Last summer, the group ran a two-day education event which culminated in a party in the parking lot of their Plainfield salon.
Last summer, the group ran a two-day education event which culminated in a party in the parking lot of their Plainfield salon.

 A unique week-long opportunity to see how one of the country’s most successful salon groups educates (and motivates) its team launches next Monday, January 14, 2019 as Design 1 Salon Spa takes over International SalonSpa Business Network’s Facebook page.  For five days, Michigan-based Design 1 Salon Spa will be revealing its recently revamped education program that puts its people at the center of everything it does.

‘When I heard that the ISBN lets members take over its Facebook I was on it immediately, because I wanted to show how the ISBN network has helped us recalibrate our education, putting our people at the center,’ said Anna Walt, who is heavily involved in Design 1 Salon Spa social media. ‘We are going to post daily examples of what has changed and share how much we’ve benefited as a company by making sure our people benefit first.’

Design 1 Salon Spa’s Facebook takeover is a perfect example of the ISBN’s intent on bringing members together to network and share best practice for the benefit of the whole industry. As well as open access to its Facebook channel, the ISBN regularly posts online business blogs, giving in-depth detail on what is working for member companies.  However, the high point of the ISBN calendar continues to be its ground-breaking conference held annually in May. Members are already signed up for this year’s event in Bonita Springs, Florida on May 5-7, which will focus on how to get on top of, and owning the changes facing the industry.

It was following an impassioned speech given by ISBN past -president, Rhoda Olsen of Great Clips, at the association’s annual conference two years ago, that Graham Walt, COO of Design 1 and Anna began a revolution that has seen Design 1 Salon Spa’s entire program ripped up and re-written. They plan to exhibit the results on the ISBN Facebook page.

‘I really heard what Rhoda was saying about how our people are our most important asset and so over the past 18 months the Design 1 education has been reborn. We have set up an academy that houses large groups so our professionals can learn new techniques for hair and beauty together,’ explained Graham. ‘We recently had 20 waxing beds in there to teach new approaches to waxing. We plan to show it all during our takeover.’

With five salons and more than 225 employees, the group faces challenges bringing all its people together in one place, but Graham and his team have got increasingly inventive. Last summer, the group ran a two-day education event which culminated in a party in the parking lot of their Plainfield salon. During the day, seminars were held on a variety of techniques, with a star appearance by Tim Dueñas from Nine Zero One Salon in Los Angeles.

‘We then had a huge party where everyone was invited including families,’ added Graham. ‘We wanted to celebrate our people by creating an opportunity for all the teams from each salon to meet and party with one another and their families. It was a huge success and everyone is still talking about it, even our clients. Tim told us it was the more inspiring event he’d been to. That’s the sort of program we wanted for Design 1.’

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About ISBN The International SalonSpa Business Network (ISBN) represents the global voice for the multi-location salon and spa segment of the professional beauty industry. It comprises the full spectrum of the industry, high-end to value-priced, salons/spas with thousands of locations to those with two or three, corporate-owned to individually-owned, franchise companies and their franchisees. To be eligible for membership, applicants must own or operate 5 or more salons or spas and employ at least 50 licensed professionals; or own and operate 2 or more salons and spas that yield total gross sales of at least $3 million annually; or franchisors in the industry. Working together, the ISBN and its members can and will effect positive change for business and the industry.

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Originally posted on Salon Today