Eufora Founder Beth Bewley on stage with her children and co-workers Sam Bewley, chief storyteller, and Brynn Bewley, education manager.  
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Eufora Founder Beth Bewley on stage with her children and co-workers Sam Bewley, chief storyteller, and Brynn Bewley, education manager. 

There’s nothing like a crisis to test the fortitude and perseverance of a business, its owner and its employees, and this pandemic and the resulting months of mandated closure has been a unique and particularly challenging chapter for most salons. Those who come through it prepared to capture new opportunities and resume a journey toward growth likely had a solid foundation underlying its core and a network of support to guide it through the darkest moments. 

Over the last several months, Eufora has rolled out a comprehensive approach and plan for salons, stylists and distributors in their network, helping them thrive professionallyprofessionality, creatively, personally and financially as their salons reopen. 

“For more than 22 years, Eufora has been proud to provide the inspiration, education, tools and high-performance products to guide salon professionals on their own journey to create the most beautiful version of their lives,” says Sam Bewley, Eufora’s chief storyteller. “When developing our strategy, it was very important for us to address all areas of business, all members of the salon professional community, as well as make sure our programs are high quality, engaging and consistent.”

Following are nine programs that havehelped beauty professionals weather the pandemic and get their businesses back up and running after the shutdown:

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Eufora Business Forward: Online Leadership Series

To help supply owners with all the management tools and support they needed, Eufora University launched its “Business Forward: An Online Leadership Series.” This brand-new program is led by some of the most successful salon owners, educators and business coaches in the industry who strategically are helping salon leaders build a thriving business and culture. Lessons include:

  • Tangible leadership skills and strategies
  • The financial breakeven analysis and how to intelligently raise prices
  • How to navigate and lead positive change in the business. 
  • Proven marketing and sales strategies (with real-life examples)

“The classes are free, hosted on Eufora’s website, and there are all kinds of different topics—some are designed for owners and focus on leadership like a class about leading through a crisis, and others are focused on the stylist—for example there’s a class on storytelling that helps stylists learn to market themselves and the whole team,” says Erin Raber, owner of Pin-Up Curls in Fort Wayne, Indiana. “Some of the classes even come with worksheets that help you plan as you work through the class.”

“These business programs have helped me immensely, pushing me to grow as a leader, an owner and an individual,” adds Janine Argila, owner of Prism Wellness Salon in Long Island, New York. “Particularly during quarantine, there was one class that helped me connect with guests during our shutdown and build new and stronger relationships with them. I haven’t worked behind the chair in two years, and I’ve found I’ve lost some of that connection with guests. This quarantine opened my eyes to the importance of being constantly in communication with our guests. I did that through emails each week—some were related to some innovative things we were trying to sell, but we also were sharing recipes of what our team members were cooking in quarantine and just reaching out and checking where everyone was in their thought process. The feedback on these was tremendous.”

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“Live Your Art” Live Stream Series 

Stylists throughout the Eufora nation have a strong desire to stay inspired through technical education, which is why the company has always focused on in-salon education, its Eufora Advanced Training Academy, as well as its National Trainer program, which brings hand-on training from Eufora’s top trainers directly to markets where stylists can engage. 

When all of these programs became inaccessible during the lockdown, the company worked to bring inspiration and tangible technical education to its stylists through a live, online learning series through its Facebook Community.  Originally named “Live Your Lockdown Series,” the technical classes were taught by many of Eufora’s National Trainers.

“Not only did these classes offer stylists connection during lockdown, they also offered a unique perspective into the mindset of the trainers, while teaching some new techniques and ways to use products,” Bewley explains. “Carrying the online training into the future, we will be reframing the sessions, renaming them “Live Your Art Series.”

Katie Huser, owner of Moxy Hair Studio and Spa in Missaw, Minnesota says the series was wildly beneficial for her team. “This time definitely was one for the history books, but it also gave our team a chance to grow through it,” she shares. “They could push pause, breathe, take some time to reflect, then engage in education. I invited them to stop by and grab a mannequin and a stand—it was so beautiful to see the pictures of their work they were sending to me. These classes helped with their emotional state, as much as their artistry. And when they are back with guests and the conversation gets dark, it gives them something positive to talk about and share with guests.”

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Virtual Events: VisionQuest

Eufora’s VisionQuest is a powerful two-day educational experience that focuses on personal development, mindset training and business skills that help build an exceptional life and career. Typically held in a resort setting, this retreat brings out-of-industry keynotes which helps attendees learn how to lead themselves and a successful business, and combines them with specific breakouts from which attendees can craft a learning path that best fits their needs. 

Originally scheduled for April 20-21, 2020, Eufora had no choice but to transform the live event into a virtual one. While the in-person connection of this event is, the silver lining was the  virtual platform was able to reach a vast audience of salon professionals who really needed that time to evaluate, strategize and reframe their lives going forward. Eufora split VisionQuest into two days with a week in-between, and between the live stream a week of replay opportunity, this year’s event reached an audience of 41,000 viewers. 

The first day’s dynamic speakers included Ryan Estis who helped the audience reach a new level of leadership by combining compelling stories with original research, bringing perspective to the new age of the brick and mortar business. Michelle Poler helped the audience understand, breakdown and conquer their fear through an authentic, inspiring and actionable keynote highlighting her own journey.

“We were planning on bringing six team members to VisionQuest, and we were so grateful the company reacted so quickly and turned this into a virtual event—it gave us a positive focus when we were all in panic mode,” says Rachel Stearns, owner of Razmataz Salon in Georgetown, Texas. “I have worked in this industry for more than 30 years and never have I felt the passion I do with the Eufora nation.”

On the second day, Coryu Muscara offered a very practical approach to practicing mindfulness through meditation, while Carla Ileiscu, who is trained in “Fierce Conversations” and Brene Brown’s “Dare to Lead” programs, helping everyone lead and forge their way forward. In addition, social media strategist Britt Seva broke down the marketing funnel to help professionals achieve real growth through social channels. 

“The segment on fear couldn’t have come at a better time, but my favorite was ‘Dare to Lead,’” says Donna Rodrigue, owner of Casa Verde Salon Spa in Albuquerque, New Mexico. “I’ve rewatched it multiple times and it’s made the largest impact on my leadership and communication skills.” 

Eufora partnered with some of the keynote speakers to offer access to ongoing content through the VisionQuest portal.   

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Cash Back to You Profit Sharing Program

Profit sharing with Partner Salons from online retail sales is nothing new to Eufora, the company has been doing it for quite some time, even before launching eufora.net, a trusted online shopping solution for consumers seeking Eufora products. 

In the past, salons received commissions through the company’s Partner Rewards Mall which help them offset backbar costs, invest in education or in salon merchandising tools. But when salons were unable to generate revenue during the COVID-19 pandemic, Eufora shifted its profit-sharing program to its “Cash Back to You” program, offering salons 25% of the MSRP in cash value for any purchase their guests make through eufora.net.

To help salons maximize the potential of the program, Eufora launched an online course training salons on several online marketing strategies including email, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram platforms so salons could support their guests virtually. 

“Switching the profit-sharing to cash was definitely helpful, we made close to $2,000 while we were closed,” Rodrigue says. “More importantly though, we were able to help guests keep their favorite products in the bathrooms and prevent them from switching to something else.”

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Comprehensive Campaigns 

In the professional beauty industry, salons often get stuck with the same promotions that launch every 6-8 weeks, and guests get trained to wait for the next discount. Eufora conceptually shifted the way it goes to market by creating and executing multi-faceted campaigns designed to bring inspiration, drive consumer engagement, and enhance the salon experience.

Bewley breaks down the campaigns into a few critical elements—the product story, the in-salon services, the compelling take-home solutions, merchandising and salon imagery, and step-by-step execution training. 

Currently, the company is in the midst of its “Eufora Stimulus/Welcome Back” campaign. It’s uniquely designed to prepare salons to restart their business while serving guests in an exceptionally safe, sanitized salon experience. This campaign has a strong focus on replenishment opportunities, as well as new salon imagery to refresh the salon visual experience.

“To help prepare for the reopening campaign, I worked with other owners in the network to examine the new guidelines and figure out what reopening would look like,” Raber says. “We videotaped our brainstorming sessions and shared them with Eufora and, in return, they created these wonderful graphics that help us communicate about the new salon experience with our guests. It’s been a huge toolbelt for us as we welcome our guests back.”

But the appreciation for the campaigns runs deep, even in more typical times. “I think the campaigns are the best part of partnering with Eufora. There is always great collateral to support the campaign, they really capture the interest of our guests, and there are beautiful hair collections that back them up,” Rodrigue says. “If there is an incentive or giveaway with the campaign, Eufora absorbs the cost of that, which really helps the salon when it comes to profitability.”

“Live Your Future” Educator Certification 

The inspiring programs aren’t just for Eufora customers. The company’s education leadership team has been working behind-the-scenes with its educators, helping them chart their career growth by training and certifying them in new classes they can facilitate in partner salons. This sets the network up to be prepared with well-trained educators that can help salon teams grow once the time is right for in-person engagement.  

Sales Consultant Training 

Distributor Consultants are often overlooked in support initiatives, yet they are the conduit to many amazing opportunities, including business systems, education and salon support campaigns.  

“When my father was a salon owner, his sales consultant was one of his first mentors who was able to bring him valuable education, tools, and business coaching that empowered him to be successful. That being said - our passion for the sales consultant role runs in our DNA,” Bewley says.

The company is known for its Eufora Distinction Sales Training, which empowers sales consultants with the knowledge, tools and training to be high-value resources for their salon customers. These in-person boot camps focus on how to build strong relationships, guide their salons through Eufora systems and education, help owners navigate through the challenges of business ownership and team leadership.  

To extend its reach and ability to elevate others, the company recently launched its Eufora Sales University. This online learning platform brings the necessary training and education on how to truly coach salons and implement systems/programs that can grow the profitability and culture of a salon. 

Eufora Salon Owner Network 

The Eufora Salon Owner Network is a program that brings like-minded salon owners together to explore essential business concepts, training and peer-to-peer networking. Led by Co-Founder and CEO Beth Bewley, this program encourages owners to engage in top-tier business education and brand updates through an interactive webinar that is broadcast to watch parties across the country. 

“Like many others, I decided to open a salon when I was a stylist with a full book of clients, but there was so much more to running a business than that,” Huser says. “This group welcomed me with open arms—it is a safe space to express your shortcomings and ask for advice and learn the solid business skills you need to succeed.”

The Eufora University Platform        

When putting all of its resources together Eufora wanted to be very intentional in making it as easy as possible for beauty professionals to engage with our brand as well as create a structured approach to our content. 

“As it has been a goal of ours to get more reach and education opportunities in an easily accessible online format, it really was an opportune time to launch this platform,” Bewley explains. Eufora University is an immersive platform for salon owners, stylists, and sales consultants to engage with all of this structured content in one place. It is designed to take our students on a journey by providing educational courses from our top technical and business trainers. This helps us expand the reach and impact of education by empowering salon professionals to learn at their own pace, from anywhere in the world, from the best Eufora trainers on a living platform that we can constantly update and add new content to.”

Right now, Eufora University is free for all salon professionals. “It has been our privilege to serve the entire salon community during this pandemic lockdown,” Bewley concludes. “We will now begin taking steps to gating our content. Our Eufora Partner Salon and Stylists will ALWAYS have free access to our Eufora content while non-partner salons will have the opportunity to invest in this platform in a different way.”

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