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12:00 Midnight today Michigan moves into the 21st century. But wait, isn’t the night before Thanksgiving supposed to be the busiest bar night of the year? Not this year, tonight will be. This is the last night bar patrons can smoke inside. Wow, this is going to be great. The downside will be the end to alfresco dining, the area will be all smokers.

Speaking of bans, looks like text messaging in cars is next to be approved. But this thing with Oprah in regards to cell phones is out of control. Who is more influential in the U.S.: Oprah or Obama?

The Lotto is $224 Million, are you buying a ticket today?

CND Shellac has been on TV, in the NY Times, but alas not Oprah. Shellac is CND’s answer to soak-off gels in permanent colors that soak off in only 10 minutes. So far the response has been excellent. The real question is if Jan is savvy enough to get on Oprah.

The tanning salon tanning tax of 10% begins soon. The more powerful Dermatologists group won the battle in Washington and tanning salons are the losers. Cigarettes are taxed more than ever and still sell. We will see what happens with tanning salons.

I really do feel bad about Louisiana. Finally New Orleans is back to pre-Katrina levels with tourists and conventions and now this. No one knows how bad the oil spill effects will be but one thing will be for sure, there will be new regulations so this doesn’t happen again.

Do you use a comb? While millions are still sold, I wonder who buys them.

OPI has proven again that tying in polish with animated movies pays off. We sold out our Shrek collections in 2 days. Good news is we have more coming in next week. Order now for guaranteed delivery before Shrek is long gone.

It will be 80 and sunny today. Do you prefer a season opening picnic or barbeque?

Moroccanoil Light is finally shipping. As Moroccanoil celebrates their third year in business, let’s toast to them proof positive that independents still matter.

Do you have Aflac supplemental insurance, know about it or care about it? Quack quack.

Happy Friday!

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The things that you learn every day.

I’m walking into my 6AM yoga class this morning and find my instructor bent over and notice that her hair is up (which is unusual for Suzi). I asked her what she was doing and she said that she was “cooling down while feeling for new hair growth.”

She then stood up, removed her hair band, and told me that she was addicted to ginger chews. Apparently ginger chews cause the body to heat up including the head and thus a side effect is hair loss.

Mind you, it’s 5:56AM and I’m listening with keen interest as if this story could be true. You wonder where authors get their material for movies and books, now I know.

Suzi goes on to say that she gave up her ginger chews a few weeks ago and her body heat is back to normal and (as she points out), she has new hair growth and is feeling better.

All this from ginger chews.

Here is one thing I do know for certain: Women have more severe thinning hair issues then men. And like men, there are a few product to stop thinning hair and even grow new hair (such as Rogaine).

You can go online and learn why we lose hair as we age. Some lose it in their 30’s while others have a full head in their 70’s. But now you know after reading this blog today is that if you are eating ginger chews, STOP if you don’t want thinning hair.

Happy Thursday!

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One thing unions over the years have figured out: How to extract the maximum benefits from their employers for their members. For example, teachers in Michigan receive health care benefits from MESSA. MESSA covers health, dental, eye and everything else in-between and is the Rolls Royce of health benefits. MESSA premiums are huge and mostly paid by the state.

And therein lies the dilemma of benefits. It has been said that benefits are of use twice by employees: One when they leave the company they work for and second, when they actually need them. If an employee stays with a company and doesn’t use them, what are the true value of benefits?

What is truly amazing is which benefits people value most. I think it has something to do with ones age, gender, family history and so forth. Many see little value in short term and long term disability insurance since they feel like they won’t ever need it. Even health care is questionable to many especially those in their 20’s.

In the salon industry, typical benefits don’t exist. Employees and booth renters have to pay for their own benefits. The question thus becomes if one has to pay for their own benefits, would they select that same benefits as an employee that gets them for free?

Another question being tossed up is that if a company pays $4000 a year for benefits per employee, would an employee rather receive a $2000 payment in lieu of the benefits?

In Michigan like most states, you have to have insurance to drive a car. How many times do any of us actually need the insurance? Very few. But when you do, you are happy you have it.

Benefits should be thought of the same way. But with the plentitude of benefits out there, only those that really matter should be allowed and others made supplemental (employee pays).

If states and the federal government are ever going to be fiscally responsible, benefits will need to be addressed. As a private company, we know the true value of benefits that matter and do our best each year to make sure everyone appreciates and wants them. And what’s one of top favorites? Paid birthday off.

Happy Wednesday!

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At my health and beauty aid store when you walked in the first thing you came across was a huge section of travel sizes. Here you would find toothpaste, deodorant, mouthwash, shave cream, personal care items, jars and bottles, wipes, hair spray, manicure and pedicure items, and much more.

In all, there were well over 100 items to choose from and nearly every customer bought something.

One of my favorite things to do at a nice hotel is to check out their amenities. I’ve come across some very cool things over the years. One hotel had a sewing kit with bulk thread, needles and even a thimble. Like anyone staying at this hotel would even know how to sew.

W hotel has many amenities, some for purchase, that you would be shocked to see. As they say, better safe than sorry.

With the economy soured, many hotels have cut back on their selection of amenities. Some don’t even offer a body wash anymore, they expect you to use shampoo instead. But when you enter the bathroom and see a travel size tube of Aquafresh that costs about fifty cents, it makes you smile and say, “Hey, that’s pretty sweet.”

One person I know collects hotel amenities and has done so for more than 20 years. When I went to visit him he showed me his amenities closet and I almost rolled over. There were over 1000 little bottles of potions, 50-60 pairs of slippers, and enough sewing kits that Ralph Lauren could use them in a week. He was quite giddy showing off his collection.

So the question is: Why do we love travel sizes?

Happy Tuesday!

P.S. Speaking of which, we will have a barrel of fun coming your way. Stay tuned.

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Who says planes and cars having nothing in common? When Alan Mulally joined Ford some 4 years ago as its CEO, that was the question du jour. Mullaly most likely will stand up to a microphone tomorrow and simply state that Ford earned $1 Billion during its last quarter.

There won’t be balloons bursting, cakes being sliced and champagne flowing. Rather Mulally’s approach is deceptive: Stay focused on what you do best. Mullaly is also proof positive the influence one person can bring to a company, even a company as bad off as Ford once was.

Ford still has $31 Billion in debt and some $350 per car sold covers interest payments on that debt. That is why Mulally is keeping a low profile and as Bill Ford Jr. said earlier, “I doubt we will ever get back to the times of spending frivolously no matter what happens.”

What Mulally is more excited about is Ford’s launch of its Fiesta model. With GM outselling Ford 3 to 1 in China (which now sells more cars that the U.S), Mulally is hoping this is the vehicle to gain market share worldwide. It’s fun, it’s colorful, it yells youth. Did one ever think a Ford would mean fun, colorful and/or youth?

Naturally this is good news for Detroit. More importantly, the story delivers a strong message: Regardless how low and down you are, there is always an opportunity to turn things around. If Ford can do, anyone can.

Happy Monday!

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The local papers have done a great job recently hiding the economic and unemployment mess we still have in Michigan. While out in sunny California, they had no problems highlighting Michigan’s 14.1% unemployment rate, 30% unemployment rate in Detroit and the fact that not one region in the state gained jobs last month. Even Ann Arbor’s rate was 9.6%.

California itself isn’t bragging at 12.6% and the state virtually bankrupt. Their taxes, traffic and smog are way worst than us, but at least they have oceans, mountains and wineries.

With Granholm finally leaving office, Bing trying to turn the city around (although he got stabbed in the back big time last night), GM and Ford selling more cars, the lure of turning Michigan into a green state with battery production, there are signs. And if you can believe, the three Detroit casinos last month each had a RECORD month of revenue.

So there is money, there is spending, there is light in the bleak tunnel. But we need to motivate Michigan, its residents and stand up and brag about something (don’t worry, it won’t be U-M or Lions football in 2010).

Someone trying to do just this is ironically enough an organization that takes college students best ideas and runs a competition to find out which ideas are best. What’s nice about this is that we need youth to stand up and put new ideas into fruition before they leave the state. If we can motivate youth, then we are on our way.

Check out the latest ideas and vote at http://www.motivatemichigan.org. Some of the ideas are clever, some make no sense. But then again, they wouldn’t be ideas if everyone agreed with them. If nothing else, at least some people are thinking. And that’s a huge step forward.

Happy Friday!

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Harriet and Buddy Rose were pioneers. Back in 1979, they started Forsythe Cosmetics and introduced the first range of $1 polish in over 100 colors. This was around the same time little known Arnie Miller, Paula Meehan Kent, Jerri Redding and Paul Mitchell were coming out with Matrix, Redken and Paul Mitchell salon lines.

Forsythe had two key salespeople working for them, Janet Greenberg and Essie Weingarten. Both left around the same time in 1981 to start their own companies. Greenberg went on to start Charni and Weingarten went on to start Essie.

Charni and Essie both copied Forsythe’s marketing idea and launched $1 polish in a multitude of shades. Both prospered quickly due to their previous connections and they became natural competitors. However, Greenberg decided motherhood was more important and Charni faded away. Essie on the other hand kept on churning out new shades focused in the French manicure category and came up with names like Ballet Slipper and Waltz to differentiate her brand from the masses like Revlon and L’Oreal.

Eventually the $1 bottle went to $1.25, then $1.50, then $1.75, then $2.00, then $2.50. Mind you, this bottle had no brand name, it was a square bottle with a white top. If you called Essie to order, most of the time after 6PM Essie herself would answer the phone and take the order, no order too small. Her and Max (business partner) sat upstairs in a small open office with four others yelling back and forth while processing orders. One caveat with Essie: she made sure she was paid.

Then Max had the brilliant idea to put the logo on the bottle. Of course the price zoomed to $3.00, then $3.50 and now sits at $4.00, surely ready to go up again once the economy settles in (they always kept pace with OPI).

During the growth stage, you could see Essie and Max behind their booth at the NY, Long Beach and Midwest trade shows. Manicurists would come with lists and buy hundreds of bottles. Essie was there packing up the boxes, tearing apart the boxes, talking and yakking. Max stood behind the booth with his Armani suit and Hermes tie watching the whole time and making sure the money was properly accounted for. Smart man.

Alas, a couple years ago L’Oreal nearly bought Essie but something happened. But not for long. Perhaps as long as 6-9 months ago, Essie signed the dotted line agreeing in principle to sell her company founded back in 1981. Yesterday the press got hold of the news that L’Oreal in fact bought Essie and both Essie and Max signed long term contracts to stay on.

Needless to say, life in Astoria, NY will change quickly as L’Oreal moves production and inventory to its central locations. It will be strange to see Essie and Max walk into 575 Fifth Avenue and sit in an office.

In the end, it’s yet one more entrepreneurial-based company gone in our industry. Snatched up like gold floating in the river. L’Oreal is now in the polish business and God only knows what they will do with the brand. George at OPI is most likely wondering the same thing himself.

I will miss the Essie chapter. There are memories that won’t fade especially when it came to Max’s BS, but all in the love of the business. This was a long chapter, nearly 25 years long.

Good luck Essie and Max. Enjoy your newfound wealth and take time to travel. Be sure to visit Turquoise & Caicos and Playa Del Platinum. After all, you are now living in the Lapis of Luxury.

Happy Thursday!

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I was in the locker room after running 7 miles along the vines and farms on roads such as Zinfandel Lane and Silverado Trail. There was one other guy in the locker room and he noticed my Detroit marathon shirt and asked if I was from Detroit. I said I was.

He then ranted about Detroit, Michigan, GM, unions, why our unemployment is the highest and by this time, I’m butt naked waiting to jump into the shower. He then tells me he used to live in Midland, then Ann Arbor, still has a dealership in MN and reminded me of the GM Institute and how things were great 20 years ago. The sweat is now dripping on the floor and heading to the drain.

Finally he finished with “Good luck in Michigan, you need it.” Next time I will wear a non-descript shirt. But it got me thinking, what is it going to take to turn MI around when there are people like this that are raving lunatics blaming MI for everything that is wrong?

I think I found the answer. It’s not wine. It’s bread.

Oakville Grocery is over 100 years old and  where to stop to buy handmade sandwiches, side salads and cookies that are too big to fit in a jar. The allure is the bread. Sourdough baguettes. Focaccia. Zingerman’s is our answer if you can make it to Ann Arbor.

Restaurants all have that California grill motif that uses fresh ingredients, house made sparkling water, fabulous wine and fantastic bread. The places we visited had outdoor fire pits, outdoor bars, short menus with fresh food and prices no different than anywhere else. Here, one would have to go to New York in Harbor Springs or Latitude in Bay Harbor to get the feeling. In Napa, these places are a dime a dozen.

The countryside is nothing but winding roads, vines, wineries and little towns. Stop at any winery, meet the owners, taste their wines and learn about blackberry, coffee, earthy, cocoa, tannins, front tasting, back tasting, and who knows how many other tasting notes. In the end, it’s enjoying the grapes, enjoying the farms and enjoying the views.

Back to the bread. Sure we have bagels and we have pita. But we aren’t known for our bread and when it gets down to it, what is better than good bread? Detroit has Avalon (not bad), Zingerman’s is good but expensive, and that’s about it. Our delis have good rye but that’s only good with corned beef and turkey. Just think of the opportunity! They talk about farms in Detroit. Forget it. Let’s be known as the bread capital of the USA. San Francisco did it with sourdough, we can do it too.

Happy Wednesday!

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It’s only once that one gets to celebrate 20 years of marriage- that is if you make it 20 years. For me, 20 years is here and what better way to celebrate with the BUB than to toast over a bottle of wine or two or three or perhaps a case.

So we’re off to wine country for a few days and not only will wine be one of the highlights, so will sourdough bread, farm cheeses and extra virgin olive oil.

After 20 years, I have a theory when it comes to drinking wine. Couples that are happy drink wine together. It’s not the same when one person drinks wine and the other person drinks beer or mixed drinks. Now I know this is sounding weird, but I think you can tell a relationship by what couples drink.

The guy who drinks before he comes home to his wife. Not good.

One spouse drinks and the other doesn’t. Not good.

One spouse drinks too much and doesn’t know it or care. Not good.

Neither spouse drinks. Heads or tails (haven’t seen this yet).

Both spouses drink mixed drinks. Not bad but most likely one has more than the other.

Both spouses drink red wine. Harmony!

Wine sales are up 6% this year. Not coincidentally, divorce rates have dipped during this recession. Is it the wine or the economy?

Anyways, after 20 years of marriage, here is the one thing I have learned: Happy wife, happy life! And with that said, I’ll let you know if I find any great cabs.

Happy Friday!

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April 15. The day many Americans rush to the post office to mail in their tax return. Did you know Michigan is #2 in the country for e-filings? Now that is surprising.

Many of us will get refunds. Refunds are bad. Refunds mean that you loaned the government interest-free money for months and it’s money you could have used earlier. But for some reason, people like getting refunds.

Today is also significant because the Tea Party is rallying to cut taxes and cut how much government interferes with our lives. With tax cuts ending at the end of this year and capital gains taxes going up by a third, there will be significantly less money available for investments. The Tea Party points to the fact that reduced taxation creates jobs, innovation, and happier Americans.

I don’t think we are at a point where the Tea Party has a chance to win. Perhaps by 2012 they will have a leader and platform to stand on but until then, there is one thing we can count on: For those working, longer and longer until Tax Freedom day arrives (it was April 9 this year, 99 days into the year). Now there is something worth celebrating. And TGIP (thank God it’s pedicure season)!

Happy Thursday!