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SEARCHWhat kind of continuing education do you have at your salon? Are you inspiring your employees to reach their full potential? This month Aveda Means Business covers topics from in-salon education to minimizing stylist turnover. Learn some ways on how to attract stylists who are passionate about the business and who will fit in with your salon’s culture.
@vanessapalstylist cutting a precision bob hairstyle.
Gila Rut San Diego Salon
What kind of continuing education do you have at your salon? Are you inspiring your employees to reach their full potential? This monthAveda Means Business covers topics from in-salon education to minimizing stylist turnover. Learn some ways on how to attract stylists who are passionate about the business and who will fit in with your salon’s culture.
Lessons Learned: Owners Share Strategies for In-Salon Education
At Serious Business in January, a panel of owners gathered to discuss how education looks in each of their salons and how the created these successful programs. The panelists included Tim Belcher, owner of Whole Aveda Salon Spa Group in Tampa, Florida; Karie Bennett, owner of Atelier Salons in Salon Jose, California; Tatum Neill, creative director of Paris Parker Salons and co-founder of Elevate Hair; and Brandon Hensley, owner of Tangerine Salons in Dallas.
Owners understand that happy, educated stylists produce satisfied customers. Educating stylists to their full potential is very important to owner and is an expense they would not want to avoid. Read the panelists’ honest conversation about the inspiration behind and challenges with creating an education program that benefits the whole business.
The Power of Creative Connections
Ric Bowden, co-owner of two Avalon Salon locations in Dallas, Texas and Billy Keohane have a symbiotic relationship when it comes to business. Bowden needed a great creative director with leadership skills and Keohane was looking for a job in the Dallas area. After interviewing at a half dozen salons, Keohane knew Avalon was the place for him.
“I needed platform work and high economics to grow as a stylist,” he says. “And after going to an Aveda Academy, I had worked in a non-Aveda salon for 15 years. This gave me an opportunity to be back in the heart of the Aveda culture.” In addition, for Bowden, he finally found the person who fit his salon’s culture and was able to re-ignite a creative flame in his staff.
Minimize Stylist Turnover to Maximize Salon Profit
Did you know that of all applicants to small businesses, 45 percent only plan to stay with their employer for two to three years? “There’s a high cost associated with hiring people,” he says. “And some of it is intangible, like your lost training investment, loss of productivity, or increased re-dos when a junior employee takes over for a seasoned stylist,” says Heath Smith, co-owner of Ruiz Salons in Austin, Texas. Smith has also done other research into the exact cost of losing employees. Find out what the number is and more.
10 Tips to Recruit from Beauty Schools
“Everyone has the same problem when it comes to recruiting,” says Susan Haise, owner of the Institute of Beauty and Wellness and six Neroli salons in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area. “No matter what part of the country you’re in or what type of salon you run, it all starts with the population coming out of high school.”
In the past 10 years, Haise says the U.S. has been in a population dip, which means less graduates coming out of high school. Bu tin 2020, that is all going to change. Here are some tips on how to attract stylists who are passionate about the business and will fit in with your salon’s culture.
Educator Turnover: Breaking the Cycle
In-house salon education programs hone stylists’ technical and soft skills to get them ready to hit your salon’s floor. But for owners, running in-salon classes, training trainers and keeping content consistent is another full-time job.
Soon after opening Gila Rut 25 years ago, owner Keri Davis-Duffy realized she couldn’t do it all, and her in-salon training program needed to be delegated to someone else. “I promoted stylists to trainers and sent them off to programs so they could learn how to do it,” she says. “I spent a lot of money educating educators over the years.” Davis-Duffy decided to create a plan not just for her new stylists but also her educators.
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.
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.
The former CFO of Perdue Farms and owner of Hardy Seafood, Terry Owens delivers a wealth of wisdom and strategies for entrepreneurs in his new book, "Business is Simple."
After scaling her single-location salon business, SALON TODAY 200 Honoree Amy Pal recently sold her six-location Whip Salon for seven figures. Using the six Ps for maximizing a business's value, she's ready to help her peers do the same.
Buried inside the One Big Beautiful Bill Act are federal solar tax credit changes that deserve your attention now. Two of the credits that matter most to commercial property owners, the Investment Tax Credit and the Production Tax Credit, are still available, but only if you move fast. A third, the Commercial Building Energy Efficiency Deduction, has a hard termination date that is closer than most people realize.
Up to 40% of hair stylists ghost the salon interview stage, leaving owners trapped playing endless phone tag with uncommitted applicants. This data-driven report breaks down why traditional job boards create recruitment friction and reveals the modern messaging strategies high-growth salons use to get pre-qualified talent to actually show up. Learn how to transition from cold calling to high-conversion conversations that protect your time and fill your chairs.
Sponsored by Beautista
Spit fests, hostile threats, and even an overachieving matchmaker--SALON TODAY readers share their craziest client tales and how their team handled these tough situations with professionalism and grace.
Keeping your appointment book full when clients are in vacation mode takes more than a good Instagram post. It takes a plan. The 2026 Summer Marketing Calendar from Meevo gives salon, spa & med spa owners a month-by-month roadmap with sharp themes, key opportunity dates, and campaign ideas specifically designed for the beauty & wellness industry. Here’s to your summer season working as hard as you do!
Sponsored by Millennium Systems International
AI is transforming the beauty and wellness industry, and the future is about empowering people, not replacing them. Discover how Phorest AI helps salons, spas, and med spas across North America respond faster, personalize every visit, and keep human connection at the heart of the client experience.
Sponsored by Phorest
Owner Michaella Blissett-Williams credits her General Manager Gloria Hortua with [salon] 718's year-over-year, double-digit growth and says she's been able to scale the company to eight locations because she can rely on Hortua to manage daily operations.
Shine Time: Aluram’s High Shine Line Delivers Moisture and Shine with Clean Ingredients
Sponsored by Aluram
Elyse Rogers is an uplifting presence at The Headroom who makes the team feel heard even in stressful situations. Owner Danielle Cherewyk sings her praises in this installment of Meet the Manager.
Despite a slight and predictable decline in client traffic for Q1, resilient pricing power is driving year-over-year revenue growth in salons. The KIM Report's Alain Audet reviews the data and what it's telling us about the state of professional beauty.
Same-store revenue grew just 2% for the second straight year—and new guest visits declined across every segment of the industry. The 2026 Benchmark Report reveals where growth is actually happening, which verticals are pulling ahead, and what the data says about where your business stands right now.
Sponsored by Zenoti
Hair restoration is entering a new era driven by regenerative science. This paper explores how Exosome technology is transforming treatment outcomes by targeting hair loss at a cellular level. Discover why EXOGROW is leading this shift.
Sponsored by Dermapenworld
A salon brand is much more than a logo. In this thought-provoking blog, Leon Alexander, Ph.D., walks you through the difference. SALON TODAY suggests sharing this article with your team and leading a discussion at your next huddle, asking the team to define your business's brand.
