The 7 Queen Moves Every Salon Owner Must Make Before 2026 (If You Want to Still Be Standing in 2030)

If your salon only works when you are there… we need to talk.

Let me guess.
You’re booked solid.
Your team is busy.
Revenue looks “fine”…
But you’re tired, a little resentful, and quietly wondering, “Is this really it?”

 

If you’re nodding your head as you read this, you’re not broken. You’re just running a business that hasn’t been designed for the future yet.

 

Stay with me. Because 2026 isn’t just another year. It’s a line in the sand.

I’ve been in this industry a long time. I opened my first salon in 1992 (yes, shoulder pads were involved). I’ve employed over 110 people. I’ve been the busiest stylist, the least paid, the most exhausted, and the one holding the whole thing together with grit and caffeine. God, I know those days well.

 

What I can tell you with absolute certainty is this:
The next five years will reward salon owners who prepare, not react.

 

The gap is widening.
Between the salons that lead… and the salons that survive.

 

There are 7 strategic Queen Moves that will future-proof your salon, your profit, and your sanity. We’re going to talk demand, pricing, clients, teams, systems, and yes… getting you out from behind the chair without burning the place down.

Let’s get into it.

Queen Move #1: Become the Salon Everyone Wants (Not the One Begging for Attention)

 

There are two types of salons heading into 2026:
The ones chasing clients… and the ones clients chase.

Your job now is to become the flower, not the bee.

Too many salons are invisible because they try to be everything to everyone. And when you stand for everything, you’re memorable to no one. Harsh? Maybe. True? Absolutely.

 

This starts with ruthless clarity:

• Who are you as a brand?
  
  
• What are you known for?
  
  
• Who is your ideal client, really?
  
  
• And does what you offer actually matter to her?
  
  

Inside Salon Mastery, one of the first things we do is define your hero service and signature message. Because when a woman has had a “meh” experience down the road (we’ve all been drowned at the basin once), she needs a reason to choose you.

Not cheaper.
Not faster.
Clearer.

Demand is built when your message is chewable, notable, and unmistakably yours.

 

Queen Move #2: Stop Sitting in the Middle (It’s Where Profit Goes to Die)

 

Here’s what we’re seeing loud and clear as we move toward 2030.

There will be two winning ends of the market:

 

• Cheap, fast, functional
  
  
• Or premium, experiential, five-star
  
  

The middle?
Crowded. Noisy. Messy. And getting squeezed hard.

As a small business, you cannot win the race to the bottom. Big chains will always do cheaper and faster than you. Your opportunity is at the top of the market.

Five-star clients don’t want discounts.
They want to be looked after.
They want an experience that gives them a break from their busy lives.

And here’s the kicker: your salon experience is often in the top five experiences of their year. Being cared for, led, and seen is powerful. Don’t underestimate that.

Less volume.
Higher standards.
More profit.

That’s the move.

 

Queen Move #3: Design a Signature Client Journey (Not Random Great Days)

If your client experience depends on which staff member they get, you don’t have a brand – you have a lucky dip.

Let me take you back for a second.

Years ago, we ran a high-risk adventure experience overseas. Medieval castles. Abseiling. Safety-critical systems. Every word, every step, every ritual was scripted. Why? Because when the system was tight, the human could shine.

Salons are no different.

You need:

• One or two hallmark rituals
  
  
• A repeatable client journey
  
  
• 80% system, 20% personal magic
  
  

When Kerry leaves and Jemima takes over, 80% of the experience should feel the same. That’s brand trust. That’s what scales.

Consistency builds confidence.
Confidence builds loyalty.
Loyalty builds revenue.

 

Queen Move #4: Build a 12-Month Future (Clients Leave When They Run Out of One)

Most consultations start with:
“What are we doing today?”

That question is quietly killing your retention.

Try this instead:
“Where do you want to be in 12 months?”

Now you’re not selling a haircut. You’re selling a transformation.

When a client can see herself a year from now – and you’re standing there with her in that future – you’ve just future-proofed that relationship.

This is where:

• 12-month plans
  
  
• Maintenance programs
  
  
• Packages and memberships
  
  

come into play.

And just to be clear:
A membership is a payment method, not the experience.

The experience is the plan.
The future.
The promise.

Predictable revenue doesn’t come from hope. It comes from design.

 

Queen Move #5: Lean and Luxe Beats Big and Messy (Every Time)

Let’s talk about teams.

The average stylist revenue in 2025?
$2,500 a week.

 

I nearly fell off my chair when I saw that. I was doing more than that in the early 90s. Performance has stalled, and adding more people is not the answer.

 

Big teams don’t equal big profit.
High-performing teams do.

 

The future is lean and luxe:

• Smaller teams
  
  
• Higher output
  
  
• Better pay
  
  
• Stronger margins
  
  

Our mission? Helping salon owners pay their team $100k+ a year. And yes, it’s possible. But only if you raise the standard, coach behaviours, track performance, and stop tolerating low performance culture.

Build one $7k stylist.
Then another.
The bar rises fast when someone shows it’s possible.

 

Queen Move #6: Step Out of the Chair (Or Admit You Want a Job, Not a Business)

 

This one stings a little.

If you’re still serving clients full-time, who is growing the business?

I once spoke to an owner with 15 staff and two kids who had one hour a week to work on the business.

One hour.

That’s not leadership time – that’s survival time.

You can love your clients or build a scalable business. Doing both indefinitely is a fantasy.

And if you are going to be on the floor?
You’d better be charging $850 an hour – because that’s the opportunity cost of not leading.

You are the bottleneck until you decide not to be.

 

Queen Move #7: Build a Team-Led Business (Not an Owner-Led One)

 

Clear roles create systems.
Systems create ownership.
Ownership creates leadership.

This is how you move from “everything comes to me” to “my team runs this”.

 

You don’t need a 100-page manual gathering dust in a drawer.

Please don’t do that. Instead:

• Document the first 10 things you already do
  
  
• Train them live
  
  
• Reinforce what great looks like
  
  
• Then write it down with your team
  
  

When systems live in people, not folders, culture sticks.

Let the systems run the salon.
Let the team run the systems.
You focus on growth.

 

Final Thoughts (And a Loving Nudge)

These 7 Queen Moves aren’t ideas.
They’re decisions.

2026 will reward salon owners who choose to lead, raise the bar, and step into real CEO thinking. Not later. Now.

If you’re reading this thinking, “I know I’m capable of more” – you’re right.

And if you want support implementing these moves, building high-performing teams, creating predictable profit, and finally stepping into your CEO role, that’s exactly what we do inside Salon Mastery.

If you’re ready, let’s see if we’re the right fit.

👉 Click here to book your strategy call.

You don’t need another year of winging it.
You need a plan. And a Queen-sized one. 👑✨