Featured Article How Many Friends Do You Have? Using Facebook to Market Your Salon Does your salon have a Facebook page? If so, are you taking advantage of its full potential to build your business? Urban Eve salon in Lake Jackson, TX knows how to work Facebook. We caught up with owner and stylist Jennifer Culverhouse to find out more.  (By: Misa Chappell for Summit Salon Business Center) LBF - Monday Morning Leadership Chapters 4-8 Recap Leadership Book Forum, Monday Morning Leadership - Recap of Chapters 4 - 8  (By: Heather Bagby) Recycling Hair to Protect the Gulf Coast RECYLCING HAIR TO PROTECT THE GULF COAST Summit Salons donate hair clippings to soak up oil spill in the Gulf  (By: Heather Bagby) Leadership Book Forum: Crucial Conversations We are excited to embark on our second Leadership Book Forum (LBF) selection, "Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High." There is no need to sign-up for LBF, just participate! Each quarter we review a book and you receive chapter assignments to follow. Please email your answers to lbf@summitsalon.com so that we can incorporate your thoughts in the recap articles.  (By: Marti Nelson) How to Build Your Nail Business Nail departments across the United States experienced a decrease in sales in 2009. Now, the economy is back on its feet and the consumer is spending money again. In order to recapture your clients, you have to work harder than you have in the past. The referral program is an awesome way to get new guests from your current clientele.  (By: Jill Wilson) A Crash Course On The Commercial Real Estate Crash Many landlords are now actively seeking ways to make their properties more attractive to business owners. Everything from rent reduction and lease modification, to leasehold improvements and landlord-financed build outs are readily available in the current market.  (By: Dave Kirby)

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LBF - Crucial Conversation Questions: Chapters 1-4 Leadership Book Forum: Crucial Conversation Questions for Chapters 1-4  (By: Marti Nelson) The Incredible Success of Misbehaven Spa and Salon Jeanese LeFore, owner of Misbehaven Spa & Salon in Walla Walla WA, has much to celebrate these days, and SSCG Consultant Michael Shea agrees. Read all about their incredible journey! (By: Misa Chappell for Summit Salon Business Center) Monday Morning Leadership: Recap of Chapters 1, 2 & 3 Our first book, Monday Morning Leadership, provides a unique snapshot of our world, the salon company. Thanks to popular television shows which perpetuate negative stereo types, fighting them has become exhausting. However, if you are reading this article, you are the TOP 20. You walk into your salon COMPANY every day. Not your salon. You attend seminars, classes and engage professionals to help drive the growth of your company, and most important, help grow your staff.  (By: Heather Bagby) Monday Morning Leadership: Study Questions Chapters 4-8 Monday Morning Leadership by David Cottrell: Study Questions for Chapters 4-8 (By: Marti Nelson) BRANDING FOR THE ‘Y” GENERATION: MEET THE EDGE The Edge is a Tampa, FL, training salon designed to enhance the skills of new service providers, while catering to the “Generation Y” demographic. Open since August 1st of 2009, the hair studio boasts 1,500 square feet and 7 employees. Owners Chris and Marilyn Pearson grow service providers through the SSBC Level System, offering the opportunity to advance to their other location, The Salon and Spa at Mystic Hair. We caught up with owner Chris Pearson to find out more about The Edge. (By: Misa Chappell for Summit Salon Business Center) Three Important Reasons to Pay Your Taxes! All salon owners are aware of their obligation to pay taxes. Understandably, it is an expense which can be daunting; however, you always have to remember that you are only matching social security and medicare. The other half,plus the federal taxes were already deducted from your employees pay checks. (By: Mike Kimble) Teaming up in Tough Times! Two Tampa, FL salons, Shear Art Salon and Spa and Mark Alan Salon, have combined operations to enhance client services and employee benefits. Nine Mark Alan hair stylists, including owners Mark and Michelle Levendoski, have relocated to Shear Art’s location and began offering services there on Jan. 4.  (By: Heather Bagby) The Associate Program: How is it impacting Summit Salons? Salons that develop a training program are passing on more than technical skills. In fact, they are enhancing their future through career development and guest handling skills. Most industry leaders will argue that mastering guest handling skills is the single most important ingredient for successful stylists. (By: Heather Bagby) Monday Morning Leadership: Study Questions Chapters 1-3 Are you ready for the SSBC Leadership Book Forum (LBF)? We are off and running for 2010! (By: Marti Nelson) "Colors by Kim" Rises Above the Storm “Colors by Kim Hair Salon and Day Spa” is in Trenton, Michigan, just 20 minutes outside of Detroit, the car capital of the world. Owner Kim Mott watched car factories close all around her as she struggled to maintain her own business.  (By: Misa Chappell for Summit Salon Business Center) Summit Salon Wins Redken's Night of Color Contest! Congratulations to Summit Salon Biyoshi, winner of Redken's Night of Color contest! According to SSBC Consultant Gavin Salsbery, “Salon Biyoshi has embodied what a Summit salon is supposed to be from the get go . . . from the design allocation of space, the targeting of the budget guidelines, coaching and mentoring, to the big picture of growing people. Through and throughout, this company follows advice and takes serious action!"  (By: Misa Chappell for Summit Salon Business Center) Announcing SSBC Leadership Book Forum SSCG Consultant, Marti Nelson and SSBC Director of Communications, Heather Bagby will lead us through a book series designed to enhance your leadership skills.  (By: Heather Bagby) Cre8 Salon and Spa: A Story to be Heard Marcy Moreno and her husband Jeff Sagarac opened Cre8 Salon and Spa in 2006, with an intention to embody joy, peace, tranquility and gratitude. They hoped to transmit positive feelings through the energy of their business directly to each guest that walked through the door.  (By: Misa Chappell for Summit Salon Business Center) Your Business is Your Relationships Remember that being a successful business person is not just about mastering your craft. It's also about building and maintaining relationships. In the current economic environment, relationships are more important than they've ever been. (By: Dave Kirby) After 20 Years . . . New Heights! SSGC Consultant Michael Nikolas recently received an impressive testimony from a stylist named Robin who had been in the beauty industry for over 20 years. The salon where she works, Hair Expressions in Arden Hills, MN, attended the Summit in 2008. Robin decided to embrace the Summit Salon systems and has since reached new heights in her career. (By: Misa Chappell for Summit Salon Business Center) October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month! Salons and spas all over the country are mobilizing to help raise money for the cause. Here are just two inspiring stories about people in the beauty industry who are willing to go the extra mile for awareness and support. (By: Misa Chappell for Summit Salon Business Center) BIGGER THAN ME, BIGGER THAN MY SALON: I LOVE THE INDUSTRY! Anna Geleske, owner of Anna & Friends Salon, first heard about The Summit from her Redken TDM (Territory Development Manager), Judy Kile. When she attended, the experience was a revelation! There was no one single defining moment for Anna . . . the entire week affected a sea change in her business and in her life.  (By: Misa Chappell for Summit Salon Business Center) How to Stay Recession Proof - American Salon Magazine Peter Mahoney writes about how salons can stay recession proof in American Salon Magazine's blog! (By: Peter Mahoney) More creative MARKETING IDEAS THAT WORK: Prebooks! More creative MARKETING IDEAS THAT WORK: how one salon skyrocketed their prebooks! (By: Summit Salon Business Center) More Marketing Ideas That Work! From The Hair Company The Hair Company in Leonardtown, MD averages 23% RTS and has been in growth mode for over 10 years! Owners Jackie Buckler and Debbie Link have generously agreed to share some of the keys to the salon’s success with SSBC.  (By: Summit Salon Business Center) Party or Profit? Both! If it’s Thursday in College Station TX, that means it’s time for “Chrome After Dark.” Sound like fun? It is! Even better? It’s profitable! What can *you* do in your salon to create special and unusual “events” that will attract a bigger crowd? Can you expand your hours into the evening? Get inspired to try something new today!  (By: Summit Salon Business Center) ATTRACTING EXPERIENCED SERVICE PROVIDERS With more salons closing than ever, many accomplished service providers are newly available. The average American salon is down 17% from last year, which means that independent contractors are down as much as 30%! Furthermore, as things slow down, stylists tend to become less structured and don’t try as hard for referrals or re-books. This insecurity means they’ll be looking for new jobs in the 3rd quarter. In order for salons to survive – let alone thrive – they need to make an open invitation to all license holders.  (By: Randy Kunkel) What Kind of Leader Are YOU? The casual mention of “servant leadership” over coffee with a friend recently piqued my interest and renewed my pursuit of the topic. Robert Greenleaf, having coined the term over 30 years ago, brings up some interesting points as well as evaluations to see if we are, indeed, servant leaders. When YOU think of a strong leader, what comes to mind? The word "servant" might seem paradoxical!  (By: Marti Nelson) To Merge or Not To Merge? In the current economic climate, we have been receiving more inquiries from salon owners who are considering a merge with another salon as a way of strengthening their businesses. Merging two salons can be a great way to increase income; add power to your recruitment efforts; increase your profile in manufacturer’s reward programs and distributor support. However, there are pitfalls to be aware of.  (By: Dave Kirby) The Salon – The Original Social Networking Site! As a business owner you need to have a presence on the internet. Having a website is not an option. I equate not having a website to running a salon without a blow dryer. Now you can add to your web presence through social networking sites. Within the last year, the web has exploded with numerous online social networking opportunities.  (By: Heather Bagby) Credit Check American Salon Magazine featured SSBC business partner, Integrity Payment Systems, in the "Better Business" section of their May, 2009 issue.  (By: Integrity Payment Systems)