Steve Jobs is not a genius. Steve Jobs is not brilliant. In fact, Steve Jobs most likely is not human. In fact, we can put Steve Jobs and James Cameron together and create an entire new country or better yet, planet, that only God knows what could become of that. Or perhaps another question is, "Is Steve Jobs God?"

On sale late March for a mere $499, Jobs has once again shocked the world with yet another magical device that millions and billions of people won’t be able to live without.

The iPad does so many things that were previously unthinkable that one should ask what the iPad won’t do. The days of turning on a cell phone and making a call are like putting a piece of paper in a fax machine and pressing a button to send.

The iPad can literally destroy the PC industry overnight. It sucks to be Michael Dell today. At only 1/2" thick and weighing in at less than 24 ounces, can you imagine anyone taking a laptop on a plane to watch a movie? Can you imagine anyone not tooling around with one because it’s just too cool?

Not only can you choose from 140,000 app’s, there are a dozen new ones that allow you to create photo albums, documents and other stuff like a pro.

I can go on and on but there are better places to read about iPad’s features than here. The thing is, Jobs has created a phenomenon unlike any other in our lifetime.

Sure, IBM introduced the PC in 1982; the first fax in 1989; the first cell phone in 1995; the first MP3 music player 1999; but nothing like this.

If Avatar can do $2 Billion in two months, what will the iPad do in its first year? Too bad Jobs couldn’t get the device to Cameron in time for production of Avatar. Then truly the God’s would have spoken.

Happy Thursday!

When I’m 60 years old, I want to be on the cover of Business Week or Forbes. Now wouldn’t that something. I was on the cover of dBusiness last summer and that was pretty cool. But us business guys with the exception of a few like Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and Jack Welch rarely reach celebrity status.

On the other hand, if you can sell a bottle of nail polish for $8 with your name on it for nearly 40 years as Essie has done, you can reach celebrity status. Essie’s bottles continue to be flogged in major magazines because:

A. Essie has told beauty editors that nail polish is a fashion statement

B. Essie invites fashion editors to luncheons, dinners and gives them lots of free Essie polish

C. Essie loves doing everything herself, making her brand unique among others

D. Essie’s lifestyle of the "apartment" in Manhattan, the "beach house" in the Hampton’s and the getaways to the Peninsula in Beverly Hills and Le Toiny in St. Bart’s enlists her in the minimum requirement book to be a celebrity

I’m almost certain that if her partner for the past 24 years would buy her a jet, then for sure Essie would make the cover of a magazine. But for turning 60, Essie isn’t doing too bad. MORE magazine has her featured on page 41 of the current issue. After reading it, I’m getting my skis waxed and shopping for the latest in snowmobile gear (all matching of course).

Last I heard, a Vespa is not a Gulfstream, but how much celebrity status does one really want?

Pick up a copy today and share it in the salon. You might even sell a bottle or two of Essie polish!

Happy Tuesday!

We love fragrances. We love to spray them, plug them into electrical outlets, light them, infuse them, dab them, smell them, bathe in them, lather with them, cook with them, hang them in cars, launder, insert into dryer, diffuse them and yada-yada-yada.

Perhaps the #1 use of fragrance for women on a daily basis is perfume (OK, men use it too but not as much). To set the record straight, there are several variations of perfume.

EDP (Eau De Parfum, or perfume): The most concentrated form of the fragrance, Most expensive, use sparingly.

EDT (Eau De Toilette): Leave it to the French to use a "toilet" in the best-selling form. The most popular is a spray, less concentrated than perfume and lasts for hours.

Cologne: Not as concentrated as EDT, most popular version is a splash.

Personally, I use fragrance daily and although the initial burst only lasts a few seconds, I couldn’t imagine not using it. I love most brands and am not loyal to any single one. With more than 1000 new ones launched each year, the typical Spritzer most likely has at least 10-20 different bottles on the counter and rarely uses up all the bottles.

So are your a Spritzer and if so, what is your favorite brands?

Happy Monday!

I really do want to get back to writing about beauty. Writing about beauty is like writing about cooking, restaurants, movies, books, sports and other non-essential stuff that diverts our attention from reality. It makes us feel better and these days, that’s important.

But Obama has now got his focus on banks and financial companies and he wants to crush them. He alone thinks he has the answer to avoid another financial meltdown. Never mind that government had the biggest role in the meltdown but like the drunken sailor that crashes his boat and blames the storm, Obama is charting himself in unknown territory.

Small and big businesses need banks. TNG needs its bank, Comerica, to borrow money to pay for assets, investments, inventory and other needs. If Comerica told us, sorry, we can’t give you any more money, what do you think would happen to us?

Obama wants to put in so many restrictions to big banks that big banks (which loan more than 80% of all money to businesses) will be even more hesitant to loan money. And if businesses can’t get money, where to you think the economy is going to head from this point?

TNG is in business to make a profit. The more money we make, the more money our employees make and the more investments we can make into the business. If Obama told us that if we made more than 10% profit and that we would have to give 70% anything over 10% to the government in taxes, where do you think the incentive to grow our business would go? Out the door.

America was built on capitalism. Renowned economist Milton Friedman said it best, "If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in 5 years there’d be a shortage of sand." We need risk takers, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, Warren Buffet’s, and we need banks to make money and lots of it.

Obama hates big banks, big oil, big drugs, big autos, big business. I’m not here to discuss what Obama likes but if you do a little research, it’s not want made America great.

Obama will breed more fear, more uncertainty, and for business, that’s the worse combination. He lost MA and now he thinks the American public wants his vision on banks to help restore his "popularity." He couldn’t be more wrong.

Happy Friday!

Obama didn’t awake this morning and smell any roses. If anything, he got a hint of black tea.

For the first time in 47 years, the state of Massachusetts elected a Republican senator. What makes this significant is three things:

1. Virtually all Americans know a Republican won and virtually all Americans don’t even know the name of the candidate that won (Scott Brown).

2. Obama campaigned heavily in MA during the past few days and still lost. After one year, still not one significant victory can Obama claim.

3. Americans may yet be spared on Obama’s insidious health care bill.

Here’s the thing about Obama and health care. Nothing he does personally is in the bill. He runs, He lifts weights. He eats right. Unlike Clinton who stuffed donuts down like potato chips and Bush who couldn’t eat enough Texas steak, Obama is a health nut.

But in his grab for power and to turn health care into yet another government run business, he failed to instill one thing about wellness, incentives for healthy living and reducing costs.

Fact is, 82% of Americans like their health insurance plan and don’t want any changes. What Americans do want are lower costs, less waste, the ability to buy insurance like any other product (competition), and to resolve other issues fairly. What they don’t want is a government run health plan like the ones in Canada and the European Union. Health care is American like apple pie and hot dogs (or shall I say Honey Crisp Apples and turkey burgers).

Obama is smart. Obama is young. Obama is healthy. None of what Obama is matters if he doesn’t listen to the American people. His wake up call came last night, let’s see if he presses the snooze button or wakes up.

Happy Wednesday!

P.S. It would be nice if Detroit could vote on a new owner for its football team. After 47 years, we have one playoff victory.

I knew it. Not even one word into today’s blog, and you your mouth is wide open and can’t believe the subject line. What’s the big deal anyway?

Here’s one thing I know: I’m happy I don’t have to worry about them. While they are the fascination of men from the age of 1 to 99, it is women that have to deal with them. Being in the business of selling breast products, it’s good to be a guy.

We sell this specialized line of bras, Glamorise. Last I knew, this one line of bras comes in 12,450 different sizes, colors and shapes. There are front closure, back closure, full figure, sports, strapless, padded, non-padded, double padded and each in sizes 32A to 46F.

SPANX has figured out how to sell bras and shapewear all in one. Their Bra-llelujah has become a best seller.

We sell specialized creams for breast enhancement. These come in all types of configurations from $50 to $150. In fact, one new hot product that will be launching soon is Boob Job in a Box. It will be featured in all the major women’s magazines shortly. The heck with plastic surgeons!

But where the true business opportunity lies for salons and spas is in the breast accessory category.

Bra inserts are all the rage and these come in different shapes, materials and sizes. They are reusable and sell very well. Sassymax is among the best selling item. Prices range from $15-$50 so very affordable.

And would have thought nipple covers would be a huge business? These do so well that we’re dedicating an entire section on our website to this category. The basic ones are disposable and retail for about $6. These too come in different shapes, colors and some are reusable. There are even ones for special events, so they have become fashion items. I know one thing for sure, guys didn’t invent this hot category.

Bottom line: Breasts are big business. Now you know. Give us a call and order today.

Happy Tuesday!

With everything moving web-based, it only made sense for salon software to make the transition. After years of testing, a product is now available for salons and spas.

Unlike traditional software in which you pay up to $10,000 or even more and receive a few discs and a training manual in return plus the luxury of paying annual maintenance costs, web-based software is user friendly. There are no up front costs and you pay monthly. Best yet, the software is updating frequently giving users the most current version.

This is good news for the salon industry. Salon software is a requirement of doing business and this gives salon owners added flexibility to redirect their funds towards development of their business instead of the software company they are held hostage to.

Web-based software does everything traditional software does such as appointment book, scheduling, retail, bar-codes, commissions and reporting. In fact, one feature that could be a huge surprise is an app for the iPhone. Your clients can load the app and then schedule their appointment using their iPhone.

Training and learning new software is difficult at best. But web-based software is easier to learn and having online training guides and chat makes getting answers to questions simpler. Like cell phones and other electronic devices, most people only use a small percentage of the features. With this package, use what you want.

While we haven’t committed to distributing this software to our customers yet, I am interested in your feedback on how you see web-based software helping your business. It’s certainly the future and the future is here.

Happy Monday!

I interrupt this scheduled blog due to breaking news. If CNN and FOX can do it, so can I!

Actually it’s not breaking news (and what the hell is breaking mean anyway?) but it’s news nonetheless. In the race who can be the biggest and own the most market share, L’Oreal, the $25 Billion company based in Paris, bought both Maly’s and Marshall’s.

Their combined sales were $110 Million with some 700 employees. Last quarter 2009, Sally Beauty Holdings who owns Sally Beauty Supply and BSG (Cosmoprof) bought Schoenomen Beauty Supply.

The $100 question of the day is who is going to buy C.B. Sullivan which is most likely the next candidate to go down and then who is going to buy East Coast Salon Services and perhaps Emiliani and Peel’s?

It’s not enough that L’Oreal owns Matrix, Redken, L’Oreal Professionnel, Kerastase, Pureology, Garnier, and countless other brands. They want to own the distributors too. With this purchase, they are 80% of the way towards national domination.

Procter & Gamble who brands such as Wella, Sebastian, Nioxin, Clairol, Pantene and Head and Shoulders isn’t going to watch while L’Oreal continues to snap up the distributors that are left. And certainly SBH knows its time is limited to acquire so the race is on.

In the meantime, if you are a salon owner or hairdresser, 2010 is going to be the pivotal year for you to decide once and for all if the global players strategy is spot on. The ramifications if their strategy is successful are severe.

2010 isn’t even a week old but already, it’s getting intense. For more breaking news, stay tuned.

Happy Friday!

P.S. I’ll be out all next week, take some time to check out our all new website, tngworldwide.com.

There was once upon a time an old adage "you get what you pay for." It meant if you buy something cheap, don’t expect quality.

The adage has nothing to do with name brand goods such as Coke and Crest. You can buy name brand goods at various outlets with huge price swings.

TISPRO is such a brand I’m referring to. These days, virtually most brands don’t exist if they don’t offer decent quality. But it’s rare that you can get good quality and incredible pricing on items you don’t expect to get both.

New for 2010, TISPRO is offering three items at incredible pricing based on special buys at the factory. The Rockwell chair is now only $149.97, compare to $199-$249. And to back up the quality statement, the pumps now have a two year warranty.

The TISPRO Standard Backwash Unit is priced at $419.97, compare at $599-$699. And finally, you can buy the TISPRO Estelle wall mounted styling station for only $99.97, compare at $149-$169 (shipping charges additional on all items).

So if you need to update or add and cash is tight, these TISPRO items are right for you. Check them out today.

Happy Thursday!

2010 launched with thebeautybook, all new nailco gold and incredibly the January/February issue of The Industry Source magazine, the #1 business publication for the pro beauty industry.

We refined the magazine for 2010 to include more stories about our customers and getting our readers more insight into what salon owners are thinking. Don’t worry, business stories abound and we know from many of our customers that they read the magazine from start to finish.

Kemon will continue to be a featured section as more and more hairdressers and colorists across the USA use and experience Kemon products. You will read real stories how Kemon has changed the salon’s perspective and why they are excited once again about pro products.

Also new for 2010 is a complete education calendar featuring both The Academy and S.P.A. Since we offer many unique courses throughout the year and offer CEU credits for many states, we had many requests to include this information. It’s gratifying to know that many professionals come from all over the USA to attend our courses.

Later this year, we will put the entire magazine online and also feature previous articles. I’ll keep you posted when this will happen.

In the meantime, the magazine continues to be complimentary to nailco gold members or $24.95 for an annual subscription. For more info, click on http://www.tngworldwide.com/content/magazine.

As always, your comments are appreciated. Enjoy.

Happy Wednesday!