MENU
SEARCHThe older I get, the less excited I am about collecting the afternoon mail. Bills and junk mail tend to overwhelm anything of interest, and sorting through the stack tends to waste valuable time.Recently though, a small, hand-addressed envelope ...
The older I get, the less excited I am about collecting the afternoon mail. Bills and junk mail tend to overwhelm anything of interest, and sorting through the stack tends to waste valuable time.
Recently though, a small, hand-addressed envelope caught my eye. When I opened it, there was a lovely Thank You note from Ty Bobit, the owner of Bobit Business Media, the publishing group that purchased Salon Today along with the Modern Salon Media family a few months ago. The note personally thanked me on a job well done on a recent issue. It may seem a simple gesture, but that hand-written thank you note was incredibly gratifying.
The note also served as a subtle reminder that a company’s culture starts at the top.
A clearly defined culture is a determining factor in the success of a business. According to the Harvard Business Review, culture “can account for 20-30% of the differential in corporate performance when compared with ‘culturally unremarkable competitiors.” Strong cultures include things like a purposeful mission or vision statement, decision-guiding corporate values, clear business practices, a positive environment and motivated people.
In the world of professional beauty, the topic of growing a strong salon culture is cropping up everywhere. Several of this year’s salon owner speakers at Serious Business focused on the topic of salon culture. On April 11, our publisher Steve Reiss will be moderating an industry panel session of salon owners at Club Intrigue in Atlanta on “Building a Healthy Community & Culture.”
We also made Salon Culture one of our new competition categories in the 2016 Salon Today 200, and it ended up being one of our most competitive categories. Even in its debut year, it yielded more entries than any other best practice category. It also yielded the most phone calls, emails and text messages from salon owners disappointed to have not captured a salon culture honor this year.
In January, I launched the Culture Corner column which regularly heads up our Check In Section. For example, this month, on page 10, Summit Salon’s Kristi Valenzuela talks about the culture gap that often exists between the front desk staff and the rest of the team, and she offers three strategies for helping these valuable team members feel embraced by the salon’s culture.
While there’s much evidence that developing your salon’s culture is good for business, doing so is a tougher task than it may seem. That’s why in this month cover feature Culture Club (starting on page 22) we sit down with six salon owners who reveal that strategies they’ve used to define their cultures, ideas for getting the team on board, and examples of how they use culture to guide their important business decisions. They also share specific team-building activities and reward programs that keep their cultures strong. And, Wendy White McCown, the owner of Signatures Salon in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and this month’s cover owner, offers a touching story on how her strong culture helped her team through a trying experience when a drunk driver plowed through their storefront.
As for us, America’s Beauty Show was an important experience in building our new corporate culture. Because the show is based in Chicago, near Modern Salon’s offices, our entire team, including our designer, our IT and digital teams, and all our support team members were able to join our editors and sales representatives to witness the professional beauty industry in action. And, for the first time, many of us met our counterparts at our new sister publications, NAILS Magazine and VietSalon, while we shared a booth at the show, along with exchanging ideas and sources.
As we look forward to the months ahead in growing the culture within our new media family, I hope you will embrace the ideas, tips and strategies within this issue to strengthen your salon culture.
The strongest salons, spas, and med spas know which numbers tell the real story of their business. In this practical guide, Phorest breaks down the five essential KPIs every business should track to improve retention, boost revenue, and make smarter decisions with confidence.
Sponsored by Phorest
At Bella Style Salon in Slidell, Louisiana, Director of Operations Angela Meyer tackles inventory, team management, and guest relations. Read all about her in our latest Meet the Manager.
Starting at Impressions front desk in 2006 when he was 19 years old, General Manager Paul Petrowsky is a seasoned professional who owner Sarah Taylor says is responsible for much of her own success.
Planning is in full swing for the most anticipated events and promotions for the 2026 holidays. As owners share their favorite ways to celebrate, they prove that a carefully planned event can also build culture, increase client loyalty, boost sales, and set a business up for a successful 2027.
When things run amok at Mane Attraction Salon, Owners Chris and Jenny Knudsen say General Manager Sami Hernandez is their go-to resource and ultimate sounding board. Meet Sami in this installment of Meet the Manager.
Pagoda, a new AI-native operating system for scheduling, payments, patient records, marketing, and client communications, launches at Skinovatio Medical Spa in Arlington Heights, Illinois.
At a panel discussion hosted by L’Oréal Professionnel in Paris in early July, French Philosopher Sophie Galabru explored the cultural shift where women are increasingly choosing natural, personalized color results over traditional grey coverage. In an exclusive interview with SALON TODAY, Galabru and L’Oréal Professionnel Colorist Pierrick Beringer discuss this shift and how salons and colorists respond.
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.
