028 - Mastering Salon Success: Laree Smith on Leading Teams and Boosting Profits

In this inspiring episode of Stylist Soul Tribe Conversations, host Lisa Huff sits down with Laree Smith, the owner of Serene Hair Spa in Pittsburgh. Laree shares her journey from joining Stylist Soul Tribe to becoming a standout member, discussing her approach to leading her team and significantly boosting her salon’s profits. Listen as Laree opens up about her personal challenges, her strategies for nurturing clients and staff, and how she's quietly making big waves in the beauty industry.

What You'll Learn:

• How Laree transformed her salon into a successful business.
• Effective strategies for nurturing a team and maintaining a positive work environment.
• Insights into Laree’s unique approach to client care that has helped increase her salon’s revenue.
• The importance of resilience and a supportive community in achieving professional success.
• Practical tips from Laree for salon owners looking to enhance both their leadership skills and their bottom line.

Featured in This Episode:

• Laree Smith, Owner of Serene Hair Spa
• Hosted by Lisa Huff, Founder of Stylist Soul Tribe

Resources:

• Connect with Laree Smith on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/serenehairspa/
• Visit Serene Hair Spa:  https://www.serenehairspa.com/
• Learn more about Stylist Soul Tribe and how it can help you grow your beauty business: https://www.lisahuffhair.com/

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Transcript

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Welcome to Stylist Soul Tribe Conversations. I'm your host, Lisa Huff. Over the last five years, I've coached hundreds of hairstylists and beauty industry professionals, helping them work their dream schedules exclusively with their dream clientele and earn their dream income. income, all while fostering genuine connections and lifelong friendships inside the beauty industry. And this podcast, we dive deep into abundance, manifestation, business building strategies, and creating a life that you are truly proud of both behind the chair and at home. Are you ready to embark on a journey of personal growth, success, and sisterhood, then hit that subscribe button now and get ready to experience the pure magic of Silas Old Tribe Conversations. Hi, friends. Welcome back to Stylish Soul Tribe Conversations. I have a really special guest today, Laree Smith. Laree is the owner of Serene Hair Spa in the Pittsburgh area. She joined Stylish Soul Tribe last summer and has quickly become a bit of, like, a, like, a, Soul Tribe rock star. She's, she's quiet. She keeps to herself. She's extremely humble. You guys are gonna hear that. She's never done anything like this before. She's scared to do this podcast episode. She just said she marked her whole entire day off. This is the only thing that she's doing. But I've had the privilege, just over the last, I mean, not even a, a year yet, to get to know Lurie on a deeper level. And it, she, it very became, very quickly became clear to me as like, This woman is doing Really big and really incredible things very quietly, and I don't think anybody realized quite how big of a powerhouse she is. I know I make you uncomfy when I say that, but hello, Loree. for being brave enough. Thank you for coming on. How are you feeling? I can't believe I'm here, but I'm here. Yeah, it's, it's crazy. And yeah, I, you say all the time about me doing big things, but I never even thought they were big things. They're just me doing things. So I'm here. I'm happy to be here. Definitely, definitely out of my comfort zone, but I'm excited to do it. We're doing it. And I asked Lurie before we got started, like, I ask everyone, you know, are there things you want to keep off limits? What kind of direction do you want to go? And she's like, I am up for whatever. I have an open book. There's no, like, skeletons in the closet that I don't want to, you know, unpack or talk about. So You guys, we're going super script free. I honestly don't even have talking points. I am intrigued with who Lurie is as a human. And then you guys will, as you listen along to this podcast episode, realize that being a human like this and having these this mindset and this way of living can lead to extreme success, which I know you say you're just out here doing things, but you cannot be that humble that you don't realize that you're doing really big successful things. So let's get into it. Take me back a little bit. Obviously, we could spend two hours like, you know, starting from your birth and talking about your entire life. But like, take me back a little bit. Like, what was your life like as a, as a child growing up into adolescence? Like, give me a little bit of a Background. And Lurie and I have had a very few brief glimpses of vulnerability where we realize we actually do have a lot of connections with like our, you know, childhood upbringing, things like that. So I know a little bit, but I'm sure I'm gonna hear more today. So like, what has made you you? Start back as far back as feels appropriate. So I mean, I'll start at the beginning and I'll just kind of touch base. It's a little bit crazy and weird. But I, I grew up in a really small town. I moved a ton. I'm actually not very far from Pittsburgh, which is where I live now. But when I grew up, my parents had a 27 year age gap. And so my dad had a bunch of kids and a whole life before he met my mom. And my mom had me and I have a younger brother that I'm very close with that that we had to get, that we were together with my mom all the time. My, my mom and dad were never really together that I remember. You know, but they had the relationship and we, we saw our dad quite a bit. Yeah, they co parented fine. But I have brothers that were old enough to be a, a, you know, a father to me as well. So they had kids that were my age. I have nieces and nephews that are my age. So it was always like a crazy big, large family. In total, how many siblings do you have? Cause I know you've told me that before. Yeah. So I have I have 14 brothers and A lot of them are a lot older than me. And then I have one younger brother and I'm the girl. So but you know, they were together off and on. And my mom was in abusive relationships when I was growing up and things like that. Whenever I was in. My mom was brave enough to get out of a really abusive marriage and we went to live in a women's shelter for about a year. I was 10 years old when that happened. Yeah, I was 10 when that happened. I, I was in six schools in one year, in my fifth grade year. And that's whenever, like, I had this amazing person, one of my older brothers, dated when I was, like, really young. And when they separated, I was probably about four years old, and she just became a huge part of my life. And her name was Jean. Just like a mentor, or what? You just were so She became my best friend. I mean, she still is. So, But yeah, Jeannie, it's crazy how this all happened. But like Jeannie took me to Disney when my brother and her had sold a house. And she said, I don't really want the money, but I'm going to take your sister to Disney. And I was like 11 years old when she did that. And it changed my life. And. As she has always been there for me. And I think that my story is so strong because I had her, I had my aunt and I had my uncle. So at 12, my dad passed away. My mom as you know she had a mental mental health breakdown. Truly. became bipolar and ended up with a really bad drug addiction. My mom since is clean, which is great. We have a relationship now. But she also was an alcoholic, all the things that I just, at that point in my life was like, okay, I never want to do this. I never want to be like this. So when my dad passed away, I went to live with my grandparents which would be my mom's mom and her stepdad. And then my younger brother, because they didn't have a lot of room. We grew up living in a projects, which is like government housing. My grandparents didn't have a lot of room. So my youngest brother went to live with my aunt and uncle, which is my mom's sister. Real quick, pause. I, I know sharing this stuff and all of that is, like, so much and you're talking so fast, you're giving me all of it at once, so I just want to take a second and just, like, one, say thank you for opening up. This is even more than I'm uncovering and learning about you just right now in these three minutes. Couple minutes that we have been talking so thank you for opening up and being vulnerable and going there Okay, so there's a lot deeper to this. So you said at 10 Was when you and your mom left and your brother, correct? Went into the women's shelter And then you said you were living in like project buildings. What age was that? Yeah. So between the time I was 10 that we got out of the women's shelter, my mom, me and my brother went into like a government housing facility as well. Then between 10 was when my dad passed away. And that's when I went to live with my grandparents who also lived in a different type of government housing in the small town where 12. Are your grandparents still alive or no? They're not. Okay. Okay. But yeah. So Then, you know, after all of that, I went to live with my grandparents. My brother went to live with my aunt and uncle and we were in the same town. My brother and I were super close because, you know, when you have a rough upbringing, you know, you, it's a different type of bond where you feel like you need to save them and be there and protect. So they made sure we had a lot of contact and we went to the same school and everything, and there was only a three year age gap. So and I don't know if you guys experienced that. Experience this too, like, my sister and I are so close, and just prefacing my story is not super similar to yours, but there are some, you know, overlapping things, but like, it's also, and I'm sure you feel the same about your brother, like, there's just, nobody gets it in the same way, like, you were both there, there's so many layers to the complexity of this and like, you I don't know. Me and my sister have these conversations all the time. It's even like, you know, you think if, like, someone's bad or something's wrong, like, there's also that layer of love that siblings have still when you you know, like, it's not just like, oh, this person's a villain or this person's a hero or whatever. It's like, it's so complex and so complicated. And so, how often, I mean, does your brother live close to you now? How often do you see him? No. Fully transparent. My brother is actually in prison. He has been his daughter is going to be 11 in May. And so he's been in there 11 years as of December. He'll be out in the next three. Okay. My brother took the path, like the rest of my family, I always say, and I chose to, you know, do drugs and all the things. But we still talk every week. I go visit him all the time. So we still have a relationship and his daughter has become my husband and I pseudo child. So we still have that connection as well. And I always say it was a blessing because without. Him having the, you know, choices that he made, she wouldn't be as big of a deal to us. So yeah, it kind of works out, you know, and everybody makes choices and we just hope that he learned. I hope so too. And I know that that must be especially three years. That's getting close. That is going to be here before we know it. And I bet there's a part of you that is like over the moon and excited and a part of you that is terrified. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for sharing all that. That's a lot. Keep going. But you know, when I went to live with my grandparents, my grandparents were amazing people. They both had an alcohol issue, but they were great people and functioning and worked their asses off, but they both literally looked at me like we, we raised our kids. So we love you, but just don't fuck it up. So I learned a lot of things. My two uncles lived with me too. Whenever I was for the first few years, I lived with my grandparents and it was just constant, like, just don't be an asshole. So I always said, okay, don't be an asshole. But what did that mean? I had no idea. So I think you are the epitome of don't be an asshole. Like you are the opposite of an asshole. So no wonder that was ingrained in you for so long. Yeah, so I mean, my first full year at a school ever in my life was my sixth grade year. And being that I was from such a small town, we had one sixth grade class. That was it. I met some of my best friends that I still have today in that class. So, And I, I love that I've had my friends for as long as my journey, you know, where my changes had started because I was like, I was mean, I was super angry. I had all of this like Oh, Marie, I will relate to that so hard. Yeah. You just, you don't trust anybody. You have a F everything attitude and you do truly have to make a choice. Do I want a better life or is, is this going to be what it is? I, in seventh grade, we go to, we all go to the same high school. So like six different elementary schools all go to the same high school. So from seventh to 12th grade, you're all together. And I, at that time, I obviously I'm mean, I'm angry. I'm a total horrible human. I think, and I, I have to get to know the guidance counselor at our school who became like. The epitome of everything that I ever needed. Yeah, it was crazy. And from seven to 12th grade her and I had an English teacher that were very, very, very big parts of my life and they just became my people. And at that point I realized. That I truly get to create my own village. I've said that before, but Jeannie has been a part of my life forever, and she's not my family, and that's okay. I don't have to make all these people like me, or all these people accept me or love me for who I am, or, or guide me. I can, I can literally create that myself. So those two women being a big part of my life, and then Jeannie, I just decided, I'm just going to create my own village, and if everyone else doesn't like it, they don't have to be a part of it. You remember having that thought in seventh grade? Yep. Wow. Yeah. See, my age was not that young. It took me many more years of a hard head brain for before I started having thoughts like that. That is, do you remember, like, what the guidance counselor said? Or, like, when do you feel like that, like, do you vividly remember that switch? Or you just know that was the age that you were like, I'm gonna, you know, Choose something different. Yeah, she just always said to me, you're better than what they are perceiving you as. You're also better than what they are ever going to give you. You're going to have to create it on your own, and that's okay. Okay, and doesn't that power also speak to, like, how we speak to children? Because my daughter's going to sixth grade next year, and that is wild that, like, the messages that we give children could literally, I mean It changes everything. Wild. It definitely changes everything. And I think a lot of people, you know, they just go with the motions or like in my situation, my family knew no difference. So the talk of college or me doing something bigger or me, you know, getting a career, buying a house, retiring one day, I've never seen any of that happen in my whole life. It wasn't on the radar. It was never on my radar. So. You know, my two brothers that I'm the closest to that are older than me. We lost one last March and the other one is still here. But they, they've been working their asses off for so, so, so long. They own a roofing company and all the things and they've worked so hard. And I, you know, now is even way past all of my having all these thoughts when I was younger, I, I, my new thoughts are, you know what, we're not here forever. So it's okay to change the way that you think. Even in seventh grade, I felt that way, but I didn't know how to make all those changes. I just knew I needed to start making better decisions and better choices and, and somewhat, you know, make that life that I didn't even know what could be. So I started doing that, you know, younger. Yeah. And being that I had friends who had great families, I dated the same guy from 7th grade till I was a junior in college. He had a great family. So I had those role models. But again, I had to tell myself, it's okay to look at them and look up to them. They don't have to be the people you're surrounded by. It's okay. Okay, and I, let me, let me interrupt you right there, because Lurie also said this before we hit record, and I said, I wish we were recording during this time, because I was like, how, you know, where do you want to go with this conversation? Because I feel like Lurie, one, has, like, strategy, and maybe one way we'll, one day we'll go there, too, but I just wanted to start with, like, her story, and she was like, but you know what? Like, my story is my story, but I don't dwell on it. I, she said, I feel like so many people are like, oh, own your story and share your story, and they just dwell and dwell and dwell on all the bad things, and I know you guys are hearing it, but she is trying to spit this out so that you can hear that, like, You, she is so beyond that, and like, that's not what is important. And the fact that you have known that for so long, I think is just such a massive testament. And I don't know if, again, like you said, you were young, like, I don't know if somebody as an adult can switch to that, but I'm so fascinated how people's brains work. And I think there's a direct correlation with that mindset that you just explained and the life you're living now. And That does not come natural to a lot of people, like, I don't know if it's DNA, I don't know if it's learned, I don't know if it's an awakening, I don't know what it takes, but so few people have that, you know? Yeah, the more that I've grown in just all the different facets, I'll get into what all I've done, I guess, but Everything that I've done, I've just realized, and I've had people tell me forever, you know, you're just different. And I always would be like, okay, I don't know if that's good or bad, but I'll take it. I, it is what it is. And I don't know, I just, I have always said it doesn't define me, but it has made me who I am because I am stronger. I'm more outspoken. I, I, I do still, even as an adult, I don't have. Very severe trust issues, but that's gonna, you know, you, you learn to people read differently. And it is, it is a protection thing. So you're also not super mad at it either. Yeah. You read it. You learn who to let in and who to, I always say, keep it at arm's length and it's okay. And so that's, you know, what I, I've always done in. It's worked fine for me, but yeah, I, I, my biggest thing is always creating my own village was huge. It's changed over the years. People come, people go, but like, you know, who I let in is, is definitely different because there have been plenty of times where people will be like, Oh, Lurie doesn't like me. And people will say, Oh, you just. She just hasn't let you in yet. And it's like, yeah, cause I'm not going to waste my time on every single person anymore. Cause there's too much. See, and even that is kind of wild for me to hear. And maybe you just came into soul tribe, very clear at what you were trying to get out of it. I feel like you are the most welcoming you give. So much. Lurie will spend so much time and energy on Marco Polo, answering every question, pouring into everyone. The other day she was like, these girls are about to invest in this class and I know all this information. Let me teach another masterclass before they go spending their money on it. So it is wild to hear you say that, but then yeah, once you are in your village, my god, do you love people hard. And that is really amazing to see. It's a good and bad thing. I love, yeah, I love very, very, very hard. Once you're in, that's it. My tribe is super important to me. Yeah, they're amazing, amazing people and I love surrounding myself by people who are, yeah, I say this all the time in Soul Tribe, but like, you know, I, we are different. We are a totally different level of, of stylist and human. So not in an egotistical way, just in a, we get it. Like we connect in a totally different way. Yes. It's different. And yeah, it has nothing to do with being, you know, way above or anything like that. It's just, we think differently and that's. what I love about it. So, but yeah, anyways, that's, you know, some of it. Can we briefly fast forward now? So I understand seventh grade was a major switch for you. You obviously went to high school, went to college, went to cosmetology school. Give me a quick run through that. Cause then I also do want to get to like your, where you're at now. And you know, so bring me like the big benchmarks along the way. So I decided. I wanted to be a funeral director. Okay. Because my dad looked like garbage at his funeral. And I thought, I'll be able to do this. Screw this. Nobody wants to play with dead people. I'll do that job. Yeah, sure. That sounds great. And when we did our little surveys when we were in high school, it was like, yeah, Lurie, be a funeral director. I was like, okay, why not? No one's ever told me that before. So I decided that's what I was going to do. And you know, go to school and it's like the hardest thing to ever get into. You cannot tap into that market. This is a, a lot of people are going to hear this and they've never heard this part of my story. So it's a super hard market to get into. It's all family. I had no idea what the hell I was doing and I was like, well, I mean. I'll just do it. I'll figure it out. But the job, it wasn't about the job. It was about getting a job. It was impossible. So I decided to go to school to do hair so that I could, I could do hair and funeral homes and makeup. And that's when I met Darla. Darla is my best friend, and she does work for me. And I knew nothing about hair. I was like the biggest tomboy ever. And, which is hilarious. I was that way as a kid too. I feel like we have so many synchronicities. It's so cute. Keep going. And I, I remember we were, we started a week later than everybody else and we open up our big kit of all the crazy stuff they give you and I hold this thing up and I go, what the freaking hell is this? That's a manicure bowl. I go, I'm so screwed. Oh, that's so funny. The two of us became really close. One, we started late and then we just built this beautiful friendship and we've been besties ever since. But I convinced her to move to the city after we did hair school, we graduated and everything. We moved to the city because I wanted to go to massage school so that I could massage bodies before the embalmers would come in. Cause again, another stepping stone. Wow. And then she hated massage school and so she, she quits. I finish, I get a job as an internship at a spa. I didn't tell them it was an internship, so they paid me for it. And cause that's, I'm money driven. So then I do that and I, and I'm working this whole time when we moved to the city, we're working at a It's a, it's a, it's a chain hair salon around here, but it's local to the Pittsburgh area. I worked there for about seven years, decided that I really, really. Really hated a large salon environment. It was like 25 people and just all hair, but I did work there for seven years. That's where I met my husband. He was a client of mine, which is always a really fun story to tell people. I asked him out, he did not ask me and now we've been together almost 20 years, but it's so funny to tell that story. We used to refer to him as the hot client and he would make me nervous and nobody makes me nervous. I love it. And so I was like, yeah, this is gonna happen. So here we are. So I, I wanted to leave in the salon environment, so I went to work at a spa. I decided, you know what? I'm gonna work six days a week. I worked six days a week at the spa, and I brought all these new services to the spa. I was able to help them grow into, you know, from just doing massage to doing all these awesome things. It was great. And. I would still do my salon clients out of their houses. I would just go to their houses after I would leave the spa because I'd built all these amazing relationships and I just couldn't leave them. I was like, they're part of my, they're part of my village now. Like, so it was, I was working like a million hours in, I'm not afraid of work. So that was no big deal. And I did something needed to change in just like. I, my husband and I had decided we weren't going to have children and all of that, but I was like, something's got to give. And so I decided to go to nursing school and that's when I went to nursing school and finished that, wanted to be trauma nurse and still missed my clients. So how old were you in nursing school? I'm just trying to keep track of this timeline. So nursing school was I was, I was almost 30, 11, almost 12 years ago. Wow. Cause my husband and I didn't get married until I was 30, we were together nine years before we got married. Wow. So yeah, I was around that same time. So yeah, a long time ago. And so I decided, well, my whole point was like, Oh, I'll go to nursing school. It's a big girl job. I'll have benefits. I'll be able to retire one day, because that was always such a big thing for me. Everybody just put a pin in what she just said, because that is way too ironic. Keep going. And so I, I was like, you know what? Okay, we'll do this. So I did. Worked my ass off, got through it. But I missed my client. So I was like, you know what? Either I need to go all in on nursing or I need to go all in on my other stuff because I can't do everything forever. And so I decided I'm going to go back and I'm going to get my nurse practitioner because I could work in a medical spa and then I could do my clients and be a nurse practitioner, make money and it'll be fine. So Randomly a client of mine, he is actually a dental broker. He, he brokes and sells dental practices. He was on my massage table and he's like, Laurie, you're never going to believe what I picked up today. And I said, what? He said, well, a hair salon. And I said, oh, that's crazy. Is your wife going to buy it? Cause she's a hairstylist. And he's like, no, maybe you want it. And I said, oh, hell no. No, thank you. That's okay. And so, by the time the hour was over, I had set up a meeting to go look at it. Because I'm kind of whatever, F it, let's do it. You'll explore every opportunity, yeah. Hey, if I fail, I fail. Like, I don't care. So, we, I went and looked at it, I talked, I talked to my husband, he was like, Are you sure? And I said, well, the way I look at it is I'm still like, if I give it five years, that was the least, and it works out awesome. That doesn't, I'm still under 40 and I can go back to nurse practitioner school. I'm not worried about it. So as long as I get a paycheck, who cares? Yeah. So that's what I did. And so in 2016, I, I bought the salon. We closed it. October 31st. And I opened November 1. Cause I'm a psycho. And it was a complete nightmare. Psycho. I made my best friend come with me. I was like, darling, you have to. Okay, so see, you are somebody that lives by fast, messy action. We are clearly, I don't know when your birthday is, I don't know if we're the same zodiac sign, I don't know if we're the same enneagram, I don't know what's happening, but you, we are very wired the same. I am the same as you. Just fucking full send. Go clean up as you're going. It'll work out. If it doesn't, it's not a big deal, but let's go. Like, what are we waiting? Let's just do it. What's happening? That's the action. And sometimes I explain that to people, especially on like these zoom calls. And I can just tell that's so not how they're wired. And they're, I see their face just kind of like glaze over like, No, I won't be doing that, but I just so, and again, you can't control how you're wired, but I so love when I get to connect with somebody that thinks the same way as me. Because people are just like, oh, but what is this? And what is this? And the, you know, all the, all the little details need to be perfect. And you are such a testament of like, no, the fuck, it doesn't. Let's get moving. We don't got time to waste. Yeah, sometimes my husband tells me, can you just take a breather and focus on one thing? Because. You got eight million things going on here. I, I'm like the notebook queen, the post it queen. I can't, I can't ever half the time get half my shit organized. I'm like, yeah, that's a great idea. And then like three months later, I'm like, that was such a good idea. And now we're doing it. Yeah. You know, so magic. Yep. Okay. So the salon has been open then for what? Eight years now? Is there, are we coming on about eight years? November will be eight years. Okay. And you said it's a five year lease. Let's give it a shot. If we crash and burn, we crash and burn. Now we're eight years in. I know I asked you ahead of time if you were comfortable sharing and I'm so grateful that you are because I think these are things that people need to hear. That's why I said put a pin when you said, Oh, I'll go to nurse practitioner school. They make great money. They have a retirement. They have benefits. I think people like you sharing stories is very important. So why don't you share where at year eight, I know your big milestones that you hit last year. Do you feel comfortable sharing where you're at? So, yeah. Last year we hit over a half million in sales, which was like crazy insane for us. And that was like service dollars. So, you know I, I feel like I'm at a point right now in our, where I am with. Owning the salon being behind the chair. Sometimes I get a lot of like pushback and you shouldn't be doing that. You're the owner don't work behind the chair so much. But for me, I mean, it just kind of works. I, I mean, I'm super grateful. Kind of, kind of works. Just kind of. And I just freaking make it work. But you know. I'm blessed that I can, I can employ my husband full time. We've had, he's been laid off two different times. I, when my husband and I met, he was a teacher. And so he got laid off right before our wedding and before we bought our first house. So like all these things have happened. And you know, we're the dynamic of where we are. I would have never, ever, ever thought we would be in. I mean, he was my rock. He was my Prince Charming. I was like, oh my gosh, this is amazing. He was the hot client. Yeah, never did we think he was employee number one. It was so, it's so crazy because I'm such a dominant personality that I, I don't, I don't, I couldn't see myself being with like somebody else who was like, no, this is what we're doing. Or no, we can't spend money on that. I'd be like what? So we work so well together. And the amazing point of like our, one of the biggest things is we're both like super money conscious and We like to have fun, but we also, we know that we want to retire someday, or whatever, and I always say he's a money hoarder. He's way better at saving than me, and I'm good at saving, but damn. Yeah. So, it's, it's such a blessing that we don't have to, you know, worry about that kind of stuff. Will you say loud and proud the retirement contributions you were able to do this year after hitting your gross sales? Yeah, I was able for both of us to contribute almost 45, 000. So, that was a really This year into their 401ks, yeah. And that was like a, you know, based on like a business side where we already personally put money in. Yeah. But I, I, I didn't tell you this. But like another thing that we decided to do because we had a good year was be able to contribute to our staff's 401k. So we were able to give them 4 percent back into their 401k too. Just because, and some of them made an extra few thousand bucks, you know? So I was really grateful to be able to do that too. Cause when I took that money and was able to do it for us. I was like, I didn't feel great about it. And I also wanted to be able to help them. So absolutely. Absolutely. And of course, there's always that, you know, giving back to the team, but I also want you to own that because again, you know, that's why I said, put a pin in it. Why are we told? And I just feel such a responsibility. If I want to have a podcast talking to people in this industry, why are we told go to nursing school? Like that's going to get you retirement. Lurie, you put what? a lot of people, a lot of nurses salaries are into your retirement in one year. Like, that deserves the moment that it deserves. And, and of course, Lurie is not every person in our industry, but I know for me, I'm always seeking proof that something can be done. And if they can do it, then I can do it. And if this person can do a version of this, then I can do, you know, it's just, and I think I'm so grateful that you're willing to share that so openly because I am just. Blown away by you and what you are doing. I just wish like I think as I talk to some of the tribe members who keep asking me different questions because you know, we're all obsessed with you now. Yeah, I was like super apprehensive to share because I mean talking money is dirty and like kind of weird and like being in a state where like. Everyone's commissioned. So like, it's so bizarre to like talk about the money you make or whatever. But I mean, as you know, like I, I nurture my staff. I mean, they're, they're my favorite people. So I, I mean, I, all I want to do is give them the world. And so, but if I wasn't digging that deep and working that hard, I would never be able to give them anything back and they're working their asses off for me. So the fact that I was able to be able, well, yeah. And for themselves, of course, but. At the end of the day, like, you know, it is, it is such a humbling thing for me to know that other people are willing to put in the work to and so when I talked to tribe members, I think a lot of people it's. They don't budget. That's, that's the end of it. People just go into it like, okay, well, last year I was able to do this. So this year I want to do this. And I, the number one thing I say is, okay, where were your expenses? Cause we love looking at that max dollar. Yeah. Girl, I have a budget and my girls will tell you, okay. You know, we We're not buying, you know, 10 shampoos because we're waiting until the first, cause it's not in the budget right now. I, and I have come up with systems in place so that we backstop the things we sell the most. And we, we, you know, you're financially disciplined and I don't know if this is a generational thing. I don't know if this is a human nature thing. I don't know if this is a lack of education. I don't know if there's a lack of budgeting, but there are so many people that like, if it's in the account, it's, Doable. And there's so many people that even if it's not in the account, like debt can take care of it and we'll figure it out later. And I, I think that it's, it's nothing new. It's nothing groundbreaking. It's not like it's, it's being, it's your numbers. Don't lie. You have to know them to grow them. And it's not fun. It's not sexy, but like, that's what it takes. And there are so many just people. I just hear people talk sometimes and it's like, you know I'm just trying to think of even clients behind the chair. Oh, I got my tax return. So like I'm doing this and like you can just hear what they're saying is their situation is a chunk of money came in and it is instantly blown and what Larry lives like and I'm also grateful. You said your husband's a cash hoarder. Ryan is also the more fiscally hoarding. One of us were both, you know, driven by it and and and inspired by it, but I remember when we were in our early years of marriage I mean, a few years in, I remember having a talk with my mother in law, Ryan's stepmom, and she, like, stayed the weekend with the kids, and Ryan was traveling for work, and I remember just kind of opening up to her, because, again, I My family, like, I can't ask my family budgeting questions. I don't want to throw anyone under the bus, but like, I would not trade places with either of my parents. Financial situation, they've never known what to give me for that, and Ryan's dad and stepmom are, are, do really well for themselves financially, so they're people I look up to, and I, I respect their opinion, and I remember telling her, like, I'm so sick of this. Ryan always says, we're broke, we can't do that, we're broke, we can't do that, we're broke, we can't do that, and I was going through this, like, Manifestation. Law of attraction. Like, Ryan, stop saying that. We are not broke. We have tens of thousands of dollars. Why are you saying that? But that's how Ryan's brain worked, is he had a budget. And we had to learn how to communicate with each other. But I remember my mother in law saying to me, you guys need to determine what zero means to you. Because what you're telling me, Lisa, is that zero to Ryan It's like 7, 000. Zero to you is zero. And that's why you're clashing heads so much. And it's just these little tiny nuggets that stick with you. And like you're saying, like your girls are like, come on, Lurie, I'm sitting down to run inventory. Like, let me just place this order. And you're like, no girlfriend, it's not the first, like we do not have that right now. Like we follow what we say we're going to do. We devise a plan and we stick with it. And so I think don't just Move past that part people that are listening like that is what it takes and I geek out on like Dave Ramsey stuff and I know a lot of people say he's so outdated and he's so but like it's not that complicated. It's not I mean the biggest thing is like, you know, especially for us. I mean my tribe will tell you I sent them all the savings challenge book. It's yeah, it's amazing. It's like my favorite thing ever, but like, it's basically this cute little binder, cause you know, we all love our little planners and barbers and you have like one to a hundred in these little slots and you can put a 1, 2, 3, whatever, all the way to a hundred. And when you're done, you have over five grand and it's amazing. And then there's one, it's like a 30 day challenge. Well, we have cash all the time. Stop throwing it away. Like everyone's like, Oh, whatever it's five bucks or it's 10 bucks. And whenever my. My tribe and some of the other, other soul tribe members had reached out to me like, Hey, people are saying something about you're doing like all these crazy, like money. Yeah. So I, I told them like, I don't buy new clothes. I shop thrift stores and people are like, really? Yes. And you know, this year was a really big year for me because I do that so much as you'll find. I'm a Disney fanatic. Actually on Sunday, Me and two of my staff members are going down to Disney. We're leaving on a 5 20 AM flight doing three parks and coming home on a 10 30. So we're crazy. And so I, I like to save for those things, but also not just go, Oh, you can't do it because it's not in the budget. So I don't feel guilty because I didn't go spend 150 on. A new shirt and a pair of pants. Instead, I spend it on a ticket to go into Disney. So it's just different and everybody needs to figure out where they want to spend their money and what's important to them. My grocery budget is like 60 bucks a week, max. And everyone thinks like, how do you possibly do that? Your meal plan, you only eat what you have. You know, if you're like, I'm not feeling it, you're like, Oh, well I'm eating it anyways. So it's just things like that that I do. But I mean, I grew up. Not sometimes knowing if we were going to eat, you know, or what we were going to eat and all those things. So, you have a different mindset when that's in life. But, Loree, it's a fine line, though, because you also don't live in scarcity. Like, you travel, you give. Like, what is, where is that fine line? Like, I guess, how, someone listening, like, they're like, Well, I want the new outfit and I want to go to Disney and I want to travel. Like, where, why? Why are you disciplined in that way? And how do you decide, because it's going to be different for everyone, but how do you decide what is important to you? Yeah, that's, I mean, that's individual. What's important to you? Maybe you eating ramen every day, you could care less, but you want the new shirt. Like, you have to figure out what are the points that are super important to you that you are not willing to give up. One of the biggest things is and one of my tribe members made it completely clear. I got rid of all the convenience. I don't do DoorDash. I don't do Instacart. I don't do Starbucks. I have an Instacart sitting on my front step right this second. Keep going. It is. I need to go get it. And I'm not saying never, ever, ever, but like, literally, those are things that I What's in it? Yeah, they're just not important to me. But to some people, you know, them having someone come in and clean their house is their number one thing and it changed their life. Girl, that's what you need to then put on your top priority list. But yeah, I, I'm also like a budget traveler, like a crazy person. So I will find hotels that are like 40 and flights that are like 20 one way. I'm crazy. So, okay. Do you think there's a dollar amount that you have to hit? Because again, I'm just going to reiterate, Larrie said in the last calendar year, they hit over half a million dollars. Is there a number where you stop behaving like that? Or no, this is your personality. This is fun. This is what you like. Yeah, no, this is me. I don't, I don't need all like, I don't need to drive a BMW. I love my wrap for like, it's a 2017. I'm good. Yeah. Those things aren't important to me, but everyone is different. You have to figure out what's important to you. I could, I could probably make 3 million and I would still live the life. I live when we bought the house that we live in now. I remember my husband and I had to like, come see it at different times. And I walked in with a real estate agent and I just said, Holy fucking shit. And she looked at me like, what? Like, are you okay? I said, I have never in my life thought I could be and own a place like this. It was, it was just and to some people my house is just normal, but we talk about this a lot. My in laws are the most amazing people in my life and They raised my husband in the white picket fence, beautiful, you know, all American family. And I'm so grateful for that, but I did not ever understand it. Living in an apartment forever would have been fine to me. It's all I ever knew until I lived in my first house. So yeah, it was like a whole different world. So yeah, I don't know. I don't think I would change it. I mean, I, I, I could afford a bigger house that costs more money, but I don't see the point. I would rather really pour into my nieces and nephews and be there and have all these memories and, you know, be able to make all these memories with all these people. And that's really important to me because at the end of the day, What you had doesn't matter, it's the memories that you made, so. Okay, so now actual like technical advice, something tangible people can leave with. You say you got to make a budget, everybody's like ew, poo, that's boring, I don't want to do that. But like when you are budgeting, Laurie, obviously you go over all of your expenses, what is like essential for you to save? Because everybody has kind of a different, you know, importance for that. So like how much are you saving? Do you do a zero based budget like Dave Ramsey? How do you go about doing it? So my biggest thing is no debt. So, you know, my husband and I but by the end, well, probably before the end of this year, the only debt we'll have is our house. And then I'm hoping to pay our house off in the next like 10 years. So for me, my biggest thing is just at the end of the day, no debt, number one. And then after that, I, I mean, I, Our paychecks are different all the time, right? Because of what we do. So I, I typically take like my cash, whatever I make that day, I I'll take 60 percent and literally just put it away in my envelopes and make sure that I, I don't ever touch it again. Or I use my, you know, my money challenge too. That really helps me because some days I have 200 that's extra and some days I have 10 and that's okay. But whenever I see. I'm going to make a large purchase or go on a big trip. Like this year was amazing. I was able to save some, I was able to save a bunch of money just based on my like gratuities. And my husband and I, at the end of the month are going to Paris for a whole week and we've never done Europe or any of that. Oh my gosh. And it was his Christmas and birthday gift. So we'll be there over his birthday. But like that was last year I did Alaska and it was a big bucket list for him. And I just remember being in the airport and I just started crying. And he's like, what's, what is up? And I was like, I just can't believe we were able to do this. Like I can't believe I'm here like it's just so all the time just today before I left the salon my best friend and I were talking and I was like like I'm gonna do this podcast and it's just so weird because I just never thought this. Who am I? What am I doing? What is going on? I know. I always say that I don't, I don't want to give people tangible numbers because those are your, you know, your own comfort level. I would take 100 percent of my money and put it into savings and, you know, sacrifice for two months if I had to do it for a specific reason. So I don't know that's kind of a hard one. Yeah. No, I love that. I think that's exactly What people need to hear and even so obviously again, like I said, I really hope this doesn't discourage anyone. I will tell you guys majority of stylists and salon owners are not even bringing in numbers that you are and I also know more of the nitty gritty of Louise and it's not like it's this whole team is just you're rolling in the dough. You are the main You know, kind of breadwinner of the salon still so like she does still work her ass off. So I don't almost 50 percent of our sales were me last year. So and I do have a large, you know, I have a my stylist. I only have I only have three other stylists. And then I have three, Four spa professionals as well. But yeah, I always tell people I'm not afraid to say that I do, I bring in the, the big chunk, but mm-Hmm, I also, I work really hard to do that, and at the end of the day, that's when my staff is like, okay, get out. We love you. Yeah. It's time to go. You know, they encourage me to go home too, which is again, the supports. Oh, okay. I'm not sure if it's the same system that I've built. But yeah. And you like it. And I remember the very first time I heard like the actual numbers you're doing, I was like, Marie, would you mind sharing that with Soul Tribe? Because people need to hear that. She's like, Lisa, I'm so afraid to say it because she, okay, we do cultivate me other educators, this community that all of us different people are in. We have cultivated where, I mean, I work two days a week behind the chair. We may work five or six, you know, and very little hours. But that's the thing is there is the freedom. and she was worried that she was going to get like Or to shreds of like, okay, yeah, you're doing those numbers, but like, how much are you working? And that has become like the new bragging rights to people. And there's no right, wrong, anything in between. What I just think is so incredible and what I'm just so grateful to be a part of is an industry that can let you have any version of that. Whatever you pick and choose. Yeah, I coach. I mean, the way that I run my entire salon is I do everything by goal setting. So my staff sets their own goals and they work their dream schedule from the time they start. And then I just coach them to build the clientele to their dream schedule. I mean, my best friend came back to work with me after You know, starting her family and she has to be on the schedule of her kids. So she works nine to two 30 and she works every other Saturday and it works with her schedule. It works with her kids schedule. Her husband travels a lot. And then I have another, you know, Rachel, who is like my, I always call her my ride or die. She's, she's my shit. I love her. And Rachel's been with me almost seven years and we've all become such good friends. friends are like, I can't imagine my life without Rachel, you know, but Rachel doesn't mind the hustle and the grind. She's also 27. So it just depends. But I tell her all the time when you're ready to cut the hours is when you scale, it's just different. You don't always have to grind it out, but you do have to get to a point where you can then then know, okay, this is my comfort and now we can scale it. And I do believe everyone should work the schedule that makes them happy because mental health is super important to me. And burnout is so real. But that's why I, I, for me, to prevent my burnout is always having something else on the, you know, the horizon. I like to have something planned and something to look forward to and why am I working my ass off and all those things, so. That's a big exciting thing. And you also love, you know, being behind the chair when you're doing spa things. You are obsessed with your clients, you are obsessed with your team. So for you, that's just the way you live. And I remember you saying that, you're like, we don't have kids, like, this is, this is what I pour myself into, and I wouldn't want it any other way. And I think that's inspiring, too. And I think that actually needs to be talked about more, because we almost went so far into like the time freedom, that now we're almost like people are feeling shamed for, Loving their schedule, even if it's a ton of hours, because guess what? If you can earn a ton in a small amount of time, you can actually earn even more in even more time. So like, I just think it's important to talk about and to share that. So, okay, we're getting a little bit close on time, so I want to start to kind of wrap it up, but I want to just like ask you a few questions that I'm thinking now, just as I've even gotten to know you even more. So, do you ever experience burnout? What does like, white space and stillness look like to Loree? Yeah, so, I didn't even know what the hell white space was until I joined Soul Tribe. Because I'm just like the constant chaos of all things. I'm like, I always joke and say like, I'm like a snow globe. You just put me in and shake me up and I just do a bunch of shit. But for me you know, me being able to travel is huge for me. I mean, people are like, oh, you, you're going to Disney for literally less than 24 hours. And I'm like, yeah, but as soon as I get through TSA, I'm like in my zone. Huh. That's part of me what I like to do. I love, I do love to cook. I'm, I'm all things. I love essential oils and things like that. I cook with essential oils, all those things. Because I have a lot of sensitivities I can't do as you know, my whole crazy new dry shampoo world. So I'm constantly thinking like the what's new, what's next. A lot of it is whatever can keep my hands busy. I don't need the quiet. I tend to I, I grew up with a big family, so I'm used to the chaos, but I, I do like to zone out and be by myself, which is kind of weird, because I do like to be around people, which I am all the time. But it's balanced, yeah. It has to be balanced, but yeah, I'm not somebody who, like, wants to go and, like, sit in quiet and just read my book by myself. I like to read, but That's not, I'm more of the, what, planning something fun and doing something fun and getting out. Because I've always felt if I'm here, people do still call me and people still text me because most of my clients have my phone number, which is fine. But I have set that boundary where I say, Hey is this for margaritas or is it a salon question? And they always laugh and they're like, I'll, I'll call on Tuesday because I realized that when quarantine happened. I pour so much into my guests and a lot of them never called to see if I was okay. And mentally my husband and I were, were in the same job. So like my whole life was like, okay, what's next? And you're trying to keep eight people's jobs alive. So it was, but they didn't. They called me to say, when am I going to be able to get my hair done? And I realized in that moment, like, okay, there is a boundary. There's still separation. Yeah. So, yeah. And I want to say you do that so well. And like I said, we will start to wrap this up. I don't know how you want people. Cause I'm almost worried to just tell everyone to go DM you because Marie. Pours so much into everyone that asks her every single question. So obviously, if you guys are inspired by this episode, please give Lurie some love. Tell her that, but like, whatever you ask her, I, I hope that she has boundaries with that, too. But the, you are someone where you say you're, Your stylists are your friends. Your clients are your friends. Like, you, these, these rules, you work with your husband. These rules that we are told, like, it's a line that shouldn't be crossed. You do it, but you do it so well. You don't do, like, you know where the line is. It's, I mean, there's no, there's no haziness there. You know what it is, and you don't even, like, dwell on it and think about how to respond. It just, it's very clear where the boundary is, and you're just clear as kind. What is that, Brene Brown? Like, you don't. Get offended by it. You don't get defensive about it. You just, it just works. Do you have tips on that? How did you figure that out? My biggest, my biggest thing is that you have to, you literally have to know your business self and your You know, your professional self and then your, your, you know, fun. Yeah. Personal self. And I am very much two different people. My husband will probably tell you from Tuesday to Saturday. I'm a little different when I'm at the salon than I am at home. Cause there've been plenty of times where he's like. You're being a bitch. Like, I love you, but oh my god, what the hell is happening? Sometimes we need to hear it. I'm taking 8, 000 things that are, you know, being thrown at me at one time, which I love, but sometimes I have to, like, do all the things and decompress it at the same time and prioritize. And drop some balls sometimes, yeah. Yeah. Mm. I love it. Well, thank you, Lurie. I said this after her masterclass, and she's already talked about another masterclass. I'm going to say it after this podcast. I would not be surprised if this was the not the only podcast episode that you're on, which I know this was weird enough to take in. But yeah, you guys, we scratched the surface. I'm amazed every time I talk to you. We, you could deep dive with Lurie on any given topic that we talked about. She just did a masterclass on nurturing her clients. And you guys have no idea the amount of value that she shared in there, so your brain fascinates me. You know that maybe you don't know that Spongebob episode where he's, like, searching through his brain all the filing cabinets in the brain? Like, I wanna just be a little Spongebob in Lurie's brain searching all of her filing cabinets, because You fascinate me. You inspire me. I'm grateful to know you. You are such an asset to Soul Tribe, so I hope that I make that clear enough to you. Thank you for being brave and sharing this with like a bigger group of people by being on the podcast. I really, really appreciate it. Yeah, no, thanks for having me, but I mean, honestly, I mean, Soul Tribe has been everything to me, so even though it's been such a short period of time, I mean, I was in So I've been in a larger business group for a long time, and I didn't really realize I wanted something smaller, but I didn't realize what SoulTribe was going to bring in you know, the connections that you make and the relationships that you build, it, it is different, but it's all positive, like there's nothing ever negative about it. Yeah, so thank you. Thank you for saying that. All right. And thank you. Awesome. Yeah. Thank you guys for listening. I will leave that Lurie's information, whatever she feels comfortable sharing, maybe her Instagram or something like that. If you guys want to follow her and connect with her, she is gonna be ramping up the social media content here soon. We did a hot seat with her. We have lots of plans. Yeah, we're all very excited about her content strategy coming up. So I will leave all that in the show notes and I will talk to you all on the next podcast episode. Thank you for listening. Bye.