Neill Quality College, an annual, three-day retreat at Neill headquarters in Hammond, Louisiana, brings owners together for one clear objective: growth. Whether you’re just getting started or own four locations and are opening two more, NQC offers a blueprint to evolve, grow and thrive.

Source: Neill

“It infuses all the things we think are important for personal and professional development,” says Cristen Walley, senior vice president at Neill.

Over the course of three days, owners are transparent with each other about their businesses as they learn how to launch themselves and their teams to the next level—making everyone more profitable in a healthy salon culture. 

Here, four owners share their recent journeys at NQC and how what they learned impacted their businesses.

Day 1: Potential of the Passionate

On their first day of NQC, owners were shown how to lean into their personal vision, mission, and values and then move those values to the business level. Some owners dove into their culture for the first time and others were refining what they already defined. 

Stephanie Harrington, owner of The Beauty Bar at Geist in Indianapolis, Indiana, has been a stylist for 20 years, but just became an owner in August 2023. After taking over an existing business, she found it difficult to set her own mission when someone else’s values were already in place.

“NQC was amazing for me because I was adapting my vision and values to the previous owner’s,” Harrington says.

Brandon Hamilton is fairly new to ownership as well. He opened The Millhouse in Springdale, Arkansas, two years ago. 

“We took our vision and honed in on it at NQC,” he says. “I also learned how to use my time away from the chair very intentionally.”

Jody Rivera, owner of Swamp Mermaid Beauty Project in Austin, Texas, has owned the salon for eight years, but just switched over to Aveda and became commission-based six months ago.

“Changing from chair rental to commission involved a lot of change,” Rivera says. “I had written my values and mission down years ago, but realized I hadn’t been living by it and needed to revisit it.”

It was so meaningful that Rivera ended up parting ways with the stylist who came with her to NQC.

“She wanted to become a manager, so I invited her to join me at NQC,” she says. “Being in an environment outside of the salon with her was an eye opener for both of us. When we returned, we had a conversation about the differences in our values, and she left to become a suite renter, which is going great for her. We parted on good terms.” 

Kevin Charles, owner of four Kevin Charles Salon locations in Austin, Plano and Dallas, came to NQC as a veteran owner.

“I came back to ownership in 2019 after six years away and felt I needed to reeducate myself, and Neill has a finger on the pulse of the industry,” he says. “The knowledge the Neills have is coming from experience—they are still running salons. Sharing their personal experiences at NQC really helped me understand my own business; they’ve given me a shortcut by learning from their mistakes.”

Day 2: Thriving Teams

Once NQC attendees mapped out their culture and values, they were given the blueprint they needed to help their team members reach their full potential. This day brought many a-ha moments for owners.

“We weren’t doing enough goal pushing,” says Harrington. “I’m excited to show the team how they can grow their own paycheck with the formulas we got from NQC. We can input current numbers and adjust to see what a small tweak can do—even an extra hour or two per week makes a difference.”  

Rivera agrees, “The spreadsheet NQC provided was extremely helpful, and now I know how to build my team’s confidence and cheer them on with numbers.”  

She adds, “We just switched to commission-based a few months ago, so it was perfect timing to learn how to use benchmarks.”

Rivera has been working on one-on-one goals and team goals, with small incentives that have proven effective.

“When I offer a pizza party if they hit retail goals for the week, they hit that number,” she says.

During NQC, Charles says he realized he wasn’t breaking down numbers and using the correct terminology in a way his stylists could understand clearly.

“Neill has a formula that makes it much easier for me to translate numbers to my manager who can then translate them to the hairdresser,” he says. “They framed it so the hairdresser could understand and engage, which is empowering.” 

And now Charles has a better connection with his team.

“Rather than telling them they have to hit a number, our conversations are about how we can serve them and create a better career path.” 

“I had a meeting with the team where I broke down all our numbers, giving them percentages, so they could see exactly what the salon pays for out of our cut of their commission,” Charles says. “This is a tough business, and we showed them exactly where the money is going.” 

Hamilton did something similar and says it has been effective. “If they have one more client or sell $10 more per week, I can show them how that affects their salary in black and white,” she says. 

Day 3: Empowered Entrepreneurship

On the final day of NQC, owners learned how core values, benchmarks and behaviors all work cohesively together.

“The team are the players on the field, and owners are the coaches,” Charles says. “We’re the whole support system so they can play—and win—the game. We provide the financial and growth paths so they can go home after work and do what they like.” 

Harrington adds, “We were managing in fear, just trying to retain staff. But we realized that maybe we need to let them go if they don’t fit into our vision. We now feel more empowered to make our salon the place we want it to be.”

Maximizing the NQC Blueprint

“NQC attendees walk away with a strategic blueprint to help them focus on future possibilities and inspired actions,” Walley says.

Hamilton says he left with much more. 

“I have so much support in all areas of my life except as an owner,” he says. “I didn’t realize how alone I felt, and have never felt more seen and supported than I did with the Neill team and fellow owners/leaders at NQC.

“You have to be intentional about your goals when you attend,” he adds. “I was honest, because I was there to learn, not impress people, and wanted to get everything I could out of the experience.” 

Charles says, “NQC was humbling and enlightening. All the barriers were taken down–it was a safe environment where you could be totally transparent and seek advice from others who have gone through the same stuff.” Ready to reach your salon’s full potential? The next NQC is June 1-3, 2025. Click here to learn more.

The Faculty

The owners and managers who attended the early June NQC event ranged from small salons just getting started to seasoned owners with multiple locations. The thoughtfully assembled faculty (below) brought a wide variety of skills and experience to meet the needs of everyone who attended. 

Andi Eaton Alleman: An expert on brand-building, content creation with cutting-edge tools, and using efficient strategies, Andi spent two decades as an executive in the beauty industry and is a three-time author and host of the podcast, The Unschool. 

Garrison Neill: Vice president of Neill Corporation and Paris Parker Salons and Spas, Garrison has also assisted in business development for Demandforce and Aveda, and was the visionary behind the Parker Barber brand.  

Kevin Perryman: The director of engagement at Paris Parker Salons and Spas, and co-founder of Local Honey salon in Nashville, coaches and mentors stylists, leading Paris Parker’s education program and empowering artists.

Ric Bowden: Co-founder of Avalon Salon in Dallas, Ric’s business acumen and passion for beauty are second to none.

April L. McDaniel: A CPA at Kopsa Otte, a firm specializing in the beauty industry, April has a wide variety of experience including financial analysis, taxation, human resources, employee benefits, and leases.