As a kid, I used to buy Moon Pies from a vending machine in the discount store. I also bought Faygo pop for a nickel or dime (favorites were Grape, Fruit Punch, and Orange but they had to be ice cold).

I also remember the first vending machine that had the buttons to push instead of the level to pull. They were so much fun!

Personally I cannot remember the last time I bought anything from a vending machine. But we have them in our lunchrooms and they are always being restocked. The best selling items are Snickers, M&M’s, salty snacks and Pepsi.

Soon you will be able to buy Apple stuff in vending machines at major airports supported by Best Buy. Macy’s has been doing this for over a year.

Question is why do we have a fascination with vending machines? I mean, is there anything funnier than watching someone put a dollar bill in the slot only to see it being rejected and then the person trying again and again?

If Apple can sell iPod’s and stuff, why can’t we sell beauty products? Question for you is which products do you think would sell best? And if you are a vending machine addict (what word best describes a vending machine addict-Vendo?), what are your favorite items?

Happy Friday!

We all remember where we were 7 years ago today. That day changed our lives forever. The emotions of the event were never felt before like that day and the emotions carried forward for many weeks to come.

As a company we went outside and did a special flag ceremony in memory of 9/11. People cried, tears flowed and there was genuine compassion.

Fast forward seven years and Americans are focused on the economy, gas prices and the election. Terrorism doesn’t even ring a bell on the list of top 10 concerns. But we know it lurks around the corner….

Today is the perfect day to remember the heroes, those who died for no reason and what the U.S.A. really stands for. Sometimes we get too deep into things that are really petty at the end and don’t really make a difference.

When it comes to life and death, freedom and liberty, democracy and the American Way, these are all values worth fighting for. Let’s not forget the reason why we are in Iraq, Afghanistan and so many other countries fighting and monitoring. Our troops serve one purpose and one purpose only. Let’s remember today, September 11, 2001.

Why is it that once Labor Day comes and goes, it immediately feels like Fall is in the air? It rained Friday, it rained Sunday and it rained yesterday. Tonight it’s going to 40-43 degrees. Brrrr!

That’s OK because Fall is the "event’ season for TNG. We have 3 major events in the span of five weeks and each one if full of fun and giving back.

I had the pleasure of spending some time yesterday with Jeph Wright and Andy Bernard, our top Kemon coaches. Both just returned from Italy where they spent ten glorious days vacationing and learning Kemon’s latest collection.

I loved listening to their stories and how salons and distributors across Europe are keen on our story and success in the U.S. We literally have hundreds of hairdressers in the European community paying attention to what we are doing.

What we are doing is nothing short of incredible. The Kemon Artistic Team is putting together the most amazing show for Kemon Nights October 26. 40 models in all and all the clothes are coming directly from Italy along with the fashion coordinator. Kemon Nights benefits Children for Hair Loss. As a special bonus, we have the fabulous Sinjon Smith band playing live when doors open. A limited number of tickets are still available.

We will get a taste of Kemon Nights at DREAMS coming quickly September 20 (tickets still available) as the Artistic Team kicks off the show. The three finalists for Michigan Hairdresser of the Year are getting ready for the time of their life and from I have seen, the competition is going to be extreme.

And STRIDES kicks off October 18 on Belle Isle. As a National Sponsor of STRIDES, we are very excited to partner with the American Cancer Society on a national basis. Between STRIDES and DREAMS, we will raise at least $200,000!

So it’s Lights, Camera, Action for TNG. Get ready for some good times and some giving back as we will be rocking Southeastern Michigan.

Happy Tuesday!

I know our industry isn’t loaded with sports enthusiasts, but I love to you use sports for business analogies so what better time to talk about sports than opening football weekend.

First, I went to the home opener in East Lansing to watch the Spartans pummel the Eastern Eagles. Spartan Stadium glowed in the sun and the 71,000 fans were baking in glory and enjoying the 700 calorie Melting Moments ice cream sandwiches (they are the best but I gave them up years ago).

The marching band was brilliant as always. But here’s the thing, it’s about the Spartans who have proven to lose the games they should win and win the games they should lose. So even in victory, there were too many moments of disgust especially when Ringer fumbled in the end zone in the first quarter.

At the end, everyone was happy and leaving the stadium in a good mood. The drive home was fun listening to the commentary of the game.

I can’t say the same about the Lions. After coming off a 4-0 Exhibition season, they looked like the  Eagles. Just like the Big Ten plays MAC teams the first two games of the season, my thinking is that the Lions should play MAC teams too. But wait, they played the worst team in football-the Falcons! The rookie QB looked by Brett Favre and the running game set a record.

I wasn’t even born the last time the Lions won anything. William Clay Ford, the owner of the Lions, is a strange creature. Losing doesn’t bother him. Why? The Lions are the third most profitable football franchise in the NFL. But that’s another blog.

Today, Marinelli and Millen should quit or be fired. They had their chance and we should not endure another season of embarrassment. But as one of the players stated, "It’s only the first game…"

Question: Is it the owner, coaches or the players that determine victory? Brady is out for the season after a horrible injury in the first quarter, yet the Patriots still won. Sure, all three are responsible for winning, but who is most responsible for losing?

Happy Monday!

Based on your feedback yesterday, looks like I’m stuck at the keyboard for another few weeks. On topics to write about, one person suggested topics outside the beauty industry. Truth is, I’m doing this to connect to the psyche of those involved in our industry. So I am hoping more salon professionals give feedback.

This morning the government reported a huge increase in people seeking unemployment benefits while stating the unemployment rate moved to 6.1%. The stock market tanked over 300 points and continues its decline today.

More interesting is that the price of crude oil keeps making new lows and is down from $140 a barrel to $105 or 25%. However the price of gas has only decreased about 15%. But wait. I hardly hear people talking about the price of gas since it went below $4 a gallon. Even the auto companies are stating that buyer interest in SUV’s and pick-ups have "picked up."

What does anything mean these days? Are we so involved in the moment that when the moment passes we move to another moment and don’t care about the previous ones? We do annual surveys for our talent and after 9/11, Terrorism ranked #1. The following year in 2002 it ranked #3. Last year it wasn’t even listed as a concern (last year the economy was #1).

I am asking all hairdressers and nail techs: What are your client’s talking about these days? OK TNG talent, what’s on your mind; after all, it is Open Mic Friday.

Happy Friday and congratulations to Lisa & Howard on their marriage tomorrow!

According to Wikipedia, "a blog (a contraction of the term "Web log") is a Web site, usually maintained by an individual ^[1], with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog."

It is estimated that there are up to 200 million former blogger’s (they got bored) and 100 million active blogger’s. The site also claims that blogging has peaked as people get tired of writing stuff and the relevance of reading other blogs drops off.

So that got me to thinking. I have been doing this for a few months now and have received pretty steady results in page views and number of viewers.

Truth is, this does take a lot of time each day and if you were doing it you would want to know if it is worthwhile.

Is my blog about education, entertainment, editorial or a combo of all? Some like to read, some like to post. There are daily "posters", weekly "posters" and anonymous "posters." When I ask questions, I only get a few percentage of readers responding.

Regardless of what kind of "poster" you are today, please let it all out, step out of the box, and let the blog world know what topics interest you most and what you want to see more of and what you want to see less of. After all, the great thing about blogging is that is gives you freedom of expression with no ramifications. Blog away!

Happy Thursday!

I never subscribed to People, The National Enquirer, or any other celebrity magazine. I don’t watch E!, Oprah, music videos or attend concerts (except for Buffet). I don’t buy CD’s and although I do downloads from i-Tunes, it certainly isn’t for pop music.

Celebrities have a way of getting their name out even if you live in a cave. I can see it now: one caveman walks in to a cave with a club in one hand and its prey in the other and tells the other caveman, "Did you hear about the latest Jessica Simpson song?"

Forget about Simpson the music star. Sure she debuts at the Grand Ole Opry later this week and launches her latest album with a country flair. Big deal. I’m talking about Simpson the business woman.

We have sold her hair extensions going on 3 years and although sales have slowed, we have sold more than $1 Million of the stuff. Simpson’s first fragrance launched recently and she already has her own handbag, shoe, and accessory line. Bras are next. Then dresses. And perhaps the world.

The question I have is "what makes a celebrity a celebrity and why do we bow to them?" We are gossip-driven and love the lust, the slime, the gritty. is it about fantasy? One thing is for certain, celebrity-driven business is great for many industries.

Which brings me to the obvious question: What can a celebrity do for our business? Tammy Taylor in the day was the celebrity for nails but she had her own company and pitched her own products. Simpson doesn’t sell a single product on her website except for some ring tones and wallpaper (can you believe?).

In hair care, we mostly have seen hairdressers who do celebrities come out with their own product line which is hot for a brief moment and then dies off. Fekkai was the most "celebrated" of them all but then sold to Proctor & Gamble (you can now buy his hair color for home for $30). Jonathon on Bravo was fun until he got into products and I think both his locations closed.

Which celebrity would you love to see for the nails? For hair? For spa? How cool would that be?

Happy Wednesday and Come on Over!

In the final part of my 3-part series on spas and in thanks to Dr. Boger who engineered this study, today I am writing about weaknesses that many see in the spa industry that if overcome, will generate more revenue and happier campers.

But first, the results from my last blog.

The services used most often from top to bottom:

1. Massage
2. Facial
3. Hands & Feet
4. Hair
5. Waxing/Body Treatment
6. Make-up

Expenditures by the average spa-goer:

1. Below $100: 14%
2. $100-$149:   49.5%
3. $150-$199:   19.4%
4. $200-$249:   10.8%

Here the top weaknesses exposed. See if any of these have happened to you:

1. Inconsistent treatment among technicians. More communication is needed in terms of the type of service requested by the spa-goers and the type of service that is provided by each technician. For me, some massage therapists are right on with pressure, and areas that need it most. Others are clueless and who likes a lousy massage?
2. Felt rushed for treatment. In some cases, the spa-goers felt their service started late and finished early. For me, there are incidents that the therapist arrives late to pick me up and then I look at the clock when I am done and the extra minutes are not added on. Besides, I already dislike paying for 50 minutes when I think I should be getting 60.
3. Quiet areas. This is when others are not maintaining quietness in the quiet area. I see this is an issue in Vegas spas where groups tend to visit and they talk, talk, talk.

The study concludes with top strengths and these are evident in nature. Keep focused on these and you will be OK: Professionalism of staff; relaxing ambience; facility and cleanliness and overall service from start to end.

Hopefully you enjoyed your Labor Day weekend as much as I did. I now have a daughter-in-law!

Happy Tuesday!