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
Grow Your Salon by Motivating Your Team
The Grow Series' Antony Whitaker shows you how to motivate your team by fulfilling their six basic needs--learn what they are...
by Antony Whitaker
February 28, 20143 min to read
With a worldwide reputation build on more than 30 years of professional hairdressing experience, Antony Whitaker is the ultimate educator and motivator. After a successful career as a stylist, trainer and creative director at Vidal Sassoon, he opened his own salons in Austrailia, winning accolades including Australian Hairdresser of the Year twice. More recently, Whitaker has developed as a passionate and inspiring business presenter taking his message to more than 250,000 hairdressers in more than 40 countries. His series of GROW books has set new benchmarks for business excellence.Learn more about GROW and SHOP for his books at SHOPMODERNSALON.com.
If there is just one thing in your business you review in the near future, make sure it is team motivation. If you review two things, make sure they are both team motivation.ew benchmarks of business exce
A motivated team will make all the difference between a successful, healthy business and one that bumps along, with management taking way more effort than it should.
There are quick-fix ways to motivate and there are reactive ways. You could stoke up some competition, but you’ll always end up with just one winner and a whole bunch of losers – not great for team morale. You could try the big stick approach. But that leads to resentment and intimidation. You could keep harping on about how everyone could do better. But nagging eventually leads to selective deafness.
A much better way is to take a look at how you fulfil your team’s six basic needs. Address these and you will have a well-functioning, engaged and enthusiastic group of people working for you.
Six needs to address:
Connection – what level of connection does your team feel with you, with one another, with the brand? What processes do you have to encourage engagement? What could you do that you aren’t doing?
Significance – regardless of age or position, do all members of your team feel they matter to the salon? Do they feel they are relied on and trusted to deliver an important component of the end result? Does your team feel needed and appreciated? What else could you do?
Variety – is there diversity in the jobs they do? Are your team members doing the same old boring, repetitive jobs day in day out? How could you inject a little bit of color into their days?
Security – do all member of your team feel secure in their jobs? If they don’t have a sense of security what’s the chance of you getting their full commitment and loyalty? How can you make them feel more secure?
Need to grow – what opportunities do you create for your team to learn and to grow, to become more than they already are, not just in their jobs but in their lives?
Need to contribute – people like to feel they are part of something bigger than themselves. They want to feel they are contributing to the success of the community they live and work in. So, is their contribution appreciated?
Too often we look for short-term ways to motivate our team, and while short-term goals and on-going acknowledgement are essential, we forget to look at the more fundamental and deeper needs of our people. For a truly successful business, the team must understand the benefits of mutual support, that they are part of something bigger and that they control were they are going.
So what’s next?
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
More Salon Management
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
5 Essential Hair & Beauty Industry KPIs And How to Master Them
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
Bella Style Salon's Ride or Die
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.
by Stacey Soble
The Constant
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.
by Stacey Soble
The Most Wonderful Time in Salons and Spas
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.
by Stacey Soble
Leading with Empathy, Humility and a Mastery of Systems
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.
by Stacey Soble
Pagoda Brings AI-Powered Operations to Skinovatio Medical Spa Locations
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.
by Staff
How Women are Rewriting the Rules of Grey Hair
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.
by Stacey Soble
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.
by Stacey Soble
Trotting the Globe, Forging Connections, Fostering Artistic Creativity
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.
by Stacey Soble
Client Retention Guidebook
Everything you need to know about client retention as a salon owner.
Success Grown from Within
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.
by Stacey Soble
How Salon Leaders Can Process the Pain and Lead Forward When a Team Members Leaves Unethically
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.
How AI Is Closing Revenue Gaps for Salons and Spas
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
The Premium Talent Magnet: The Modern Salon Playbook for Attracting Six-Figure Stylists
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
Five Revenue Leaks Hiding in Your Salon
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