MENU
SEARCHAs part of SALON TODAY’s Burning Questions series, Jill Krahn with Salon Professional Education Company offers a strategic key to retaining stylists and their clients.
Suffering from constant turnover? In the Burning Questions feature in the November issue of SALON TODAY, readers cited this issue as a pain point. We went to Jill Krahn, vice president of sales with Salon Professional Education Company, for insight into recruiting talented and loyal stylists and how to win the battle of retaining employees.
SALON TODAY: How do I get myself out of this cycle of training people for years only to have them leave and take their guests with them?
Krahn: My sister Jodi and I are partners in the salon division of our business, and we opened our own school with the goal of teaching students the skills they would need to work in a salon right out of the gate. Our school helped to develop and establish best practices for Salon Professional Education Company (SPEC), a franchise school system that helps owners like us eliminate the hire-train-replace cycle.
Within our school, we have successfully established a robust recruiting ground for our salon. We can identify which students will be a good fit for our company culture and which students might flourish in other salons. For potential hires for our salon, I believe in and always look for the students who are loyal, community-minded, and goal-driven. By identifying the right personality traits for our salon culture, we have dramatically improved our retention rates and built a strong and cohesive team.
I would encourage other salon owners who want to eliminate the hire-train-replace cycle to follow a similar path and consider opening a SPEC school. The groundwork and infrastructure, including regulatory compliance guidance, is already established. Your next best product that you develop will be a student, and you will soon be growing salon leaders one student at a time.
You and your educators will work with the students to develop, educate, and train them so they can learn more, earn more, and live their best life. A mentor of mine, Daniel Mason Jones, said, “when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” This is your opportunity to elevate the standard of beauty education in your market.
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.
