Sun is Life: What an apropos name for our training program. Through the creative vision of IST Magazine publisher and veteran salon chain owner, Vince Lorraine, the tanning industry’s leading salon operator certification program was born. Lorraine saw this as an industry absolute: if the business of selling sunshine was to survive, an education program was needed – with both in-person and online versions – that could promote the factual message of responsible and moderate UV exposure offered at indoor tanning facilities. It needed to be based on facts and in strict accordance with the Food and Drug Administration’s guidelines for sunbeds and sunlamps.
As Sun is Life director, I’ve had the pleasure to be involved in the initial stages of the online program and to be the instructor for the classroom version offered at annual industry trade events. I’ve been coast-to-coast (and many places in between) spreading “the word” through this certification program. At the end of this month, Four Seasons National Expo “Beyond Limitations” will be held in Nashville, TN. Once again, Sun is Life has been chosen as the provider of a salon operator certification class.
The Sun is Life $99 deal is perfect to get everyone on the same page and primed to succeed at their jobs with confidence and professionalism.
Even through the early stages of the pandemic which shut down so much of our industry, Four Seasons resolved to keep their show going, albeit with a pivot to an online presence. I recall being contacted back then by Sheila Routon, Four Seasons Marketing Manager; I assumed she was calling to inform me that the expo was canceled that year. How wrong I was! She explained that they were determined to let the show go on, just in a slightly different format. I was asked to deliver our Sun is Life Certification training via video conferencing. At the time, “Teams” calls and similar virtual meeting formats were still in the infancy of mainstream use during the pandemic – of course, that was sure to change. I agreed wholeheartedly to teach the course.
If you have ever taken a video class that includes a test, you’ll understand the complexities this presents. Probably the biggest factor as an instructor, is the fact that you don’t receive any instantaneous verbal feedback from the students – such as, perhaps, laughing at an attempt at humor. Look, if you’re going to teach a four-hour class online, there had better be some humor in it! Though many may have grimaced at my efforts, I hope they were received in the manner intended. You make a joke in this teaching format and you will probably hear crickets … nada, zip, nothing. And you just have to move on to the next chapter. I trust that all the salon owners and staff who took the class enjoyed it nonetheless. NOTE: Everyone who took it passed the test. Success!
As we forge ahead into another peak tanning season, take a little time to get your team certified with Sun is Life. Our $99 deal is perfect to get everyone on the same page and primed to succeed at their jobs with confidence and professionalism. And if I see you in Nashville at the Four Seasons Expo training session, please enjoy my unique brand of humor. It’s all well intended!
