Indie Hair Academy

I live by this rule.

I don’t take advice from anyone I don’t aspire to be like.

If someone doesn’t have the life or the alignment with what they’re actually preaching, I take their advice with a grain of salt. You don’t have to be rude about it. Just listen, say thank you, and leave it right there.

Only take advice from people who are actually living it. People whose life makes you think “I want that.”

Be selective with who gets a say in your life. Not everyone’s earned it.

20+ years behind the chair… and one brave decision changed everything.

For over 20 years, I poured my heart into hairdressing.

I built a successful business, experienced the highs and the lows, made mistakes, learned lessons, and discovered what it really takes to build a sustainable career as an independent hairdresser.

But there was one thing I kept noticing…

So many incredible hairdressers were trying to figure it all out on their own.

Questions with nowhere to turn.
Self-doubt.
Confusion.
Overwhelm.
Wanting someone who had already walked the path to simply say, “Here’s what I’d do.”

For a long time, I told myself…

“Who’s going to listen to me? I’m just a home hairdresser.”

That little voice almost stopped me from taking the next step.

Then I made one brave decision.

I stopped seeing myself as “just” a hairdresser and started sharing everything I’d learned to help others build the businesses they dreamed of.

That one decision changed everything.

Today, I get to support independent hairdressers across Australia and beyond, helping them create profitable businesses, back themselves, and realise they’re capable of so much more than they ever imagined.

If you’re waiting until you feel ready, confident, or “qualified enough”…

This is your reminder.

Sometimes the one brave decision you’ve been putting off is the very thing that changes your life.

What’s one brave decision you’ve made that changed yours?

Does this sound like you?

You’re booked out most weeks.
Your clients love you and somehow, at the end of the month, there’s still nothing left over.

You’re charging what everyone else charges, not what you’re actually worth.

You’re paying suppliers, paying rent, paying everyone else first, and hoping there’s something left for you. There’s no real plan behind any of it, just instinct and hustle.

Your business account and your personal account blur into one.

Clients text you at 9pm and you answer, because you’ve never set the boundary.

Marketing is whatever you can squeeze in between appointments. And if something went wrong tomorrow, contract, tax, insurance, you’re not sure you’d be covered.

None of that makes you bad at business.
It means nobody ever taught you this side of the chair.

Indie Hair Academy is the pathway for independent hairdressers who are brilliant at their craft and ready to get just as confident with the business behind it.
Know your numbers.
Price with confidence.
Set boundaries that protect your time.

Where should you start? - link in bio

Why did I start Indie?

I ran a commercial salon for five years. Sold it when I had my second baby. Then in 2016 I set up my own home salon and started again from scratch.

That’s when I saw it. There is no one place, no one person, for solo hairdressers to turn to. Home salon, chair rental, mobile, doesn’t matter. Every one of you has had to figure it out yourselves.

Trial and error.
Learning the hard way.
Nobody showing you what “properly” looks like.

So I built the thing I wish existed.

Indie Hair Academy is here to lead solo hairdressers the right way.

Real guidance.
Real direction.
The knowledge to set your business up properly and the support to keep going once it’s built.

Creating positive impact for the solo operators in this industry is my why, every single day.

Welcome to Indie

Who is Indie, and why did I start this?

I ran a commercial salon for five years. Sold it when I had my second baby. Then in 2016 I set up my own home salon and started again from scratch.

That’s when I saw it. There is no one place, no one person, for solo hairdressers to turn to when they’re setting up on their own.
Home salon, chair rental, mobile, doesn’t matter.
Every one of you has had to figure it out yourselves.
Trial and error. Learning the hard way.

Nobody showing you the right way to do it properly, or even what “properly” looks like.

So I built the thing I wish existed when I was doing it alone.

Indie Hair Academy is here to lead solo hairdressers the right way.
Real guidance.
Real direction.
The knowledge to set your business up properly and the support to keep going once it’s built.

This is why I do what I do.

Creating positive impact for the solo operators in this industry is my why, every single day.

Selling your home one day? If you run your salon from it, this one’s for you.

Most people assume selling the family home is tax free. Usually it is, thanks to the main residence exemption.

But once part of your home earns you income, that exemption can shrink.
Dedicated salon space, occupancy expenses claimed on it, and part of your gain becomes taxable when you sell.

Swipe through for the full breakdown, including how it’s calculated and a real worked example.

Quick timing note: the new federal budget CGT changes don’t affect this until 1 July 2027.
Sell before then and the normal 50% CGT discount still applies as usual.

If this raises questions, we have an Indie accountant who specialises in exactly this and understands home based hairdressing businesses inside out. Reach out any time, we’re here to help.

Otherwise, get onto your own accountant early so you’re set up properly before you list.

Save this one for later

Life has a way of pulling us into the constant doing.
Running a business
Being a mum
Being a loving partner, wife
Showing up for everyone
Wearing all the hats

But somewhere along the way, we can forget to simply… be.

Over the weekend, Ray and I spent some time on a farm, and it was exactly what my soul needed. I wasn’t expecting the emotions that came with it. Holding a tiny baby chicken in my hands, watching a little pig happily running around, standing quietly amongst the cows… I found myself in tears.

There was something so peaceful, so gentle, so grounding about being surrounded by animals and nature. It reminded me how healing it is when we step away from the noise and reconnect with what really matters.

Maybe the most productive thing we can do sometimes isn’t doing more… it’s slowing down enough to breathe, to feel, and to simply exist.

This is your little reminder to give something back to yourself. Put your phone down
Take your shoes off
Walk on the grass
Hug an animal
Sit under a tree
Watch a sunset

I had to share this…….

What quirky things do you do or have in your salon?

Image by Hair Art Industry