PhorestFM Episode 327: Heather Harris on Strategic Delegation: Survival Mode Has an Expiry Date

Episode Transcript

Heather Harris on Strategic Delegation Survival Mode Has an Expiry Date

[00:00:00] Heather Harris: We’ll talk about it and people are like, “Yes, I’ve been talking to my business coach,” and a lot of people will approach me after I speak or after meeting me at an event and say, “I’ve actually been talking to my coach, and this is the next step, and I’m ready for you, and I’m ready for Spark.” And I’m like, “Okay.”

And then they, you know, we’ll do our discovery call, and they’ll lean in like they’re at a confessional, and they get quiet.

“But I’m kind of a control freak.” And I’m like, “What?” “I’m, I’m kind of a control freak.” And I look at them like, you mean you run a business and you’re a human? I mean, what? 

[00:00:33] PhorestFM Intro Music/Theme: We have an obligation to the industry we serve, that we serve it in the right manner. Being a business owner ain’t for the weak. The expectations are just different.

It’s always a wave. When you’re born into something this special, you can’t help but fight for it. 

[00:00:46] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Cead mile failte. 100,000 welcomes to the PhorestFM podcast. I’m your resident host, Alex Billungs Springer, and joining me on the show today is the sharp, highly relatable, and humorous founder and CEO of Spark Pro Global, Heather Harris.

It’s official. Well, not that it wasn’t last week, but we jumped into season 10 with a dynamic bonus live from the Salon Owners Summit 2026 with Calvin Stovall, and today’s conversation is the first episode of this year’s regular schedule. As the producer and resident host of the show, this is the beginning of my 10th year behind the mic, holding space for and facilitating to date over 325 conversations, ready to bring you a brand-new collection of stories, catch-ups, and case studies with coaching insights from the industry all around the world.

To celebrate the milestone, I was invited to write a piece for the Phorest blog, which was published on the tail end of last week, and in which I identified episodes from the past nine years that held quiet truths about the industry or people’s experiences within it anyways. Um, non-exhaustive list, of course, but I really enjoyed diving back into this archive that we’ve been building together all these years.

And I bring this up so that, of course, yes, you can have a read if you didn’t know it was there or existed, but more particularly because the topic of delegation, though often talked about from a very practical lens, how and what to delegate, who to delegate to, actually also holds huge layers of emotional implications.

Don’t believe me? Let me ask you this. How would you feel leaving your business unattended? Not would your business be okay. How would you feel?

As I give you a minute to sit with what comes up, a short but important reminder. For the past nine seasons, PhorestFM has been steadily putting down roots, growing slowly but steadily like the trees in the Phorest Phorest. Every episode’s been its own brand of fertilizer, carrying insight, knowledge, lessons, new ideas, and stories.

And from small seeds, the show has grown enough to change the landscape. But, there is a but. If we’re going to explore and shape what’s next together, we need as many voices as possible in the conversation. And for that, we need your help. Whether you’re contributing a submission to an episode like the season finale from season nine, or leaving a comment on or about the episode either via Spotify or social media, every bit of engagement helps the show reach that many more folks in the industry.

And one of the best ways you can support the show and help it grow beyond its current reach is by rating and reviewing it. We have 82 ratings and 45 reviews on Apple Podcasts right now. Shout out to anyone who’s left a review before. Thank you so much. And the goal this year is to get that number of reviews up to 350.

And listen, I know we can get there. I’ll drop the link in the show notes, but if you’re listening to the show on Apple Podcasts, I’m calling on your help for this one. Thank you so much. So back to this week’s order of business: delegation. At its heart, this conversation with Heather Harris, queen of delegation and founder/CEO of SparkPro Global, isn’t about delegation tactics.

It’s about shifts. Renegotiating with yourself what success actually looks like. Letting go of that part of your identity that ties success and value to how much you output, or that you have to be the most capable, or that you have to be the one who never drops the ball. Shifting from being an operator in your business to stepping into your CEO boots, or from being a firefighter to becoming an architect in your business.

But more importantly, it’s also about letting you know that you’re not alone if you’re feeling overwhelmed, over capacity, and simultaneously deeply invested and emotionally attached. This is your permission slip to build a business that doesn’t require you to lose yourself in the process Heather Harris is a nationally recognized stylist, salon owner, business leader, and a celebrated speaker bringing a wealth of insights into entrepreneurship and leadership.

As the founder and CEO of SparkPro Global, a company that provides trained executive assistants, she empowers professionals and business owners to delegate effectively and live a more fulfilling life. Through her interactive approach, she aims to help those who can’t confidently say yes understand the process and power of strategic delegation.

Heather’s a favorite at industry events and summits nationwide, and if you were with us at our 10th Phorest Summit, you might have even caught her masterclass, in which case you know the kind of energy we’re about to get into here. Oh, and that question I asked you earlier, how would you feel leaving your business unattended?

That was all her. Quite literally how she kicked off her Phorest Summit masterclass. I take no credit for that one. Recorded in the first week of January, this conversation is for those wondering, “Where do I even begin?” And the answer, my friend, is right here. Let’s get into it Heather, thank you so much for joining me on PhorestFM.

How are you doing? 

[00:06:02] Heather Harris: I’m so happy to be here, Alex. Thank you for having me. 

[00:06:05] Alex Bélisle-Springer: It’s an absolute pleasure. I’m gonna start this because it feels so ironic. We’re gonna be talking about delegation today, and when I was looking back at the intro email that Patty made for both of us, he said, “Alex runs our podcast and Heather runs..

kind of everything.” And I’m like, “That feels so funny to me now that we’re, like, aligned on, like, yeah, we’ll- we’re gonna be talking about delegation.” How does that resonate with you? 

[00:06:35] Heather Harris: So I forgot that introduction email, and I don’t know if anything’s ever suited me better. So thank you- … Patty and Alex.

Heather’s kind of in charge of everything. She’s the boss. I- That’s really cute and sweet. And how does that relate… Yeah, hi. I do too much. I’m a recovering- … complete over-functioner. Um- … ever since I was little, my mom said, “Uh, honey, you can choose piano or voice or dance. You cannot do all three.” I was, like, 11, and I looked at her, I’m like, “Watch me.”

And then she paid for one, and I was like, “Okay.” So I went and got a job and paid for the rest. I mean, listen, folks, I’ve been doing everything since I was little. But yeah- … that’s, like, I- that’s how I had to learn how to delegate, or I would’ve, I would’ve drowned. 

[00:07:22] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Hmm. So I wanna start with this because I think in the grand scheme of things, we often introduce ourselves, you know, when you listen back to this episode, you’ll have heard me say, or, or, you know, identify things about your career, your role in the industry, uh, how you show up, all these things.

But I think that sometimes that misses, uh, the, the, the colorful kind of parts of our humanity, I guess. And just wondering about what kind of words you would use to describe yourself outside of these job roles, I guess. Like, if I’m thinking of myself, curious, pattern [00:08:00] seeker, uh, neuro complex. Like, just, you know, things that you wouldn’t associate to necessarily just work, but just to our humanity.

[00:08:09] Heather Harris: Yes, of course. I would say relentless, free-spirited, fully expressed. I love humans. I love connecting. I think, um, I guess that could apply to our, our work, but I, I would think of myself in those terms beyond work anyway. I love understanding what motivates, um, people to do certain things, what motivates change and positive change, like growth mindset and positive psychology.

So whatever word would go with that. But I, I love, you know, when you said pattern seeker. I love puzzle-solving- Oh, my God. Yeah … in that way. 

[00:08:42] Alex Bélisle-Springer: It’s, it’s a very cool, um… It’s a very cool way to reframe, I feel like, sometimes the, just, like, how we describe ourselves. I think of, like, conferences, right? You’re like, “Hey, my name’s Alex and I’m, you know, global educator,” blah, blah, blah.

But there’s like, it’s hard to make that, like, human connection, I guess. I 

[00:08:59] Heather Harris: actually ask people a lot of times, “What do you do for fun?” And they stop, ’cause they’re like, “What?” I keep saying, “What do you do?” And I’m like, “No, what do you do for fun?” And, uh, it’s actually a little bit sad and telling about our modern society how many people that question stumps.

Yeah. So it’s 

[00:09:13] Alex Bélisle-Springer: a 

[00:09:15] Heather Harris: similar question. 

[00:09:15] Alex Bélisle-Springer: It is a similar question. Okay, thank you. Yeah. Um, so I was listening back to a few of your podcast appearances from 2025 on different shows and, um, there was one show at least, and maybe in the Salon Today article, um, that Stacy wrote in maybe November, I believe, uh, where you mentioned there, there’s a difference between being an owner/operator and a CEO, and I think that would kick us off really nicely, and I was wondering if you could explain where you draw the line between both, and what differences you feel there is between those two.

[00:09:55] Heather Harris: Sure. I think that’s an excellent thing to frame the conversation around delegation. And I would say the simplest, though not complete way to answer that question would be are you able to leave your business? Are you able to leave behind the chair, being at the desk answering emails or whatever it is that you’re doing, maybe on site or on your laptop, completely alone and have your business continue to run itself and to work the way you want it to work?

Um, that is probably the biggest indicator that you’re in CEO mode versus that you are in, uh, owner/operator mode. And I would like- Mm-hmm … to also say that, yes you can. There’s a lot of people I work with that are like, “But I love being behind the chair,” or, “I love being in the salon.” Mind you, you can absolutely and should absolutely continue to do that if that’s what you’re passionate about and that’s what you love- Mm-hmm

and you do that from a CEO mindset and from the ability to do it while your business is running itself. I think that’s the main kinda thing. I think there’s a lot of, um, like coaches and consultants and programs out there that would say, “If you own a salon, you should never be behind the chair.” Mm-hmm. And my MO is if you own a salon, what were you thinking?

No, I’m just kidding. You want to sit? No. If you own a salon, you should be doing whatever the hell you want. And if that’s teaching more classes, leading education, uh, leading your team in meetings, if it’s working at the front desk, if it’s doing hair, you should be doing that. You should be doing more of what you want.

I’m not here to tell you what that looks like. I’m here to help you get it. And being a CEO- Mm … of your life means doing more of what you want, the things that light you up, that add the most value to your life, having those priorities be at the forefront without the rest of your operations or personal life falling to the wayside.

That’s CEO energy in my opinion. 

[00:11:49] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Hmm. What is, uh, what does doing more of what you want look like? 

[00:11:55] Heather Harris: For me? 

[00:11:56] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah. 

[00:11:57] Heather Harris: Is that your way of asking what I do for fun? 

[00:11:59] Alex Bélisle-Springer: I guess so. 

[00:12:00] Heather Harris: Being outside every single day and walking my dog and spending time connecting with my children. I like to cook. I like to, you know- Mm-hmm

I cook at home. We talk a lot about outsourcing and delegating. Um- Yeah … love to cook and I love to be in the kitchen, and I love connecting with my children, whether or not they like it. I hold them hostage, and they have to- … cook. So, um, I enjoy doing that. I, I like to have hostage negotiation situations with my children.

Um, they’re teenagers and, um, I love to be out. And it’s really important to me to have flexibility. I, I enjoy- Mm-hmm … expanding my horizons in a lot of ways, seeing new things and trying different things and spending time in other places. And so for me, that looks like the ability to have flexibility to maybe travel to see friends or my parents or go to the ocean, which fills my soul.

Mm-hmm. That is doing more of what I want. I’m, I’m not classically trained at spreadsheets. I wouldn’t say I’m really good at technology. I don’t know if I’ve updated my phone this year or last, you know what I mean? Those aren’t- Yeah, yeah … the things that I’m good at. Um, but I really love connecting with people and I love education and, like I mentioned, solving puzzles.

So those… doing more of that is what being a CEO looks like for me. 

[00:13:14] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Thanks so much for sharing that. I feel like so many people are gonna relate to that. We’ll often hear or read in articles, you know, that delegating is an art. What to delegate: low-value, high-value tasks, admin, strategic work, time audits, task lists.

Uh, how to delegate, who to delegate to. Is it the right person? Uh, skill fit, culture fit, uh, in-house, outsourced, virtual. Why delegation fails, you know. Or even delegation as a leadership maturity marker, um, a sign that you’re, like, working on the business, not in it, right? Yeah. These are all very real things that you solve with SparkPro Global, but I think what’s often missing in the conversation around or about delegation is the identity shift that comes with it all, like how enduring the, um, emotional experience of letting go can be really challenging, and I’m sure that that’s actually something that comes up a lot in calls.

So yeah, how do you feel about focusing more on that in the context of this conversation? Are you okay with it? 

[00:14:27] Heather Harris: I’m okay with a lot of things. Try me. Um, I think- It sounds like you’ve worked with artists who also- I have … are very open wide with the work they perform. It sounds like you understand our population of people in the beauty industry very well, because that is what I…

That winds up being what I solve for often. And I think, um, people, bless our hearts, all of us think we’re so unique. You know? There’s so many times where we’ll talk about it and people are like, “Yes, [00:15:00] I’ve been talking to my business coach.” And a lot of people will approach me after I speak or after meeting me at an event and say, “I’ve actually been talking to my coach, and this is the next step, and I’m ready for you, and I’m ready for Spark.”

And I’m like, “Okay.” And then they, you know, we’ll do our discovery call, and they’ll lean in like they’re at a confessional, and they get quiet

But I’m kind of a control freak. And I’m like- What? I’m kind of a control freak. And I look at them like, “You mean you run a business and you’re a human? I mean, what?” But you know, and so many of us have this false notion that like, “If I don’t do it, no one will do it as well as I will, and no one will do it like me.”

Mm-hmm. Now Alex, there is some truth to that. Depending on what the task is, no one will do it like you. And thank the good Lord above that no one does, say, calendar management like me because if they did, none of us would have a business that was functioning. You know what I mean? Like, I hope the person I delegate to doesn’t do it like me, ’cause I suck at it.

So the truth is, um, there’s things that we are really highly skilled at. Maybe it is our zone of genius, our sacred work, the thing that lights us up, that- that gives us the energy to wake up. And it might not be the thing… Like you talked about high-value tasks, low-value tasks. Mm-hmm. It might not just be our high-value tasks that we stick to- Yeah

or our low-value tasks that we delegate. A lot of times we… There’s a certain project that we care so much about that needs to be done a certain way because it’s just our baby. I’m not here to tell you what those things should or shouldn’t be. What I do want to encourage people to do in that, that confession of, “But I’m a control freak,” you’re not alone.

Welcome. You’re, you’re amongst very good company. And I, I think that understanding that that’s not unique nor is it a real challenge. Um- Mm-hmm … I think get a little bit confused that that means they can’t delegate or can’t delegate well. I, I encourage people to really reconsider what tasks they are not willing to let go.

Because sometimes you ask somebody and they’re like… It’s like a little kid. Like, “What’s your favorite toy?” And pretty soon they’re like, the whole nursery or the whole playroom. They’re like, “All of it. I want all of it. It’s mine.” And I’m like, “But do you really play with that raggedy thing over there?” A lot of times we think, “Well, but nobody cleans and dusts the way I do in the salon, and nobody- Mm-hmm

handles the front desk as I do.” When you’re the owner, you’re the most invested person in your organization, you should be the most invested person in your organization. That is not unique. That is not failure. That is not a character flaw. Um, that’s the emotional piece of who do I trust enough to do this when I’m not looking and breathing down their neck?

And it’s a fine line between setting people up for success and delegation, creating systems and processes, and training thoroughly, between that and then tilting over into micromanagement. And I think- Mm … um, it’s… Anyway, I, I do think- Many of us identify as control freaks. It is a huge barrier, but it is not real.

It is imagined, and we need to reconsider what we’re willing to delegate and the things that we really wanna continue to touch. There are so many things- Mm … that I need to know are happening, and I just need to see them and approve of them. I don’t need to [00:18:00] do the work in them. I just need to understand them.

Yeah. Like my business numbers. I don’t do my accounting. I have a great accountant, and she and I meet monthly, which is my part as a CEO, and I review it and we spend an hour. I don’t need to spend 10 hours preparing the work. I just need to have the report, hear her out, and understand my numbers. So I think that we can shift from what does it really mean to be that involved in your business without losing control, and then also, um, to understand that we as owners, especially the visionaries, we are often the biggest bottleneck to our own growth.

So, um, understanding that if we can, like, loosen our death grip just a little bit on those 4,000 favorite toys that we will not get rid of- I love the 

[00:18:42] Alex Bélisle-Springer: image … 

[00:18:44] Heather Harris: just a little kid fighting, a, “No, mine.” Um, understanding what we’re willing to maybe, like, set aside for a moment and maybe even just practice seeing if someone else could do it and what it feels like.

Maybe don’t go full send. In fact, many of the people I consult with, I invite them to start very small. People who are like, “I’m ready to go. Take all of my- Mm … change my life,” I start with, “Let’s do two or three things. Let’s start with the smallest package. Let’s start with the smallest tasks.” Because I think when we, we try to take on too much as delegation, you know, delegation goes, we can start to feel like we’re losing control.

So- Mm … it is a very emotional thing, and it’s emotional for most people to start- Yeah … to, like, task, especially when so much of our identity has been wrapped into how much I can accomplish, how efficient I am, or how badass I am and I can do all these things, you know? 

[00:19:32] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yes. 

[00:19:33] Heather Harris: Yeah. It can be really hard to let go of that image.

[00:19:36] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Well, speaking of, I’m gonna riff off that and, and ask maybe a, a bit more of, like, something that’s gonna lean into your personal experience with, like, you know, prior to your leaning into delegation. Who were you when your salon business needed you to do everything? What part of your identity was built on being the one who can handle it all?

[00:19:59] Heather Harris: Do you want the real answer to the question, Alex? 

[00:20:03] Alex Bélisle-Springer: 100%. 100%. 

[00:20:04] Heather Harris: The question is not who I was, it’s what anti-anxiety medications was I on, and how much was I not sleeping? I mean, truthfully- Ooh … who I was, a shell of a human. And I did not know how to not do what I was doing, over-functioning and doing all the things.

No one did this to me. No one pushed this on me. I was just a brand-new baby business owner five years ago, and, you know, I, I, I took over a business I’d worked at for 18 years at the time. Uh, I bought it from a really beautiful human that I- that mentored me, was the first person who hired me in a salon. It was my first salon experience.

He was wonderful. Um, and he would say, I, I don’t think he’ll ever hear this podcast, but if anybody who knows him, this is with all due respect, and I th- he, he would say it, and he would, if he was sitting next to me, would agree, uh, that he ra- he wasn’t running… He would always say, “I’m Heather, I’ve run it like a mom-and-pop shop.”

I haven’t run it really like a business. And so it felt like I was buying this beautiful car, but underneath the hood were some crossed wires and some things that weren’t cleaned up. And I remember he s- he said, “There’s a lot, there’s a lot you gotta clean up and take care of here.” And he, um, he had a great reputation and ran a beautiful team, but it wasn’t really run efficiently or sustainably.

So when I took it over- Right … I, I think, I think a lot of people go through this, and it’s kind of a necessary step pre-delegation. I had to do everything to know what needed done, and then when I started doing that, I didn’t feel like I could stop. And I’ve met and, you know, I’ve encountered a lot of people that I’ve consulted with and worked with that are like w- they feel like if they let go that they’re not as cool.

I don’t know how else to say it, or that they’re not as, like, impressive. They don’t have as much sway anymore, and I don’t know that I ever really identified in that way. I think I mostly just feel like I couldn’t stop doing it. I don’t think I felt like a need to, to identify my personality and my value in how much I was doing.

But I do think in a way it was like the pressure was on me, and if I didn’t do it, nobody would. And I felt like I was drowning. And so, um, my identity- Mm … uh, was a fractured human. [00:22:00] But I do think in a way I was like, “I’m also Superman. Like, look at me working 80 hours a week and not sleeping.” You 

[00:22:05] Alex Bélisle-Springer: know? 

[00:22:05] Heather Harris: Yeah.

I love it. I never was the person who, like, thought that was a cool identity. 

[00:22:09] Alex Bélisle-Springer: What was your, what was your breaking point? 

[00:22:12] Heather Harris: When I was in the fetal position crying in my office ’cause I didn’t sleep enough and I couldn’t take it another day. Um, actually- … and by the way, like, that’s all true, and I think it’s fine to say it.

It is true. I was so overwhelmed. Um, my salon director is an incredible human and friend, and she does such a beautiful job leading my team now. Um, she was there more as like a concierge, as like the concierge lead and kind of like my right hand, and not really leading the salon all the way but just helping me do it.

Um- 

[00:22:40] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah … 

[00:22:41] Heather Harris: I remember she was like, “You need a break. You can’t do this.” And then I had a good friend in a totally other industry. Um, he runs construction businesses, and he saw what I was doing. He helped me do a remodel on the salon, and he said, “Heather, you need to hire a virtual assistant. You need to start outsourcing.”

And I was like, “So I do hair in person, lest you forget. How is someone overseas gonna…” Like, he’s like, “Yeah, I’ve got this team of people in the Philippines helping me.” I’m like, “Well, that’s cute for you, but, like, do you remember what I do for a living? I do hair. Like, I’m not some CEO guy in a corner office.”

And he was like, he told me for about a year, like, “You need to try it.” And so I started having, uh, for me, the breaking point was when I joined the Goldwell National Team, and they were like, “You need to be active on social media.” And I’m like- Define active. I mean- … I wasn’t showing up. And so I delegated that piece to a virtual assistant, somebody that lives in the Philippines that I hired from an agency that my friend suggested.

And we started with that, and then I saw how well she was doing, and I realized she could help me recruit if she was sliding into the DMs of students from beauty schools or beauty school feed and responding to their, their stories and to their posts. 

[00:23:44] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Mm. 

[00:23:44] Heather Harris: And within a few months of implementing her, you know, support with that, I was able to hire two people from the beauty school in the area that is really of high esteem and I wanted to hire from.

So I was like- Well, if you could do that, could you start answering my Google reviews? I know [00:24:00] we can automate a lot of these things now through AI, but I also kind of, I like more of a human touch. But, um, we do automate as much as possible. And the s- at the same time, I started training her- Yeah … to handle more and more of my kind of, I would say low-hanging fruit, low-hanging tasks, and the things that were repetitive, and that’s one thing I tell people to do.

Like, if it’s repetitive, it needs done regularly, and it’s not something that needs your specific touch or skill in, consider that being the first thing that you hand off. Like, social media has to happen in a salon space. It doesn’t- Mm. It’s still a huge part of our look book, right? Of our, you know, building credibility and trust with our, our clients, the trust factor.

But we don’t have to do it. We need to take the photos, but I don’t need to engage. Um, and if a… You know, so, so starting to do these things, these like kind of lower-hanging tasks that are repetitive, a little bit mundane, that don’t, that don’t take like my area of skill or expertise. Um, so I started having her do that, and within a few months I was like, “I’m gonna have you do more.”

And then my kids needed to be signed up for school. And Alex, guess what? I started realizing, if [00:25:00] you can do it from this- … you can do it from that. So she started doing all my things. I had her sign my kids up for, for summer school, and I can’t remember the login for the school account. I don’t remember any of my passwords.

Are we kidding? So- … “Please reset my passwords and make a spreadsheet to tell me what my passwords are once you’ve updated all of them.” She signed up my kids for summer school. She planned my summer vacation. She booked, you know, the hotel by the beach that I took my children to. And pretty soon I realized she could pay my bills, and pretty soon I realized she could handle this and this and this, and like anything that came through.

And over time, it was a process of building that relationship, but that breaking point was when my friend sat me down and said, “You need help.” And, and when I finally- Mm … started listening to that, “Okay, I’ll try this.” And, and the truth is, try something. And if it doesn’t work, stop doing it. ‘Cause what I was- Yeah

working, but I kept going. So anyway, that was where, that was my breaking point, and that’s when I really started. And, um, I think from there, like as, as I’ve said, it just built. And really- 

[00:25:56] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah … 

[00:25:57] Heather Harris: who knew? All this time I was told I was [00:26:00] so bossy growing up, and then it was like a superpower. So I didn’t know.

[00:26:06] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Surprise. It was amazing. Yeah, yeah. Exactly. Um, out of all the tasks that you’ve delegated to, uh, I mean, your virtual assistant, but I feel like almost like a partner at this point, you know, in, in the working relationship sense of things. Like, what’s, what’s one task, maybe big or small, that carried maybe more emotional weight to hand over?

[00:26:32] Heather Harris: Um, that’s a good question. Interestingly enough, email. It sounds so cheesy, but, like, that’s personal correspondence, so that felt, like, kind of personal to hand over. 

[00:26:42] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Hmm. 

[00:26:45] Heather Harris: Also, likely probably sounds so ridiculous, but, um, you know, outsourcing… I- everybody’s gonna know my secrets now. Sorry, I’m 

[00:26:56] Alex Bélisle-Springer: exposing them.

[00:26:59] Heather Harris: Um, [00:27:00] outsourcing, like, gift giving and acknowledgments. I definitely prompt the idea or come up with what I wanna do, but I mean, I’ll just do, like, a quick talk to text. I’ll do, like, on WhatsApp, like, “Hey, my…” This is really what happened, so if my cousin Michelle hears this, now you know why you got flowers on your, on your graduation and birthday.

“My cousin Michelle’s gonna take her graduate degree. I’m gonna screenshot you her address. Please send her a bouquet of flowers that costs, you know, between this and this price range. I wanna make sure it’s delivered the day before she graduates so she has it before she leaves town,” or whatever thing. Da, da, da, da, da.

“Include a note that says something like this from me. Thanks.” Run it through ChatGPT, make it sound like me, tell her I love her, I’m proud of her for graduating, and happy birthday. And then I send it, ’cause, you know, it was, like, two weeks before her graduation. She lives out of state, and she’s one of my favorite people, and I was like, “Oh, crap,” but it was too soon to do something.

And I knew if I didn’t do it, I would forget. So I just fired off a message- 

[00:27:46] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Mm … 

[00:27:47] Heather Harris: and then screenshotted the contact or, like, probably just told her, like, “Look at my contact details and find my cousin.” And, um, I’m a really thoughtful friend now, but it did feel a little weird and personal to outsource that. I feel like because I’m still thinking of it and touching it, I don’t feel as [00:28:00] bad, but, like, I- it’s not me who’s doing those things.

It’s not me who’s remembering one’s, you know, anniversary gift or birthday card that gets sent. 

[00:28:08] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah. Do you feel like there’s still, like, a, I guess, like, a bit of an emotional cost that you experience delegating that and still feeling kind of like, “Oh, that’s, that feels like something that I shouldn’t be delegating,” ’cause it does feel personal?

Or is the, um, outcome, like, what it gives back to you, outweigh that kind of struggle to feel at ease with it? 

[00:28:34] Heather Harris: I feel like I’m able to show up now, ’cause, like, me thinking of my cousin for her birthday was a sincere thought. It wasn’t like… Now, a- and frankly, you can and should automate a lot of that stuff, um, so you don’t have to think about it.

Like, do it once. Like, please acknowledge these five people every year on their birthday, anniversary, or day to sobriety. Like, seriously, be cool like that. At the same time, setting it up one time is me being thoughtful. Just because I don’t think about it the day of the birthday doesn’t [00:29:00] mean I didn’t think of them.

Does it feel… Could it sound cold or slightly canned? You could argue that. For me, people in my life that I might beginning to be too busy to acknowledge, or I might start to- Mm-hmm … like, I feel like I, you know, need… The breaking point for me, as you asked earlier, I was dropping the ball in so many areas of my life that I feel like m- many areas of my life began to struggle.

And I would rather, uh, am doing, like, air quotes, “less sincere” birthday flower arrangement sent to my cousin that I thought of and initiated than no birthday arrangement getting sent at all. I feel like the cost-benefit ratio there is much higher the benefit on- That I’m, I feel like it’s helped me be so much better executing.

I can actually guarantee you my follow-through and execution is so much better because I’m no longer relying on my own flawed humanity to execute and reach. Um, I might even say, like, “I wanna send a text to Alex for their birthday. Um, can you remind [00:30:00] me the week before?” I’ll tell Irene- Mm … “Can you remind me of the week before Alex’s birthday and the day of their birthday to send them a text, please?”

And that’s actually, like- Yeah … so it’s not that I’m not doing it, it’s just that I need extra help to do it. ‘Cause I have… I’m also neurodiverse and I, I have ADD, and I can be really forgetful. And so it’s helping me be more consistent and follow through. My, um, my team meetings are being led so much more efficiently.

The- Mm … the KPI reports, I didn’t even know December ended, when my assistant was like, “I’ll get to that as soon as I’m done finishing your team’s December KPI email.” And I’m like, “Yeah, we’re doing that. Oh, yeah, we started doing that two years ago. Like, still doing that, cool. No wonder our goals are going places.”

You know what I mean? So these kind of things are actually, um, they’re very helpful. So I think that the benefit far outweighs any cost and it’s, not only that- Yeah … it’s, it’s freed me up to be more present in my day-to-day life. That’s something that I think when you look at, oh, no, I’m not the one answering my [00:31:00] emails, but I’m also sitting at the dinner table with my phone in the other room, giving my children, or holding them hostage for 15 minutes of time.

Those kind of things, I think, like, that’s where I start to see the, the really huge benefits in my life. 

[00:31:14] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Mm. And that is, that is not to be undervalued, like, at all. Um, you mentioned it took about a year for you to try hiring a virtual assistant. Do you recall anything being, like, you know, wild mental gymnastics that you went through when you started embracing that art of delegating?

[00:31:36] Heather Harris: This sounds so ridiculous to say it now, uh, but hopefully it’ll make other people, well, they’ll either know how ridiculous I am or they’ll be like, “Oh, I’m not alone.” I legitimately did not understand how to do that. I understood delegation. I had no problem being on my team and thinking, “I don’t need to clean my bathrooms every day at the salon.”

Mm. I love to clean, by the way, and I’m good at it and I’ll go help. I’m not above it, but, like, I can have somebody else [00:32:00] do this while I greet the guests or while I check in and do consultations with my new team members. Like- And that, that concept of delegation IRL was not hard for me. Yeah. When we started moving it to virtual, I legitimately could not understand.

I had to go sit at my friend’s office. We’re behind a big screen, and this is the irony, so you can take a good chuckle. I had to go sit and watch him on a screen work with a virtual assistant, which they’re virtual. Spoiler alert, there’s nothing to see. But like, watch him use a virtual assistant so I could understand, because I’m such a visual learner.

So I was like, “But what do you have them do?” And things like, I travel on the national team. Yeah. And he’s like, “They can, they can be booking your flights, or they can…” I have a travel agent through the company that does that, but like, “They can check for the restaurant that’s open or, or like have DoorDash delivered to your hotel when you land at 9:00 PM.”

And I’m like, “Oh.” Like- … you’re right. And I think that the thing that like really got to me was sitting and [00:33:00] watching him on his computer. 

[00:33:02] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah. 

[00:33:02] Heather Harris: And like watching him say, “So anything that I can do on my keyboard- They can do on their keyboard. And I was like, “Yeah.” Like I said, PhorestPro salon software. It’s on my phone.

It can be on my assistant’s phone. Those kind of things where like that was a huge barrier for me. It’s so embarrassing. But yeah, I had to do major mental gymnastics ’cause I’m like, “There’s a person halfway around the world and they’re doing this for me?” But like truthfully, if you can do it on your salon computer at a desktop, they can do it at their desktop.

Who cares where in the entire world as long as there’s internet service? 

[00:33:36] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Facts. Yeah. I 

[00:33:37] Heather Harris: mean, it’s so basic, but it was so much for my brain to comprehend. 

[00:33:41] Alex Bélisle-Springer: I get it though. No, it, it does make sense. And especially if you’re like a visual learner, it’s like, “Well yeah, I want to see what’s happening.” Um, did it…

Like, we talked about like the idea of like that control, right? And letting go of control and that being a barrier for a lot of people. Did… Like, when you started working with the [00:34:00] virtual assistant that you hired initially, did, did the idea of like quality or maybe safety of information or anything like that, did that ever feel like threatening I guess?

Or like, you know, did it feel uneasy or…? 

[00:34:14] Heather Harris: It, it could have. It absolutely could have, and it would if we didn’t use cyber secure measures. So we used LastPass, which is like an encrypted password where I would enter my passwords and all of my bank account information, my Rapid Rewards, my, you know, airlines and credit cards and all the, the different numbers.

Mm-hmm. And then I gave my assistant a master password where it’s almost like they have a key card that they can tap when it goes to purchase, but they don’t know the bank account information or the numbers associated. Gotcha. So just they have a master password that I was able to link them. It’s how LastPass works.

Right now we use… Oh my goodness, we use something else. I can’t even remember right now. We use something else. Bitwarden. Um, so like there’s different services that, um, you can use that are able to safely encrypt and protect your information while allowing someone else [00:35:00] access to it- Mm-hmm … but not abuse.

And so, um, that solves for that problem, so there’s, there’s ways to do it correctly and to protect yourself. Um, and then as far as quality goes- Just like anything, if I hired a concierge at my salon and never gave him follow-up training or never checked in with him about how it’s going or had one-on-ones or, like, gave feedback sessions, uh, the quality of the front desk would probably suffer.

And he’d probably do okay, but there’s probably gonna be things that would fall between the cracks or that wouldn’t go like I wanted them to. That, that holds completely true of any team member we hire, no matter if they live on site or across the world. Right. As long as you’re having follow-up and feedback, the quality can remain.

And, um, there’s definitely been assistants on our team that are just so attuned and they think of everything ahead of time, and there’s other people who are a little slower learning. They require a little bit of training. Um, different people work different ways, and so I think, um, as long as you’re willing to understand how the person you’re working with works or you understand your speed…

Like, we do a really [00:36:00] good job matchmaking people, too. Like, if we know- Mm … someone’s, like, high-paced, fast-moving, et cetera, et cetera, or we know somebody who’s, like, they’re actually really detail-oriented and thorough and they’d rather someone was very, very specific, we’ll give them someone who’s, like, going to work better with a lot of, like, touchpoints and supervision.

There’s other people who are kinda like, “We’ll just give you a update, and we’ll let you know where, where we handled that.” So I think, um, also understanding, like, different personality types, client personalities, matching them with, um, the personalities of their assistant. But anyway, quality is… It’s gonna be a concern no matter who we’ve hired and what capacity they’re working in, you know?

[00:36:34] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah. You’re totally right. No matter who you hire, whether it’s a virtual position, like remote position, or, uh, someone who’s in the salon, you’re still gonna have to build and be intentional- Yep … about building that relationship, and that takes time. Um- Exactly … but that actually brings us on really nicely to talking about trust, uh, without proximity, but just trust in general.

Now, obviously this is something that’s at the core of Spark’d Pro [00:37:00]Global. Um, can you talk to me about how delegation works when you are in a fully remote, like, virtual relationship, and how you build that trust, m- maybe more so specifically within how Spark’d Pro Global operates? 

[00:37:16] Heather Harris: Sure. And I think, um, correct principles apply regardless of the circumstance.

So the correct principle, you know, when we talk about trust, trust is built, I believe, in small steps and paces. There are things we can do to build trust quickly, but real trust is gained over time through consistency, repetitive, um, repetitive follow-through and accountability- Mm-hmm … and so forth. And so I would say just like any in-person relationship, trust is built through those steps over and over.

And, um- I think I’m a trust but verify kind of person. 

[00:37:52] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Right. 

[00:37:52] Heather Harris: Um, I, I do trust people pretty genuinely, pretty easily. Like I’m, I’m somebody who, you know, you might say, “Hey, that’s a little naive. You [00:38:00] shouldn’t trust so much.” Um, I always figure the truth comes to me pretty quickly regardless if someone’s gonna offer it or not.

I have a good way with that. But I think that the right way to trust is to not give everything to everybo- to, to a person all at once. It’s let’s start with this and then when we’re met, it’s, it’s just like building a relationship whether it’s romantic or professional. It’s I’m gonna give you this, either you’re there, okay, and then we’re gonna kind of like slowly get like close the gap and get closer.

And, um, that’s gonna, that’s gonna come with touch points, um, understanding and establishing my flow for communication. 

[00:38:33] PhorestFM Intro Music/Theme: Hmm. 

[00:38:36] Heather Harris: One of my best friends lives out of state. I see her once a year maybe. I trust her with my entire life, and she’s nowhere in proximity to me. There’s no challenge or barrier in our relationship being very functional, very far away, and that’s because I trust her implicitly and, um, we understand each other.

And that has come over time with communication and regular contact. So when you’re employing somebody and working with them on your [00:39:00] team, in person or far away, I think regular touch points of contact, establishing what you need that to look like. For me, I like a beginning of day and end of day. It’s a greeting, “Hello, Miss.

Here’s what we’re working on for you today. Reminder, you have a recording with Alex with Phorest at 11:00. Make sure you’re there. Well, here’s the link so you don’t have to go digging through emails to find it.” That’s the way it goes. I want my day to start that way, and then I want a follow-up that’s, “Here’s what I accomplished today.”

Mm. Ding, ding, ding, ding. Research on this, or here’s that. Here’s what’s pending your approval, or here’s what needs action next, or here’s what I need from you. And those things are how I build trust. I am a person who, um… I feel like the w- best way to describe it is I’ve got a lot of tabs open in the, the computer screen of my brain.

[00:39:45] Sam Bélisle-Springer: Oh, yeah. 

[00:39:45] Heather Harris: And if I hear from you that it got done, I don’t know how to close the tab. And it’s not even that I don’t trust, it’s that it’s gonna be, especially as the owner, especially as the boss, as the… I’m, I’m where the buck stops, I need to know that it got handled. Unless you tell [00:40:00] me that the tax, um, ID was paid or the registration was paid or state board got paid and renewed, it’s gonna be up spinning like this just as a tab open until I hear that it got handled.

So for me, I like a checkpoint or a recap, things like that. That’s how trust is built for me. And then, um, as far as it comes to, like, somebody thinking critically and coming up with their own strategy or being more proactive, as people get to know me and what I need and the way I work, and they show up more and more that way, or as my team from Spark does this for our clients across the US and Canada at this point, coming soon to a European location near you, um, I think that, um, it’s, the trust has been built with our clients through small steps, consistent follow-through, so accountability and consistency, and then, um, having those touch points, and then, “Okay, we’re gonna add another layer.

Can you do this next?” And as they see that happen, the trust builds. 

[00:40:52] Alex Bélisle-Springer: That makes a lot of sense. We’re gonna circle to a close soon, but I, I, um, I was wondering if you had, you know, for [00:41:00] anyone listening to this, like, A, I feel like so many people will resonate to your experience in different ways, maybe in different levels, uh, different intensities for certain things.

But- 

[00:41:11] PhorestFM Intro Music/Theme: For sure. The 

[00:41:12] Alex Bélisle-Springer: office. Yeah, exactly. Um, I was wondering, like, if you had, when you think of, like, your whole journey- like personal journey of, you know, getting, uh, getting to build that trust with your virtual assistant, getting to eventually build a whole team and an agency that now does this and helps other owners in the industry do more of what they want to do essentially Are there any mistakes, near misses, or like, what was I thinking moments that you lean on when someone who’s just joining Spark is like, “Ah, I’m, I’m in, like, I’m in ’cause I, I’m, I’m here, but like, I’m still a little like worried,” you know?

And, and, and is there anything that you lean on to [00:42:00] share or you’re like, “Listen, I tried this. That was a near miss. I wanna avoid that happening for you, and here are my like recommendations,” kind of thing? 

[00:42:10] Heather Harris: Yes, and I think that’s so important. That’s actually a huge part of why I founded Spark and why I have a firm that’s dedicated to helping industry professionals delegate and soar as a CEO and also enjoy taking back time in their lives.

It is, to me, as I mentioned, so important to me and so exciting to me to help people step into that role more. But for me, it was daunting. Like I mentioned, it took me a year to even begin trying this. Okay, that’s a long time. And then I started so small, and I built incrementally. It probably took me about maybe eight months or nine months to really use my assistants to the full capacity.

And part of that’s because a lot of them aren’t trained to work with creatives. Right. They aren’t trained to work with someone who’s neurodiverse. And what I did was, um, reverse engineered what people like me needed, which was I really benefited from having s- like, I had to sit down and do SOPs, [00:43:00]and like, here’s what a day in the life of a hairdresser looks like.

And I realized I’m not that unique. Again, us cute people wanna think that we’re all so special. I’m a control freak. Yes, we all are, honey. Sit down. But like the life of a hairdresser, a salon owner, or someone who has a couple things, you know, irons in the fire, CEO, we’re, we’re all different and unique, but they’re pretty, pretty replicatable.

So what I’ve done with Spark is I’ve reverse engineered that process. We’ve trained our team to understand. We have an entire team of people who are well-versed in the industry. Right. And our client success managers are the team leaders. So speaking of trust, every one of our virtual assistants reports to a client success manager.

That’s kind of like their leader. And that client success manager is in charge of communicating with the, the client as well. So they coordinate with the assistant and the client. They’re the supervisor. So should there be a problem, a turnover, someone gets ill and can’t be at work, there is somebody above them that, above your assistant, who knows what’s going on.

So you can have continuity of care, so [00:44:00] to speak. Hmm. So that’s a way to build trust. Not only that, but all of these people work with almost exclusively the beauty industry. We do have people outside of the industry, but so much of our clientele base is founded in creative professionals in the beauty space.

Maybe it’s a coach or a speaker or consultant in the beauty space or a salon software company, but we’re dealing with this specific industry. So- I’ve been able to train my team to understand and anticipate more or less the needs of a, a person in this capacity so that that learning curve is shortened.

Because I know someone like me does not have the wherewithal typically to spend eight months training somebody. So I’ve made it hopefully that that is a lot quicker, and that the people supervising your assistant know what’s happening. So that’s part of the way that I’ve solved for that, um, and really tried to try to help, like, “Hey, you don’t have to go through…”

Like, so I’m not leaning on, “Hey, you know, I did this mistake. Don’t make it.” I basically am like, “I’m saving you six months of training and six months of what to [00:45:00] do. Like, I did this. Here’s a template.” And that’s also why, um, I’ve leaned into, to being, um, you know, contracted as a consultant in a temporary way to help people onboard somebody and then also learn how to do, um, this kind of delegation within their teams in salon.

Mm-hmm. You know, I don’t… my salon anymore, unless it’s because I want to. I have a business that runs completely autonomous of me, and I do not feel threatened by that. It’s the best thing that’s ever happened. I love my team. I love being in there, and when I go, it’s because I want to be there, not because there’s a fire to put out.

And the peace of mind that I have attained and the ability that I have to live as the main character in my own life now, and accidentally starting an entire virtual assistant firm- … is all an accident because I started the gateway drug of hiring one virtual assistant to do social media, and it accidentally expanded my capacity to start an entire new creation that is way bigger picture than owning a salon, [00:46:00] helping other creatives like myself tap into their genius and the things they’re best at, and diminish their overwhelm.

So, uh, it’s been one of the greatest honors of my life, and the biggest surprises. This, this happened to me by accident that I did it, and, um, and it’s still an evolution from here. And one of the most rewarding things I get is from our clients who, um, multiple of them in fact, who will be at the Phorest Summit.

I’m not sure if this airs before or after, but I- It’ll 

[00:46:24] Alex Bélisle-Springer: probably be after, but it’s fine. 

[00:46:27] Heather Harris: Probably have m- many of the listeners there at that summit. I’m so excited to be there, um, presenting and leading a workshop where we’re gonna dive deep into this, the hows and the whats. But, um, many of my clients who will be there, the Spark clients, um, who have now launched their own brand of a beauty supply product or who have now really embraced their, their dream of writing a book or starting a podcast or being an educator because they have this new bandwidth.

The number of text messages I get, it, it’s overwhelming and makes me emotional to see people who were so [00:47:00] burnt out be like, “I’ve always wanted to do this, and since hiring you, like, not only did I do it, but I exceeded my own expectations and I’m onto the next project I didn’t even know I had, had in me.”

Like, to unlock the potential of more artists and creatives who are visionaries, to actually help them execute Is everything to me. I could do this all day without pay. I love it. 

[00:47:22] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Hmm. I love this so much, and I also just wanna say, like, you know, you mentioned burnout just there, and I remember at the summit last year and at another conference that I was at in 2023, um There were stats, like, shared around burnout in the industry, and, like, if you’re dealing with that right now, you are not alone.

Like, there are so many people in the hair and beauty industry navigating burnout, and there is also a lot of support out there. So yeah, to lean in and ask for the support, ask for the help, because it can feel like a really scary place. [00:48:00]

[00:48:00] Heather Harris: Yes. 

[00:48:00] Alex Bélisle-Springer: But you’re definitely not alone if you’re, if you’re dealing with that right now.

[00:48:04] Heather Harris: Yeah. Thank you. Burnout is not a status symbol, and I love that the culture is turning… That we’re seeing the culture turn to the new flex is time off and a good tan, ’cause you’re outside with your kids and walking your dog, unless you live in a cold climate. But you know what I mean. The new flex that I answered emails at 3:00 AM today, it’s my emails are being handled by someone that I trust.

And so I’m, I’m so happy to support anybody who has, who has questions about that. And honestly, some of my favorite conversations have been with people who, um, client or not, who have reached out when hearing me speak or whatever else, and we’ve been able to just talk about business and talk about life and, um, learn from one another.

It’s, it’s a really valuable thing that I enjoy. 

[00:48:45] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Heather, thank you so much for this time on the show with me. It’s been such an absolute pleasure. Um, what a great way to kick off a, a year of recordings. Another… A 10th year of recordings. First- Congratulations. The first of year [00:49:00] 10. Yes. Thank you. Um, this has been such a gift for me and such a privilege to, uh, to be in this position and to, to, to learn from, from folks like you, honestly.

Like, it’s been… What a wonderful ride. Um, and, uh, I, I guess my last question is, you know, if people wanna get in touch, learn more maybe about SparkPro Global or get, like, a one-on-one kickoff call scheduled with you, how can they do that? Where can they find you online? 

[00:49:29] Heather Harris: Yeah. Um, so we do have, so sparkproglobal or sparkprosalon.com.

Both of the… S- Industry specific would be sparkprosalon.com. We also have SparkPro Global on Instagram. Um, I’m heather.tantrumsalon. Um, and so that’s where more of my, like, my art or my education is living right now, and I would be happy… And we have a contact form. I think, um, Alchemy Salon Consulting would be where, if you wanna reach out and schedule a consultation about, um, having me in to help you on site or, um, virtually on your teams to, to implement strategic de- uh, delegation.

Um, so any of those ways. I know on SparkPro Salon and sparkproglobal.com there’s a contact form. Um, and then in the little information section, just mentioning that you heard about me from PhorestFM and from Alex, and I’d be happy to meet with you, um, complimentary just to talk and have a strategy session.

[00:50:27] Alex Bélisle-Springer: I’ll have all those links, um, in the show notes, of course. Easy, easy access for folks. Um, but yeah, thank you so much for, for everything. I know that your word of the year, we were talking about this, this, like, before we started recording, is receive. Um, I hope this year is full of blessings, full of beautiful connections, um, full of all the things that you are dreaming up of, you know?

Yeah. 

[00:50:53] Heather Harris: Thank you.

[00:50:54] Alex Bélisle-Springer: That’s my wish for you. 

[00:50:55] Heather Harris: Thank you. Already kicking off to a great start, so thank you so much, Alex. 

[00:50:59] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Thank you.  If any part of this conversation resonated with you and you’re eager to take one small step forward in your delegation journey, here’s my invitation to you. My colleague Brittany Dennison penned a brilliant piece for the Phorest log titled Delegate to Elevate, published on February 17th, in which she overviews Heather Harris’ master class at the Phorest Summit 2026.

She talks about your daily task audit, Pareto’s principle or the 80/20 rule, the zone of genius, putting delegation to work, the compound effect of effective delegation, Heather’s five-step delegation formula, and pointers for long-term success. And of course, please do reach out to Heather or her team over at SparkPro Global, an agency comprised of human experts who work virtually.

Many of its team members are technology specialists who excel in areas such as social media marketing, website development, SEO, and managing Google and Yelp platforms. Thank you so much for spending the past hour or so with us. Next week, we’ve got our second and remaining Live from the Salon Owners’ Summit 2026 bonus episode coming your way.

Michaela Tomajzik Foss. Together, we grow

The PhorestFM podcast is brought to you by Phorest Software. More than software, we’re on a mission together with our community to build a stronger industry. 

[00:52:22] Alex Bélisle-Springer: This episode was edited and mixed by Audio Z, Montreal’s cutting edge post-production studio for creative minds looking to have their vision professionally produced and mixed.

Great music makes great moments