24. The Present Moment is Now: What Decisions Change Your Life as an Entrepreneur & Mom?

This episode is from an interview in 2024 from Olivia Mader, a high school business class student. She asks me questions about my business as it was and how it is after I made changes as a mother.

The moment is always now, not the past and not maybe someday. You have a choice as a mother how you desire your experience time with your family. As a business owner or service provider you choose the quality of the time spent in these roles. 

Your decisions create your experience. You decide who you spend time with, how you want to show up for yourself and others. Your children see your actions as well as hear your words.

If you need help in these areas, I would love to hear from you. I am available in my guided experience now. It starts with your decision. Your decision to trust yourself and ask for help in areas you don't have experience or need more support. 

Resources for this episode:

-If you found value in this episode, please make sure to:

✨️Start here by going to my website, scroll down & sign up for my free T.I.M.E. Private Mamas Community. https://www.theintegrativemotherexperience.com

When you become part of my private community, this is where you will be invited to all my special experiences. My next Guided Experience starts after Labor Day when the kids go back to school.  

"It's always time to Choose Joy & Fulfillment," (just for Mamas like you that own a business/work in a service industry)

-Leave a review- it helps other Mamas find me

-Follow me on Instagram @timewithsarahswift

https://theintegrativemotherexperience.com

https://theintegrativemotherexperience.com

Transcript

Sarah Swift 0:10

Welcome to the Integrative Mother Experience Podcast. I'm your host, Sarah Swift, mother of three teenagers. I want to have conversations about why so many mamas wearing multiple hats, working, serving others, or owning a business, especially in the beauty industry, feel like they need to choose between their work and their family. We'll also uncover common causes of overwhelm, lack of wellbeing, and joy. I am here with over three decades of experience working in the beauty industry, owning several types of businesses, starting in my twenties, and sharing stories to help other mothers avoid the feeling of always missing out. Time is an asset we can't get back. I can't wait to dive into these deep conversations. I hope you will join me. The interview today was recorded in October of 2024. There are still so many relevant pieces of this conversation, and I hope you enjoy. Okay. All right. It is October 29th. We are doing an interview Olivia Mader, actually from Campbell Sport High School, asked to interview me as a business owner tonight, and I'm gonna let her introduce herself and explain a little bit about, the class that she's in that is asking for an interview. Okay, so my name is Olivia and I am from the camp Sport High School entrepreneurship class. And we were assigned to do an interview of local business owners related to topics that we were learning in class, to get a better understanding of how local businesses run and operate and how business owners, balance their work and passions I have a passion for helping other people and, helping people learn. So, school districts is what I've been kind of called to really found a passion for it, in management and leading in general. That's awesome. I can't wait to see where you go with this someday. Yeah, thank you. Because it usually evolves from, you know, the bottom up, so. Mm-hmm. I'll have to follow you as the years come, I actually, I know Olivia A. Little bit because she danced with my daughter Magdalene on the Campbell Sport Varsity dance team. Yes. Which their team's incredible. They go to state every year. We actually won state last year in hip hop, so pretty incredible. Alright, go ahead. Okay. So briefly describe your business and why you started it. So my business is actually a hair salon and why I started it, so I was in the hair industry for quite some time, actually before I started my business. Mm-hmm. I started it at the worst possible time during the recession of 2009. Oh, okay. So at that time I was, let's see, I was working for the third salon in my career at that point. I had a baby and a toddler at home and my husband was laid off. Wow. So, and we were trying to refinance our home, just to get a lower interest rate. So it was in everybody else's eyes, likely the worst possible time to start a business. Yeah. I had had health problems due to chemical sensitivities in the salon, working with traditional chemicals. And had developed an autoimmune disease. I had infertility issues, several miscarriages, and then kind of went through like my own holistic journey of detoxing and finding out what I could do for myself. Suddenly I got pregnant and had Magdalene. A year and a half later, Alexis came. At that time I didn't have my third child, which is Gunner. He came shortly after. So the reason was control of my schedule mostly. Okay. Uh, it felt very limited working. The traditional hours of the salon that I worked for, it was set hours. And that's just the philosophy of that salon. This is just what we do. So it wasn't really flexible for mothers in the way that I wanted it to be. Yeah. It was, it was actually run by a man, that, you know, wasn't with children at home at the time. And so didn't have the philosophy and the understanding of what I wanted with my life. Mm-hmm my dream from very little on was always to be a mother first. And then I had an interest in the beauty industry as well. From very little on noticed that it seemed to be from the outside a good, career for moms with a flexible schedule. Yeah. Wasn't really the case it was when I created my own business and really learned how to finally let that evolve. But, that's, that's the why control over my schedule and my environment so that I could have less chemicals around me. Yeah. So I chose chemicals to work with that were very different than what I was offered in the salon. so when starting your business, what did your typical work week look like? Well, my work week wasn't really the flexible work week that I wanted when I started my business. And that was only because my husband was laid off. Right. We had two young children at home Okay, so talking about not being flexible in the beginning, starting your business, did you notice as you, your business grew, that your, like weekdays became more flexible, like for your children? Um, for me, no. It was my decision, so my demand was extremely high. So when I left, I had so many clients I was crazy booked very, very, very full-time to the point of burnout. Like really, like not a good lifestyle but it did get us through the recession and until my husband was able to go back to work, I had gotten pregnant with my third child gunner six months into this craziness, and I was really sick. so it was a learning experience because what I learned from all of that was. That I could do it. Like I can go out on a limb and then I'm going to be fine. And I was, so at that point, after the craziness kinda settled, Jeff was back to work, I actually decided to build my own salon. Okay. Yeah. just to get some peace. And that's when I started integrating more like values and better hours. Okay. Yeah. did you have a plan to start up your business? So like, how did you create the idea? who did you talk to? How did you initially start up like creating what your business is today? That's a wonderful question. I really did things backwards, which, at the time, this was many years ago, it was pretty popular for hairstylist like myself, that were really busy and booked to start renting on their own. Mm-hmm. So the first thing you had to do was get a logo, get your name, get verified with the state, get a seller's permit, all of those legalities. Yeah. So I did all that, but quite honestly, the business end of it I really struggled with because nobody really showed me. I was piecemealing it together. So I had a friend that had done it. maybe less than a year prior to me, and she actually showed me the ropes that I needed to get going. And then from there I really just kind of learned on the fly. It wasn't until many, many years later during COVID that I actually, because I was shut down and I had the time. Mm-hmm. I started taking business courses. Okay. So my advice would be to somebody younger going into this industry or really any industry like where you're a self-employed entrepreneur Sure is getting your business skills first it's a really good foundation. I always felt that lack of and just didn't know where to get it from. Okay do you have a board of advisor or advisors currently or is this a complete sole proprietorship? It is actually a complete sole proprietorship. However, the business program that I mentioned that I joined back during the COVID years and learned my foundational skills, I developed a really close link with five other salon owners, and we actually pretty much talk every day. We have very different businesses. We're from different parts of the state we've met together for, education. We're basically our own little mastermind, so we converse about legalities, business situation, ev, you name it. Like we all bring something different to the table and that's what makes our group so special. Okay. How long did it take you to reach a positive cash flow? Hmm. I mean, I had profit immediately. Like I didn't ever not have a profit. Okay. It was just a very low profit looking back. Because what happened is when I actually went out on my own, I had passed up a raise that I had earned from the salon I was working at because I was nervous going out on my own that my clients might not follow me if I like took that raise 'cause I knew I was leaving. And that was a detrimental mistake because it wasn't true. It was just in my mind. Yeah. And then I made even a further mistake of just being scared. And for actually several years after that, didn't make proper price increases. Mm-hmm. And with inflation cost of products, the education that I kept doing and providing for my clients, I went kind of backwards. Okay. And I hit a plateau. So that was a learning lesson for me later in life when I discovered what to do about that plateau. But that was really interesting. Yeah and how much time did it take from conception of the first day of the business to where you're at now? Like to truly feel comfortable in the role that you're in now? A role as a business owner. Yeah. I think years. Years, yeah. I think I was more comfortable for many years just being the provider. How is the competition in the, you know, hair industry? Like, is there a lot? Are you noticing like people leaving for better prices? Especially with inflation, and price increases? Clients dropping because of that. So there is a huge amount of people going into our profession right now. Mm-hmm. Which is great. It's a great industry to be in. If you actually learn the proper business skills and the skills of your talent. Obviously you have to do good hair, otherwise you're not gonna have clients. Um. But it's a very low paying industry. Like when I was in high school, I was a very good student, got very good grades. I was directed by my guidance counselor not to do this. Mm-hmm. Because traditionally the pay scale was so low and it had stayed so low. It is still like that today. It has barely risen risen. I'm in the top percentage of my industry, which is not common, but. That's in part because I've pushed myself so far and then now I've gotten my business skills. So I'd say for the general hairstylist, the competition is really steep and you really, really have to make sure that your skillset, knowledge, and, business are on top. Yeah. Yeah. How do you market and promote your business? Do you have a marketing plan? Oh, yeah. Um, yeah. So how often do you revise it? So I follow a proven system for my business. I have a website that's basically my desire level, so my clients and anybody interested in my business will go there after they find out about me. So how they find out about me primarily is Google. Okay. Google is the number one source. I would say in partnership with personal referrals. I get a lot of personal referrals, always have,. I do have a Facebook and Instagram account. However, for me, because of my age and old school, I didn't need it to build my business. So I have it to like enhance my business. Yeah. But I didn't need it to build the business. Okay. Yeah. What would you say is your biggest challenge as a professional? As a business owner in general? Just in the industry. I think it's a really intricate balance in my industry, because it's so physical and it's also mental, so it's really hard on the body because it's a repetitive service, and then it's also mental because you're literally performing a physical service over and over all day long, still trying to keep a conversation and meet your client's conversation needs. I would say that's really hard. And then the demands of everything on the backend that nobody knows about unless they're in the industry. The amount of time that we have to spend, which most business owners do, especially small business owners, if they don't have hired help, just doing all the stuff that is required by government. Mm-hmm. financial, your marketing. Your CEOI actually, so now that I'm at the point that I am behind the chair only two days a week making more than I did when I was working very full time. I'm at a very different level with my business. I really enjoy it, but I've really honed in on a specialty and I offer very few services. They're all within my specialty and I don't offer anything else, period. Okay. So that was really helpful for me and it keeps me motivated and inspired to keep wanting to do it. Yeah. Although if starting out in the industry, I would tell anybody, learn everything because you should know it all. Mm-hmm. And you don't even know what you're gonna like when you're starting. So just learn everything. Okay. And can you tell me a story of one of the worst days of work or something that made you feel defeated? that this wouldn't work or that it just was really hard to, continue, there's so many. Um, I've been doing this for 31 years. Oh, there's so many. Gosh, I have to think specifically, but like I know physically I felt so many times where I was like standing on my feet for 12 hours and then still having to drive like an hour home from where I was working, and I felt like, why in the world do I want to do this? Defeated by the industry, I guess to be more specific. Hmm. And I think from my earlier days when I was learning, I think I would just get really burned out because you would be like given a lot of clients from the receptionist at the salon, you weren't really choosing who you were getting. Right. So I think that was the hardest because you just get these random people and they could be like a terrible fit for your skillset. Mm-hmm. Or your personality, and you were just trying to make it work and you were doing that all day long and then you'd leave just feeling exhausted and uninspired. Okay. Yeah, define working too hard for me. Working too hard is mentally and physically. If I'm feeling uninspired, even if my body is not physically exhausted, I don't wanna do it. I don't feel the flow. I don't feel like I'm giving my clients the best work. I have the talent, but I need that inspiration and that flow. And so for me. Not being overworked is not taking on too many guests in a given day. Like really keeping that balance of small quantity with high quality. Okay. And then what would you do differently if you had to do it all over Oh gosh, I would for sure. Take a business skillset, course immediately with the course of learning how to do what I do. Absolutely. Yeah. Hands down. I do that differently. My daughters, I don't know about my son yet, will likely own their own businesses at some point, some day. So I am definitely encouraging them. Get your business and marketing skills along with your skillset. Yeah. What would you consider to be your most valuable asset as an entrepreneur? Um, I can only pick one. I think for me, it always boils down to my connection with people. I think at the end of the day that. I'm good at what I do, but I think the reason that I'm successful is because I have a deep connection with those that keep coming back to see me. Yeah. Okay. Perfect. Okay. how has your company evolved over the years and how has it changed and, evolved to fit your standards and your client's standards? A ton. I went from paper book scheduling to computer scheduling back in, 2020 zero website to having like, that's my go-to now. I went from phone calls and text messaging to all email, contact, email or website, either one. So actually I have my life back, so I have a balance so I can raise my family. And that when I'm in my office hours working, contacting my clients, or working on my business, that's what I'm doing. And if I'm behind the chair, that's what I'm doing. I'm not answering the phone while I'm doing hair or vice versa. I'm very compartmentalized now, and that has created a really good life balance. And what have you learned from your successes and your failures? I learned from my successes because from a very, very young age,, I had to provide for myself. I grew up in a home that nothing was given to you and you just had to work very hard. So I have the drive and the push to do anything I want. There is no glass ceiling second part of the question. Did you say failures? Yes. I call them lessons. So I would say some of my lessons that I learned, some of them might be hair related, but most of them are more personality related. So I learned that giving free services and discounts to friends and family is never a good idea. they. Don't value you for what you're worth. You're not able to provide properly for yourself and your family and your retirement, and most often they don't even need it. Most often, it's just expected, and so if you don't even start the habit, you're much more valued and you feel much more inspired to actually service them because you feel like you're getting what you deserve at the end of the service. Yeah. And if you can look back to your initial goals when starting this business, do you believe that you have reached them? Oh, I'm beyond. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm, I'm working on launching a new course right now for beauty professionals that are mothers, so it's very specific, I hope to launch it by the end of this year before my 50th birthday. I am just so very proud and yeah, I, I really, I have a dream schedule. I have dream clients. I have a really good income and that now with this course, I'm gonna actually be giving back to everybody that takes the course from all the lessons and experience I've had for the last 31 years. So I hope to help a lot of women. That is awesome. Yeah. And so. What all services do you provide? Very niched, so very little. So I'm a color specialist, specifically holistic color specialist. So my color line does not contain one of several. common chemicals, and because I'm sensitive, I cannot work with them. Mm-hmm. nobody else around even uses what I use. So it's very hard for me when somebody isn't a fit for me to even refer them to anybody else if they want something more holistic. Right. Because there's just not other hairdressers that care enough to use something better. unfortunately, if people don't have health problems, they, it's just not something that they care about. Right? Mm-hmm. So I have basically less than six services. So I do dimensional color, so it's either gray coverage, gray blending, or in a few cases, I have a few clients that just don't have any gray yet. and then I do dimensional color on them. Sure. So it's blonding, low lighting, along with a toner or a base color that's a little bit more enhanced than their natural color. And then I follow it up with a haircut and a wellness service. So all my services include this exhale treatment at the end, and I name it that because literally when I do this, even my chatty clients will stop talking. Like it just happens every time. It's just so funny. So I pour this treatment over their scalp and their hair starting at the base of their forehead and their hairline. And it stimulates their pituitary gland and then it stays on and it feels really good and it smells really good. And then I follow up with a facial mist. That's awesome. Yeah. And are you, so in your business, do you have people working for you or is it all completely yourself? It is myself. Okay. By my choice. I, I've thought about over the years, potentially maybe having a renter or two. It was never fully in alignment with, with me because by the time I went out on my own, I was already so overwhelmed with my family, that taking on clients and taking care of my family and myself just wasn't an option. I felt, I felt too overwhelmed even dealing with what I had going on, much less dealing with employees or renters. So that was my decision. Yeah. So the takeaways from today's podcast interview are this, we learn and we evolve through experience. Overwhelm doesn't need to continue. There is a choice. You get to decide what's best for you and your family. And lastly, challenge the industry standards. Just because something is the norm doesn't mean you can't challenge it, and it doesn't mean the outcome might not be exactly what you needed. With this being said, have a blessed day, mamas. Okay. Thank you so much for joining me today. If you found this episode helpful, please follow or subscribe to the Integrative Mother experience on Spotify, apple Podcast or wherever you listen, so you're notified about the new episodes coming up. Please also take the time to leave me a review. This really does help me. I would love to see your beautiful faces. If you want to take a screenshot of this episode, I would love it. Take me on Instagram or Facebook at time with Sarah Swift You can also start today by grabbing my free checklist and check out some of my favorite things on my website, the integrative mother experience.com. Until next time, my beautiful mamas, thank you so much.