Well, now you really think I am crazy. I don't think so. Some salon owners are crazy smart when it comes to making money and being successful. Some have figured out the right mix of booth rental and commission arrangements to make the shop run like a well oiled machine!

So, who are these owners?

I would like to profile one I am particularly impressed with. He is smart, talented professionally and financially savvy while having a heart and working hard to improve the lives and careers of his professional team. This is an amazing combination. I have listened, in the last 4 years, to many, many salon and spa owners. I have listened to those who work for both the commission shop owner and the booth rental owner and none have had the work and life ethic of this particular gentleman.

Mark Cottle, who owns Kaya Beauty in Henderson, Nevada, has no idea I am writing about him but that's ok because he would just blush if I told him before I was done! Mark is a very talented Beauty Professional. He is a teacher, mentor and businessman. "I want my team to be successful" he says if you ask him why he is so comfortable when one of his professionals says they want to go rental, "any salon owner who doesn't want to have their team "own" their own customers and do great things is scared of loss". His confidence in his ability to groom great talent shines through in everyone in the shop.

You must remember, although I am a financial professional who created a solo beauty professional contact management software, I am also a very vain newly 50 year old women who hates any gray hair showing through and needs to be "blonde" although God gave me the good old Italian dark brown to work with! I am very loyal to some very talented professionals who credit Mark & Kaya for their success.

I am also finally getting my nails done and for a treat had a facial and massage on my birthday as a gift from my staff. What an amazing event, all at Kaya, the top treatment with great people, all loving what they do and making their work into an enjoyable career.

All of them, when asked what is important to the salon& spa owner say " Mark cares only about the happiness of the client", "If the client isn't being taken care of by one professional in the salon, we all must understand and help them to find the right professional in the salon to work with". Wow, what a concept.

Mark bought each member of his team a copy of the Redken sponsored Michael Cole book "A Little More off the Top" to read and study and discuss at future meetings for the group. I was lucky enough to read a copy and what a great book for all beauty professionals as well as any business person who lives with customer service as a crucial part of their career. Mark gave them the book with the goal of building success for each team member which in turn builds success for the shop.

Now I can't tell you the financial formula of booth rental to commission and what the splits are and what the monthly fees are. I can tell you that all work to sell product, not "force sell" product to the clients, the front desk calls all clients of commissioned staff the day before the appointment (I believe this is too late, but that's another client management story), and are super friendly helping out however they can.

When Mark said to me, as I commented on how wonderful his management style was and how unique he is in the marketplace, "If a client likes a professional's work, they will follow them anywhere. Why shouldn't I make the professional happy to be here so the client will be happy to be here? I don't own the client, nobody does, but client loyalty to their professional is expected". I knew then that Mark understood the fundamentals that most salon owners ignore or suppress for the sake of "owning' the client.

Your professionals are you best and most valuable asset. As a Salon & Spa owner treat them right and you will have the beauty professional and their clients for life.