031 - Jennifer Alverez: Faith Over Fear

In this inspiring episode of Stylist Soul Tribe Conversations, Lisa Huff is joined by Jennifer Alvarez, the creator of the Beauty Business Game Changer podcast. Jennifer shares her incredible journey from a small-town hairstylist to a successful salon owner and industry educator. Discover how Jennifer's philosophy of "faith over fear" has guided her through challenges and propelled her to success. Tune in to learn valuable insights on business growth, education, and the power of resilience.

Key Takeaways:
- Jennifer's early passion for the beauty industry and her determination to pursue her dreams.
- The challenges Jennifer faced moving from a small town to the Chicago suburbs.
- The importance of mentorship and training in Jennifer's career development.
- Jennifer's transition from working behind the chair to leading her own salon and team.
- The role of education and digital innovation in Jennifer's career.
- Jennifer's philosophy of "faith over fear" and how it has shaped her journey.
- Future goals and vision for modernizing beauty industry education.

Guest Information:
- Name: Jennifer Alvarez
- Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beauty-business-game-changer/id1492161461
https://jenniferjadealvarez.myflodesk.com/letsgrow
Instagram.com/jenniferjadealvarez

Resources Mentioned:
- The E Myth by Michael E. Gerber
- Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuk

Connect with Stylist Soul Tribe:
- [Website](https://www.stylistsoultribe.com)
- [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/stylistsoultribe)



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Transcript

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Hello friends, welcome back to Stylist Soul Tribe Conversations. Today I am joined by Jennifer Alvarez, the creator of Beauty Business Game Changer podcast. Her podcast provides invaluable insights and strategies for hairstylists aiming to elevate their business and lives. Jennifer's dedication to empowering beauty professionals through education and inspiration is truly commendable. Jennifer, thank you for joining us today. I just pulled that little bit from your podcast description. So hello, hello, how are you? So good. Thank you so much, Lisa, for having me on. I'm so excited to be with you today with Soul Tribe and get to know all of your listeners and mastermind group. Yeah. Thank you for saying that. So Jennifer and I were just chit chatting before we hit record, which I typically do, but we already, I could tell we could have easily wasted 30 minutes before we recorded. We already started talking and we have lots of, you know ways that our paths cross. We're a lot closer to each other than we even realized. So I was telling her and if you guys listening, if you've been around for a while, you've heard me say this a million times. I launched this podcast about six months ago. I am loving, loving, loving, obviously showcasing my people and the conversations I've been having for years, but I love this opportunity to get to know new people to my world, other industry trailblazers, other thought leaders, other people who are doing big things in this format where we get to just dive so deep and get so intimate right off the bat. So part of my little awareness flow inside of my business every so often as I'm batch scheduling out content. I just kind of search industry podcasts. I'm like, who else is doing things in my industry? What else is out there? What kind of conversations are people having? And that's how I stumbled across yours. And then I messaged you on Instagram. I'd like, I was like, I'd love to do a little collaboration. Let's get to know each other. So you guys listening are going to hear Jennifer and I getting to know each other really for the first time. So I'm going to let her tell her story. I'm probably going to interrupt her. And we'll see kind of what direction that takes us. But I'm just excited to have a new connection here and make a new friend. So Jennifer, why don't you, for the listeners, start back whatever feels appropriate and kind of tell us your journey and your story. Sure. I'll try to make it quick because I've been in this industry since 2002. So a lot of trials and tribulations along the way, obviously, but I always knew I wanted to be in this industry in the seventh grade. So during high school, I grew up in a small town. I went to BD school. So as soon as I graduated, I had my license and I was ready to be independent. Yeah. Even though I was completely clueless and super immature. Things didn't work out so well in my small town. I had to get out. And so I came up closer to the Chicago suburbs. And did you just go by yourself or what made you? Oh yeah. Okay. You were just brave. You're like, I'm getting out of here. Did you just find an apartment? What did you do? Oh gosh. I mean, that's a whole another story. I feel like we can get into, but The short version is, is that I found a company that I really liked. It was a larger company. They had a great training program and I really needed coaching and mentoring at a young age. I needed discipline and I needed direction. And so, yeah, I, I started at this salon. Okay. An hour and a half away from my home. And so quickly I was able to sleep on my friend's couch for about six months until I could make it because I was broke, I was homeless. And so she really helped me out and I just really fell in love with the industry and it was so cool how many opportunities started to come my way, opportunities that were presented to me. So I was able to. Begin a journey into platform work, working with different manufacturer companies, starting to mentor and educate other new artists that are, were hired into the company. And when you started kind of branching out from behind the chair to this platform education stuff, was that through your salon or did you start doing that on your own? The introduction was through the salon. Okay. It's a completely separate company and I was full time behind the chair. I was, I mean, the grind, the hustle is like in my blood. Wow. So I did both. And I did that for 11 years. And then I decided, Okay. I just have some different ideas of my own and so then in 2016, I branched off, opened up a salon suite. I hated it. I, I did not like being by myself. I just, I, I love teaching and I love inspiring and being with a group of people. So I quickly started to hire people. 2019 expanded. So we've got a salon. Hired people out of the suite or you found a small spot first? No, I started hiring people in my suite. I feel like that's the way to do it. I've heard that from a lot of people now. I feel like making this own little micro situation until you have the funds and the, and the team to go bigger, especially in the area that you're, you're from. I mean, real estate is not cheap around there. Yeah. Definitely not. You're right. And, and nothing is cheap these days. It really gave me the opportunity to start to learn about business. It's funny because As I was getting my feet wet, I'm like, Oh, we're going to implement this. And now that I know what I know now, I'm like, how did I even start? Because I knew nothing really. But it is a great opportunity in that scenario to start to learn business and really immerse yourself in all the different aspects of it. You know, now that, you know, fast forward to today, I own a two story salon. I bought the building two years ago. I had these, and we also have a on location bridal company as well. And, you know, it's, it's a learning experience, I will say, and you just have to start somewhere. Yeah. Just choose faith over fear, just keep going. Yeah, so is your salon all commissioned right now or do you have blended? No, the salon is all commissioned. Our bridal company is all independent contractors. So it's actually two different LLCs. Amazing. And you said, just, when was it that you retired from behind the chair personally? Yes, I just recently, actually in August of 2023, retired behind the chair. It was a long, slow process. Looking back, I wish I would have just ripped the band aid off. But everyone has their own journey of They're learning and yeah, going through things of what works best for them. I love hearing those hindsight is 2020, you know, positions though, and I feel like there's so many people, whether it's jumping all into education or jumping all into your role as a salon owner, sometimes that leap of like there is going to be some unknown or even let's take it back a few notches, even like eventually letting go of weekends like I know there's so many people that just like hang on by the tiniest thread until they finally let something go. And so you saying, looking back, I wish I would have done it differently. So can I ask you what were the signs that it was time to do that in case an owner is listening? What were the signs that it's time to do that? What route did you take and what do you think you could have, should have, would have done differently? As I was, and that's a great question too, and as I was growing my team, I'm booked, I'm busy, I am You know, feeling like I am pulled in all different directions trying to take care of my clients. Yet. My team is asking me questions. We're out of lightener. We're out of toilet paper. This client needs something. You have a phone call. It was so difficult for me to really focus and serve the guest in my chair. And then if a stylist was not doing anything. it made me feel like I was robbing from them. Yeah. They really should be doing the client that's sitting in my chair. And I need the leadership owner cap on and stay in that lane where that was my whole initiative to have a salon in the first place. So obviously it's gonna be different for everybody, but like how many employees and do you think that that should really be something that an owner starts thinking about? Well, I think it's a calculated risk because you need financials. If you have a certain percentage of the total. Revenue stream is coming from you financially. You might not be able to step away. However, if you can plan that out of slowly backing away from the chair, so that you're allowing new stylists or experienced to grow, to grow, and they are taking your customers, you're handing. Handing that business over to them. It might not necessarily be a rip of the band aid off to make that happen. Financially, yeah. Financially, a hundred percent. And so there's a lot of risk in small business in general. But if you, it, it, have you ever read the E Myth? No, but I have heard of that. It's been on my list of maybe one day reads. So tell me what your biggest takeaway was from that. Well, it's a huge book and disclosure. I, I don't think I read all of it, but you got what you needed. Yeah. The cliff notes is, is that most entrepreneurs start their business as the service provider, the technician, the talent. Yeah. However, it's not scalable. You are the lid of your business. So In order for you to get to that next level, you have to peel back and be able to create systems and processes in place that you can multiply the gifts that you were given. So that you can continue to grow your business. And I fully accepted that position and knew that I needed to step away to the chair in order to get my business to the next level. Hmm. How did your clients react to that? Because I think that's everybody's fear. And how did you shift that identity? I have one girl in my Soul Tribe membership. She just did a hot seat last month where she was really struggling with this. She is a salon owner. She has a team and while also becoming a new mom and lots of other things happening in her life, but she was actually starting to, like, her schedule was looking more open. Like, clients were starting just from maternity leave and things, they started passing along. How And she really struggled with this identity of like, people don't want me anymore, my clients don't want me anymore, and she like, applied for a hot seat so that we could all pour into her. And at first, like, we thought, I thought what she was asking for was like, marketing tactics to get clients again and like, get that demand up again. And then we quickly realized like, girlfriend, you've outgrown that identity. Like, it's time to let that go and let, If you're going to put any energy into getting new customers, let them go to these, these girls that you have on your team. So how did you navigate that? And how would you speak to somebody who's in the thick of that right now, almost dealing with identity issue of that? Yeah, I mean, mindset is definitely everything in that. Okay, who am I now? Yeah. Who do I need to be? It was always in my mind though, opening up a salon that I did not want to be by behind the chair. I wanted. You knew that was your exit strategy. Yeah. Exactly. So it was a process of about two years, of course, you know, 2020 through quite the wrench into plans. And so at that point. You know, everybody was just working as hard as they can because you had no idea what was going on. So I slowly started to cut down my hours and there were certain clients that I let them know that, hey, so and so is going to be taking over. They're going to be helping you. So I I backtracked my books so much that I, towards the last few months, I was only putting in a few days a month. Okay. So I was, I was the one holding on to certain things. And did you just have a few favorites that you really didn't want to say goodbye to? I did. I did. I really, I really enjoyed all of my clients. Of course. I do love doing care. Yeah. But I love being a business owner more. That's, and, and I think people need to say that loud and proud and get rid of, it's almost like this like inner critic or this like inner voice that will every once in a while jump in and just be silly and say things that, you know, like, oh gosh, well remember what it used to feel like when all these clients and all this. And it's again, I think really sometimes shifting that identity. It sounds like you knew from the get go that that was the identity you were working towards. That might have been a little bit easier for you, but that's definitely I've seen, you know, something I've seen people deal with. So it sounds like education has kind of always been a part of your journey. When did you start the digital education? Because it sounds like you have a lot going on. When did you start the digital education? When did you start the podcast? What was the mission for all of that? Oh, gosh. Yes, you're right. I've always been in love with education. And for myself, I really felt like it saved me, like it saved me from going down a, the wrong path of being with other people who also loved education, who saw a great, better path of life for themselves, whether that was financially Or just how they carried themselves, what, how they believed in themselves, what their self worth was. And when I started to surround myself with people who had that mindset and had that attitude, things really started to shift for me. So I have a great passion for education. I have a great. Respect and passion for the beauty industry. You know, I always say that my mission, I want to make an impact into this beauty industry. I want to leave a legacy in this beauty industry. And so it's important that we keep on growing, keep on elevating ourselves. So as far as getting myself into the educator role, first I had to work on other people and figure it out. Yeah. I needed leadership. I needed somebody to tell me how to get up on stage and work the room, how to do hair, hair cutting, updos. In front of thousands of people, you have to do it without cutting your finger off. So I learned a lot from other people. Okay. And when I opened up the salon, it's a two story house, one block away from downtown Naperville. Amazing. When I opened that up, I thought, man, I feel like I have a lot more that I want to share with people because this has been a huge learning curve for myself. And so in 2019 in December, I was listening to. Gary Vanderchuck. Love Gary V. His podcast, some guy got on and he was sharing a really sad story actually about his dad dying and he, he just really wanted something more for himself and he was saying, I really podcast. And Gary's like, Do it now. Yeah, and I it just resonated. He was feeling he was talking to you in that moment. You're like I'm doing it Yeah, I'm Gary. I'll start a podcast Wow, so I did and I love that I I chose that faith over fear in that area because I wasn't really for sure what I was doing. And that's usually how I operate. I don't know. You gotta figure it out. And so I started the podcast. What year was the podcast started? 2019. Okay. So you've been doing it a while. And then in March, I really was captivated by this online digital space of education. Mm hmm. And when. When we had to shut down the salon in 2020. Yeah. My thought process was, okay, I could either cry and be freaked out. Or I can say, I'm going to create an opportunity here. Yeah, you already had it in your mind, you kind of wanted to go the digital route, and now here you are with literally nothing to do but sit in front of your computer. I just wanted to learn more. I wanted to, so I signed up for this course, and I was doing group coaching on the daily with a company, and I had never worked so hard. Yeah. I thought I was working my, my butt off opening up a salon during COVID. I was in front of that computer. I was doing podcasts. I was doing webinars. I was doing free webinars. I was. Teaching the beauty schools, you know, we have everything you could. Yeah. We have to make those decisions. Mm-Hmm. And even though, was that an enjoyable moment with everything happening in the world? No. I had to put my blinders up and say, I life must go on. Yeah. And this is what I chose to do. And so at that point, I created a digital course and was coaching people. And it just really evolved from there. However, I will say that I don't do any of that anymore. I think that was, it was more so in the moment to just figure out what we can do. Yeah. And I mean, we all go through phases and seasons of just kind of throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks kind of thing. And clearly you had your, your vision and your mission created with the salon, but when you're Force to step away from that for a little bit. It makes sense to try some new things. And it seems like the podcast has stuck through that. Right. Do you upload monthly? Is that what I saw? Yeah, I was doing it on a weekly basis, starting off for the first year and a half. Oh my God. Well, and I'd say that's a lot now that I'm not behind the chair. I have so much to do. I mean, my, my to do list. That's what I was going to ask you. So like, let's, let's actually get really nitty gritty with it. So you haven't been behind the chair for a little bit now. You started this online stuff five years ago. You've had your salon running. What is like a typical week look like in your life? Like what is your life right now? So my role now in the company is to lead my people forward. So I really have to take a look at all the areas where, where we are falling short, make improvements, what can I do to really make sure my systems and my processes are allowing us to scale and level up. And so even right now, I am going through a whole revamp of our company between our onboarding experience. our handbook, our lead generations. Yeah. Or, you know, I also have a bridal company. So there's so much to do and not regular operations. Yeah. Yeah. So, and then also figuring out how to define roles. What is the system and process of that step by step? social media manager. I have a virtual assistant. I hired on a manager. We've got different people now in places that are allowing me time to think. Yeah. Which is super important. Where do I need to spend the most amount of time that's going to help grow revenue, my business, that's going to help grow people and my business. And that is my day in and day out mission. That's a lot for you to orchestrate all the time. Yeah. So I'm sure you are kept busy with that. So do you like. Time management wise, do you have like certain days where you put on like a certain hat or a certain role or are you just kind of like putting out fires as they come or what's your flow? I'm just so fascinated by the way people tick and how they work. Oh gosh, you know, I would love to sit here and say that my time management is awesome. However, as a creative, multi passionate entrepreneur, I have ADHD and I'm, I have a creative mind. And so I do have projects and tasks on a daily. And I always think about what is the most important thing that I need to do. So I also work with a lot of different coaches in order for me to be the best that I can be. Okay. I love that. I think that's an important piece. Yeah. Which is amazingly so that you have a mastermind because you need to be in a mastermind and work with other people who are going great places because. We often feel complacent or stuck or overwhelmed and we need to talk it out. It needs some direction, some accountability or else you're just over here floundering all on your own. Like, am I even doing the right thing going the right way? So. Yeah. I do find that most people who are doing very impressive things when I get to the nitty gritty and I ask them those questions, that typically is the case. And while you said you wish that you could say the time management, I can tell you there's not a single person that I know and look up to that can clearly say, yep, I've got a perfect system. Always flowing. Like that's just not how it works. Well, I'd say my husband is. Because he's a financial wealth advisor. So his brain is not like ours. Okay. He keeps me orderly. I was just talking to somebody this morning of, Yes, my husband, I never check the mailbox. I don't even know how to get into the mailboxes. He always checks the meals, the meals for me. That's his job. He watches my car. He puts gas in there. I say that, not to brag, but to also, You know, press upon people that having a partner and their life that that can help them so that they can also stay in their zone of genius and their strengths. I mean, he allows me the be the creative mind that you are. Yeah. Yes. 100%. But there's never. never a moment where I'm like, I'm bored. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So you said you came out with your course back then and you said that's not going anymore. But then when we were talking pre hitting record, you were saying that you do do some extensions and you do some bridal education. So what's that situation right now when it comes to education? Yes. So of course, I cannot be just satisfied with one business. That's not the way we work. Yeah, so I actually started my business doing bridal. That's how this all came about. Okay. As I was doing weddings, I loved makeup. I loved hair. I really immersed myself in that area. So the foundation of my salon actually started because I was doing weddings. I kept that on board. And I would say probably a year and a half ago, I started to take my foot off the gas. Lost a little bit of sight of my bridal company. Because the salon You can only spin so many plates at one time, yeah. 100%. But that's when I realized I need a bridal coordinator. I need a virtual assistant. It wasn't until I started to delegate out roles that things started to Evolve to a different level and my passion is in education and teaching and of course I've got to teach my team, my employees. Of hair and makeup and extensions and that started to evolve a little bit more as well and the America America's Beauty Show hired me out to teach bridal boot camps, the bridal badass class where I talk about business, how I started, how it's going. What's working, what's not working. In addition, how do you do updo's or makeup? How do you do it quick and predictable and consistently. And so that's really has taken on a whole new, a whole new avenue, a different stream of revenue. I branched off into a different LLC with it. Okay. Wow. So that's been really interesting. And so we do the bridal bootcamps. I have salon owners that call me up. They may be friends. And they want more updo education at their company. I think that if you're a hairstylist listening to this, you might agree, but updos and short haircuts are the two most feared, feared technical skills that Stylists have, and so it's fun to go into those places and help shed light on how to make it easy because we love overcomplicating things. And so I found a system that really helps you think differently about hair design. Amazing. And same thing with the extension business. I launched a business a year ago. It's called Altered Hair. And of this hair extension business, this is really Jennifer, how many businesses do you own? I need to ask. How many different things are there? Because every time I ask you a question, it's like a whole new layer that I'm like, wait, do we do the whole rest of the podcast about that? Because I have so many questions. So how, what is the total overview right now? Four. Salon, bridal education, extension education, and then bridal business? The bridal business. I'm sorry. And five, real estate. Okay. Okay. And then where do you classify like your podcast under? Is that just personal brand or whatever? Like, cause you kind of talk everything. You know, it's a passion. I don't monetize it. You're probably gonna be like, why? I, it's a passion project. Yeah. That's just where that's your outlet. Yeah. Yeah. That I've been just doing because I felt like it was the right thing to do to share with other people. As, as you probably can tell, I have a lot of layers. I'm 40. It's been a while. So I've been in this industry for a long time. So I've been through a lot and In all transparency, I am still learning. I, I was just at Data Driven and I was able to speak in front of the salon owners and I told everyone, I feel like I'm just getting started. Yeah, I feel that, and I think a lot of people will say that in your exact same position. Cause you kind of are, and I, I don't know, it would almost be a shame if you ever got to a point where you were like, Yep, okay, that's it. Cause like, what are you getting up for, and what are you excited about every day? Like, of course, as soon as you tie up a loose end, there's the next idea kind of finding its way in. Cause that's just how a creative's mind works. I don't even know what cloth I've been cut from. I was up from two a. m. t This, I wanted to create, I called it a goal getter guide, and this is a quarterly workbook for stylists to track goals, track their numbers, look at their visions, have some gratitude journal. I created this in the middle of the night last night. Well, now we're going to need the link to put it in the show notes because you said it out loud. So now it doesn't get to live forever. I would say selfishly, a lot of the things that I do now, I do it because I know my team needs it. My business needs it. Yeah. And I think that if I'm able to share it with other people and it helps them too, then. Let's multiply that. I love that so much. I get up every morning jumping out of bed with gratitude, like I get to do this. And I think that's the, the power of gratitude because do I have problems? Yes. I'm human and a salon owner. So I got a lot of problems, but if we can just focus on the things that are going well and being present and thinking about what we can do to set us up for success for the future, if we can stay in that lane of gratitude, so many more potential opportunities are going to come your way. You're going to bless people in their life. And then other people are going to bless you. I agree. I mean, mine says everything with that. Yeah. Yeah. I truly believe gratitude is a superpower, and I know we don't know each other very well, but I've, like, coined the phrase, gratefully if it's in, like, the hoodies that I sell, it's on the journals that I sell, like, that is just, like, my motto, my go to, because almost every time, and if you're a Gary Vee fan, then I already know we think the same, but, like, almost any time you find yourself tripped up, upset. Feeling like you're lacking, feeling, you know, comparing yourself, feeling, you know, burnt out. Gratitude is kinda, in my opinion, I know it doesn't come as natural to everyone, but for me, gratitude is always the answer. Like, really, what do we have to complain about? Whatever it is that you think you're tripped up on right now, if you actually sink into a true place of gratitude, your perspective will so quickly become clear that like, everything is just frickin fine and everything is gonna be great, you know? You know? It's fun that you said that, because even at the moments that I catch myself moaning and complaining about this or that, I'm, Jen, flip the script here, I'm so thankful that I'm grateful that this has happened, and then the, those fears or that negativity or whatever weird vibes are happening. How you snap out of it. Yes. Yeah. And you have to train your mind to do that. And it's so cool how you can train yourself to think differently and take action differently. Yeah. Yeah. Can I ask you this as a, like, as a real kind of not so fluffy of a question, but I'm thinking with everything you have created, cause you know, in the last however many years, I feel like I've created quite a bit and I look back and I, I'm into vision boards and manifestation and I look back and it almost feels that. The more and more success, time, you know compounding anything, the heavier the weight can be of like, I don't want to lose this, or I don't want to give this up, or I don't want to ruin this, or almost that idea of like success being like fleeting. How do you navigate that and how do you manage that? Because you've built a lot in, and especially having team members that rely on that many people, how do you like Every single morning. Is that, does that ever cross your mind? Did that used to cross your mind? How do you navigate feelings like that? Geez, this is a loaded question. Do I have panic attacks here and there? Yes. Yes, because these It's a lot of pressure. Yeah, their livelihood. I have to make sure that we have enough money in the bank for payroll. Yeah. Cash flow in a business, it's, it's, you know, to anyone who is operating their own business or have a team of people know that one moment you've got 70, 000 in the bank and the next you've got zero, that's the cash flow game. Making sure that, what do you have in place today, that's helping tomorrow, coaching your team to know what can they do to set themselves up for success, so that we can ensure that we've got the money there. That part, the financial part of it can be stressful. Yeah, because it's just an actual tangible thing that if the marks don't show up. get missed, then there's actually fires to put out and things to deal with. Yeah. Oh, that's, it definitely wakes me up at night. That and my creative ideas. Yeah. But what, what was the next question you, you asked? I guess I was just saying if you deal with that feeling of like it being fleeting or like, do you ever think of like, I don't, like, I've built this, I don't want to lose it. Or like, that fear of it just could be gone one day or something. Like, do you ever deal with that or no? Yes, in some ways, so that we know what is that stupid motto or saying by Benjamin Franklin, there's only two things that are guaranteed and that's taxes and death. So we know that we're not going to be here forever. And so knowing that and really thinking about what matters. My husband, yeah, like the big stuff, my family, my puppy. my employees may come and go. Mm. I, you know, same thing with my real estate. Mm-Hmm. It's just stuff. Yeah. And so you could lose it all and you would know exactly how to start again. Yeah. A hundred percent. Mm-Hmm. And I think that's, you know, you look at millionaires, billionaires, how many times have they have gone bankrupt or lost all their money and then got it all back? Yeah. Yeah. And so you have to put things into. Alignment with your values and what's important to you. I mean, I'm very strong in my spiritual beliefs. And so I know that I will always be taken care of and that I always have everything that I need. and putting that in perspective and, and choosing not to have a business in fear. That was my biggest things when I was in the salon suite thinking I want something bigger. I want something more, but I'm scared. Yeah. What if I can't pull it off or whatever. Yeah. What if I fail? Mm-Hmm. But you can't think like that. Yeah. You can't. Yeah, you have to have the willpower, the desire, that that mindset and the discipline to say, I will make it happen no matter what with an wavering faith. And I think once you make enough big risk choices, you realize how shallow of a thought that is, because you realize, like, even if things don't go how I think they're gonna go, which they're not going to, you know, guarantee that, like, you realize that, like, you're gonna learn exactly what you need to learn, and, like, you want so bad to be able 10 steps ahead, but like you are so clueless on what you need to learn in those next nine steps that it is so shallow to think, Oh, but I'm going to lose it. It's like, it is so much deeper and more complex than just losing it. You're going to learn so much, which is going to send you in 10 different trajectories, just like that's happened with you. And I think people remembering that, but if not, if you just stay in one place, you're guaranteed that you're not going to get to that, that step 10. And so I think that's important for people to remember as well. Where there's adversity, your character is being built and looking at all of the challenges that you will face. It's inevitable. You will face obstacles making that choice. What will you do with that? What can you learn from that? And maybe that's also a sign of this is, this is preparing you for something that's even greater and bigger in front of you. And you don't know it. You can't see it. You can't force your way into understanding it. You just have to kind of surrender. Yeah. Yeah. Yes. And I've heard you say faith over fear at least three times now. And I think that's just the answer. And I love that. Yeah, that's amazing. All right. I struggle when people ask me this, these questions, but now I'm curious and I want to ask you. So I've, I've learned where you came from and kind of where you're at currently. Do you have like a vision on the horizon right now that you're working towards? Is, is there, obviously there's ideas that pop up at night and things like that, but like, what is your next, you know, I always say the headlights, I'm sorry. I hate when people ask me that, too, but I want to know. Yes, I, I'm always thinking about what's next. What more can I do? What more can I give? And, What I would like to do is be able to build my salon so that it is a well oiled machine and it's very close to that. I'm very fortunate to be in that position, but how much more can we grow? I would love to open up a beauty school. Ooh, I love that. I love that. So, I actually have been in several meetings now, and it takes a ton of capital, capital to do. And, you know, we'll see what happens, but our industry truly needs Better schools, you know, I was just talking about this on a mastermind call on Monday, a girl, I call them big magic ideas. Have you ever heard of big magic by Elizabeth Gilbert? That book talks about the idea drops in. It's yours. I think soul tribe was a big magic idea. It sounds like you've had a million of those. And a girl said something on a call yesterday of just like, you know, I had this idea pop in and she's not in Illinois. So I didn't know the legalities. I don't know like legalities of Illinois either. But she's like, what does it take to open a school? It was kind of that glimmer. And I was pointing out Our industry, over the last 10 years, 7 years, has elevated so incredibly much. But you are exactly right, schools have not, it doesn't seem like they've changed since I don't know, the beginning of time. Like, it seems like there's been almost no evolution in that space. After school, yes, we have become a whole different breed of professionals, but I wonder if that's kind of maybe the next wave in the next ten or so years to realize to get back to the root of it. Because it is broken. I, I very, very, very, A few stylists do I talk to that say, I had an incredible cosmetology school experience. It prepared me exactly how I needed to be prepared. And I was ready to go when I graduated. Nobody says that. You know, I, I think that some people have had a great school experience the area that we live in, some of my employees, they all went to a similar school and had a great experience. Okay, good. At the same time, you're right. The curriculum has been the same for 40 years. And yes, I do believe that theory can remain consistent. However, I do believe that we can modify and modernize what the curriculum is in addition to different opportunities. And I know that they are trying to implement financial planning, how to start a business, professional development. How do you communicate with people, your team, customers? And you can only do so much within the hours that are allowed for your state, especially if there is financial aid in place. And so there is a lot of restrictions when it comes to compliance and what the state is requiring versus what the Your vision of what you want. So I do believe that change can happen if enough people are being vocal about what we can do or what, what ideas that we have that should be implemented. I do believe if we can just lock arms together, bridge that gap together. Yeah. So it definitely is going to take people who have that heart, that vision. Obviously we need money to do this. Totally. I'm going to start a GoFundMe page. We can put it in the show notes. It's crazy expensive. But you know what, I do believe if something is placed in your heart, explore it. And one of my mentors told me you need to just explore it. I'm sorry, but I'm, I'm spiritual, but you need to just keep on praying. You can get as spiritual as you want to get. I will not judge whatever direction you go in. Speak openly. Yeah. I, I, you know, he said to me, just pray that God will continue to make it obvious of what path you should choose. Because when you're talking about opening up a business, it's high, high risk. I could lose everything. I could go bankrupt. However, there is a lot of people who've had success. Yeah, when you see that, then you know that there is a way that you can also be successful in that. So long story short, that is. That's really what I would like to pursue, and I hope that it does happen. Yeah. And Thank you for saying that out loud. I know that's scary. And I am excited that you are going to have this clip to go back to, though. The day that you cut the ribbon to your beauty school one day, though. And I know that's scary to say those things out loud when there's still just an idea and nothing is happening, but I appreciate that. And it gives everyone else permission to dream a little bit bigger. Because We can all do so much. And like you said, sure, it's tons of risk. Could you go bankrupt? Could you lose it all? Anybody who's created any innovation in this world has been brave enough to do that. And that's why we have the amazing things that we have. And so like it takes people who are brave enough to do that. Absolutely. And, you know, I think that when it comes to your dreams or opening up a business or doing something, if it doesn't scare you a little, it's not big enough. Now I feel really scared. So I know it's a big, big, this is my beehive, right? A big, audacious goal. I like that. And I'm going for it. I'm going to just keep on going. Like I said, until God says, All right, you're not on the right path. And that's okay, too. You know, I think that with the salon, there's, that's, that's the such the great thing about this industry. You could be a platform artist, a salon suite owner, a salon owner, an educator, a digital creator, a mastermind leader, podcast host. It is endless of opportunities and the creativity and beauty behind it and the community. Oh, this is why I have this possibly unhealthy obsession. Well, I'm over here feeling the same way. Like I said, I just DM'd you on Instagram. We have spoken very few words to each other. And as this, as we're doing this whole podcast, I'm just like, Oh my God, this is good. Like, I'm so grateful that I've reached out. That we've gotten to connect. You have shared so much wisdom here, and I know we're going to stay in touch, especially now that I know that how close we are to each other. I'm definitely would love to stay connected with you. Do you have any final thoughts, Jennifer, before we wrap up? Anything else you want to share with anybody? Sure. I would say, well, first of all, thank you so much for the honor and opportunity to be here with, with the soul tribe. I think this is so amazing what you're doing and giving back, creating connections. I mean, that's so valuable. I guess that's what I would say is find your tribe, find the group of people that can lift you up and really help talk that little voice out of you to keep going and to keep growing. I think that we have so much potential that is not unlocked. We have these fears, we have comparison, I, comparisonitis. Yep, we do. Of what other people are doing and you know what? You have your own gifts, your own journey, and just keep moving forward and And and keep giving back. Yeah. And I think that there's a saying from I think it's Zig Ziglar. If you help enough people get what they want, then you will eventually get what you want. I love that. I live by that. I love that. I think that is a great note to end on. I will I will chisel that into stone. That is a good one. Okay. Thank you again, Jennifer. So happy to connect with you. Thank you everybody for listening. I will leave everything. Linked in the show notes, at least how you can get in touch with Jennifer if you want to follow her, if you want to listen to her podcast we'll chat a little bit more after we are done recording and if there's any, you know, links or anything that she wants to include, we will have that all there. So thank you again so much for listening. I am grateful as fuck for you all and I will talk to you next week. Bye!