Episode 6: Can Your Salon Run Without You?
Ashley Thomas turned a single-chair salon in a 3,000-person Pennsylvania town into a multi-seven-figure empire with a $600,000 cash build-out—and she's revealing exactly how she did it.
In this conversation, Ashley breaks down the critical difference between being a salon owner and being a true business owner, sharing why most stylists aren't prepared for the leadership challenges that come with growth.
You'll learn her framework for managing rapid change, keeping top talent through transparency and collaboration, and why she believes hoarding clients as the top producer actually holds your business back. Plus, she shares the gut-wrenching story of firing her first employee and how it became the most important leadership lesson of her career.
HERE ARE 5 MAIN TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE:
Takeaway #1: Salon Owner and Business Owner Are Not the Same Career
Most stylists assume opening a salon is simply the next step after being booked and busy. But Ashley makes it clear that these are two completely different paths. Being a salon owner often means staying the top producer, controlling everything, and keeping clients close. Being a business owner means stepping into leadership, building systems, and growing something that can function beyond you. The shift requires identity change, not just a new title, and many owners aren’t prepared for that leap.
Takeaway #2: Growth Requires Sitting in Deep Discomfort
Ashley didn’t magically transition from stylist to multi-seven-figure operator. She worked behind the chair full-time while simultaneously learning how to read financials, build systems, lead teams, and think strategically. That season meant working multiple “full-time jobs” and living in constant discomfort. Growth doesn’t get easier. It just demands a higher tolerance for hard conversations, unfamiliar skills, and self-reflection. The difference between stagnation and expansion is your willingness to stay in that discomfort long enough to master it.
Takeaway #3: You Don’t Retain Great Talent by Accident
Ashley’s team retention isn’t luck. It’s by design. She practices radical transparency, invites collaboration before rolling out major changes, and filters every decision through core values. Even policies like “flex hours” were created by adapting team feedback while still protecting the client and the business. When people feel heard, aligned, and clear on the “why,” momentum becomes sustainable instead of chaotic.
Takeaway #4: Stop Hoarding Clients If You Want to Build
One of the boldest truths Ashley shares is that staying the top producer can actually hold your business hostage. Hoarding clients feeds the ego and feels safe, but it limits growth and caps opportunity for your team. A true business owner invests time in systems, leadership development, and scaling operations instead of protecting personal revenue. Letting go of the chair is expansion.
Takeaway #5: Doing the Hard Thing Protects Everything
The most pivotal moment in Ashley’s leadership journey was firing her first employee, someone she deeply cared about. Avoiding the decision was quietly eroding team trust and culture until she finally faced it head-on. Leadership isn’t about being liked; it’s about acting with integrity even when it’s painful. When you consistently do the hard thing aligned with your values, you protect your business, your team, and ultimately yourself.
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