SUMM IT UP

Traditionally, the salon business in the United States  has been a segregated one. And while stylists at salons in the Black community performed braids, twists, weaves, relaxers, and silk presses on a daily basis, most white stylists had little or no knowledge of textured hair. In the past few years this has been changing, with more beauty schools providing and requiring texture education. Texture...

If you’re a business owner in a crowded space, you have to put your “why” front and center. That’s Tim Fisk’s philosophy, and it has paid off. As Director of Brand Development for Summit Salon Business Center, Tim helps salon and spa companies design or rethink their brand to attract both customers and new employees. He is the owner of Herdis, the Salon in Northampton, Massachusetts. Tim also open...

The relationship between a stylist and their repeat guest is special. But if you build that special relationship with enough people over time, you might feel maxed out because your days are so busy. You have a waiting list. So you raise your prices, but that waiting list doesn’t get any shorter.  Though you may feel like you can’t handle one more thing, this could be the perfect time to bring on a...

The once-disparate worlds of salon and barbershop are moving closer, with changing gender norms around hair, professionals graduating from school with both skill sets, and barbershops shifting their business models. But the expectations of barber and stylist clientele are different, and any salon owner looking to add barber services to their menu should understand that.  Enter Jessica Luppold, Bar...

Hayley Jepson ( @the.resilient.hairdresser on Instagram )  has an  amazing story. A top-earning colorist, she left the hair industry over a decade ago due to burnout, thinking she'd never come back. Hayley became a  school counselor and a psychotherapist. Eventually, the knowledge she gained in that process brought her back to her first love -- hairdressing -- but this time with the tools to lead...

With the flexibility and opportunities for advancement that the salon industry offers, not to mention the tips, you can make a great living. But the other side of the coin is how you manage your money. After all, you can have a full book at the salon and still be deep in debt.  Peter Mahoney, President of Summit Salon Business Center, has a passion for educating salon professionals about personal...

We’ve been wanting to speak with Sheri Doss for a while! Vice President of Brand Education, Events & Experiences at Redken, Sheri has helped inspire and change the lives of hair stylists around the world through programs like the Redken Exchange in NYC, the Redken Prolab in LA, and the Redken Symposium. Blake and Sheri discuss how Redken keeps education current with continuous reinvention, like cr...

If you work in a salon company you may be noticing a trend: the post-pandemic days when hungry guests were competing for your time, grateful for a return to professional haircare, are over. These days clients are a bit more picky about who does their hair, and the quality of service when they come to the salon. The always-current Heather Bagby, Vice President of Business Development at Summit Salo...

With brick-and-mortar retail on the rise again, now is the perfect time to turn your passion for fashion or unique gifts into a boutique at your salon company -- or give your existing boutique space a refresh. A boutique can be a great addition to a salon company, but there are a few things you should know before diving in. (For example, you can expect to see your repeat customers a lot more frequ...

Faith Rivers contains multitudes. In the salon industry, she's worn many hats, including stylist, colorist, salon manager and manager of education and marketing for a major haircare brand. Faith also brings her experiences  in theater, journalism, and gender studies, as well as her Buddhist practice to bear in her work and in this wisdom-packed interview.  Topics include:  Setting and maintain bou...

Owning a salon is great but sometimes your life changes. Your family grows or you find yourself having to move far away, and the best decision for everyone is to sell the salon. It can be a hard choice - but if you are prepared it can also be the right choice for you and your family. In this episode, host Blake Reed Evans talks to Summit Salon Consultant, Chad Faass about selling his salon. Someti...

Whether you have never worked with an associate before, or you've been a trainer for years and are looking to update your methods, this episode is for you! Not only do associates provide an extra pair of hands, but they provide the opportunity to book more guests, maximize productivity, and help your salon run like a well-oiled machine.  Our guest Molly Limes Getz is a Senior Educator and Partner...

Last year, the wonderful Stephanie Russell visited SUMM IT UP to help us clarify our goals as individuals, maintain boundaries, and avoid burnout. In this episode, Stephanie is back with fresh insights and a new framework for helping leaders and organizations thrive: psychological safety.  Psychological safety is the ability to take risks in an organization. It's foundations are the reduction of h...

Guillaume Duez has worked in marketing and management for L'Oréal for 12 years, rapidly ascending through the ranks. He’s now General Manager at the iconic company, in charge of the prestige brands Kérastase and Shu Uemura Art of Hair. In this fast-paced interview, Guillaume speaks with host Blake Reed Evans about the legacy and evolution of prestige salon brands, what sets these two brands apart,...

The enneagram is a powerful personality assessment tool that looks at the core motivations and fears behind our actions. Knowing your enneagram type can help you play to your strengths, and be more mindful of your weaknesses. In a salon company, an enneagram assessment can help build better leaders, and help close communication gaps within a team.  Our guest this episode is Jen Culverhouse , owner...

Members of four generations are currently working in the salon industry: Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z. Each generation has its own values and ideas about how to build clientele, how to run a company, and how to manage work-life balance. The beauty industry is constantly changing, and while experienced leadership is essential, we need fresh ideas and young voices at the table in orde...

What makes you happy? Hiring an associate? Raising your prices? Spending time with family and friends? Opening a new location? Striking out on your own?  In the beauty industry, decisions big and small often revolve around numbers: and that includes your personal finances, your business books, and market forces like supply, demand, and inflation. Numbers can be confusing, but understanding the big...

Fashion, commercials, wig-making, on set: there’s a whole world of work out there beyond the salon. But in show business, success rarely comes overnight. Kauilani Goodwyn is a Mizani artist and educator, and co-founder of the Texpert Collective and the Global Artistry council. After working with hair for over sixteen years, she’s recently become a stylist for TV and film and a member of the Makeup...

Kenneth Snyder is the owner of Evolution, a salon company with four locations and a staff of 89, in central New Jersey. With a background in fashion, he opened his first salon out of hair school with six chairs. In this episode, Kenneth walks us through how he grew Evolution through investing in education and growing people. We also learn how partnerships with Redken and Summit Salon Business Cent...

We’re living in a time of cultural transition. Individuals are openly expressing gender and sexuality in ways that are new to Western culture. At the same time, some members of our society still believe that expression outside of the traditional cisgender heterosexual frame is a bad thing. Others want to be supportive, but are unsure about the correct pronouns and terminology to use, or how to res...

All hail the Queen of Spa! There’s a world of business in spa these days, with new technologies and younger clients booking preventive and wellness services. So how can your salon company tap in? Victoria Perry is the owner of Soto Signature Spa in Perrysburg, Ohio, a Summit Spa Consultant, and Spa Division Team Leader at Summit Salon Business Center. Victoria and host Blake Reed Evans discuss bot...

Sam Villa is the founding partner of Sam Villa Professional Brand, the Redken Global Artistic Ambassador, and 2017 NAHA Lifetime Achievement Award winner. Famous across the salon industry for his line of tools and his educational videos, Sam is a master of change and adaptation, whether that be hair trends or the way education is delivered. Sam never stops learning, and you shouldn’t either.  In t...

The relationship between a stylist and their repeat guest is special. But if you build that special relationship with enough people over time, you might feel maxed out because your days are so busy. You have a waiting list. So you raise your prices, but that waiting list doesn’t get any shorter.  Though you may feel like you can’t handle one more thing, this could be the perfect time to bring on a...

These days, more and more people are looking for stylists with a specialty: whether that’s blonding, balayage, natural curly cuts, extensions, or other services. Rae Stanton is a level four stylist and a vivid & platinum color specialist at Shear Art Salons in Tampa, Florida. (Yep, that’s our host Blake’s salon company, and it’s no accident that they’re coworkers...) A self-professed nerd and crea...

The front desk is the first place a guest goes when they walk into a salon, and their last stop on the way out.  Yet front desk team members often don't get the respect and credit they deserve - and that's putting it mildly!  Julie Molina is a Certified Front Desk Trainer and team leader with Summit Salon Business Center, and a shareholder and stylist at Soto Signature Salon & Spa in Perrysburg, O...