MENU
SEARCHThe Charles Penzone Salons in Columbus, Ohio, captures a 2013 STAMP award for its Prom Street Team guerilla marketing campaign.
The Prom Street Team
The Charles Penzone Salons
6 Locations headquartered in Columbus, Ohio
Owned by: Charles and Debra Penzone
To focus on the next generation of guests, Charles Penzone hosted its first in-salon prom event in 2012, by inviting girls ages 15-18 from all local school districts in for a complimentary evening of makeup and hair trend demonstrations, mini manicures, hand massages, ‘mocktails,’ and free gifts! Two prom-focused print ads and the development of promotional cards that were distributed to local schools helped boost prom updo and makeup appointments the first year. Given the success of the first year’s event, the salon decided to repeat a similar event in 2013, but decided to tighten up its event budget.
“As a more direct way to get into the schools, we developed the CP Prom Street Team, recruiting a group of girls via social media to spread the word through the schools and distribute small discounts to their friends,” says Penzone. “After the Street Team was selected, we hosted fun—but low cost—in-salon events to explain the program, the potential rewards and give the girls a free manicure to kick it off! Each week, we tracked the number of prom appointments scheduled and kept the team encouraged by giving them updates of their standings and how close they were to receiving their own free prom service.”
Combined, the team recruited more 40 appointments, while referring many additional guests to Charles Penzone. And, prom updos and makeup services increased 53% and 56% respectively over last year’s numbers.
Through social media, the Charles Penzone Salons recruited a group of girls as prom ambassadors, recruiting them to spread the word about updo and makeup service and offer their friends discounts. When the girls efforts booked appointments, they were rewarded with free services for themselves.
When things run amok at Mane Attraction Salon, Owners Chris and Jenny Knudsen say General Manager Sami Hernandez is their go-to resource and ultimate sounding board. Meet Sami in this installment of Meet the Manager.
Pagoda, a new AI-native operating system for scheduling, payments, patient records, marketing, and client communications, launches at Skinovatio Medical Spa in Arlington Heights, Illinois.
At a panel discussion hosted by L’Oréal Professionnel in Paris in early July, French Philosopher Sophie Galabru explored the cultural shift where women are increasingly choosing natural, personalized color results over traditional grey coverage. In an exclusive interview with SALON TODAY, Galabru and L’Oréal Professionnel Colorist Pierrick Beringer discuss this shift and how salons and colorists respond.
At Salon Blonde, Director of Operations treats the staff as the salon's most important guests, while her wonderful 'nerdy' side, loves data, systems, and numbers. Find out how she makes Salon Blonde tick.
In an exclusive interview with SALON TODAY, Salon Owner Salvatore Minardi reflects on his past 18 months as Intercoiffure America Canada's World Talent Exchange Ambassador and how his experiences will help encourage cultural and artistic exchange and support greater engagement between ICA and the global organization Intercoiffure Mondial.
Everything you need to know about client retention as a salon owner.
Owner Shelby Bills says her general manager, Sydney Osborne, reminds her of the power of leading with heart. Find out how Osborne became a great leader in our lastest installment of Meet the Manager.
In her latest blog, Kati Whitledge identifies the five stages salon owners go through when a team member leaves the salon unethically, offering advice for each stage.
The beauty and wellness businesses pulling ahead aren’t just working harder—they’re using AI to capture demand, personalize pricing, and convert more of every guest interaction into revenue. Here’s what the benchmark data reveals about the growing gap between AI adopters and everyone else.
Sponsored by Zenoti
Stop chasing recruitment ghosts on generic job boards and start curating an elite team. Discover the framework that top-tier salons use to bypass phone tag, automate visual portfolio vetting, and attract high-earning, culture-first beauty professionals directly through real-time messaging. Turn your recruitment process into an exclusive brand invitation that keeps your highest-ticket chairs permanently filled.
Sponsored by Beautista
Your calendar looks full, but is all of that demand actually converting to revenue? From phantom rebookings to underpriced peak hours, the 2026 Benchmark Report exposes five revenue leaks that most beauty and wellness businesses don’t even know they have.
Sponsored by Zenoti
After moving to Colorado and teaching at a cosmetology school, Allison Stock joined Zandi K as a stylist, eventually becoming part of the Leadership Team, Education Team and Master Bridal Team. Today, as Director of Operation, Stock is Owner Nicki Wenz's right hand, managing human resources and operations, education and career development, and coaching and culture.
In a world dominated by e-commerce, salon owners push back with proven strategies to increase retail sales while motivating team members to educate their clientele and delighting clients with retail-themed events and clever merchandising displays.
The company's Concealed Bead Method is raising the bar for what professional extension education can deliver.
Scott maximized her micro-salon by transitioning from stylist to strategic owner, focusing on recruiting and station-sharing. By prioritizing her ownership role over behind-the-chair work, she grew her team to six stylists within the two-chair, 150-square-foot space before eventually moving to a larger facility.
The former CFO of Perdue Farms and owner of Hardy Seafood, Terry Owens delivers a wealth of wisdom and strategies for entrepreneurs in his new book, "Business is Simple."
After scaling her single-location salon business, SALON TODAY 200 Honoree Amy Pal recently sold her six-location Whip Salon for seven figures. Using the six Ps for maximizing a business's value, she's ready to help her peers do the same.
