
Women of Substance: Debra Neill Baker
VERY SOON AFTER taking her first job as an esthetician, Debra Neill Baker realized she had too much energy to be in a quiet room with one client at a time. She found herself carefully observed the relationship between the hairdresser and the client and soon made it her personal mission to help the salon and the stylist understand the power and influence they have through their clients.
Women of Substance: Paula Malloy
AT THE AGE OF 29, Paula Malloy determined she was ready for the next step in her career and boldly sold her salon.
Women of Substance: Lynelle Lynch
LYNELLE LYNCH’S FORAY into the professional beauty arena was by chance. In fact, after college, her passion for fashion led her to a 15-year career with Saks Fifth Avenue where she served as general manager for multiple stores across Southern California.
Women of Substance: Jill Kohler
IN 1993, JILL KOHLER jumped into the beauty industry as a marketing coordinator at Nexxus, but it was her next job as executive director of TSA that she credits with leading her to open her own cosmetology school. “My debt of gratitude is to the hundreds of intelligent salon and spa owners who pushed me, helped me and cajoled me to do things I never thought was possible
Women of Substance: Sara Jones
WITH A COSMETOLOGY LICENSE in hand, Sara Jones blazed a career path that’s brought her to lead Joico/ISO, one of the most dynamic manufacturers in industry.
Women of Substance: Sydney Berry
AFTER TAKING TURNS at being a stylist then a salon owner, Sydney Berry ‘decided to pursue a new role as a sales consultant for a distributor. Today, she owns that distributorship along with her husband Miles Berry and their business partner George Learned Berry has long been admired for her perseverance in encouraging her salon customers to network with one another and share best practices, and for her leadership role within the professional beauty industry to raise the bar for all.
Asked and Answered: Words of Wisdom
WOMEN REPRESENTING VARIOUS POSITIONS IN THE INDUSTRY SHARE THEIR LESSONS LEARNED, THEIR SMARTEST MOVES AND THEIR BEST ADVICE FOR ANY WOMAN LAUNCHING A BEAUTY CAREER:
Cleaning Up
WITH ALL THE OTHER pressing concerns of running a salon, housekeeping procedures can go to the bottom of the list. Not so for Denise Provenzano, owner of live high-end full-service salons in suburban Chicago. When you enter one of her Zano Salon & Day Spa locations, even the unforgiving morning sunlight reveals shelves that sparkle with nary a dust mote in sight. Denise has engaged her team in an initiative that truly takes clean to a new level.
Find the Right Salon Space
COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE guru, and Vice President of Cursor Realty Corp, Willow Shambeck, works directly with renters looking for the perfect salon space. Here he provides SALON TODAY with tips on what salon owners should consider before buying in regards to market, location and incoming costs.
It’s Not Really About the Hair: The Honest Truth about Life, Love and the Business of Beauty
Tabatha Coffey was raised within strip clubs in a broken family and how that experience prepared her to become the strong, self-assured businesswoman she is today. She explores the good, the bad, and the ugly of her life in a funny, yet honest fashion.
Keep Your Salon Buzzing
How do you find great stylists to work in your salon? My answer is always the same:
October Musts
An annual holiday celebration can build morale, so now is the time to start planning your gathering to reward and celebrate your hard-working staff:
A Soft Rumble
This month we celebrate the thousands of talented, fierce, passionate, visionary and leading women in our industry.
Recruiting from the Trenches
Recruiting future superstars from the beauty colleges in my area has always been an important component in our business growth.
Find The Right Salon Space
Commercial real estate guru, and President of Cursor Realty Corp, Willow Shambeck, works directly with renters looking for the perfect salon space. Here she provides SALON TODAY with tips on what salon owners should consider before buying in regards to market, location and incoming costs.
Target Marketing
We decided to ask some of our Salon Today Facebook fans where they were focusing their client marketing efforts. We got many responses, indicating that this is an area that is getting a lot of attention. In a tough economy, service businesses cannot rest on their laurels. Everyone needs to reach an increased range of clients. Here are some of the new markets salon owners tell us they are pursuing.

Concrete Accountability
After several years as a salon owner, Zilinski decided to enlist her staff in the training process with an accountability program that makes stylists responsible for addressing a particular salon issue, presenting it to the rest of the staff and ultimately implementing positive changes in salon procedure.




