Last April, more than 100 executives and owners of multi-unit beauty businesses gathered in Coral Gables, Florida, at the International SalonSpa Business Network conference to discuss how to elevate their businesses, their people and the industry.

“We’re here to honor the past, celebrate the present and build the future together,” said President-Elect Edward Logan. “Many of us are competitors, and yet, we work together to help our industry, our companies and our staff simultaneously.”

Keynote speaker Dan Thurmon, author of Off Balance on Purpose and founder of Motivation Works, Inc. told the owners that life and work are about balance, but balance isn’t what you get, it’s what you do. “You’re balancing—making constant adjustments, managing focus from one moment to the next,” he said. “Move your focus to where it needs to be, as opposed to having it pulled from you.”

“We aren’t in a recession yet,” said keynote Brian Beaulieu, CEO and chief economist of ITR Economics and co-author of Prosperity in the Age of Decline. “We might experience a ‘dinky downturn,’ but salon sales will follow U.S. GDP, which continues to climb. The recovery in 2025 could be delayed if the Federal Reserve continues to be unreasonable. We will see less inflation through 2024.”

Boulevard’s Matt Danna concurred that in spite of bleak headlines, self care is booming. “The dollar you make today is more valuable when you know you will get another in the future, so focus on marketing to the client’s third visit,” he said. “Every salon needs at least 10 initiatives to drive return business. When you can master return, customer acquisition becomes so much easier.”

The next ISBN Conference is scheduled for April 8-10, 2024 in Tucson. To learn more, visit salonspanetwork.org.