If you own a salon or spa and feel like your time and money are quietly leaking through operational inefficiencies, you are not alone. Join us on Monday, October 19th at 10:30 AM Central for a free, one-hour live training on how to stop the burnout and leverage AI, automation, and virtual assistants to get your business running smoothly behind the scenes. Seats are strictly limited, fill out and save your spot: https://l1nq.com/eGPpHtH Jennifer Alvarez sits down with Filipe Santos, CEO of Chop Enterprises, to talk about what it takes to grow a salon from a small five-chair setup into a multi-location business. Filipe shares the mindset shifts, leadership lessons, and operational changes that helped him scale, plus the bigger industry idea he is pushing through a new concept called the Collective. This conversation is especially useful for salon owners who want more than just better hair results. It digs into pricing, recruiting, systems, buying power, and why emotional decision-making can quietly hold a business back. Key topics: Filipe’s journey from a five-chair salon with his wife to nine locations—and his plans for the Collective. How a creative partner and a business-focused partner can divide responsibilities. Why emotional decision-making can hold salon owners back, especially around pricing, staffing, and brand changes. How to use data to make decisions, then consider the emotional impact once the facts are clear. Filipe’s lessons on personal development, commitment, and the language leaders use. Ways to handle pressure: pause before reacting, use a 24-hour rule for major decisions, and practice gratitude. The shift from wanting to be liked as an owner to earning respect as a leader. Filipe’s three hiring criteria: energy, work ethic, and alignment. What changes as a salon grows, including standards, systems, true cost analysis, commission structures, and retention. Why salon owners benefit from business and leadership education beyond their industry. Filipe’s vision for the Collective: helping salon owners build leverage through shared resources, education, recruiting, and buying power. A discussion of non-competes and recruiting, and the importance of communicating the value and expectations clearly. Three takeaways for salon owners: Make decisions with both data and perspective: Gather the facts before acting on fears about losing clients, staff, or revenue. Use the data to make a decision, then consider the human impact and how to communicate it. Build a team around more than technical skill: Filipe looks for energy, work ethic, and alignment. Skills can be developed, but a mismatch in values or commitment can make it harder to move in the same direction. Growth requires systems and leadership: As a salon expands, owners need stronger standards, clearer processes, accurate cost information, and leaders who can support the business beyond one location. Connect with Filipe Santos: Instagram: @chop_safil Phil mentions an upcoming mastermind in New York City on October 25. Reach out to him on Instagram for more information about the event and the Collective.
