This week I’m speaking with a Harvard and Wharton Business School grad and founder of Busy Salons. He is president of Salon Ninja, and the creator of A-Game Mastery Coaching. He is a Hi-Performance coach and has worked with many high profile salon artists. It’s my honour today to chat with Andrew Finkelstein.

• Andrew shares how he got started in the beauty industry after graduating from Harvard business school 
• How business school was helpful to a point, but he realized that many people have to start with training their minds to think like a business person, and that doesn’t necessarily mean the numbers
• Managing starts with managing yourself, and building the right habits 
• Andrew shares the difference between inspiration and motivation

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This week I'm with a great friend who is a 13-time NAHA finalist and winner. His work has appeared in almost every industry magazine in the world. He’s been on Oprah, CNN, and Good Morning America. He has styled for movies, music videos, and fashion runways. Here is Mr Nicholas French!

• One of the best pieces of advice that Nicholas got from his father when he was only 10 years old: “Keep your eyes open 24 hrs a day because you never know what you are going to see”. You have to always be on the lookout for inspiration. 

• Nick explains how he makes the distinction between fantasy and avant garde.

• Nicholas’s favorite quote: "Fashion is fleeting but technique stays the same."

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Check out more episodes and the videos at https://chrisbaran.com/podcast

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✅ Exclusive content on how to implement and scale your salon training the easy way

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Today I sit down with the Midwest Hairstyling Awards Hairstylist of the Year, NAHA Educator of the Year and Director of the Hair Labs Detroit Barber School, Mr Rodrick Samuels. 

Rodrick shares some great nuggets of wisdom this week including his top 3 list for students - you have to show up, you have to work hard and you have to listen. 

He shares how education has changed so much from when he was in school, how teaching is 1000% different now. 

Hear about the importance of failure and how this has always pushed Rodrick in his lifetime. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Check out more episodes and the videos at https://chrisbaran.com/podcast

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Today’s guest is not just a dear friend but a certified visionary who has left an indelible mark on the beauty industry. He’s an award-winning colorist and stylist, a former Global Artistic Director for Matrix, and a creative force whose work has graced international magazine covers, advertising campaigns, and stages worldwide.

But that’s not all—he’s also an internationally acclaimed photographer, capturing breathtaking moments with his own creations and those of other exceptional artists. His passion for creativity and community led him to establish the CBC, a global collective of beauty talents and brands, sparking collaboration and innovation across the industry. And CBC Productions has produced awe-inspiring content, from stage presentations to photoshoots, and he launched the iconic Collective INKD magazine.

He’s truly one of the most unforgettable icons of our time, and I couldn’t be more excited to have him here. So, let’s dive into this week’s HeadCase with the inimitable Chrystofer Benson.

6:26 Industry Recognition and Success 

23:49 Early Career and Influences 

46:46 Formation of Chrystofer Benson Collective 

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Check out more episodes and the videos at https://chrisbaran.com/podcast

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✅ Exclusive content on how to implement and scale your salon training the easy way

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This week’s guest is Nieves Almaraz, winner of NAHA Men’s Hairstylist of the Year 2021. With a barbering license and a cosmetology license, Nieves owns a barbershop and a barber school and thrives on inspiration.

• Opened his first barbershop at 23 years old and was immediately swamped with bookings
• Started attending hair shows and was overwhelmed with inspiration
• Became a volunteer at hair shows so he could walk the show floor and meet his inspirations.
• People would stop him on the floor to take photos of his fades, asking him how he did them. So he made an instructional video on his technique.
• Barbers are very knowledgeable and take it to the next business level
• What’s the one thing he would tell his younger self?

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Check out more episodes and the videos at https://chrisbaran.com/podcast

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✅ Exclusive content on how to implement and scale your salon training the easy way

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Today's guest is especially exciting for me - not just because he’s an incredibly talented hairdresser, but because his passions extend far beyond hair to art, music, and fashion. Based in the UK, his creativity and vision have landed his work in TV and top industry magazines.

Recently, Creative Head Magazine honored him with the Business Thinker Award for building an outstanding multi-faceted brand. They even called him a ‘genius and an inspiration,’ and once you hear about his journey, you’ll see why. From salons and studios to academies and even a farm that sources ingredients for his product line, he has created a truly multi-platform empire.

He is the founder and creative director of the Electric brand, which includes Electric Salons, the Electric Studio, Electric Education Academy, and the Electric product range. Let’s dive into this week’s Headcases with the visionary Mark Woolley.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Check out more episodes and the videos at https://chrisbaran.com/podcast

⭐️ Join our FREE Facebook community for Salon Team Trainers today. https://facebook.com/groups/salonteamtraining

✅ Exclusive content on how to implement and scale your salon training the easy way

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I’m excited to chat with my next guest, a Lifetime Achievement winner and a Hall of Heroes award winner, Ginger Boyle. 

• Ginger shares how she lived off the grid for a year waiting for her cosmetology license 
• She took a chance and moved across the country to work for Horst
• How sometimes on the road for hair shows, they would have to get their “models” in the mall or bar
• Hear how Ginger took having an affirmation to help her through a rough patch, to a daily online affirmation for thousands of people

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Check out more episodes and the videos at https://chrisbaran.com/podcast

⭐️ Join our FREE Facebook community for Salon Team Trainers today. https://facebook.com/groups/salonteamtraining

✅ Exclusive content on how to implement and scale your salon training the easy way

✅ Save time and learn what works from people just like you

✅ Get back to your mission of building the salon business and creating more jobs

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This week’s guest has inspired an entire generation of hairdressers. Benni Tognini is an Australian icon, considered the father of avant garde hairdressing

Benni and his team have won a string of international accolades, including World Master of the Craft. He’s the man behind the powerhouse Togninis brand.

I am so lucky to have Benni as a very good friend, and it was a pleasure to sit down and chat with him about how he got started.

-Benni's realization that sports and hairdressing are similar, with patterns in the training, practicing, and discipline.

-How Benni entered competition after competition and learned the value of failure.

-The many mistakes that helped him become great.

-Fear is where you find the answers.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Check out more episodes and the videos at https://chrisbaran.com/podcast

⭐️ Join our FREE Facebook community for Salon Team Trainers today. https://facebook.com/groups/salonteamtraining

✅ Exclusive content on how to implement and scale your salon training the easy way

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My guest is an Aveda Global Master and NAHA Master with an impressive list of accolades, including Hairdresser of the Year, Avant-Garde Stylist of the Year, Salon Team of the Year, and twice Makeover Stylist of the Year. He’s been named one of the top 20 salon owners in the U.S. and one of the top 75 educators of the century.

He’s earned Lifetime Achievement Awards from Aveda and the Art and Fashion Group and is an Aveda World Master Award winner. With nine Atlanta-area salons, 250+ service providers, and a partnership with 40 salons in Japan, he’s truly a global industry legend.

So, let’s dive into this week’s Head Case with the one and only Van Council. Van, welcome—it’s an honor to finally sit down and have this long-overdue conversation!"

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Check out more episodes and the videos at https://chrisbaran.com/podcast

⭐️ Join our FREE Facebook community for Salon Team Trainers today. https://facebook.com/groups/salonteamtraining

✅ Exclusive content on how to implement and scale your salon training the easy way

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As a leading beauty innovator for more than 20 years, Nick Stenson has dedicated his career to creating and advocating for exceptional, inclusive beauty experiences, services and products.

With multiple nominations and wins in the prestigious North American Hairstyling Awards and a beauty brand of their own, this week’s Headcases is a true hair hero! In this week’s episode we learn more about Nick’s journey into the industry and how he invests in himself.

• Nick talks about his background growing up around hairdressers
• Chris and Nick discuss finding what you love and being happy
• ‘What you do in this industry is up to you’ Nick discusses investing in yourself  
• Learning about Nick’s start in education
• The importance of having a good team 
• Nick and Chris discuss the biggest thing he has learned about being a leader 
• What does it mean to be an introvert?
• Chris asks what the one thing is that Nick dislikes about the industry 

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Check out more episodes and the videos at https://chrisbaran.com/podcast

⭐️ Join our FREE Facebook community for Salon Team Trainers today. https://facebook.com/groups/salonteamtraining

✅ Exclusive content on how to implement and scale your salon training the easy way

✅ Save time and learn what works from people just like you

✅ Get back to your mission of building the salon business and creating more jobs

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