Getting Clear: Build Confidence and Become a Better Salon Leader

A full appointment book. A team that needs answers. Another trend, another strategy, another person telling you what your business should look like. For salon owners and hairstylists, there is plenty competing for your attention. Finding time to decide what deserves it can be harder. That is the conversation behind Serious Business 2027, taking place January 16–18 in New Orleans. This year’s focus, Getting Clear, invites beauty professionals to step back, examine what matters and bring greater intention to how they work and lead.

In a recent Neill Break room Conversation on Instagram Live, Stephanie sat down with Serious Business co-founder Debra Neill Baker to explore the thinking behind the event. Their conversation offered a reminder that business education reaches beyond the systems you use. It also includes the person making the decisions.

Why salon business education starts with the person behind the business

At Neill, education has long been part of how we support beauty professionals. Technical education helps artists strengthen their craft. Business education helps them build a working life around it.

During the live, Debra reflected on how Serious Business grew from that need. Supporting salons meant creating space for conversations about running a business, alongside the technical education already available.

Over time, those conversations expanded to include leaders and ideas from outside the beauty industry. The aim was to expose attendees to different perspectives and encourage them to examine their own thinking.

That approach connects with Neill’s commitment to education: helping beauty professionals continue developing throughout their careers.

For Debra, the work begins with how we lead ourselves. The way we respond under pressure, relate to others and approach change becomes part of how our businesses operate.

What Getting Clear means for salon owners and hairstylists

One of the most relatable moments in the live came when Debra asked when any of us last needed more information. Between social media, industry advice and the demands of a busy salon, information is rarely in short supply. The harder task is recognizing which ideas deserve your attention.

Getting clear means making time to distinguish the signal from the noise. It means considering what matters to you, which goals reflect your values and which expectations you may have adopted without questioning them. For a salon owner, that might mean examining whether your growth plans match the kind of business you want to lead. For a hairstylist, it might mean deciding which skills to develop or what you want your career behind the chair to become.

A few questions to bring into that reflection:

• What am I working toward, and why does it matter to me?
• Which expectations are guiding my decisions?
• What am I continuing simply because it is familiar?
• How do I want people to experience my leadership?

These are useful starting points for the personal work Debra described—not questions you have to answer perfectly before attending.

Stronger salon leadership begins with curiosity

Debra encouraged approaching yourself with curiosity rather than judgment. It is a practical distinction. When a familiar response is not helping, curiosity creates room to examine it. You can notice a pattern, question an assumption and consider another way forward.

The next step is responsibility: for how you respond, how you relate, how you lead and how you grow.

That work matters for owners and managers, but it also belongs to hairstylists. As Debra explained, individual artists are developing businesses within the salon business. Each person’s growth contributes to a connected whole. For leaders thinking about their teams, Neill’s salon growth resources offer another place to explore the relationship between people, culture and business development.

A preview of the Serious Business 2027 speakers

The live also offered a look at the perspectives coming to this year’s event. Among the speakers discussed were:

Amy Smilovic: Define success on your own terms

The founder and creative director of Tibi and author of Almost Reckless, Amy Smilovic brings a perspective on creative judgment, risk and building a business that reflects your principles.

In the conversation, Debra connected Amy’s willingness to rethink her direction with the choices salon owners face. Growth can take different forms. Getting clear means considering which form makes sense for you.

Marc Brackett: Bring emotional awareness to leadership

Marc Brackett, Ph.D., founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, brings a focus on understanding and working with emotions.

Stephanie highlighted the relevance of that work to everyday life and leadership. For beauty professionals working closely with guests and teams, it is a topic with plenty of real-world applications.

Erin King: Consider the energy you bring

Energy management expert and entrepreneur Erin King also came up during the live, with Stephanie sharing her experience taking Erin’s energy assessment.

Her inclusion adds another perspective to the conversation about how we show up, contribute and lead.

Explore the full Serious Business 2027 speaker lineup for more about this year’s guests. Debra also shared plans for Amy Smilovic and Marc Brackett to participate in next-day breakouts, extending the conversation beyond their main-stage appearances. Check the latest program as session details are announced.

The conversations that continue after the conference

Speakers are part of the experience. So are the people sitting beside you.

Stephanie described connections she can return to throughout the year for encouragement and perspective. Debra spoke about the value of presence and proximity: being in the room, listening, reflecting and connecting. For salon owners, managers and hairstylists, those relationships can become an ongoing source of support. A conversation between sessions may introduce you to someone navigating a familiar challenge or approaching a decision differently.

That community is part of what makes Serious Business a reset at the start of the year. There is room to absorb new ideas and think about what they mean for your own work.

Plan your Serious Business 2027 weekend in New Orleans

Ready to make room for that reset? Here are the details to help you plan:

• Dates: January 16–18, 2027.
• Location: New Orleans, Louisiana, with general sessions at the Saenger Theatre and breakouts at The Roosevelt Hotel.
• Tickets: In-season tickets are currently listed at $700 through November 13. Payment plans and a group rate for five or more attendees are also listed on the ticket page.
• Hotels: Book early and review the Serious Business hotel information.
• Schedule: The tentative program includes a Saturday welcome reception, Sunday general sessions and Monday breakouts. View the latest conference schedule before making plans.

If you are mapping out your education for the coming year, make room for the work of developing yourself alongside your technical skills. Start with a willingness to reflect. Bring your questions, your experience and an openness to seeing things differently.

Get your Serious Business 2027 tickets and join us in New Orleans to get clear on what comes next.