Sola Stories

In this episode, Nina Tulio joins us to chat about taking control of your finances and getting set up for fiscal success. She shares insights on how much money of your net earnings to set aside, and her top budgeting and financial strategies to ensure you power through this year on solid financial grounds! Press play and get her top tips.

Links and Resources:

solasalons.com

Ninatulio.com

Follow Sola on Social:

Facebook | Instagram

Connect with Nina:

@ninatulio

New Sola Stories Podcast episode! Listen now to embark on an inspiring journey with Adrienne Velazquez — a seasoned entrepreneur and founder of The Seven Figure Boss Summit.

From building a commission salon to managing a thriving three-chair salon suite, Adrienne shares her insights on how to capitalize on the client experience and jumpstart your business with her seven-figure track.

Links and Resources:

solasalons.com

sevenfigurebosssummit.org

Follow Sola on Social:

Facebook | Instagram

Connect with Adrienne:

@thesevenfigureboss

As we reflect on 2023, the Faces of Sola Experience stands out as one of our most memorable highlights. This podcast episode is brought to you from our archives, so you can listen to and be inspired by our 2023 Faces of Sola, recorded during the experience in March 2023!

Kimberly Loomis, Chloe Calley, Ryan Sanger, and Kayla Orth sit down with salon business coach, Nina Tulio, to share their journeys as independent beauty professionals. They provide insights into their personal goals, the challenges they've faced, and how they overcame these obstacles to become the strong business owners they are today. Listen now!

Links and Resources:

solasalons.com

Follow Sola on Social:

Facebook | Instagram

Connect with Guests:

@ninatulio

@kimberlyloomis

@hairbychloecooper

@hairlingeriethestudio.la

@hairbykaylaorth

As we reflect on 2023, the Faces of Sola Experience stands out as one of our most memorable highlights. This podcast episode is brought to you from our archives, so you can listen to and be inspired by our 2023 Faces of Sola, recorded during the experience in March 2023!

Stacey Heintzman, Daniel Montes De Oca, Deniece Jordan, and Jaime Castanedasit down with salon business coach, Nina Tulio, to share their journeys as independent beauty professionals. They provide insights into their personal goals, the challenges they've faced, and how they overcame these obstacles to become the strong business owners they are today. Listen now!

Links and Resources:

solasalons.com

Follow Sola on Social:

Facebook | Instagram

Connect with Guests:

@ninatulio

@gingeryesthetic

@hairby_danielm

@jaimeecutzbarberstudio

@bhblounge

This time of year, we are always talking about raising prices. However, with the current state of the industry, the conversation sounds a little different this time around. It's all about finding ways to lower business costs and increase service costs, all while maintaining their current client count.

In this episode, Michelle Wheatley, the Beauty Business Guide, brings her industry expertise to help you better understand your numbers, and when and how to implement a price increase for your business.

Press play and get her top tips!

Links and Resources:

solasalons.com

beautybusinessguides.com

Follow Sola on Social:

Facebook | Instagram

Connect with Michelle:

@beautybusinessguide

Are you looking to set new intentions for the New Year? Press play to hear from leading personal and professional coach, Jasna Burza. Popular for her book, Healer in Heels, Jasna shares best practices for intention setting for the New Year. She also shares tips on creating a positive salon environment and maintaining balance as a beauty business owner.

Links and Resources:

solasalons.com

https://jasnaburza.com

Follow Sola on Social:

Facebook | Instagram

Connect with GUEST(S):

@jasna.burza

Ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes at New York Fashion Week?
In this episode, we interview four members of our New York Fashion Week team: Kimberly Loomis, Serina Battaglini, Roxanne Muir, and Kayla Orth! They share what it was like working behind the scenes with celebrity stylist Matthew Curtis at the Alice and Olivia showcase. Press play to discover what helped them reach this professional milestone and gain inspiring insights from our incredible team of pros!

Links and Resources:

solasalons.com

Sola x NYFW: Get the Looks

Follow Sola on Social:

Facebook | Instagram

Connect with Our Guests:

@kimberlyloomis

@hairbykaylaorth

@serinas_styles

@roxannemuir

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, in this day in age, online reviews are a vital part of growing any service business. We know there can be a lot of fear and hesitation when it comes to online reviews. We hear things like, "Well, I don't like to brag about myself," and questions like, "What if someone writes something negative or completely untrue? What if one person's bad day turns other potential clients away?" The reality is, once in a while, it may happen, but the benefits of a strong online presence can be the difference between a thriving business and one that can't seem to keep the doors open. And on those off-chances that you do get a negative review, there are strategies to handle those too!

Press play for 7 reasons you should lean into online reviews plus 3 ways to handle negative ones.

In This Episode

[1:32] - There are ways to ask for reviews in an authentic way.

[2:28] - Online reviews put you in control of monitoring your online presence.

[3:07] - Reviews also give you credibility and help clients find you.

[4:02] - Search engines prioritize highly reviewed businesses.

[5:06] - Think about reviews as free marketing.

[6:01] - Like other social media platforms, you can engage with reviewers.

[7:23] - Share your reviews on social media to entice others to leave one, too.

[7:50] - Negative reviews will still happen for a variety of reasons. How can you remedy this?

[10:02] - Check out the Sola blog for more posts and helpful tutorials about online reviews.

Links and Resources

Sola Salon Studios' Instagram Page

Sola Salons Studios – Website

Yelp Guide For Beauty Professionals

6 Social Media and Marketing Tips From Our Faces of Sola

5 Ways to Increase Your Online Presence 

Our guest on this episode is a barber extraordinaire who is innovative and talented, yet humle and grounded. Joining us from his barbershop, The Coil, in Chicago, Antionio is here to share his journey to salon ownership - and what lead him to become the successful barber he is today. You might know him as @barbergawd on Insagram, or as one of the 2021 Faces of Sola, but we know him as one of the most genuine and inspirational people we’ve crossed paths with. 

In this episode, Antonio opens up about his experience moving to the south side of Chicago at 14 years old and how there was a lack of positive mentorship. But despite the challenges he faced, Antonio used his experiences to fuel his passions and purpose.

Through his work behind the chair and a drive to make a difference in the lives of others in the next generation, Antonio has created a community of empowered people who not only look good, but feel good.

Press play on this episode to get the inspiration and motivation you didn’t know you needed. 

In This Episode

[2:10] - Antonio has made such an impact on the Sola community and we knew his story needed to be shared.

[3:42] - Growing up, Antonio admired his uncle and aspired to follow in his footsteps.

[6:26] - By spending time with clients every couple of weeks, Antonio has made connections with young people in his community as a mentor.

[8:00] - The experience he provides in the chair gives his clients confidence.

[9:40] - Antonio offers a subscription based VIP list that locks in appointments.

[11:20] - Because he sees 14 to 18 people a day, Antonio delegates tasks to others in his network to help build his product line and app.

[13:17] - Antonio felt the need to branch into his own business with Sola so he could do things his own way and keep growing.

[14:50] - His dreams are to provide stability for his children and give them the opportunities to do the things they want to do.

[16:40] - Those in the Sola community are passionate about making time to inspire future individuals in the industry.

[18:00] - During the early days of the pandemic, Antonio set up a tarp covered studio in a hotel.

[21:53] - Antonio explains why his studio is called The Coil.

[24:00] - The Coil has also been branched out to include products for women and has a store front.

[25:51] - Taking photos of his work doesn’t only help promote his brand, but it makes clients feel good, too. Antonio shares his method in self promotion.

[28:31] - To his clients and his community, Antonio is more than a barber.

[30:20] - Comparison is the thief of joy. How does Antonio thrive in a community with a lot of barbers?

[33:18] - Antonio has a strong sense of self and confidence but continues to be very humble.

[36:30] - It is Black History Month and Antonio shares what it means to him to be a black-owned business in his community.

[39:00] - Antonio’s advice for young people is to talk to the people who inspire you and find out how to do the things you love.

Links and Resources

Sola Salons Instagram Page

Sola Salons – Website

The Coil Website

Barbergawd on Facebook

@barbergawd on Instagram

As you think about the ways you can work smarter in your salon this year, it is natural to think about setting boundaries and creating salon policies. By creating and implemeting salon policies, you are putting rules in place to help define your boundaries with yourself and with your clients. Salon policies will help you create a safe, organized and fair environment in your salon. Policies also help you set expectations with your clients which will essentially help protect you and your business. 

Today’s guest comes to us from Prarie Village, Kansas where he runs his business in a double sized Sola studio. Joey Figueiredo is one of our Faces of Sola, an educator, content creator, photographer, and when it comes to retail, Joey could sell ice to an eskimo. Recently, Joey was featured by Modern Salon in an article he wrote about salon policies, so we couldn’t wait to bring him on to the podcast to dive deeper into this hot topic with us.  

In This Episode

[2:04] - Joey started with Sola in 2013 and works hard to maintain healthy boundaries.

[3:56] - Policies hold both clients and salon owners accountable.

[5:18] - Joey admits that in the beginning, he let his clients walk all over him until he realized how much he was losing without policies.

[7:30] - There are certain things that you need to understand to value the monetary worth of your time.

[8:55] - Start with what you are comfortable with. Copy policies from another salons and tweak as you go.

[10:34] - Your booking methods could be a policy and be firm in the way you want to run your business and schedule.

[12:03] - Joey describes his cancellation policy and the challenges that Covid poses on it.

[13:18] - Educate your clients on your policies and why they are important.

[18:24] - Covid policies can be very tricky because of the polarizing opinions surrounding it.

[20:01] - Joey meets his clients where they are comfortable.

[23:55] - How you accept payment is something you also need to be clear about.

[26:41] - Joey has very clear new client policies as well.

[28:34] - Your cancellation policy during the holiday season is extremely important.

[31:18] - Joey and Jennie discuss tardiness and the impact it can have on your day.

[33:18] - Regarding communicating your policies, Joey recommends having it in writing.

[35:01] - Joey addresses losing clients.

[38:12] - You should be open about policies. Talking about them should not be a behind-the-scenes talk.

[40:15] - The effects of Covid were actually positive for Joey in changing his work mindset.

[43:21] - More and more people are becoming more flexible.

Links and Resources

@solasalons

www.solasalons.com

@stylistjoey

How to Set Healthy Client Boundaries and Sane Salon Policies by Joey Figueiredo on Modern Salon