BUILDING & BREAKING with Nina L. Kovner

Latest Episodes:

Salon Client Education, Haircare Myths and Lifetime Client Value Jan 10, 2024

Show notes

In this episode, Nina dives deeper into a post shared last week on the Passion Squared socials that spoke to the Stanley cup memes and folks comparing them to investing in professional salon products. The memes were funny and also created an opportunity to talk about brand value and lifetime salon client value. The deeper dive in this episode is about understanding the connection between educating your salon clients, and how that can translate into lifetime client value; the amount of joy, happiness, referrals and revenue your clients bring you over the lifetime of your relationship. Nina shares some perspective and insight from a comment on that post, challenging the idea of recommending 'non-professional' product alternatives to salon clients who do not have the budget for professional products. The truth is, the actual value and differentiation of professional salon products come from you, the pro, the expert behind the bottle, and not always from what's inside the bottle. Please listen to this with an open heart and mind. And if you have questions, I'd love to hear from you. You can find the original post here, and find us on the socials here and here, and the web here. Thank you for listening!

2024: The Year of Perspective for The Salon Industry Jan 03, 2024

Show notes

In this episode, Nina proclaims 2024 to be the year of perspective for the salon industry. One viral TiKTok or some comments from random strangers on the Internet is not fact, or truth. The algorithms are designed to feed off our enragement and discourse. Because of that, we are collectively losing perspective around how different salon businesses and models work, how salons make decisions aligned with their brands, and how salons grow. Whether it be overcorrecting and confusing healthy boundaries and walls, connecting the prices you charge and client feedback with your personal worth, tossing out the fundamentals of client retention and happiness, deciding salon business ownership wasn't for you, having the best year ever, or the worst, we talk about it all to help you regain and retain perspective to have a more awesome, authentic and aligned with your brand year. You can find Passion Squared on the socials here and here, and on the web here. You can learn more about Creating Your Awesome Salon Brand here. Thank you so much for listening. Cheering you on, every day, always!

SPECIAL GUEST Roxan McDonald On Storytelling, TikTok, Not Being Nice and So Much More Sep 01, 2023

Show notes

In this special episode of the pod, Nina is joined by author, writer, storyteller, content creator, and small business owner Roxan McDonald. Roxan shares her story of how she became a writer and storyteller, her viral rise on TikTok, not being nice, where gratitude fits in her recovery and life, moving to a new country and we dive into Roxan's latest creation, the Spiritual AF Activity Book and Journal. You can find Roxan on the socials here and her new book here. You can find Passion Squared on the socials here and on the web here. Thank you so much for listening!

Navigating Difficult Conversations with Salon Clients Jul 03, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Nina responds to a question from Evan Joseph about dealing with a salon client who is being unreasonable and combative. There are several things to consider when deciding how to handle upset or angry salon clients; your business Agreements, your brand, lifetime client value, and the outcome you seek. Having healthy boundaries is essential in business, and Nina shares a few different ways to respond to these situations in a healthy way along with an example from My AwesomeAF Healthy Boundary Handbook which has several conversation frameworks like this to help you navigate the most common issues that arise. You can find Nina on the socials here and here, and on the web here. You can get a copy of My AwesomeAF Healthy Boundary Handbook here. Thank you so much for listening. And thank you @evanjosephcurls for inspiring this episode.

Dear Salon Industry, We Need To Talk About Home Care Solutions for Your Clients Jun 20, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Nina talks about the true purpose of providing home care solutions for your clients and some of the false narratives being shared in the professional salon industry. The truth is, your client's happiness matters not just on the day of their salon visit, but also, all the days in between. The purpose of offering home care is not about money or profits, it is one of the results, however, not the most important result, which is client happiness and convenience. Nina also breaks down the simple math of professional home care, dispelling a narrative about it not having any profit. These narratives, which lack significant context, cause harm and create confusion. It doesn't have to be that way. Together, we can change the narrative, which allows you to make more aligned decisions for your business and brand. Thank you so much for listening. You can find Passion Squared on the web here and on the socials here and here.

The $100K Email: Building Care, Trust, and Value with Your Existing Clients Jun 05, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Nina shares some simple, high-impact ways to show clients you care, build trust, and create more value for them. These simple actions, which have nothing to do with social media or algorithms, can help you retain awesome clients, and help you generate more revenue in the process. Also in this episode, Nina shares the real reason behind their obsession with squirrels, birds, and trees which is a story of hope and healing. You can find Nina and Passion Squared on the web here and on the socials here and here. Thank you for listening!

ENCORE: A Different Look at Team Handbooks and Client Agreements May 29, 2023

Show notes

One way to reduce team discourse, leadership overwhelm and angst is to have clear, simple, aligned, and compassionate communication. And while that sounds like, duh Nina, the truth is it's one of the most common reasons discourse is created in the first place, and why people quit. Unmet expectations, broken promises, or misaligned expectations come back to communication. In this episode, Nina shares the Awesome Team Handbook framework they created for clients of Passion Squared, along with some crucial details and context. Whether it's team, tenant, or client agreements, the more clear you are on your brand, the more clear your communications will be. Healthy communication, happy people. You can find the Team Handbook Template here, the Client Agreements Framework here, and find Nina on the socials @passionsquared and at passionsquared.net Thank you so much for listening!

Healthy Boundaries: Conversation Framework for Pricing Discussions with Clients May 07, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Nina shares the Healthy Boundary Conversation Framework from My AwesomeAF Healthy Boundary Handbook to help guide you through some of the more challenging discussions when salon clients are asking about the pricing of your services and when you have a price increase. Nina also walks you through the differences between healthy boundary communications on price increases and no boundary communications. You will immediately feel the difference. You can apply these frameworks to any difficult conversation, and the ones you tend to avoid. We also talk about Taylor Swift, because, of course, we do. You can find My AwesomeAF Healthy Boundary Handbook here and find Passion Squared on the socials here. Thank you so much for listening!

Not Everyone Goes To A Salon: A Lesson In Marketing & Your Mindset Apr 24, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Nina shares some much-needed context to help you understand the difference between salon-going and non-salon going consumers, which helps you better define your own target market, dream clients, or what we call at Passion Squared, brand people. When you have clarity around this, you can spend more time focusing on who you serve, and less time and frustration on the folks who simply don't see value in a salon experience or never will. Nina also shares a super important marketing fundamental to help you align your pricing with your brand, strategy, business model, objectives, and desired outcomes and simplify your decision-making. You can find us on the socials @passionsquared and on the web here. Thank you so much for listening!

It's Time To Dismantle The Salon Retail Narrative Apr 03, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Nina invites you to dismantle a decades-old narrative about salon "retailing". The truth is, your clients come to you because of your professional experience and expertise which includes how to maintain their hair, skin, etc. at home. The purpose and objective of educating your clients and recommending home care products and tools are to ensure your clients are happy. The outcome of happy clients is a happy business, which includes additional revenue. Money is not the objective, however, it can be one of the outcomes. If you choose not to educate your clients, you cannot get mad when they seek that education elsewhere, be it the drugstore aisle, Amazon, YouTube, or TikTok. You can find the most recent post we discussed in this episode here. You can find us on the web at passionsquared.net and on the socials @passionsquared Thank you so much for listening!