About Jon

Jon Gonzales, well known spa & salon consultant, enjoys sharing his real world knowledge of salon success, salon management and hairdresser & salon marketing strategies. He has been in the beauty industry for over 40 years. You're Invited To Learn To Build And Grow A Successful Business In Las Vegas With Jon, This May 15th, 16th. Also read Jon's business and success tips on Facebook.

Turning Business Challenges into Opportunities

"I am a great believer in luck: I find the harder I work to grow my business, the more I experience it." -  Jon Gonzales It’s no secret that the beauty industry is product driven and needs educational reform. Sadly, many salons will fail because far too many salon owners are in denial and will not seek out education with an open mind---especially in regards to business management.  In spite of the many challenges salon owners face daily, I see a coming boom for open [Click here to read full article...]

2017-02-11T14:27:06-08:00February 12th, 2017|

Financial Planning —- Start Now!

" A big part of financial freedom is having your heart and mind free of worry about the what-ifs of life." ---Suze Orman A New Year is an excellent time to develop an action plan for securing your financial independence and financial planning. I think you’ll all agree that the cost of living keeps escalating, and with the way things are going, you may have to wait to retire until age 70 before claiming social security benefits. Another challenge that’s confronting hairdressers is the rising [Click here to read full article...]

2017-01-31T09:15:59-08:00January 30th, 2017|

A New Beginning: New Year Resolutions for 2018

     A New Beginning: New Year Resolutions for 2017 "Happiness is that particular sensation you encounter when you're just too busy to feel miserable." - Jon Gonzales I do hope you all enjoyed a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Now that the holiday season is behind us, let's plan and prepare for a new and successful year for your salon and team.  Although many salon owners had a difficult time making a profit sadly and many more failed. As rising business costs [Click here to read full article...]

2017-12-21T11:02:13-08:00January 3rd, 2017|

Benefits of an Employee Handbook

"When everyone shares the same vision and goals , a positive and professional salon environment will be your reward." -- Jon GonzalesOne of the leading causes of staff turnover and lack of communication between staff and management is the absence of an employee handbook. Many of your challenges towards improving staff performance and growing your business could be eliminated with an effective and well defined employee handbook.How can you expect your team to perform if they do not understand what is expected and how [Click here to read full article...]

2022-04-12T10:04:27-07:00November 13th, 2016|

Developing an Effective Customer Communication Strategy

  "If you are unable to get your message across about the benefits of your services and products,your marketing efforts won't work." Salon owners that know how to develop effective communication strategies with their current customers and know how to connect with future customers for maximum effect will instantly improve their bottom line by keeping their clients informed. Salons that not only connect with their customers but also strive to cement  long time relationships that are long lasting and beneficial to both will clearly stand [Click here to read full article...]

2017-11-07T17:42:23-08:00November 6th, 2016|

When a Good Worker Goes Bad

"I personally do not believe some hairdressers perform poorly on purpose; they just did not receive proper guidance and education." - Jon Gonzales "He seemed like the right choice when I hired him. Now he refuses to be part of my team or follow our salon’s employee handbook and contribute to my salon's  team culture. He is always the ring leader in negativity, salon gossip, and pettiness." Do you fire him? The answer may surprise you. You probably have faced this challenge at one time [Click here to read full article...]

2017-01-26T09:44:46-08:00September 18th, 2016|

Straight Talk from Jon Gonzales

Straight Talk from Jon Gonzales My straight talk blog post is designed to identify and find solutions affecting our salon, our standard of living and our profession. Those of you who know me, know I have the utmost respect for everyone working in the beauty profession,especially salon owners and hairdressers. You also know I am not afraid to expose the many obstacles within our profession. Glitter and hype aside, I believe you want straight talk,I can tell you what you want to hear and make [Click here to read full article...]

2017-10-31T11:45:41-07:00September 11th, 2016|

Are You Really Making a Profit?

"The easiest way to increase profits is to cut overhead costs."  Combating Rising Business Costs: The cost of owning your own business will continue to escalate. Rising  business costs, rising taxes, fees, new minimum wage and overtime mandates, price and commission wars, the list goes on and on. As business costs rise, your profit margin will continue to be lower. This coupled with your personal living expenses, rising costs of living, costs such as food, gas, etc, will also escalate. Your challenge is to find [Click here to read full article...]

2016-09-04T09:32:46-07:00September 4th, 2016|

Employee Training

"A team that learns together grows together."  Jon Gonzales In the absence of an apprenticeship or intern program, salon owners will have to develop their own educational program of employee training. The foundation to building a successful team employee training and development begins with you, the owner. The first 6 months of employee training is a critical time in making sure your new staff member shares your vision, goals, and educational quality control systems. A 6 month probationary period will help you measure their performance. [Click here to read full article...]

2016-08-28T13:45:29-07:00August 28th, 2016|

Compensation Guidelines

"It is not how much you earn that matters,it's what you do with what you earn." Jon Gonzales Compensation Guidelines As I travel throughout the United States and Canada meeting salon owners and managers, I am often asked about compensation. Suffice to say that if you are a salon owner, your view on this topic is probably opposite that of many hairdressers, and vice versa. Unfortunately there is a lot of misunderstanding about compensation, especially with hairdressers. This article will attempt to help guide [Click here to read full article...]

2022-04-12T11:33:18-07:00August 21st, 2016|

A Coming Boom for Upscale Salons

A Coming Boom for Upscale Salons " Well managed high end salons will be in huge demand."  --- Jon Gonzales I see a coming boom for well managed upscale salons. As our country continues to struggle in today’s tough economy, only well managed salons and spas will survive and prosper. Sadly far too many salons are failing at an alarming rate; a recent study showed that 96% of all businesses failures were due to lack of business management skills on the part of the owner. [Click here to read full article...]

2016-08-06T10:35:43-07:00August 7th, 2016|

Providing Staff Incentives

 "A pat on the back accomplishes much more than criticism." Jon Gonzales Incentives for Improving Staff Performance and Productivity There are many ways to improving staff performance and productivity. Strong management, a strong employee training program,  a very busy salon, strong leadership and mentoring, a positive and professional salon environment, a shared team vision, continuing education, business stability and growth to name just a few guidelines There are many other ways to reward peak performers based on performance as well; I will review some other guidelines [Click here to read full article...]

2016-07-31T09:51:28-07:00July 31st, 2016|

Renew Your Passion of Owning a Successful Business

"Persistence and determination will give you the power to prevail over all obstacles." Owning a successful business is a daunting experience and can seem overwhelming at times. As a salon owner you must wear many hats. The many challenges of salon ownership in a very volatile economy can be overwhelming. I’m sure everything that has happened to you has happened to me in my 43 year career as a working hairdresser/salon owner. You certainly will experience many peaks and valleys owning a successful and profitable [Click here to read full article...]

2016-07-18T19:59:53-07:00July 18th, 2016|

Your Road Map to Financial Independence

"Two ways to get rich ---spend less than what you make and make more than what you spend."  Jon Gonzales Your Road map to Financial Independence. I know this is a topic that most people in the beauty profession ignores;but in my opinion, this is  topic that is critically important,a topic usually ignored in the beauty profession One of the pitfalls we face as hairdressers and salon owners is that, more often than not, our jobs do not provide us with pension plans, medical insurance, [Click here to read full article...]

2016-06-24T01:16:58-07:00June 26th, 2016|

Excelling at Customer Service

"High end and well managed salons place a high priority on customer service."  Jon Gonzales Your Competitive Edge Top salons set a high priority on excelling at  customer service. Salon owners and hairdressers  know that excelling at customer service gives them a competitive edge. Think about your own experiences when you patronize a business. Have you ever ever experienced poor customer service experiences at a clothing store, bank, grocery store, or restaurant? If so, you probably decided not to patronize that business again based on [Click here to read full article...]

2016-06-19T11:37:32-07:00June 19th, 2016|

Profit is Not a Dirty Word!

 "The worst crime against working people is a salon that fails to make a profit." Attention Hairdressers ----- Profit is Not a Dirty Word! There is a widespread misunderstanding by many hairdressers why a business needs to make a profit. Sadly, many hairdressers feel that salon owners are greedy . In chat rooms I read comments like how dare the owner makes a profit off of me. Salon Owners are greedy. Salon Owners are rich. Why should the owner keep half of what I earn? [Click here to read full article...]

2016-06-02T21:59:52-07:00June 5th, 2016|

Booth Rental:Is It Right For You?

Booth Rental: Is It Right For You? I'm sure many people, especially those of you who are booth renters or salon owners who rent booths will not agree with article,but with over 49 years experiences as an salon owner, educator,business consultant, motivational speaker, seminar leader, and author , I feel I have earned the right to voice my opinion  and  speak out on this  very controversial topic. If honesty and integrity is wrong, then I plead guilty. There is no substitute for basic honesty and [Click here to read full article...]

2018-05-18T10:39:21-07:00May 22nd, 2016|

Tips on Avoiding Staff Turnover

Avoiding staff turnover is a major challenge to building and growing a profitable salon No salon or day spa can maintain continued growth and profitability with a constant merry-go-round of staff turnover and business instability. How can you expect to raise prices and build a high end business in this environment? With so many salon owners finding it difficult to find quality hairdressers, staff turnover will always be a cloud that hangs over your head. In my 43 years of real world experiences, I have [Click here to read full article...]

2022-04-12T08:25:38-07:00May 15th, 2016|

Mistakes Every Beauty Professional Must Avoid!

"When you are just average, you are just as near the bottom as you are the top." Many of us with experience were unprepared for a competitive job market when we entered the job market. Many thought that graduating from beauty school would be all that we would need to build our beauty professional careers. Unfortunately there were other skills we failed to develop that would help us better meet job market and consumer demands such as communication and people skills, personal development, excelling at [Click here to read full article...]

2016-05-01T10:11:15-07:00May 1st, 2016|

The Beauty Profession Bright Side!

Last week I posted The Dark Side of the Beauty Profession. I urge you to click here to review last week's blog about the dark side of our profession to refresh your mind as we look towards the bright side of our profession. This week I want to present Beauty Profession Opportunities & The Bright Side... Adversity Presents Fantastic Beauty Profession Opportunities Nobody ever said owning your own business would be easy. Most people quit when the going gets tough. Adversity always presents fantastic opportunities [Click here to read full article...]

2018-08-28T01:05:50-07:00April 24th, 2016|

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