Richard McCabe - Lifestyle Salon Coach

28/10/2026

“I'VE TAKEN THE MOST I'VE EVER TAKEN EVER!!!” ❤️

I bloody love getting messages like this.

This salon owner only took over and started running her salon herself a few months ago.

When she opened, she already had clients and she was a busy stylist.

And I think she naturally thought:

“If I'm busy, the salon will be busy.”

But there's a big difference between filling YOURSELF and filling A TEAM.

That's where the real work starts.

We've just experienced exactly the same thing with our new barber shop.

The first couple of weeks have been brilliant.

But I'm already looking at next week's diary thinking:

If we do nothing, we're going to have a quiet week.

So we're not doing nothing. 😂

We're leafleting.

Running a Facebook ad.

Posting on Instagram.

Looking at where the gaps are.

Because you don't build a busy salon by hoping clients turn up.

You create demand. Every bloody week.

That's exactly what we've been working on with this salon owner too and she's now just had her biggest takings ever. ❤️

If you need more clients, start with two questions:

WHERE are your potential clients looking?

Facebook?
Instagram?
Google?
Walking past your door?

Then:

WHY are they looking for a new salon?

People normally change salons for a reason.

Maybe they can't get an appointment.

They're not being listened to.

Their old salon has become too expensive.

They've moved house.

Their stylist left.

They simply don't feel looked after anymore.

Figure out where they're looking and what problem they're trying to solve.

Then don't just make your salon easy to find...

GIVE THEM A REASON TO CHOOSE YOU.

That's how you start filling a team rather than just filling yourself.

And judging by this message...

it's starting to work. ❤️

27/10/2026

YOU'RE STEALING FROM YOURSELF. 😳
I did it for years.

Every time I looked at the bank and spent money that was actually meant for VAT, wages, stock, rent or another bill...

I was stealing from my future self.

The problem?

There was always more money coming in tomorrow...

The money in the till wasn't mine.

I'm not stupid. 😂

Obviously I knew we had wages, stock, rent, VAT and bills to pay.

But that didn't stop me spending money that actually belonged to them.

Let me explain.

Imagine that every night when you closed the salon, you had to take that day's takings and immediately deduct:

Wages.
Stock.
Rent.
VAT.
Utilities.
Every other cost of opening the doors that day.

How much would actually be left?

For some salons, there wouldn't be enough.

So how are they surviving?

Because tomorrow more money arrives.

And next week more arrives.

So you pay THIS month's bill using money that really needs to be there for NEXT month's bill.

Then more clients come in...

So you borrow from another pot.

Then another.

I call it stealing from another bill.

And while the money keeps coming through the till, you can convince yourself everything's okay.

Until eventually...

IT CATCHES UP WITH YOU.

It did with me.

It eventually cost me more than £60,000 and about a year of working my bloody arse off just to catch back up.

If you're reading this thinking:

“That's me. There's normally JUST enough money, JUST in time...”

You're not alone.

But don't ignore it.

Get ahead of the money.

Start budgeting.

Put your VAT/GST away.

Watch your stock spend I'd be investigating it if it's consistently around or above 10–12%.

Look at your wage bill and your team's productivity are they producing enough revenue relative to what they cost you?

And most importantly...

Stop looking at the money in the bank like it’s yours

Some of that money already belongs to somebody else.

I learned that one the expensive way. 😂

26/10/2026

I didn't open a salon to give myself a harder job.

But for quite a few years...

that's exactly what I'd done. 😂

I had the clients, the team and the turnover.

But I was also the one behind the chair, solving the problems and carrying far too much of the business in my own head.

Eventually I realised I'd already proved I could work hard.

I needed to learn how to make the salon need LESS of me.

That's when I really started learning the numbers, marketing, systems, team productivity and leadership.

And slowly I got myself from working virtually all week behind the chair to just two days.

That's when the biggest thing changed.

I got choices.

I could work because I WANTED to work, not because everything would fall apart if I didn't.

For me, that's what a successful salon should eventually give its owner.

Money. Time. Security. Choices.

You don't have to escape the salon.

You just shouldn't be trapped by it. ❤️

25/10/2026

For years, success in our industry seemed to mean MORE.

More chairs. More staff. More clients. Maybe another salon.

I don't think that's necessarily success anymore.

I'd rather ask:

What is the salon actually giving its owner?

Money. Time. Security. Choices. A future.

Because you've spent years building the business.

At some point, the business needs to start giving something back.

24/10/2026

What would 30% growth actually change for you?

Not just your salon.

You.

Because when I say to a salon owner:

“Let's grow your business by 30%.”

I can almost see what they're imagining. 😂

30% more clients.

30% more hours.

30% more staff problems.

30% more running around.

But that's not how I look at growth.

What if we could get a few more of the right new clients?

Get the clients you've already got returning a little more often?

And increase what they spend when they're with you?

Small improvements across the business can create a bloody big improvement overall.

And THAT'S the growth I'm interested in.

Because another 30% shouldn't just mean a busier salon.

It should mean:

More profit left in the bank.

Being able to pay your team better.

Finally taking yourself off the floor another day.

Putting money into your pension.

Paying down the mortgage.

Taking the holiday without worrying what's happening back home.

Or simply looking at everything you've built and thinking...

“Yes.This Was Bloody Worth It,”

That's what growing your salon should eventually give you.

Not just more turnover. More choices.

I've recorded a training showing you how I'd look for that 30% inside an existing salon.

If you'd like to watch it, comment or message GROW and I'll send it over.

23/10/2026

Being bloody brilliant at hair doesn't guarantee you'll build a brilliant salon.

I think that's something we sometimes discover the hard way.

The skills that make you a fantastic hairdresser aren't automatically the skills you need to build a business.

You've got to learn how to get clients.

Get them back.

Get them to trust your team.

And deliver a consistent experience regardless of who looks after them.

Eventually, the salon needs to become the destination, not you.

That's when you're building something bigger than your own column.

22/10/2026

21/10/2026

30+ new clients every week… but the salon still wasn't filling up.

So rather than doing MORE marketing, we looked at the numbers.

And one dial jumped off the page.

Average return: 46 weeks. 😳

That completely changed what we needed to work on.

The problem wasn't getting people through the front door.

It was getting them to come back through it.

That's why I'm obsessed with finding the hole.

Your numbers shouldn't just tell you how your salon did. They should tell you what to do next.

📸 Picture to use: Screenshot/photo of me looking at the salon's dials/numbers, with anything identifying the client removed. Overlay: 30+ NEW CLIENTS A WEEK… WHERE WERE THEY GOING?

20/10/2026

𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗧 £𝟮𝟬𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗕𝗘𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗘 𝗛𝗘 𝗛𝗔𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗟𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦.

I knew a salon owner who spent £200,000 on his fit-out.

Heated massage chairs. Stunning waiting area. Bespoke cabinetry.

The salon looked incredible.

𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺. 𝗛𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗻'𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗿𝘀.

Two years later, he closed. The debt was too much.

But the real lesson isn't about spending £200,000.

𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗚 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺.

Every salon goes through stages.

- No clients? 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺.
- Clients not returning? 𝗙𝗶𝘅 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.
- Getting busier? 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺.
- Inconsistent service? 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀.
- Busy but not profitable? 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝘄𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀.
- Everything depends on you? 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗲.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴.

Yet so many salon owners are fixing things that aren't their biggest problem.

Posting on Instagram when retention is terrible.

Redesigning the website when profits are disappearing.

Building systems when they desperately need more clients.

Or trying to fix everything at once.

I've been guilty of it too.

But after years of running salons and coaching owners, I've learned something:

# # #𝗕𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝗜𝗦 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗧𝗧𝗬 𝗦𝗜𝗠𝗣𝗟𝗘.

𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗡𝗘𝗫𝗧.

Work on it. Measure it. Then move to the next problem.

That's why numbers matter.

They cut through the noise and tell you where to focus.

Because being busy and working on what actually matters are two very different things.

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝘅 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗧𝘂𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆.

You just need to find the hole that's costing you the most right now. 😂

19/10/2026

True loyalty comes from shared purpose, not just a paycheck. When you give your team reasons to be excited—from global travel to once-in-a-lifetime experiences—they stay because they believe in the journey. Are you providing a path that keeps your staff inspired?