Salon Today - May 2008 - (Page 36)

POWER PLAYERS KNOWING WHAT YOU KNOW NOW, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY? “We would have started earlier! The beauty industry is powerful in how it touches guests and inspires passionate people to fulﬁll their dreams. We have had the honor to watch many people grow and reach their goals with the environment we have created over the years.” HOW DO YOU KEEP CONNECTED TO THE INDUSTRY? “Our connection to our people and the industry has always been a priority. Serious Business is an annual business summit hosted by Neill Corporation that we look forward to each year. We also favor domestic and global hair shows.” WHO INSPIRES YOU AND WHY? “The success that our team achieves inspires our vision of Modern Salon and Spa. Whether it’s striving to be pre-booked for three months or achieving an Aveda Purefessional status, having the pleasure of watching them fulﬁll their dreams and desires is what coming to work is all about. With nearly 200 employees, we have a lot of success to watch!” HOW DO YOU CELEBRATE SUCCESS IN YOUR BUSINESS? “Once a month, we hold a joint staff meeting where the entire company comes together. Each location manager picks an employee for a monthly superlative, and that employee is recognized with a colorful award and a $25 product gift certiﬁcate. We also have Modern money that’s given as on-the-spot recognition. It is designed in $5 increments and is given to employees who go above the call of duty, such as acting out of their job description, driving a co-worker to work, or handling a unique customer situation with grace. The great aspect of Modern money is that staff can hand it out to each other, as well as their manager.” WHAT’S THE BEST BUSINESS-BUILDING BOOK YOU’VE EVER READ? “To name a few of the books that have guided us through the years: The 80/20 Principle, Think and Grow Rich, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People and The Eighth Habit.” Gretchen Monahan >CEO, President and Coach, Gretta Enterprises Founded in 1995, Gretta Enterprises consists of three Grettacole fullservice salons and spas, the hip and trendy GSpa, and Grettaluxe, a cutting-edge fashion boutique. All are located in the greater Boston area. WHAT MAKES YOUR SALON OPERATION UNIQUE? “We’ve managed to offer celebrity-level services to everyday women. We were the ﬁrst salon, and still one of a few, in Boston to be departmentalized and maintain an apprenticeship and training program that encourages our staff members to develop a level of expertise in line with other professionals, like physicians. Our focus on giving our clients makeovers led to us being fashion consultants and personal shoppers. Eventually that led to the opening of a boutique.” HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE SUCCESS? “We still deﬁne our success one client at a time—that’s the key that makes it work. We designed a business that’s very personal and we keep it that way even as we grow larger. At each location, we know every single client, and each client feels a part of the family.” WHAT HAS BEEN THE STRONGEST STRATEGIC MOVE IN THE BUILDING OF YOUR COMPANY? “Examining my role as onsite expert and leader-onthe-ﬂoor and challenging myself to grow the brand beyond on a national level as an on-air expert. One of this industry’s biggest curses is that when you remove the prima ballerina from the business, it all falls apart. It was very, very difﬁcult to put my trust in the business and entrust the management to my staff—but it was a great decision. Today I do a segment called ‘Take-away’ on Rachael Ray’s syndicated talk show, transferring beauty and fashion trends to everyday women. I also frequently appear on other shows, such as The View, Regis and Kelly and the Today Show. KNOWING WHAT YOU KNOW NOW, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY? “Become the owner of my property. One of the biggest challenges as you grow your busi- ness and ﬁnally get the economics to work, is to have your rent go sky-high.” HOW DO YOU CELEBRATE SUCCESS IN YOUR BUSINESS? “Because I’m away so much, I do it by spending as much time as possible with my staff and I’m lucky that they want to spend time with me. I try to include as many people as possible in some of these opportunities. For example, today I’m working on the set with Rachael Ray, and I’ve brought my partner, Nicole Leone, and two of our stylists to help. They’re excited and proud to partake in something so special, and that helps me keep people.” WHAT’S THE BEST BUSINESS-BUILDING BOOK YOU’VE EVER READ? “I loved Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company a Cup at Time—it shows how the coffee house differentiated itself in the marketplace and is pretty damn inspirational. But one of my new favorites is Cathie Black’s Basic Black: The Essential Guide for Getting Ahead at Work and in Life. It’s a wonderful, easy read, and she has so much to say about how women view life in 360 degrees.” 36 | 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

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