Our Blog

It’s been a year of unexpected challenges, but also a year of tremendous opportunity for those who have taken the time to learn and grow through it all. For our last episode of 2020, the team behind the Sola Stories Podcast wanted to connect to reflect on the lessons this monumental, transformative year has taught us.   Read More

It's that time to Jingle Bell rock out to some holiday hits, and we've got you covered with a playlist that will keep you jingling to the New Year. Everything from the classics to pop cover faves, you'll be rocking around the Christmas tree the rest of the holiday season.   Read More

Terri Cowan, inspirational speaker and owner of Professional Salon Concepts, believes success starts with excellent customer service. In this episode of Sola Stories, Terri and Kim chat about the systems you need to set up to create an A+ customer experience that will bring your salon and customer retention to the next level.   Read More

As many professionals are currently under varying COVID-19 restrictions and a disruption of normal business, we’re sharing some successful retail strategies for these uncertain times. From virtual esthetician appointments to gift card offers, learn all the ways to adjust your business to our current reality – and prepare for business-as-usual in the future.  Read More

Winding down from a stressful season (and year) doesn’t happen overnight, so It’s important to give yourself a few days of rest and relaxation to gain back control of your life and find your much-needed zen. Here are a few tips to help you recharge for the holiday season and to take with you into the new year!  Read More

Our guest on this episode, Alexa Rose Carlin, is an entrepreneur extraordinaire and has not only built her own personal brand with an online following of over 200K but through her company, Women Empower X, has also helped thousands of women across the world reach their own entrepreneurial success. Inspired by the lessons she’s learned through her own entrepreneurial endeavors, Alexa founded WEX with the mission to help more women pursue their passions and get to the next level in their career and life.  Read More

Our guest on this episode of Sola Stories, Joey Figueiredo, comes to us from Prairie Village, Kansas. Before he was a hairdresser, he was a professional photographer, and while growing his career behind the camera, he fell in love with the world of hairdressing. After obtaining his license through an apprenticeship in Kansas City, he continued to explore his passions outside the salon, landing gigs and working behind the scenes at Fashion Week, and so much more. Joey is a successful salon owner of a double-sized studio, an educator,one of our 2019 Faces of Sola.  Read More

Going out on your own as a salon owner takes a ton of courage and strength. We’re here to provide hope through an inspiring story of one #SolaStrong stylist, Annie Hayes, who opened her own Sola studio in May 2020 after being furloughed by her previous salon. Since then, Sola has helped her get back on her feet and turn her career dreams into her career reality.  Read More

On this marketing Quick Tip, Angela and Jennie team up to chat all about hashtags and how this powerful, and often under-utilized tool can take your social media marketing to a whole new level. When used correctly, it allows people who are interested in that topic to find you and your content. Using hashtags should be done in relevant and specific ways, so listen as Angela and Jennie share tips and tricks that will help you gain a following, and potentially new clients, solely by getting a better handle on hashtags.  Read More

It’s no secret that 2020 was not the year any of us were expecting. But as we near the end of this year, we hope you take a moment to reflect and feel blessed for what you do have — no matter how big or small. We asked our community, "Why are you thankful for Sola in 2020?" Here’s what you had to say…  Read More

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough and more.” Even though it has been a challenging year on so many levels, we want to spend some time to focus on gratitude and silver linings. 2020 Faces of Sola Steven Wren and 2018 Faces of Sola Amanda Fagan are two of the most positive people we know, so we wanted to bring them back onto the Sola Stories Podcast to share how they have been able to stay grounded in gratitude throughout this pandemic.    Read More

On August 11th, I posted on Instagram asking our Sola fam to share tips for new parents as I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of my first baby. Twelve weeks later as I wrapped up my maternity leave, I posted on Instagram again…this time asking for advice for working parents getting ready to return from maternity/paternity leave. As promised, here are the tips shared by a few inspiring working mamas and papas...  Read More

Our guest on this episode of Sola Stories is Canadian business coach, Dawn Bradley. Dawn has been in the beauty industry for nearly two decades and spent the last ten years as a business owner. Through her coaching business, Dawn hosts tons of classes and online courses, including “Become a 6-Figure Hairstylist Stress-Free” and “Raise Your Prices Like a Pro.” We’ve previously had the honor to partner with Dawn for some Sola-exclusive education on How To Set Back to Work Boundaries, and we are thrilled to bring her on to the Sola Stories Podcast to discuss how to work smarter, not harder, set boundaries, avoid burnout, raise your prices, and live a balanced life as a small business owner.  Read More

On this episode of Sola Stories, we are talking about all things social media, and who better to have on the show than Sola’s Social Media and Content Strategist, or as we like to call her our Content Queen, Angela Ribbler. Tune in to this episode to get tips from this social media savant to help grow your business. Angela shares her insights about each social media platform and how to utilize and create content for each to reach your goals. Angela also shares valuable tips like how to write a compelling caption, how to take a great Instagram photo and advice for social media beginners. She even shares some secret tips to get your content shared on Sola’s social media! If you’re looking to up your salon’s social media game, this episode will turn your social not-working into successful social networking in no time!  Read More

Tune in to hear Lindsey talk about how she got started with Yelp, how her salon made it to the number 3 position in her city, and how many new clients she gets each week from Yelp while spending $0 on Yelp advertising. She always shares tips for anyone who is ready to get started setting up your Yelp page for the first time. Still not sure if Yelp is right for you? Lindsey talks about how to overcome that fear of that dreaded negative review and why they aren’t as scary as you may think.  Read More

With so much uncertainty surrounding us, the mindsets, priorities, and expectations of both you and your clients have likely changed. We’re here to help you overcome these new internal and external challenges and find your flow again behind the chair.  Read More

Full-spectrum colorist and 2020 Faces of Sola, Morgan Abernathy, has truly created a career that spans the spectrum of the beauty industry. She has gone from being told she wasn’t good enough to ever be a “great hairdresser,” to owning her own salon, educating for brands like Pulp Riot, Brazilian Bond Builder and Colortrak, and has grown an Instagram following of nearly 50K followers. Tune in to this inspirational episode of Sola Stories to hear Morgan share how she went from being homeless and living in her car, to being the flourishing owner of her salon, Colored in Chaos.  Read More

The saying goes, “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” As some parts of the country approach what feels like a looming second wave, we have two options: we can ignore it, or we can prepare. Don’t wait until you’re in crisis mode to get prepared. Start now with these 6 ways to set yourself up for financial stability through financially unstable times.  Read More

Before becoming the successful owner of multiple salons and beauty academies, as well as one of the most celebrated and sought-after motivational speakers in the industry, Geno learned first-hand what it meant to be successful working behind the chair. Geno will tell you himself, he’s not the best hairdresser in the industry, but his inept ability to understand people is what has kept his career thriving for decades. We are thrilled to bring this vivacious industry expert, mentor and a true friend to the Sola family, onto the Sola Stories podcast.   Read More

On this Sola Stories Quick Tip, we're helping you get a jumpstart on your holiday marketing. Tune in to get all of our best holiday marketing tips and tricks for salon owners, because no matter what 2020 brought, you can still cross this year's finish line with a bang.   Read More

Whether we are all in need of a little extra holiday cheer or we just can't wait to leave this year in the past...you've likely started to see the holiday season start creeping in earlier than ever this year. Like most things in 2020, the holidays are sure to have their own twist, so we're here to help you get a jumpstart on your holiday marketing and cross this year's finish line with a bang.  Read More

We are thrilled to bring our special guest and Breast Cancer Thriver, Barbara Violo, onto the Sola Stories podcast. Barbara owns a hair and wig studio in Sola in Long Island, New York. Barbara’s studio is a safe haven for women experiencing hair loss, primarily due to cancer as well as other causes. In her studio, she takes her clients on a journey - from shaving their heads to hair recovery and beyond. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, we wanted to bring Barbara on the Sola Stories Podcast to share her journey as both a breast cancer survivor and tell us about the unique niche she has created in her Sola studio. Listen to hear Barbara share her beautiful, thoughtful process creating the perfect wig for each of her clients.   Read More

Emotional and financial wellness has unsurprisingly been a huge topic for our community this year. In these uncertain times, we are here to support you in any way we can, which is why we hosted a wellness webinar with industry expert and financial guru, Michael Cole, and 2020 Faces of Sola, Bianca Margolis. Together, they discussed ways to combat COVID Crisis Fatigue⁠, ways to adjust numbers to keep your business thriving⁠, and how to stay healthy, both emotionally and financially.   Read More

By signing your lease for your brand new studio at Sola, you have just made an exciting and positive change for your life and career. Since becoming your own boss and opening up your own salon comes with new challenges and responsibilities, it’s not unexpected to take a break from being on cloud nine and ask, “Where do I start?” Here’s a quick-list of tasks and items you should focus on in the first few weeks of your new #SolaBoss life.  Read More

We are thrilled to bring Houston-based hairstylist and one of our 2020 Faces of Sola, Cuyler Engram (@cuylerdidit), on the Sola Stories Podcast. Before owning his Sola salon, Cuyler honed his craft as a makeup artist for Mac Cosmetics. Listen, as Cuyler shares his journey into the beauty industry and how he’s overcome criticism and racism to harness his confidence in his craft and creativity. Tune in to get Cuyler’s number one tip for growing an Instagram following as well as a happy, fulfilling life.   Read More