word. with Gordon Miller

It's been amazing to observe the evolution of social media over the course of 15+ years Over time, the platforms have evolved as sources of information - today serving up a weird mix of the truth, half-truths, & and some bold lies (and seemingly everything in between). Today I'm riffing on the growing conversations being shared by certain coaches on social about how the world looks at the pro beauty space (or how some think they do) -and what it all might mean. For early access to future episodes, please visit www.socialbeautymakers.com to sign up for my free weekly e-newsletter.

This week, I had the honor of speaking at the annual Intercoiffure AC Fall Atelier in Chicago. Shaping Tomorrow’s Salon: The Transformative Power of Artificial Intelligence was the name of my talk -and I was thrilled to hear from so many that they were using AI in their businesses for a variety of purposes. I was even more excited to hear from many who were hesitant about AI that the presentation gave them the proverbial green light to give it a go. In this episode, I dig back into the hot topic of AI with some new insights. For early access to future episodes, please visit www.socialbeautymakers.com to sign up for my free weekly e-newsletter.

This week's episode is inspired by a recent panel discussion I was lucky enough to be a part of at Moroccanoil's recent big event: The Collective. The panel focus was on challenges and opportunities facing the industry globally - and although i was honored and loved every bit of it, i left wanting to talk more about this big topic. Thanks to my fellow panelists behindthechair.com founder Mary Rector, PBA's Leslie Perry, Moroccanoil Pro Brand Ambassador Richie Grisello -and to our host Robert Ham, VP of Global Education- for inspiring today's episode.

My take on how podcasts have changed pro beauty's educational landscape relative to business and career building -plus a great listener hack AND my own top ten list of recommended podcasts. A natural extension of the once very popular business educator old-school cassettes and CDs, podcasts offer efficiencies in learning that are too often ignored by too many. Related specifically to business-related content, my best guess is that podcast listenership around salon and spa career and business topics far exceeds the online video audience for similar content. For early access to future episodes, please visit www.socialbeautymakers.com to sign up for my free weekly e-newsletter. 

The next in a series of updates on my newest favorite innovation: the quickly changing Artificial Intelligence landscape, what's happening in our larger world around it - and what it might all mean for the pro salon industry. My own take on AI is that it will lead to a series of ongoing innovations across categories of the industry. I see growing proof points of what may be soon coming our way in education (pro and schools), media, marketing, business management - and, in time, color formulating and client (self!) consultations. For early access to future episodes, please visit www.socialbeautymakers.com to sign up for my free weekly e-newsletter.

Community is a most powerful idea -one that has been too often co-opted by big platforms to 'dress up' the more appropriate adjective: 'audience'. In preparation for a recent live talk, I spent time researching, listening, and pondering. The outcome: I am more excited about the true power of real community than ever (but too often struggle to find it). Listen in for a post-event casual recording of my take on the topic. Huge thanks to @paulmitchell for inviting me to speak at Camp Paul Mitchell! It was an amazing event that brought together passionate professionals, @paulmitchellpro's brilliant team of inspired educators, artists, and leaders ...with NATURE!

We seem to be in the midst of a major softening of business across a significant percentage of salons. My take is that much of this is a consumer-driven correction related to an overreaction by many salons to advice saying"raise your prices!" - with little to no context. Inflation is very real but too many coaches are using it as clickbait to grab attention while seemingly not understanding the complexities of inflation and salon pricing strategies. I also get into what's trending with tips plus the importance of growing new revenue categories during tough times. For early access to future episodes, please visit www.socialbeautymakers.com to sign up for my free weekly e-newsletter

Just me, myself, and I talking my way through the ongoing evolution of salon business trends impacting most of us in one way or another (and doing so faster than ever!). I touch on everything from the tremendous growth of misinformation to its connection to a veil of uncertainty layered over the entire industry. From there, I'll dig into the various salon niches and talk about how we need to think about each within the context of the category itself (versus others) - and do my best to tie it all to the idea of a 'life cycle' around both careers and businesses. For early access to future episodes, please visit www.socialbeautymakers.com to sign up for my free weekly e-newsletter

In our larger world, the idea of facts vs fiction and/or truth vs opinion seems to be a very murky concept that too many are using to not only create wedges amongst us all but also as a way to confuse--and 'market' to us. In this episode, I try to add some much-needed context to this trend as well as speak to the importance of language -and some data all should consider when thinking about the word "entrepreneur". For early access to future episodes, please visit www.socialbeautymakers.com to sign up for my free weekly e-newsletter.

The marketers' buzz may go mostly to TikTok + Instagram these days but every bit of data points to Facebook as remaining not only highly relevant but also highly valuable to large and small businesses alike - when used effectively. From Stories and Reels to Facebook Lives, the platform remains a juggernaut of activity...and ATTENTION. Here's my take on some key data points- plus a reminder that success for many salons and salon pros today is very much about the diversification of the client mix; and that is a very BIG idea, indeed! For early access to future episodes, please visit www.socialbeautymakers.com to sign up for my free weekly e-newsletter.