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SEARCHOnce upon a time more than 20 years ago, Michele Musgrove, MODERN SALON Media’s associate publisher and editorial director, had my role—as editor in chief of SALON TODAY. At the time, there was a general perception that salon and spa owners were close-lipped about their best business-building ideas and reluctant to share their financials.
Once upon a time more than 20 years ago, Michele Musgrove, MODERN SALON Media’s associate publisher and editorial director, had my role—as editor in chief of SALON TODAY. At the time, there was a general perception that salon and spa owners were close-lipped about their best business-building ideas and reluctant to share their financials.
Determined to prove that perception false, Michele conceived of a competition that would celebrate the best and brightest business minds in professional beauty and encourage readers to spill their numbers and share their successful ideas.
Like many great ideas, Michele borrowed the competition’s concept and tweaked it to make it her own. The inspiration came from a woodworking magazine in our publishing company that had a Wood 100 competition.
Why 200, then? “I liked the alliteration of the Salon Today 200,” Michele says.
She also decided that the competition would measure salons’ growth figures–the percentage of change in annual gross sales from one year to the other. To verify theses sales figures, Michele decided to ask for copies of applicants’ tax returns. When she first proposed the idea, many people in our offices and within the industry told her it would fail. No one thought salon owners would divulge their sales figures in a public forum, let alone pass along their tax returns.
Michele persisted and ultimately proved the naysayers wrong. She developed the idea, designed an application, promoted it, and soon her inbox was flooded. In January 1998, the first Salon Today 200 published.
In the two decades since, the Salon Today 200 has become the most prestigious business competition in the industry. Its data is constantly sourced by a variety of speakers in industry presentations. Its honorees have been celebrated with a party and a certificate ceremony at Serious Business for the past eight years. Salon Today 200 owners and managers have been tapped for best-practice business panels at multiple trade shows. It’s helped many owners find their voice.
In the coming year, I’m committed to paying respect to our ST200 legacy by spotlighting former honorees and reporting on where their businesses are today. And, we’ll continue to seek creative ways to share the wisdom of this year’s honorees through our email newsletters, through stories on salontoday.com and through posts on SALON TODAY’S Facebook page.
Wishing you all a productive and prosperous 2017.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
