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 about money or profits, it is one of the results, however, not the most important result, which is client happiness and convenience. Nina also breaks...

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 behind their obsession with squirrels, birds, and trees which is a story of hope and healing. You can find Nina and Passion Squared on the web here...

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 back to communication. In this episode, Nina shares the Awesome Team Handbook framework they created for clients of Passion Squared, along with...

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 boundary communications on price increases and no boundary communications. You will immediately feel the difference. You can apply these frameworks to...

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, and less time and frustration on the folks who simply don't see value in a salon experience or never will. Nina also shares a super important...

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 are to ensure your clients are happy. The outcome of happy clients is a happy business, which includes additional revenue. Money is not the...

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 every step, literally and figuratively. A big shout-out of gratitude to David and Alexis Thurston of Danger Jones and every human I was honored to...

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 people, we need people, and none of us would be where we are today without the people who held us, guided us, and lifted us up along the way. You...

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 employment-based salon owner or a lease-based salon owner, this is an episode that may be the spark you need to dive deeper into your brand work, and in...

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 come back to communication. In this episode Nina shares the Team Handbook framework they created for clients of Passion Squared, along with some...

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 back to communication. In this episode Nina shares the Team Handbook framework they created for clients of Passion Squared, along with some...

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 content is your marketing. When you find yourself sharing content that speaks to your value, worth, and pricing, ask yourself who is this targeting...

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 'brand' and 'branding' -two words too often used interchangeably... in error. Today perhaps more than ever before, the essence of who we are and...

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 question Amazon's actual brand values. Your brand story is the foundation of all that you do as a small business owner, and it begins by having...

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 in the language of your client, customer, or consumer. You can find Nina and Passion Squared on the socials @passionsquared and at...

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 of style is client shaming, blaming, and being inflexible. Care, trust, and value are very much in. Focus on solutions, along with clarity of your...

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 self-care is essential to feeling more grounded, present and intentional as a leader, small business owner and human. If feeling more grounded and...

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 when clients show up late, cancel at the last minute, or not show up at all. Clear, detailed agreements, along with a framework for making...

In this episode, Nina share's some insights into why some brands stand up publicly and fight injustices in our world and why some choose not to. This episode is not about politics, it's about clarity of brand story, vision, and values. It's about the choices you make as a brand in relation to what your people value, whether it be clients, team members, or tenants if you are leading a lease-based business. It's about aligning your actions with your brand promises. Thank you so much for...

The awesome news is your clients are respecting your Safe In Our Salon Agreements + Protocols and canceling their reservations if they feel ill or have been exposed, the not so awesome news is you may be having a trauma response to your 2020 experience. If this feels relatable, you are not alone. In this episode, Nina shares some thoughts on how to navigate the current cancellation surge you may be seeing in your salon, some resources, and tools to care for your mental health and wellness,...

In this all-new episode of the pod, Nina shares their experience with the recent 33-day social break they took. At Passion Squared, we've been sharing with our clients and community for years about the importance of taking breaks, however, during this break, Nina saw the need for even more time off, and when you are on, remembering your purpose for being there, focusing on who you serve and the solutions you have for those you serve. It's time to get back into a healthy relationship with the...

(This episode originally aired on December 24, 2019) In this episode, Nina shares her experience around navigating the holidays when you struggle to find joy in them, a little but super important rant on Britney memes and mental health, along with reading a few pages from her NEW My AwesomeAF Boundary Book that touches on clients demanding to be squeezed in and talking politics with family. You can get your copy of My AwesomeAF Boundary Book in the Passion Squared Shop here and find Nina on...

(This episode originally aired on February 13, 2020) In this episode we sit down with Danielle Green of Radically Curly to talk about the Hair Love book, the recent Oscar win for the Hair Love animated short film, and the CROWN Act. It is currently LEGAL in all but three states (now 14 as of this encore episode) in the US to discriminate against Black people who wear natural, protective and braided hairstyles both in schools and in the workplace. This is racism. Period. Danielle shares her...

In this episode of the pod, Nina shares fifty five life and business wisdoms and lessons on their 55th birthday with special guest and bestie Gordon Miller of Hairbrained. Grab your favorite beverage and snack, get cozy, take a listen and if you feel inspired, share some of your wisdoms and lessons with us on the socials. You can find Nina + Passion Squared on the gram @passionsquared @ninakovner and Gordon @gordnm @hairbrained_official Thank you so much for listening and for you trust,...

In this What's On My Mind episode we are back with Nina sharing what's been on their mind the last couple weeks. Nina share's their thoughts on business integrity and ethics, business agreements and how they align with your own brand vision and values along with your brand purpose, promise and people. This applies to all aspects of your business and the daily decisions you make as a leader and small business owner. We talk lifetime client value and could not help but talk about the the recent...