MENU
SEARCHIt’s common for most of your clients to be similar to you in age, taste and lifestyle. But if your entire team is just like you—with the same abilities and leadership style—your business could be stymied. Jeanine O’Neill-Blackwell, founder of inyu training in Covington, Louisiana (an online training resource for salons and spas), has been coaching corporate and salon professionals for decades. Using the renowned 4MAT Learning Type Measure, which determines leadership styles, she has assessed thousands of industry professionals. She says more than 65 percent of salon pros are 4MAT Types 3 or 4, while 65 percent of spa pros are Types 1 and 2. In short, most salons need more data-driven personalities who will bring structure, work the numbers and use systems to boost productivity.
Understanding
your leadership style,
by building on strengths,
and addressing weaknesses,
is one of the easiest ways to
get everyone on board with
attainable goals.
It's common for most of your clients to be similar
to you in age, taste and lifestyle. But if your entire
team is just like you-with the same abilities
and leadership style-your business could be stymied.
Jeanine O'Neill-Blackwell, founder of inyu training
in Covington, Louisiana (an online training resource for
salons and spas), has been coaching corporate and salon
professionals for decades. Using the renowned 4MAT
Learning Type Measure, which determines leadership
styles, she has assessed thousands of industry professionals.
She says more than 65 percent of salon pros
are 4MAT Types 3 or 4, while 65 percent of spa pros
are Types 1 and 2. In short, most salons need more
data-driven personalities who will bring structure, work
the numbers and use systems to boost productivity.
"To move to the next level, salon owners should
build on their strengths and bring in the right people to
complement their weaknesses," says O'Neill-Blackwell.
"The key to growing a business is applying the right
leadership approach at the right time. If you are a visionary
leader, there is a point at which strong managerial
skills need to be added to the mix to grow to the
next level. Knowing when and how to do this is vital."
She adds that Type 1 strengths must be constantly
present to build a team, and the strengths of Types
3 and 4 are musts for growing the business. The
strengths of Type 2 are critical for building structures
and systems.
What type of leader are you?
Where are your strengths, and where do
you need help ("stretches" in 4MAT lingo)?
Check out the 4MAT Leadership Style
chart to determine which of
the four types best represents you.
Once you know your type, getting
results, addressing any challenge and
getting all learning types committed to a
goal involves moving through each of the
favorite questions of the four types, says
O'Neill-Blackwell: the "why," "what,"
"how" and "if" (what would that look
like if…). "We train leaders and trainers
in many Fortune 500 companies to
use this technique, and we've uniquely
adapted it to the beauty business," she
adds. "We've has done all the work of
applying 4MAT to everything from staff
meeting guides to productivity to planning
sessions."
How's it work? The best way to understand
how you can leverage your strengths,
boost your abilities and integrate other types
into your team is to follow the stories of
four different types of salon owners and
discover their incredible payoffs:
The People-Focused Leader
The Process-Focused Leader
The Productivity-Focused Leader
The Possibility-Focused Leader
Exclusive Online Offer
for Salon Today Readers
Are you ready to lead an interactive staff meeting with your team, using the
4MAT Learning Type Measure? Download your free guide so you can:
• Discover your team's strengths.
• Use the interactive exercises to build your team and enhance communication.
Visit inyutraining.com to download your free guide and purchase the Learning
Type Measure to assess your team.
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.
