On average, only about 30% of new salon clients book a second appointment. A few write negative reviews online, but many simply don't come back. Why is that?

Our guest this episode, Kati Witledge, says clients often don't return because they weren't matched with the best stylist to meet their unique needs at that first appointment. Her company, mya, provides a software that allows potential clients to find a stylist match before they even set foot in your salon. mya empowers the salon to market to those clients, and makes booking a breeze. 

In this meaty conversation, Kati and host Blake Reed Evans also get into common pain points of client acquisition and retention, tools to grow your salon company's marketing reach, and how to prep your team to make a great first impression. 

LEARN MORE

joinmya.com

IG: @join_mya

TikTok: join_mya

Follow Summit Salon Business Center on Instagram @SummitSalon, and on TikTok at SummitSalon. 

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. 

In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, uncertainty reigned in the salon industry. Questions like “When will I be allowed to open back up?” “Is it worth the risk to go to work?” and “Will my company survive this?” were on the minds of owners and staff. Leaders had a choice: put on a brave face for their workers, or be honest about their fears. Our guest Derek Reynolds says learning to be vulnerable helped him connect with employees on a deeper level. 

Also during the pandemic, the motivations of salon pros shifted more towards flexibility and time with family. In this episode, Derek and host Blake Reed Evans discuss how to navigate this new landscape with compassion, and why it’s okay not to be okay. 

Derek is the team leader for the Leadership Division and a salon consultant with Summit Salon Business Center,  general manager of Cutler Salons in New York City, and a certified Enneagram practitioner.

To learn more about Summit’s leadership coaching and retreats, visit summitsalon.com/wellness-culture/summit-leadership-system

SUMM IT UP is produced by Erica Furgiuele. Tim Fisk is the executive editor. Find all of our past episodes at summitsalon.com/summ-it-up-podcast-new, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. 

This episode was originally published in July of 2022. 

Follow Summit Salon Business Center on Instagram @SummitSalon, and on TikTok at SummitSalon. 

Follow host Blake Reed Evans on Instagram @BlakeReedEvans and on TikTok at blakereedevans. His DM's are always open! You can email him at [email protected]. 

Visit us at SummitSalon.com  to connect with others in the industry.  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. 

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. 

Andrew Carruthers is a stylist educator and trainer and a Sam Villa culture ambassador. He also coaches private clients inside and outside the beauty industry through his company The Journeyist. Our conversation in this episode is about managing stress and controlling reactivity – skills essential to communication and leadership. You’ll learn simple breathing techniques from the Oxygen Advantage method and get an introduction to Multiple Brain Integration (mBIT), a holistic practice for processing thoughts and feelings. Andrew Carruthers joins us from his home in Olympia, Washington. 

Connect with Andrew on Instagram 

@andrew.carruthers  or visit his website thejourneyist.life.

SUMM IT UP is produced by Erica Furgiuele. 

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.  

This episode originally aired on December 20, 2023. 

Follow Summit Salon Business Center on Instagram @SummitSalon, and on TikTok at SummitSalon. 

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. 

The relationship between a stylist and their repeat guest is special. But if you build that special relationship with enough people over time, you might feel maxed out because your days are so busy. You have a waiting list. So you raise your prices, but that waiting list doesn’t get any shorter. 

Though you may feel like you can’t handle one more thing, this could be the perfect time to bring on an associate - a recent hair school grad to work with you behind the chair. And if you’re worried that bringing on an associate might upset that relationship you’ve built with your guests, Paige Lowe is here to allay your fears. 

Paige Lowe is a Summit Certified Associate Trainer and a stylist at Glam Street Salon in Grayslake, Illinois, where she currently works with three associates behind the chair! In this episode, Paige and host Blake Reed Evans dispel some misconceptions about working with associates and discuss how to develop a partnership where both stylist and associate can grow. 

This episode was originally released in August 2022. 

LEARN MORE

Find Paige on Instagram @paige_glamstreetsalon, or reach out to her at [email protected].

SUMM IT UP is produced by Erica Furgiuele. 

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. 

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. 

The way most salons manage their color results in a loss of profits - that's why Tim Howard co-founded Vish, software that is revolutionizing how salons manage their color so they can reduce waste and increase their profits. Tim has over 25 years of experience in the salon industry and is the former owner of two award-winning salons. He chats with Blake about how salons can charge clients correctly for their color, what needs to change in the industry, and how salons can best reinvest extra revenue back into their business. 

LEARN MORE

Visit getvish.com. 

SUMM IT UP is produced by Erica Furgiuele. 

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. 

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. 

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 nearly 700k followers on social media. 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

SUMM IT UP is produced by Erica Furgiuele. 

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. 

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. 

What is going through students' minds when they go on salon tours? What gives them the sense that the vibes are right, and what is on their dreaded "ick list" when it comes to salon culture? This episode is all about supporting and welcoming the next generation of stylists who are ready to begin their careers. 

Our guest this episode is Beonca Torres, Associate Trainer with the Summit Salon team and Director of Distance Learning and Placement Coordinator at Summit Salon Academy Tampa.  Beonca chats with Blake about what student stylists are looking for when they go on a salon tour and then choose the salon where they will begin their career. 

LEARN MORE

Learn more about Beonca on her Summit Salon profile page.

Follow Beonca on Instagram @beoncatorres

SUMM IT UP is produced by Erica Furgiuele. 

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. 

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. 

The enneagram is a powerful personality assessment tool that looks at the core motivations and fears behind our actions. Knowing your enneagram type can help you play to your strengths, and be more mindful of your weaknesses. In a salon company, an enneagram assessment can help build better leaders, and help close communication gaps within a team. 

Our guest this episode is Jen Culverhouse, owner of Urban Eve Salon in Texas and Minnesota, Summit leadership trainer, and Certified Enneagram Coach. Jen chats with Blake about how to put the enneagram to use in salon companies, and offers a topline overview of the nine personality types. (We’ll have to have her back to go more in-depth!) Want to learn your type or book an enneagram assessment for your salon company? Get in touch with Jen below. 

This episode was originally released in February 2023. 

LEARN MORE

Download Summit’s Enneagram Overview

Email Jen: [email protected]

Follow Jen on IG jennifer_enneagram_guide

SUMM IT UP is produced by Andrea Muraskin. 

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. 

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. 

In this episode, we switch things up and put host Blake Reed Evans in the hot seat. In conversation with Summit Director of Brand Development Tim Fisk, Blake spills the beans on how he became an influencer and super in-demand educator, while still working behind the chair and managing employees at Shear Art Salon in Tampa, Fl. Plus, how he balances family life and "time to do absolutely nothing" with the life of a entrepreneur. 

Thinking of expanding your work in the industry beyond the salon? Blake's got tips on how to get noticed and how to financially prepare for a career transition. You won't want to miss this one. 

Follow Summit Salon Business Center on Instagram @SummitSalon, and on TikTok at SummitSalon. 

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. 

Stacey Soble is Director of Brand Content Strategy at SALON TODAY, the only salon industry media 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. 

Submissions for the 2025  SALON TODAY 200 start in August 2024. 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. 

Follow Summit Salon Business Center on Instagram @SummitSalon, and on TikTok at SummitSalon. 

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.