MENU
SEARCHEditor Stacey Soble shares a letter she received from an owner detailing the current struggle in recruiting and retaining talent in the salon.
Last year, I received a passionate letter from Laura Ortmann expressing that her last three years in business had been her toughest, despite the fact that she purchased Ginger Bay Salons and Spa in St. Louis, at the beginning of 2008, right before the recession struck.
In the letter, Laura detailed some of the circumstances that were crippling small businesses in her area, especially salons and spas, including:
• “In the past four years, Missouri has lost more than 55% of its cosmetology schools, resulting in dangerously low stylist and nail technician staffing.
• “Like many states, we are experiencing the lowest unemployment rate in 50 years at 3.3%, also resulting in serious staffing shortages. A low unemployment rate sounds great unless you are an employer. Lower lever positions in the service industry have been hit hard. I currently have the highest-paid Guest Services team I’ve ever had, and because of high turnover, most of my leadership team take between two to five shifts in Guest Services per week.
• “The closure of big box stores and malls in our area has shrunk the customer service pool of employees from which we recruit for our Guest Services positions by at least 40%.
• “More beauty franchises moving into the area have cut our massage and esthetic pool of employees by an estimated 20-30%.
• “The continual opening of rental suites in our area, coupled with their aggressive recruiting, is making it harder to keep veteran stylists who cap out in employee-based salons.
• “Our employees are Generations X, Y and Z and their job requirements are often difficult to meet, especially in terms of scheduling.”
Ortmann likened it to the perfect storm. As I travel around the country, I’ve heard the same rumblings about the complexity and challenge of recruiting and retaining staff from other owners, so I knew this wasn’t a localized issue. As the pool of recruitment prospects shrinks and the employment requirements of younger working professionals change, salons and spas simply must become more sophisticated when it comes to staff recruitment and retention.
As a result, we decided to make this issue a big editorial focus this year, starting with the cover story “Match Makers,” starting on page 18. I’ve also invited a number of the salon leaders featured in this piece, including Laura, Salon 124 Group’s Chris Sulimay, Bella Style Salon’s Jen Baudier and Canvas Salon and Skin Bar’s Stefanie Fox Jackson to present their creative, out-of-the-box retention and recruitment strategies at Data-Driven Salon Summit, which will be held in Atlanta, May 17-19. (Visit datadrivensalon.com for details.)
I encourage all readers to continue sharing your creative recruitment and retention ideas—SALON TODAY plans on keeping this constructive conversation ongoing so we can help salons of all sizes stay strong and growing.
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.
Buried inside the One Big Beautiful Bill Act are federal solar tax credit changes that deserve your attention now. Two of the credits that matter most to commercial property owners, the Investment Tax Credit and the Production Tax Credit, are still available, but only if you move fast. A third, the Commercial Building Energy Efficiency Deduction, has a hard termination date that is closer than most people realize.
Up to 40% of hair stylists ghost the salon interview stage, leaving owners trapped playing endless phone tag with uncommitted applicants. This data-driven report breaks down why traditional job boards create recruitment friction and reveals the modern messaging strategies high-growth salons use to get pre-qualified talent to actually show up. Learn how to transition from cold calling to high-conversion conversations that protect your time and fill your chairs.
Sponsored by Beautista
Spit fests, hostile threats, and even an overachieving matchmaker--SALON TODAY readers share their craziest client tales and how their team handled these tough situations with professionalism and grace.
