Salon Today - May 2008 - (Page 31)

T hey are admitted movers and shakers. They quickly established a point of difference, and built stand-out salon businesses, often with thriving, multiple locations. They’ve established themselves not only as successful salon owners, but as business leaders within their communities and within the industry. In essence, they are the Power Players. While we know these are far from the only power players in the industry, they represent a strong sampling from across North America. By examining how they shaped their growth and what they’ve learned from their winning strategies and also their mistakes, you can power your own success. Michael Anthony >Owner, Michael Anthony SalonSpa Established in 1991, Michael Anthony has four locations in Chicago, Illinois. WHAT MAKES YOUR SALON OPERATION UNIQUE? “We offer the client one place to receive all services, and a full-service salon and spa experience—the Michael Anthony Xperience (MAX). We developed a marketing strategy to reach clients who many not be experiencing all departments within the salon, and implemented new programs targeted at ﬁrst-time clients. We’re always doing something in the salon to stay on top. For example, to stay looking fresh, we recently hired a director of operations because we realized that it is often difﬁcult to attract new clients. Our goal is to let customers know about all of our services and try to get them to use these services.” HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE YOUR SUCCESS? “My definition of success is when every part of my life lines up, from my faith to my family. It’s not about all the other things that you think will make you successful. With my wife Andrea’s help, we’ve been able to open almost three locations in three years. One of our strengths is our training program, headed up by Andrea and Creative Directors Ashley Sierra and Souline Yonan, who oversee our education team of 13 stylists and colorists. The easy part of the training is the technical side. But we ﬁnd many people don’t have the life skills they need, so we try to pick up where they’re at now and coach them and teach them on everything from how to speak to customers to building life skills.” WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR STRONGEST STRATEGIC MOVE IN THE BUILDING OF YOUR BUSINESS? “Location is an important part of our growth. The opening of our State Street salon in 2006 was our ﬁrst downtown location, and a huge opportunity for growth. We recently opened in Wicker Park, in a move that now gives us two locations to grow into as a company. Clients can choose between any of our four convenient locations in Chicago. Our strategy is to grow what we have. We will be working on increasing our staff by 40 stylists and colorists over the next three years. The goal we’ve set for each of our salon professionals is to be 85-percent busy.” KNOWING WHAT YOU KNOW NOW, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY? “I think we have stayed consistent with company standards over the last 17 years, but I think we would have implemented more goal setting, such as what we’re doing now.” HOW DO YOU KEEP CONNECTED TO THE INDUSTRY? “Keeping an eye on our staff because they are the ones who bring in the new fashion and ideas. We also send our creative directors to New York, Italy and London for new ideas.” WHAT MOTIVATES YOU? “Seeing the people we hire and train grow within the business and company cultures at Michael Anthony. The potential for growth is endless. And, seeing ﬁrst-year hairdressers today who really understand salon operations and how to build clientele—that’s motivating.” > www.salontoday.com May 2008 | 31 http://www.salontoday.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Salon Today - May 2008

Salon Today - May 2008 Contents Editor's Note Reception Fashion Sense Spa Menu Round Table Decor Rave Reviews Power Players The Business of Make-Up Products Owner to Owner

Salon Today - May 2008

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