Choosing where to spend your education dollars isn’t always a slam-dunk decision. Lots of factors apply: What current trends do you want your staff to learn? Do you want to make your color department stronger? Where is your staff the weakest? What are they most interested in learning more about?

Of course, these questions apply to your staff’s technical skills. What about you and your management team? Are you budgeting for events and classes that offer business education?

You may not be able to attend weekly or even monthly business seminars, but once a year, there is a way to get top-level education from the cream of the crop.

Serious Business, a seminar which happens every January in New Orleans, offers owners and managers enough knowledge and inspiration to sustain and motivate them the whole year. Top speakers, successful owners, intimate round-table discussions and networking parties all allow salon owners and managers to dig deep into their business and learn how to make it better.

Terry McKee, owner of Nuovo Salons in the Sarasota, Florida area, looks forward to attending Serious Business every year.

“It’s like going to summer camp,” he says. “I connect with friends and colleagues and enjoy a strong sense of camaraderie.”

“Beyond that, you can be sure that somehow, in some way, your box will be disassembled, your comfort zone stretched and even, from time to time, your mind blown,” says McKee.

The Serious Business Experience

The Salon People and Neill Corporation principals know their attendees count on that “wow factor” McKee looks forward to every year, so they keep in close contact with their network of owners to create a Serious Business theme that addresses current issues and trends.

The thought-provoking theme of 2015 was “Naked.”

“Transparency is the buzzword of the moment,” said Debra Neill Baker, principal at Neill Corporation, when she welcomed attendees via video to the 2015 event. “Recent studies have shown that transparency isn’t just ethical, but also good for growth. It retains employees and engages teams and guests,” she added.

Mainstage speakers, breakout session leaders and salon owners all embraced the “naked” theme with their own “transparent” stories. Headliner speaker Marcus Buckingham particularly hit a chord with attendees when he spoke about tapping into your own strengths.

Buckingham, a best-selling author, researcher and speaker, strongly believes in focusing on employees’ strengths rather than trying to improve their weaknesses. He also emphasized the importance of communication between the employee and employer.

“Expectations have a short shelf life,” he told the audience. “Check in with each of your people once a week. Ask them what their priorities are that week and how you can help. Don’t give feedback—it’s a threat. Coach them.”

He advised owners to give employees a chance to do what they do best every day and reiterate expectations regularly.

“Ask them what their priorities are that week and how you can help,” he said. “People want to get better.”

Adam Wright, co-owner of Dream State Salon in Tallahassee, Florida, and his team were a popular break out session at Serious Business with their own “transparent” story of success. Wright wasn’t just there to present though—he also attends to learn and grow.

“Some of our best ideas were inspired by things we learned at Serious Business,” he says of the event. “Last year we took our entire team—we want them to see things in new ways, and Serious Business is always pushing the limits of how we think about this industry.”

Learning and Growing

Buckingham and Wright were just two of many speakers featured at Serious Business 2015. Brene Brown, an author, research professor at the University of Houston, and expert in the study of courage, vulnerability, worthiness and shame, mesmerized the crowd with her honest, down-to-earth navigation of tough emotions. Nutritionist Kate Geagan spoke about health, nutrition and how to balance it all in a busy life. Author, entrepreneur and consultant Don Tapscott took a look at big-picture technology and how it impacts owners as well as what it means to be transparent in your business.

And these were just the main-stage speakers. Serious Business also featured speakers like Wright during breakout sessions during the two-day event. Attendees can design their own experience by choosing the breakouts that appeal most to them.

The sessions always cover a wide range of topics, and this year’s event didn’t disappoint. From learning how to structure multiple locations to problem-solving with marketing and technology to learning how to blend psychology and cosmetology, each session was packed with information and tips owners could take home and implement immediately.

In addition to the speakers and breakouts, the “business of beauty” was also addressed this year in two different presentations. In one, representatives from Modern Salon Media and the Professional Beauty Association discussed booth rental and its impact on the salon industry. In another, a special panel of owners led by Salon Today editor Stacey Soble, business tips and profit-building secrets were shared.

Tickets for Serious Business 2019 are already on sale at seriousbusiness.net. Get your tickets now and be prepared for world-class speakers, unparalleled business education and networking with hundreds of cutting-edge owners.