Dear Readers,
It’s crazy to think that I’d already spent 18 years in the tan biz when I decided to start a magazine to help others succeed in a then-up-and-coming industry. It’s always been a labor of love.
Over the last 21 years, we’ve done hundreds of salon profiles and there are still new salon operators looking to IST for help in getting their businesses off to a professional start. It’s certainly a different industry than it was 38 years ago – to succeed in this smaller, yet more diverse and professional business takes a different set of skills and a credible source for valuable information.
I did some math: Team IST has over 130 years of tanning industry experience! Helping us to provide this resource is a group of dedicated contributing writers from the industry’s leading companies – their collective expertise is impressive. And, our loyal advertisers help us produce this magazine with their much-appreciated support.
Industry leaders have stepped up to support and help underwrite one of the most crucial tools for your success: an educated and certified staff. Look at the Sun is Life® sponsorship page, and you’ll see a list of those who believe professionalism is the key. If you haven’t invested in Sun is Life, you owe it to your business to give it a try.
Next month, we’ll introduce a new service – a Business Support Program – Jerry Deveney has created a great FREE business evaluation tool using his decades of expertise. Look for it!
Jerry has also attracted advertisers from other wellness segments who choose to showcase their products in IST; add-on services could be just what your salon needs to stay competitive. It’s just another example of how IST continues to offer content you won’t find anywhere else. Check out the News Extra on p.18 about a recent legal issue with biometric scanning – Joe Schuster always has his ear to the ground for news that affects our industry.
Also working hard for you is the ITA, joining other industry leaders to make sure that the unfair Tan Tax goes away along with the repeal of the Affordable Health Care Act. If you’re not an ITA member, there’s no better time to get on board.
On that note, I’m optimistic about our country’s future and the business climate going forward with the new administration and Congress. It’s been about eight years since I was excited about growing my business … good things are ahead. Carpe diem!
Thanks for reading
