Episodes
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In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, uncertainty reigned in the salon industry. Questions like âWhen will I be allowed to open back up?â âIs it worth the risk to go to work?â and âWill my company survive this?â 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 itâs 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 Summitâs 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 youâd 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. Join our online community for certified Summit salons, spas, barber shops and beauty schools.
Sign up for our newsletter, Your Weekly Game Plan to stay on top of our events and trainings.
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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 â skills essential to communication and leadership. Youâll 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 youâd 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. Join our online community for certified Summit salons, spas, barber shops and beauty schools.
Sign up for our newsletter, Your Weekly Game Plan to stay on top of our events and trainings.
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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 doesnât get any shorter.
Though you may feel like you canât 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 youâre worried that bringing on an associate might upset that relationship youâve 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 youâd 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. Join our online community for certified Summit salons, spas, barber shops and beauty schools.
Sign up for our newsletter, Your Weekly Game Plan to stay on top of our events and trainings.
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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 youâd 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. Join our online community for certified Summit salons, spas, barber shops and beauty schools.
Sign up for our newsletter, Your Weekly Game Plan to stay on top of our events and trainings.
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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 youâd 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. Join our online community for certified Summit salons, spas, barber shops and beauty schools.
Sign up for our newsletter, Your Weekly Game Plan to stay on top of our events and trainings.
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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 youâd 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. Join our online community for certified Summit salons, spas, barber shops and beauty schools.
Sign up for our newsletter, Your Weekly Game Plan to stay on top of our events and trainings.
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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. (Weâll 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 Summitâs 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 youâd 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. Join our online community for certified Summit salons, spas, barber shops and beauty schools.
Sign up for our newsletter, Your Weekly Game Plan to stay on top of our events and trainings.
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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. Join our online community for certified Summit salons, spas, barber shops and beauty schools.
Sign up for our newsletter, Your Weekly Game Plan to stay on top of our events and trainings.
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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 decadesâas 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. Join our online community for certified Summit salons, spas, barber shops and beauty schools.
Sign up for our newsletter, Your Weekly Game Plan to stay on top of our events and trainings.
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Whether you have never worked with an associate before, or you've been a trainer for years and are looking to update your methods, this episode is for you! Not only do associates provide an extra pair of hands, but they provide the opportunity to book more guests, maximize productivity, and help your salon run like a well-oiled machine.
Our guest Molly Limes Getz is a Senior Educator and Partner at Soto Signature Salon and Spa in Perrysburg, Ohio. She's also a Redken Artist, a Sam Villa Ambassador, and co-host of Detangled Podcast.
Molly and host Blake Reed Evans both started as associates, and work with associates daily behind the chair. In this high-energy interview, they cover recruitment, onboarding, how to introduce new associates to guests, and so much more.
This episode was originally published in April 2023.
Learn about Summit's associate training programs.
Follow Molly Limes Getz on IG @mollygetz
Follow Molly on TikTok at mollylimesgetz
Find Detangled Podcast where-ever you listen.
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. Join our online community for certified Summit salons, spas, barber shops and beauty schools.
Sign up for our newsletter, Your Weekly Game Plan to stay on top of our events and trainings.
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Sam Villa is the founding partner of Sam Villa Professional Brand, the Redken Global Artistic Ambassador, and 2017 NAHA Lifetime Achievement Award winner. Famous across the salon industry for his line of tools and his educational videos, Sam is a master of change and adaptation, whether that be hair trends or the way education is delivered. Sam never stops learning, and you shouldnât either.
In this high-energy interview, Sam Villa and host Blake Reed Evans talk about online vs. IRL education, career shifts, brand development, and collaboration. Also, all about trends: where they came from, where theyâre going, and how to stay on top of them while making sure your guests love the way they look.
You can find Sam Villa all over the internet!
Youtube: youtube.com/c/samvillahair
Instagram: @samvillahair
Facebook: @samvillapros
Tiktok: @samvillahair
Website: samvilla.com
This episode originally dropped in August 2022.
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. Join our online community for certified Summit salons, spas, barber shops and beauty schools.
Sign up for our newsletter, Your Weekly Game Plan to stay on top of our events and trainings.
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As salon professionals, we have a unique ability to create a safe space for our clients, and lend a friendly ear. For someone in a domestic violence situation, the salon may be the one of the few or even the only place they can go without their abuser. So how do we identify the signs of domestic violence, and offer the right kind of support for clients and team members who may be in danger?
Our guest Liz McKeon is a salon business expert, author of the best-selling book, â30 Days to Beauty Business Successâ, and and UK & Irish Ambassador for Shear Haven Anti Domestic Violence Industry Training.
If you feel unsafe at home, find a hotline for your country or location here.
This episode does not contain descriptions of violent acts.
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. Join our online community for certified Summit salons, spas, barber shops and beauty schools.
Sign up for our newsletter, Your Weekly Game Plan to stay on top of our events and trainings.
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You might know Elizabeth Faye from her Instagram, or maybe you've watched her Tedx Talk about how hairstylists can change the world or attended one of her retreats with Hair Love University. Elizabeth just announced her latest venture, The Vitality Project, the first wellness program designed for salon companies, barbershops and beauty schools!
In this high-energy episode, Elizabeth and Blake discuss the proven benefits of wellness programs, such as better retention, reduced burnout, and higher profits; and how emotional regulation tools and mindfulness can help owners show up for their teams and stylists show up for their clients in the salon environment.
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. Join our online community for certified Summit salons, spas, barber shops and beauty schools.
Sign up for our newsletter, Your Weekly Game Plan to stay on top of our events and trainings.
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Faith Rivers contains multitudes. In the salon industry, she's worn many hats, including stylist, colorist, salon manager and manager of education and marketing for a major haircare brand. Faith also brings her experiences in theater, journalism, and gender studies, as well as her Buddhist practice to bear in her work and in this wisdom-packed interview.
Topics include:
Setting and maintain boundaries with guestsStay grounded in a job where you're exchanging energy with guests and coworkers all day longTapping into empathy as a stylistCreating a safe and welcoming salon company for guests with curls and coilsRecruiting and retaining staff with expertise in curls and coilsFollow Faith Rivers on Instagram @thefaithrivers
Connect with Faith on LinkedIn
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. Join our online community for certified Summit salons, spas, barber shops and beauty schools.
Sign up for our newsletter, Your Weekly Game Plan to stay on top of our events and trainings.
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Guest Bianca Rose is a stylist behind the chair, owner of Bianca Rose Salon in Fairfield, Ohio, and hair influencer known for vivid colors, including her own gorgeous pink hair. Bianca recently began working with a Summit coach and converting her salon company to Summit systems. She speaks with Blake Reed Evans about why she made the decision, and how to set expectations for your team and gracefully transition to a new - and more profitable - way of doing business.
Follow Bianca on TikTok @hairbybiancarose
Follow Bianca in IG @hairbybiancarose
Learn more about Summit's Custom Coaching program and schedule a free 30-minute discovery call.
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. Join our online community for certified Summit salons, spas, barber shops and beauty schools.
Sign up for our newsletter, Your Weekly Game Plan to stay on top of our events and trainings.
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Youâre an associate, and the stylist youâre assigned to isnât letting you get hands-on with clients. You work the front desk, and one of the stylists is consistently rude to you. Youâre a stylist, and the front desk has been under-booking you for weeks. Youâre a co-owner, and your business partner is over-spending on spa equipment. Situations like these require communication - and in a business where emotions often run high, a tough conversation can be a powder keg. It can be tempting to grumble to yourself and avoid confronting the problem; but in the long run, your work relationships and your salon company will suffer. Fortunately, even the most conflict-adverse of us can learn to have tough conversations respectfully and effectively.
Guest Johnny Stellato coaches on personal development, leadership, team-building, and more for Redken and the LâOreal Professional Products Division, and runs his own consultancy, Just Be Empowered Coaching. Heâs also a stylist, and heâs held various leadership positions at Redken NYC, including Senior Director of Training. A master communicator who has taught around the world, Johnny brings his wisdom on how to confront tough subjects with others - and with ourselves - to this enlightening conversation with host Blake Reed Evans.
Connect with Johnny Stellato on Instagram @johnnyjustbe, or on Facebook. Email Johnny at [email protected] or [email protected].
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. Join our online community for certified Summit salons, spas, barber shops and beauty schools.
Sign up for our newsletter, Your Weekly Game Plan to stay on top of our events and trainings.
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Stylists are increasingly seeing renting their own suite or booth as an appealing alternative to working in a commission salon. Guest Anne Chesbro is co-owner of a commission salon company, Platinum Salon, as well as a suite rental business in Rochester, NY. She and her husband Joe Chesbro founded Platinum Salon Suites to meet the needs of stylists who wanted to strike out on their own. Unlike most suite rental setups, Anne provides renters with benefits like laundry, business coaching, free access to stylist education, and more. She says the new business has been a great way to provide stylists the opportunity to be their own bosses, while retaining them within the greater salon family and culture. Tune in for a smart and savvy conversation about navigating changes in our industry.
Follow Anne on Instagram @anne_chesbro.
Follow Anne on TikTok at anne_chesbro.
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. Join our online community for certified Summit salons, spas, barber shops and beauty schools.
Sign up for our newsletter, Your Weekly Game Plan to stay on top of our events and trainings.
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Korie Lance is the owner of The Mae Salon and Spa in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Mae took home two 2024 Summit Unplugged Awards: for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and Sound Financial Practices. Out of all Summit salon companies, The Mae was recognized for highest year over year growth: 192%!
In this episode, Blake and Korie discuss how The Mae has built a salon culture that's inclusive of all sexual orientations, gender identities, races and hair textures. Also: how they've grown so rapidly since opening in 2016, and how embracing retail has allowed the Mae to offer benefits including paid time off, a retirement plan and an education fund.
IG: @themaesalon
@korielance
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. Join our online community for certified Summit salons, spas, barber shops and beauty schools.
Sign up for our newsletter, Your Weekly Game Plan to stay on top of our events and trainings.
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As stylists, we want to be there for our clients, while also setting professional boundaries around our time. Online booking saves time and takes some of the emotion out of setting up hair appointments. But today's guest says combining tech with a human touch makes for the best customer experience, and makes business sense too.
Guest Missy Megginson is Director of Sales and Business Development at Schedulicity, a booking, payment and marketing software for salons and spas. She's a former salon owner and has been behind the chair for 20 years, most recently out of her own suite north of West Palm Beach, Florida.
IG: @schedulicity
Learn more: schedulicity.com/essentials
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. Join our online community for certified Summit salons, spas, barber shops and beauty schools.
Sign up for our newsletter, Your Weekly Game Plan to stay on top of our events and trainings.
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Erin Gray and Annie MacArthur are The Hair Nerds, an independent pro beauty media and education company. Their signature events, called Hairventures, allow salon professionals to learn from top stylists around the world, as well as experience foreign cultures and build lasting friendships, at an affordable price. In this episode, Erin and Annie tell Blake about their recent trips to London and Tokyo (their favorite), and discuss the upcoming trip to Milan in June 2023. You'll also hear about the Hair Nerd's podcast, Dear Cosmo Babies, which is geared towards helping cosmetology students find their footing in the beauty industry.
Follow the Hair Nerds on Instagram @thehairnerds, and book your next hairventure at thehairnerds.com.
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. Join our online community for certified Summit salons, spas, barber shops and beauty schools.
Sign up for our newsletter, Your Weekly Game Plan to stay on top of our events and trainings.
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