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He didn't pay himself for two years. He sold a house he didn't want to sell. His girlfriend covered rent, groceries, everything, while he worked night shifts in construction to keep his limoncello brand alive.

Today, Solbevi is on Qantas flights, at the F1, and in over a thousand stores across Australia. Stefan Di Benedetto joins me to talk about what it actually took to get there, the years nobody saw, the near-collapse over a batch of 20,000 cans, and the one thing his girlfriend said that changed everything.

This is one of the most honest conversations we've had on the show.

→ The two years he went without paying himself, and what it actually cost him and his girlfriend Amy
→ The moment he got emotional talking about it on camera for the first time
→ How a batch of 20,000 cans nearly sank the business before it even launched
→ The story behind landing Solbevi on Qantas first class, and later at the Australian F1 Grand Prix
→ Why he turned down early interest from a US sports team, and what he did instead
→ His honest take on cash flow, retail contracts, and why alcohol might be the hardest industry to build in
→ What's next for Solbevi, and the one buyer he's hoping eventually comes knocking

Resources mentioned in this episode:
→ Profitable Pricing Calculator: https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/profitable-pricing-calculator
→ Breakeven Cost Calculator: https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/breakeven-cost-calculator
→ ATO Industry Benchmarks: https://www.ato.gov.au/businesses-and-organisations/income-deductions-and-concessions/small-business-benchmarks/in-detail/beauty-services

Connect with me and join the Beauty Industry Leaders movement:
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/
→ https://www.instagram.com/beautyindustryleaders/
→ https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/

If you have any questions about the episode, have a burning question you would like me to answer on the show, or want to join our movement of ambitious beauty leaders, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram:
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/
→ https://www.instagram.com/beautyindustryleaders/

Send us Fan Mail

I just ended the Beauty Industry Leaders Podcast.

Not because I'm stopping. Because I finally stopped procrastinating on the rebrand I've been sitting on for months.

In this episode I'm telling you exactly why I made the call, what niching down actually cost me even while it looked like it was working, and who this podcast is built for going forward: founders in the messy middle, past the launch, not yet at the level where every problem is a hundred million dollar problem.

→ Why the words "Beauty Industry Leaders" were closing doors instead of opening them
→ What niching down cost me personally, and why I built resentment towards my own brand
→ Why most business podcasts only feature founders who have already made it, and the gap that leaves for everyone else
→ Who Delusional is actually for: founders scaling from half a million to their first two, five or ten million
→ My own non-traditional path through beauty, hospitality, events, pageants, coaching and now podcasting
→ Why obsession and sacrifice are part of the deal if you actually want to build something
→ The moment that changed how I think about legacy, impact and what actually matters
→ Why building without systems means everything breaks the second you try to scale
→ Why isolating yourself is the most common mistake founders make as the pressure increases

Resources mentioned in this episode:
→ Profitable Pricing Calculator: https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/profitable-pricing-calculator
→ Breakeven Cost Calculator: https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/breakeven-cost-calculator
→ ATO Industry Benchmarks: https://www.ato.gov.au/businesses-and-organisations/income-deductions-and-concessions/small-business-benchmarks/in-detail/beauty-services

Connect with me and join the Beauty Industry Leaders movement:
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/
→ https://www.instagram.com/beautyindustryleaders/
→ https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/

If you have any questions about the episode, have a burning question you would like me to answer on the show, or want to join our movement of ambitious beauty leaders, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram:
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/
→ https://www.instagram.com/beautyindustryleaders/

Send us Fan Mail

You blame the economy. You blame your competition. You blame your coaches, your clients, your suppliers, your staff.

When you look at the one consistent factor across all of it, it's always the business owner.

In this episode I walk you through the exact 10 problem framework I use to diagnose what's actually going wrong in a beauty business, the same process I use with my own clients, so you can stop guessing and start focusing on the one thing that will actually move the needle.

→ Why an inconsistent brand is quietly killing the trust you need before anyone will buy from you
→ The free strategy for getting your content in front of people who don't already follow you
→ Why volume in your marketing means nothing if it's not creating connection
→ The gap between engagement and actual enquiries, and what it means if you're stuck there
→ Why "it's too expensive" is almost never really about the money
→ The two reasons clients don't rebook, and which one is costing you more
→ How to be fully booked, six days a week, and still have nothing left over
→ Why cash flow and pricing are two separate problems that get blamed on each other
→ Why overwhelm in your business usually means a systems problem, not a hours problem
→ The one question I watched every seven figure business owner in the room answer the same way

If you've been blaming everyone and everything except yourself, this is the episode that changes that.

Resources mentioned in this episode:
→ Profitable Pricing Calculator: https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/profitable-pricing-calculator
→ Breakeven Cost Calculator: https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/breakeven-cost-calculator
→ ATO Industry Benchmarks: https://www.ato.gov.au/businesses-and-organisations/income-deductions-and-concessions/small-business-benchmarks/in-detail/beauty-services

Connect with me and join the Beauty Industry Leaders movement:
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/
→ https://www.instagram.com/beautyindustryleaders/
→ https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/

If you have any questions about the episode, have a burning question you would like me to answer on the show, or want to join our movement of ambitious beauty leaders, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram:
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/
→ https://www.instagram.com/beautyindustryleaders/

Send us Fan Mail

You can be fully booked. Working six days a week. Getting new clients every week from your marketing.

And still have nothing left in your bank account.

That is not a revenue problem. That is a pricing problem.
In this episode I am walking you through the exact step-by-step process inside the Profitable Pricing Calculator, the same tool I have used with over 400 business owners to help them stop running a business that looks successful on the outside while quietly falling apart behind the scenes.

With the national minimum wage up 4.75%, Payday Super now live, and EFTPOS surcharge fees no longer passable to consumers from October 2026, your profit is already shrinking if your prices have not moved.

→ Why most beauty business owners are charging prices they have no idea are profitable or sustainable
→ The three ways to increase profit and why two of them will not work if pricing is broken from the start
→ How to calculate your exact breakeven cost per hour, per minute, and per service
→ The 80% capacity rule and why basing prices on full bookings sets you up to undercharge
→ How to work out real product costs service by service rather than relying on BDM estimates
→ What the calculator shows you that your accountant and bookkeeper will not walk you through
→ How to factor in GST, EFTPOS surcharge fees, and your tax bracket to see what you actually keep
→ Why 30% profit should be your floor and what to do if your services are nowhere close
→ The client who added over $100,000 in revenue in one year
→ The client who four X'd revenue and went from 5% profit to 32%
→ Why the businesses that do not fix their pricing now probably will not be here in twelve months
If you have been avoiding your numbers out of fear or shame, this is the episode that changes that.

Resources mentioned in this episode:
→ Profitable Pricing Calculator: https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/profitable-pricing-calculator
→ Breakeven Cost Calculator: https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/breakeven-cost-calculator
→ ATO Industry Benchmarks: https://www.ato.gov.au/businesses-and-organisations/income-deductions-and-concessions/small-business-benchmarks/in-detail/beauty-services

Connect with me and join the Beauty Industry Leaders movement:
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/
→ https://www.instagram.com/beautyindustryleaders/
→ https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/

If you have any questions about the episode, have a burning question you would like me to answer on the show, or want to join our movement of ambitious beauty leaders, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram:
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/
→ https://www.instagram.com/beautyindustryleaders/

Send us Fan Mail

Most people think success comes from one big moment.

It does not.

I made over half a million dollars in my personal brand. I helped build a multimillion dollar business with my family. I turned $1,800 of ad spend into $81,000 in ticket sales from a single conversation most people would have never thought to have.

None of it happened by accident. It came down to six specific things.

In this solo episode I am walking you through all of them. Including the story of the billionaire I was too scared to message for four years, the moment I threw my phone across the room after finally hitting send, and exactly what he said in his reply that changed the way I think about relationships and value forever.

→ Why upskilling in the wrong thing keeps you stuck no matter how hard you work
→ The single conversation that turned $1,800 into $81,000 in ticket sales
→ What eight years of posting a Brahman bull on Facebook taught me about building a cult following
→ Why your personal content will always outperform your business content
→ The hero offer strategy that helped a client make $24,000 in her first month after relocating
→ Why I stopped networking and what I do instead to build relationships that actually open doors
→ The billionaire mentor story: four years of imposter syndrome, one message, and what happened next
→ Why copycats are always behind and what genuine innovation looks like across industries
→ The two AI systems I use to build SOPs without typing a single word
→ What happened when I took a month off in Vietnam and watched my business fall apart

If you are in the struggling season right now, this episode is your way through. These six things are not magic. They are repeatable. And they are available to you right now.

Resources mentioned in this episode:
→ Profitable Pricing Calculator: https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/profitable-pricing-calculator
→ Breakeven Cost Calculator: https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/breakeven-cost-calculator
→ ATO Industry Benchmarks: https://www.ato.gov.au/businesses-and-organisations/income-deductions-and-concessions/small-business-benchmarks/in-detail/beauty-services

Connect with me and join the Beauty Industry Leaders movement:
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/
→ https://www.instagram.com/beautyindustryleaders/
→ https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/

If you have any questions about the episode, have a burning question you would like me to answer on the show, or want to join our movement of ambitious beauty leaders, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram:
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/
→ https://www.instagram.com/beautyindustryleaders/

Send us Fan Mail

If you worked for another company and every single year you worked harder, took on more responsibility, and never once received a pay raise, you would quit.

So why are we doing it to ourselves?

This is the final episode of the 2025/26 financial year, and I am not sending you into the new year with another motivational pep talk. I am giving you five habits that will actually change how the next twelve months feel: in your bank account, in your calendar, and in your body.

Because if another financial year passes and you are still overwhelmed, underpaid, and running your business from memory, the problem is not your revenue. It is your habits.

→ Habit 1: How to review your numbers weekly and set aside GST, tax, super, and leave before you spend what is not yours
→ Why "save 20% for tax" is dangerous advice and how to calculate the right percentage for your structure
→ What Payday Super starting 1 July 2026 actually means for your cashflow
→ Why leave entitlements quietly cripple businesses that are not preparing for them every single payroll run
→ Habit 2: How to give yourself a proper pay raise and why being the last person paid in your own business leads to burnout
→ Habit 3: The weekly saving method that means Christmas, equipment upgrades, and team events are never a financial emergency
→ Habit 4: The Sunday CEO reset that took me from reactive and overwhelmed to clear, intentional, and in control
→ Habit 5: Why time management is not your problem, and what self-management actually looks like using ClickUp and Google Calendar
→ Why your brain is for creating ideas, not storing them, and how to build the system that finally gets things done

You do not need a new business. You probably just need new habits.
If you know another business owner who is constantly overwhelmed, underpaid, or carrying their entire business around in their head, send this episode to them.

Connect with me and join the Beauty Industry Leaders movement:
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/
→ https://www.instagram.com/beautyindustryleaders/
→ https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/

Connect with Bookkeeper and BAS Agent
→ Books by Auri: https://booksbyauri.com.au/

Resources mentioned in this episode:
→ Profitable Pricing Calculator: https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/profitable-pricing-calculator
→ Breakeven Cost Calculator: https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/breakeven-cost-calculator
→ ATO Industry Benchmarks: https://www.ato.gov.au/businesses-and-organisations/income-deductions-and-concessions/small-business-benchmarks/in-detail/beauty-services

Connect with me and join the Beauty Industry Leaders movement:
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/
→ https://www.instagram.com/beautyindustryleaders/
→ https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/

If you have any questions about the episode, have a burning question you would like me to answer on the show, or want to join our movement of ambitious beauty leaders, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram:
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/
→ https://www.instagram.com/beautyindustryleaders/

Send us Fan Mail

IMPORTANT UPDATE

*Please note that some of the stats from Fresha will be incorrect as their surcharge fees have changed since the time of recording.

Fresha have changed their fees from

In-person

Previously: 2.29% + $0.20 per transaction (plus additional $0.10 tap to pay authorisation)

TO NOW: 1.29% + $0.26 per transaction (plus additional $0.10 tap to pay authorisation).

Online

Previously: 2.29% + $0.20 per transaction

TO NOW: 1.59% + $0.28 per transaction

"Will all my clients leave?"

That is the exact question I see business owners ask in Facebook groups every single week. And it is the exact reason most of them never raise their prices, even when their business is barely breaking even or running at a loss.
In this solo episode, I am giving you the real strategy I have used with over 400 business owners to confidently raise prices without losing the clients who actually matter.

→ How to calculate your break-even hourly rate and find out if you are actually undercharging
→ Why your real costs are rising 20 to 30% even when inflation says 3%
→ The new EFTPOS surcharge law coming this October and what it means for your profit
→ A real breakdown of payment provider fees that could cost you over $8,000 a year in the wrong choice
→ Why hitting $75K in revenue means you legally need a 10% price increase
→ The services that almost never make money in this industry, and what to do instead
→ Why copying your competitor's prices is quietly destroying the whole industry's profit margins
→ The exact way to tell your clients about a price increase without sounding apologetic
→ Why losing a client after a price increase is usually a sign you are doing it right

This is the reality check I think a lot of you need right now, especially heading into end of financial year. If you have been putting off this decision out of fear, this episode is your sign to stop waiting.

Purchase the Profitable Pricing Calculator here 👉 https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/profitable-pricing-calculator

Connect with me and join the Beauty Industry Leaders movement:
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/
→ https://www.instagram.com/beautyindustryleaders/
→ https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/

Resources mentioned in this episode:
→ Profitable Pricing Calculator: https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/profitable-pricing-calculator
→ Breakeven Cost Calculator: https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/breakeven-cost-calculator
→ ATO Industry Benchmarks: https://www.ato.gov.au/businesses-and-organisations/income-deductions-and-concessions/small-business-benchmarks/in-detail/beauty-services

Connect with me and join the Beauty Industry Leaders movement:
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/
→ https://www.instagram.com/beautyindustryleaders/
→ https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/

If you have any questions about the episode, have a burning question you would like me to answer on the show, or want to join our movement of ambitious beauty leaders, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram:
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/
→ https://www.instagram.com/beautyindustryleaders/

Send us Fan Mail

It is 9:00 PM on a Friday night and I am sitting in the podcast studio.

I am supposed to be packing for Bali. But I need to talk to you first.

The last six months have been the hardest season I have gone through in business. A retreat that barely broke even. A podcast studio that cost ten times what I budgeted for. A $7,000 credit card balance just to cover wages. Months of $20K revenue against $19K in expenses. And in the middle of all of it, finding out I was a top five finalist in the Seven News Young Achievers Awards for all of Western Australia.

I felt like a fraud. I felt like a failure. And I almost gave up.

This is the episode about the messy middle. The part nobody posts. The season that breaks you before it shapes you.
→ How I financially overextended myself and what I would do differently
→ The 1:00 AM anxiety spiral that forced me to finally face the numbers
→ What I did in 48 hours to start releasing the pressure without it all falling apart
→ The five-day turnaround where a bucking bull sale, unpaid invoices, and three new clients all landed at once
→ Why I think I have outgrown the role I have been forcing myself to stay inside
→ The life path number, Chinese zodiac, and human design profile that gave me more clarity than six months of pushing through
→ The 6/2 human design profile and what it finally explained about the way I work, burn out, and recover
→ The one mindset shift that matters most when everything is falling apart

If you are in a hard season right now, this episode is for you. Not the polished version. The real one.
Do not give up. You can pivot, adapt, and reassess. But the only way you truly fail is if you stop.

Connect with me and join the Beauty Industry Leaders movement:
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/
→ https://www.instagram.com/beautyindustryleaders/
→ https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/

Resources mentioned in this episode:
→ Profitable Pricing Calculator: https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/profitable-pricing-calculator
→ Breakeven Cost Calculator: https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/breakeven-cost-calculator
→ ATO Industry Benchmarks: https://www.ato.gov.au/businesses-and-organisations/income-deductions-and-concessions/small-business-benchmarks/in-detail/beauty-services

Connect with me and join the Beauty Industry Leaders movement:
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/
→ https://www.instagram.com/beautyindustryleaders/
→ https://beautyindustryleaders.com.au/

If you have any questions about the episode, have a burning question you would like me to answer on the show, or want to join our movement of ambitious beauty leaders, connect with me and the rest of our incredible community on Instagram:
→ https://www.instagram.com/sammykennedycoach/
→ https://www.instagram.com/beautyindustryleaders/