Dear Readers,
I hope this letter finds you enjoying some great weather – if you find time to relax, you can count on your ist Magazine for informative summer reading. Heading into off-peak season, now is the time to plan for changes such as equipment or software upgrades, picking up a new product line, updating your décor or retail displays. Even small changes can keep your customers interested, engaged and loyal.
Actually, “change” is the subject of our “Cover Story” this month. Since we produced this issue in time for distribution at the 2012 West Coast Expo, we decided not to feature a “Company Profile” or “Industry Close-up” – instead, we chose to focus on a subject near and dear to our hearts … US! It’s a little bit of our history, for those of you who don’t know it – and about how we’ve grown from humble beginnings and become the tanning industry’s most read magazine.
Over the past 15 years, this publication has been continuously evolving, but our core purpose has never changed. We’ve always been a free publication, supported solely by our loyal advertisers, and dedicated to growing the industry by offering valuable content for salon operators who want their businesses to thrive.
The most significant part of our evolution is the Sun is Life® Training and Certification program we introduced last January. The response it has received is very exciting! After over two years in development, our innovative online training program is quickly proving to be something that will fill a big void in our industry.
Sun is Life is a completely new training program that employs an academic, non-adversarial methodology – there is nothing in this industry that can compare. Created by a team that includes educators, trainers and storywriters, it was academically reviewed and is hosted by the most powerful LMS (learning management system) in the education world. The program has been tested by veterans of all tanning industry sectors who feel as I do – that Sun is Life training is what salon operators need NOW.
With the recent “Media Frenzy” of negative press (see “Special Interest” pg. 50), there’s never been a better time to examine your own business. Are your salon and your staff operating at a level of professionalism that promotes a positive image of our industry in your community? This is more important now than it ever has been.
Throughout its continued evolution, we’ve always considered ist Magazine to be your partner in success. We want Sun is Life to change the tanning industry for the better, and we know that it will. Through the end of this month, ist Magazine is giving you an opportunity to try one of the 25 Sun is Life modules for free. Close to 1,000 salon professionals (at this writing) have already started to make a difference in their businesses and in the industry.
If you don’t at least try Sun is Life, you can’t assume that you’ve done all you can to put your business on the right road.
Thanks for reading!
