Dear Readers,
Since I write this letter to people all over the country, I typically start with comments on the weather where I live. Long story short: winter was moderately brutal at times, but overall very mild in most of the eastern U.S., which brought an uptick in the demand for UV tanning and the other services my salons offer. Not so bad!
Yes, I’m thrilled to report that both tanners and overall revenue are up at my salon chain for the first time in over five years. I’ve had up and down months over those five years, but at year end, I was always down. I have less competition than I did five years ago; so, my sales should be up; but that is not the case. So what’s different this year? I can’t say for sure. What I can say is that I turned my business model upside-down and looked at every aspect of operations: advertising, customer service, pricing, memberships and ancillary services … everything. My management team and I concluded that we are making and can still make money in this business.
Industry leaders are feeling optimistic, despite looming interference by the government. In our Cover Story “UV Tanning Roundtable,” a group from the manufacturing sector offers their insight. And, the “Ask the Experts” feature rounds up some distributor folks who provided great tips about maintenance and more. Be sure to check out Joe Schuster’s excerpt from our Sun is Life® Training – it’s a great time to get your team trained!
We also add two MORE new columns this month: “All Things Sunless” from Norvell, and “FITspiration” from FIT Bodywrap. They bring our total contributors to 13 – so much good stuff in every issue – just what you expect from the industry’s leading info source.
One such contributor is ITA Executive Director, John Overstreet, who keeps us informed about what’s going on in Washington that could affect our industry; it’s important that you read “ITA Update” to be aware of regulatory activity, and support the ITA’s efforts.
We will continue to offer input from industry leaders who can tell you how to increase your traffic and turn it into increased sales. NO, they are not “industry consultants” – those who claim to be experts and take money from salon operators each month, having never even owned a salon. IST gives you advice from real experts – those who have been on the front lines – and they don’t ask us to pay them for it.
Thanks for reading.
