Ready to stop chasing viral trends and start booking clients who are excited about your actual services? We sit down with creative director and educator Sydney Lopez to unpack a simple, repeatable social strategy that turns your feed into a pre-consultation engine. From rainbow hair transformations to realistic blonding timelines, Sydney shows how educational carousels, clear captions, and honest visuals set expectations early and attract the right people to your chair.

We dig into the pain points salon owners share most: low team motivation, scattered posting, and pretty photos that don’t convert. Sydney maps a team-based content system where not everyone has to post everything—identify your shining stars, empower a salon cheerleader to capture wins, and let specialists lead with what they do best. You’ll learn how to define a niche that resonates—curls, trichology and hair loss, creative color, precision fades—and bake real value into every post with formulas, upkeep, timing, and budget guidance. Then we go tactical: find your “sweet spot” lighting at different times of day, pose fast in under two minutes, and turn one appointment into five assets without slowing the floor.

Small profile tweaks deliver big gains. Clean up your handle so it’s easy to search and say. Optimize the Name field with high-intent keywords like rainbow hair, weft extensions, or curly cuts to improve discoverability. And if content creation feels overwhelming, adopt Sydney’s two-clients-per-week plan to keep it sustainable while still showing up. Along the way, you’ll hear how one carousel about going from level 2 black to platinum sparked nearly a million views and, more importantly, gave stylists a save-worthy tool for future consults.

If you want a social presence that’s client-centered, team-friendly, and built to convert, this conversation hands you the roadmap. Subscribe, share this with your salon team, and leave a review with the one change you’ll make to your bio or lighting this week—we’ll shout out our favorites on the next show.

To learn more about how Strategies can help you create more profit, fun, and growth potential for you, your business, and your team, schedule a free 60-minute strategy session:


Strategies: https://www.strategies.com
Salon/Spa Business Coaching: https://strategies.com/memberships/
In-Person Salon/Spa Seminars: https://strategies.com/education
Podcast: https://strategies.com/podcast/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strategiesteam
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/strategies
Online Education Portal: https://learning.strategies.com/

The Beauty Business Strategies Podcast is designed to give salon, spa, medspa, barbershop, and lash studio owners, just like you, quick tips to make more money, inspire your team, and create world-class client experiences.

The last ten minutes of a service can make or break the whole visit. We invited Robert Reed, founder of Ergo Research and a celebrated educator in professional beauty, to unpack why finishing is so often overlooked and how to turn it into a repeatable system that delights guests, protects stylists’ bodies, and drives real revenue. From the psychology of open-ended questions to the ergonomics of airflow and sectioning, we map a path that makes blowouts teachable, consistent, and profitable.

We dig into the core problem: finishing is usually demonstrated, not trained. Robert shows how to align the finish with the haircut’s intent, use pre-grooming to detangle and direct hair, and guide the conversation back to hair with simple prompts like “Will you show me how you start at home?” With tens of millions of weekly YouTube views on blow drying and detangling, clients clearly want help. When we “touch it, talk about it,” narrating why we chose each product and tool, retail becomes education, not a pitch, and clients leave knowing exactly how to refresh volume, frame their face, and extend day-two wear.

Owners will find a clear business case. Robert outlines an eight-week “Art of the Blow Dry” focus that builds new conversational habits, lifts engagement, and measurably increases sales—especially brushes, the low-hanging fruit most guests use but rarely buy from salons. We share practical routines for huddles, team-led product stories, and station-based teaching that keep finishing front and center without feeling scripted. Add in ergonomic technique—treating the round brush like a roller with a handle, neutral wrist positions, and smart sectioning—and stylists get better results with less fatigue.

If you’re ready to elevate standards, improve at-home re-creation, and make the last ten minutes your signature, this conversation offers the playbook. Subscribe, share with your team, and leave a review with the one finishing question you’ll start asking guests this week.

To learn more about how Strategies can help you create more profit, fun, and growth potential for you, your business, and your team, schedule a free 60-minute strategy session:


Strategies: https://www.strategies.com
Salon/Spa Business Coaching: https://strategies.com/memberships/
In-Person Salon/Spa Seminars: https://strategies.com/education
Podcast: https://strategies.com/podcast/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strategiesteam
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/strategies
Online Education Portal: https://learning.strategies.com/

The Beauty Business Strategies Podcast is designed to give salon, spa, medspa, barbershop, and lash studio owners, just like you, quick tips to make more money, inspire your team, and create world-class client experiences.

Tax talk gets real when it changes how much cash you keep. We sat down with CPA and beauty industry specialist April McDaniel to decode the $25,000 tip income deduction, the permanent FICA tip credit now available to salons and spas, and the exact systems owners need to make tip reporting airtight. April explains who qualifies, why married filing separately is a deal-breaker, and how income thresholds and documentation rules will shift between 2025 and 2026.

We get tactical about payroll and accounting. If your team receives tips by cash, card, or apps, those amounts must flow into the correct W‑3 box for Social Security tips, or you risk losing credit and triggering notices. April shares a copy‑and‑paste email you can send to your payroll provider, why the FICA tip credit reduces your payroll tax deduction to avoid double dipping, and how credits pass through on K‑1s. We also surface a hidden risk: when employees add unreported tips at tax time, the IRS can bill the salon for the employer FICA match on that extra income.

Beyond compliance, we focus on financial literacy as a growth engine. Proper tip reporting strengthens your team’s access to mortgages, car loans, Social Security, and disability benefits, raising the professional profile of stylists and estheticians. We discuss why many who tried booth rent are returning to strong employee salons, how to read clean financials, and where owners slip on deductions. Heads up for 2026: many workplace meals and celebration meals lose deductibility, while international and cruise conference deductions have tight rules—plan with your CPA before you spend.

If you’re heading to our NEXT event in Austin, bring your year-end statements and questions. We’ll help you tighten reporting, protect cash flow, and make smarter bets using break‑even and ROI. Enjoy the conversation, subscribe for more practical beauty business strategy, and share this episode with an owner who needs clarity on tips and taxes.

To learn more about how Strategies can help you create more profit, fun, and growth potential for you, your business, and your team, schedule a free 60-minute strategy session:


Strategies: https://www.strategies.com
Salon/Spa Business Coaching: https://strategies.com/memberships/
In-Person Salon/Spa Seminars: https://strategies.com/education
Podcast: https://strategies.com/podcast/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strategiesteam
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/strategies
Online Education Portal: https://learning.strategies.com/

The Beauty Business Strategies Podcast is designed to give salon, spa, medspa, barbershop, and lash studio owners, just like you, quick tips to make more money, inspire your team, and create world-class client experiences.