Stacey Soble

Quote of the Day

Ringing up retail and slamming services during the holiday season can be exhilarating, yet it also can be exhausting. It's a great time of year to give your staff a little quiet inspiration every day.

The $100,000 Stylist

Five years ago, Kaitlyn Kuehn began her cosmetology career at Martin's School of Cosmetology before being discovered by Tina Morschauser, co-owner of Rejuvenation Spa in Madison, Wisconsin. In that relatively short time, Kuehn has turned herself into a $100,000 a year stylist. Lindsey Sekeres, the spa's guest coordinator and an up-and-coming reporter, recently interviewed Kuehn, asking what's led to her amazing success in such a competitive and self-motivated industry:

Head to the Polls

What are you doing November 2? I hope you'll be joining me in exercising your right to vote!

8 Lessons in Netiquette

The Internet is a big, limitless place where the rules of everyday life don't always apply. You can say whatever you want to say...right? Well actually, no, you can't—or at least, you shouldn't. Especially if your online presence is connected to your professional image. The fact of the matter is, just as there is proper etiquette in the "real" world, there's a right way and a wrong way to behave in the online world, too. In fact, says Barry Libert, author of the new book Social Nation: How to Harness the Power of Social Media to Attract Customers, Motivate Employees, and Grow Your Business, how you choose to communicate can have a very real impact on your relationships with employees, customers, and partners.

Who's Got Your Back?

Keith Ferrazzi’s best-selling book Never Eat Alone proved that relationships are critical to our business success. After the book was published, the author discovered that the success of your external relationships can be predicted by the strength of your relationships with the two or three people who are closest to you. In his new book Who’s Got Your Back?, Ferrazzi helps you create a path to success by creating an inner circle of “lifeline relationships,” those deep, close relationships with a few key trusted individuals who offer the encouragement, feedback and generous mutual support to help you reach your full potential.

David Wagner's Unexpected Journey

A few years ago, as the market was crashing, banks were going under and the general population was panicking, David Wagner found himself in a different kind of crisis—he discovered he had cancer and soon was fighting for his life. In his presentation at Serious Business 2011, the now-healthy founder of JUUT Salonspas and author of Life As a Daymaker plans to share what he learned from the experience and how it relates to business.

Keith Ferrazzi with Stacey Soble

As the best-selling business author of "Never Eat Alone" and "Who's Got Your Back," Keith Ferrazzi is the world's foremost expert in business relationships. As a preview of his upcoming presentation at Serious Business, Ferrazzi discusses how his strategies apply to the salon world.

David Wagner with Stacey Soble

David Wagner, owner of JUUT Salonspas and the author of "Life As a Daymaker," shares what his recent experience with cancer taught him about his life and his business.

Top 10 Social Media Pitfalls

If you were to make a list of up-and-coming business trends, social media strategies would probably be near the top. Thousands of companies are rushing headlong into the profile-creating, news-tweeting, blog-posting frenzy...only to find that their valiant efforts are not getting the results they had hoped. If you're looking for fans, followers, and friends to build a Social Nation around your business, don't panic, says Barry Libert. There is simple advice that will help businesses avoid the pitfalls and make a strong online impact.

Beauty Day on Capitol Hill

It’s good to stretch beyond your comfort zone, and in September I stretched beyond mine when I join the Professional Beauty Association and a host of salon owners on Capitol Hill to lobby our representatives on The Small Business Tax Equalization and Compliance Act. After a full day of lobbying, we joined more than 144 volunteers in offering complimentary beauty services to members of Congress and their staffers at the Professional Beauty Federation's 11th annual Welcome to Our World. (The Professional Beauty Federation is an organization that represents the interests of the professional beauty industry—Federation members include the Professional Beauty Association, International SalonSpa Business Network, American Association of Cosmetology Schools, International Spa Association, JCPenney Salons and OPI Products.)

Trend Spotting for Your Salon

Style-savvy clients look toward their salon to interpret the latest seasonal trends, but keeping on top of trends can be a full-time job. SALON TODAY loves this idea from Jack and Joelle Ray, owners of Samuel Cole and Salon Moxie in Raleigh, North Carolina:

Six Questions to Ask Your Salon Distributor

In today's competitive and often uncertain business climate, it's critical that salon owners and managers tap into every resource available. One of the most often overlooked resource is the distributor sales consultant (DSC). You may view your DSC as just a salesperson—which of course he or she—but you must also remember that your success equals his or her success. Many DSCs are well-trained in the art of marketing and sales, and can can serve as excellent advisers.

Increase efficiency with a color accelerator

What's an hour worth to you? What would your numbers be like if you could squeeze in an additional two haircuts a day or another color service? Calculate it per day, then per pay period and you're starting to see the bigger picture.

Salon gets financing from lending firm

Salon owners need to understand social media

The fast-paced, ever-changing social media scene keeps even the most tech-savvy salon owners on their toes. To give you the landscape, salon today gathered the latest stats.

What's Your Brown M&M?

In June, I wrote the following column about how Van Halen's David Lee Roth used to hide a clause about brown M&Ms in his contract to make sure that venue's organizers read and digested the contract's details. Since then, a handful of readers contacted me to share their own brown M&M stories, which makes me want to hear more!

Technology Case Study: Salon Apps

Salon apps the next tech frontier in a world where technology is constantly evolving, these owners are the pioneers.