Grow My Salon Business Podcast

Why do some salon and beauty businesses grow beyond a single location while others struggle to scale? In this episode, I’m joined once again by Sudheer Koneru, co-founder of Zenoti, to discuss his new book, Growth Diaries: How the Best Beauty and Wellness Brands Scale from One Store to One Hundred Plus.

Drawing on conversations with 42 successful founders across the salon, spa, med spa and wellness industries, Sudheer shares the common traits he discovered behind businesses that successfully scale. We talk about why passion and purpose matter, the importance of building systems that work without the owner, why successful entrepreneurs are great listeners, and how people, culture, location and data all play a role in sustainable growth.
Whether your ambition is to build one exceptional salon or one hundred locations, there are plenty of lessons here about what it really takes to build a business that can grow beyond you.

IN THIS EPISODE:
The real reason most salons plateau at a single location and never expand
Which phase of growth trips up almost every founder, and what gets them through it
The three traits the world's fastest growing beauty and wellness brands all share
Why retention and rebooking matter more than chasing new client numbers

EPISODE TIMESTAMPS

[00:00] Introduction: why so few salons ever scale past one location 
[00:39] Meet Sudheer Koneru, founder of Zenoti and author of Growth Diaries 
[03:19] Sudheer's own path from Microsoft into building wellness businesses 
[04:58] Why timing changes which sectors are easiest to scale today 
[07:00] What surfaces when founders talk beyond their usual PR story 
[09:00] Two stories of founders who built huge brands from nothing
[13:00] The phases of growth most likely to trip up an owner 
[16:26] Why owners underestimate how much they personally are the system 
[19:00] Founder or business partner: what separates the two growth paths 
[22:22] Why going from one location to two is the hardest step 
[26:12] Three things the most successful beauty and wellness brands share 
[35:39] Sudheer's advice for a young stylist wanting to build something bigger

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Growth Diaries by Sudheer Koneru – a new book drawn from 42 conversations with beauty and wellness founders who scaled from one location to over a hundred → You can get the book here

Zenoti – salon, spa and wellness management software, founded by today's guest – head here for 50% off for the first 3 months  

RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODE:

If you enjoyed this episode, you'll also like: Episode 268: Can One Salon Management Software System Fill All Your Needs? Listen here → https://growmysalonbusiness.com/podcast/268

 
👉 FOLLOW US!
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👉 FOLLOW Zenoti!
Instagram | Website 

RATINGS + REVIEWS

🙏Thanks so much for joining me this week. 
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! 
They do matter in the rankings of the show and help other people find my podcast.
👉 Here's what you do:
- On your phone, Click here  (Read steps below first)
- Scroll down to 'Ratings & Reviews'
- Tap on the empty purple stars and rate 5 stars
- Click on ‘Write a Review’ I love to hear what’s been helpful and what you love about the podcast! 
Thank you for your support! 🙏
Until next time!
Antony

Growth sounds like the obvious goal for any salon owner, but chasing a bigger business without a plan can break the one you've already built. I've seen owners open a second location only to end up with two salons that struggle instead of one that thrives. So what would your business actually need to look like if it grew the way you truly want?

In this episode, I share the five things I believe every salon owner needs before they scale: a clear vision, real systems, people who can lead, a handle on the numbers, and the willingness to grow as a leader. You'll get a practical insight to decide if growth is the right goal, and how to build a business that gives you the life you want.

IN THIS EPISODE

• The five things you need in place before you scale a salon business
• Why expansion doesn't just duplicate what was already working; it duplicates the problems as well.
• How to build systems that let your business run without you
• Why business growth is really people growth, and how to develop leaders under you
EPISODE TIMESTAMPS

[00:00] Introduction
[01:33] Why there is no single definition of salon business success
[03:15] The assumption that bigger automatically means better, and why it isn't
[04:02] The five things you need in place for growth to be sustainable
[06:16] The mistake most salon owners make when they open salon number two
[07:47] How growth reveals whether you built a business or just a job
[10:00] Why business growth is really about growing people, not just adding them
[12:24] Why you need to know the numbers before you think about expanding
[14:22] Why evolving as a leader is the hardest part of growing a business
[16:09] The owner who believes nobody can do it as well as they can
[17:00] A recap of the five things sustainable salon growth actually requires
[18:11] Where to find the free video series on salon management skills
RESOURCES MENTIONED

Free Management Video Series – Four Essential Lessons in Salon Management to Set You Up For Success, a free four-part video series (each video around 15 minutes) that also explains how the management course and coaching program work.
👉 Register here https://growmysalonbusiness.com/management-video-series and get them sent straight to your inbox

Want MORE to help you GROW?

📚 Check out our Bestselling GROW Books: https://growmysalonbusiness.com/books/

🆘 Management overwhelm? Download our free checklist! This checklist will help you get clarity on where you're at: https://growmysalonbusiness.com/management-checklist/
👉 FOLLOW US!
Instagram | Facebook | Website
RATINGS & REVIEWS

🙏 Thanks so much for joining me this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated!

They do matter in the rankings of the show and help other people find my podcast.

👉 Here's what you do:
- On your phone, click here (read the steps below first): https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/grow-my-salon-business-podcast/id1456014220
- Scroll down to 'Ratings & Reviews'
- Tap on the empty purple stars and rate 5 stars
- Click on 'Write a Review'

I love to hear what's been helpful and what you love about the podcast! 
Thank you for your support! 🙏

Until next time!
Antony

Every salon owner learns eventually that to manage a salon business, you first have to manage yourself. It's easy to focus on the team, the standards and the accountability conversations you'd rather avoid. But before any of that works, you need to look honestly at your own time, habits and follow-through.
This week I look at why being busy and managing well are two different things, why giving someone a task without also giving them the authority to make decisions isn't really delegating, and why so much of good management is invisible to your clients even though they feel the result of it. Manage yourself properly, and the rest of the business gets easier to run.
IN THIS EPISODE:
Why being busy and managing well are two completely different things
The diary test that shows what you're actually prioritising, not just what you say matters
Why delegation fails when you hand over the task but not the authority
The difference between managing things and leading people, and why both matter

EPISODE TIMESTAMPS

[00:00] Introduction: Why the hardest person to manage is the one running the salon
[01:28] The uncomfortable realisation that your own standards set the tone for everyone
[03:37] Why being busy and managing well are two completely different things
[06:00] The two very different jobs of a stylist and a salon manager
[07:21] What your diary actually reveals about your real priorities each week
[10:57] Why you manage things and systems, but you have to lead people
[12:32] Why clear expectations do more for standards than being hard or controlling
[13:00] Why "obvious" means something different to every single person on your team
[16:00] What clients actually feel when a salon business is genuinely well managed
[20:11] Why knowledge alone never changes a business, only implementation actually does
[23:02] The one question every owner needs to ask about their own business

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

🎥 4 Essential Lessons in Salon Management (free video series) – sign up and get one short video a day for four days, straight to your inbox, starting the 14th September – Join the free video series

Want MORE to help you GROW?

🆘 Management overwhelm!? Download our free checklist! This checklist will help you get clarity on where you're at 

RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODE 

If you enjoyed this episode, you'll also like: Episode 363: Why the Most Successful Salons Keep it Simple. Listen here  

👉 FOLLOW US!
Instagram | Facebook | Website

RATINGS + REVIEWS

🙏Thanks so much for joining me this week.
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! 
They do matter in the rankings of the show and help other people find my podcast.
👉 Here's what you do:
- On your phone, Click here  (Read steps below first)
- Scroll down to 'Ratings & Reviews'
- Tap on the empty purple stars and rate 5 stars
- Click on ‘Write a Review’ I love to hear what’s been helpful and what you love about the podcast! Thank you for your support! 🙏
Until next time!
Antony

Most salon owners assume their business feels complicated because it needs to be. But after years inside salons at every level of the market, I've noticed the opposite. 

The businesses that thrive are simple, while the ones that struggle are usually a collection of good ideas picked up along the way that were never designed to work together. So ask yourself: does your business actually function as one connected whole, or does it just feel like separate parts that don’t quite work together as they should?
I'll share why keeping things simple takes real work, why most owners build their business one decision at a time, and why the real job of management is making sure every part connects to everything else. If your business feels harder than it should, this episode will help you see why.
IN THIS EPISODE:
Why the most successful salons are simple, not complicated
How joined up thinking turns one small decision, like pricing, into a ripple across the whole business
Why removing something from your business can matter as much as adding something new
The real difference between a simple business and one that depends on you

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT:

[00:00] Introduction
[00:43] The one question people most often ask about salon success
[01:54] The jigsaw puzzle metaphor for building a business that works
[03:56] Why so many salon owners end up building the plane while flying
[06:46] Why you need the picture on the box before you build
[08:35] How one pricing decision ripples through every part of your business
[10:00] The two sides of management: systems and processes versus people
[13:16] Why removing something from the business can matter as much as adding
[14:02] The real difference between a simple business and a dependent one
[18:08] Why the goal is making the pieces you have work together
[19:00] The free management checklist and course mentioned in this episode

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

🆘 Management overwhelm!? Download our free checklist! This checklist will help you get clarity on where you're at https://growmysalonbusiness.com/management-checklist/

Want MORE to help you GROW?

📚 Check out our Bestselling GROW Books https://growmysalonbusiness.com/books/

👉 FOLLOW US!
Instagram | Facebook | Website

RATINGS + REVIEWS

🙏 Thanks so much for joining me this week. 
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! 
They do matter in the rankings of the show and help other people find my podcast.
👉 Here's what you do:
- On your phone, Click here  (Read steps below first)
- Scroll down to 'Ratings & Reviews'
- Tap on the empty purple stars and rate 5 stars
- Click on ‘Write a Review’ I love to hear what’s been helpful and what you love about the podcast! Thank you for your support! 🙏
Until next time!
Antony

When it comes to marketing, many salon owners pour their time into Instagram, hoping it brings new clients through the door.

My returning guest Phil Evans, founder of Salon Guru, has analysed over four and a half million visits to salon websites, and the results show that social media is not driving potential clients to your website in the numbers that you might expect.

So here's a question worth reflecting on: if your marketing time is going to the wrong place, what is that actually costing your salon?

In this conversation, Phil breaks down exactly where new clients are really coming from, what Google's EEAT framework means for your website, and why most reviews fall short of what Google and AI are looking for. By the end of this episode, you'll know where to put your marketing time so it actually brings in bookings, not just likes.

IN THIS EPISODE:
Why only 1.5% of website visits come directly from social media, and where the rest actually come from
The four-part framework Google and AI use to decide which salon to recommend
How to structure your Google reviews so they build real trust and authority, not just star ratings
What to search on your own phone to check whether your salon is visible on Google and AI

TIMESTAMPS:

[00:00] Introduction
[00:51] Introducing returning guest Phil Evans from Salon Guru
[01:44] Inside the new Salon Guru trends report and why it exists
[03:42] Google versus social media, the surprising split in the data
[05:26] Why social media rarely closes the booking on its own
[09:16] How AI is reshaping the way clients search for salons
[11:39] Is AI about to replace Google search entirely
[18:14] The EEAT framework Google and AI use to pick a salon
[22:00] Why detailed Google reviews matter more than five-star ratings
[27:17] Where to focus five hours a week of marketing time
[32:34] What clients actually want to see on a salon website
[38:00] Inside Showcase and the early results from beta salons

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Salon Guru Trends Report – New data on where salon clients really come from and how to be found on Google and AI 👉Download the report

Showcase Webinar – Phil's live walkthrough of the new website tool built from the trends report data, going live 31st August 👉Send it to me
Want MORE to help you GROW?

📚 Check out our Bestselling GROW Books https://growmysalonbusiness.com/books/

🆘 Management overwhelm!? Download our free checklist! This checklist will help you get clarity on where you're at https://growmysalonbusiness.com/management-checklist/
👉 FOLLOW US!
Instagram | Facebook | Website
👉 FOLLOW SALON GURU!
Website

RATINGS + REVIEWS

🙏Thanks so much for joining me this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! 
They do matter in the rankings of the show and help other people find my podcast.
👉 Here's what you do:
- On your phone, Click here  (Read steps below first)
- Scroll down to 'Ratings & Reviews'
- Tap on the empty purple stars and rate 5 stars
- Click on ‘Write a Review’ I love to hear what’s been helpful and what you love about the podcast! Thank you for your support! 🙏
Until next time!
Antony