Salon Today - May 2008 - (Page 34)

POWER PLAYERS John Donato >Owner and President, Donato Salons+Spas Established in 1983 maintains two locations within Toronto, Ontario, and recently launched a magazine about the salon. HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE YOUR SUCCESS? “To me, success is having lots of opportunities and not having to work behind the chair if I don’t want to. I can choose to see clients in the studio, travel abroad and work on education, contribute to product development, or work on a shoot. There’s a lot of variety and I can participate in all the worlds from ﬁlm to studio. I don’t believe success comes from being comfortable financially—that comes from loving what you do.” WHAT ARE THE KEYS TO YOUR BUSINESS SUCCESS? “I believe there are three key areas—location, marketing and education. I have two salons, but I could grow that to 100 if I had the desire to because I have the structure in those three areas.” KNOWING WHAT YOU KNOW NOW, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY? “I would have dedicated more space to my retail concept. In my larger salon, my retail area is 1,200 square feet, but I wish I had 2,000 square feet. I wish I had more space so I could integrate ‘try-me’ sample bars and other interactive areas.” HOW DO YOU STAY CONNECTED TO THE INDUSTRY? “I go to more trade shows than anybody. I’m a board member of Intercoiffure and maintain a strong friendship with several owners, manufacturers and distributors. I also do a lot of consulting for manufacturers. All that keeps me very connected.” WHAT MOTIVATES YOU? “Again, I love a good trade show—I always come away with a great idea and it’s such a reminder of the things that I’m not paying attention to. I was speaking at a show in Miami a few weeks ago and after my presentation I stayed to hear the other speakers. Several attendees remarked how unusual it is for a speaker to watch the other acts—but whether I’m watching someone cut hair or talk about management, I always enjoy hearing what others have to say.” WHO INSPIRES YOU AND WHY? “One of my biggest inspirations comes from my dad who was a hairdresser and an entrepreneur who emigrated from Italy in 1950 and became a success in business and in life.” HOW DO YOU CELEBRATE SUCCESS IN YOUR BUSINESS? “Once a month we hold a staff meeting. It always opens with a creative presentation, then we talk about general business, and we always end by celebrating the success we’ve experienced in the last month. For example, we recognize those who’ve hit milestones, received great letters from clients, earned a promotion or award or had their work published.” Inez Gray >Founder, Habitude Salon and Spas Founded in 1996, Habitude has two locations in Seattle, Washington. WHAT MAKES YOUR SALON OPERATION UNIQUE? “Habitude is a real word—used more in the French language than in ours—it means a state of body or mind. What makes us unique is our culture—our devotion to how our company makes our customers feel. Hair cuts, massages, nails and skin care—we do it all really well like our competitors, but Habitude clients leave ﬁlled up with a soulful experience which is much harder to replicate and adds amazing value to their whole experience. They leave in a different state of body and mind.” HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE YOUR SUCCESS? “My success is realized when, on sunny summer camping trips with my three kids in Yellowstone, I don’t call the salon for two weeks and don’t even worry; during group interviews, my management teams gets teary-eyed laughing about the opportunities they have realized; on those days we are faxing documents for anxious and excited kids out of beauty school and buying their ﬁrst condo—something neither they or their parents thought they would accomplish; I think about all of the people who have worked hard for Habitude, learned a lot and now are successful salon owners themselves; when the kids on my team have more in their 401(k) than their sisters and friends who are dentists and bankers and business types; every morning when I get up and can’t wait to see what crazy path ‘the Tude’ is going to take me today.” KNOWING WHAT YOU KNOW NOW, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY? “I’m not much of a ‘look backer.’ Every mistake I have made has taught me an incredible amount, and I know I wouldn’t be who I am or where I am without them. I do wish I would have videotaped every staff meeting—I would like to sit and watch myself grow up!” 34 | May 2008 www.salontoday.com 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

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.