What if you built your salon around the life you actually want? Not what others expect.

In this Mini Moment, Samara, Jen, and Taryn from Brow Substance dive into the powerful (and often overlooked) question: What do you really want your business and life to look like?

From the pressure to “progress” into salon ownership, to the reality of balancing family, staff, and clients, this episode explores why success doesn’t always mean bigger. Sometimes the most powerful move is choosing a path that aligns with your values, your energy, and the season of life you’re in.

💡 In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How to map out what you want your life (and mornings, weekends, and energy) to look like
• Why salon ownership isn’t the only definition of growth or success
• The trade offs of scaling vs. staying lean, and how to know which is right for you
• Two different but equally purposeful paths from Taryn and Jen
• Why purpose driven decisions build stronger businesses and happier lives

This is your reminder to pause, reflect, and choose a business model that fuels your life, not drains it.

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction

01:18 Personal Experiences and Reflections

03:09 Balancing Business and Personal Life

03:58 Deciding on Business Expansion

07:03 Supporting Young People in the Industry

14:20 Final Thoughts and Advice

Mentioned in this episode:

💛 A HUGE Thank You to Our Podcast Sponsors - Timely

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MCM

Welcome back to the Inner Sanctum Salon, rising, the podcast Mini Moments. Brought to you by timely, and today we are joined by Taryn from Browse Substance, along with my esteemed colleague, Sam. Hey, Sam.  Hey man. How you doing? Good,

 I'm good. How are you? Good.

 I'm good.

 We thought we would do a little mini moment today on

where

 where you want to be in your life and in your business. We it's something that I've been speaking about quite a bit lately on our Instagram is, you know, where do you actually imagine your life?

Not so much. What are you trying to build based on other people? And really what do you want for your life, you know, in a year's time, two years time, three years time, and really thinking about, or journaling that down of like, what do I want my life to look like? And it's in the little things that I think is really important.

It's, what do you want your mornings to look like? How do you take care of yourself? , Who are you surrounded with? What do you spend your weekends doing? How fulfilled do you feel in those areas like and because I think so often we make decisions based off,

 you

  spare of the moment or really big things, or this is where I should be going and this is what people think I should be doing and this is what I think I should be doing, rather than really based off what do I actually want for my life.

 And I was talking about this last night with somebody actually because I did this in relationships. I did this when I was in an unhappy marriage and I wrote down what I actually wanted from a relationship, and it wasn't, this is what he looks like and this is what Curry drives and this is what job he has, it's.

This is how my children are treated and this is what our mornings look like. And this is how we speak to each other and this is how we do conflict. And anytime someone's going through stuff in marriages, and I had this conversation yesterday, this is the one thing that I said really transformed for me.

And I realized how much this also,

 came

 Came into business it's so much noise and our ego gets pulled into what it should be.

And I think a lot of the time we need to just shut the noise out and really decide what we want. Whether this is building a business or whether this is starting to pull the business back, whether it's going from having a big salon to having. A home salon or whether it's going from having a home salon to having a big salon on both sides, I think it has to be, what do you want for your life moving forward?

So we wanted to kind of

 talk

 talk into that today because. The three of us are all in different positions, and I think your take on this Tarn is super powerful for where you are and, and what you've gone through and your thoughts around it. But I would just wholly and solely encourage people and to constantly be doing that, reevaluating what they want for their life.

'cause what your life is in six months later, it could be completely different. You know, we know that.

 We're gonna have conversations about this moving forward, but we know that our lives have changed so dramatically and can change so dramatically overnight that these things have to be continuously looked at.

How you may have felt about what you do in your business 12 months ago could be completely different now depending where your personal life is. But I really think we need to get back to building our businesses around our personal lives, not our personal lives around our businesses.

 So I think the cool thing that we discussed. When we thought we'd go into this a little bit is that the three of us are all heading down different paths at the moment and. At some point have all been at the same junction and have made a choice to do things a certain way, which is what we talked about in your podcast, Aryn, you know, how you were thinking about maybe going into a salon on space I mean, you work out of a salon space, but did you want to actually move to that next step to open a salon and for the way that you wanted your life to be and the things that were happening in your life at the time?

It was like, well. No. So the why behind it, the purpose behind what you were doing was to have the flexibility and you weren't gonna have that. Is that right? Yeah. Well, I think reflecting back now, sitting in the moment of trying to work out what I was gonna do, and I, you know, that one side was like, oh, you, you really, you've been doing this so long.

Now it's just a natural progression to go and have a cell and space of your own and have some staff and a few things like that. But realistically, when I sat down and sat in it. Looking at how that would how that would look in my family life. It just, it's not possible. I mean, I, I could make it happen, but it'd be ugly.

Yeah. And I don't want my experience to be like that. So, deciding to just stay within a business was the best option for me at this time, because I'm just not sure how committed I can be to Yeah. Staff and clients and a business over the next two years. So that's, you know, it's. It took me a while to come to that conclusion, but when I did, I was like, yeah, this is right for me.

 Did you feel like you needed to be on that progression path? Were you like, well, this is obviously the next thing I should

 Yeah, well, I kind of got to that point where I was like, I'm busy enough now to possibly put someone on am I aren't. I should just sit down and do, do the numbers.

And then I was like, but also. To be able to do that, there's a level of commitment I need to have to them for that, to be fair. Yeah. And I just probably wasn't able to to offer that. So the progression, I guess, is thinking that you have to go to the next level, but realistically you don't. You can be happy where you are, and it doesn't mean I can't go to that next level later down the track.

It just means sitting where I am now is okay too.

 I think though, even in that languaging, we, it's so interesting how we think owning a salon is going to that next level of stress and pressure

 and

 and is no higher level. It's just a

 it's just different

 apartment, you know? It's like not going up a level just because you own a salon just make you any more successful.

You would be far more successful than some salon owners that have multiple staff. 'cause it depends on what your profitability is. It's more so.

 you know,

 , do you want to have a bigger clientele? Do you want staff? Do you want all of that extra noise? Because the extra noise, as Jen will know, is so much louder.

 I ask you a question? Yes. When you decided to go.

 go out

 Out on your own. And now that you are employing people, I know you've obviously got a goal for now, I get, how does that look for you? Like if we look back in two years time? Yeah. What you envisioned you wanted for the next two years, what would that look like?

I think that I, I've ended up, as we were talking about before, with all these. Young people and I, I often joke on here that I'm surrounded by teenagers in my life and I genuinely am. I work with them. I have them at home, they're everywhere. But I think that, and I've had a lot of conversations, especially with parents about this recently, I felt a sense of responsibility to provide an environment for young people to learn and thrive in.

So that the, the young people are actually my driver because I'm sending young people out into the world now from my family that I want to go into workplaces that are safe, that they're gonna build these amazing lives from. And I think it's my responsibility to model that to all industry for how we can grow young people.

 people because

 that. That is, that is my driving force. Is that because you did or didn't have that? I think I did have it. Yeah. So recently I I went to hair festival, I went in a day early and made it to the Australian. Hair councils industry days that they did.

And we were talking about the dropout rate for people within the industry and the, and the five main factors that they were having, that they were encountering and why they were leaving the industry. And I think that

 industry.

 One of my young ones that I took on most recently, especially when I had a conversation with this kid, she'd already had four of those five things happen to her. Like already. And I, I'm just like, , you have to be part of the solution, right? You have to be part of the solution. And I do think that I have a unique ability to speak across generations that perhaps not everybody does.

 That, and I think that just is really important, right? Like even as you're saying things like that,  i'm sick of everyone just being like, well, this younger generation. Cool. Get on board. 

Like it's not gonna change. They're different to us for a reason and they sh and there is so many good things of why that they're different to how our

 And I find I really struggle with the. The conversation around like, oh, well it wasn't like that in my day.

It's like, yeah, but when does it change then? Because if none of us ever do anything differently, because it wasn't like that when we did it, then when does, when does it become better, but also own your shit? Yeah. Like I get really cranky, all these people like, oh, they're youth all like, hang on, these are our kids.

Not the teacher's jobs. Not the police's job. Yeah. Own your shit. Like, we should be helping these, these kids learn to a certain way  there's so

 so many things that were wrong about how we,

 Like in our day, like doing our apprentices, there was so many things that were wrong that we look back and know it was wrong. But then we expect another generation to go through it because we did.

That's

 It take responsibility. Yeah, exactly.

  I've had apprentices that have moved on from here and for for circumstances, and then they just can't find their next home because it doesn't feel like this feels, and it's like, so what are you doing? Like they thrived in here, so what's happening?

And it's not always, you don't get everything right as a salon owner, like my culture's great, do I have all the training in. In place that I probably need to have, probably not as much because I'm busy on the floor as well. It doesn't, it's not that we are flawless, it's like being parents, but

how are you gonna help develop these young people so that one day. That's the difference in building young people. So one day they can turn around and be like, I'm so grateful that I had those memories there. I'm so grateful that I built those friendships there.

I'm so grateful that regardless of not always being perfect, I had like, it, it literally built me into part of who I am. Like that's more important than anything. Yeah,

 Exactly right. 'Cause I, like you had come out of, I'd had my space at home and that was fine, but I was getting to the point where I didn't really, you know when you get to that growth spot and you're

point, like,

where someone's like, Hey, can I recommend someone?

It's like, do you know them well? It's like, not really. I know them, it's school. I'm like, I don't really want 'em to come to my house. Yeah. You know what I mean? Yes. Like I got to that point where I actually felt like. I, because I wasn't super comfortable with people coming to my home,

 unless it's, unless it's a like Ashlyn salon, that's like a whole salon on a

 Oh yeah, yeah. Definitely.

 It's like too, it's like, I don't want you walking through my house. Yes.

Yeah.  And uh, so I just, that's when I decided to pivot out and going into that freelancing space. But that was also when I was, I was starting to have these. You know, these people with these young people that were looking for a pathway that because of the situation I was in, I couldn't necessarily provide.

Yeah. And, and then it's also like just knowing how you'd like to do things. And have the option to do them that way. I think that's so awesome though, because you can incorporate something that they need and you need together. Yeah. Yeah. So, and you know, like, you know that you can, those two worlds can really work for each other.

Oh, for sure. Yeah. And I think too, like it doesn't mean that my apprentices don't clean and do boring stuff. It's just me saying, I know that this is a really shit job and the fact that you're doing it so that when we finish today, I can go home and see my family. I really appreciate. Mm. You know?

 mm, you know.

 Yeah. That's so good. And I

 And I just, for anyone that's listening, there are two beautiful purpose

 driven

 answers to why you made those decisions. Yeah. So that's why I say that's so important. It was like, what's your why and what's your purpose? Because Taryn's purpose right now is a family. It's that is her purpose or her why in her life is her family and her son and being focused on that.

Like he has a big career ahead of him and she knows that she's gotta be that support. And that's the most, that is the driving force at the moment, right? So she makes the decisions from there. And having a salon would not align to that. Whereas Jen had gotten to the point where she was like, this could work beautifully for my family.

Right now the kids are where they're at, would work beautifully. I know how to do this. But then behind it, as you've just heard, her purpose sits behind that of what she's trying to build with it. It's not just, well, I just decided to get a salon 'cause I thought, well, maybe it would look more successful and I'd make more money.

 I very much knew

 It's always to

 make, you know, spread spreadsheet

 finances are always behind it, but there is a purpose behind what that looks like, and it takes time to build, but there is a purpose behind that. It's not just like, well then I'll look successful, because if that's what you're doing it for, you're never gonna have a strong driving force to getting up and living it out every

 If someone's looking to do. Go from where I am to say where Jen is, what do, what ducks do you think they should have in a line before they

 make that day?  Yeah, for sure.

 like you said, you would've known if you decided to build a salon Exactly how to do

 it. Yeah, because  you financially know. I spoke on Jen the other day, but I didn't directly say it was you. But it's been an absolute like blessing and.

It's been so beautiful to watch Jen's journey because she's done it in the salon

way. Yeah.  Yeah.

 of from home

 to freelance

 freelancing to building a salon. She knew the entire way. She just kept going back to our principles and to our courses and to how we did things, and she just kept going. Yep, yep, yep, yep. That's right, that's okay.

I'm at this point, which means that I can hire, okay, I'm at this point, which means I can hire again. She's known every single time. So even though it feels terrifying because

scary, it feels

if someone. If someone doesn't, if you are not scared about it, then I'm

for you

you because

 It

 it should feel scary.

But it's so nice for me being a best friend to be like, I know this decision's not wrong because you have crossed your T's and dotted your

 i's

 So that's been really beautiful because you can make those decisions based on financially where you are. If you are working from home and you're only bringing in a thousand dollars a week and you think you can go from that a thousand dollars a week to renting a space that costs you $1,500 a week just for rent, potentially not a good idea.

 And that's almost too like, even though I made the decision not to do.

That was where I was at too, like breaking down the numbers, saying to myself, I can make this happen. Absolutely. Yeah. Do I wanna make this happen? And what is that actually going to cost me? Not necessarily just financially Yeah. But mentally what is that gonna cost me? And Yeah. So going back to the emotional spreadsheet and

 And what is it actually going to

 provide me?

Yeah. Yep. At the end of

 And is, and is the benefits gonna outweigh

 what

 what it's going to cost me in time and in

 I'm pretty sure my husband's feeling the stretch of the benefits for him at The moment.

 moment Timothy, it's new Deal with it.

 Be supportive. Yeah.

 Yeah.

 He's so supportive. That's totally why I can do it. Yeah.

Look, I'm lucky on that. Like I go on these crazy wild ideas and my husband's like, Ugh. And he's like, go on. Off you go do it. You're gonna do it anyway. I'm like, yep.

 yep.

 So always it always

 always make these decisions also from a financial, from an emotional and a financial standpoint. So emotional first to actually whether it's going to give you the life you want. Because if you think you're just gonna build a salon and have 10 staff and never work in it again, it's just gonna be peachy. Everyone just laughed. There's your answer. So,

 you know,

 Decide on an emotional standpoint, but really make sure that you are financially really strong before you make strong decisions like that, because it will undo you for a while and you've gotta feel comfortable and keep pushing through that stretchy point.

 Yeah. And Rich's like, and that's enough of a moment for you all. Mini

 Mini moment guys.

 moment. Okay guys, well, we hope you enjoyed the insight into today's mini moment, and yeah, we

 We hope you enjoyed the entire podcast episode. You're welcome.

 Bye bye.