There is no doubt that the pandemic has transformed the way that professionals and businesses operating in the beauty sector go about purchasing products.

In this episode, Tanuja Singeetham, who has spearheaded the creation of the SALONORY.com platform for Henkel, looks back at a journey that started in August 2020 when she joined the firm. Observing how these buying habits were changing, Tanuja and Henkel knew there was a gap developing in the market for a multi-brand portal that could form the basis of a new digital community.

Speaking about the rationale and purpose of SALONORY, Tanuja reveals some of the secrets to its success to date, including the introduction of live events and exclusive discounts to give beauty industry professionals a helping hand.

She also looks ahead to the future and highlights some of the priority focus areas for the platform moving forward, including the all-important trend towards highly personalized shopping experiences.

One of the tallest hurdles for the salon and beauty industry is customer retention. CareCredit may have a solution. CareCredit is a health and wellness credit card that offers promotional financial options to cardholders, enabling them to purchase services with confidence – and in return, help boost their loyalty to your business. Jill Behm, General Manager, CareCredit Specialty, joins our podcast to highlight why salon owners should consider offering the CareCredit credit card to their clients.

So, you’ve noticed that your client’s hair is thinning—now what? Nutrafol (@nutrafol) co-founder and chief medical advisor Dr. Sophia Kogan chats with Scott J Salons owner Scott Buchanan (@scottjaveda) about the root causes of thinning hair—from stress to hormones to diet—and how stylists can best help their clients. Listen in to learn more!

Technology can revolutionize the way you run your salon business, but many stylists and owners don’t realize what they’re missing out on. Rachel D’Angelo, Rosy Salon Software Director of Client and Partner Relations, shares the struggles she faced as a stylist and salon suite owner and how embracing technology transformed the way she did business—including streamlining everyday but important tasks like appointment scheduling, communicating with clients and purchasing products in an all-in-one system. Discover how you too can use technology to enhance your business experience.

We launch our American Salon Stories podcast with Passion Squared’s "Chief Awesomeness Empowerer”, Nina Kovner. A regular contributor to American Salon, and one of the most social and digital media savvy professionals we know, Nina shares her story and professional passions (along with some best advice) with American Salon Publisher, Gordon Miller. This from PassionSqaured.net: "We know that awesome business owners are created from the inside out and we work to empower our clients with a focus on online + offline marketing, strategy, brand development and personal development. At Passion Squared, we go straight to the heart of the matter to help you heal and gain clarity so you can build an awesome business and life. We are passionate about eliminating confusion and chaos around how to create, build and grow; some of the biggest challenges we have as humans and as creative small business owners."

Michael Cole is one of the salon industry’s most important career and business coaches. In today’s conversation, Michael shares insights into the fundamentals of creating success, key best practices for utilizing social media as a career building tool, as well as some of the story behind his iconic career. The founder, stockholder and board member of Summit Salon Business Center, Michael is also a top global business educator for L’Oreal PPD (including Redken, Matrix, L’Oreal Professional, and Essie). Michael possesses a unique ability to observe industry business trends and translate them into systems and methods by which salons can achieve dramatic growth. His newest program, Step Up!—Fast Track to Wealth, trains professionals to dramatically grow their income in record time. Visit summitsalon.com for info.

David Thurston is the founder of Pulp Riot, an innovative hair color line that is part of Luxury Brand Partners family of products (that also includes Oribe, R+Co, and Smith & Cult). In this episode, David shares his take on the changing industry landscape being driven in large measure by the digital and social revolution in how professionals communicate, learn and make purchases. David is founder of the Los Angeles based Butterfly Loft salon, co-founder of the affiliated Ubungalows (salon suites) and Butterfly Circus, a traveling collection of educators teaching in an innovative, fast-paced format (that has been a game changer for the industry). David also offers consulting services on an array of subjects, including building and running salons, salon suites, and social media. Learn more at pulpriothair.com

Gerard Scarpaci is co-founder of Hairbrained, the world’s leading online community of "craft hairdressers". Gerard is recognized around the world as a leading educator and innovator. His long career includes time with brands such as Sassoon Academy, Aveda, Paul Mitchell and Arrojo. Following the launch of Hairbrained (along with co-founder Randy Taylor), he has become a leading voice in the social and digital space for salon professionals, and an advocate for the highest standards in hairdressing. Gerard shares the unique story behind his coming into the industry, key ideas behind building success as well as the big ideas that have made Hairbrained an important resource for sharing ideas, information and art across the globe.

With over 100,000 Instagram followers (@alfredo_lewis), Alfredo is clearly "walking the talk" when it comes to leveraging social media as a far-reaching, game-changing medium for us all. The leader of a team of over 50 influencer brand ambassadors for Brazilian Professionals, parent company of Brazilian Blowout and Brazilian Bond Builder (b3), he shares some of the story behind the brand’s innovative marketing and educational strategies as well as thoughts on how social media is changing the careers of professionals in salons across the industry. Alfredo also shares some of his own story as a professional in this engaging conversation.

Sam Villa is one of the salon industry’s most revered and respected educators. The award winning, founding partner of the Sam Villa® brand is one of the most dedicated and passionate professionals we know. Recently named Global Artistic Ambassador for Redken 5th Avenue, Sam is a true pioneer when it comes to utilizing social media to educate and engage our professional community. With over 725,000 followers on Instragram and 40 million views on Youtube, he is leading the way for professionals, salons and brands alike. Listen in as Sam shares his experience as an educator, gives insights into growing and sustaining a career for the long term as well as telling the story behind his iconic career.