly: And like, I think for many business owners, we make it such our identity, and I definitely experienced that with Skin Queen and as I spoke on here- Yeah
with this whole ego death thing and just throw myself into the facial van. I'm so glad I did because now it's been able to give my sense of self back and be like- Mm ... "Actually, what do I want?" 'Cause yes, I'm a business owner, but I also still have other things that I wanna do. Yes. And I think everyone needs to do that.
Mm. 'Cause otherwise, why are you building this business? Yes, we do have to work in the business 38 hours a week sometimes, and yes, there are seasons where you don't have to and seasons where you do. I've definitely experienced both. Yeah, but I
[:[00:30:42] Jen: You're working for someone else 38 hours.
[:[00:30:44] Samara: or you're doing- Yeah
[:[00:30:46] Samara: working on business ... you're still working on the business- Yeah ... or doing something in the business. It's like, how often do we actually just sit around and be like, well, just, I just, I'm like, I look at it sometimes and I'm like, "Oh- On a Monday I can work a little bit too much, and then I think, "Yeah, but I have Saturday and Sunday where I can do whatever I want."
[:[00:31:01] Samara: You know? Yeah. And I'm like, I just think we get too focused on, "I need to be off the floor more 'cause I've been in this gig." It's like, well, everybody else is working 38 hours, just work it.
[:I, when, my two days at iGo, it's the best time, your brain switches off.
[:[00:31:19] Kelly: You get into flow state and you're like, "Oh, so nice." Yep. So I'm with you.
[:[00:31:23] Jen: Yeah. I love being on the floor.
[:[00:31:27] Jen: love doing people's hair.
[:[00:31:32] Kelly: Exactly. Yeah. It's the easiest part.
[:[00:31:50] Kelly: I was saying that too with Jen before, and that's the same with your ladies podcast.
d the same with my podcast in:[00:31:59] Samara: Mm.
[:[00:32:09] Samara: You also get, I also get to a point where I'm like, my knowledge is done.
[:[00:32:14] Samara: I actually don't wanna, like, I... You know, we've gone through so much on this podcast that I'm like, you know, when we started this podcast, my team was massive.
[:[00:32:24] Samara: gosh. And now I just don't, I just, I'm like, I don't have much more to share, guys. Like, other than every single week it feels the same, and I don't want it to change.
Yeah. So I don't have any great new, like, foresight for anyone.
[:[00:32:41] Samara: Yeah, and I hope they do. They will. And it's so nice. You know, we've had messages that come through and been like, "You know, Bridget's not the only fan."
[:[00:32:50] Samara: And you know, there's-
[:[00:32:57] Samara: Decided
[:[00:33:01] Samara: So nice. 'Cause sometimes you're like, are we talking to anyone?
[:[00:33:05] Samara: Yeah. Is anybody out there? Hey, Jen's mom, how are you?
But you get to a point, and I f- I'm finding the more that we talk on this, the more we're having guests that are saying exactly the same thing. Yeah. Like- The right
[:[00:33:20] Samara: I just wanna be peaceful in my business. I'm happy being on the floor. I just wanna be with my clientele. I just want my team smaller.
Like, we're just seeing such a, um... It's not even a trend. We're seeing- A transition ... such a transition. Yeah.
[:And now people that have actually been in it, they're like, one, it's either not for me. Mm. Or two, they're like, "This is actually a lot." Mm. I just wanna go back to the way things used to work.
[:[00:34:02] Kelly: Yeah.
[:[00:34:05] Kelly: Mm.
[:Like, I know once I step- Yeah ... out of it, it's just a small business. It's not Apple or- Mm ... you know, it's not this huge business that everyone knows. It's a small- It's not a like, yeah ... little business. But it's my legacy that one day when something, God forbid, happens to me, I hope that I have impacted a whole bunch of people that will want to be standing there and like, at my funeral, which sounds crazy, but I hope that my funeral is the most ridiculously packed place because I've made an impact on lots of people- On, yeah
for the better. And I think we have that ability within our businesses to do that like nobody else can do.
[:[00:35:21] Samara: Is have this like, you know, and I have clients that still come in that I'm terrible with names, so I won't know their names. They'll be one of the other girl's clients, but they know me intimately.
They know my name and my story and, and it's, you know, it's taking more of my time out of myself to make sure that I know them and their story. But I think, yeah, we have this like ability to really connect with people who need it.
[:[00:35:45] Samara: Yeah. Agreed. You know? May not have friendships or may not have that connection or may need some support.
You know, I had a client come in who's been a client of LaSorella's for maybe 10 years, and she came in. She, we have gone through everything with her. She lost her twin sister, um, but in a way that was just so devastating, and she was in a coma for like- eight years. And then so we went through that with her, and then the loss of her sister, and then all of these things over time.
And she's, we always do her hair. We've never, she's never done her own hair, and we did her hair, and then for some reason she thought one day that she would just, like, put some streaks herself in her hair, like when she was doing her son's hair. Completely stuffed it up, and it was on the week that Indy was on holidays and Laura was off sick.
[:[00:36:37] Samara: And it was like heavens above had just opened this perfect one hour in my day that I could take care of her. No one else was in the salon, and we just talked through everything that day, and then she, she'd hadn't had any therapy since- Mm ... everything. And it's, it's been like, her sons are, like, 15, so she'd had no therapy.
And I was like, "Babe, I think you need to go and, like, see someone about this in order to work through it." And she just went and booked someone, and she's like, "It's changing my life."
[:[00:37:06] Samara: And sometimes you just don't realize how important those little conversations we have with people for ourselves but also for them.
Yeah. Like, I know how often my clientele transform my life. Mm. I know how often they'll say something to me and I'll do it, and it'll be like, "This is amazing." And it can be little things like Christmas, you know. Yeah. One of my clients is doing Christmas 'cause I am, in the way that I'm doing it. And it can be little things and it can be big things, but the impact can be massive.
[:[00:37:31] Samara: Creating Christmas traditions that someone else then does for their kids is, like, the impact that it makes on generations. It's that type of impact rather than thinking, "I want someone to look at me and think I'm successful."
[:[00:37:44] Kelly: Yeah. I agree with you. That's beautiful.
[:you are dealing with people in really vulnerable situ- Mm. Massive ... when people come and sit in your chair, they are feeling vulnerable. Yeah. Mm. You know, like, the impact- They can't even meet the eye ... exactly. Mm. And the impact that changing how someone outwardly feels about themselves has on the impact of how they inwardly feel about themselves- Mm
is profound. '
[:[00:38:27] Kelly: a bit taller.
[:[00:38:29] Kelly: Yeah. Yeah.
[:And Sadie's friend looks at me, and she goes, "You're so pretty."
[:[00:38:41] Samara: And I was like, "This is the best day of my life."
[:[00:38:45] Samara: A 10-year-old just told me I was pretty, and I text the girls, and I was like, "A 10-year-old just said I was pretty." And Laura's like, "Man, that's so good," 'cause you know that they just don't, like, they only say what they're thinking.
They're very truthful. Yeah. But it's, you know, it's that outward feeling when you solve someone's skin conditions- Mm ... of how it makes them feel, and then they connect that feeling with what you did for them.
[:smiling, feeling confident. So just- That's been the mission from the beginning. Um, and I think I just wanna keep doing that. Mm. Like, that's the magic of it. I'm just, yeah, I'm happy where things are at in business. That's a boring answer to, like, what's new for business. It's like, yeah.
[:Mm. Now, one last thing. You wanna go traveling for three months.
[:[00:39:37] Jen: Where do you wanna go?
[:We're gonna go to Utah. Excellent. She's gonna meet us- I love Utah ... in Utah. Salt
[:[00:39:54] Kelly: Secret Lives of Mormon Wives vibes as well, and we, she, our supplier lives in Australia and Utah, so then- Oh, yeah ... she's gonna give us... Well, I'm hoping. I've already said, "Okay, you'll have to give me the tour," so hopefully she remembers.
Sarah Lese. And then I really wanna go to Disneyland, or Disney World Florida.
[:[00:40:10] Kelly: Cause I've never been. And then I really wanna go to Universal and also New York 'cause I haven't been. And then I'll come home because my sister's actually getting married in May, which is exciting. And then after that, I'm gonna go to Bali for a couple of weeks.
There's a little island off the side of Thailand, and it's kind of like the Thailand Maldives. Oh. Very cheap as well. Yes. So I can stay there for two weeks, and it'll cost me, like, $300 with accommodation, and that's on the beach with breakfast included. So I kinda wanna have an island life moment. And then I've got a really good girlfriend who lives in Tokyo, so I'm gonna go over to Tokyo and we'll do South Korea.
Yep. Get some skin treatments. Then I wanna go over to Dubai and Egypt, and I'm convincing Cam to come with me 'cause I can't. He's not gonna do the whole travel with me.
[:[00:40:56] Kelly: Should say that, actually. So we got dogs at home, and we've got a house. Someone's
[:[00:41:01] Kelly: Exactly, and he wasn't that keen, so I thought, okay.
And he's half on board, half not. But I think 'cause I've got stops everywhere, he'll come with me to America. I'm gonna do probably Ba- uh, Thailand and Bali. I've got friends who live in Bali. Friend who lives in Japan, and then get him to meet me in Tokyo, oh, sorry, Dubai and Egypt. And then my other bestie lives in Prague, in Europe.
[:[00:41:26] Kelly: So I'm gonna go back over to see her, 'cause I saw her this year. I've got another bestie who lives in the UK but is often in Spain, and then my two brothers are actually moving over to that side of the world too. So one's moving on Wednesday, and then, um- How convenient ... I've got another one moving next year to Copenhagen.
So I don't feel like I'm gonna be solo traveling. I'm gonna be going to see all the friends all over the world. You'll be solo
[:[00:41:47] Kelly: Exactly. But just to go,
[:[00:41:49] Kelly: Yeah ... to the
[:[00:41:49] Samara: So you're not gonna do a three-month hit, you're just gonna go to, you're gonna keep
[:[00:41:59] Samara: Will you go back to work at all in that time?
[:[00:42:02] Samara: Yeah, okay.
[:[00:42:11] Samara: So
[:[00:42:13] Kelly: Yeah. I
[:[00:42:14] Kelly: Yeah. I keep manifesting. He keeps saying, "I don't think you realize."
And then we kinda had a bit of a tiff because his thing that he loves to spend money on is cars.
[:[00:42:23] Kelly: And I worked it out, and I was like, "Okay, how much do you think you've spent on cars and car parts and all that stuff this year?" And he's like, "Oh, I don't know, a couple of thousand." I was like, "Try 25,000." I was like, "I wanna take that amount of money and go traveling next year."
So what you do with your money- And like honestly- ... what I do with my money ...
[:Like, maybe if you have one, but like- Mm. Yeah ... it's hard to do it with more than that, and their lives are so expensive- Yeah ... by the time you have- Hobbies ... everything for them. Mm-hmm. So it's like, if you didn't have kids, yeah, you have that bank account to be able to do it.
[:So that's what I mean. The clock's ticking. I love that. That's like my mark in my head. I'm like, "Okay, I've got until this point in time," so fingers crossed. I'm just gonna be delulu, manifest it, and keep talking it into existence.
[:[00:43:27] Jen: Love.
[:[00:43:29] Jen: See? What are you putting on your bingo card for 2027?
Mm. That's what we're taking away.
[:[00:43:39] Jen: Yeah. And you- I am. You're like, "I've got everything I wanted on my bingo card."
[:[00:43:46] Kelly: true. There we go. Hint, hint.
[:And I'm gonna do all these things, I'm gonna be all these things, and I'm gonna get all these things. But it's like, what do you wanna feel?
[:[00:44:05] Jen: Yeah.
[:Yeah. It's not necessarily like, I'm gonna have this handbag, or I'm gonna have- Exactly. This car ... this. It's like, what do you wanna feel? Like you're, as you're saying, the travel. You're like, I want to experience this, and I wanna feel this, and I wanna... It's not like, I wanna look like I'm a gangster drive- flying around the world for three months.
It's how will it feel me for my future? Or how will it feel me? Yes. What things can I do to make us feel amazing? And if it's just still doing the same thing, then just enjoy that, just continue to bring that in. But I just think being in that grati- what would I be really, really, really grateful for if I could have X, Y, and Z?
What would it make me feel?
[:[00:45:01] Samara: Yeah.
[:[00:45:03] Samara: What do you want for 2027, Jen?
[:[00:45:19] Samara: Mm ...
[:Mm. Like, I am super excited about my life. Mm. I'm really excited. We're going through a massive like change in where our family is sitting. Like, my kids are just hitting whole new ages and stages. I really realize that they are the biggest driving force for... I mean, I know I've always said that. My kids are, but I think the excitement for me of taking these young people into the next phase of their lives.
You know, we're about to do a massive trip with our, um, four big kids, and it's... Do you know, it's not even the trip I'm excited about. I'm like, oh my gosh, I'm gonna teach them how to go through an airport that doesn't speak English. Mm. And I'm gonna teach them like what we need to pack in our carry on when we do a nine-hour long haul.
Like, it's just little stuff like that, that it's like-
[:[00:46:20] Jen: Yes ...
[:[00:46:21] Jen: Even yesterday we had to do our visas.
And s- and so we're all, like, in a family group chat, and there was, there's, like, the six of us, and it's like, "But what is a, what is this headshot?" Like, and I'm like, "Did you not read the thing that I've just sent you?" Like, what are you talking about? And then we've got all our mugshots coming through to load onto our stuff, and I'm like, "This is cool."
Mm. Actually, it wasn't cool. I was having such an ADHD meltdown. I was like, I can't. I know that we have to do this today, and it's not gonna get done if we don't do it. And because of that, I can't actually activate to do it, and I'm gonna need someone to sit and parallel do this- Yeah ... next to me- Yeah ... so that I can make this happen.
But afterwards I'm like, "Yeah, this is so cool."
[:How quick are we- No. They've gotta- ... instead of just, like- Bang on ... letting them just be like, okay, if, if that's a consequence, you've gotta deal with it.
[:[00:47:22] Samara: That's a consequence. You have to deal with it. Sadie got a consequence this morning. Fucking Wilder didn't, because just to get him into kindy I needed to give him the lolly.
But so often I'm like, "That's a consequence, and it's okay that you live with that." You forget your shoes, looks like you're wearing your socks today, brother. Like, just not in the space of, like- And I think we as business owners have started to be like, "No, but we have to do everything for them. Let's create four different charts and seven different things for them to achieve," and like, "I'll give you another $300 if you just fucking show up and do your job."
[:[00:47:57] Samara: Instead of being like, "Okay, this is what I expect from you. This is what you will get in return, but this is also the consequence if you don't do it." Mm-hmm.
[:[00:48:04] Samara: Because I think so often we're like, "But we'll do this," and, "But we'll do that," and we'll, "But we'll do this," and then we get ourselves to a state where you're like, "I don't wanna do this anymore because no one's actually...
I, I have to keep reminding everybody."
[:[00:48:16] Samara: Mm. And it happens with in, inside a family, inside a marriage, inside of kids, that you also have to be like, "I've gotta let them flourish on their own." And it's the same with you going away. It's like, "I'm gonna set everything up for you, but now you have to lead yourselves."
[:[00:48:36] Samara: Yeah.
[:[00:48:38] Samara: Yeah. But also like- The hose don't reach that far
[:[00:48:42] Samara: know. Lead yourselves. I get it, by the
[:And I think- ... just go across the road and get a smoothie and call the fire brigade. Yeah.
[:then everything can run. Whereas if you're like, "Oh no, well, I have to make sure I go above and beyond 'cause I've gotta be off for a couple of hours 'cause I'm un- unwell," is when things start to... The girls are like, "We've got it. Don't worry about it."
[:[00:49:17] Samara: a deal. It's not that big a deal. It's not.
It's not that deep.
[:[00:49:21] Samara: Yeah.
[:[00:49:23] Samara: right. Like literally just hairdressers and not just, but we're just, we're not doing much-
[:[00:49:31] Samara: zoom out. Yes. Mm. Like, it's not, and I think people- It's hair,
[:[00:49:36] Samara: yeah. Yeah. Brows, it's, yeah. And I think we're like, "No, but if I cancel that client, she's gonna hate me forever."
Well, if you hate me for canceling you 'cause I'm sick, that's okay.
[:[00:49:44] Samara: Don't come back.
[:[00:49:46] Jen: Yeah.
[:[00:49:48] Kelly: It's not that deep, I agree.
[:[00:49:52] Samara: Yeah. And go into 2027 with joy, because what I'm hearing exactly from Kel is, next year is just my year for joy.
Yeah. It's my year for doing things that, like, light me up. Follow your
[:[00:50:06] Samara: Thanks, man.
[:[00:50:07] Samara: Everyone else is like, "Well, we're not. Keep going."
[:multiple episodes ...
[:[00:50:20] Kelly: Rich.
[:[00:50:22] Stereo Mix: to
[:[00:50:23] Samara: I just can't believe it's been four years. Yeah,
[:[00:50:26] Samara: Thanks. That blew my mind. Well done,
[:[00:50:29] Samara: Thank you. Yeah, that's just, there's a lot of things that happened in that four years.
Thank you for staying with us through those four years and those really bad episodes when we're going, like, through the deep of death and divorce. We really appreciate you for that. Yeah. But, you know, I think that's what I mean. We had so much wisdom of so much crazy shit to share. Now you and I are like, "Nah, we're just gonna sit back and just be old grannies and be happy with life."
Oh, my
[:[00:50:55] Samara: Bring it on. No more lessons. I don't wanna teach you anything else 'cause I don't need anything else, honestly.
[:[00:51:04] Samara: don't have to share all those little gems. Even, I think, when you're going through it, you wanna share things because you're like, "Oh, that was an unlock."
Mm. "That was an unlock," even on social media. Whereas now I'm like, I just don't care.
[:[00:51:12] Samara: But that's such a great place to get to. Here, here's a cute video of my son.
[:[00:51:15] Samara: Yeah. All right. Well, thank you for coming on. No, it was our pleasure. Thank you for being one of our final guests. Well done. Like, I feel like you're in exactly the same space as us, so, like, even watching your progression over the last 18 months of you just being like, "Oh, I'm just-" I'm just happy-
chilling" ... and chilling and doing my thing. Yeah.
[:[00:51:35] Samara: That's right.
[:[00:51:41] Samara: Madagascar.
[:[00:51:43] Samara: The best. All right, guys. We will see you for our two final episodes coming up. Thanks, guys. Thanks.
