A business journal for independent beauty pros, by salonMonster
There’s a conversation happening in the music industry right now that’s gotten loud enough for the general public to start paying attention. Artists being asked to play weddings for free. Producers being offered a shoutout in exchange for a track. Session musicians, the invisible hands behind some of the most recognized songs on the radio, …
A practical guide for independent beauty professionals You have years of client names, colour notes, appointment history, services, and tiny details that help a busy day run well. Then your salon software stops fitting the way you work. Changing it should feel like choosing a better tool. Instead, one thought takes over: What if I …
This one started with a broken leg. A few weeks ago one of our team members got hurt, nothing life threatening, just one of those unexpected things that shows up without asking. And almost immediately, without really talking about it, the rest of us started shifting. We started showing up a little differently. Checking in …
The rise of “stylist horror story” content and what hairdressers can actually do about it
There’s a particular kind of gut punch that hairdressers know well. It usually arrives as a notification… a tagged post, a comment from a colleague, a client’s username in your DMs; and when you click through, you find yourself watching a video of someone you just spent four hours with, describing your work like you were the worst thing that ever happened to their hair.
The caption says “stylist horror story.”
The comments say “girl run.”
And somewhere in the retelling, the consultation disappeared. The formula discussion disappeared. The three reference photos you both agreed on disappeared. What’s left is a narrative that’s clean, shareable and almost entirely fictional… and it has your salon’s name in it.
When Kia Donovan Talks, the Industry Has to Listen Sitting down with Kia Donovan felt less like a formal interview and more like one of those conversations that keeps opening new doors every few minutes. We started with Bay Area stories, food talk, and a little swearing permission check, and somehow within minutes we were …
The last time I saw Douglas McCoy in person, we were in New Orleans—aka its own country (Douglas’ words, and honestly… accurate). This time, we linked up for an episode of The Digital Chair and immediately slipped back into that easy, “industry friend” rhythm—swapping travel stories, education hot takes, and the kind of behind-the-scenes salon …
What happens when you mix raw talent, a fearless drive, and a vision for a better salon culture? You get Nikii Beis, owner and stylist at Elevated Studio in Squamish, BC—and my latest guest in our one-on-one salon sit-down. Nikii’s journey into the industry started in the most relatable way—highlighting a friend’s hair in a …
Some interviews feel like work. This one felt like sitting down with someone who has lived the same chaos, asked the same hard questions, and then decided to build better answers. When I sat down with Hunter Donia, I knew we were going to get into the real stuff: career starts, bad industry advice, business …
There are interviews where you hit record, ask a few questions, and everything stays nicely on the surface. And then there are the ones where you blink… and suddenly you’re talking about bleach chemistry, mental health, and the very real art of putting your “human suit” back on before you greet a client. That’s what …
A last-minute salon cancellation does not have to trigger a DM scramble. Build a useful wait list, fill openings fairly, and protect your calendar with salonMonster.