Here’s the tea: Your guest experience doesn’t start when they sit in your chair—and it sure as heck doesn’t end when they leave your salon.

It starts the moment they find you online.

In 2025, your website, Instagram, Google Business Profile, Facebook, and even TikTok are the new first impressions. And if they don’t reflect the magic you bring to your guest experience in person, you’re leaving money (and dream clients) on the table.

Here’s how to make every single digital touchpoint work as hard as you do:

🌐 Your Website: Your Digital Front Door

Would you let your salon lobby look outdated, cluttered, and hard to navigate? Didn’t think so.

· Mobile-friendly or nothing – Guests should be able to book in 2 taps or less.

· Your brand, loud and proud – Colors, fonts, and photos should scream your vibe.

· New Guest Page – Roll out the virtual red carpet and show them what to expect.

💡 Coach’s Tip: Your website should build trust and make people feel like they’ve already found “their” salon before they even book.

📍 Google Business Profile: Your Secret Weapon

The words on your website do more than fill space. They shape perception, build trust, and—most importantly—create connection.

At Summit Salon Business Center, we’ve helped thousands of salon companies build stronger brands. And here’s one truth we’ve seen time and time again: the way you talk about your business can either open the door for new guests—or quietly close it.

Speak from the Heart, Not Just the Résumé

It’s natural to want to showcase your accolades and experience. You’ve built this business from the ground up. You’re proud of your team. You’ve worked hard to get here.

But when a guest visits your website, they’re not looking for your résumé. They’re looking for resonance. They want to know, at a glance, how you’ll make them feel.

Let’s look at a quick example:

❌ What We Do

Shear Art is a Redken Elite Salon located in the Tampa Bay area, proudly serving our guests since 1986. Our highly trained team includes multiple Redken Artists, as well as certified colorists and designers, and we offer a full menu of services including precision haircuts, dimensional color, skincare, and nail care. We are committed to ongoing education and excellence in everything we do.

Turn Your Social Media Insights into a 30-Day Brand Glow-Up Plan with ChatGPT

In today’s oversaturated beauty industry, standing out on social media isn’t just nice to have—it’s survival. Your salon’s feed might be full of stunning hair transformations, but the question is: Is it growing your brand or just blending in?

We know marketing can feel like a full-time job, and not every salon owner has time to decode social media analytics. But here’s a little secret: with one screenshot and a smart assistant (ahem—ChatGPT), you can turn your insights into a casual, strategic plan to grow your following, attract dream clients, and build a recognizable brand in your local market.

✂️ Here’s your 5-Step Social Screenshot Strategy:

1. Go to Your Insights

Open Instagram or Facebook, tap “Insights,” and screenshot your top-performing posts, reels, and stories. Focus on engagement—likes, comments, shares, saves, and reach.

2. Upload to ChatGPT

Hop into ChatGPT (Pro version works best!) and upload your screenshots. Say something like: “Here are my last 30 days of salon social insights. Can you give me a casual 30-day content plan and a call to action to help my salon stand out online?”

When it comes to your commercial lease, the fine print can make all the difference—especially when it’s time to renew. Including a Renewal Term in your Lease or Renewal document can be a smart move, but it's important to understand exactly what it means and how to leverage it to your advantage.

What Is a Renewal Term?

A renewal term is a clause in your lease that gives you, the tenant, the right to extend your lease for an additional period—typically under similar terms. But don’t let the word "renewal" fool you into thinking it’s automatic or guaranteed.

Let’s break it down:

• Your Eligibility Matters: You must be in full compliance with the terms of your original lease. If you're behind on rent or in breach of any other conditions, your renewal rights can disappear entirely.

• Negotiable Rent: While many terms may stay the same, key incentives such as free rent, tenant improvement allowances, or landlord work are typically not carried over. The rent for your renewal term is negotiable and ideally should reflect fair market value. Make sure your lease mentions fair market rent—and better yet, includes arbitration provisions should you and the landlord disagree.

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Have you ever spotted a green straw and immediately thought, “Starbucks”—even before seeing the cup? Or seen a little blue box and just knew it was Tiffany & Co.? That’s the power of brand identity. It’s not just visual recognition—it’s an emotional response built through consistency and trust.

But in a digital world overflowing with content, how do small businesses build that same kind of recognition online?

It starts with clarity and consistency. The brands we know and trust didn’t become iconic by accident—they repeated the same colors, fonts, voice, and aesthetic over and over, across every touchpoint. Your version of that green straw might be the way you edit your videos, write your captions, or design your website. When your audience sees that same style show up again and again, it begins to build recognition—and recognition builds trust.

Ask yourself: If your brand walked into a room, would it be instantly recognizable?

What Brand Consistency Really Looks Like

It starts with your brand pillars—the core values, visuals, and key messages that guide every part of your business. Think about how your space feels when a guest walks through the door. Is it warm and welcoming? Clean and modern? Edgy and bold? That same energy should carry through your Instagram feed, website, and emails.

Clear out the clutter, refresh your strategy, and attract your dream guests.

Just like your favorite spring cleaning ritual, your marketing deserves a seasonal refresh. Now’s the perfect time to tidy up your online presence, tighten your message, and refocus your content so it actually works for you — not the other way around.

Here’s a simple checklist to help you clean up, level up, and feel ready to bloom into your next season of growth. ✨

✅ Website Check

• ☐ Is your website mobile-friendly and easy to navigate?

• ☐ Are your team bios and service menus up to date?

• ☐ Do all links (especially booking!) work correctly?

• ☐ Is your branding consistent — fonts, colors, images, tone?

• ☐ Are you clearly explaining what makes your salon different?

Bonus: Add seasonal imagery or an updated team photo to make it feel fresh.

✅ Google Business Profile Refresh

Stop Guessing. Start Growing.

If you’ve ever found yourself staring at your phone thinking "What should I post?" or "Is this even working?" — you're not alone. Social media can feel like a full-time job on top of your actual full-time job as a salon owner. But here’s the truth:

👉 It doesn’t have to be that hard.

Social media isn’t just about being trendy or posting daily. It’s about building a brand that attracts the right clients, showcases your team, and tells the world why your salon is special.

Let’s break it down into what really works (and what doesn’t) — without overwhelming you.

✅ What Actually Works

1. Consistency Over Perfection

You don’t need to post daily. You do need to show up consistently. Whether it’s twice a week or five times a week, stick with it. Social media is a relationship tool — not a billboard.

💡 Try This: Choose 3 weekly content pillars — for example: transformations, team features, and education. Rotate through them to keep it simple and strategic.

2. Tell Stories, Not Just Show Styles

Before-and-after photos are great — but the real magic is in the story behind the photo. Why did the guest come in? How did it change their confidence? What was the stylist's inspiration?

Understanding Tenant Improvement Allowance

When negotiating a commercial lease, one of the most critical aspects to understand is the Tenant Improvement Allowance (TIA). This is the money a landlord offers to help cover the cost of building out or renovating the leased space. However, before getting too excited about this financial incentive, it’s essential to clarify exactly what the landlord is paying for and how it impacts your overall lease agreement.

What is the Landlord Paying For?

If the landlord is offering a Leasehold Improvement Allowance, here are key questions to ask:

• Is the allowance covering the landlord’s required work? If so, there should be an appendix to the lease detailing the division of responsibilities between the landlord and tenant—even if the tenant is handling all the construction work.
• What is included in the build-out? Are there provisions for a ceiling, demising walls, an electrical panel, plumbing stub-ups, HVAC units and distribution? These are typically part of the landlord’s work to ensure the space is in a “vanilla shell” condition, meaning it is move-in ready.
• Is the Tenant Improvement Allowance repayable? A true allowance should not be tied to an amount the tenant must repay in case of default, nor should it factor into the calculation for Basic Rent.