352 How Leading Salons Are Using AI Every Day with Martha Lynn Kale

[upbeat music] You cannot get away from AI at the moment. And love it or hate it, artificial intelligence is here to stay. So understanding how leading salons are integrating and using AI in their business to be more efficient, more organized, and ultimately more profitable, is essential if you really wanna succeed in today's world. I'm Anthony Whitaker, and welcome to this week's episode of the Grow My Salon Business podcast. Artificial intelligence is a tool, and there has never been a tool that has captured the attention and imagination of people and businesses the way that artificial intelligence has. Today, I'm talking with Martha Lynn Kale from Austin, Texas, who is the owner of the Mirror Mirror salon, and she's very definitely an AI fan. So today, we're gonna be digging into the practical uses that she and her team have for using AI every day in the salon. So without further ado, welcome to the show, Martha Lynn.

Hi. Thanks for having me. So excited to be back.

Ah, it's great to have you b- it is back, isn't it? I think, is this the third-

Yes

... third or fourth? But spread over five years, so it's been a very interesting journey, like knowing-

Yeah

... you and your business and how your business has evolved. And every time I talk to you, it's bigger and better, so, uh, you obviously do a lot of good stuff, and I know a lot of people, you know, benefit from what, from what you talk about. So, uh, so today-

Great

... we are going to jump into the world of AI. I've been talking to different people coming at it from a different angle lately, uh, as to how salons are integrating it into their salon. And I know that you are a, a big, um, disciple, uh, fan, enthusiast, whatever the correct term is. So let's just start off with a sort of a broad brushstroke, and then we'll dig into the details. So how, how are you using AI in the salon at the moment?

Um, we are using it in leadership a lot. We're, we're going through a big expansion for the salon right now, and so we're systemizing everything. And so, um, it's really helping us get organized in that way. Um, I'm using it a lot in conversation preparation, um, you know, to pressure test things to make sure that I'm, you know, have all the information that I need. Um, you know, and then of course, like, training and education. Um, it's, it's more what we're using in the office versus, you know, on the salon floor. But, um, it's been incredibly helpful. And I've only been really using AI for probably a little over a year.

There was something I wanted to ask you about that, uh, uh, I think I saw on Instagram or somewhere today where, you know, someone basically said, "I'm stopping using AI because it's making my brain, you know, lazy." And so when you just said then, you know, 'cause I use it a lot every day now, I'm using AI in different ways-

Mm-hmm

... and it's sort of evolving how I use it. Um, a- and I get what this person meant when they said that. So, so, so what would your comment be about that? Is it making you lazy at all? Because you can get more done, you can get it done quicker, you can get, you know, uh, feedback on your thought process and all that sort of stuff. I think you just used the