According to the U.S. News, 80 percent of all New Year’s resolutions fall flat by February. Why? Because people make resolutions without creating a plan of action to achieve their goals. At Sola, it’s our mission to help you succeed by giving you the support and tools you need to turn your resolutions into realities. So this year, don’t just dream about what you want to accomplish, let Sola help you create a plan to get there!  Read More

At Sola, we want to provide a fresh start for those searching for a new salon home. Our guest on this episode, Annie Hayes from Jacksonville, Florida, 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

At Sola, education and support are at the heart of our brand promise. With the start of the new year, we want to shine a light on some of the amazing education available for independent beauty professionals through Sola education.  Our guest on this episode, Melissa Bennett, truly puts the “Pro” in Sola Pro. Tune in to hear Melissa and Jennie discuss the importance of education in our industry, how Sola education has evolved over the years, and what the future looks like for education for the Sola community and beyond.   Read More

At Sola, it’s our mission to help you grow, both personally and professionally, so you can live the life you love. So we couldn’t leave you without a round-up (and a round of applause) for all the collective learning we did this year. Read on for our list of the top 20 things we learned in 2020!  Read More

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. And, like most holidays this year, Thanksgiving will probably look and feel very different. But hopefully, no matter where you find yourself this Thanksgiving, 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

‘Tis the season for some shopping, and while you may not be able to make your traditional mall rounds to snag a special something for everyone on your holiday shopping list, we wanted to still help you spread a little holiday cheer to the special people in your Sola Fam. From that wine-lover to that new mom (who could likely also use a glass of wine), we’ve got you covered with Sola’s 2020 Holiday Gift Guide.   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

Being grateful makes us feel happier. It really is that simple! And as we near the end of what has been a truly difficult year, it's extra important to look for the positives. No need to wait until Thanksgiving Day: Start practicing an attitude of gratitude to unlock the fullness of life right now with these practical tips.   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

Sola Pro - our free, Sola-exclusive education app - is all glown up! With an enhanced user experience, quicker load times, a personalized content feed, and an easier way to update your Sola webpage, with this refresh, we’ve truly put the pro in Sola Pro. Now is the time to make sure you’ve downloaded the Sola Pro app, have successfully registered, and are able to access all the incredible content. Read on to learn how to get started, as well as what’s new and exciting in Sola Pro.   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