It is the responsibility of leaders to develop a vision for the people they guide, then inspire them to follow that vision. In the salon realm, it’s also important for owners to carve out leadership opportunities for their team members so they may continue to grow. Great leadership requires continual self-education.
The team from A Roland in New Cumberland, Pennsylvania.
A ROLAND
New Cumberland, PA
arolandsalonstudio.com
Amy Roland
SQUARE FEET: 1300
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 7
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda, BOB, Oway
COLOR: Aveda, Color Space
TECH SUPPORT: Phorest
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA
“Our focus at A Roland is on the everyday working environment: behaviors, interactions, beliefs, and values. We consistently make purposeful decisions that serve the greater purpose of the team, and team members are encouraged to do the same, thus creating unspoken leaders among them.”
AVALON SALON SPAS
Lake Zurich, IL
avalonsalonspas.com
Bonnie Conte
SQUARE FEET: 6100, 2500
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 47
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKINCARE: Aveda, I-N
NAIL CARE: OPI, Essie
TECH SUPPORT: Phorest, Vish
ASSOCIATIONS: Cosmetologists Chicago, Intercoiffure, ISPA
“My calling to lead does not end with Avalon; I also provide support to other salon owners. My coaching company—Be Inspired To Lead—provides guidance and solutions to leadership challenges. I also volunteer on local and industry-specific boards.”
Kayli Abney and Jen Baudier, owners of Bella Style Salon in Slidell, Louisiana.
BELLA STYLE SALON
Slidell, LA
mybellastyle.com
Jen Baudier, Kayli Abney
SQUARE FEET: 3800
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 14
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Oribe, Aveda
COLOR: Aveda, Pulp Riot
SKINCARE: Skin Medica
TECH SUPPORT: Phorest
ASSOCIATIONS: Intercoiffure, PIP University
“Learning how to give intentional feedback was a new skill we all had to acquire this past year. To do so, we each completed eight full days of intense personal development with Redesign Training from Healing Angels Organization.”
The team from Bonjour Belle Salon in Montgomery, Texas.
BONJOUR BELLE SALON
Montgomery, TX
Bbsalons.style
Timothy and Christina Lynch
SQUARE FEET: 1500, 3000
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 23
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Oribe, Davines, Kevin Murphy
COLOR: Davines Kevin Murphy
TECH SUPPORT: Phorest, Tippy, Vish
ASSOCIATIONS: Cosmetologists Chicago
“With PIP, I have organized my salon and am able to focus on cultivating the salon team in a methodical way. We set daily, weekly, quarterly, and annual goals to keep staff engaged and motivated, with a solid career pathway in place for each staff member.”
D'AMETRIS AVEDA
Broomfield, CO
dametris.biz
Ame and Dennis Metcalfe
SQUARE FEET: 1396
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 6
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda, Dametris Solutions
COLOR: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz, Salon Clouds, Meet Your Stylist
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA, ABCH
“Our strategy for growth is to keep the team curious. We recognize and celebrate the company’s values for growth and create opportunities and contests based on our salon goals that win additional rewards.”
GRAEBER & COMPANY
Boise, ID
graeberandcompany.com
Shelby Bills
SQUARE FEET: 4600
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 32
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKINCARE: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz, Reach, Salon Scale
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA
“I’ve invested in a three-day deep dive personal and professional development course at the Personal Success Institute for myself and my leadership team. I’ve done all of PSI’s advanced courses and have brought their courses to Boise.”
JAMES GRIFFITH SALON
Venice, FL
James and Christine Griffith
SQUARE FEET: 5000, 2000, 1500
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 82
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda, Kerastase, Shu Uemura
COLOR: Aveda, L'Oreal
SKINCARE: Aveda, Epionce
NAIL CARE: CND, OPI
TECH SUPPORT: Salon Biz, Vish
ASSOCIATIONS: Intercoiffure, 2 to 10
“The JGS leadership team has monthly coaching sessions, where they discover how to have more effective conversations and communications, with staff and each other.”
Adrienne Velazquez, owner of San Antonio, Texas.
JOYEZ SALON SPA
San Antonio, TX
vagaro.com/us04/joyezsalonspa
Adrienne Velazquez
SQUARE FEET: 3000
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 7
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Keratin Complex, Milbon, Moroccanoil
COLOR: Kevin.Murphy, Keratin Complex
SKINCARE: Bioelements
TECH SUPPORT: Vagaro, Mailchimp
ASSOCIATIONS: ISBN, PBA
“Differences are experienced in day-to-day activities. However, I have mastered the art of solving problems amicably. We involve the team in resolving arising issues. To motivate them, I inspire, appreciate, and reward.”
The leadership team from Pavo Salon in Memphis, Tennessee.
PAVO SALON
Memphis, TN
pavosalon.com
Scot Robinson, Shawn McGhee
SQUARE FEET: 4000, 2300
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 55
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKINCARE: Zo, Colorescience, Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz, Demandforce, Meet Your Stylist, Listen 360
“We shifted our mindset around what leadership means for our culture by asking ourselves how can we teach the team to lead in their current roles, while also creating opportunities for people to develop their own leadership.”
The team from Pin-up Curls in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
PIN-UP CURLS
Fort Wayne, IN
pin-upcurls.com
Erin Raber
SQUARE FEET: 5000
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 27
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Eufora
COLOR: Eufora
SKINCARE: Glo
NAIL CARE: CND, Gelish, OPI
TECH SUPPORT: Phorest, Meet Your Stylist, Mail Chimp
“Delegation is the strongest trait I believe a leader should possess. Delegating empowers others and opens up my time to focus on other things. It also shows my team I trust them and want them to be strong decision makers, which gives them ownership of the business and its success.”
The team from Razmataz in Georgetown, Texas.
RAZMATAZ SALON
Georgetown, TX
razmatazsalon.com
Rachel Smith
SQUARE FEET: 2400
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 16
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda, Eufora, Moroccan Oil
COLOR: Aveda, Redken
TECH SUPPORT: Phorest, Meet Your Stylist
“As a leader, I am in business for my team. With my manager, we have created an open-door policy that not only supports our staff and their needs, but prioritizes them.”
The team from Vann Studio in Seattle, Washington.
VANN STUDIO
Seattle, WA
vannstudio.com
Lisa Vann
SQUARE FEET: 2200
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 22
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Eufora
COLOR: Eufora
SKINCARE: Dermodality
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz, Demandforce
ASSOCIATIONS: Intercoiffure, ISBN
“Lisa doesn’t wait for someone else to speak up and pull diversity into the equation, she seeks this out as step one of everything, and truly appreciates being surrounded by people from different backgrounds.”
An inside look at Varuna Aveda Salon Spa in Annapolis, Maryland.
VARUNA AVEDA SALON SPA
Annapolis, MD
varunasalonspa.com
Rebecca & Riccardo Santoro
SQUARE FEET: 4000
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 28
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKINCARE: Aveda, Jan Marini Skin Research
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz, Demandforce, Reach, Vish
ASSOCIATIONS: ISPA, PBA
“Our plan of action is clearly outlined in Qnity’s Eight Seasons calendar and Five Functions planner so everyone knows who, what, where, when, and how in every area of our business. This gives our team focus on what’s important and a way to measure their success.”
For reprint and licensing requests for this article, Click here.
media brand