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Each week, longtime pro beauty executive and thought leader Gordon Miller brings insights and inspiration to audiences by way of this fast-paced audio program. Gordon does his best to translate what he sees and hears in our larger world into relevant information for salons, pros, and brands. As Gordon often says "The pro beauty industry is a mirror image of our larger world; and it provides us all with essential context as we all look to find our way forward in business, careers and life".
170 Episodes
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As 2025 begins to quickly wind down, i take a look at texts i've sent myself over the last month or so - all connected to what i view as important ideas and trends that impact us all. Note to my regular listeners: 2026 is bringing changes to this podcast—a new name, direction, and focus. Stay tuned for more on that!
Debra Neill Baker is CEO of the Neill Education company, an iconic organization with an 80-year history of innovating in the categories of distribution, salons, schools, manufacturers, salon software & events. We talk about the power of curation when connected to vision and values - as part of a deep conversation about Serious Business 2026.
In the final episode of my series on salon tech, Paul Tate, a leading figure in pro salon tech, digs into the value of data to brands, salons, and pros. Paul shares a sampling of findings from the KIM report, an industrywide project spearheaded by Salon Interactive. The KIM report partners with POS, booking and payment processing platforms to aggregate data to provide meaningful “Key Industry Metrics” to help our larger industry understand the challenges and opportunities ahead of us all.
When “certain coaches/podcasters" call brands "parasites", I have to fire back with truth and experience based logic. In this episode, I break down the danger of 'BS', share why affiliate links aren’t the future, how real profit are only enhanced by smart retail, and why partnership—not paranoia—built careers and salons. My take: this is a must-listen reality check for pro, businesses, and brands who care about the industry.
This week, Gordon's goes solo with his take on highlights from our last 10 episodes featuring leaders in the salon tech space, as well as sharing his thoughts on how tech is re-shaping the salon — and what comes next.
Kimi Bennett, co-founder and CEO of Sole Business Solutions, the pro beauty industry’s first 24/7 AI-powered coaching platform, is a longtime working professional and suite owner turned tech entrepreneur. Kimi joins Gordon to share the inspiration behind her groundbreaking work with co-founder and COO Michael Sandoval, a long-time salon coach, in launching the platform. Long a champion for educating and coaching professionals towards their dreams of success, Kimi and Michael have both embraced Generative AI (and the power of voice as a modality) as a way to take the power of coaching to new levels.
Sudheer Koneru. a former Microsoft Engineer and successful tech entrepeneur, is the founder and CEO of Zenoti, an AI powered, platform of salon management, marketing and customer care tools focused on helping salons to grow. Sudheer joins Gordon to share his journey from tech into the wellness space and back to tech again– but this time creating tech that is firmly focused on solving challenges facing the pro salon and wellness space. Sudheer goes deep into the topic of AI and what it means for salons today and tomorrow.
Vish’s Chief Innovation Officer Tim Howard joins Gordon to dive into the story behind the creation of the innovative and powerful salon color management software platform. Designed to transform how salons think about and approach hair color usage, Tim shares how Vish came to life, why waste reduction matters, and how better management of color inventory through technology can not only save time for busy colorists but also drive profits for salons.
SalonInteractive's Alain Audet joins Gordon to discuss their latest initiative focused on the power of data to empower brands, distributors, and professionals alike. A groundbreaking e-commerce platform, SalonInteractive was created to allow salons to compete with Amazon more effectively. Today, SalonInteractive has evolved into a marketing and data collection platform that leverages the power of big brands, tech companies, and distributors to support salons and pros in new ways by way of its K.I.M. Report.
Gordon shares highlights from his recent AI sessions at the Moroccanoil Collective, exploring why tech can’t be ignored, how it fuels efficiency and profitability, and why the professionals who embrace it will be the ones who thrive.
Join Gordon for a rapid-fire mix of insights on the biggest challenges facing many salon pros today. From social media shifts and smart pricing strategies to retail realities, AI-driven communication, and the power of data, this episode serves up an honest take to help you navigate what’s challenging salons across the industry.
Welcome to the premiere episode of Salon Tech Talks, a 10-part series featuring conversations with innovators and leaders in the pro beauty tech space.In this kickoff episode, Gordon is joined by longtime industry tech strategist and advisor Paul Tate. Together, they explore how salon technology has evolved over the last 20 years — and why, despite major advancements, many pros still feel overwhelmed rather than empowered by their systems. They also share insights on the innovations most likely to revolutionize salons in the near future — and how to make smarter tech choices today to get ready for what's coming next.*Note: this episode was published originally as #118
Tech Talks is a 10-part series featuring conversations with leading innovators in the pro salon tech space. In this episode, Gordon is joined by Universe Walker, Founder of BeautyDeskAI. When she realized that unanswered calls to her salon were 'leaving a lot of money on the table, Universe put together a tech-savvy team to help build an "AI-powered system designed to handle client phone calls and messages, automate booking, and give salon owners their time back". Universe talks lessons learned along the way as a woman founder in the tech space and connects the dots to her experience in beauty. Visit www.beautydeskai.com for details.
Tech Talks is a 10-part series featuring conversations with leading innovators in the pro salon tech space. In this episode, Gordon is joined by Fred Helou, Founder and CEO of Vagaro. A software engineer with an entrepreneurial spirit, Fred founded Vagaro to solve problems and support small business owners in the pro beauty space. Today, he oversees one of the industry’s leading digital platforms – processing millions of transactions annually. Fred shares insights into ongoing innovation across tech platforms and tools, including the integration of artificial intelligence into the daily lives of pros.
Salon Tech Talks is a 10-part series featuring conversations with innovators in the pro salon tech space. In this episode, Gordon is joined by Ameet Kallarackal, Glammatic.comCo-Founder & CEO. A digital marketer at heart, Ameet has a passion for inspiring salon owners and pros to use leading-edge tools and related strategies to transform their businesses and careers. Ameet shares his considerable insights into the power of search and the growing suite of platforms and tools that are transforming the business landscape. A must listen to conversation!
Salon Tech Talks is my 10-part series featuring conversations with innovators in the pro salon tech space. In this episode, Gordon is joined by Phorest Salon Software’s Chief Product Officer, Paddy Monaghan. With a clear passion for professional salon and spas, Paddy brings a unique perspective on how to leverage the growing power of technology to support the aspirations of business owners and their team members. Paddy shares insights into the innovations most likely to revolutionize salons in the near future — and how to make smarter tech choices today to get ready for what's coming tomorrow.
Welcome to Salon Tech Talks, a 10-part series featuring conversations with innovators and leaders in the pro beauty tech space. In this episode, Gordon is joined by Meevo/Millennium Systems founder and chairman John Harms. At the age of just 16, John founded Millennium Systems (known today as Meevo), working part-time for the salon his hairdresser sister called home. Over the course of the last 37 years, John has been an innovator as well as a witness to the evolution of how salons and pros conduct 'business'. John shares insights into the innovations most likely to revolutionize salons in the near future — and how to make smarter tech choices today to get ready for what's coming next.
Welcome to the premiere episode of Salon Tech Talks, a 10-part series featuring conversations with innovators and leaders in the pro beauty tech space.In this kickoff episode, Gordon is joined by longtime industry tech strategist and advisor Paul Tate. Together, they explore how salon technology has evolved over the last 20 years — and why, despite major advancements, many pros still feel overwhelmed rather than empowered by their systems. They also share insights on the innovations most likely to revolutionize salons in the near future — and how to make smarter tech choices today to get ready for what's coming next.
My first recording of the new year is about looking forward - and sharing my thoughts on where technology could be taking our industry. I also check in with Chat GPT to get an AI 'perspective' on where robotics (and related technologies) could take salons and professionals over the next 20 years. Importantly, our larger world of consumers does not have a great history of considering the needs of the workforce that serves it (across industries) as a reason NOT to change the role of said workforce. Think about it...*Note: this episode was published originally as #102
Taking a break from the usual to talk about a topic few of us know enough about - Civics. Per my office buddy Chat GPT, "Civics is all about understanding how government works, how people participate, and how decisions (laws and more) get made". Knowing the basics is valuable in understanding the state of the beauty industry's regulatory landscape... as well as everyday life. Note: this is not a political episode. I stayed way clear of that. Hope you enjoy. :-)*Note: this episode was published originally as #107
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