SUMM IT UP

In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, uncertainty reigned in the salon industry. Questions like “When will I be allowed to open back up?” “Is it worth the risk to go to work?” and “Will my company survive this?” were on the minds of owners and staff. Leaders had a choice: put on a brave face for their workers, or be honest about their fears. Our guest Derek Reynolds says learning to be vul...

As queer, Black women in the beauty industry dealing with discrimination from clients, Christin Brown and her wife made a business decision not to show their faces on their websites.  But as their business grew, they decided to put their identities at the center of their business. Christin now exclusively styles natural, curly, unmanipulated hair at their Santa Barbara, California salon –  and she...

With Father’s Day around the corner, this episode we profile a unique salon company that’s part of a family legacy: My Father’s Mustache in Cookeville Tennessee. The business is owned and operated by two sisters. And it’s named in honor of their father, Wayne Fletcher, a local pioneer in unisex salons and barbering education. Our guest Debbie Fletcher is a Level Four Master Barber, a master barber...

Dreaming of a bigger following, a shoutout from your favorite professional haircare brand…or even an official marketing deal? Should you focus on photos or videos? Does it matter what times of day you post? Should you actually DM that brand? Is there a right and a wrong way to talk about your guests on social? All will be revealed in this high-energy episode!   Guest Marie Shetterley, Influencer M...

Gino Maggio is the owner and a barber behind the chair at The Barber Shop Tampa. But he’s not anyone’s boss: the other barbers rent chairs from him and contribute to decision-making for the business. In this episode, Gino chats with host Blake Reed Evans (who is also his loyal customer!) about barbershop culture including booth rentals, gender inclusivity, and maintaining an environment that’s res...

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...

You’re an associate, and the stylist you’re assigned to isn’t letting you get hands-on with clients. You work the front desk, and one of the stylists is consistently rude to you. You’re a stylist, and the front desk has been under-booking you for weeks. You’re a co-owner, and your business partner is over-spending on spa equipment. Situations like these require communication - and in a business wh...

Your coworker crosses a boundary, and you don't know how to talk to her about it. You’re thinking about opening your own salon, but not sure you have the confidence to pull it off. You want to correct your employee's mistakes, but will they resent you for it? Guest Stephanie Russell is a certified confidence coach, a mindfulness coach, an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy coach, a stylist, and a R...

Reach out to Chad Faass cfaass@summitsalon.com Follow him on Instagram @ChadFaass The Summit Salon website is: https://summitsalon.com/ Follow Summit Salon Business Center on Instagram @SummitSalon. Follow host Blake Reed Evans on Instagram @BlakeReedEvans. His DM's are always open!   SUMM IT UP is produced by Andrea Muraskin, with editorial support from Tim Fisk. This episode was edited by Amy Wa...

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...

If you are a listener to this podcast, it’s very likely that you went to cosmetology school. It’s also likely that those classes never added up to a degree. Right now, that is changing. L’Oreal has teamed up with Arizona’s Mesa Community College and Arizona State University to create The Lead Institute , a program where cosmetology school graduates can apply credits from beauty school towards an a...

If you owned a hair salon in the late 90’s or early 2000’s, chances are good you bought some machines, hired some estheticians, and added “and Spa” to your business name… or at least thought about it. Over the last two decades many of those “and spas” have gone neglected, or been renovated for more hair stations. But in today’s Instagram and Zoom-driven world, we’re seeing renewed consumer interes...

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...

Something we love about working in the salon industry is that our careers are customizable. Want to work just one day a week? Specialize in blonding? Just do cuts?  Split your time between two locations? Have back-to-back clients or work some down time into your schedule? All of these things are possible. Coming out of cosmetology school, Kacie Mundell knew she wanted the opportunity to grow and l...

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...

What makes you happy? Hiring an associate? Raising your prices? Cutting back from full time to part time? Taking a day off? 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...

Coming up as a young stylist, Tricia DiFranco heard it said that for hair stylists, "your retirement party is your funeral." As a salon owner  since age 24, Tricia is determined to prove that's not true.  In this episode of SUMM IT UP, host Blake Reed Evans chats with Tricia about how she's grown her employees and her business with Summit systems like the Associate Program, coaching, and level jum...

Twylla Jane cuts hair for humans. That means whatever your gender identity or sexual orientation, you are welcome at Twylla’s Chicago area salon, and you’ll pay the same prices and be offered the same services as any other human who walks in the door. What’s more, the salon culture encourages self expression and has measures in place to make sure each individual’s personal pronouns are respected....

Though she had always lived in New Jersey, stylist Laura Frazier was, in her words, “not built for winter.” So when her husband suggested they decamp permanently for Charleston, South Carolina, Laura was all in. It was only when they got out of the U-Haul that she realized she was starting from zero: she knew no one and had no clients! But through Facebook groups and strategic posts, Laura built a...

Excuse the pun, but our inaugural guest Joanne Powers is a power house in the beauty industry! Founder and CEO of Shear Art Salons, founder and CEO of Summit Salon Academy Tampa, and a stylist for many years behind the chair, Joanne brings the perfect combination of business and people skills to her work. In this episode, you'll also get to know host Blake Reed Evans, Joanne's business partner and...