Let’s be honest, creating, building, and growing a salon business and salon brand is not for the faint of heart. It takes passion, purpose, courage, and an insane commitment to make it through the highs and lows, the failures and successes. As a Chief Awesomeness Empowerer and Context Creator at Passion Squared, Nina L. Kovner experiences these stories daily working with our salon owner clients and beauty community. Now it’s time for you to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly behind what it ...
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Calico Hair: Your Salon Brand Content Is Your Marketing
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In this episode, Nina shares a reminder that sometimes it's best to keep the snark in the group chat. Whether it's the latest Calico Hair trend, or things some salon clients do that give you the ick, you need to remember that your salon brand content is your marketing, and everything you post, share, like and comment on can be seen by your current …
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In this super imperfect episode, Nina shares a raw and real look at finding a new rhythm after a big move to Park City, Utah. Whether it's pumping gas for the first time in six years, getting into someone else's black Subaru Outback, to working in a super rad coworking space after working from home for the last twelve years, there is nothing clean …
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Special Guest: David Thurston of Butterfly Loft Salon + Danger Jones
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39:12
In this episode, we welcome a VERY special guest, David Thurston, owner of Butterfly Loft Salon and founder and CEO of Danger Jones. David shares his journey into the salon industry, his insightful and inspiring stories about taking risks, and how Butterfly Circus created a monumental shift in the salon industry, building community and the power of…
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Client Shaming, Building Trust, and Your Salon Brand
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13:44
In this episode, Nina revisits 'your content is your marketing', emphasizing the importance of creating content that aligns with your specific salon brand and audience. There is a big difference between marketing for local salon clients versus marketing as industry influencers, and to be effective, content needs to be relatable and valuable to your…
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Independent Stylist + Educator Insights: Amanda Harsche, Forma Collective Salon + Danger Jones
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27:09
In this episode, we welcome Amanda Harsche, an independent stylist, educator, and content creator from Denver, Colorado to the pod. Amanda shares her journey to becoming a hairdresser, despite initial resistance from her parents, how she built a salon clientele in a small town, authenticity and simplicity in creating content, and her unwavering com…
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Growing Your Salon Business Without Relying Solely on Social Media
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19:57
In this episode, Nina dives into how salons can grow without depending solely on social media. We talk about the importance of understanding how different marketing strategies fit different types of businesses, like not confusing influencer and content creator marketing strategies with your local salon business marketing strategies. We discuss the …
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Salon Owner Insights: Brenda Amaral of Gwen Mireille Salon & Spa + True Hair Education
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In this episode, Nina welcomes back Brenda Amaral, owner of Gwen Mireille Salon & Spa in Raynham, Massachusetts, and founder of True Hair Education. Brenda shares her journey transitioning from booth renter to an employment-based salon owner, emphasizing the importance of overcoming fears and regrets. She speaks about her early challenges in leader…
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Let’s Catch Up: Creative Slumps, Content Creation, Seeking Context
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In this episode, Nina shares some thoughts about creative slumps in content creation including a process to work through your slump. We talk about the importance of genuine connections and the struggle with passive content consumption, the difference between creating content for marketing your business and influencers who create content as a busine…
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Salon Owner Insights: Sean Paisant of Entrust Hair
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33:47
In this episode, Nina welcomes Sean Paisant, Owner of Entrust Hair in Portland, Oregon, and seasoned haircutting educator. Sean shares his journey of building, leading, and growing Entrust Hair over the past 14 years, the origins of Entrust, the shift from an employment-based to a lease-based salon model, the importance of focusing on community and…
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ENCORE EPISODE: What To Do When Your Salon Business Is Slow
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26:37
Originally aired January, 31, 2024 In this episode, Nina shares some thoughts about the 'everyone is slow' narrative being shared on the salon industry socials. The fact is, not everyone is slow, busy, sad, happy, or anything. This is another example of black-and-white thinking, coupled with remembering the algorithms can be deceiving and distracti…
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Salon Owner Insights: Stacey Rackham of Mint Hair Crafting Salon + Melt Head Spa
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30:27
In this episode, Nina welcomes back Stacey Rackham, leader and owner of Mint Hair Crafting Salon in Ferndale, Michigan. They dive right into Stacey's new concept, Melt, which focuses on scalp care and head spa experiences inspired by Japanese wellness techniques. Stacey discusses her journey of creating the Melt head spa experience, the challenges …
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The Year of Perspective for The Salon Industry: Adapting to New Salon Realities
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33:49
In this episode, Nina revisits the January 2024 episode on perspective for the salon industry, and reflects on significant global and consumer trends impacting the salon industry from 2023 to 2024, emphasizing the importance of providing care, building trust, and creating value for salon clients. We dive into topics ranging from customer psychology…
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Salon Owner Insights: Danielle Green of Radically Curly Salon
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In this episode, Danielle Green, the owner, and creator of Radically Curly Salon, an employment based salon in Las Vegas returns to the pod. We discuss Danielle's recent move to a large salon from a quad salon suite, to accommodate her growing clientele and team. Danielle shares the journey and motivations behind creating the Radically Curly Salon …
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Elevated Salon Prices Require Elevated Salon Experiences
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In this episode Nina dives deeper into a recent Reel they shared on the connection between your salon brand, your salon experiences, and your salon prices. When your prices are aligned with the experience you deliver, and you’re attracting salon clients who see value in the experience for the price, you are good. When your salon prices are out of a…
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Salon Owner Insights: Kristen Peckich of La Pomponnee Salon
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In this episode, Nina sits down with Kristen Peckich, the owner of La Pomponnee Salon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We discuss Kristen's 32 years as the owner and leader of an employment-based salon, her unusually low turnover of team members and clients, her salon leadership philosophy, lessons learned, and transitioning from working behind the cha…
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Online Discourse and Its Impact on Your Salon Brand and The Salon Industry
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In this episode, Nina revisits a conversation around our collective loss of perspective as an industry thanks to the algorithms on social media feeding into our fears and insecurities by amplifying the most enraging pieces of content. Remember, your content is your marketing, and what you choose to engage with online has a direct impact on your sal…
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Non-Competes, Building Trust and Your Salon Brand
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17:15
In this episode, Nina talks about the recent ban on non-compete agreements in the US and why that’s awesome news for the salon industry in creating a positive and supportive environment for your salon team members, focusing on building trust through clear communication, expectations, and shared vision. Nina also talks about how this new ruling is d…
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Generational Discourse: A Tale As Old As Time
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20:29
In this episode, Nina share insights on generational discourse drawing from their own experiences as a young hairdresser and marketer, the importance of listening to different generations and their perspectives, and how it applies to both your salon business and life and shares some tips from a blog they wrote in 2013 on how to be a more empathetic…
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The Trouble with Comparing Your Salon Brand To The One Down The Street
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13:56
In this episode Nina dives into the trouble with comparing your salon brand to the one down the street, revisiting a Passion Squared blog post from 2014 on the importance of having clarity around your own salon brand story, marketing strategy which includes your salon pricing, your business objectives, desired outcomes, overhead, and all the things…
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How Salon Clients Find You Online and The Missing Context of Charging Your Worth
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In this episode, Nina dives into a few key actions that can have an immediate impact on your salon business and brand. New salon clients find you via search, whether it be through search engines, voice, AI, referral platforms or the socials. Every word matters, which means your captions are more important than ever. In this episode I share an exerc…
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Let's Catch Up: Repurposing Content, Healthy Boundaries, Walls, Salon Service Discounting And More
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In this episode on the pod, Nina comes to you for a little catch up after being under the weather this month to celebrate Passion Squared's 12th birthday, dive into respurposing content, navigating sick days with salon clients, healthy boundaries vs. walls in your salon business, and some things to consider before discounting your salon services wh…
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ENCORE EPISODE: The $100K Email: Building Care, Trust, and Value with Your Existing Salon Clients
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18:24
In this episode, originally aired in June 2023, Nina shares some simple, high-impact ways to show your salon clients you care, build trust, and create more value for them. These simple actions, which have nothing to do with social media or algorithms, can help you retain awesome clients, and help you generate more revenue in the process. Also in th…
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Your Salon Social Media Content Is Your Marketing
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In this episode, Nina dives into the connection between your salon brand story and your salon's social media content and shares some simple processes to stay focused on creating content that connects you to the salon clients you wish to serve. If you are looking to streamline your social media content process, build relationships with new clients, …
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SPECIAL GUEST Candice Moore On Emotional Fitness and Stepping Into Your Truth
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In this episode, Nina sits down with special guest, and long-time friend Candice Moore. Candice is the owner of Moore Grace, a company dedicated to healing, restoration, and hope at the soul level. Candice is a transformative leader, a powerful motivational speaker, a gifted storyteller, and a published author. In this episode, Candice shares what …
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ENCORE EPISODE: Justifying Your Value, Worth and Price
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9:26
In this episode, which originally aired on February 6, 2023, Nina dives deeper into an Instagram post shared last week on being mindful about creating content drenched in justification around the value, worth, and pricing of your brand services and products. Whether you are a stylist, a salon, a fitness trainer, a massage therapist, a lash artist, …
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Things To Look At When Your Salon Business Is Slow
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26:37
In this episode, Nina shares some thoughts about the 'everyone is slow' narrative being shared on the salon industry socials. The fact is, not everyone is slow, busy, sad, happy, or anything. This is another example of black and white thinking, coupled with remembering the algorithms can be deceiving and distracting. Nina also shares insights on so…
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SPECIAL GUEST Ira Pope Sage On Becoming A Hairdresser, Educator, Navigating Fears and Healthy Mindsets
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47:51
In this episode, Nina sits down with long-time friend and award winning hairdresser Ira Pope Sage. They talk about everything, from how Ira became a hairdresser, to his first years as an educator, to navigating his fears and helping others navigate theirs as an educator, to what creates an awesome salon or education experience, to the daily rituals…
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ENCORE EPISODE: Dismantling The ‘Professional Salon Products Aren’t Profitable’ Myth
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We’re sharing this episode again (original episode aired June 2023) as the myth around professional salon products not being profitable keeps coming back to our inbox, as recently as this week. In this episode, Nina talks about the true purpose of providing home care solutions for your clients and some of the false narratives being shared in the pr…
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Salon Client Education, Haircare Myths and Lifetime Client Value
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19:59
In this episode, Nina dives deeper into a post shared last week on the Passion Squared socials that spoke to the Stanley cup memes and folks comparing them to investing in professional salon products. The memes were funny and also created an opportunity to talk about brand value and lifetime salon client value. The deeper dive in this episode is ab…
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2024: The Year of Perspective for The Salon Industry
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41:43
In this episode, Nina proclaims 2024 to be the year of perspective for the salon industry. One viral TiKTok or some comments from random strangers on the Internet is not fact, or truth. The algorithms are designed to feed off our enragement and discourse. Because of that, we are collectively losing perspective around how different salon businesses …
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SPECIAL GUEST Roxan McDonald On Storytelling, TikTok, Not Being Nice and So Much More
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In this special episode of the pod, Nina is joined by author, writer, storyteller, content creator, and small business owner Roxan McDonald. Roxan shares her story of how she became a writer and storyteller, her viral rise on TikTok, not being nice, where gratitude fits in her recovery and life, moving to a new country and we dive into Roxan’s late…
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Navigating Difficult Conversations with Salon Clients
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In this episode, Nina responds to a question from Evan Joseph about dealing with a salon client who is being unreasonable and combative. There are several things to consider when deciding how to handle upset or angry salon clients; your business Agreements, your brand, lifetime client value, and the outcome you seek. Having healthy boundaries is es…
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Dear Salon Industry, We Need To Talk About Home Care Solutions for Your Clients
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23:17
In this episode, Nina talks about the true purpose of providing home care solutions for your clients and some of the false narratives being shared in the professional salon industry. The truth is, your client's happiness matters not just on the day of their salon visit, but also, all the days in between. The purpose of offering home care is not abo…
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The $100K Email: Building Care, Trust, and Value with Your Existing Clients
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18:24
In this episode, Nina shares some simple, high-impact ways to show clients you care, build trust, and create more value for them. These simple actions, which have nothing to do with social media or algorithms, can help you retain awesome clients, and help you generate more revenue in the process. Also in this episode, Nina shares the real reason be…
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ENCORE: A Different Look at Team Handbooks and Client Agreements
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19:35
One way to reduce team discourse, leadership overwhelm and angst is to have clear, simple, aligned, and compassionate communication. And while that sounds like, duh Nina, the truth is it's one of the most common reasons discourse is created in the first place, and why people quit. Unmet expectations, broken promises, or misaligned expectations come…
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Healthy Boundaries: Conversation Framework for Pricing Discussions with Clients
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19:57
In this episode, Nina shares the Healthy Boundary Conversation Framework from My AwesomeAF Healthy Boundary Handbook to help guide you through some of the more challenging discussions when salon clients are asking about the pricing of your services and when you have a price increase. Nina also walks you through the differences between healthy bound…
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Not Everyone Goes To A Salon: A Lesson In Marketing & Your Mindset
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16:40
In this episode, Nina shares some much-needed context to help you understand the difference between salon-going and non-salon going consumers, which helps you better define your own target market, dream clients, or what we call at Passion Squared, brand people. When you have clarity around this, you can spend more time focusing on who you serve, an…
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It's Time To Dismantle The Salon Retail Narrative
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17:54
In this episode, Nina invites you to dismantle a decades-old narrative about salon "retailing". The truth is, your clients come to you because of your professional experience and expertise which includes how to maintain their hair, skin, etc. at home. The purpose and objective of educating your clients and recommending home care products and tools …
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Here Comes The Sun: Lessons About Trauma, Determination, Healing & Hope
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30:11
In this episode, I share my process and experience of saying yes to a trip to Los Angeles for a special event and all the feelings I had, and the lessons I picked up along the way. This is a story of identifying new traumas, not feeling ready, the healing that comes with feeling your feelings, determination, finding hope again, and celebrating ever…
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My Take On Independence and Interdependence from 2013
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In this episode, Nina share's chapter from their book Follow Your Heart, written in 2013. The chapter is called PEOPLE, and it walks you through why the concept of independence is a myth, and why interdependence is really where it's at still to this day. You can apply this concept to both your business and your life because the truth is, you need p…
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Commission Percentages vs. Compensation Programs
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14:31
In this episode, Nina invites you to look at the words and language you use as a salon owner and how they align with your brand and the outcomes you seek. Traditionally, there's been a focus on commission in the salon industry, which becomes problematic and creates unrealistic expectations, confusion, and disappointment. Whether you are an employme…
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A Different Look At Team Handbooks and Agreements
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19:35
One way to reduce team discourse, leadership overwhelm and angst are to have clear, simple, aligned, and compassionate communication. And while that sounds like, duh Nina, the truth is it's one of the most common reasons discourse is created in the first place, and why people quit. Unmet expectations, broken promises, or misaligned expectations com…
…
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In this episode, Nina dives deeper into an Instagram post shared last week on being mindful about creating content drenched in justification around the value, worth, and pricing of your brand services and products. Whether you are a stylist, a salon, a fitness trainer, a massage therapist, a lash artist, or a content creator, always remember your c…
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Bestie of Passion Squared and the beauty industry Gordon Miller recently launched a new podcast, Social Beauty Makers, and invited Nina on his pod. From Social Beauty Makers A renowned coach, marketer, and thought leader in social and digital media, Nina Kovner, Passion Squared CEO, gives us a 15-minute master class on the fundamentals related to '…
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The Difference Between Brand Values and Brand Value
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In this episode Nina shares insights into why it's essential to understand your brand values, what those you serve value, and the difference between brand values and brand value. With the recent decision Amazon made to end their Smile program they chose to abandon a part of their brand that was of value for some, and in doing so, moves folks to que…
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In this episode, Nina shares insights and examples of why it's important to align your words, language, communications, and content with your brand purpose, promise, people, voice, values, and vibe. Your words have energy, meaning, and impact. You want the words you choose to help you move toward the outcome you're seeking while ensuring they are i…
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In this episode Nina shares some insights into how you can double down on caring, building trust, and delivering value for your clients, teams, and tenants this year. Whether you believe a recession is here or on the way, getting back to the fundamentals of building relationships, referrals, retention, and revenue is very much in style. What's out …
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Welcome back to the podcast, lol! It's been a minute. In this episode Nina shares some wisdom and thoughts around the feelings and hopes of new days and how that can translate into any day of the year. Whether you spend your New Year’s Day in silence and reflection, or out playing in nature, or binge watching your favorite show, prioritizing your s…
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Making Decisions and Creating Awesome Client Agreements
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20:58
In this episode, Nina shares their frameworks for both decision making and creating awesome client agreements, two critically important tools for you to simplify your life as a leader and creative small business owner. The truth is you likely spend way too much time, energy, and stress not making decisions, avoiding problems, and feeling resentful …
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