SUMM IT UP

If your salon offers retail, chances are you'd like to be selling more product than you currently are. Retail sales boost profit margins, enhance client loyalty, and help clients maintain salon-quality results. But there are a number of reasons we fall short of our retail goals. For instance, providers get busy and don't find the time to talk to their guests about home care; suggesting a guest increase their total ticket can feel icky (especially in a time of high food and gas prices); and service providers aren't motivated by commission. Our guest this week is Lisa Musgrove, owner of LoneStar Salon & Spa in Tumwater, Washington. Lisa noticed that for all of her stylists, from newbies to veterans, the one common struggle was retail. So, she tried an experiment. Lisa launched the LoneStar Retail Lab, a four-week voluntary program. The Retail Lab combined introspection, education, collaboration and experimentation. It was eye-opening for Lisa. She learned that service providers were projecting their own financial anxieties onto their guests, and that many weren't familiar with the products her salon carries. The Lab also gave participants the opportunity to try new strategies, and bond with each other.  "It was a rare and special time with the team. I didn't have to just track KPIs. I really got to know everybody on a much deeper level and explore together how to be successful in that," she says. The results were phenomenal and earned Lisa the 2026 Salon Today Retail and Merchandising Innovation Award.In this episode -- full of actionable insights -- Lisa lays out the roadmap for the Retail Lab. Blake and Lisa discuss:The self-sabotaging mindsets that hold us back from offering retailThe positive mindset shifts into "solving not selling" How to assess guest needs and spending power and offer home care accordingly The power of intake formsWhy promotions should be fun, and even a little silly (because it works!)And more. Follow Lisa on Instagram @lisaloveslonestar. Read the Salon Today article featuring Lisa Musgrove and the Retail Lab, "Rethinking Retail in the Era of E-Commerce."  Follow Summit Salon Business Center on Instagram @SummitSalon, and on TikTok at SummitSalon. SUMM IT UP is now on YouTube! Watch extended cuts of our interviews at www.youtube.com/@summitunlockedFind 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. SUMM IT UP is produced and edited by Andrea Muraskin. The executive producer is Tim Fisk.

Salons professionals span a particularly wide range of ages, from 18 to 60+. That means you probably have three or four generations working together at any given time. Boomers, Gen X, Millenials, and Gen Z each bring something different and valuable to the table -- but we don't always understand each other. Maybe you're a service provider trying to figure out what your Gen X boss wants from you, looking for more clear direction. Or if you're an owner, you're trying to figure out what motivates Gen-Z service providers, or how to grow a Millenial stylist into a leadership role instead of losing them to a suite. Carrie Rutt is here to help. She's a Summit Salon Coach, a guest experience specioalist and a veteran salon owner, and a Gen X'er. Host Blake Reed Evans, co-owner at Shear Art Salon in Tampa, Fl. and a Redken Pro artist and educator, brings us behind the scenes of up-to-the-minute salon leadership decisions, and his own Millenial perspective. Learn more about Carrie and schedule a 20-minute discovery call. Follow Carrie on Facebook and Instagram.   Follow Summit Salon Business Center on Instagram @SummitSalon, and on TikTok at SummitSalon. SUMM IT UP is now on YouTube! Watch extended cuts of our interviews at www.youtube.com/@summitunlockedFind 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. SUMM IT UP is produced and edited by Andrea Muraskin. The executive producer is Tim Fisk.

Cody Evans is the co-founder or Colour Collective Salon in Mobile, Alabama, and a L'Oréal Professionnel artist.In this episode, Blake sits down with Cody Evans to get real about what it looks like to juggle salon ownership, brand artistry, education, and still have a life. Cody opens up about the journey from behind the chair to business owner, the persistence it took to become a L'Oréal Professionnel artist, and the less-glamorous side of flying home at midnight only to be back behind the chair at 8 AM the next morning.Topics covered:The leap from commission stylist to salon ownerBecoming a brand artist — the Ambassador Network, immersion program, and why persistence pays off"Work-work-life balance" — why perfect balance is a mythGiving up Saturdays and why clients magically figure it outBurnout while opening a salon and traveling to teach — and how reconnecting with your "why" helpsSelf-care that actually counts: massages, chiropractic care, therapy, and Head Up Keys (mental health resource from L'Oréal Professionnel)Advice for first-time salon owners: set firm timelines with contractors and be tough — you're the client Follow Summit Salon Business Center on Instagram @SummitSalon, and on TikTok at SummitSalon. SUMM IT UP is now on YouTube! Watch extended cuts of our interviews at www.youtube.com/@summitunlockedFind 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. SUMM IT UP is produced and edited by Andrea Muraskin. The executive producer is Tim Fisk.

If you're a newbie or baby stylist or a salon owner looking to grow and retain new stylists, this episode is for you.  Guest Lisa Giles is a  digital creator and educator who specialiizes in working with stylists brand new to the industry, or as she likes to call them "guppies." She runs the education and mentoring platform Straight Out of Cosmo, where she teaches classes including "Make Box Color Your Bitch" and "The Bull Sh*t Behind the Business." She's a hair stylist and a Paul Mitchell Pro partner, based in Orange County, California.  In this episode, Lisa and Blake cover: Understanding market rates and charging a rate that's fair to yourself, even when you're new Creating customized incentives for new stylists, especially for retail sales Building a clientelle through guest education Goal and budget-setting Skills not always taught in cosmetology school, like client experience and working with box-dyed hair And more. Follow Lisa Giles on Instagram @LifeofLisaG. This episode was originally published in May 2025 Follow Summit Salon Business Center on Instagram @SummitSalon, and on TikTok at SummitSalon. SUMM IT UP is now on YouTube! Watch extended cuts of our interviews at www.youtube.com/@summitunlockedFind 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. SUMM IT UP is produced and edited by Andrea Muraskin. The executive producer is Tim Fisk.

Salon retail can be a tough nut to crack. Salon products available to clients from big retailers at just a few taps on a phone. Inovshop's interactive digital displays give stylists a leg up by sparking guests' curiosity and providing education right in the salon, increasing sales. And with AI, these tools are becoming ever-more customizable to your individual customers.  In this episode, Summ it Up executive producer Tim Fisk sits down with Martin Spritzer of Inovshop USA to unpack the evolving world of salon retail. They explore how digital displays, user-generated content, AI-driven personalization, and interactive technology are reshaping the in-salon shopping experience — and why salons that ignore these trends risk losing revenue to big-box retailers like Ulta and Sephora. Learn more and sign up for a free consultation at Inovshopusa.com Follow Summit Salon Business Center on Instagram @SummitSalon, and on TikTok at SummitSalon. SUMM IT UP is now on YouTube! Watch extended cuts of our interviews at www.youtube.com/@summitunlockedFind 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. SUMM IT UP is produced and edited by Andrea Muraskin. The executive producer is Tim Fisk.