Dear Readers,
Being in publishing for over 25 years has always been challenging; however, the one thing that has always played havoc with my brain is that we are always working two months ahead of the calendar. So, by mid-October, my team is working on the December issue. At this moment, the August issue is finished and we are starting on September … summer is OVER! And, it took so long to begin!
At this writing, over 95% of the salons in the country have re-opened following shutdown AND open in a manner that has always been consistent with our industry – surpassing all state requirements for safety and sanitation. Tanning facilities should have been the example to all businesses of what an industry can do and has been doing for decades.
My salons welcomed tanners on the day our governor’s executive order allowed it (June 13), and I am happy to report that our reopening day was one of our best in 19 years (as far back as our current accounting software can show). Since then, sales have been up and tanners are slightly down.
One thing the COVID-19 crisis should have taught all salon owners is that we, as an industry, MUST do a better job of explaining to our state governments what we do, how we do it and why our stores should have been among those able to re-open in phase 1 or 2. We should NOT be lumped in with beauty salons and in some cases, gyms. Over the next six months, I will dedicate personal time to this effort and will detail in future issues of IST how you, as salon operators, can help.
As always, our contributing writers have provided top-quality content that includes: protecting your business and your equipment investment, streamlining operations, creating a great sales team, and even how to educate salon guests about untruths they read about tanning in the media. Marketing guru, Grant Cardone, offers advice on how to emerge stronger from these uncertain times.
Again, I want to stress the important role of staff training, certification and education in achieving success. Sun is Life® Training is the best choice for you and your team! Don’t be the salon with an untrained tanning consultant behind the counter answering questions when the media pays you a visit.
We’re here to help! Thanks for reading.
