You Don't Own a Salon. You Own A Business.
In his latest blog, Leon Alexander Ph.D., challenges industry conventional thinking to help owners add more to their bottom lines.
Battling Cancer with Creativity
Through the years, we’ve known David Wagner as an inspiring stylist, a leading salon owner, an association president, a celebrated author and a Daymaker. But for those of us who’ve known even one of these Davids, it’s emotionally difficult to know him as a cancer patient. While it’s a role he wouldn’t have chosen, in his typical fashion, he’s finding a creative way to leverage the experience to help and inspire others.
July 10, 2011
3 min to read
Through the years, we’ve known David Wagner as an
inspiring stylist, a leading salon owner, an association president, a
celebrated author and a Daymaker. But for those of us who’ve known even
one of these Davids, it’s emotionally difficult to know him as a cancer
patient. While it’s a role he wouldn’t have chosen, in his typical
fashion, he’s finding a creative way to leverage the experience to help
and inspire others.
Like many stylists,
Wagner, who owns JUUT Salonspas with locations in Minnesota and
California, suffered back pain for years. Living in Maui with his wife
Charlie and two young daughters, he had been dealing with the pain
through a combination of massage, acupuncture and physical therapy.
Last October, a physical therapist wanted to do some more aggressive
work on his hip, but recommended Wagner have an X-ray first. Wagner was
surprised when the X-ray, then a subsequent bone scan and blood tests,
suggested he had Multiple Myeloma II, an incurable cancer of the blood.
At first, doctors told him he had three to five years.
Wagner returned to his home state of Minnesota, seeking additional medical
opinions first at the University of Minnesota and then the Mayo Clinic.
Contradictory tests led to a biopsy of a lymph node, which resulted in
a new diagnosis: B-cell Lymphoma, an aggressive form of cancer, yet one
that responds quickly to treatment. By this time, it was April, and
Wagner was using a wheelchair and couldn’t get out of bed.
Afew
days after his Wagner’s first round of chemotherapy, the cancer had
receded from his shoulder, ribs and back where it had spread, and was
reduced in hip bone, and he was up walking around. Before his last
round in early August, he had regained weight and was walking three
miles a day. In a few weeks, Wagner will undergo
another scan which will reveal whether his body is free of Lymphoma or
whether he’ll need to pursue other treatments.
“Throughout
the process, I felt all the emotions—the anger, the ‘Why Me?’ the
looking at the bright side of things,” he says. “We decided to capture
that in a series of photos that bring people through the journey of
cancer. We started right after the first round of chemo, and we
chronicled the treatment, losing the hair, getting my head shaved at
JUUT, regaining strength.”
For Wagner, the process of creating the images, which he hopes to put together in a book, was healing. “I wasn’t able to work on my business or be involved in the marketing, and I missed the creativity. Doing this project helped me heal emotionally.” He shares the first series of these portraits with this MobileMe video.
Throughout the process, the author of Life as a Daymaker, is
grateful for the daymakers in his life. “So many people reached out,
dropping off food and helping with the kids, sending their thoughts and
prayers, and calling to share their own experiences,” he says.
“And
I’m so grateful for my JUUT team,” continues Wagner. “This illness hit
right when the recession did, and I haven’t been able to step foot in
any of salons more than a half dozen times. Yet the business continues
to do well and that’s a tribute to my management team and my staff.
I’ve always said that a leader didn’t lead my business, the purpose of
daymaking did. That purpose is alive and well.”
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
More Salon Management
Are Your Stylists Doing Free Hair on Your Time? Introducing the 'Win-Win' Staff Services Playbook
In her latest blog, Amy Pal helps you develop your own clear guidelines around complimentary free employee services.
Caring for Your Caregivers at the Front Desk
From managing air traffic on busy days to handling frustrated guests' complaints, your front desk team often serves as the salon's emotional shock absorber. From a customer service lesson from the DMV to a list of strategies for caring for your front line, our experts offer ideas for alleviating stress, celebrating wins, and setting goals.
by Stacey Soble
What's Really Happening with Salon Retail and How to Reclaim Your Revenue
According to the KIM Report, top-line salon revenue appears steady or slightly up, but that growth is driven primarily by service price increases. Beneath the surface, retail performance and client visit frequency (appointment drift) are under real pressure. In his latest blog, Alain Audet offers strategies for keeping your salon's retail sales strong.
Trimming Your Tax Bill by Putting Family on the Payroll
Putting your family to work in the salon offers some real tax benefits, but you have you have to play by the rules of the tax code to claim them. Azarvand Tax Law's Leticia Skrabut, Esq., shows you how.
The Art of the WOW Experience
Discover how to create a true “WOW experience” for every client by first building a culture where your team feels engaged, empowered, and inspired. Drawing on Calvin Stovall’s Iconic Framework, this blog explores how salon, spa, and clinic leaders can strengthen culture, elevate customer experience, and build a business that stands out for the long term.
Sponsored by Phorest Salon Software
Why Wellness Belongs on Your Salon's Growth Plan
The wellness industry is growing fast, and salons and barbershops already are an important part of it. In her first blog, Tracy Rado shares where the wellness dollars are heading, and how salons can grow with this movement.
Why Your Revenue Looks Good But Your Business Feels Stressed and What to Do About It
While salon sales are increasing, owners often feel they're working harder for the same or less profit. Leverage Q2 data from The KIM Report, Alain Audet reveals some of the structural changes that are dampening your growth and why your region and your salon size matters.
Why Your Holiday Season is Won in September
Weaknesses in your business are amplified during the Holiday Season. Spark Pro Global's Lucy Randall shows you five things to do now to have the strongest holiday season yet.
Appearance Standards are the New Dress Code
In Kati Whitledge's latest blog, she shares how salons have moved away from dress codes and embraced appearance standards. But by removing strict dress codes, some businesses may have unintentionally lowered their appearance standards. Whitledge helps you explain to your team why an appearance standard is important and how to smoothly implement a new appearance policy.
Working Through the Gray Areas of the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit
The Small Business Health Care Tax Credit is a non-refundable tax credit for for-profit businesses that provides a financial incentive for eligible employers who offer health insurance coverage to their employees. Leticia Skrabut, Esq., walks you through how to claim that credit.
5 Things Every New Stylist Should Learn Early
Developing strong work habits early in one's career supports long-term success in the salon industry. Jesse Linares offers new stylists his top five tips.
The Four Numbers Every Salon Owner Should Know
Most salon owners have no idea what these numbers are. You can hit record sales and still have a profit problem. The difference comes down to four numbers almost nobody was taught to track.
Sponsored by Strata Salon Systems™
Your Salon Can't Survive Without You. That's the Problem.
A five-area audit every owner-dependent salon needs to run. You built something that looks successful. Now find out if it can survive without you.
Sponsored by Strata Salon Systems™
Waiting for the Right Time Is a Decision. Here's What It's Costing You.
Every month you put off fixing the problem, it gets bigger, more expensive, and harder to solve.
Sponsored by Strata Salon Systems™
A Partner in Business and in Life
At Janet St. Paul Studio for Hair and Beauty, Director of Operations Natasha McMillen helps bring her wife Janet St. Paul's vision to life, elevating every system from education to operations.
by Stacey Soble
Back to Business with the Pinstripe Trend
Expand your color service menu with the Pinstripe technique. Brooks and Brooks' Marlon Hawkins walks you through the technique.
by Stacey Soble