Most salon owners set up their booking software once and never go back. The descriptions are outdated, the services do not reflect the brand anymore, and there is revenue sitting quietly in the background that nobody is capturing. Sound familiar?

In this Mini Moment, Jen sits down with Sherri from Timely to talk about why an annual audit of your salon software is one of the most underrated things you can do for your business. And why the new Timely add-ons feature might just be the thing that changes how you think about upselling forever.

Because here is the thing. The best add-on conversation is the one you never have to have out loud. When your software is set up properly, it does the prompting for you. Your clients get the nudge at the right moment, they feel in control of their choices, and you get the revenue without the awkward middle bit.

What we cover

• Why auditing your salon software once a year is non negotiable
• How misaligned service descriptions can disconnect your brand experience
• The new Timely add-ons feature and how it works for your business
• Letting technology do the upselling so you do not have to
• Why giving clients ownership of their booking increases add-on uptake
• How solo operators can use software to reduce overwhelm
• AI, social media and the future of working smarter not harder
• Why having fun on Instagram is actually a strategy

Your software should be working while you are behind the chair. This episode will show you how to make that happen.

Mentioned in this episode:

https://www.salonrising.com

💛 A HUGE Thank You to Our Podcast Sponsors - Timely

We’ve partnered with Timely to bring you something special:

➡ Enjoy a 14 day free trial to see how Timely can transform your salon.

➡ New customers get 50% off their first 3 months.

If you've been thinking about levelling up your salon systems, this is your moment. Timely is designed specifically for salons. Helping you manage bookings, clients, staff, and more with ease.

Use the code SALONRISING at checkout or click the link below to to claim the offer. 👇

Timely

💖 Celebrating Our Podcast Partner – Christophe Robin, proudly distributed by McM Imports

We’ve partnered with Christophe Robin and MCM Imports to bring you something beautiful:

➡ Experience the Christophe Robin Discovery Box — curated by pro ambassador Monique McMahon.

➡ Inside, you’ll find her handpicked favourites — the hero products she swears by in the salon.

It’s your invitation to explore the range and discover why Christophe Robin has become a quiet obsession among stylists who know their craft.

Click the link below to request your FREE Christophe Robin Discovery Box, exclusively through McM Imports. 👇

MCM

Sometimes the most important conversations are the ones that happen between two friends who are deep in it themselves.

In this episode, Sam and Jen pull back the curtain on where they are each at right now. In their businesses, in their teams and in their lives and give each other, and you, permission to just be in the season you are in.

Sam is back on the floor full time and genuinely loving it. Jen is in the hustle, building her team and finding her rhythm. Neither of them is where they thought they would be. And both of them are okay with that.

This episode is a honest, grounded and at times deeply personal conversation about what it actually looks like to run a small salon business in real time, without the highlight reel.

From wage ratios and retail to radical honesty and gratitude, this one covers a lot of ground. But the thread running through all of it is the same. The season you are in right now is not a detour. It is the journey.

What we cover

Where Sam and Jen are each at in their businesses right now

Sam's return to the floor and what that season has taught her

Jen's hustle of building and filling her team's columns

Wage ratios, what they should look like and how to check yours

Retail as a tool for genuinely helping clients, not selling to them

Training young team members consistently and why bite size beats once a week

The difference between being in your business and running it from above

The time is going to pass anyway. You may as well be in it.

Timestamps

00:00 Episode Summary

02:29 Hospital Detour and Boundaries

04:50 Easter Break Reset Rituals

06:59 Back on the Salon Floor

09:00 Booked Out and Waitlist Systems

10:34 Jen’s Hustle to Fill Columns

12:24 Training Young Staff Fast

14:43 Offers Referrals and Memberships

16:37 Choosing Your Season in Business

18:27 38 Hours on Floor Plus Admin

19:42 Capacity and Wage Ratio Basics

22:23 Salon Cost Benchmarks

23:38 Tracking Wages Weekly

24:39 Team Targets and Performance

25:47 Retail Without the Ick

28:05 Owner Lessons and Expectations

32:09 Work for Yourself Myth

35:25 Quarter Two Focus

36:55 Gratitude and Seasons

46:04 Closing Thoughts

Mentioned in this episode:

💖 Celebrating Our Podcast Partner – Christophe Robin, proudly distributed by McM Imports

We’ve partnered with Christophe Robin and MCM Imports to bring you something beautiful:

➡ Experience the Christophe Robin Discovery Box — curated by pro ambassador Monique McMahon.

➡ Inside, you’ll find her handpicked favourites — the hero products she swears by in the salon.

It’s your invitation to explore the range and discover why Christophe Robin has become a quiet obsession among stylists who know their craft.

Click the link below to request your FREE Christophe Robin Discovery Box, exclusively through McM Imports. 👇

MCM

💛 A HUGE Thank You to Our Podcast Sponsors - Timely

We’ve partnered with Timely to bring you something special:

➡ Enjoy a 14 day free trial to see how Timely can transform your salon.

➡ New customers get 50% off their first 3 months.

If you've been thinking about levelling up your salon systems, this is your moment. Timely is designed specifically for salons. Helping you manage bookings, clients, staff, and more with ease.

Use the code SALONRISING at checkout or click the link below to to claim the offer. 👇

Timely

https://www.salonrising.com

Retention. It is one of those words that gets thrown around a lot in this industry, usually tied to numbers, rebooking rates and revenue. But Sara Briscoe from Roca Verde has a different way of looking at it, and once you hear it this way, you will not be able to unhear it.

Because retention is not just good for your bottom line. It is good for your nervous system. A column full of familiar faces means less anxiety, less tap dancing to impress someone new, and more of the kind of days that remind you why you love this job. That is what is in it for your team. And that is exactly the conversation most salon owners are not having.

In this Mini Moment, Sara breaks down the why behind retention, the how behind building it, and why teaching your team to care about it starts with making it personal.

What we cover

• Why retention is an emotional conversation as much as a financial one
• The real cost of a column full of new clients on your adrenals and your confidence
• How to teach your team the why so they actually care
• The power of a consistent consultation and giving clients a hair journey
• Social media as a retention tool, not just a marketing one
• Why a calm familiar column is one of the greatest gifts you can give your team

When you and your team understand what retention actually does for you and them, everything shifts.

Mentioned in this episode:

https://www.salonrising.com

💖 Celebrating Our Podcast Partner – Christophe Robin, proudly distributed by McM Imports

We’ve partnered with Christophe Robin and MCM Imports to bring you something beautiful:

➡ Experience the Christophe Robin Discovery Box — curated by pro ambassador Monique McMahon.

➡ Inside, you’ll find her handpicked favourites — the hero products she swears by in the salon.

It’s your invitation to explore the range and discover why Christophe Robin has become a quiet obsession among stylists who know their craft.

Click the link below to request your FREE Christophe Robin Discovery Box, exclusively through McM Imports. 👇

MCM

💛 A HUGE Thank You to Our Podcast Sponsors - Timely

We’ve partnered with Timely to bring you something special:

➡ Enjoy a 14 day free trial to see how Timely can transform your salon.

➡ New customers get 50% off their first 3 months.

If you've been thinking about levelling up your salon systems, this is your moment. Timely is designed specifically for salons. Helping you manage bookings, clients, staff, and more with ease.

Use the code SALONRISING at checkout or click the link below to to claim the offer. 👇

Timely