Lead with No Compromise
Two habitually late stylists slink into the monthly staff meeting halfway through the agenda. As the meeting concludes, the owner asks the stylists to stay after a moment
by Stacey Soble
Digging Out From Blizzaster 2011!
As the Blizzaster of 2011 swept through the country, it left salon closings, client cancellations, staff absenteeism and even broken water pipes in its wake. While salon and spa sales are typically sluggish in January and February anyway, this wintery hiccup is causing a ripple of panic as owners study their monthly sales projections. But we've found many owners won't take it while sitting buried in the snow, and they're actively communicating with clients and extending hours and days to keep guests on schedule, developing special winter promotions and even helping guests dig out their cars. Follow this running blog, as owners share their stories, and owners and salon coaches offer suggestions for recouping lost sales.
by Stacey Soble
Salon Hosts Hair Show to Support Women's Shelter
Located in the heart of downtown Bethesda, MD, Bella Bethesda Salon showcased the stylings of its staff in a unique hair show called Hair & Now, which featured the popular everyday styles of men, women and brides spanning the Roaring Twenties to the 21st century to demonstrate how throwbacks of the past influence the looks of today.
ST200 Cover Contenders
The most challenging aspects of putting together each SALON TODAY 200 issue is the careful selection of cover ‘models’ and the design of the composite cover. Essentially, it’s a big jigsaw puzzle, since we’re taking a number of submitted portraits that were never intended to work together and trying to create one seamless image.
by Stacey Soble
Revolving Clients
It’s a New Year and it’s time to put client retention and returns on your list of New Year’s resolutions! Did you know that product purchases increase client retention?
A Little ST200 Cheer
Shortly after Thanksgiving, salons around the country begin receiving a little, early holiday cheer via the good ole United States Postal Services. Nestled among the magazines, December bills and holiday cards was a discreet envelope holding their congratulations letters for making the 2011 SALON TODAY 200 list. We knew when letters hit the salons because excited emails starting hitting our in-boxes. So we decided to share that good cheer by asking them how they reacted when they first opened those letters:
Impulse Charity
I squeezed in a little holiday shopping one day this week and it didn’t take me long to pick up on a little trend I’ve nicknamed impulse charity. Most likely you know what I’m talking about—it’s that sneaky little add-on during the financial transaction at the cash register.
by Stacey Soble
Coty Inc. Will Aquire OPI
Coty Inc. and OPI Products Inc. announced yesterday that Coty has entered into an agreement to acquire OPI.
Get Control of Your Front Desk
Have you ever thought about setting up a system which guarantees your front desk staff is trained the exact same way on the exact same principle? Setting systems within your salon to ensure a properly run business is absolutely essential.
Finding the Perfect Location
In the ongoing blog series, "Owners Forum," Karie Bennett, owner of Atelier Salon and Spa and Atelier Studio in San Jose, California, helps a future salon owner decide on the perfect location for her new venture:
by Stacey Soble
Head to the Polls
What are you doing November 2? I hope you'll be joining me in exercising your right to vote!
by Stacey Soble
Salon/Spa Successful Retailing Opportunities for the Holidays
I received an article from Ken Cassidy, the Principal behind Kassidy’s Salon Management Consulting Company, about how to properly retail during the holidays. Kassidy is an authority in “Working Options,” for business owners, booth renters, and independent contractor business structures.
A Blogger's Take on September's Issue
The September issue of SALON TODAY focused on the new beauty shopper. Two articles stood out – A Window into the Consumer Mind, by Rosanne Ullman, and 1:1 The New Beauty Shopper, a special advertising section sponsored by P&G Professional. Window is a fabulous article about designing retail environments to influence buying behavior. Both articles have nuggets of information for salon owners to carefully consider. Both also missed the mark.
by Bart Foreman
The Social Media Tools You Need To Succeed
Do you Tweet? Blog? Have Facebook fans? Post to YouTube? If you do, or you do not, and you are interested in learning some tips and advice on how to efficiently use social media for promotion, client engagement and building low-cost widespread visibility for your salon/spa business, you’re going to want to read my blog!!
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.)
by Stacey Soble
UPDATED 10/22 Ongoing Blog: Salons, Companies and Stylists For Breast Cancer Awareness
Read about the initiatives beauty companies, salons and stylists are doing to raise breast cancer awareness, in response to October's Breast Cancer Awareness month. If you or your salon/company is doing anything (fundraisers, makeovers, walks...etc) towards the cause, please e-mail me, Associate Editor, Lauren Salapatek at lsalapatek@vancepublishing.com. I am trying to post as many stories as I can in this ongoing blog!Now, read to see what your peers are doing!
Open Your Doors to New Clients
Going to the salon is so much more than just getting your hair done. It's a chance to relax, hang out in a cool place, and catch up with a friend. A salon appointment is as much a social experience as it is a service. Atmosphere and personality are what separate one salon from another, and for this reason, a person's salon choice can be based as much on these attributes as on stylists' skills.
by Meg McCall