PhorestFM: Building a Stronger Industry, Together

[187] It's safe to say we've come a long way since the first synthesised dye in 1863: products have evolved a great deal, and so have application techniques. Currently, you could probably list over 50 colour trends travelling back and forth across the globe, with some going viral overnight. For a first-time colour client, it's easy to think that anything is possible — after all, social media does...

[186] Assessing staff performance is often a threatening process for both managers and employees. However, when you put in place clear KPIs, agree on a plan of action, and put your staff in control of their performance, you provide an opportunity to discuss progress and make aligning employee and company goals easier. The problem with statistics isn't the data itself; it's how you interpret it. Lo...

[185] When we talk about benchmarking, we talk about identifying opportunities for improvement within a business. On paper, that's simple enough... but what does that look like within the hair & beauty industry? Featuring Data-Driven Salon Experience speakers Joshua Howard (Vish   Co-Founder & CEO) and Britni Volkman (Phorest Salon Success Manager) , this week's episode dives right into the topic....

[184] In a post-COVID world, less waiting time for clients inside the salon is essential. This week's episode features recent podcast recaps in addition to an interview with Rob Hewitt, Head of Product Marketing & Retention at Phorest. In said interview, he’ll be discussing Phorest’s latest US feature, Phorest Chat. Bringing the human touch to your clients will never have been easier with one-to-o...

[183] This episode is dedicated to the hard-working, busy salon professionals. The ones who commit each day of their professional lives to make their clients look and feel amazing. It aims to celebrate excellence in service, how much salons care for their clients, and how hard they work to gain an excellent reputation. Featuring feel-good stories, reflections, and tips from Phorest Client Experien...

[182] If you don't already meet someone like a salon coach or a mentor to discuss your career or business setbacks or to plan for the future, then you should. Having a few people in your corner is one of the most invaluable things. However, finding a mentor doesn't happen overnight, and for it to be a successful arrangement, you'll need to show up and put the relationship before the mentorship. Fe...

[181] When you think of great leadership, the words that come to mind might be accountability, confidence, passion, empathy, transparency, self-awareness and integrity. Rarely do we think about humility first. Yet, leading with humility can have profound and positive impacts on one's inner circle and peers. Featuring Karan Burke, Director of Ebano Ballinteer , Myskincare.ie , and Co-Founder of The...

[180] September: less episodes, lots of planning! We're headed into the last quarter of the year and preparing the 13 remaining episodes to Season 4. This week on the show, we talk about online reputation with Salon Business Advisor Sinéad Norman, discuss our recent episode on community, announce a few upcoming blogs, webinars and everything else in between. Links: [Blog] The Importance Of Reviews...

[179] Suppose life longevity can be rooted in our level of connection to others. Would it be such a great leap to think that career longevity might have its roots in connection too? What if the story we made ourselves about successful people and success too often failed us; made us doubt our worth, skills, knowledge, experiences? What if support from like-minded people and professionals was at tim...

[178] This ‘new normal’ definitely hasn’t come without its challenges, but the good news is Phorest is here to help. Catch up on everything that's happened in August! This week's episode features recent blog and podcast recaps in addition to an interview with Product Manager Aisling Scolard on Phorest Salon Software's new and improved Email Editor. Links: [Blog] Digital Consultation Forms, A Step...

[177] This week's conversation is more like a story, a trip down memory lane, as the title suggests. On the show, we welcome Sarah Doyle, owner of Templeogue Beauty Clinic (@templeoguebeauty) in Dublin — one of Phorest Salon Software's first clients, going back 17 years ago. We discuss her journey with Phorest, what it was like back in the days, the features she's adopted over time, and how from l...

[176] Reaching the $1+ million in revenue mark in business doesn't mean everything is smooth sailing or running at its peak performance; growing pains are still very much part of the process. And while they can be challenging in the moment, overcoming them can create competitive advantage opportunities. A little over a year ago, NYC-based salon D Anthony (@d_anthonyhair) underwent a culture reset...

[175] When the coronavirus pandemic hit earlier this year, James Davis went back to digging deep, working 16-hour days, and thinking outside the box to figure out what he could do to keep his various business operations alive and lead positively through change and uncertainty. Enabling his salon, Clay, to financially evolve while supporting the team with a new work platform as they returned, his '...

[174] Life beyond COVID-19 is having salon owners around the world think differently about their business. From cleanliness procedures to staff rosters, booking appointments and selling retail, various processes are undergoing considerable changes. Featuring salon owner Greg Clarke ( Collage Hair Group , Hairbrush.ie ) and Operations Director John Hickey ( The Green Room ), this week's episode tak...

[173] Catch up on everything that's happened in July! This week's episode features recent blog and podcast recaps in addition to an interview with Product Designer Mikey Cannon on one of Phorest Salon Software's many features keeping your salon staff and clients safe: pre-send consultation forms. Links: [Blog] How To Maintain A Post-Lockdown, Top-Quality Salon Experience: https://bit.ly/304c0GU [B...

[172] How many business owners do you know today that can proudly say their employees spend, on average, ten years within the organisation? Probably not many. Welcome to House of Colour (@houseofcolour) : the biggest award-winning salon group in Ireland, with six salons, one academy, and impressive staff retention statistics. Featuring David Campbell, owner of House of Colour group and current Pre...

[171] The industry is likely never to go back to the way it operated before COVID-19. As salons and spas progressively reopen, they are also shaping a new normal. Before the pandemic, people conceived of beauty experiences in four main ways: convenience, skills, pampering and an indulgent experience, and finally, a sense of connection and community, visiting the same beautician every single time a...

[170] #30Days2Grow is a unique business growth challenge designed to help salons build both team spirit and revenue. This year's challenge launched on April 20th — about a month into lockdown for many countries around the world — making it a quaranTEAM edition focused on helping salon owners and their teams plan their reopening strategy and put their brand at the forefront of their clients' minds....

[169] Catch up on everything that's happened in June! Featuring recent blog and podcast recaps as well as interviews with Phorest Salon Software CEO Ronan Perceval, Education Trainer Rachel McAdam and Product Designer Richard Cullen, this week's episode is all about supporting your reopening strategy. Links: [Blog] The 3 Marketing Emails You’ll Need for A Successful Salon Reopening:  https://bit.l...

[168] For the past few months, salons around the world closed their doors to help manage and contain the COVID-19 pandemic. We are now starting to see hair, beauty, barber and spa businesses in various countries getting back in business as restrictions are lifted across Europe and the US. Featuring salon owners Amber Pope (Salon 27 in Arizona, USA) and Amanda Baer (Something You Salon & Spa in Ill...

[167] Living beneath your means, paying off debt, defining long-term financial goals and saving money: just a few of the steps needed to achieve financial freedom. As author Robert Kiyosaki said in his influential book  Rich Dad, Poor Dad : "Intelligence solves problems and produces money. Money without financial intelligence is money soon gone." Featuring Michaella Blissett Williams, the visionar...

[166] As the world turns to digital solutions to counter the impacts of COVID-19 lockdowns, people are coming to realise that posting ad hoc content no longer produces enough results and that there needs to be a proper understanding, intention and purpose behind their online activity. Featuring professional beauty blogger & teacher Sinéad Kavanagh (@thebeauttruth) , this week's conversation explor...

[165] Catch up on everything that's happened in May! This week's episode features an interview with Phorest Product Manager Aisling Scolard on salon reopening tools, blog recaps as well as snippets from previous interviews with Neil Ducoff (CEO & Founder of Strategies), Tom Chapman (award-winning UK-based barber & international educator) and Zane Hagy (PR and marketing professional). Links: Access...

[164] In times of uncertainty, our natural inclination is often to look for answers and validation in others to make sure we're doing things right. What we tend to forget, though, is that someone else's decision about their business might not be the right one for us (no matter how good the idea or action is). When it comes to your brand, your business, do what feels right for you. Learn from the p...

[163] After losing a friend to suicide, award-winning UK-based barber & international educator Tom Chapman (@tomchapman_hair) decided to do something about the biggest killer of young men in the UK*. Through the Lions Barber Collective charity, he raises mental illness awareness and aims to prevent suicide by creating training that enables barbers to recognise, talk and listen out for symptoms of...