Our New Favorite Thing

August 20, 2010

The picture says it all. This is the creator.

Your Own Customer Service Course

August 14, 2010

Ever wish you could find out what thousands of clients like and don’t like about coming to the salon? Well, it’s at your fingertips and it’s free. Clients all over the world are adding their reviews to Yelp on all kinds of businesses—including salons. Want to find out what is important to the most vocal of salon guests? Just pick a city, key in “salons” and read the reviews. It’s the best course you will ever have on what is important to clients. Pick a different city every week and share some of the stories with your teammates. They are good for a laugh and a serious education.

Just to get you started, you can read New York City reviews here.

Style Reinvented

August 07, 2010

Our friends at Headfirst have undergone what they call a style reinvention. Whatever they call it, it looks great! This is still a “must bookmark” site no matter what country you live in. Their info is relevant and their look is hot—and reinvented.

It's OK to be Rude—If It's This Cool Tool Belt

July 31, 2010

Being Rude never felt so right with these hip Italian leather tool belts designed specifically for hairdressers. Celebrity hairdresser Tara Smith calls them “Gucci bags for hairdressers.”

Here’s their story:

At Rude we believe Hairdressers make a massive difference to peoples lives… they transform the way we look, feel and value ourselves …giving us style, beauty and stacks of confidence.

It’s not easy being a stylist, the pressure is massive to make your clients feel like a million dollars… and your trusted shears have to get it right time and time again.

That’s why we wanted to give you something which will make your life easier, protect your precious shears AND make you feel amazing…

Having been married to a Hairdresser, Award winning Entrepreneur Sarah Shafi got to see first hand just how difficult it is for busy stylists to keep their essential tools at hand…especially in a fast paced salon.

With a passion for luxurious quality, style & practical design, together with a keen eye for detail, Sarah quickly set to work finding the Finest Italian leather and London’s top Manufacturers to create something extra special…

Rude quickly hit the spot with Hairdressers and Celebrity Stylists worldwide by bringing a stunning range of Tool Belts, Shear & Scissor Pouches and accessories that have sold in Thousands in record time.

Check out all the styles here.

Cut and Run? Never!

July 24, 2010

Hairdressers are everyday heroes and in this movie, written by a stylist, that’s more true than ever. Here’s the summary of the movie Split Ends written by Libby Christensen that’s now available on Netflix and Amazon. You can watch the trailer here:

Manningtree, New Jersey is a little town on the brink of extinction. The 19th century storefronts of Old Town are being threatened by an international development cabal, North Sea Assets. North Sea is preparing to raze Old Town and replace it with a massive mall/luxury condo complex named – incongruously – Cortona.

If Cortona is built, a dozen mom and pop businesses will be bought out and uprooted, and if anyone refuses to sell, North Sea Assets is prepared to use eminent domain law to pry the Old Towners off of their property.

When our story begins, Cortona has a great shot at being approved. Manningtree’s portly Mayor, Tiny Provenzano, has a vested interest in Cortona’s success, and North Sea’s point man, the charming Warren Brown, is determined to remove any obstacle in its way.

That obstacle is Scottish-born Lizzie Munro. She owns and operates The Paisley Set hair salon in Manningtree. Lizzie is over 40, vibrant, witty, and quite capable of attracting male attention. Her salon caters to the locals, and while Lizzie’s not making a fortune in the beauty game, she earns enough to get by and keep three local beauticians employed – worldly-wise Jacquie, bohemian waif Ashley, and a wry Pakistani immigrant, Mehar. They’re a tight group who work together and occasionally meet for a meal at MacIntosh’s, the local pub.

Lizzie’s love life is full of split ends. She has carried on with Len French, the owner of a coffee shop in Old Town, another business slated for the bulldozers. Len’s marriage to mousy DEANNE is on the rocks, or more accurately, on life support, but he is hesitant to pull the plug. His relationship with Lizzie might just be the town’s worst-kept secret. Although Lizzie is an intelligent gal, she has, like many women, settled for less than she deserves. Len has filled a void in Lizzie’s life, but now their relationship is no longer enough.

When Lizzie receives official notice from the Town of Manningtree that the powers that be intend to plop the grotesque Cortona right in the middle of Old Town, Lizzie vows to fight the invasion. Invoking the spirit of her countryman, William Wallace, aka Braveheart, Lizzie enlists the aid of antique dealer Bernie Depper, her Paisley Set staff, Tiny’s Aunt Connie Provenzano, and the whole town, in her struggle to fend off the developers.

Just when the local drama begins to heat up, a new leading man walks into Lizzie’s life. He’s romantic, considerate, passionate … and, unfortunately, the enemy. It’s none other than Warren Brown, under cover – and under the covers – in the service of North Sea Assets.

Is Lizzie headed for heartbreak? Is Old Town headed for the wrecking ball?

For more on Libby and the movie visit the movie’s official site.

Hairdresser Turned Author

July 17, 2010

We’ve all said “I should write a book” at some time or another. One hairdresser, from North Wales, has and it’s quite a journey. Russell Hughes has had a tough life but he has found the strength and good humor to share it with the world in his book “You’ll Never Make a Hairdresser.” I downloaded this to my iPad via Amazon and followed Russell on his exploits and—as they say in movie reviews—I laughed and I cried. There is a lot of British slang and let’s just say “colorful” language but if that’s all OK with you you’ll see at least part of yourself in his book. You can find where it’s available here.

Here is the description from Amazon:

‘You’ll never make a hairdresser’ is an autobiography detailing the life of a young boy living on a deprived housing estate in Manchester and tracing his progression to the present day and the realisation of his dreams.

The novel includes many humorous experiences; the loss of his virginity to a wheelchair bound client, mobile hairdressing within the housing estate representing the culture and lifestyle of all involved, down to the very poignant moments on the loss of a dearly loved sister to cancer at the age of just 37.

The novel also explores the innermost thoughts and feeling of the author, not only his depression which resulted from the onset of epilepsy at the age of thirty but also on a deeply personal level when he realised that as a heterosexual husband and father he was living a lie.

Following these revelations he embarks on a journey of discovery which finally leads him to the confident and fulfilled gay businessman he is today.

Announcing 7-Day Free Trial and New iPhone Site

July 12, 2010

Exciting announcements today! Due to popular demand we have designed and launched a mobile site for use on iPhone and iPod Touch and now all Salon Fixer videos can be viewed on these devices as well as iPads. Also, today we launch our 7-day free trial! You can take a peek at all things Salon Fixer before deciding to become a part of the family.

Your Time Perspective

July 02, 2010

We received so much positive feedback from the last RSA Animate video we brought to you that we’re linking to another. In this 10-minute video, Philip Zimbardo talks about how our individual time perspectives can influence who we are as a person, how we view relationships and how we act in the world. There are a lot of lessons here we can take back to the salon in regard to communication and training.

RSA Animate – Secret Powers of Time

Dispense with Clutter

June 25, 2010

I’ve visited thousands of salons in my time in the industry and to say that keeping the dispensary and/or color bar clean and organized is a global concern would be an understatement. One New York State salon owner, Joshua Boos, has made it his mission in life to solve this problem that he had lived with for years. Here’s his take:

“I’ve been a hairstylist for over 17 years, worked in 11 salons—2 of them my own. I’ve worked amongst mass chaos in every dispensary that I’ve ever been in and, it’s really sad to say, even my own salons.

Being a business owner, I know what it’s like to see 4 of the same colour tubes opened; all the while a stylist is opening up a new one. It’s really an unbelievable sight—especially when you catch yourself doing it as well!

I started to search for something that would accommodate my needs and found absolutely nothing—not even something I could retrofit! So, with a little thought and ingenuity, I sat down with the issue at hand and voilà, The Colour Organizer was born.

It brings a little sanity back into the salon.”

If you want to check out this stylist’s invention, you can find it here.

The Simple Truths of Service

June 23, 2010

A friend recently sent me this video link that says almost everything you need to know about service in three minutes. Brought to you by the folks at Simple Truths, I’ll let the video speak for itself.

What Motivates Us?

June 18, 2010

If any part of your job (whether you are in a salon or not) is motivating people, please invest 11 minutes to check this video out. Created by RSA Animate to the words of modern management guru Dan Pink, it echoes exactly what I teach salons around the world about motivation. We love this stuff and will bring you more as it relates to the industry.

RSA Animate-Drive

A Tagline You Can't Miss

June 10, 2010

No one has ever accused Robert Brown of hairobért in Germantown, Tennessee of not having a sense of humor. When we came across this shopping bag for his salon we just had to ask what the history was. Here’s what Robert reports:

“The actual slogan was our very first ad for hairobért in the Memphis Flyer after we opened in 1988! My staff and I were playing with variations of Sassoon’s ‘If you don’t look good, we don’t look good’ for the ad and were worried that too pedestrian of an ad would be overlooked. We had incredible response and the actual ad was featured on Jay Leno’s ‘Tonight Show’ for the crazy headlines segment. We have had it printed on everything from t-shirts to coffee mugs and frisbees. These shopping bags were inspired by the Goldwell Trend Zoom world “Ecopolitan” for being ‘green’ and groovy at the same time.”

Thanks for the story Robert—and the laugh!

Keep on Trucking

June 05, 2010

As you know, we’ve been following the progress of the “mobile salon” at SJ Hair Design in the UK from old fire truck to salon on wheels. It’s rolling!

Here is Sarah-Jayne herself behind the wheel of the finished salon, which has already made its debut at a few events—and kept Sarah-Jayne busy with the local and trade press that can’t get enough of the story.

The mobile salon is also a great testament to turning tragedy into something good. Sarah-Jayne says:

“In 2008 my brother died in a car crash. He owned a lot of weird and wonderful machinery and vehicles. We had to sell his estate and property, of which the fire engine was part.

The engine had started to be converted some years previously, into a living/motor home; therefore the back was an empty shell. This vehicle had a lot of sentimental attachment to me so when the auction came up; I bought it (a steal I felt at £450!!).

My original plan was to finish it as a motor home and go on holiday in it! A year down the line I had done nothing with it and decided I didn’t have time so I would sell it. Now where the next bit came from I am not 100% sure, but I do know there must have been alcohol involved!!! I decided it would be a great idea to turn it into a hairdressing salon.

A phone call later to my Dad who project managed my first salon, and we were off. It took a few seconds of silence from him on the phone when I told him the idea, but we both agreed it was a great idea and Clayton (my brother) would be very proud.”

We wish Sarah-Jayne and the team at SJ all the best and hope that the new salon brings them much joy and success.

To see the “before” pictures, look at our earlier blog posts.

Salon Owners to Hit Disney

May 27, 2010

Everyone that’s been on a “Disney Experience” knows it’s priceless but did you know that they teach other top businesses how they do what they do at the Disney Institute? They do.

Award-winning Australian salon owner and businesswoman Libby Dedman decided salons also deserve this kind of information so she organized a special session for a small but elite group to get the information directly from the source this coming August. See Libby’s video message (with all the details) here.

Libby’s team also sent us a note just for Salon Fixer blog readers and viewers:

“We would like to extend a special invitation to all Salon Fixer readers to attend an event organized by Libby and Liberated Business to Disney Institute in August! We are bringing a dedicated group of salon owners from Australia for this event but have a couple of spaces reserved for people from other parts of the world.

Have you heard of the Disney Institute? Not many people in our industry have but it is the backbone of the Disney Empire. All of the systems and marketing procedures that are used in each of the Disney parks are designed, implemented and managed from Disney Institute. Each session is usually held in groups of over 1000 in a large auditorium but Libby’s group will be in a private boardroom with our own educators.

Liberated Business attendees will then be given a tour of the Disney site for a behind-the-scenes view so that they can see these systems in action and talk to the people on the ground to gauge for themselves the success of the implementation of the systems.

There are many courses available but the one that Libby has chosen is “Disney’s Approach to People Management” as Libby believes, and I am sure you will agree, that it all starts with the people, whether they are your staff, clients or suppliers, and that a business only progresses or grows from there.”

Mackinder Makes MOD Even Better

May 20, 2010

You know that we here at Salon Fixer support online industry education in all the places and forms that we find it. Vivienne Mackinder offers it up online in new and exciting ways and who better than this industry great to hang out with online? We love her new and improved MOD Magazine.

In case you haven’t been paying attention and don’t know who Vivienne is, here’s a clip from her bio:

Vivienne Mackinder is one of the most highly respected international leaders and innovators in the hairdressing profession today. In her work as Artistic Director for industry ‘Grand Masters’ Vidal Sassoon and Trevor Sorbie, Vivienne developed an expertise for precision cutting and an eye for original hair design, from the classic and the commercial, to the avant-garde.

Based in New York City, she grew up in London and subsequently opted to ‘spread her wings’ to the United States. She has been honoured with numerous awards, including the prestigious IBS ‘Editors’ Choice Awards (three times). As well as, the much coveted North American Hairstyling Awards (NAHA) (five times), including “Masters.” Honouree – North American Hair Styling Awards “Life Time Achievement” 2009

Vivienne is an ‘in-demand’ featured guest artist-educator for premier international events worldwide and her work is consistently published in the international press.. Vivienne’s career, as a master stylist, is divided between her salon clientele, editorial and advertorial shoots, advertising campaigns and countless special events as featured artist, not to mention her work for entertainment entities, MTV and the VH-1 Fashion Awards. As a session stylist, she has collaborated and designed hair collections for runway fashion collections in New York, Paris, and London.

Backstage Hair at Australian Fashion Week

May 10, 2010

One great thing about technology is that now you can go backstage at every major fashion event and actually see and hear how the hair is being created. Salon Fixer is in Sydney and Rosemount Australian Fashion Week has just ended. One of our favorite sites, hairTVAustralia.com has captured the action for the world to see.

Check out the Aussie fashions and the hair created by some of Australia’s (and the world’s) top hairdressers (many, many of them Salon Fixer subscribers and friends!).

Creative Head to the Head of the Class—Again!

April 29, 2010

It’s no secret that Creative Head Magazine is a Salon Fixer favorite and that Catherine Handcock is one of our favorite people ever. This year, both the magazine and Catherine have been shortlisted to receive one of the most coveted awards in UK publishing. Fluke? Not likely, as they brought home this award last year as the best business magazine in the UK—across ALL industries. Congratulations!

Playing With Floor Plans

April 25, 2010

Most stylists and salon owners love to play with the idea of a new salon or a remodel. We have come across this great, fun, FREE, online tool for making floor plans and seeing them in 2D and 3D. It’s made for homes and offices but with a bit of creativity you can see the salon of your dreams as well. There is nothing to download and putting together your plan is more than easy. Be careful, it’s addictive!

Just Hangin' Around

April 19, 2010

Many people have been asking me about the “hanging” blow dryers in some of our video episodes. These dryers aren’t just hanging from the ceiling but are also “weightless” and turn on automatically when you grab them. This system, created by Freestyle Systems, is pretty ingenious and worth a look if you are remodeling. Great to end clutter and help end sore arms.

Cut Those Apron Strings

April 11, 2010

Ever wish you could find a salon apron that doesn’t make you look like you are wearing a tent or a billboard? The folks at Simply Savvy Aprons by Helen Pham saw a need and filled it with some flirty, sexy salon aprons. We were alerted to these by a model/stylist friend and thought our fans would love to check them out. You can see all of the aprons (they have cooking ones as well) here. Don’t worry men, they tell us designs for you are coming soon.