
Warm Leadership and Analytical Precision
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.
Jennette Pokorny of EverNext HR offers salon and spa owners a human resources checklist for 2014.

Many salon owners center their “New Year” planning around sales and growth objectives. However, human resource issues, particularly around maintaining compliance with the law, can create major hurdles to meeting those goals. Take special care not to neglect your HR department at the start of the year by attending to the following:
Training Calendar: Many trainings are mandated by state and federal laws. Add mandatory training such as sexual harassment, safety and a review of company policies and procedures - be sure to update these as necessary and do you best to make them fun so your team stays engaged. Start off with an overview of 2014 and what to expect during your January meeting.
License and Certification Check: When licenses and certifications lapse, companies risk fines by governing agencies while also opening themselves up to civil and criminal liabilities. Create a calendar of all expiration dates that also send alerts to employees both 60 days and 3 days prior. Outlook is a great tool for this. Let the employee know via their renewal reminder that if their license or certification expires or lapses they will not be able to work until they are current.
Employee Check-In: Not only is it critical to conduct performance reviews so everyone can get off on the right foot, it’s also a good time to have your team update their contact information.
Workers Comp: Check your workers comp insurance for expiration dates and prepare for renewal. A lapse in insurance puts you at risk for state fines for violating mandated laws to provide coverage. Also, many underwriters will not insure a business if they have a lapse in coverage. Worst of all, a business owner risks liability if an employee is injured while there is no coverage.
IRS: Those initials make every business owner shudder. Miss or incorrectly prepare W-2‘s and you may be penalized up to $75,000 for a small business per year. Also, be sure to prepare all needed audit or compliance reports such as payroll for tax purposes.
Review the Law: It’s in your best interest to get up to speed on all new laws or changes to existing laws for both federal and your state. One of the obvious ones is the Health Care Reform (HCR). There are 12 new requirements for businesses with over 50 employees that go into effect on January 1, 2014, which will require updating all policies.
Service Providers: If you are planning on changing service providers for things such as payroll or benefits, the beginning of the year is the best time to make these changes. Begin vetting potential candidates before the New Year hits so you can make a smooth transition.
It’s much easier to prevent fires, than put them out, so prepare ahead of time by incorporating HR into your 2014 planning.

Jennette Pokorny, VP of Marketing & Communications for EverNext HR, the first company to offer small businesses a virtual human resources assistant who is supported by a state of the art, proprietary HR knowledge base use online system. Jennette has 12 years of corporate and nonprofit management experience and understands the challenges business owners face with their day-to-day operations, particularly with personnel. With more than a decade of experience providing solutions for small business, Jennette hopes to alleviate some of the human resources difficulties business owners lose sleep over.
Jennette Pokorny, VP of Marketing & Communications for EverNext HR, the first company to offer small businesses a virtual human resources assistant who is supported by a state of the art, proprietary HR knowledge base use online system. Jennette has 12 years of corporate and nonprofit management experience and understands the challenges business owners face with their day-to-day operations, particularly with personnel. With more than a decade of experience providing solutions for small business, Jennette hopes to alleviate some of the human resources difficulties business owners lose sleep over. - See more at: http://www.salontoday.com/blogs/6-Strategies-to-Prevent-the-Post-Holiday-Party-Walk-of-Shame-229129901.html#sthash.vfP4iNfJ.dpuf

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.