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SEARCHDo you remember when you turned 20? It was such an accomplishment to finally enter your adult years, yet you still had a long, bright future to plan and enjoy.
Do you remember when you turned 20? It was such an accomplishment to finally enter your adult years, yet you still had a long, bright future to plan and enjoy.
The Salon Today 200, our hallmark salon business competition that recognizes growth and best practices, is turning 20 this coming January, and we’ve got some exciting things planned.
When Michele Musgrove, then editor of Salon Today and now our associate publisher and editorial director, was conceiving of the idea behind this recognition program, salon numbers were closely guarded secrets. Michele decided the best way to verify a salons growth was to request copies of its tax returns. Industry naysayers, including some of our management at the time, told her that could never be done. “It would be challenging to get one trusting owner to give you a look at his or her numbers, let alone 200,” they said.
Because Michele not only wanted to celebrate the success stories of great salons, she wanted to help establish important business benchmarks that all salons could measure themselves against, she persevered. Her instinct was rewarded when a landslide of applications and tax returns came in, and the first Salon Today 200 was born in 1998.
In 2010, our popular success competition underwent a metamorphosis. After the economy started to tank in 2008, the strongest salons in our industry were doing well to hold steady, and few were posting growth figures. At the same time, our editors thought it would be a good idea to recognize the best business practices that contribute to growth, and we created competition categories that allow readers to spotlight their strong points, while leveling the playing field for salons of all sizes.
Our 20th anniversary competition will honor this new tradition by featuring 11 competition categories, including Growth, Compensation & Benefits, Retention & Referral Programs, Customer Service, Employee Education, Salon Culture, Inventory Management, Philanthropy, Technology, Retail & Merchandising and Planned Profitability.
To commemorate our 20th birthday, we’ll be launching the ST200 Hall of Fame, issuing celebratory certificates to salons that have made the list five years or more. This will require a little work on our part, because we’ll have to enter in missing data from our early years to create a database that can study all 20.
We’ll also take a closer look at some of the salons featured in that first 1998 competition. We’ll be looking at where they are now, and what they’ve done to maintain their growth.
Our honorees will also enjoy one helluva birthday party in New Orleans at the close of Serious Business. You won’t want to miss it, and the only way to earn your ticket is to visit salontoday.com and start working on your application. Due date is August 31!
As we dream ahead to the Salon Today 200, we’ll be hard at work on our September issue, which will share all the great marketing ideas from STAMP, our Salon Today Annual Marketing Program. As an extra bonus, your September issue will be accompanied by MODERN SALON’s debut issue of HAIR+. This bonus supplement focuses on all aspects of thinning hair and related solutions designed to arm you with the information, tools and confidence you need to get involved in the hair-thinning conversation with clients—no matter their age or demographic.
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.
