A business journal for independent beauty pros, by salonMonster
Every once in a while, an interview feels less like a formal conversation and more like getting pulled into the best corner of a hair show afterparty. My conversation with Charlie Price had that energy. Charlie is a hairdresser from Denver, Colorado, and saying he has “done a lot” in the industry feels almost rude. …
Part 3 of 3 in our cancellation policy series. Catch up on Part 1: why a policy matters and Part 2: building your policy. You’ve defined the terms. You’ve written the policy. Now comes the part that actually tests you: carrying it out when the day is busy, the client is apologetic, and you’d honestly …
Part 2 of 3 in our cancellation policy series. New here? Part 1 covers why a policy matters and the terms worth defining first. There is no universal “correct” cancellation window or fee for every beauty business. A barber with 30-minute appointments can sometimes refill an opening faster than a colourist who reserved half a …
You finish a colour service, sweep the floor, walk your client to the counter, and take payment on a separate terminal. Then the payment admin begins. You type the sale into one system. You enter the card total into another. At the end of the day, you compare numbers and try to work out why …
There are conversations you walk away from feeling like you’ve just had coffee with someone who’s lived three lifetimes in a single career. My chat with Sonya Dove was one of those. If somehow you don’t know the name: Sonya is the artistic director for Intercoiffure, a 42-year veteran of Wella, and a member of …
Part 1 of 3 in our cancellation policy series. Your five-hour colour appointment does not cancel itself. It arrives as a text at 10:47 p.m.: “So sorry! Something came up. Can we do next week?” Now you are deciding whether to charge a fee, waive it, explain the rule you thought the client knew, and …
There’s a specific moment most people don’t notice happening to them. An idea shows up: a weird one, a big one, the kind that doesn’t come with instructions. And before it’s even finished forming, a second voice jumps in: Would that actually work? That question feels like good judgment. It isn’t. It’s premature finishing. You’re …
There’s a character showing up everywhere right now, in the shows everyone’s watching, in the brands people are actually loyal to, in the conversations that stick with you after you’ve already left the room. They’re not the hero. They’re not trying to be. They don’t have a highlight reel. They’re not performing gratitude for the …
It is Sunday morning. You planned coffee, pyjamas, and absolutely no salon decisions. Then a client books the one opening your calendar still thinks is available. You can honour the booking and lose the day. Or you can send an awkward message and move it. Either way, Admin Chaos has found your phone. Here is …
Are you old enough to remember the days of the Yellow Pages? That massive brick of yellow paper didn’t just make a great doorstop, it was the main place people looked to find anything. Every business owner had to have an ad in the Yellow Pages. Today, the Yellow Pages are a thing of the …