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After living and working in Los Angeles for eight years and accomplishing all my goals as an artist, I decided to go after a lifelong dream - start my own business. I had been contemplating moving back to the Chicago area (where my family resides) so this would be a perfect time to open my own salon!  Read More

For most of us, our parents instilled an invaluable work ethic within us: WORK HARD. Hard work is how we’ve gotten to where we are in our careers, but what if we’ve been in the game for a long time? What do we do if we feel run down? To stay on top of our game, it’s not always a matter of pushing harder; it’s time for us to start working smarter. These 5 tips will prevent mind and body fatigue, help drive more traffic to your social media and help you generate more income in no time!  Read More

2016 may have had its highs and lows, but it was a pretty rocking year for Holiday Childress! “I found out I was having my first baby girl, I came out with a solo album, and I opened my own salon business,” he says. Opening a studio in October at Sola Pack Square in North Carolina was an unexpected move for Holiday. Growing up, he’d “always felt an aversion to hair salons,” he admits. Entering the beauty industry, then, came out of necessity.  Read More

A business card can seem like an outdated tool in today’s fast paced, tech-obsessed world. However, the humble business card can still be a valuable asset and a great way to market your business. They’re a great way to share your business’s hours of operation, web address, and product or service offerings. They also give the receiver a good idea of your style and personality!  Read More

When a friend told Jennifer about Sola, the burgeoning hairdresser didn’t think twice! She launched her salon – Jennifer LaVigne Hair and Bridal Studio – in November of 2014. “It was the independence that appealed to me,” Jennifer explains. Independence and ease: “I didn’t have to shell out $50,000 to renovate a place, and I didn’t have to manage other stylists as a salon owner,” she adds. Coming from a big salon in a mall setting, though, Jennifer was initially nervous about attracting new clients. “I knew I needed to strengthen my online presence,” she says.  Read More

Ah, Valentine’s Day… A holiday filled with sweet treats, beautiful flowers, and opportunities to show your loved ones how much you care. But Valentine’s Day isn’t just for couples. Your business’s success depends on successful relationships with your clients, right? Valentine’s Day is a great opportunity to strengthen those oh so important relationships…and of course boost your sales. So if things are looking slow for February, don’t wait any longer to take advantage of a few pink hearts and feelings of amore to increase traffic to your studio! Your clients will fall in love with your salon with these easy and fun Valentine’s Day marketing ideas.  Read More

We are proud to introduce you to the 2017 Faces of Sola! Each of these Sola professionals stands out as an exceptional member of their local Sola community, and have made a positive impact on the national Sola community as well. They truly exemplify the Sola spirit and always aim to inspire.  Read More

It’s 2017, and let’s face it – people are no longer making decisions without looking things up online first. At Sola, we have an incredibly powerful (and free!) way to get new eyes on your business every day. It’s by setting up your Sola website. Whether you have a robust Sola website set up or not, when you Google yourself, your Sola website likely comes up pretty high in the search results. This because search engines typically assume that the more popular a website is, the more valuable the information it contains must be.  Read More

As Estee Lauder once famously said, "I never dreamed for success, I worked for it." At Sola Salon Studios, we celebrate the achievements of our courageous, go-getting salon owners every single day. But the question is, how often do you stop to reflect on your success? As 2016 comes to a close, we reached out to the Sola community to find out what you are most proud of celebrating as another year comes to a close. From making the move to Sola, to expanding to larger studios, to doubling your retail income and even sending kids off to college, we are amazed by all you have accomplished. For us at the Sola home office, our biggest and most exciting successes of 2016 include launching the Sola Pro app and hosting four Sola Sessions across the country. We are SO proud to offer you with more tools to grow as business owners. But enough about us! It's time to celebrate YOU.   Read More

You’ve been hustling since mid-November to make sure your clients look and feel fabulous from Thanksgiving into the New Year. During the holiday craze, though, it’s easy for beauty professionals to neglect their own needs. Taking care of yourself is crucial! It’s no surprise that with increased momentum at the salon, overflow-only parking at the mall, second cousins and long lost friends coming to town, and the need to prepare a feast for the whole family, stress levels increase during the holidays — and women are particularly susceptible to the pressure. It’s time to unwind, and we’ve rounded up a few fail-proof tips for finding your holiday Zen.  Read More

The holidays are in full swing at Ryan Stillman’s salon – The Proper Dandylion at Sola Southpark – where cider and spiced cookies are just the beginning. Ryan woos his guests with stunning holiday displays and raffles, and he likes to “keep it classy,” he says, with seasonal décor and music, too. “I have a very personal approach to client care year-round,” Ryan adds, noting, “I make espresso drinks for each individual client and keep a cooler stocked with Kombucha and coconut water.”  Read More

As I put the finishing touches on my salon, I’m scouring old photos, looking for some of the black and whites of my mom competing in the Midwest beauty show. When I find those photos from the ‘60s, my studio will be complete. Since opening That Redhead’s Salon at Sola Salons Park Ridge in 2014, I’ve been working to develop a studio aesthetic that reflects my penchant for Hollywood glam.  Read More

On Monday, November 14, 2016, more than 150 salon professionals from 11 states gathered at the Hilton Center City for the Sola Sessions! Throughout the day, education on the main stage featured customer service tips on how to better understand your guests and thrive as an independent business owner to holiday marketing ideas to color application techniques to knowing your numbers, cutting, styling and so much more!  Read More

Created exclusively for the Sola community, Sola Pro is not only a resource to inspire creativity – it’s also a way to connect with your favorite brands, to keep a steady pulse on the changing landscape in the beauty industry, and to provide you with all the tools you need to stay at the top of your salon ownership game at #SolaSalons! Did you know that with the recent updates to Sola Pro, you now have a personal profile called My Sola Pro where you can view and update your Sola webpage from within the app! You can also search for videos using keywords and flag them to watch later, or check out your video history on your My Sola Pro profile. Read on to find out all the details!  Read More

The holiday season’s practically here, and as a small business owner, it's your chance to capitalize on the merriment. The cash register’s cha-ching sounds jolly good, true, but don’t lose sight of what really matters: your clients, of course. ‘Tis the season for pampering your customers, and for spreading cheer that will keep them coming back to your chair well into the New Year. Read on to learn how amped up marketing efforts can provide your guests with the experience they're craving this holiday season while simultaneously boosting year-end revenue, too.  Read More

“I’m not naïve enough to think that every problem in the world can be solved with a haircut,” says attorney Christopher Matthew, owner of Dillinger’s Barber Suite & Shave Parlor at Sola Salons Garden City. Christopher might not be solving every problem in the world, but he’s certainly doing his part to give back through his unique G.R.O.O.M. Project, which delivers fresh cuts to men living in transitional and supportive housing.  Read More

Thriving salons grow because the owners have a system for generating a steady flow of new customers and cultivating repeat clients. Surprisingly, steady customer flow is often achieved not by chasing new customers but by attracting them. There is an important difference. If you’re like most hairstylists, you would rather have a continuous flow of new customers looking for you so can concentrate on doing what you love…making people look and feel amazing.  Read More

Los Angeles-based brow and makeup artist Shaila Paredes – owner of Brows by Shaila at Sola Brentwood – started having her brows waxed when she was in middle school. Three years ago, Shaila realized she was ready to strike out on her own, and she looked at several concepts similar to Sola. “But I didn’t really like any of them,” she admits. When a friend told Shaila about a place that was opening in Brentwood, the brow artist was eager to see it — only, the studio hadn’t been built yet!  Read More

When it comes to planning a wedding, selecting a venue, picking the right attire and choosing a wedding party can be tricky business. But choosing the right hairstyle to match your ideal wedding look can be even harder! No matter the setting, no matter the dress, there is one thing every bride wants to be: absolutely beautiful.  Read More

You’ve decided to go Sola–to open your own salon studio–and that calls for a big congratulations! Ownership means you get to create the salon of your dreams; without a boss, manager or staff to keep track of, every little detail is up to you now. To put it simply, you’re in complete control of establishing your salon’s culture and identity. How will you take advantage of this newfound freedom?  Read More

If there’s one constant in the world of social media, it’s change. The social media landscape is constantly evolving with new apps gaining popularity and old standbys launching fresh evolutions. It’s almost impossible to be equally active on every platform, though. You have to pick and choose your battles. The key to winning at social media as a small business owner is to go where your clients are. So, how do you find out where your clients are? You ask them!  Read More

Stylist Rick Klepach – owner of Klepach Studio at Sola Salons Galleria Oaks in San Antonio – has been doing hair for five years. And, he’s been his own boss that whole time. “It seems scary to go out and build a business,” Rick says. Plenty of people told him he couldn’t hack it; they said he needed to work in somebody else’s salon first. But one very influential individual – Rick’s partner of nine years – told Rick he would succeed. Rick knows firsthand, now, that stylists can make it as solo salon owners. “It’ll work,” he says “You can do it if you’re disciplined and willing to put in the effort.”  Read More

On Monday, September 12, 2016, more than 300 salon professionals from 12 states gathered at the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach for the Sola Sessions! We learned so many wonderful things throughout the day; we just had to share our top 10! Enjoy learning from the below…we hope to meet you one day at a future Sola Session!  Read More

Keeping hair looking luscious and healthy in between salon visits can be tricky sometimes. However, we all know that the right hairstylist can give a client the right amount of confidence (and knowledge!). Yes, no matter what hairstyle your guest might want, you can help them keep their hair healthy by sharing these five awesome tips.  Read More

Above all else, a standout marketing campaign tells a story. And, visuals – simple graphics, memes and videos – are extremely effective devices for employing storytelling. That’s why we recommending using awesome images in your ongoing social media marketing. Ready to create eye-catching content for your followers? We’ve got good news: There’s an app for that! Here are our top picks for apps that’ll have you blasting out compelling visuals in no time.  Read More