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
Owner to Owner: Snapchat Management
As the director of technical and business development for Zano Salons, Sara Aikens’ biggest challenge is communicating a consistent message to employees at the salon’s four locations surrounding Naperville, Illinois. With 150 ...
May 11, 2015
Use Snapchat in your business. (photo credit: Getty Images)
Getty Images
3 min to read
As the director of technical and business development for Zano Salons, Sara Aikens’ biggest challenge is communicating a consistent message to employees at the salon’s four locations surrounding Naperville, Illinois. With 150 employees to motivate, manage and support, Aikens knows the best way to communicate with each one is with through the communication vehicle each individual interacts with best.
“I’ve learned to communicate four times in four different ways—so in addition to any group meeting or face-to-face conversation, I also use email, text message, private professional Facebook pages, and Snapchat,” says Aikens. “It pays off quicker for me to embrace different communication vehicles than it does if I were trying to get everyone to bend to one way of communication.”
Of these, Snapchat is probably the most novel for use in communicating to employees. But Aikens feels the photo messaging application which allows users to send photos, videos, messages and drawings which disappear after a few seconds, is most similar to an actual face-to-face conversation.
“If you put something on Facebook, it’s there forever,” she says. “But Snaps disappear, so it seems much more authentic.”
About 40 of the Zano employees prefer the Snapchat communications from Aikens, and she says this group also tends to be the less-seasoned stylists who benefit from more encouragement. Aikens, who believes she has a mentor-based personality, says using Snapchat makes her very relatable for these newer team members, even though she’s been with Zano’s for more than 15 years.
“This group also is the most comfortable with the selfie, and I’ve found sending a selfie with a quick message to be a very encouraging,” says Aikens. “In the salon, it’s fostered a conversation of ‘Did you get Sara’s Selfie today?’”
Because Snapchat limits the number of characters in a message, Aikens uses Snaps as quick messages of reinforcement, celebration or encouragement. Here’s some examples of how she’s used Snapchat:
At a recent staff meeting, Aikens made it a requirement that all female employees wear lipstick at all times. “We are in a beauty business, and the typical Zano woman definitely wears lipstick,” she stresses. “It’s important to play the part.” So Aikens shot a selfie of herself putting on lipstick and sent if with the friendly message, “Get Your Lips On.” Her team quickly responded with a fun-filled video with all the stylists in the breakroom putting on their lipstick.
The salon recently launched Olaplex and took a ‘groupie’—a selfie of a group of people as a Snapchat—of the team. Through social media, the salon reposted the picture hashtagging the company, and Olaplex responded with a message that reads, “Thanks for your support, your hair looks great!”
In addition to using Snapchat to reinforce management messages, Aikens also uses it to send a special message of congratulations to a single individual when she hits her numbers or shares the news of a stylist’s promotion with the entire team.
Since Aikens divides her time among all four locations, she’ll use Snapchat as a virtual morning huddle to the employees at the salon where she’ll be each day. “For example, I’ll send a Snap that reads, “I’m coming for you today, get ready to pre-schedule,” she says. “It’s an innovative way to get in their heads at the start of the day—once they start meeting with clients, often they’re too busy for you.”
For more articles on multi-location salon managment, visit salonspanetwork.org.
Aikens used this Snapchat message to encourage all female employees to don their lipstick.
Words of encouragement via Snapchat.
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
More Salon Management
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
The Heartbeat of Zandi K's Success
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.
by Stacey Soble
Rethinking Retail in the Era of E-Commerce
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.
by Stacey Soble
The Harper Ellis Hair Co. Certification Program Teaches Stylists a Smarter, Safer Way to Install Extensions
The company's Concealed Bead Method is raising the bar for what professional extension education can deliver.
by Staff
The Micro-Salon Blueprint: How Kat Scott Quadrupled Income by Maximizing Her Suite
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.
by Staff