The G Code

Heather Manuel
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Weekly

I opened my salon in 2013 in Louisville, Ky. In 2016, I started PIP University. In 2017, I fully retired BTC, and in our 4th year (2018), we cracked $1MIL. No sales from my chair. In 2019, I moved 14 hours away from my salon to Houston, TX, and led remotely for 6 years, only stepping foot in my salon 1x a year. In 2025, 3 weeks before I pushed out my 2nd baby, I sold the salon to the CEO so I could go all in on PIP University. Now, I run PIP University's 12-month Rich Life CEO program, teaching salon owners to build a salon that pays them more and needs them less. Come hang ◡̈

  1. 4d ago

    Stop Selling, Start Testing: Finding Your Content Strategy

    I spent $365,000 on ads last year, and now I'm walking away from them to figure out organic marketing from scratch. In this episode, I get real with Amanda about the messy, in-progress reality of building a content strategy that actually drives sales instead of just filling a feed. We break down why posting "I have openings" doesn't work and how creating genuine desire through community is the real foundation for selling anything. Amanda opens up about her struggles with comparison and idea-hopping, and I share why I've committed to posting every single day through the end of the year even though I don't expect to see a financial payoff until well after. We also dig into how creators like Jesse Jane, Jessica Carter, and Meg Kilmer found their niches through experimentation, and why now is the time to test the waters before going all in. I dive into my latest experiment using AI to generate B-roll content so I can produce more without sacrificing weekends with my family, and let's just say the first few attempts were... humbling. You'll learn why the hardest part of content creation isn't making the product; it's building the audience that actually wants to buy it. This episode is for salon owners, hairstylists, coaches, and any entrepreneur who feels stuck on the content hamster wheel and wants to market with more intention and less burnout. ⏰ What You’ll Learn: 0:00 Welcome to The G-Code 1:09 Marketing Is About Sales, Not Just Posting 2:05 Creating Desire Instead of Just Selling 3:24 Building Community Before Selling 4:14 Amanda's Current Marketing Approach 5:01 Creating Products vs. Selling Products 5:53 Organic Marketing vs. Paid Ads 6:49 Committing to the Long Game 7:30 Testing the Waters and Learning from Others 9:13 AI-Generated B-Roll Content 10:52 Training AI and Being Present with Family 12:44 Early AI Results and YAP Challenge Wrap-Up 🔗 Mentioned Links: Learn more about working with us inside RLCEO here:  https://learn.pip-university.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=vsl&utm_content=shownotes_ep_20 👋 Say Hi: If you haven’t done so already, follow us on Instagram and Facebook. I share a ton of gems, value-packed freebies, and the occasional belly-laugh meme.  Follow on IG: https://www.instagram.com/pipuniversity?igsh=YW42N3Flb3o0dHhv Follow on FB: https://www.facebook.com/pipuniversity ❤️ Subscribe: ⁠YouTube⁠: https://www.youtube.com/@pipuniversity ⁠Email Newsletter⁠: https://pip-university.com/newsletter Podcast: https://www.pip-university.com/podcast PIP University is a salon business education company founded by Heather Manuel, owner of Neatbeat Salon. Its flagship 12-month program, Rich Life CEO, teaches salon owners to build a salon that runs profitably without them behind the chair, with a dedicated professor who is an active or former salon owner.

  2. Oct 22

    How to Have Hard Conversations With Your Team

    I used to sugarcoat everything to avoid hurting someone's feelings, and I'm still relearning how to say what I mean.  I'm Sam, and I'm filling in for Heather on this week’s episode with Mallory, Erin, Amanda, and Jess to talk about trust and communication as the foundation of every relationship, from your spouse to your team. We get honest about being transparent and vulnerable as a leader, loving your people enough to let them move on, and why sugarcoating often protects our own comfort more than the other person's. You'll hear how to build your backbone for uncomfortable conversations, how to stop being the bottleneck when your team brings you problems, and why resentment is gasoline on burnout. We also share Brené Brown's eight seconds of discomfort and a submarine analogy that changed how I take feedback.  This episode is for salon owners, leaders, and anyone who has been avoiding a hard conversation with a team member, a spouse, or a friend, and you'll leave with practical ways to say the thing you've been holding back. ⏰ What You’ll Learn: 0:00 Welcome & Today's Topic: Trust & Communication 1:10 Being Transparent with Your Team 2:21 Vulnerability as a Leader: You're Human Too 4:04 Open Heart, Strong Back & Loving Enough to Let Go 6:03 Saying the Hard Thing: Sam's Relationship Story 8:55 Communication as Healing: Childhood Wounds & Resentment 10:38 People-Pleasing & Giving Others Credit 11:40 Building Your Backbone: Uncomfortable Conversations 14:32 Creating Safe Spaces Without Being the Bottleneck 16:31 Gossip, Raising Daughters & Speaking Your Truth 19:11 Feedback Is Neutral: The Submarine Radar Analogy 21:36 8 Seconds of Discomfort: Final Advice & Closing 🔗 Mentioned Links: Learn more about working with us inside RLCEO here:  https://learn.pip-university.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=vsl&utm_content=shownotes_ep_19 👋 Say Hi: If you haven’t done so already, follow us on Instagram and Facebook. I share a ton of gems, value-packed freebies, and the occasional belly-laugh meme.  Follow on IG: https://www.instagram.com/pipuniversity?igsh=YW42N3Flb3o0dHhv Follow on FB: https://www.facebook.com/pipuniversity ❤️ Subscribe: ⁠YouTube⁠: https://www.youtube.com/@pipuniversity ⁠Email Newsletter⁠: https://pip-university.com/newsletter Podcast: https://www.pip-university.com/podcast PIP University is a salon business education company founded by Heather Manuel, owner of Neatbeat Salon. Its flagship 12-month program, Rich Life CEO, teaches salon owners to build a salon that runs profitably without them behind the chair, with a dedicated professor who is an active or former salon owner.

  3. Oct 15

    How to Use Trial Reels to Grow on Instagram

    For years I told myself I just wasn’t good at marketing, so I stopped trying, and then wondered why nothing changed.  Amanda, Sam, and I are in the middle of becoming marketing experts, with Amanda and me on organic and Sam on ads, and I'm sharing what we're testing, what flopped, and what finally worked. I walk you through how I use trial reels to test a hook, B-roll, and audio one change at a time, why your bio works like a landing page, and why I care more about engaged followers than a big audience. We're also honest about how hard it is to keep posting when nothing is landing, and how every trial reel chips another layer off that fear. I start the episode with a DM that gave me chills and a two-minute journal exercise I did to figure out what I'm good at.  If you are posting on Instagram and not seeing results, this episode is one you don’t want to miss, and I hope you leave with a simple way to test your content and a reason to keep showing up. ⏰ What You’ll Learn: 0:00 Intro: Becoming Marketing Experts 1:19 A DM That Gave Cold Chills 2:39 Money, Fruit, and the Desire to Give 5:07 Making People Feel Seen and Heard 7:03 Onto Marketing: Amanda's Approach 9:21 Studying Reels: Flops vs. Hits 10:43 Virality vs. Engaged Followers 13:35 Sam's Consumer Perspective 14:41 Your Bio Is Your Landing Page 15:49 Trial Reels: The Testing Framework 17:16 Real Reel Results Breakdown 19:42 Overcoming the Fear of Flopping 21:12 Build an Audience Before You Sell 22:43 Closing Thoughts 🔗 Mentioned Links: Learn more about working with us inside RLCEO here:  https://learn.pip-university.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=vsl&utm_content=shownotes_ep_18 👋 Say Hi: If you haven’t done so already, follow us on Instagram and Facebook. I share a ton of gems, value-packed freebies, and the occasional belly-laugh meme.  Follow on IG: https://www.instagram.com/pipuniversity?igsh=YW42N3Flb3o0dHhv Follow on FB: https://www.facebook.com/pipuniversity ❤️ Subscribe: ⁠YouTube⁠: https://www.youtube.com/@pipuniversity ⁠Email Newsletter⁠: https://pip-university.com/newsletter Podcast: https://www.pip-university.com/podcast PIP University is a salon business education company founded by Heather Manuel, owner of Neatbeat Salon. Its flagship 12-month program, Rich Life CEO, teaches salon owners to build a salon that runs profitably without them behind the chair, with a dedicated professor who is an active or former salon owner.

  4. Oct 8

    Don't Know Your Purpose? What to Do While You Figure It Out

    "I don't know what I'm good at anymore" is something I said out loud this week, and chances are you've thought it too.  In this episode, we get honest about what it feels like to be in a season with no clear direction, whether that's after closing a salon, while juggling several roles, or after years of playing it safe. We talk about the fear of going back to who you used to be, the fear of trying and having nobody care, and what happens when you start saying yes to the next thing again. You'll also hear a simple exercise we tried live: introduce yourself in 60 seconds without mentioning work. We close with why social media is a poor yardstick for your own path, how to stop borrowing other people's certainty, and a challenge to ask God for your next step.  This episode is for salon owners, former owners, and entrepreneurs who feel stuck, overstimulated, or unsure of their purpose, and you'll walk away with a way to reconnect with who you are outside of work and permission to take the next small step before you have it all figured out. ⏰ What You’ll Learn: 0:00 Welcome & Today's Topic 3:58 Amanda's Story: Juggling Multiple Roles & Lost Direction 5:39 Heather's Journey: From Bold Beginnings to Playing It Safe 9:09 The Power of Saying Yes & Taking Action Again 11:57 Amanda's Fear of Going Back to Who She Was 13:03 Overcoming the Fear of Trying & Failing 14:54 Mallory's Story: Achieving Without Losing Yourself 16:12 The Who Are You Without Work? Exercise 17:09 Introductions: Who We Are Beyond the Job 22:28 Sam's Advice: Don't Let Others Define Your Path 23:52 Defining Your Own Success 24:04 The Social Media Lie 26:40 Asking God for Your Next Step 27:30 Closing Thoughts & Goodbye 🔗 Mentioned Links: Learn more about working with us inside RLCEO here:  https://learn.pip-university.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=vsl&utm_content=shownotes_ep_17 Books mentioned: Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, and The Secret 👋 Say Hi: If you haven’t done so already, follow us on Instagram and Facebook. I share a ton of gems, value-packed freebies, and the occasional belly-laugh meme.  Follow on IG: https://www.instagram.com/pipuniversity?igsh=YW42N3Flb3o0dHhv Follow on FB: https://www.facebook.com/pipuniversity ❤️ Subscribe: ⁠YouTube⁠: https://www.youtube.com/@pipuniversity ⁠Email Newsletter⁠: https://pip-university.com/newsletter Podcast: https://www.pip-university.com/podcast PIP University is a salon business education company founded by Heather Manuel, owner of Neatbeat Salon. Its flagship 12-month program, Rich Life CEO, teaches salon owners to build a salon that runs profitably without them behind the chair, with a dedicated professor who is an active or former salon owner.

  5. Oct 1

    Why Working Less Makes You More Productive

    Working without rest isn’t the flex you think it is. It's actually hijacking your brain's ability to make smart decisions. In this episode of The G-Code, Heather is joined by Sam and Amanda to break down what chronic overworking does to your mind, why hustle culture is a trap, and how to recognize when your drive has crossed from ambition into self-destruction. You'll learn why rest days make you sharper on Monday morning, how to identify whether your work ethic is rooted in purpose or scarcity, why the concept of "work-life balance" is a myth, and what you should aim for instead. The conversation also dives into protecting your free time fiercely, building an identity outside of your business, and giving yourself permission to scale back during seasons of motherhood. This episode is a must-watch for entrepreneurs, business owners, and anyone who has ever felt guilty for stepping away from work, especially moms trying to reconcile ambition with being present at home. ⏰ What You’ll Learn: 0:00 — Welcome & Today's Topic 0:54 — How Overworking Affects Your Brain 3:53 — Sam's Hustle Culture Experience 6:18 — Giving Yourself Permission to Rest 8:42 — Amanda: From Hustle Culture to Soft CEO 10:31 — Heather's Identity Outside of Work 15:34 — Amanda: Seasons of Prioritization 17:06 — Different Seasons of Motherhood 21:27 — Sam: Protecting Your Free Time 23:42 — Finding Harmony, Not Balance 🔗 Mentioned Links: Learn more about working with us inside RLCEO here:  https://learn.pip-university.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=vsl&utm_content=shownotes_ep_16 👋 Say Hi: If you haven’t done so already, follow us on Instagram and Facebook. I share a ton of gems, value-packed freebies, and the occasional belly-laugh meme.  Follow on IG: https://www.instagram.com/pipuniversity?igsh=YW42N3Flb3o0dHhv Follow on FB: https://www.facebook.com/pipuniversity ❤️ Subscribe: ⁠YouTube⁠: https://www.youtube.com/@pipuniversity ⁠Email Newsletter⁠: https://pip-university.com/newsletter Podcast: https://www.pip-university.com/podcast PIP University is a salon business education company founded by Heather Manuel, owner of Neatbeat Salon. Its flagship 12-month program, Rich Life CEO, teaches salon owners to build a salon that runs profitably without them behind the chair, with a dedicated professor who is an active or former salon owner.

  6. Sep 24

    Why Your Salon Isn't Growing: It's Not Your Team, It's Your Focus

    The thing quietly draining your salon business probably isn't what you think it is, and you've likely been too busy to notice. In this episode of The G Code, Heather sits down with Erin, Jessica, Amanda, and Sam to unpack what it really means to find and fix the leaks in your business. The conversation dives deep into the data points that actually move the needle, from team retention to new guest attrition, and why so many owners avoid looking at the numbers altogether. The group tackles the uncomfortable reality of putting your ego aside to hire people who are smarter than you, learning to let go and let your team fail, and stepping into the role of captain rather than trying to do every job on the ship. They also get raw about ADHD, distraction, context switching, and the multitasking myth that's silently draining your productivity.  You'll walk away with practical strategies for time blocking, building accountability systems that actually work for your brain type, and the mindset shift required to choose delayed gratification over instant dopamine. If you're a salon owner, beauty professional, or entrepreneur who feels stuck in the same place you were a year ago, this episode is your wake-up call. ⏰ What You’ll Learn: 0:00 Welcome & Finding the Leak 1:24 Digging Into Data & Key Metrics 3:37 Right People in the Right Seat 6:14 Leading Like a Ship Captain 8:16 Distraction vs. Delayed Gratification 9:52 Discipline, Accountability & Getting Pissed at Yourself 13:45 ADHD, Self-Compassion & Your Brain 15:56 Parenting, Time Blocking & Overwhelm 18:24 Context Switching Explained 22:39 The Multitasking Myth & Decision Fatigue 23:55 Big Goals & Delayed Gratification 26:46 Rest, Boundaries & Closing 🔗 Mentioned Links: Learn more about working with us inside RLCEO here:  https://learn.pip-university.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=vsl&utm_content=shownotes_ep_15 👋 Say Hi: If you haven’t done so already, follow us on Instagram and Facebook. I share a ton of gems, value-packed freebies, and the occasional belly-laugh meme.  Follow on IG: https://www.instagram.com/pipuniversity?igsh=YW42N3Flb3o0dHhv Follow on FB: https://www.facebook.com/pipuniversity ❤️ Subscribe: ⁠YouTube⁠: https://www.youtube.com/@pipuniversity ⁠Email Newsletter⁠: https://pip-university.com/newsletter Podcast: https://www.pip-university.com/podcast PIP University is a salon business education company founded by Heather Manuel, owner of Neatbeat Salon. Its flagship 12-month program, Rich Life CEO, teaches salon owners to build a salon that runs profitably without them behind the chair, with a dedicated professor who is an active or former salon owner.

  7. Sep 17

    Salon Owner Burnout: What It Actually Is and How to Get Out of the Cycle

    The most dangerous place a business owner can live is the gap between how successful things look from the outside and how they actually feel on the inside. In this episode, Heather sits down with Professor Amanda and Sam to talk about what burnout actually looks like for salon owners, not the Instagram version, but the kind where you're gaining weight, getting physically sick in the mornings, and still telling yourself you just need to implement one more thing and everything will be fine. Amanda built a profitable seven-figure salon, won national recognition, bought a building, had multiple 6-figure-earning stylists, and then, even though she had the picture-perfect business, she closed it voluntarily at the height of her success. She breaks down exactly how she got there and what she did wrong. You'll learn why a vacation or a spa weekend will never fix burnout, how to identify the cycle before it crashes you, and why the discipline of rest is just as hard as the discipline of building a business in the first place. This episode is brutally honest about something most salon owners lose sight of: the business you built was supposed to create freedom, and somewhere along the way it became the thing your life has to fit around instead. If you're running on empty, feel like you can't disconnect, or have a gut feeling that something needs to change before your body forces it to, this one is for you. ⏰ What You’ll Learn: 0:00 Introduction & Feeling Stuck 1:26 Amanda's Salon Success Story 3:15 Losing Sight of the Vision & Boundaries 4:22 The Breaking Point 5:48 Identity Crisis & Shame 8:00 Heather's Perspective on Closing the Salon 11:48 It's Never Too Late to Change Directions 13:26 Coaching Through Burnout: What Went Wrong 14:34 Understanding the Burnout Cycle 16:24 Hobbies & Self-Care as Prevention 17:48 The Discipline of Rest 19:15 Building a Business Around Your Life 21:24 Closing Thoughts & Outro 🔗 Mentioned Links: Learn more about working with us inside RLCEO here:  https://learn.pip-university.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=audio&utm_campaign=vsl&utm_content=shownotes_ep_13 👋 Say Hi: If you haven’t done so already, follow us on Instagram and Facebook. I share a ton of gems, value-packed freebies, and the occasional belly-laugh meme.  Follow on IG: https://www.instagram.com/pipuniversity?igsh=YW42N3Flb3o0dHhv Follow on FB: https://www.facebook.com/pipuniversity ❤️ Subscribe: ⁠YouTube⁠: https://www.youtube.com/@pipuniversity ⁠Email Newsletter⁠: https://pip-university.com/newsletter Podcast: https://www.pip-university.com/podcast PIP University is a salon business education company founded by Heather Manuel, owner of Neatbeat Salon. Its flagship 12-month program, Rich Life CEO, teaches salon owners to build a salon that runs profitably without them behind the chair, with a dedicated professor who is an active or former salon owner.

  8. Sep 10

    Why Your Stylists Are Really Quitting (It's Not the Commission Split)

    Most salon owners think their team is leaving because of pay. They're wrong. In this episode, PIP University breaks down the real reason commission and booth rent salon owners lose stylists, and it's rarely the number on the paycheck. It's a lack of clarity, a lack of vision, and an owner's unwillingness to sit in the discomfort of a hard conversation. If you've raised commission, sweetened your booth rent deal, and still watched good people walk, this is why. You'll learn why complaints that sound like money issues are usually unspoken requests for something deeper, how onboarding sets the tone for a team member's entire tenure, and why writing down your vision can become the filter for every hard decision you make as an owner. Whether you're a commission or booth rent salon owner, wrestling with high turnover, or just starting to build your culture and career paths, this episode will change the way you think about what your team really needs from you. ⏰ What You’ll Learn: 0:00 – Pay Structure: Commission vs. Booth Rent 0:26 – Why Pay Isn't the Real Problem 1:59 – The Highest-Paid Team Still Left 3:41 – Complaints Are Rarely About Money 5:14 – Reframing Complaints as a Gift 8:56 – Tolerance to Discomfort 10:57 – Why Onboarding Sets the Tone 13:12 – Clarity Is the Most Important Thing 14:41 – Finding Your Vision and Your Why 17:29 – A Real Story: Losing Team Members During a Sale 19:56 – Making Decisions With Clarity 22:31 – Wrap-Up 🔗 Mentioned Links: Learn more about working with us inside RLCEO here:  https://learn.pip-university.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=audio&utm_campaign=vsl&utm_content=shownotes_ep_13 👋 Say Hi: If you haven’t done so already, follow us on Instagram and Facebook. I share a ton of gems, value-packed freebies, and the occasional belly-laugh meme.  Follow on IG: https://www.instagram.com/pipuniversity?igsh=YW42N3Flb3o0dHhv Follow on FB: https://www.facebook.com/pipuniversity ❤️ Subscribe: ⁠YouTube⁠: https://www.youtube.com/@pipuniversity ⁠Email Newsletter⁠: https://pip-university.com/newsletter Podcast: https://www.pip-university.com/podcast PIP University is a salon business education company founded by Heather Manuel, owner of Neatbeat Salon. Its flagship 12-month program, Rich Life CEO, teaches salon owners to build a salon that runs profitably without them behind the chair, with a dedicated professor who is an active or former salon owner.

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About

I opened my salon in 2013 in Louisville, Ky. In 2016, I started PIP University. In 2017, I fully retired BTC, and in our 4th year (2018), we cracked $1MIL. No sales from my chair. In 2019, I moved 14 hours away from my salon to Houston, TX, and led remotely for 6 years, only stepping foot in my salon 1x a year. In 2025, 3 weeks before I pushed out my 2nd baby, I sold the salon to the CEO so I could go all in on PIP University. Now, I run PIP University's 12-month Rich Life CEO program, teaching salon owners to build a salon that pays them more and needs them less. Come hang ◡̈

Information

  • Creator
    Heather Manuel
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    20
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Heather Manuel
  • Show Website
    The G Code

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