You've made the decision.

Maybe you're opening your own shop. Maybe you found a better opportunity. Maybe you just need a change.

But now comes the hard part: telling your boss. And your coworkers. And figuring out what to do about your clients.

How you handle the next few weeks will shape your reputation for years.

Why leaving well matters

The beauty industry is small.

That owner you're leaving? They know other owners. The coworkers you work with? They'll work somewhere else eventually. The clients you serve? They talk.

A messy exit follows you. A graceful one opens doors.

The conversation with your boss

When to tell them

Standard notice is 2 weeks. But in a salon, consider giving more if:

You have a heavy client book that needs transitioning
You're in a leadership role
The relationship has been positive and you want to preserve it

3-4 weeks is generous. More than that, and you risk an awkward limbo period.

How to say it

Direct. Professional. Appreciative.

"I wanted to let you know that I've decided to move on. My last day will be [date]. I'm grateful for the opportunity to work here, and I want to make the transition as smooth as possible."

That's it. No long explanations. No apologies. No drama.

What if they react badly?

Some owners take departures personally. They might:

Get angry
Try to guilt you
Immediately tell you to leave
Badmouth you to others

You can't control their reaction. You can only control your professionalism.

Stay calm. Don't engage with drama. If they ask you to leave immediately, accept it gracefully and move on.

The client question

This is where it gets complicated.

Your clients came to the salon, but they come for you. When you leave, what happens to them?

Know your agreement

Some salons have non-compete or non-solicitation clauses. Read whatever you signed.

Non-compete: You can't work within X miles for Y months (often unenforceable, but still worth knowing)
Non-solicitation: You can't actively recruit clients to follow you

"Actively recruit" usually means you can't call them, email them, or message them saying "I'm leaving, follow me."

But if clients find you on their own? That's typically fine.

The ethical middle ground

Even without legal restrictions, there's a professional code.

Don't:

Mass-message your client list announcing your move
Trash-talk the salon to convince clients to leave
Take the salon's client contact list

Do:

Update your personal social media with your new location
Tell clients who ask where you're going
Make it easy for people to find you without directly soliciting

The line: Clients can choose to follow you. You just can't actively poach them.

Handling your last days

Keep working hard

The temptation is to coast. Don't.

How you work your final weeks is how people will remember you. Show up on time. Do great work. Be helpful.

Train your replacement (if asked)

If the salon asks you to help transition your clients to another stylist, do it professionally.

Introduce them. Share notes on preferences. Set the next person up for success.

This isn't just nice—it's professional. And that other stylist will remember your generosity.

Say proper goodbyes

To coworkers: Thank them. Exchange contact info. Mean it.

To clients: "It's been great working with you. I wish you all the best."

No hard sells. No guilt trips. Just warmth.

After you leave

Don't badmouth

Even if the experience was terrible, resist the urge to vent publicly.

"It just wasn't the right fit" is all you need to say.

Badmouthing your old salon makes you look bad, not them.

Stay connected

The stylists you worked with will move around. The industry will bring you back together.

Keep those relationships warm. Comment on their posts. Congratulate their wins. You never know when you'll need each other.

Let clients come to you

If you've updated your social media and made your new location findable, the clients who want to follow will find you.

The ones who don't? They weren't really your clients. They were the salon's.

And that's okay.

A story of two exits

Stylist A got mad at her boss, announced she was leaving on Instagram, mass-messaged every client in the system, and walked out mid-shift.

She got about 40% of her clients to follow. But the salon owner told everyone in the industry about her behavior. Two years later, when she needed a chair rental during a slow period, no one would take her call.

Stylist B gave 3 weeks notice, worked hard until her last day, and only told clients where she was going when they asked directly.

She got about 30% of her clients to follow—a bit less. But when she later wanted to rent a booth at a premium location, the owner said: "I heard great things about how you left your last place. You're exactly the kind of professional I want here."

The 10% difference in clients wasn't worth the reputation damage.

Your reputation is your career

Clients will come and go. Jobs will change.

But your reputation compounds over time.

Leave every place better than you found it—or at least, no worse. The doors that stay open will be worth more than the clients you might have grabbed on the way out.

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Build something that's truly yours—wherever your career takes you.

The Art of the Graceful Exit: Leaving a Salon on Good Terms