Dear Younger Me

Have you ever heard the song Dear Younger Me by MercyMe? I had an opportunity to see them perform while on a Love Like You Mean It, cruise. Yes, we are those people. We’ve done quite a few cruises such as the Disney cruise and even a Fit-Fun cruise! I won’t mentioned that I put on seven pounds on the fitness cruise—who does that?!  I blame the spirits, lol.

Well, in the song, Dear Younger Me, he contemplates what he would say to his younger self if given the chance. Have you ever thought about this?

What would you tell your younger self? Would your goal be to help your younger self avoid pain? Or maybe you’d want your younger self to have more courage and try more adventures? Going back in time isn’t possible, but when we write a love note to our younger selves, we can keep that as a reminder when life feels hard or when life throws us curveballs.

Will you try it? I will! Here’s my love note to pre-teen Kati.

Dear Kati,

You don’t have to hide who you are or your feelings. You don’t always have to be strong—or have the answers. You are made to be authentic. You were made to seek strength outside of yourself. Trust God and His plan for your life. Don’t believe the lies about your worth. You are beautiful—perfectly created for a purpose. You don’t have to settle for less than you deserve. You are wonderful just as you are. You don’t need food or drugs for comfort. You are capable of so much. When you start believing, you will accomplish more than you ever thought possible. You will discover that you cannot do anything alone, so remember to stay humble, kind, and compassionate. You will go through hard things, but it will all make sense someday. Those hard things will shape you and sanctify you. This life is a journey. Take your time and enjoy every little blessing and miracle you experience. There will be many. And finally, I want you to keep the faith. Never give up. You’ll want to quit when things feel too heavy—too unbearable for one person. But do not lose heart. You are never alone no matter how isolated life can feel. You will always have the Lord. Blessed are those that find their refuge in Him. Blessed are you, Kati. You are chosen, accepted, and loved. Believe it and spend every day making sure the people in your life believe it too.

We Can’t Change the Past

I realize that we cannot change what has already taken place. But someday the season we’re in right now will become “a long time ago.” How will that effect our future? What choices in mindset and behavior will we make today that will impact our tomorrow?

My hope is, we remember the same truths we express to ourselves in our note. That we would live fearlessly and with tremendous love, joy, hope, and peace. We will get through every trial. We will experience the goodness of life. There’s a lot to look forward to. I will choose to live expectedly for good things. Will you join me?

Until next time,

Stay Strong & Be Inspired

What I've Learned From a Social Media Sabbatical

Hello friends, I’m Kati Whitledge, the founder of Be Inspired Salon. Welcome back to the Be Inspired blog where our goal is to inspire, inform, and include you.

Have you ever reached a point of such overwhelm that you know you just need a break? That’s how I felt in late 2020 after experiencing the most disruption I’ve ever endured in my adult life.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been on social media ever since MySpace arrived. It wasn’t a problem for me for many years. But slowly I started feeling more anxious, less confident, and more obsessed with making sure I liked, commented, and shared the best posts possible. It was sucking the life out of me.

DO I SHARE?

I debated whether to share this because we utilize social media to generate brand awareness sand encourage future guests to work with us. But what’s most important? More eyes on our ads or more hearts at peace?

I wanted peace in my life again, so I officially logged off of Facebook and Instagram on December, 1st 2020. At first it was challenge. I was tempted to log into my husband’s account just to see what I was missing out on. But after about a week, I felt the benefits. And wow—there are many!

STRONGER THAN TECHNOLOGY?

As an avid reader, learner, and studier of psychology, marketing, and behavioral science, I am well aware of the intentional grip technology apps want to have on us. They’re made to be used often. They’re created to keep you logged in and ever present to receive the unending messages, ads, and offers.

Though I knew this logically, I wasn’t strong enough to battle the emotional responses I had when I spent my days in and out of social media. I started to notice that I was becoming short with my family—even angry at times. I noticed I wasn’t fully present with family and friends at events. I wasn’t posting my own photos for fun anymore. It became work—a strategy. I started overthinking everything I shared, everything I said, and how I said it. To the point where I felt inauthentic—it didn’t feel like me! 

I started thinking to myself, who the heck am I? What do I believe? What do I enjoy? What is happening in our city, country, and world? I hit a breaking point. And that’s when I knew it was time to remove the distraction of social media.

WHAT I’VE LEARNED

1.       I learned that no one misses me on social media. That may sound obvious, but one of my fears when exiting was that I would somehow lose some street cred. I thought I’d be out of site and out of mind. Fortunately, or unfortunately, everyone is busy and when they’re on social, there’s so much to take in that if one person drops of their radar, there’s plenty of stimulation to replace them. This was truly a relief!

2.        I learned that there’s life beyond social media. My network, my friends, and my social life used to somewhat live on social. What a sad thing. But now, I have life more abundantly. I may not know the newest hairstyle a celebrity is rocking, but the relationships with the people in my life have strengthened—deepened. I’ve gotten to know my neighbors, their kids, and my community. It’s so much more rewarding and real. It’s like going back in time—a time where you get to know the people you encounter in your community and you all live life together. It’s awesome! 

3.        I’ve learned that freedom is on the other side of social media. There’s no more obligation to post, share, like, or comment. When I want to engage with others, I do that through text, phone calls, or face-to-face. I don’t have anxious feelings, comparison challenges, or lingering anger or sadness. Was it that I wasn’t strong or sensible? Or was it that I eventually saw the signs and effects social was having on me?  What I know is, now I have peace, joy, hope, and the love of the people I’m interacting in life with every day.

4.        I’ve learned that our companies can thrive without my personal social media presence. There was always this weight that I felt, where I needed to be the face of our companies and have my own influential platform as well. I’ve been encouraged many times to share more about my lifestyle, myself, my thoughts, or my advice. It was a lot of pressure. But leaving social didn’t hurt our businesses, it actually helped me think clearly, review our companies, and focus on exponential growth! Another affirmation of the freeing effect of leaving social media.

TO COME BACK OR TO NOT COME BACK

This is the question. I don’t know!  I’m truly enjoying this break. I’m seeing a lack of need for my presence on social. But I won’t discount the future. There might be a time where it makes sense for me to connect with specific audiences for specific reasons. But, then again, maybe not. I don’t want to have an end date or startup date. I just love that life feels good, calm, peaceful, and the people we are living life with are happy, hopeful, and thriving. That’s where I want to be and that’s what I want to surround myself with.

WILL YOU TAKE A BREAK?

I’m not sure if this is helpful or encouraging for you. I don’t know where you’re at with the social media topic? But, if you’ve thought about the break and you’re scared of what you might miss out on, I’m here to say, you won’t miss out! Rather, you will embrace life in a new way. You will invite new things into your life that are tangible and rewarding. Life is good here :) If you decide to try this for a while, please email me back and let me know how it goes!

Thanks for allowing me to share this personal topic with you.

Until next time,

Be Inspired & Stay Strong

Drug Addict to Dream Achiever

I Never Finished High School

It may come as a surprise to know that I didn’t get a normal high school diploma. The bigger surprise might be that it’s because I was what others describes as a troubled teenager.

I grew up in Portage, Wisconsin—a town of 10,000 located near Wisconsin Dells. There’s not much in Portage besides a couple factories, a Walmart, and a maximum-security prison. Most people living in that area are either middle-class or low-income households. We were a middle-class family. My dad pastored Grace Bible Church for over 39 years and my mom retired at the age of 72 from the payroll department at the Portage Hospital. We grew up in a 1200 sq/ft ranch home as a family of five. When I was a child, I felt we had it all.

As time passed, I struggled to love myself. I was raised part-time by my grandparents because my siblings were so much older than I was, and they were off doing middle-school sports by the time I was in Kindergarten. In addition, I developed a food addition at a very young age. Of course, I didn’t know that until I was an adult, but I became an overweight, borderline obese, child.

Thankfully, I was a very active child. I participated in everything—sports, theater, church, art, and many more activities. It was as early as fourth grade that I struggled with being made fun of. I suppose we’d now say that I was bullied. But I didn’t feel like a victim. Instead of shrinking, I fought back. So much so, that I started to get in trouble often. I remember a boy made fun of me on the playground and I waited for him to walk through the doors after recess—so I could kick his butt! Lol.  Most might encourage a girl to stand up for herself like this, but I got in bigtime trouble. And that was the beginning.

Even though I maintained a four-sport activity level, I started hanging out with questionable influences as soon as middle school. By my freshman year of high school, I had started smoking cigarettes. By my sophomore year, I smoked marijuana, and had earned my first of five underage drinking tickets.

Things only progressed. I believe having been apart of the drug scene myself, that smoking weed is absolutely a gateway to bigger highs and trying other drugs. I tried almost all of them. And as a result of my lifestyle, I lost all school related opportunities. I could no longer participate in musicals, sports, or any other positive extra curriculum activities.

I’ll never forget trying out for Cheerleading one year because secretly I wanted to be a Cheerleader so bad, and I really wanted to turn my life around. I worked very hard with one of my friends who was a cheerleader. I learned to be a base which meant I could lift others up. I learned how to do jumps and even the splits! I had the passion, the drive, and felt my audition went awesome. Later, the coach let me know that I did great—but she felt I wasn’t a good representative of our community, so I didn’t make the squad. I was crushed. I really wanted to turn a leaf, start anew, and be a part of something healthy and positive.

Feeling more rejection, I just continued to step into a lower level of life choices. I didn’t think I was great, others didn’t think I was a good person, so f--- it. I’ll just get high and try to forget about it all.

Moving to Madison

As soon as I could, I moved to the big city of Madison—where nobody knew me or my family. It was a fresh start. But I realized quickly that you cannot run away from your problems. And in Madison, where nobody knew me, I could do more partying without the same repercussions. So, I sunk deeper and deeper into the pit. My body grew larger and larger. I completely lost myself and everyday my only goal was getting high.

In the eyes of the majority, I was a loser. I couldn’t hold a job; I qualified for food stamps and bought my groceries with the EBT card. I joked that I was taking advantage of the system—but truly I was very ashamed. The one job I was able to hold down was at the Fashion Bug where I earned six dollars per hour selling clothing to women and upselling credit cards at their checkout. I enjoyed helping women feel great in their clothes and I loved achieving sales goals.

While working in retail, my party lifestyle continued. But something happened. Something I can only say is divine. One day I woke up and I could not get something off my mind. A couple days prior I witnessed someone shooting-up crystal meth—I felt my eyes open. It was supernatural. It truly was as if scales had fallen off my eyes and I could see myself and life clearly. I knew today was the last day I’d be in this state of life. God had saved me from death and complete destruction. I knew that this was not the life I was meant to live. That day I quit doing everything cold turkey. Though this was considered hitting rock-bottom, this wasn’t the rock-bottom I had experienced before. There were plenty of nights through those years where I should’ve been scared to ever do drugs again. But it wasn’t God’s timing for my life.

I immediately found a sublease so I could move out of the East Washington house I was living in, and I moved out on my own. I cut off all ties to everyone I knew and for almost a year, I flew solo in the endeavor toward different. I wasn’t alone though. God was with me—He always had been.

Every evening I spent time in the Bible and everyday I went to work at a women’s specialty gym. In the meantime, my family encouraged me to go to Madison College for Cosmetology. They felt I had an eye for fashion, makeup, and hair. My grandma Fran influenced my love for beauty when I was a young child so I agreed that this path would be a great fit for me.

Well, the Cosmetology program was full. I didn’t want to put off college any longer as I was 23 years old and had so much time to make up for. I was ready, driven, and there was no turning back. So, I joined Madison College’s Group Healthclub Technician program. What better way to get healthy than learn how to help others do the same. It was the first time in my life that I earned a 4.0 the entire year.

Eventually I joined the Cosmetology program. It went incredibly well. It wasn’t that I had a special talent for doing hair—that did not come easy or naturally for me at all, actually—it was that I had a special talent for customer care, communications, and sales. I graduated with honors from their program and was able to have my first graduation party ever.

Fast forward through all the years I’ve been in the industry and you’d guess that I was a thriving female throughout my life. It’s not the case. And the reason I share all of this with you is, I believe you can do anything. I believe you are worthy. I believe you are anointed, gifted, and called to greatness. Please believe in who you were made to be. It’s possible if you’re willing to step out in faith and begin a new journey.

Reflection

• What lie are you believing about yourself that is preventing you from going after your heart’s desires?

• If you knew you could achieve it, what would you start doing today?

• Who can you surround yourself with that thinks, acts, and lives the way you want to?

You don’t have to have all the answers today. I didn’t start Cosmetology thinking I’d own a thriving hair salon and a software technology company—nor did I ever think I’d write, speak, podcast, or be called to marriage and motherhood. All of these blessings are a result of taking that first faithful step. And for me, trusting my Heavenly Father to pave the rest of the way for my life.

My Faith

I know this isn’t a Christian platform and we’re not a Christian business. But it wouldn’t be the truth if I didn’t share my faith in Christ Jesus. There are so many people we entrust with our hearts—even ourselves—and we feel disappointed, shamed, or guilty. But Jesus will never let us down. He will never leave us. He will always love us unconditionally and it will never be because we’re doing good. I wasn’t doing good things when I was living in addiction. But He saved me. He moved toward me and He never gave up hope that I was too far gone. He loves you unconditionally, and He will never judge you, leave you, or be ashamed of you.

Regardless if we feel the same about God, I believe we all have been wonderfully created and the possibilities for our lives are endless. May we trust in the hope of the future and every good thing that is to come.

Until next time,

Be Inspired

What We're Not Being Told About Change

Hello friends, I’m Kati Whitledge, the founder of Be Inspired Salon. Welcome back to the Be Inspired blog where our goal is to inspire, inform, and include you.

I’m thrilled to be with you again today to share something eye-opening that I realized nobody is telling us about change. I’m going to jump right to the answer, which is, they’re not telling us that it’s going to take a long time.  

This isn’t pertaining to changing your hairstyle or changing your haircare products. Rather, this is about changing the trajectory of your life in one or more life categories. I’m assuming we all have areas we’d like to change, and I’m making this assumption because in 2018, the market data showed that we spend $11 Billion annually on self-improvement. Wow. What is it that you want to change, improve, or see growth in your life?

It’s Not a 20-Day Fix

Have you ever taken a 21-day, 6-week, whole-30, or any challenge like this? There are so many of them out there! I’ve participated in many of them and I think they’re great! But there’s something they’re not telling you. They’re not telling you that real, long-lasting change will take more like 24 months—not 21 days.

We’re not being asked to try a two-year challenge because most of us would be overwhelmed to think about how long of a commitment that is. Two-years? Might as well be twenty-years! LOL.

But, for the kind of lasting change we deeply desire, we must be willing to stick with it for the long haul.

Don’t Give up Too Soon

I believe one of the reasons we may not be seeing lasting change in our lives is, we are giving up too soon. We get discouraged too easily and too soon in the process.

For example, if we work out for a few weeks in a row but we don’t notice significant changes on the scale, we might feel like what we’re doing isn’t working for us. We end up getting discouraged, overthinking our plan, and ultimately, we give up.

Or, maybe over the next month we put in extra time at work to show that we’re capable of more responsibility and more opportunities. But no one at our job seems to notice—so we’re disappointed, and figure it’s no longer worth the effort, and we stop working on our performance.

No! We are giving up too early and we’re missing the compounding effect that will occur with a long-term, consistent commitment. How different would your approach be if you stuck with small, simple steps toward change for the next two years without over evaluating your progress?

It Will Pay off BIG TIME

In our welcome blog, I shared how simple and yet impactful it is to go back to the basics. A part of my going back to the basics has been re-reading the book, The Compound Effect. In it we learn that it takes doing small, positive habits on a daily basis in order to see massive change over time.

Would you rather have a penny that doubles in value every day over the next 31 days, or would you rather be handed $3 million in cash today? Most of us would just take the $3 million! But, what if you take the penny and patiently trust the process? By day ten you may get nervous to see that your penny is only $5.12. By day twenty, you’d have $5,243. Now you’re sweating… could’ve had that $3 million right then and there. But if you stick with the plan, you’ll earn a whopping $10,737,418.24 by day 31. Incredible! This is the compound effect!

Which category or categories of your life are you committed to growth this year? How can you create simple habits today that will have a huge impact on your life two years from now? How will you overcome the times that arise that may cause distraction, discouragement, or disappointment?

May we all stay encouraged and hopeful this year, and never give up on our potential.

Until next time,

Stay strong.

For the Fun of It

What Do You Do for The Fun of It? Everyone has something they do purely for the fun of doing it. Whether it’s reading, singing, running, watching your favorite sports’ teams, going to national parks, swimming, and the list goes on.

Hello friends, I’m Kati Whitledge, the founder of Be Inspired Salon. Welcome back to the Be Inspired blog where our goal is to inspire, inform, and include you.

When I was four years old, my older siblings reached an age where their sports and extracurricular activities took up a fair amount of time. My parents were taking them to either a football practice or a volleyball game. And since I was so much younger, I would stay with my grandma and grandpa.

My grandma Fran was iconic to me. She was the most stylish, generous, loving, and confident woman. I found out that when she was younger, she lived in California and was a nail technician at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. Among her clients were the Gabor sisters!  Once, she shared how Clark Gable used to pull up and pick up his dates from the hotel. How cool is that?! Well, needless to say, Grandma Fran had quite the impact on me.

Every Friday we would drive from their country home into Portage, Wisconsin, and we’d get our hair done at the Precision Hair Designers. Grandma Fran would either be getting a perm or a weekly roller-set and style. She would always treat me to a hairstyle service too. Because of this I’ve tried many hairstyles throughout the years. I even went through the classic 1980s perm phase!

Grandma Fran and I did this for the fun of it. It became our thing. Who knew that going to the beauty salon with her would influence my life and vocation?

Beauty Salons are Magical

The magic that happens at a beauty salon far exceeds the cool Instagram photo we get to post following a new balayage color and haircut. It transcends the superficial. There’s a unique feeling we get when we see others around us experience the joy of a fresh hairstyle. The happiness displayed on the faces of the team members who passionately perform each service with joy, love, and care. The special feeling of community where even though we don’t know the people in the stylists’ chairs around us—we feel like we’re a part of the same neighborhood. There’s truly nothing quite like it!

Grandma Fran is no longer with us but I think of her often. I remember the many life lessons she taught me. She spoke truth and life into me. I knew that I could do anything I dreamed of and anything I was willing to work hard for. Who knew I could work hard at something I used to do for the fun of it?

Stylists don’t typically choose to do hair because it’s a strategic career path that equips them with a modern skill set for our current market. No, we do it for the fun of it. And it is an honor to get compensated for our passion.

As you navigate through a new season and a new year. What is it that you do for the fun of it? What brings substantial fulfillment to your heart and soul? May this be the year you are able to more of what you love, and more—just for the fun of it.

Until next time,

Stay Strong.

Inspired by The Sunshine

Welcome back to the Be Inspired blog where our goal is to inspire, inform, and include you. I’m Kati Whitledge, the founder of Be Inspired Salon. I am so happy to be here with you today. When I was thinking about what blog topic would be inspiring this week, I thought—how about Wisconsin weather? Yes! LOL.

Do you feel more positive and hopeful this time of year, and especially this year? Spring is on its way and the sun is shining more often. It feels like a new beginning. A new season. More warmth, sun, and growth all around us. More opportunities to get outside and more opportunities to be with others.

What are the things you’re looking forward to this Spring?

For me it’s the simple things. I’m excited to go for walks, take our son to the park, have BBQs, bonfires, and patio chats with our neighbors. There’s something invigorating about breathing in the fresh air—except now we now live in Waunakee, so the fresh air seems to always have a hint of cow manure here —but we’ll get used to it. Haha!

At Be Inspired Salon, we are looking forward to seeing more guests who are starting to venture out more often. We are excited to see new faces as well. We’re already experiencing more phone calls, interest, and appointment reservations. We are very thankful for this!

Three Spring Tips

In an effort to provide valuable information in this blog, I’ll share my top three tips for a healthy, happy Spring season.

1.       Continue taking Vitamin D

Though we are going to get more sunshine, I’ve learned that we never have enough vitamin D—especially in Wisconsin. Here’s an informative video on why Vitamin D is one of the most important supplements we can take. And if you’re in need of a highly effective and trustworthy supplement source, I highly recommend our friend and neighbor, The Healthy Place! Tell them we Be Inspired Salon sent you and you’ll receive 15% savings at your first visit!)

2.       Remember your Sunscreen

I’ve not been the poster child for sunscreen. I always thought that since I wasn’t out in the sun for long periods of time, or actually sunbathing, that I didn’t need to worry about it. I always wore sunscreen if we were at the beach or at an outdoor event for an extended period, but I never thought it was that big of a deal to skip it on a regular basis. That was until the owner of Aneu Med Spa, Amie Neumaier, handed my rear-end to me. What actually happened is, she told me that my injections and dermaplaning investments were worthless if I didn’t wear sunscreen. It was the worse bad-skin-habit I could make. It was an intense conversation and education—and I loved it! From that day forward I started wearing sunscreen a couple times. LOL. Kidding—I wear it regularly in the Spring and Summer now. Hey! It’s a start.

3.       Breath In, Sweat Out

I’m thrilled that our friends at Dragonfly Hot Yoga have reopened! This is their slogan—breath in, sweat out. I learned the importance of breathing after beginning my yoga practice at Dragonfly. We all tend to breath too shallow and fail to experience the substantial benefits that deep breathing does for our health! And I don’t’ know if you’re like me in that I need to attend the class to do the thing. Meaning, I’m not faithful to taking time to focus on breathing everyday unless I’m in a class and they prompt me to do it. Whether I’m in one of their on-demand virtual classes or in-person. I feel incredible and revived after breathing through a yoga class!

The movement is also so good for our long-term mobility. I once heard a quote that you’re as young as your spine is flexible. I’m not a great Yogi in the sense of looking super flexible or super fly while doing yoga, but I feel awesome—and that’s what it’s all about 😊

Let the Sunshine In

I hope the sunshine inspires you this Spring! Here’s to a bright, healthy, and inspired week, and season ahead.

Until next time.

Stay strong!

Welcome to the Be Inspired Blog

Hello everyone! I’m Kati Whitledge, the founder of Be Inspired Salon. We may or may not have met, but I want you to know I am grateful you are here! I’m beginning an initiative to share inspiration and at times, motivation, because we are all heavily distracted so what’s one more thing to pay attention to? LOL. But, for real, we have many negative distractions and I wanted to have a proactive hand in something positive to lean into, share, and think about. Do you ever just take time to think?

I’m sure we’ve all had plenty of thinking time in the last year, haven’t we? I don’t know about you, but I tend to get paralysis by analysis. I found myself so overwhelmed that I didn’t know what to do or where to start. I lived a reactionary lifestyle and as a result I found myself aged and worn down. But this is not a victim’s blog. This is a blog to rebound ourselves and find the victory we either once had or need to take hold of now.

To live victoriously, we have to choose taking ownership over excuses. Responsibility over denial. And accountability over shifting blame. Only then will we reap abundantly the positive things we sow. Or to put it plainly, we will get what we want in life!

Back to the Basics

I recently met with a friend to catch up and share how things have been going this new year. I’m grateful to share that this year is off to a fabulous start. It hasn’t been without bumps or bruises, but it’s new, it’s refreshing, and it has the potential to be whatever I believe it can be. What do you believe is possible this year?

Meeting for coffee seems so subtle and yet what an impact it is to have face-to-face human connection, especially with someone who knows you—like the real you—and still loves you. When you are with someone who genuinely cares for you and wants to see you win at life, you’re able to gain perspective that you may not otherwise see. Think of it as a thirty-foot view of your life. How often are you taking time to look from that vantage point?

The beauty of our friendship is, we do this for one another. We share our hopes, fears, and challenges with one another and then give each other feedback—never dressed up or down—always raw and honest. My friend has seen me at my best and my worst. Who’s the friend in your life like this?

To give you a backdrop here, there was once upon a time when I had shed over 95lbs of weight. I was a fitness machine and working machine. I was growing Be Inspired Salon while simultaneously starting a software-as-a-service company, and an industry business podcast. I felt unstoppable. That was, until we got pregnant. That was a curveball I hadn’t prepared for. What I mean is, I wasn’t prepared for pregnancy to be a trigger for food. Lots and lots of food. We were thankful to start a family, but I was not ready to respond to the temptation of hiding behind a belly bump. Long story short, I’ve not bounced back from the baby weight and my baby starts 4k next year—so that’s embarrassing.

Fast forward to 2019 and I had trimmed up a bit. I was definitely more active and starting to feel pretty darn good about myself again. But then—Covid. Another debilitating trigger that caused me to spiral down like a kid on twisting park slide. Down and down I went. Or should I say, up and up the scale went.

So here I am at coffee with my friend, not living my best life, and ashamed of the defeat against myself. I shared with her that with all the struggles that presented themselves in the last year, what I’m most upset about is, my self-sabotaging behaviors. And deep down I desperately want to get back to the real me that’s somewhere inside this oversized shell. Do you have behaviors you’d like to eradicate this year?

In such a simple way, as it often is, my friend asked me, “what did you do the first time you changed your life in a significant way?”  Boom! This is what we refer to as a blinding flash of the obvious. Just because we are living in a new season of life doesn’t mean that there’s some new magic process to achieving goals you’ve achieved in the past. Or new goals for that matter! The lightbulb went off.

I shared with her that what I did before was I started reading The Compound Effect, by Darren Hardy. I started writing down everything I ate, every workout I did, and I joined a support group. She listened and lovingly said, “it sounds like you just need to go back to the basics.” And she was right.

I hurried home and opened my Audible app, downloaded The Compound Effect, and started listening. I got out an unused notebook and marked off pages with dates to track food and workouts. I started a little competition with my brother-in-law that if I miss my goal of five workouts per week, I will pay him five dollars per day that I miss. He’s doing the same for his goal of waking up at 5am every day. There was no significant meaning of the number five here, just happens to be a similar trend.

When I started listening to this book again it was a divine reminder of all the most important things I had forgotten about. And having new experiences and years under my belt, it was also like hearing it for the first time. Isn’t it funny how perfectly timed things can be? It has all reinforced my mission. Timing matters. And the time is now.  

Is it time for you to go back to the basics? What one or two positive habits would you love to see compounded over the next twenty-four months? Who can you reach out to that will genuinely support you and hold you accountable?  And again, what do you believe is possible for your life?

Let’s do it!

Until next time,

Stay strong.

Four Tips To Increase Profits

Welcome back to my discussion about profits! If you remember my last post, I set the record straight about what being profitable is and isn’t—while busting some myths along the way. (If you want a refresher, read my last post here.) Remember, your profit is what you have left over after all your expenses are paid, all your specific savings are accounted for, and after you’ve paid yourself. Now that you have a solid understanding of what profits are why they are so important, it’s time for the good stuff! Here are four tips for you to increase your business’ profits!

1. Set a goal & track it daily.

   The first way to increase your profitability is to set a growth goal and track it daily. Yes, it can be that simple! Sometimes the only issue preventing our growth is that we don’t have a revenue goal to begin with! If we don’t have a clear target to hit, how can we expect to grow our profits?

   At my business, Be Inspired Salon, we have a monthly revenue goal that we break down into daily goals. Every day, our administrative manager emails me the revenue from the day prior, along with the weekly goal we need to achieve in order to maintain our revenue expectations. Our budget is tied to these numbers, and we share this openly, so everyone on our team is motivated to bring in clients. The real goal here is to have a number to work towards that we track against to hold ourselves accountable.

2. Stop offering discounts.

   The second way to increase your profitability is to STOP offering discounts. Have you heard the saying, success is what you say ‘no’ to? For example, if I wanted to be successful in my pursuit of being super fit and healthy, I’d probably say no to eating fast food. If I wanted to get out of debt, I’d probably say no to friends when they ask me to go on weekend getaways — at least until I am debt free, of course! You get the idea. We don’t have the time in this blog to go through all of the reasons discounts don’t work, but what it comes down to is this: you’re going to attract fickle guests who are easily swayed because you’re using devalue-based propositions. It’s just like shopping at Bed Bath & Beyond without coupons, you wouldn’t do it! Why? Because you know everything in the store is actually worth less, so you’re not willing to pay more. Remember this, people don’t want to pay less, they want to be given more! There are many ways to offer value to your guests’ experience without devaluing your services, products, or people. To learn more about how to get new clients without offering discounts, watch this video!

3. Increase your prices.

   The third way to increase your profitability is to charge more. Seems simple, right? Then, why are we so scared to increase our prices? Our CPAs, attorneys, product companies and contractors are all very willing to increase their prices on an annual basis. We come to expect and accept that is the price of doing business with the people we trust and like to work with. Why would we look at ourselves any differently?

   Did you know inflation increases annually by about 3 percent? This is why we must always be in growth mode! Inflation doesn’t have to be the only reason that you increase your prices. Any time that you add value to your clients’ experience, you can—and should!—increase your prices.

   Here are some examples of reasons that I’ve increased prices at my salon:

   -All stylists at my salon are now certified in (fill in the blank).

   -We offer a new shampoo experience including a hand massage, aromatherapy, and steamed towel.

   -The stylists have been promoted to higher levels related to their benchmark achievements and productivity percentages.

   Of course, these examples are specific to the salon industry, but they can easily translate to other industries, as well. Do you operate a fitness club? Maybe all your employees have completed an advanced certificate in nutrition or fitness. Let’s say you have a brick and mortar clothing boutique; maybe you remodel your space to include a small café with complimentary coffee, snacks, and other beverages to enhance the shopping experience. The possibilities are endless and all should result in increased prices!

4. Think big!

   Finally, the fourth way to increase your profitability is to THINK BIG!  When you’re in growth mode, you’re thinking about all the ways to grow your team, your guest list, your brand, and your long-term potential. As mentioned earlier, this could mean you buy a building! Imagine if your business rented space from you, and you were also able to rent out additional space to other businesses? You essentially get into commercial real estate. Would this shift help you increase your profitability? I’d say so! You could also divide and multiply. Meaning you open second, third, and fourth locations. If your systems, processes, culture, and training procedures are in place, this can be easier than you may think! There are so many ways you can grow profitability if you’re willing to think beyond what’s currently tangible. I hope you’re as excited as I am to think about all the ways to think big, innovate, and watch your profits soar!

Which one of these four tips are you going to take first? I suggest taking one concrete step today toward your goal and building on that step every day! I hope you found these four tips helpful, and for more ideas on how you can increase your profitability, please reach out!