
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.
Offering your clients the latest trends is an important part of staying on the cutting edge of business, so this month we asked: How does your staff monitor trends, share them with one another and translate them into new techniques and services for your clientele?
Offering your clients the latest trends is
an important part of staying on the cutting
edge of business, so this month we asked:
How does your
staff monitor
trends, share them
with one another
and translate
them into new
techniques and
services for your
clientele?
“NEW TRENDS COME from an array of areas, which goes
hand in hand with the latest technology. Public fi gures,
stars, models, reality shows, magazines, in-house and
distributor classes are some of the paths that have always
worked. Recently, we added social networks like Facebook
and Twitter to the list. The staff takes pride in sharing the
latest trends. If a client’s request brings in a new style that
might be the next fad, it doesn’t go unnoticed—as the
other clients and staff want to take a look and comment or
just ask a question. It’s part of our environment and culture
to get involved. After all, we are here to have fun.”
“SEVERAL TEAM MEMBERS travel to Fashion Week,
working backstage with various product lines. When they come
back they share the top tips on hair, make-up and all the exciting
stories with the rest of the team and our clients. This assures that
we are moving in front of trends and not behind them.”
“MONTHLY, WE HOLD HANDS-ON, in-salon classes.
We are a part of the Bumble and bumble Network, as well as
an Oribe salon—both companies have a lot of inspirational
tools (videos, pictures, monthly features at times) to keep my
team inspired and communicating. We also analyze pictures
from magazines and talk hair a lot in our down time, and
experiment on one another when possible.”
“‘A NEW BROOM sweeps clean,’ my mom once told me.
And that is exactly how something new sweeps through
the salon. It is electric when one stylist falls in love with the
newest, latest, greatest whatever. It is wonderful to see the
whole team get excited and inspired. Then they will push it
a bit to see what else they can do with it.”
“WE HAVE WEEKLY morning classes, updates and
monthly team meetings to keep us all on the same page.
Short updates are held weekly with monthly leadership
meetings held as well. Keeping in touch regularly really
helps keep the staff aware of any new trends in the
industry.”
“BECAUSE WE LIVE IN a small, relatively isolated
town, the internet provides a huge amount of information
regarding trends and new techniques as do trade
magazines and DVDs, which can be purchased through
stylist websites.”
“WE ATTEND YEARLY and bi-yearly events and classes;
we photograph our recent work and share these images with
clients. We talk up our attendance at classes to our clients
and show photos from hair shows, classes and events.”
“WE SCHEDULE WEEKLY and monthly classes provided
by our product manufacturers, plus we hire an outstanding
stylist to come in monthly for advanced styling. We also
have monthly classes for current spa services and trends.”
“TRADE MAGAZINES, trade e-mails, trade shows,
fashion magazines and, of course, shopping!”
“Our team gets their
influences from fashion
magazines and the trade
publications. This is the
one time I don’t mind down
time: the staff share ideas
by way of discussion and
at times all it takes is one
staff member to do a cut on
mannequin for the other staff
to get involved. Our industry
is based on interpretation,
so there is never a right or
wrong way to offer clients
your perspective on what
you think will look good on
them with what the current
trends are. The more you do
it, the easier it becomes.”

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.

Expand your color service menu with the Pinstripe technique. Brooks and Brooks' Marlon Hawkins walks you through the technique.
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