10 Minute Beauty Business Podcast with Lexi Lomax

I’m ready to shoot straight with you about something I see all the time in the industry: salon owners expecting their stylists to do all the marketing, and then getting frustrated when the new clients don’t show up. This one might earn me a demerit with some of you, but it’s old school, it doesn’t get results, and it keeps salon owners stuck in a cycle that doesn’t have to be your reality.

Today I’m breaking down why creating demand for the salon is your job as the owner (a hill I will die on), what your stylists’ real job is, and how to build a client acquisition system that doesn’t depend on who happens to be good at Instagram this year. If you’re tired of hoping new hires build their own books from scratch, this one is for you.

In this episode:
Why your stylists’ first job is doing hair and delivering an incredible client experience, and why you can’t get frustrated when they aren’t doing enough marketing that was never really their job
Why making your salon’s success depend on whether someone is posting on social is a terrible business strategy, and why “post three times a week” as a KPI isn’t a client acquisition system
How your website, Google Business Profile, reviews, local reputation, client experience, and referral systems work together as an ecosystem, so you get to decide where new demand goes (to a new stylist, an open chair, or your next hire)
Why building a salon brand stronger than any individual stylist means you’re not at the mercy of one person’s Instagram, and how it keeps clients coming back to the salon even years after their stylist leaves

Join me live for 5 Ways to 50K:
My most popular free training is back, new and revamped, on Monday, November 9th. You’ll learn how to make more money in your salon without spending more money and without hiring another stylist or putting more people behind the chair. Come live so we can do Q&A (I answer every question on the call), and you’ll get the replay too. Save your spot: https://lexilomax.myflodesk.com/5waysto50k2026

The Monday Club:
The community and core curriculum where salon owners work on leadership, accountability, culture, systems, and marketing, so you can build a salon that doesn’t need you to be the most important person in the room every day. Learn more: ⁠https://www.lexilomax.com/monday-club

I’m ready to get real with you about the thing I see over and over in my DMs: another stylist just walked out the door, and you’re back behind the chair rebuilding the same team. In the intro, I’m also catching you up on how I’ve been staying priority-focused as a mom and business owner, and why good systems matter when life happens.

Today I’m breaking down why constant stylist turnover is almost always a leadership problem (and why that’s actually good news), what great leadership looks like in a salon, and how to stop leaning on perks and team dinners to do the work of real culture. If you’re tired of hiring, training, and watching good people leave, this one is for you.

In this episode:
Why the common denominator in your turnover is you, and why a problem you caused is the best kind of problem to have, because you can change it
What great leadership really looks like: setting expectations before there’s a problem, holding people accountable without being the policeman, and having uncomfortable conversations right away instead of letting things build into a walkout
The real cost of stylist turnover: recruiting, interviewing, training, building a clientele, lost clients, and you back behind the chair
Why a handbook nobody reads means you have suggestions, not standards, and why you can’t out-hire a leadership problem

The Monday Club:
The community and core curriculum where salon owners work on leadership, accountability, culture, systems, and marketing, so you can build a salon that doesn’t need you to be the most important person in the room every day. Learn more: https://www.lexilomax.com/monday-club

I’m still coming down from birthday week (mini golf tournament, a getaway with my husband, and a salon team that spoiled me rotten), and now I’m ready to get back to work. Last week I stopped mid-recording to write myself a note: we need to talk about how to plan your CEO year, and what it actually looks like to run your salon like a CEO instead of just reacting to whatever comes at you.

Today I’m breaking down what’s on the scenes versus behind the scenes for a salon owner, and the four things I want you to block on your calendar before 2027 starts. If your CEO day is the first thing to get canceled when things get busy, this one is for you.

In this episode:
The on-the-scenes vs. behind-the-scenes framework, and why the 90% nobody sees is where your business actually gets built
What CEO work really looks like: reviewing your numbers every quarter, planning marketing months ahead, and developing your team instead of just managing them
The four things to block on your calendar: a weekly CEO hour, a monthly half or full day, a quarterly planning event, and real time off that’s already scheduled and protected
Why you have to build the net before you leap, and why a plan beats manifesting

The Monday Club:
The community and core curriculum that gives you the framework and accountability to make your CEO work actually happen, with other salon owners moving through it alongside you. Learn more: https://www.lexilomax.com/monday-club

It’s October, my birthday month, and the Libra in me is feeling it. But I’m skipping the small talk because it’s Q4, and we have roughly 90 days left to decide what kind of year 2026 turns out to be. There are about 11 Fridays before Christmas. What you do right now determines how your year ends and how you set up 2027, and none of it should wait until January.

I’ve been running a quarterly audit on this business, and it reminded me how much I love teaching business planning. A little planning goes a long way, and I’m bringing more of it back to the podcast. Today I’m walking through the four things I think every salon owner needs to be doing right now.

In this episode:
Why the clients who fill your January are Googling salons right now, and how a visibility leak in October shows up as a slow Q1
How to look at your website like a stranger would, and what Google and AI tools need to see when people ask for salon recommendations
The quick wins that make a big impact: updating your Google Business Profile and hours, getting Yelp set up, and keeping your booking experience clean
Why you need to put real time off on your calendar before the year ends, and for all of 2027, because a depleted owner makes reactive decisions instead of strategic ones

Salon Visibility:
The training that builds your digital footprint so new clients can actually find you, on Google, on AI search, everywhere they’re looking. This is the foundation everything else gets built on. Learn more: https://www.salonmindsmastermind.com/salon-visibility

I'm in celebration mode this month, and I'm using it to talk about the people who make my salon what it is. Every Thursday, Belle walks into Ooh La La, makes her rounds with hugs and compliments, and sits in Nadine's chair, just like she has for 35 years. Clients often ask me what makes our salon feel the way it does. My answer is always the same: it's the people. But the people don't just show up that way. You build it, you attract it, and it all starts at the top.

Today I'm sharing a few of the women on my team and what I've learned in 19 years about curating a team of incredible humans and creating a place they want to stay. If you've been saying "we just can't find good stylists," this one is for you.

In this episode:
Meet the team: Nadine, Laura, Jackie, and Faith, and what makes each one so great
Why culture isn't a value statement on your website or a monthly team meeting, but the sum of every tiny leadership decision you make
How clients feel your culture the moment they walk through the door, and how that feeling turns Google and Yelp searchers into a community
Why "we need new talent" is often a leadership problem, and why becoming a better leader comes before hiring or firing
Why your ideal client evolves as she ages, and why long-term loyal clients are still worth celebrating

Salon Visibility:
The training that builds your digital footprint so new clients can actually find you, on Google, on AI search, everywhere they're looking. This is the foundation everything else gets built on. Learn more: https://www.salonmindsmastermind.com/salon-visibility