Delusional
Every founder is called delusional before they're called successful.
The world has never been changed by people who thought realistically.
Every breakthrough, category-defining business and industry leader was once dismissed as too ambitious, too risky or completely delusional.
DELUSIONAL is where entrepreneurs, founders, creators and high performers come to challenge conventional thinking and hear the conversations most people never get access to.
Hosted by Sammy Kennedy, each episode goes beyond the highlight reel to uncover the decisions, failures, mindset and strategies behind people building extraordinary businesses and lives. From multi-million-dollar founders to industry disruptors, you'll discover what it really takes to create something that everyone else thought was impossible.
This isn't motivation.
It's the blueprint for thinking bigger, leading differently and building a life most people will never have the courage to pursue.
If people aren't questioning your vision...
You probably aren't thinking big enough.
New episodes every Monday.
Welcome to DELUSIONAL.
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Delusional
A $50K Loan, a Surprise Pregnancy & the Fitout From Hell — How Isla Grace Built Her Empire Anyway
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Her first employee was ready to leave the day after she went on maternity leave.
She was 38 weeks pregnant.
The stress was so severe her doctor induced her early.
And that was just the beginning.
In this episode, Sammy sits down with Isla Grace MacPherson — beauty salon owner, mum of two, and the woman behind one of Perth's fastest-growing brow and lash studios.
But this isn't a story of overnight success.
Isla started in her childhood bedroom with a dining chair pulled from the kitchen table. She had no clients, no qualifications worth bragging about, and at one point, she waxed her friend's entire arms before realising she had no strips.
When COVID hit, she turned a spare room into a home salon with nothing but a wax pot, a set of brow dyes, and 300 Instagram followers. Within months, she was fully booked. But being fully booked wasn't a business — it was a trap.
So she signed a lease, took a $50K loan under her partner's name, and started building the fitout from hell. Then she found out she was pregnant.
This episode gets into all of it:
👉 How a surprise pregnancy mid-fitout nearly derailed everything
👉 The employee who agreed to stay through Christmas — then resigned at midnight via email
👉 Why she was induced early due to extreme business-related stress
👉 The moment she sat in a termination clinic for her second pregnancy because she was terrified of losing the business
👉 How her partner Shawn took a personal loan, built the fitout by hand, and held the family together
👉 What a $45K surprise tax bill teaches you about actually understanding your numbers
👉 The $130K fitout reality vs. the $50K fantasy — and what she'd do differently
👉 Going from 300 followers to 15K and a post that reached 36 million people
👉 How she went from working 6 days a week on clients to 2 days on the tools and 1 CEO day
👉 Why she cut her own eyelashes with scissors as a kid — and how those same girls now pay to sit in her chair
If you're juggling kids, clients, a team, a fitout, or just trying to figure out how to build something real without losing yourself in the process — this one's for you.
Connect with Isla:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/islagrace/
Website: https://islagracebbs.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/isla.macpherson.7/
If this episode hit home, take a screenshot, share it to your stories and tag @beautyindustryleaders and @sammykennedycoach — we'd love to hear your biggest takeaway.
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/
