Badass Folx in Biz - Boss Your Salon’s Maddi Cook

Ever known a real-life Boss?

Maddi Cook and I have never met in person. But - my goodness gracious me - this woman is inspiring AF.

She’s carved a unique place for herself in the hair and beauty industry coaching hairdressers, nail techs, and even dog groomers on how to grow their businesses - without the burnout.

You may also know her as THE pricing queen. The boundary-setting badass. Mrs. Motivator.

Maddi’s all about doing biz in a way that feels GOOD for YOU. She knows there’s no cookie-cutter solution.

She recognizes where there’s inequality, inequity, and lack of representation - and she works damn hard to champion all voices to make sure they get a say, too.

Someday, I hope we get to meet IRL - to swim and drink coffee and eat some reet tasty scran together - because she’s the kinda Boss Client you don’t easily forget.

Now, let’s dig into her interview…

What prompted you to start Boss Your Salon? Was there a specific moment that made you take the leap into online entrepreneurship?

Like most of my life and career, it was a total ‘sliding doors’ moment. I was working in my salon one day when I was flipping through a pile of post. I spied a flier offering a fully funded, 3-day business course, complete with two nights in a hotel and all of my meals.

I thought it sounded like a nice break, and nothing more, but that was when my eyes were opened to just how much I didn’t know.

Coming from a background in hairdressing, I realised that weekend that our industry was full of these total badasses, who were awesome at their craft, but had never been taught ‘the business stuff’.

So I made it my mission to learn as much as I could. I attended courses, devoured piles of books and had podcasts in my ears for most of the day.

‘Maddi will know how to help you with that’, started to ring around the industry Facebook groups, and my DM’s started filling up with hair and beauty pros, desperate for help with running their business.

The challenges were universal, so to help as many folks as possible, and let’s face it, because I have this wonderful ADHD-fuelled efficiency, I decided to start my own Facebook group to scale up the impact. Boss Your Salon was born.

**Who has been your greatest inspiration as you’ve built BYS? Who are your biggest cheerleaders?**

My dad (A.K.A ‘Big Roy’) has encouraged and supported my entrepreneurial journey since before I even knew what a business was. Whether it was leveraging my 6-year-old cuteness to flog software and keyboards at his stall at the local leisure centre computer fair, to counting cash in the middle seat of his transit van, he instilled an unshakeable belief that opportunity is everywhere.

I also by some miracle, have a group of besties who just so happen to be insanely talented, creative and successful business badasses. And we didn’t even meet and bond over this shared experience, I’ve known most of them since I was a teenager! Sometimes I have to remind myself that it’s actually unusual to have that kind of network ‘IRL’! This is one of the main reasons why I love curating and leading communities of like-minded Business Bosses, because I see the insane magic that comes when you have a safe space to share your challenges, lessons and celebrations, judgement-free!

And finally, the thing I love about this digital age is that I haven’t even got to meet some of my biggest cheerleaders (yet! - I’m looking at you, Robyn!)

What’s it like running a business with your husband? How do you two handle challenges or differences that come up?

For the most part, it’s just a case of clearly defining roles and expectations, and being able to switch our business heads off (though I do have a habit of coming up with, and wanting to discuss, business ideas juuuuuust as Aidan’s falling asleep!)
We focus on clear communication, and everything is worked through in the moment, and we have ‘table meetings’ (see: laptops on the dining table), to create a separation between work and our personal lives.

Any challenges are way overshadowed by the fact that we get to spend so much time with each other, and travel the world while we work on the business together, without having to ask the gaffer for a week off!

What does a typical week look like for you?

We try and stick to a schedule when we’re at home, otherwise, it’s easy to veer between lounging about for 3 days in a row, and working til it feels like my eyeballs will start bleeding any second.

I have a call with my glorious Online Business Manager, Abby, every Monday morning. I then try and keep the rest of the day to strategy work, and catching up with ongoing projects.

We see our awesome little niece on a Tuesday, so that’s filled with all sorts of toddler-related-shenanigans.

I’ll be implementing ‘no work Wednesdays’ soon, which I’ll fill with sea-swimming, getting massages, seeing my outrageously talented nail tech, Hilda, and general ‘swanning around’.

Then the rest of the week is filled with coaching calls, content creation, and the many weird and wonderful things that slide on your to-do list, as an online business owner.

You travel as much and as often as you can - I love to see your adventures! - where are your fave places you’ve been to and why? What do you love most about these places? Where’s on your dream list of places to go next?!

We recently did a trip to the US where we visited Las Vegas, Chicago and New York. We’d never been to Chicago before but we’ve both fallen in love with it. The food is divine and I could wander around the city for hours and never get bored.

Neither of us drinks so we’re always drawn to places where there’s plenty of good food and even better coffee, and we love nothing more than just getting lost and seeing what the locals get up to, Rome has been my fave so far for that (though you’ll feel a wave of disappointment whenever you eat Italian food back home, sorry!)

Our next trip will be a month in Los Angeles. I was there for a conference in Autumn and it lit something up in me. I didn’t think it would be my jam, but I’ve been desperate to get back and get that sunshine on my bones ever since.

We’d love to travel for longer periods and really lean into the opportunity that our business setup has given us, so the month in LA is kinda like a test-run for that.

You’ve been making some exciting new moves this year with your biz! Can you talk a bit more about what’s on the horizon for you and BYS? What are you most looking forward to in 2023 (work and/or play-wise?!)

Thank you! I feel like this year we’ve really been feeling the benefit of the previous couple of years, so we grew really well without feeling like we were making enormous sacrifices.

But we’re diving back in and really refining what we offer, rather than coming up with a bunch of new stuff and flitting from one thing to the other.

I made some tough decisions in 2022 that included either completely removed, or drastically overhauled the offers that made up over 95% of our revenue. Thankfully, they were calculated risks (would you expect anything else, from the queen of numbers!?) and they’ve paid off.

We’ve got our whole 2023 mapped out, which is partly terrifying because we have so much to work on, but it keeps us on track and stops the dreaded chopping and changing that can really derail a business journey.

How are you challenging yourself this coming year?

My mottos for 2023 are gonna be, ‘go deeper, not wider’ (which I nabbed from one of my brilliant coaches!), and ‘look for the win/win’. I’m a recovering people pleaser, so this year I’ll be challenging myself to meet my own needs first and foremost, as well as keeping on track with our overall strategy, and not being derailed or distracted by those damned bright, shiny objects.

What practices do you call upon to feed your mind/body/soul as a badass biz owner and human being?!

As someone with ADHD, I have to be incredibly mindful of my energy, otherwise, it manifests in a not-so-happy mind, body AND soul. Sometimes this looks like saying no when I’ve previously said yes, and setting firm boundaries around my time and energy.

I’m lucky enough to live right by the beach, so I wanna get back into sea swimming on the regular, because just a few minutes in the freezing cold North Sea, feels like the same endorphins you’d get from a 2-hour workout at the gym.

And having learned some tough lessons last year, I’m planning my calendar in a way that prioritises rest as much as it does the fun stuff. No calls or meetings for a few days after we get back from a trip, and keeping to my ‘no work Wednesdays’ as best I can.

What have you noticed about how you’ve been able to show up for yourself/your biz/your Bosses as time goes on? Does it get easier?! (Asking for a friend! haha!)

I wouldn’t say it necessarily gets easier, I just get more evidence to show myself how resilient I am and what I can and can’t manage.

Learning how to prioritise my needs and set boundaries has been an absolute game-changer. It’s some of the hardest work I have done in my life, but the benefits far outweigh the wobbly feelings when I’m doing it.

I also think a lot about how I embody what I teach. Integrity is a huge value of mine, so it’s no good me teaching about sticking to your policies if I’m not gonna do the same. So sometimes it’s not so much ME who’s doing it, but it’s for the collective good of my community, as I can lead by example and show them that the world keeps turning when we do the hard things.

Money mindset and building wealth as a biz owner have been a massive part of your messaging lately. What are some of the most impactful money mindset tools or lessons you’ve learned/implemented since starting your biz? How has this changed your approach to business?

I worked through a lot of my money mindset issues with my coach and my therapist, so I have some great ways of processing those thoughts and feelings.

You also very kindly sent me the book, ‘We Should All Be Millionaires’ by Rachel Rogers, which really underpinned this and reaffirmed the importance of a good relationship with money.

One of my favourite lines from the book is, ‘wealthy women open the door for other women’, and I absolutely adore this, and know it to be true from my own experience.

The main change for me was detaching emotionally from money, and understanding that it can be used as a tool for good.

So rather than feeling ashamed and guilty that I earn more than a friend who is a carer, I understand that me making less money wouldn’t mean they earn more, but it does mean that I can spread my money around by becoming a job-creator, and spending money in my local community.

It also doesn’t hurt that I earn money in a way that feels ethical and in integrity. People pay me to help them to earn more money. We measure this so we know it works. It feels really aligned to know that my money reflects the better conditions and pay for many women who are working class, single parents or pulling themselves up out of poverty.

You’ve been targeted by some haters over the years. I’m always so impressed with how you handle those icky moments. What would you say to someone who finds themselves in that kind of situation? How do you recommend navigating through the bullshit?!

I think I’m in the minority in how these people just don’t affect me in the slightest. This ain’t my first rodeo, put it that way!

Firstly, look at where this person is in relation to you (business and life-wise). Whilst it isn’t a competition, the people who’ve gone in on me have never been doing more, working harder, or having more of an impact than me. It always comes from behind, never in front.

I also leverage the hell out of it - I use their slurs as coupon codes, and then donate some of those sales to charities that support girls and women. I screenshot the hate that I get on my ads and turn it into the best-performing posts to date.

There’s always a nugget of gold in these things, and the more you see the immense value in what you do, who you are and the impact that you have, these people just can’t get to you.

What’s been the best investment you’ve made for your biz to date?

Hiring my most recent coach, without a doubt.

I was always dubious of posts about the ROI in high-ticket coaching (the online coaching space in general has a lot of icky practices, so you’ve gotta have a well-oiled BS-meter). But I was attracted to her because she was much more focused on her process, and the results of her clients, than selling the lifestyle and the fluff.

It was the biggest investment I’d made by a million miles (7x as much as the most I’d spent, previous to that), and I made it back in the first couple of months of our year together.

The container is also hugely diverse, and in there I’ve met women who are multi-millionaires, and also the sweetest, funniest and warmest people you’d ever meet. It really reinforced the idea for me that ‘if you can see it, you can be it’, which I now embody myself, and foster in my online programmes.

What’s been the most challenging aspect of being The Big Boss?

Definitely managing my energy. Give me complex strategies, huge visions and big risks any day of the week, those are my wheelhouse and where I feel comfy.

The hardest part for me is realising that I am just one person, and although I know I’m capable of creating awesome things, it doesn’t mean that I have to push myself beyond my energetic limits.

I’ve also learned to ask for help and outsource parts of the business which I fiercely tried to avoid in those earlier years. Boss Your Salon is way more than just me - the team I have behind the scenes are integral to its success, and therefore the success of my fellow Bosses.

You’ve supported thousands of Bosses with your work - how does it feel to know you’re making such a massive impact in the industry? What do you value most about this kind of work?

So although BYS has been around officially since early 2018, it absolutely blew up over the lockdowns in 2020 and has grown ever since.

And as weird as this sounds, I‘d never really comprehended that all of these people in my group, my DM’s and my email inbox, were all living breathing people whose lives had been positively impacted by my work. I let myself find comfort that we all just existed as pixels and usernames, I think it helped me to not feel overwhelmed by it all.

It wasn’t until the first awards ceremony I went to ‘IRL’, when I got recognised by someone in the loos, who told me they now worked a 4-day week and picked their son up from school, that the penny dropped.

I still find it absolutely bonkers, and I wish I could be a bit more chill about the whole thing.

I’m getting better when it comes to industry events, in fact, I absolutely love getting to meet Bosses in the flesh. But I’ve also been stopped at Glastonbury festival, at a friend’s wedding, and even on a plane to Portugal, by folks whose lives have been changed by things I’ve created. If nothing else, it entertains my family who thinks they’re in the midst of the Kim K of salon pricing strategy.

Maddi, THANK YOU!

I’m not crying, you’re crying.

I told ya she was inspiring AF, didn’t ?!

If you enjoyed reading Maddi’s interview and want to learn more about all the badass Boss-level stuff she’s up to, here’s everything you need to find her online:

Follow Maddi over on the ‘Gram here.

Nose around the Boss Your Salon website and check out Maddi’s bevvy of online courses and programs!

Give her a giant thumbs up on Facebook.