From the Publisher July 2024 | Time to Get Busy!

Dear Readers,

While people in much of the U.S. – myself included – live for the warm summer months and all that they imply, tanning salon operators in those places typically experience a sharp decline in tanner traffic. It’s not a secret; this time of year even has a name: JASON. The “J” is for July, the first month of the slow season. While it can certainly be challenging, it’s amazing how quickly it flies by!

When it comes to running a tanning salon, I’ve always been a big fan of using downtime to your advantage. How can you level up? Could your daily operations use some streamlining? Maybe you’ve been considering a new salon software product or adding a spa service to your menu. Diversification, even on a small scale, could provide a revenue boost to help carry you through the summer. This is a great time to move these items to the top of your list.

It’s also a good time to ramp up your social media activity and keep your business top-of-mind with your regular tanners while they enjoy the weather and take vacations. Let them know you just deep-cleaned the whole place: “We’re getting ready for you to come back and tan!” Get video of your team having fun scrubbing walls! Devoted Creations’ Alex Zeedyk offers some tips for involving your team in creating content for your socials, having fun with it and staying engaged with your customers even when they haven’t been in the salon for a while.

How about training your team? It’s a perfect time to invest in Sun is Life® Training & Certification! A staff that has completed a consistent training process definitely helped my salons stay ahead of my competition for over four decades. A confident and knowledgeable team is key to delivering a premium guest experience. If you haven’t already done so, check out sunislife.com for more info about this accessible, affordable training program. Every day, salon operators are enjoying the benefits of Sun is Life, including this nice bonus: when your salon staff has completed Sun is Life training, your business is eligible to be featured in our magazine!

Bottom line: there’s always something you can do to improve the guest experience at your facility. Of course, you’ll always find many tips for working smarter in your monthly IST – sales, marketing, motivation and much more. Be sure to share the articles with your staff!

So, don’t let JASON get you down – rise to the challenge and make your downtime count. You’ll be glad you did.

Happy Fourth of July, God Bless the USA and …

Thanks for reading!