
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.
What does "having it all" mean to the contemporary woman working in the professional beauty industry, and is it possible? Salon Today explores the stories of 13 mighty women and discovers how they define success.
WHAT DOES “HAVING IT ALL MEAN” MEAN TO THE CONTEMPORARY WOMAN WORKING IN THE PROFESSIONAL BEAUTY INDUSTRY, AND IS IT POSSIBLE? SALON TODAY EXPLORES THE STORIES OF 13 MIGHTY WOMEN AND DISCOVERING HOW THEY DEFINE SUCCESS.

The contemporary working woman constantly weighs her scales, determining where she can borrow a bit of time, energy and attention from her personal life to contribute to her professional side and vice versa. She’s a consummate juggler, an expert multi-tasker, and an inspiration and a foundation to colleagues and family members alike. And, until recently, she believed that she truly could “have it all.”
In July 2012, Anne-Marie Slaughter, a former director of policy planning for the U.S. State Department, ignited a firestorm when she penned a story for The Atlantic, titled, “Why Women Still Can’t Have it All.” Working mothers around the country began to debate whether they’ve had to sacrifice too much to try to achieve success. To add fuel to the conversation, Yahoo named 37-year-old Marissa Mayer its new CEO, while celebrating the fact that Mayer was also six months pregnant. Simultaneously, the media touted the 2012 London Olympics as the “Year of the Woman.” For the first time in history, every single country team had a female athlete and the female athletes on team USA outnumbered the male athletes.
SALON TODAY decided to join the debate, by questioning whether women in professional beauty—an industry focused on women— can achieve it all and asking what that means exactly. We broadened our definition of “all,” choosing to search for women in the beauty industry who balance successful careers with growing families, leadership positions in the industry, charitable activities and/or additional entrepreneurial pursuits.
While we found thousands of examples of strong and powerful women, we chose the following 11 stories of 13 women who are carefully maintain their own balance and shaping their own sense of ALL.

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.

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.