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If your salon offers retail, chances are you'd like to be selling more product than you currently are. Retail sales boost profit margins, enhance client loyalty, and help clients maintain salon-quality results. But there are a number of reasons we fall short of our retail goals. For instance, providers get busy and don't find the time to talk to their guests about home care; suggesting a guest increase their total ticket can feel icky (especially in a time of high food and gas prices); and service providers aren't motivated by commission.  Our guest this week is Lisa Musgrove, owner of LoneStar Salon & Spa in Tumwater, Washington. Lisa noticed that for all of her stylists, from newbies to veterans, the one common struggle was retail. So, she tried an experiment. Lisa launched the LoneStar Retail Lab, a four-week voluntary program. The Retail Lab combined introspection, education, collaboration and experimentation. It was eye-opening for Lisa. She learned that service providers were projecting their own financial anxieties onto their guests, and that many weren't familiar with the products her salon carries. The Lab also gave participants the opportunity to try new strategies, and bond with each other.  "It was a rare and special time with the team. I didn't have to just track KPIs. I really got to know everybody on a much deeper level and explore together how to be successful in that," she says.  The results were phenomenal and earned Lisa the 2026 Salon Today Retail and Merchandising Innovation Award. In this episode -- full of actionable insights -- Lisa lays out the roadmap for the Retail Lab. Blake and Lisa discuss: The self-sabotaging mindsets that hold us back from offering retailThe positive mindset shifts into "solving not selling" How to assess guest needs and spending power and offer home care accordingly The power of intake formsWhy promotions should be fun, and even a little silly (because it works!)And more.  Follow Lisa on Instagram @lisaloveslonestar.  Read the Salon Today article featuring Lisa Musgrove and the Retail Lab, "Rethinking Retail in the Era of E-Commerce."  Follow Summit Salon Business Center on Instagram @SummitSalon, and on TikTok at SummitSalon. SUMM IT UP is now on YouTube! Watch extended cuts of our interviews at www.youtube.com/@summitunlocked Find host Blake Reed Evans on Instagram @BlakeReedEvans and on TikTok at blakereedevans. His DM's are always open! You can email Blake at [email protected]. Visit us at SummitSalon.com to connect with others in the industry. SUMM IT UP is produced and edited by Andrea Muraskin. The executive producer is Tim Fisk.

Salons professionals span a particularly wide range of ages, from 18 to 60+. That means you probably have three or four generations working together at any given time. Boomers, Gen X, Millenials, and Gen Z each bring something different and valuable to the table -- but we don't always understand each other. Maybe you're a service provider trying to figure out what your Gen X boss wants from you, looking for more clear direction. Or if you're an owner, you're trying to figure out what motivates Gen-Z service providers, or how to grow a Millenial stylist into a leadership role instead of losing them to a suite.  Carrie Rutt is here to help. She's a Summit Salon Coach, a guest experience specioalist and a veteran salon owner, and a Gen X'er. Host Blake Reed Evans, co-owner at Shear Art Salon in Tampa, Fl. and a Redken Pro artist and educator, brings us behind the scenes of up-to-the-minute salon leadership decisions, and his own Millenial perspective.  Learn more about Carrie and schedule a 20-minute discovery call.  Follow Carrie on Facebook and Instagram.    Follow Summit Salon Business Center on Instagram @SummitSalon, and on TikTok at SummitSalon. SUMM IT UP is now on YouTube! Watch extended cuts of our interviews at www.youtube.com/@summitunlocked Find host Blake Reed Evans on Instagram @BlakeReedEvans and on TikTok at blakereedevans. His DM's are always open! You can email Blake at [email protected]. Visit us at SummitSalon.com to connect with others in the industry. SUMM IT UP is produced and edited by Andrea Muraskin. The executive producer is Tim Fisk.

Cody Evans is the co-founder or Colour Collective Salon in Mobile, Alabama, and a L'Oréal Professionnel artist. In this episode, Blake sits down with Cody Evans to get real about what it looks like to juggle salon ownership, brand artistry, education, and still have a life. Cody opens up about the journey from behind the chair to business owner, the persistence it took to become a L'Oréal Professionnel artist, and the less-glamorous side of flying home at midnight only to be back behind the chair at 8 AM the next morning. Topics covered: The leap from commission stylist to salon ownerBecoming a brand artist — the Ambassador Network, immersion program, and why persistence pays off"Work-work-life balance" — why perfect balance is a mythGiving up Saturdays and why clients magically figure it outBurnout while opening a salon and traveling to teach — and how reconnecting with your "why" helpsSelf-care that actually counts: massages, chiropractic care, therapy, and Head Up Keys (mental health resource from L'Oréal Professionnel)Advice for first-time salon owners: set firm timelines with contractors and be tough — you're the client Follow Summit Salon Business Center on Instagram @SummitSalon, and on TikTok at SummitSalon. SUMM IT UP is now on YouTube! Watch extended cuts of our interviews at www.youtube.com/@summitunlocked Find host Blake Reed Evans on Instagram @BlakeReedEvans and on TikTok at blakereedevans. His DM's are always open! You can email Blake at [email protected]. Visit us at SummitSalon.com to connect with others in the industry. SUMM IT UP is produced and edited by Andrea Muraskin. The executive producer is Tim Fisk.

If you're a newbie or baby stylist or a salon owner looking to grow and retain new stylists, this episode is for you.  Guest Lisa Giles is a  digital creator and educator who specialiizes in working with stylists brand new to the industry, or as she likes to call them "guppies." She runs the education and mentoring platform Straight Out of Cosmo, where she teaches classes including "Make Box Color Your Bitch" and "The Bull Sh*t Behind the Business." She's a hair stylist and a Paul Mitchell Pro partner, based in Orange County, California.  In this episode, Lisa and Blake cover: Understanding market rates and charging a rate that's fair to yourself, even when you're new Creating customized incentives for new stylists, especially for retail sales Building a clientelle through guest education Goal and budget-setting Skills not always taught in cosmetology school, like client experience and working with box-dyed hair And more. Follow Lisa Giles on Instagram @LifeofLisaG. This episode was originally published in May 2025 Follow Summit Salon Business Center on Instagram @SummitSalon, and on TikTok at SummitSalon. SUMM IT UP is now on YouTube! Watch extended cuts of our interviews at www.youtube.com/@summitunlocked Find host Blake Reed Evans on Instagram @BlakeReedEvans and on TikTok at blakereedevans. His DM's are always open! You can email Blake at [email protected]. Visit us at SummitSalon.com to connect with others in the industry. SUMM IT UP is produced and edited by Andrea Muraskin. The executive producer is Tim Fisk.

Salon retail can be a tough nut to crack. Salon products available to clients from big retailers at just a few taps on a phone. Inovshop's interactive digital displays give stylists a leg up by sparking guests' curiosity and providing education right in the salon, increasing sales. And with AI, these tools are becoming ever-more customizable to your individual customers.  In this episode, Summ it Up executive producer Tim Fisk sits down with Martin Spritzer of Inovshop USA to unpack the evolving world of salon retail. They explore how digital displays, user-generated content, AI-driven personalization, and interactive technology are reshaping the in-salon shopping experience — and why salons that ignore these trends risk losing revenue to big-box retailers like Ulta and Sephora. Learn more and sign up for a free consultation at Inovshopusa.com Follow Summit Salon Business Center on Instagram @SummitSalon, and on TikTok at SummitSalon. SUMM IT UP is now on YouTube! Watch extended cuts of our interviews at www.youtube.com/@summitunlocked Find host Blake Reed Evans on Instagram @BlakeReedEvans and on TikTok at blakereedevans. His DM's are always open! You can email Blake at [email protected]. Visit us at SummitSalon.com to connect with others in the industry. SUMM IT UP is produced and edited by Andrea Muraskin. The executive producer is Tim Fisk.

Based in Austin, Texas, Urban Betty Salon is one of Summit's longest running and most successful salon clients. In this episode we meet the woman behind the juggernaut, founder Chelle Neff. Chelle started hair school back in high school, and her first job was at Supercuts. She opened her first Urban Betty location in 2005 as a booth rental. Now Urban Betty is a 3-location commission salon company and they're trending to hit $6.7 million this year.  It wasn't easy, and Chelle is candid in this interview. You'll hear about: The importance of having a coach who doesn't handle you with kidgloves Overcoming self-worth issues around making and discussing money in a women-dominated industry Building Urban Betty's brand through early, aggressive social media adoption — collecting emails, engaging followers, and entering industry awards Growing pains from opening a third location and having to rebuild SEO/local presence from scratch Advice on scaling: delegate leadership contact points instead of being the sole point of contact; find a coach or mastermind group of like-minded owners Plus, Chelle spills the tea on getting through some of Urban Betty's toughest moments, including catching a team member embezzling, break-ins, and a walk out.  Where to find her: Instagram @urbanbetty and @urbanbettysalon, and chelleneff.com   Follow Summit Salon Business Center on Instagram @SummitSalon, and on TikTok at SummitSalon. SUMM IT UP is now on YouTube! Watch extended cuts of our interviews at www.youtube.com/@summitunlocked Find host Blake Reed Evans on Instagram @BlakeReedEvans and on TikTok at blakereedevans. His DM's are always open! You can email Blake at [email protected]. Visit us at SummitSalon.com to connect with others in the industry. SUMM IT UP is produced and edited by Andrea Muraskin. The executive producer is Tim Fisk.

If you own a salon company by yourself or even with a partner, it can be lonely at the top. Every major decision comes down to you, including how to exit the company when you're ready to retire or take a different path. Plus, you probably have valuable employees looking for ways to grow and considering striking out on their own. Shareholder programs can be a beautiful way to share risk and decision making, retain talent, and grow the next generation of salon owners. And while they're an established part of Summit systems, they're still relatively rare in the salon industry, and we get lots of questions about them.  Our own host Blake Reed Evans is a shareholder and service provider in a large group at Shear Art Salon in Tampa, Florida. Guest Lisa Lipani is the founder and CEO of Carl Michael Salon, with locations in Danvers and North Reading, Massachusetts, and a Summit Salon coach. Lisa opened the company in 2006, and now runs it as part of a shareholder group of six.  In this episode, Lisa and Blake answer questions including:  Are shareholders owners? Why start a shareholder program and how do you know when it's the right time? What characteristics in a staff member make for a good potential shareholder? How do you train and oboard new shareholders? How do shareholders make difficult decisions in a salon company? What mistakes have other salon owners made along the way? More questions? Get in touch with Lisa Lipani at [email protected].    Follow Summit Salon Business Center on Instagram @SummitSalon, and on TikTok at SummitSalon. SUMM IT UP is now on YouTube! Watch extended cuts of our interviews at www.youtube.com/@summitunlocked Find host Blake Reed Evans on Instagram @BlakeReedEvans and on TikTok at blakereedevans. His DM's are always open! You can email Blake at [email protected]. Visit us at SummitSalon.com to connect with others in the industry. SUMM IT UP is produced and edited by Andrea Muraskin. The executive producer is Tim Fisk.

To be a salon owner requires ambition, commitment and hustle. But you're also human. So how do you balance responsibility with self care when difficult things happen -- and also in the every day?  When Sarah Hooper got diagnosed with late-stage cervical cancer it came as a shock, followed by a million questions and endless medical appointments. And on top of that, she had to come up with a plan for how her salon company would run while she was in treatment, and reassure her shareholders and team that it would be okay.  Sarah Hooper is the owner of Paradigm Salon & Company in Bel Air, Maryland, and a Summit salon coach, and is back at work 16 months after her diagnosis. In this highly personal interview, Sarah talks about what it was like to step back as a leader, and how that actually created space for her team members to grow. Blake and Sarah also discuss how to find the balance between hustle and rest, the value of a 32-hour workweek, and why Sarah decided not to go back behind the chair. Plus: Advice  on how to advocate for yourself as a patient and take control of your health journey.  Follow Sarah Hooper on Instagram @sarah_paradigm. Interested in coaching? Book a discovery call with Sarah. Follow Summit Salon Business Center on Instagram @SummitSalon, and on TikTok at SummitSalon. SUMM IT UP is now on YouTube! Watch extended cuts of our interviews at www.youtube.com/@summitunlocked Find host Blake Reed Evans on Instagram @BlakeReedEvans and on TikTok at blakereedevans. His DM's are always open! You can email Blake at [email protected]. Visit us at SummitSalon.com to connect with others in the industry. SUMM IT UP is produced and edited by Andrea Muraskin. The executive producer is Tim Fisk.

Does summer have you wishing for more vacation time or a bigger travel budget? What if you could travel and do hair at the same time? Trish Vereze is an independent stylists specializing in color correction who splits her time between Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Honolulu. It was a rough road at the beginning, but now Trish stays booked and busy. Just five years into becoming a hairstylist, she bought her first condo.   In this episode, Trish and Blake discuss: How she got started as a travel stylist How she finds clients on social media Her killer work ethic How she avoids re-do's  Her tricks of the trade when it comes to color correction Whether you're interested in traveling for work or not, you're sure to learn something from Trish.  Find Trish Vereze on Instagram and TikTok @hairbytrishv. Curious about in traveling internationally for stylist education? Check our our episode with the Hair Nerds! This episode was originally released in March 2025.  Follow Summit Salon Business Center on Instagram @SummitSalon, and on TikTok at SummitSalon. SUMM IT UP is now on YouTube! Watch extended cuts of our interviews at www.youtube.com/@summitunlocked Find host Blake Reed Evans on Instagram @BlakeReedEvans and on TikTok at blakereedevans. His DM's are always open! You can email Blake at [email protected]. Visit us at SummitSalon.com to connect with others in the industry. SUMM IT UP is produced and edited by Andrea Muraskin. The executive producer is Tim Fisk.

Guest Ronan Perceval began his journey in the beaty industry as a receptionist at a busy salon in Dublin, Ireland. While he loved the salon culture and people, he found that constant "admin-y conversations" -- like explaining the parking situation or cancellation policy -- were sapping taking time away from more meaningful client interactions. Now founder & CEO of Phorest Salon Software, Ronan designs AI tools that handle the admin, so service providers can focus on what we do best -- making our guests look and feel great.  Phorest AI handles admin like booking, consultation forms and self check-in, but now there's so much more. Stylists can use mobile apps to track their tickets, tips and progress toward earling goals, with gamification features. Phorest even integrates with Instagram to help you micro-target ads to the perfect clients in your area. And once you have a returning client, Phorest will track their services and retail purchasing patterns so you can be ready with the next recommendation.  Listen for the human side of the story.    Follow Summit Salon Business Center on Instagram @SummitSalon, and on TikTok at SummitSalon. SUMM IT UP is now on YouTube! Watch extended cuts of our interviews at www.youtube.com/@summitunlocked Find host Blake Reed Evans on Instagram @BlakeReedEvans and on TikTok at blakereedevans. His DM's are always open! You can email Blake at [email protected]. Visit us at SummitSalon.com to connect with others in the industry. SUMM IT UP is produced and edited by Andrea Muraskin. The executive producer is Tim Fisk.

Success story time! Host Blake Reed Evans sits down with Heather Meredith and Maegan Moore of Ahead of Hair Salon in Midlothian, Virginia  to unpack how a legacy Summit salon achieved 16.76% growth in 2025 — 23 years into ownership.  It wasn't easy: In their time working together, owner Heather and director of operations Maegan navigated a major walk-out, which led them to evaluate and build more flexibility into staff schedules. They also rennovated their space down the the studs, and revamped their associate program, all with a little help from Summit coach Deb McMahan.  Ahead of Hair is able to offer a matching 401(k) program and offer health insurance.  With a 43-person team including ten mentors, the salon company has worked with Summit to expand their stylist level structure up to Level 10. Listen to learn how they pulled off all that, and more.  Follow Ahead of Hair on Instagram @aohsalon and on Facebook at Ahead of Hair.  Follow Summit Salon Business Center on Instagram @SummitSalon, and on TikTok at SummitSalon. SUMM IT UP is now on YouTube! Watch extended cuts of our interviews at www.youtube.com/@summitunlocked Find host Blake Reed Evans on Instagram @BlakeReedEvans and on TikTok at blakereedevans. His DM's are always open! You can email Blake at [email protected]. Visit us at SummitSalon.com to connect with others in the industry. SUMM IT UP is produced and edited by Andrea Muraskin. The executive producer is Tim Fisk.

In an industry with high turnover and lots of workers fresh out of school, on-the-job education is par for the course. But even for experienced owners and managers, the skills needed to handle personal and performance issues that come up in the salon are often not fully developed. That's why were so lucky to have a conversation with today's guest, Araceli Castañeda. Araceli is a leadership trainer in Summit Salon Business Center's Leadership and Wellness Training division. She's also COO, General Manager and an owner at The Fixx Hair Studio in New Braunfels, Texas. Araceli has a bachelors degree in psychology and a masters in Marriage and Family Therapy.   As Araceli shares with host Blake Reed Evans, managers should go into conversations with employees with an attitude of curiosity. You'll get a lot from this conversation with two seasoned salon leaders including: What kind of questions to ask How to listen Understanding generational shifts in expections of reward and disapointment Advice for checking internal biases Self-regulation mini-skills for leaders Legal and ethical limitations of managment-employee conversations RESOURCES Learn more about Araceli and schedule a 30 minute discovery call. You can also email her at [email protected]. Sign up for Araceli's Summit leadership subscription series.  Take the Summit Owner Burnout Diagnostic, a research-backed self-assessment to help salon owners identify burnout patterns and receive personalized recommendations for sustainable wellness. Find more information about burnout and the diagnostic tool here.  Follow Summit Salon Business Center on Instagram @SummitSalon, and on TikTok at SummitSalon. SUMM IT UP is now on YouTube! Watch extended cuts of our interviews at www.youtube.com/@summitunlocked Find host Blake Reed Evans on Instagram @BlakeReedEvans and on TikTok at blakereedevans. His DM's are always open! You can email Blake at [email protected]. Visit us at SummitSalon.com to connect with others in the industry. SUMM IT UP is produced and edited by Andrea Muraskin. The executive producer is Tim Fisk.

Did you know that salons in the United States and Canada generate about half a million pounds of waste every day?  Beauty shouldn't come at the planet's expense. Guest Shane Price founded Green Circle Salons in 2009, a company that parters with salon companies to recover up to 95% of salon waste. That includes hair clippings, foils, tubes, excess color and more. The program is supported through a small fee on guests' tickets at no cost to the salon. It can boost revenue by appealing to increasingly eco-conscious customers. And as Blake points out, Gen Z stylists place a high value on sustainability. Blake and Shane also address recycling skeptics! Learn more at greencirclesalons.com and sign up by April 30 to take advantage of their Earth Month special offer with $650+ in added value.  Follow Green Circle on Instagram @greencirclesalons.    Follow Summit Salon Business Center on Instagram @SummitSalon, and on TikTok at SummitSalon. SUMM IT UP is now on YouTube! Watch extended cuts of our interviews at www.youtube.com/@summitunlocked Find host Blake Reed Evans on Instagram @BlakeReedEvans and on TikTok at blakereedevans. His DM's are always open! You can email Blake at [email protected]. Visit us at SummitSalon.com to connect with others in the industry. SUMM IT UP is produced and edited by Andrea Muraskin. The executive producer is Tim Fisk.

What is a day in the life of a content creator like? How do you balance your responsibilities as a creator with your work as a stylist behind the chair? And what does it take to amass a significant following on social media in the hair salon industry?  Our guest this episode is Alejandro Lopez, an incredibly talented stylist based in Orlando, Florida, with over 870K followers on Tiktok and 670K on Instagram as of April 2026.   Alejandro chats with Blake about his background in braiding, how he transitioned to vivid color work, and what his daily life is like as both a stylist behind the chair and content creator. LEARN MORE Follow Alejandro on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube @artistic.aestheticss. This episode was produced by Erica Furgiuele. It was originally published in September 2024.  Get in touch with Summit and let us know what you think of the podcast or what topics you’d like us to cover next.     Follow Summit Salon Business Center on Instagram @SummitSalon, and on TikTok at SummitSalon. SUMM IT UP is now on YouTube! Watch extended cuts of our interviews at www.youtube.com/@summitunlocked Find host Blake Reed Evans on Instagram @BlakeReedEvans and on TikTok at blakereedevans. His DM's are always open! You can email Blake at [email protected]. Visit us at SummitSalon.com to connect with others in the industry. SUMM IT UP is produced and edited by Andrea Muraskin. The executive producer is Tim Fisk.

SALON TODAY recently announced their 2026 SALON TODAY 200 honorees, one of the industry's most coveted awards. Does your salon company have spectacular customer service? Enviable growth numbers? An amazing culture? A kick-ass education program? Here's how you can get featured next year.  Stacey Soble is Editor in Chief of SALON TODAY, the only salon industry media outlet solely focused on business. She's also the organizer and a judge of the SALON TODAY 200, one of the industry's most coveted awards.  She's been involved in the conversation of salon business for more than two decades—as a reporter, a consultant and as the editor in chief of SALON TODAY. In this episode, host Blake Reed Evans chats with Stacey about the relationship between industry media and salon pros and some of the business innovations she's most excited about. Is your salon company newsworthy? Stacey explains how to get the judges' attention in your application for SALON TODAY 200, and more.  Learn more about the awards, Sign up for the Salon Today newsletter on their homepage to be notified as soon as applications are available. Follow Salon Today on IG @salontodayofficial, and follow Stacey @staceysoble.  This episode was originall published in July 2024.  Follow Summit Salon Business Center on Instagram @SummitSalon, and on TikTok at SummitSalon. SUMM IT UP is now on YouTube! Watch extended cuts of our interviews at www.youtube.com/@summitunlocked Find host Blake Reed Evans on Instagram @BlakeReedEvans and on TikTok at blakereedevans. His DM's are always open! You can email Blake at [email protected]. Visit us at SummitSalon.com to connect with others in the industry. SUMM IT UP is produced and edited by Andrea Muraskin. The executive producer is Tim Fisk.