A Year-End Reflection for Your Salon: A Story You Can Step Into by Joe Cignetti

As the year winds down and the salon starts to quiet just a little—between the December rush and the final tidy of the foils—you finally get a moment to breathe. You look around your salon, the space you’ve poured your heart, energy, and creativity into, and you ask yourself: How did we really go this year?

And this is where the real reflection begins.

Start With the Feeling

Before you dive into numbers or spreadsheets, you tune into the vibe.
When clients walk through your door, does it still feel like the version of the salon you wanted to build?
Is the music right, the energy warm, the experience consistent?

You think back to the moments when clients left glowing… and the moments when things felt a bit off. Both are clues. Both matter.

Then… Your Team

You picture your team during the year—laughing at the colour bar, cheering each other on during transformations, supporting each other on the stressful days.

You reflect on who grew, who shined, who surprised you… and who might need a bit more guidance next year.

You remember the tough conversations, the breakthroughs, and the proud moments when you looked at your team and thought, Yep… this is why I do this.

The Money Behind the Magic

Then you take a breath and look at the less glamorous side: the numbers.

You go through the months… the busy ones, the slow ones, the ones that shocked you in a good way.
You check your most requested services, your retail shelves, your rebooking rates.

Think about what brought in income—and what drained time or resources without giving much back.
This is where you realise: your gut tells you a lot, but the numbers tell the truth.

Your Menu & Services

You glance at your service menu and ask yourself if it still represents who you are today.

Are your prices matching your skill?
Are you offering services that you’ve outgrown?
Did you spend the year doing too many “favour” services that didn’t align with your brand?

This is your chance to reset—to say this is who we are now.

How You Showed Up Online

You think about your presence this year—your posts, your stories, the moments you shared, and the ones you were too busy to capture.

Did your feed speak to the clients you actually want?
Did your content reflect your work and your standards?
Did your marketing bring the right people through your doors?

You look back and notice which posts worked, which didn’t, and which ones truly represented the heart of your salon.

Listening to Your Clients

Then you think about what your clients told you—directly and indirectly.

The glowing reviews…
The repeat rebookers…
The little complaints that stung but helped you shift something…
The feedback that revealed what really matters to the people in your chairs.

Their voices become a map for your growth.

The Salon Systems

And then there’s the behind-the-scenes stuff.

You think about how smoothly (or not so smoothly) things ran: stock levels, booking systems, consultations, colour notes, cleaning routines, workflow, communication.

Where were the bottlenecks?
Where were the timewasters?
Where did confusion creep in?

These little cracks quietly shape the whole year—and fixing them can elevate everything next year.

And finally… You

At the end of the reflection, it always comes back to you.

You think about how you showed up this year on the good days, the hard days, the days you were inspired, and the days you were exhausted.

You ask yourself:

• What am I proud of?
• What drained me?
• What lit me up?
• What needs to change next year so I can enjoy my business more?

Because as the owner, your energy sets the tone for everything else.

Have a wonderful Christmas and New year and see you in 2026