Our Blog

Could your Instagram be doing more to build your business? In this episode of Sola Stories, Sola’s CMO, Jennie Wolff, and Content Queen, Angela Ribbler, team up to share useful tips to help you level up your salon’s Instagram.   Read More

On this episode, we’re bringing you a clip of one of our 20+ classes from The Sola Sessions Reconnected and we’re talking all about pricing strategies, specifically how to charge what you're worth. We're joined by three Faces of Sola - Joey Figueiredo (owner of Daicy // Figueiredo), Bianca Margolis (owner of B. Rose Studio), and Ashley Lantz (owner of Mauve), who each talk a little bit about how they got started in the beauty industry and how raising their prices has helped them elevate their careers.  Read More

We are very excited to have Tim as a keynote speaker at our upcoming virtual event The Sola Sessions Reconnected. Tune in for a sneak peek of some of the inspiration and motivation you’ll get from Tim on our virtual Sessions stage and what he is most looking forward to about connecting with our community at the event.   Read More

Britt Seva has made a name for herself as the social media and marketing guru for hairstylists. To say we are thrilled to have Britt join us as a keynote speaker at The Sola Sessions Reconnected is an understatement! We couldn’t wait until Monday, May 17th to learn from her, so we invited Britt to connect with us on the Sola Stories Podcast to share some marketing fundamentals that will improve your business and your life. So, the question is, are YOU ready to thrive?  Read More

After the challenges 2020 brought us, we are desperate to reconnect with our community and have our community reconnect with each other - and that's exactly what The Sola Sessions Reconnected is all about. Sola’s first virtual education event will be co-hosted by Kim Bennett (@kimi_kisses) and Steven Wren (@mrwrencuts), and our dynamic co-hosting duo has teamed up on this episode to share what they are most looking forward to.  Read More

Andrew Carruthers has been a friend to the Sola family for a long time and has had a career that’s truly been a journey. Tune in to hear what initially drew him into the beauty industry, how he became Director of Education for Sam Villa, and how he’s successfully pivoted his career so many times.   Read More

As a salon owner, you wear so many hats. Systems help you create more efficiency in your business so you can spend more time doing the things you love most. On this episode, Faces of Sola Ashley White and Steven Wren share how they lean into the tools created by Sola to set themselves up for success and, if you're not already leaning into any of these tools, how you can get started.   Read More

Let’s talk retail! We brought Ashley Lantz, 2018 Faces of Sola and the queen of paying her rent in retail, back on the Sola Stories podcast to talk about how she uses retail to positively impact her bottom line. Listen as Ashley discusses how leaning into the tools provided by Sola have helped her retail business grow.  Read More

Are you trying to set new goals to help your business grow? Knowing and understanding your numbers are the fastest way to make positive changes that impact your bottom line. To see significant growth in your business, you need to understand the parts of your business that show whether you are meeting or exceeding your guests' expectations, improving guests' loyalty, and increasing your overall revenue. Tune in as we read ‘Understanding Your Sola Business' from the Sola blog.  Read More

Our guest on this episode is a master at setting up systems to run an efficient business, and when it comes to using the tools and resources Sola has put forth, she leans in 100%. Listen as Tahesa Nelson, owner of Studio 406 talks about the key systems that allow her to balance her salon and personal life to feel fulfilled behind the chair and at home with her son.  Read More

When salons first shut down at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we immediately turned to our friends at Barbicide to educate our community on how to safely return to their salon as soon as governments allowed. We are grateful for our ongoing partnership with Barbicide and are thrilled to welcome Leslie back to the Sola community on the Sola Stories Podcast!   Read More

Listen up, Sola newbies! On this audio blog, we’re reading So you signed your lease, now what?  Since becoming a #SolaBoss comes with both triumphs and challenges, it's not uncommon to take a step back from being on cloud nine and ask, “What next?” Tune in for a list of to-dos and priorities you should focus on in the first few weeks of your new life as a Sola salon owner.   Read More

Financial guru Michael Cole and 2020 Faces of Sola Steven Wren teamed up to teach us four steps to embody the "Millionaire Mindset" and create a thriving, long-lasting business. Steven, owner of Steven Brandon Hair Studio in Chicago, IL, shares his journey to becoming an independent salon owner and how he makes it work in this COVID whirlwind we call. He also talks about his dreams and goal of opening his own barber school to give back and inspire the next generation of barbers.  Read More

We often talk about how Sola is home to over 16,000 independent salon owners. In addition to our incredible group of beauty professionals, as a franchise brand, Sola is also made up of 160+ franchise groups who own and operate our 550+ locations across the United States, Canada and Brazil. On this episode, we dive into Sola's business model and give you a behind-the-scenes look into what makes our group of franchisees and managers so integral to the success of our community.  Read More

It’s one thing to dream about all the goals you want to accomplish, and it’s another to actually get there. On this Quick Tip, we are reading How to Be a Goal-Getter This Year from the Sola Blog. Tune in to hear Sola’s 5 steps to not only be a goal-setter but a goal-getter this year.  Read More

At Sola, we want to provide a fresh start for those searching for a new salon home. Our guest on this episode, Annie Hayes from Jacksonville, Florida, opened her own Sola studio in May 2020 after being furloughed by her previous salon. Since then, Sola has helped her get back on her feet and turn her career dreams into her career reality.  Read More

At Sola, education and support are at the heart of our brand promise. With the start of the new year, we want to shine a light on some of the amazing education available for independent beauty professionals through Sola education.  Our guest on this episode, Melissa Bennett, truly puts the “Pro” in Sola Pro. Tune in to hear Melissa and Jennie discuss the importance of education in our industry, how Sola education has evolved over the years, and what the future looks like for education for the Sola community and beyond.   Read More

It’s been a year of unexpected challenges, but also a year of tremendous opportunity for those who have taken the time to learn and grow through it all. For our last episode of 2020, the team behind the Sola Stories Podcast wanted to connect to reflect on the lessons this monumental, transformative year has taught us.   Read More

Terri Cowan, inspirational speaker and owner of Professional Salon Concepts, believes success starts with excellent customer service. In this episode of Sola Stories, Terri and Kim chat about the systems you need to set up to create an A+ customer experience that will bring your salon and customer retention to the next level.   Read More

Our guest on this episode, Alexa Rose Carlin, is an entrepreneur extraordinaire and has not only built her own personal brand with an online following of over 200K but through her company, Women Empower X, has also helped thousands of women across the world reach their own entrepreneurial success. Inspired by the lessons she’s learned through her own entrepreneurial endeavors, Alexa founded WEX with the mission to help more women pursue their passions and get to the next level in their career and life.  Read More

Our guest on this episode of Sola Stories, Joey Figueiredo, comes to us from Prairie Village, Kansas. Before he was a hairdresser, he was a professional photographer, and while growing his career behind the camera, he fell in love with the world of hairdressing. After obtaining his license through an apprenticeship in Kansas City, he continued to explore his passions outside the salon, landing gigs and working behind the scenes at Fashion Week, and so much more. Joey is a successful salon owner of a double-sized studio, an educator,one of our 2019 Faces of Sola.  Read More

On this marketing Quick Tip, Angela and Jennie team up to chat all about hashtags and how this powerful, and often under-utilized tool can take your social media marketing to a whole new level. When used correctly, it allows people who are interested in that topic to find you and your content. Using hashtags should be done in relevant and specific ways, so listen as Angela and Jennie share tips and tricks that will help you gain a following, and potentially new clients, solely by getting a better handle on hashtags.  Read More

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough and more.” Even though it has been a challenging year on so many levels, we want to spend some time to focus on gratitude and silver linings. 2020 Faces of Sola Steven Wren and 2018 Faces of Sola Amanda Fagan are two of the most positive people we know, so we wanted to bring them back onto the Sola Stories Podcast to share how they have been able to stay grounded in gratitude throughout this pandemic.    Read More

Our guest on this episode of Sola Stories is Canadian business coach, Dawn Bradley. Dawn has been in the beauty industry for nearly two decades and spent the last ten years as a business owner. Through her coaching business, Dawn hosts tons of classes and online courses, including “Become a 6-Figure Hairstylist Stress-Free” and “Raise Your Prices Like a Pro.” We’ve previously had the honor to partner with Dawn for some Sola-exclusive education on How To Set Back to Work Boundaries, and we are thrilled to bring her on to the Sola Stories Podcast to discuss how to work smarter, not harder, set boundaries, avoid burnout, raise your prices, and live a balanced life as a small business owner.  Read More

On this episode of Sola Stories, we are talking about all things social media, and who better to have on the show than Sola’s Social Media and Content Strategist, or as we like to call her our Content Queen, Angela Ribbler. Tune in to this episode to get tips from this social media savant to help grow your business. Angela shares her insights about each social media platform and how to utilize and create content for each to reach your goals. Angela also shares valuable tips like how to write a compelling caption, how to take a great Instagram photo and advice for social media beginners. She even shares some secret tips to get your content shared on Sola’s social media! If you’re looking to up your salon’s social media game, this episode will turn your social not-working into successful social networking in no time!  Read More