Shawna at Salon 5th Avenue

Soft light.
Thoughtful placement.
Hair that feels calm again.

No rushing.
No forcing.
Just respect for what the hair can do—
and what it needs✌🏻✌🏻

I see these posts constantly.
Screenshots of text threads.
“Help — what do I respond with?”

And while I could help you craft the perfect reply, what I actually need to tell you is this:

𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙎 𝙒𝙄𝙇𝙇 𝙆𝙀𝙀𝙋 𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙋𝙀𝙉𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙐𝙉𝙇𝙀𝙎𝙎 𝙔𝙊𝙐 𝙋𝙍𝙊𝙏𝙀𝘾𝙏 𝙔𝙊𝙐𝙍𝙎𝙀𝙇𝙁 𝙈𝙊𝙑𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙁𝙊𝙍𝙒𝘼𝙍𝘿.

These screenshots aren’t just about this client.
They’re a window into where your business is vulnerable.

Pricing being negotiated.
Policies being challenged.
Availability being pushed.
Corrections being argued.
Entire conversations happening over text, on your nights and weekends.

That’s not a communication issue.
That’s a 𝙇𝘼𝘾𝙆 𝙊𝙁 𝙎𝙏𝙍𝙐𝘾𝙏𝙐𝙍𝙀.

This industry teaches us hair — not business — and most of us learn the hard way, through trial and fire. I’ve been there. Many of us have.

But here’s the truth, whether you’re independent, commissioned, brand new, or 10+ years in:

𝙔𝙊𝙐 𝘼𝙍𝙀 𝙉𝙊𝙏 𝙅𝙐𝙎𝙏 𝘿𝙊𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙃𝘼𝙄𝙍. 𝙔𝙊𝙐 𝘼𝙍𝙀 𝙍𝙐𝙉𝙉𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝘼 𝘽𝙐𝙎𝙄𝙉𝙀𝙎𝙎.

That means:

• Your pricing is non-negotiable — period
• Your availability is what it is — no justification required
• Your cancellation policy is enforced every time
• Deposits protect your time
• Waivers protect your work
• Correction policies are clear before the service, not after
• Extensions, transformative color, and high-risk services require signed expectations

When a client pushes against those boundaries, it’s not a text battle.

𝙄𝙏'𝙎 𝘼 𝙂𝙊𝙊𝘿𝘽𝙔𝙀.

There are systems and apps that allow communication to stay within the business — not your personal phone — so you’re not spending days in emotional back-and-forth over text while trying to live your life.

Your job is to service clients.
Not to negotiate, justify, defend, or emotionally regulate adults through DMs.

The right clients respect structure.
The wrong clients test it.

And protecting yourself doesn’t make you unkind — it makes you professional.

So when you’re asking, “How do I handle this guest?”
The answer isn’t the response to the text.

𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝘼𝙉𝙎𝙒𝙀𝙍 𝙄𝙎 ...
𝙐𝙋𝙃𝙊𝙇𝘿 𝙔𝙊𝙐𝙍𝙎𝙀𝙇𝙁 𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝙋𝙍𝙊𝙏𝙀𝘾𝙏 𝙔𝙊𝙐𝙍 𝘽𝙐𝙎𝙄𝙉𝙀𝙎𝙎.

𝘾𝘼𝙉 𝙄 𝘽𝙀 𝙍𝙀𝘼𝙇𝙇𝙔 𝙃𝙊𝙉𝙀𝙎𝙏 𝙁𝙊𝙍 𝘼 𝙎𝙀𝘾𝙊𝙉𝘿?

I’ve discounted my services before.
Like… really discounted them.

I thought I was being smart.
“I just need to get people in the door.”
“I’ll raise my prices once I’m busier.”
“People like deals.”

What actually happened?

I made no money.
I felt anxious all the time.
And I started questioning my worth instead of my math.

Here’s the part no one warned me about:

Discounting doesn’t just train your clients —
𝙄𝙏 𝙈𝙀𝙎𝙎𝙀𝙎 𝙒𝙄𝙏𝙃 𝙔𝙊𝙐𝙍 𝙊𝙒𝙉 𝙃𝙀𝘼𝘿.

Because once you’ve given it away cheaper, suddenly:

• charging full price feels uncomfortable
• pushback feels personal
• and every “no” feels like proof you’re not worth it

Even when the value is there.

And the scariest realization of all?

Some of you aren’t just making less —
you’re 𝙋𝘼𝙔𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙏𝙊 𝙏𝘼𝙆𝙀 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝘾𝙇𝙄𝙀𝙉𝙏.

High product costs.
Long appointments.
Over-delivering to “prove yourself.”

Run the math.
A lot of stylists don’t —
because if they did, they’d see it.

And here’s what changed everything for me.

When I stopped discounting and just communicated clearly —
when I treated my clients like adults and myself like a professional — everything shifted.

I told people the truth:

“This is an amazing salon.
You’re welcome to stay here.”
“If you want to come with me,
I’d love to keep taking care of you.”

No coupons.
No guilt.
No begging.

Not only did almost all of my clients follow me —
𝙉𝙀𝙒 𝙊𝙉𝙀𝙎 𝘿𝙄𝘿 𝙏𝙊𝙊.

Clients who had been watching.
Clients who wanted to sit in my chair but didn’t feel comfortable before.

That’s when it clicked:

Professionalism attracts.
Clarity builds trust.
Discounting builds confusion.

If you’re slow right now, I get it.
Post-holiday panic is real.

But instead of discounting your services:

• offer express options that take less time
• run clearly labeled model calls while you’re learning
• add value instead of cutting price

Your product can go on sale.
Your 𝙏𝙄𝙈𝙀 𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝙎𝙆𝙄𝙇𝙇 𝙎𝙃𝙊𝙐𝙇𝘿 𝙉𝙊𝙏.

Busy doesn’t mean profitable.
And survival pricing will keep you stuck longer than being slow ever will.

I’m not judging you —
I’m telling you this because I lived it.

Taking it slow.
Making it beautiful✌🏻

𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗗𝗜𝗗𝗡'𝗧 𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞 𝗠𝗘.
𝗜𝗧 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗕𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗠𝗘.

It brought reflection.
It brought healing.
It brought clarity.

I’m leaving 2025 saying 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗞 𝗬𝗢𝗨.

Thank you for changing my perception.
For teaching me how to take the hits without letting them take me out.

Thank you for reminding me that perfection is wildly overrated.

I reached a point where healing and reset weren’t optional anymore.

They were necessary.

So many of us push instead of pause.
We perform instead of listen.
We ignore our bodies and our minds
until they force us to pay attention.

Burnout is not a badge of honor.
It’s a stop sign.
𝗔 𝗕𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 𝗥𝗘𝗗 𝗢𝗡𝗘.

I saw that sign more than once last year.

Carrying the pressure to perform —
to prove, to keep up, to stay “on” —
in a loud, performative, overstimulating world
wore me down.

It wore me out.

So in 2026, I’m choosing 𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗘.
I’m choosing presence over noise.
I’m choosing 𝗦𝗜𝗠𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗧𝗬.
I’m choosing healing and reset over “more.”

Stillness takes effort —
but it’s worth doing.

If this year stretched you,
if it forced you to slow down, reassess,
or let go of who you thought you had to be —
you’re not behind.

𝗦𝗢𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟 𝗠𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗔 𝗜𝗦 𝗖𝗨𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗗.
𝗡𝗢𝗕𝗢𝗗𝗬 𝗜𝗦 𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗙𝗘𝗖𝗧✌🏻️

Booking update 🤍
Taking January to fully heal + reset.
Back in the salon soon, with limited availability opening in February.

Thank you for the love and support always✌🏻