Consulting journeys
Structured, virtual engagements for every stage of a salon business — built around your numbers, ending in deliverables you can use the next morning.
Every engagement starts with a free discovery call and a fixed price agreed before work begins. If a smaller engagement — or none — would serve you better, we'll say so. Business guidance only; legal, tax, and construction questions go to your attorney, CPA, or contractor.
01 Consulting journey
Booth Renter Launch
Go independent with a plan, not a leap of faith.
Who it's for
Stylists leaving employment for a chair of their own — or first-year renters getting the foundations right.
What we work through
- What your license does and doesn't cover when you go independent
- Choosing the right chair: fair rent for your market, lease terms that matter
- Your true cost per service hour — and pricing that clears it
- 1099 basics: quarterly taxes, deductions, separating business money
- A first-90-days plan: client portability, rebooking rhythm, weekly numbers
What you walk away with
A one-page launch plan, a priced service menu you can defend, and a weekly scorecard.
Start with this journey02 Consulting journey
From Chair to Owner
You've outgrown renting. Let's find out what's next — honestly.
Who it's for
Established renters and senior stylists weighing a suite, a storefront, or buying in.
What we work through
- A readiness assessment: your book, your runway, your appetite for management
- Suite vs. storefront vs. acquisition — real cost and commitment differences
- How much of your clientele actually moves with you, and how to protect it
- Lease fundamentals: NNN vs. gross, personal guarantees, build-out allowances
- A go/no-go framework with numbers attached — including 'not yet'
What you walk away with
A clear-eyed decision memo: what you'd sign up for, what it costs, and when you're ready.
Start with this journey03 Consulting journey
Build-Out & Budget
From lease signing to opening day — scoped, budgeted, sequenced.
Who it's for
Owners-to-be with a space in mind who need the budget to survive contact with reality.
What we work through
- Second-generation space vs. vanilla shell — the decision that moves six figures
- A full line-item budget, built together on our Build-Out Calculator
- The permit path: local health department, building permits, inspections
- Contractor sequencing — and the plumbing decisions to lock early
- Opening runway: how many months of cash so a slow start doesn't end the story
What you walk away with
A lender-ready budget range, a permit checklist, and a build sequence with dates.
Start with this journey04 Consulting journey
Business Plans & Funding
A plan lenders actually read — because the numbers hold up.
Who it's for
Owners seeking SBA loans, bank financing, or investment for a new salon or expansion.
What we work through
- A lender-ready plan: market analysis, positioning, defensible projections
- Funding-path fit: SBA 7(a), microloans, equipment financing, investors
- Three-year projections built from the chair up — not hand-waved
- Your pitch: why you, why this town, why now
- Free resources worth using, including SBDC advisors
What you walk away with
A complete plan, a projections workbook, and answers to every hard lender question.
Start with this journey05 Consulting journey
Budgeting & Cash Flow
Know your numbers cold — and make them move.
Who it's for
Operating owners and busy renters whose revenue is fine but margins are a mystery.
What we work through
- An operating budget that matches how salons actually spend
- The KPI rhythm: revenue per chair, retention, rebook rate, retail attach
- Pricing reviews on a schedule, not a panic
- Cash-flow smoothing for seasonal swings
- Clean books your accountant will thank you for
What you walk away with
A working budget, a one-page monthly scorecard, and a pricing-review calendar.
Start with this journey06 Consulting journey
Attract the Right Talent
Market to the renters and stylists you actually want.
Who it's for
Owners with empty chairs — or full chairs and the wrong people in them.
What we work through
- Positioning your salon for the talent market — why they'd choose you
- Renter vs. employee models: economics, culture, and the hybrid traps
- Listings and outreach that attract professionals, not tire-kickers
- Screening with real signal: portfolios, trade days, reference questions
- Retention economics: what a departure costs, and the levers that keep people
What you walk away with
A talent-marketing kit — positioning, listing copy, scorecards — and a pipeline you control.
Start with this journey07 Consulting journey
Team & Structure
Clear roles, real accountability, a salon that runs without you in every room.
Who it's for
Owners past survival stage who want the business to hold its shape as it grows.
What we work through
- Org design: who owns the desk, inventory, education, and schedule — on paper
- Job descriptions with clear roles and responsibilities, assistant to manager
- Career ladders that keep your best people
- A manager cadence that takes an hour a week, not a weekend
- A simple handbook covering the policies that prevent the fights
What you walk away with
An org chart, a full set of job descriptions, and a management rhythm sized to your salon.
Start with this journey