Our Blog

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

As many professionals are currently under varying COVID-19 restrictions and a disruption of normal business, we’re sharing some successful retail strategies for these uncertain times. From virtual esthetician appointments to gift card offers, learn all the ways to adjust your business to our current reality – and prepare for business-as-usual in the future.  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

Going out on your own as a salon owner takes a ton of courage and strength. We’re here to provide hope through an inspiring story of one #SolaStrong stylist, Annie Hayes, who 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

It’s no secret that 2020 was not the year any of us were expecting. And, like most holidays this year, Thanksgiving will probably look and feel very different. But hopefully, no matter where you find yourself this Thanksgiving, you take a moment to reflect and feel blessed for what you do have — no matter how big or small. We asked our community, "Why are you thankful for Sola in 2020?" Here’s what you had to say…  Read More

Sola Pro - our free, Sola-exclusive education app - is all glown up! With an enhanced user experience, quicker load times, a personalized content feed, and an easier way to update your Sola webpage, with this refresh, we’ve truly put the pro in Sola Pro. Now is the time to make sure you’ve downloaded the Sola Pro app, have successfully registered, and are able to access all the incredible content. Read on to learn how to get started, as well as what’s new and exciting in Sola Pro.   Read More

With so much uncertainty surrounding us, the mindsets, priorities, and expectations of both you and your clients have likely changed. We’re here to help you overcome these new internal and external challenges and find your flow again behind the chair.   Read More

Full-spectrum colorist and 2020 Faces of Sola, Morgan Abernathy, has truly created a career that spans the spectrum of the beauty industry. She has gone from being told she wasn’t good enough to ever be a “great hairdresser,” to owning her own salon, educating for brands like Pulp Riot, Brazilian Bond Builder and Colortrak, and has grown an Instagram following of nearly 50K followers. Tune in to this inspirational episode of Sola Stories to hear Morgan share how she went from being homeless and living in her car, to being the flourishing owner of her salon, Colored in Chaos.  Read More

The saying goes, “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” As some parts of the country approach what feels like a looming second wave, we have two options: we can ignore it, or we can prepare. Don’t wait until you’re in crisis mode to get prepared. Start now with these 6 ways to set yourself up for financial stability through financially unstable times.    Read More

Whether we are all in need of a little extra holiday cheer or we just can't wait to leave this year in the past...you've likely started to see the holiday season start creeping in earlier than ever this year. Like most things in 2020, the holidays are sure to have their own twist, so we're here to help you get a jumpstart on your holiday marketing and cross this year's finish line with a bang.  Read More

By signing your lease for your brand new Sola studio, you have just made an exciting and positive change for your life and career. Since becoming your own boss and opening up your own salon comes with new challenges and responsibilities, it’s not unexpected to take a break from being on cloud nine and ask, “Where do I even begin?” Here’s a quick-list of tasks and items you should spend the next few weeks focusing on.  Read More

Your salon should feel like a safe haven, for you and your guests. If you're finding yourself energetically drained at the end of each day and dreading to come to work in the mornings, you may be suffering from Covid Conversation Overload, which can affect your overall mental health and salon life satisfaction. We've put together some tips to help you navigate the tumultuous waters of our current COVID climate.  Read More

Love it or hate it, marketing is crucial for your business. Over the years, marketing has increasingly become an online game and made social media the most accessible marketing tool as a small business owner. No matter which platforms you are using, social media marketing is an ongoing conversation - an opportunity to tell your story and help potential customers get to know you, while also engaging with your current and future customers to get them excited for their salon experience even before sitting in your chair.  Read More

Aside from routine cleaning, mask-wearing, and all the other precautionary measures you are taking to keeping your salon as clean as possible and to avoid Coronavirus, what are you doing to keep yourself as healthy as possible? It’s important, especially during this time, that you are making yourself a priority. Stress is high and things are unpredictable, but its important to focus your energy on what you can control - like keeping yourself healthy! Not only is it crucial in efforts to stop the spread of COVID, but also to help you stay strong in mind, body, and spirit – all of which affect your salon business. Here are 5 tips to keep you healthy (and energized) in the salon!   Read More

Are you utilizing Instagram to build your brand? Instagram is a hot spot for beauty professionals because it’s such a visual platform that lends itself to showcasing your talent with the snap of a photo.  But it’s more than just a picture - it’s about knowing your audience, telling your story, and building a brand that represents you and your amazing services!  Read More

Despite your best efforts to keep yourself and those around you safe, you might face a situation where you test positive for COVID-19. Please know that this is not your fault; we are in a global pandemic. Coronavirus can spread very quickly even when implementing the utmost sanitation and safety precautions. If a positive COVID-19 diagnosis does arise, the most important step to protect our communities is to communicate with your guests or anyone else you have been in contact with as soon as possible.  Read More

We want to talk about retail because, in a salon studio environment, retail can be a tremendous opportunity to boost your bottom line. We know that with COVID-19 closures, you are probably trying to make up for the lost time, and with the need to sanitize after every guest, it's almost impossible to double book as you may be used to. Tune in to this Quick Tip to for 10 tips to help you boost your bottom line and retail like a boss. Sit back, take notes, and get ready to start paying your rent in retail!   Read More

The past few months have been filled with unprecedented challenges, and for many salon professionals, the thought of getting back into the salon and back into a groove provided much-needed comfort and excitement. However, reopening is no walk in the park. It comes with longer days, eager clients, anticipation to get “back to the way things were”, and navigating a new normal of increased sanitation, wearing a mask, and calming client nerves.  Read More

As her first Solaversary approached, Staten Island stylist Jodi Cali had no idea that she would soon be fighting for her life. In January 2020, Jodi was diagnosed with breast cancer, and shortly after her first chemo treatment, she could not get out of bed. She experienced a lot of pain around her neck and throat and thought it was due to the side effects of her treatments. But after her symptoms continued to worsen, she learned she had also contracted COVID-19.  Read More

It's common in the beauty industry to find yourself at a career crossroads, especially after an unexpected global pandemic. The traditional salon you were working in may have closed down or you may be looking for a safer, more private environment for you and your guests. But opening a storefront salon may not be feasible due to financial burden and other risks and responsibilities that come with opening a brick-and-mortar salon.   Read More

In recognition of Juneteenth, we wanted to give a special shout out to some of our black Solapreneuers who truly embody what it means to achieve greatness. Our culture is built upon diversity and we are proud to celebrate Juneteenth and recognize the contributions made to elevate our Sola community and industry as a whole.  While we'd need more like a novel than a blog post to speak about all the incredible accomplishments these Faces of Sola have achieved, we've highlighted a few of our favorites below. Watch, read and enjoy getting to know these incredible members of our community as much as we have.   Read More

As we all adjust to this new normal, our goal is to provide as much support as possible to our Sola professionals to help get you back doing what you love! With so much going on to keep you and your customers safe, there's no better time to uplevel your business with SolaGenius.  Read More

Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, but learning to dance in the rain - here is a playlist with 20 songs to dance your heart out to today!  Read More