Clarissa High
I've been hairdressing for nearly 34 years, and I’ve owned my salon for almost six.
When I first considered enrolling in the Money course, my biggest concern was whether I’d be able to make the time to work through it and actually do the work. That, and I was a little scared to face the numbers! I wasn’t sure what I’d discover.
But I decided to jump in anyway. I’ve always valued education and knowledge. In the early days of my apprenticeship, we had four years of solid training and hard work. I feel really lucky to have had that foundation because it taught me early on how important ongoing education is. So I’ve always invested in learning.
As a business owner, I’d reached a point where I realised I needed to know more. I’d had a bookkeeper and accountant from day one, but I wanted to really understand what they were doing, not just hand over the numbers. I wanted to make smarter decisions with confidence.
The fact that the course was online made it much easier. I could do it in my own time and at my own pace. I’m an early riser, so I’d often get up and work on the course first thing. That was so much easier than trying to attend an in-person class.
Originally, my goal was to better understand profit and loss statements. But I learnt so much more than that, how to create a financial vision, how to employ people, how to generate revenue, price my services, create level systems, and decide whether I wanted to be a commission or rental-based salon. The course gave me clarity on all of it.
One of the biggest takeaways for me was understanding salon benchmarks; Antony explained it so clearly. I loved the videos, the quotes he shared, and all the additional resources. I’m very visual, but I also need to do the work, so things like making notes, the action plans, and especially the benchmarking tools were a game-changer. That graph showing how to calculate percentages. So helpful!
The biggest thing I gained was understanding where the money goes and what to do about it.
For example, I discovered that my rent was a much higher percentage of income than it should be. I couldn’t reduce the rent, so the only option was to increase my income. I focused hard on that, and then, out of the blue, I was offered an opportunity to relocate to a brand new building. They’re even paying for the salon fit-out. The space is a similar size, but the rent is significantly less, and it’ll be brand new!
Even my bookkeeper and accountant said, “This sounds too good to be true.” But we went through everything, and it’s genuinely a great opportunity. Making the decision to relocate was tough, but the course gave me the knowledge and confidence to say yes.
I’ve built a great reputation in a short time, and when this opportunity came up, it was because of the Money course that I was able to look at the numbers and make a confident, informed decision.
Honestly, I don’t think I would have had the courage to make that move if I hadn’t done the course.
The workbook, templates, action steps, and especially the course calendar helped keep me on track. The group coaching calls were also fantastic. I couldn’t always attend live, but I loved having the recordings to go back to.
The reason I enrolled in the first place was because I felt like I was on a hamster wheel. I had a busy salon, a great clientele, but no next vision. I’d achieved what I set out to do, but I wasn’t evolving.
You helped me understand that we always need to have a next vision. That growth and opportunities don’t just happen, you have to do the work to make them happen.
Right now, my vision is about transitioning to the new salon. I think we’ll be in by September. Then, once that’s behind us, it’ll be time to ask, “What’s the vision now?”
One of the most powerful strategies I learned was benchmarking the salon’s performance. I recently repeated the benchmarking exercise and compared my latest results to last year.
In 2024, my profit percentage was 2.5%. This year, it’s 8.4%.
That’s a 6% increase in profit since doing the course, and it’s 100% because of the Money course.
We also reduced our professional use inventory costs from 9% to 7%, which means another 2% went straight to profit. My employee costs stayed roughly the same, even with fewer staff, so they’re earning more. And I managed to increase my overall income, which reduced my rent percentage. Once we relocate, that rent percentage will drop even more.
I was so chuffed with that. Most of my remaining costs came down a couple of percent too. Benchmarking was so helpful because it made it crystal clear where I needed to improve, and where I was already doing well. It gave me confidence and direction.
The Money course was 100% a good investment. It’s excellent. Honestly, Antony's covered every aspect of running a financially successful salon. The support was fantastic, he was always quick to reply to emails, and the Facebook group was there if I had questions. I really felt supported throughout the course and beyond. I still feel like I could reach out in the future if I needed to.
To anyone thinking about it, I’d say: just do it. I only wish I had these resources earlier in my career. You’ll never regret investing in yourself and your business. If you’re stuck or on a hamster wheel, this course will help you move towards financial freedom. And the resources suit all types of learners, Antony’s thought of everything.
At the start, I was worried I wouldn’t find the time to do the course. I used to say I’d do it on my day off, but that never really worked; I had too many other chores. Then I read The 5 am Club and started getting up at 5 a.m. 20 minutes of exercise, 20 minutes of meditation, and 20 minutes of learning. You became part of that learning time.
I’d watch a video before 6 am and then get on with my day. I also scheduled time on my day off to go over notes, action plans, and templates.
A year ago, I wouldn’t have imagined any of this. But I put the time in and worked through it, and it’s amazing what can come from that. Most hairdressers are creative, we just want to do the hair. But learning about business is important. It’s really important.
