From First Date to Forever: How Kati Whitledge Scaled Success Through Systems, Storytelling, and Heart
What does it take to turn a single salon into a multi-layered business empire and still lead with heart?
In this episode of It’s A Profitable Life, Ronit Enos and Nicole Baldwin sit down with Kati Whitledge, a salon owner, author, speaker, podcaster, and founder of Maya the groundbreaking marketing and client-matching software built for the beauty and wellness industry.
Kati shares her journey from beauty school dropout fears to seven-figure success stories, revealing the moments that tested her the most and the mindsets that carried her through. From surviving rejection to building a multimillion-dollar software company, this conversation is packed with practical advice, marketing insights, and soul-level truth about leadership, purpose, and perseverance.
In This Episode
0:00 – How Kati and Ronit first met in New Orleans and the connection that sparked everything
3:00 – The moment Kati realized rejection could be her greatest teacher
7:00 – Losing $30,000 on her first software build and starting over stronger
10:00 – Navigating COVID, burnout, and belief while running a business with her husband
12:30 – Discovering the power of faith, community, and resilience
14:00 – Using personality assessments to hire better and lead smarter
17:00 – How to hire for character and culture, not just skill
22:00 – From stylist to CEO: the mindset that changes everything
29:00 – Why marketing is the heartbeat of every salon
36:00 – The ROI of smart marketing and how Maya measures results
42:00 – Building Maya into more than software a movement for connection
47:00 – How to keep clients once you earn them
50:00 – The lessons behind her book From First Date to Forever
52:00 – Rapid-fire questions: failure, intuition, and success redefined
Key Takeaways
About Kati Whitledge
Kati Whitledge is the Founder and CEO of Maya, a client-matching and marketing software built for the beauty and wellness industry. Under her leadership, Maya has matched over 500,000 consumers with beauty professionals, generating over $25 million in revenue for partner salons.
She’s also the owner of Be Inspired Salon in Madison, Wisconsin, a podcast host of Beyond The Technique, and author of From First Date to Forever: How to Market Like a Matchmaker.
Kati is passionate about helping salon owners grow their businesses through strategy, systems, and soul blending smart marketing with authentic connection.
Learn more at joinmaya.com.
Brought to You By
Salon Cadence – The advisory network for salon, spa, and medspa CEOs scaling with systems, leadership, and Profit First for Salons.
saloncadence.com
Vish – The color-management system that turns waste into profit. getvish.com
Phorest – The all-in-one salon software that grows your business through automation, culture, and client connection. phorest.com
MySalonBooks – Real-time salon bookkeeping powered by Profit First for Salons. mysalonbooks.com
