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Check out what owners across the country have done to makeover their businesses for higher profits!
Earth Smart
Salon: Bella Toccare de Spa & Salon
Brecksville, Ohio
Owner: Jeanne McCarthy-Caparso
Makeover: Becoming a friend, not foe to the environment. Our salon recycles nearly 85 percent of our product/supply materials. All the packing boxes, shipping materials, plastic and glassware products are recycled every week. We have regulated our thermostat to save energy by adjusting for business hours and for when we are closed. All paper is reused on both sides, and after it is used, we recycle it. We’ve also tried to eliminate paper usage as much as possible by utilizing electronic files. We replaced all of our light fixtures to be more energy efficient.
Why we did it: We give back to help the Earth move forward.
Impact on the business: We are setting a strong example for environmental leadership and conducting our business in a manner we can all be proud of.
Giving without Going Broke
Salon: Craig Berns Salon Spa
Delafield, Wisconsin
Owners: Craig and Mary Beth Berns
Makeover: Refreshing our charity programs. As salon owners, my wife and I have always had a strong belief in helping others. As a company, our policy is never to say no to a non-profit agency dedicated to helping a group or community. So we have devised gift certificate packets we make available to organizations for silent auction use. Each certificate has a dollar value that’s approximately half the value of the predetermined service.
Why we did it: To implement our beliefs without heavy financial losses in our business.
Impact on the business: By orchestrating our donation gift certificates in this manner, we are still able to take in money for the services performed, and simultaneously allow the guest to enjoy multiple services at a reduced cost.
No-Brainer Booking
Salon: Bob Steele Salon
Marietta, Georgia
Owners: Bob Steele, Amanda Hair, Allan Grogan
Makeover: Building up booking. We use our website to schedule last-minute appointments for the following day. After the call center is closed, we post selected openings that can be booked online for a 25-percent discount. Clients can also fill out surveys online to give us feedback about their appointments.
Why we did it: It helps us cut back on unfilled slots and lost revenues.
Impact on the business: Our clients are booking around 25 appointments per day from our website. It reduces the load on our calling center, is convenient for our current clients, and helps attract new ones.
Special Consideration
Salon: Bella Vita Salon and Day Spa
North Andover, Massachusetts
Owners: John and Cheryl Currao
Makeover: Winning over VIPs. Club Bella Vita is our free VIP club that guests can join online. Upon joining, guests receive monthly wellness tips, promotions, coupons and birthday surprises. After-hours makeup classes, wine tastings and cooking classes are also regularly offered, and they are held in our Tranquility Lounge that overlooks a lake
Why we did it: We wanted clients to sit, relax and explore what Bella Vita is all about!
Impact on the business: It has been wildly successful, and utilized by people all over the United States.
Command Central
Salon: Imagine Salon
Grand Blanc, Michigan
Owners: Shelly and Edmund Kovach, Shannon Thomas, Shannon Kelly
Makeover: Fixing front-desk training. When I recruit a stylist, my manager trains them on the front desk and they work there until we have an opening for an associate stylist. This way they see day-to-day operations and learn to use their voice, body language, upselling services, closing the sale, retailing and top customer service. They learn how to rebook and do confirmation calls as well.
Why we did it: We developed this after reading “The Front Desk Doctor” by Crystal Focus. Trainees listen to one of the program’s CD and write down what they learn.
Impact on the business: It takes extra time to coach and grow your own stylists, but in the end, they are dedicated, loyal, and business-minded, as well as being artists. And we’re never short-staffed at the front desk!
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.
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.
Keeping your appointment book full when clients are in vacation mode takes more than a good Instagram post. It takes a plan. The 2026 Summer Marketing Calendar from Meevo gives salon, spa & med spa owners a month-by-month roadmap with sharp themes, key opportunity dates, and campaign ideas specifically designed for the beauty & wellness industry. Here’s to your summer season working as hard as you do!
Sponsored by Millennium Systems International
AI is transforming the beauty and wellness industry, and the future is about empowering people, not replacing them. Discover how Phorest AI helps salons, spas, and med spas across North America respond faster, personalize every visit, and keep human connection at the heart of the client experience.
Sponsored by Phorest
Owner Michaella Blissett-Williams credits her General Manager Gloria Hortua with [salon] 718's year-over-year, double-digit growth and says she's been able to scale the company to eight locations because she can rely on Hortua to manage daily operations.
Shine Time: Aluram’s High Shine Line Delivers Moisture and Shine with Clean Ingredients
Sponsored by Aluram
Elyse Rogers is an uplifting presence at The Headroom who makes the team feel heard even in stressful situations. Owner Danielle Cherewyk sings her praises in this installment of Meet the Manager.
Despite a slight and predictable decline in client traffic for Q1, resilient pricing power is driving year-over-year revenue growth in salons. The KIM Report's Alain Audet reviews the data and what it's telling us about the state of professional beauty.
Same-store revenue grew just 2% for the second straight year—and new guest visits declined across every segment of the industry. The 2026 Benchmark Report reveals where growth is actually happening, which verticals are pulling ahead, and what the data says about where your business stands right now.
Sponsored by Zenoti
Hair restoration is entering a new era driven by regenerative science. This paper explores how Exosome technology is transforming treatment outcomes by targeting hair loss at a cellular level. Discover why EXOGROW is leading this shift.
Sponsored by Dermapenworld
A salon brand is much more than a logo. In this thought-provoking blog, Leon Alexander, Ph.D., walks you through the difference. SALON TODAY suggests sharing this article with your team and leading a discussion at your next huddle, asking the team to define your business's brand.
