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
The Power of Mobility: The Streamlined Front Desk
For Freddie Berumen, owner of Freddie B's in Ventura, California, being a tech-savvy salon has been a key selling point to stylists.
June 28, 2013
2 min to read
"Stylists today are hungry to be with a tech-savvy salon, it's made me the place to be," says Freddie Berumen, Freddie B's in Ventura, California.
In the Ventura area just north of Los Angeles, California, Freddie Berumen, owner of Freddie B’s says having a salon business that is ahead of the technology curve makes him more marketable as potential employer. “Stylists today are hungry to be with a tech-savvy salon, it’s made me the place to be.”
For Berumen’s, any staff member can use a smartphone or tablet to access the salon’s software and appointment book at any time, and Berumen says that’s helped end the panicked early morning calls and tied-up phone lines to check schedules. “And when a stylist is out and about and runs into a client who wants an appointment, she can confidently pull out her phone and squeeze the client into the schedule,” he says.
This past January, Berumen and the team started using Yahoo Instant Messenger to communicate with the front desk. “The front desk would get congested with staff lingering trying to make a change to their own schedules or trying to make an accommodation for a certain guest, and I didn’t like the way that looked,” he says. “Now, we can text directly to the front desk and a little buzz goes off, alerting them to a message. A stylist can send an alert that she’s just finishing up with a client and she’ll be right up for the next one, or ask the desk to check something when they have a free moment. It’s been really useful.”
Like Fox, Berumen and his staff are using tablets in conjunction with Pinterest as Look Books for consultations, and he believes it sends a clear message to clientele that his staff are modern and current in their skill set. The salon uses tablets to connect to Flickr.com, a photo sharing website, where each stylist stores their images from photoshoots, weddings and regular clients. “Most of the images they take with their phones, and we’ve been impressed with how many new clients we get who have seen those online,” says Berumen. “Prospects also like the chair-side pictures stylists take with their phones as opposed to the professional shots because they know that it’s the real work, and it’s not been retouched.”
“We’re also doing more pre-booking at the chair using the tablet and not only does it free up the front desk, but it avoids that dance at the end when the client’s mind has already moved on to her next task for the day,” he says. “That allows the front desk staff more time to focus on up-selling more products while they are closing the transaction.”
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