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Given a world map, most likely 99% of Americans could not point to where Afghanistan is. Yet that is where American and NATO troops are doing battle and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

Survey after survey shows that American’s want an end to the war and we should send most everyone home. Their thinking is “what’s going to happen is going to happen and there is little we can do.”

In the meantime, the war goes on and unless one has a personal tie into the war, it’s just another depressing thing. After all, it’s some 7000 miles between Detroit and Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital.

Some interesting facts about Afghanistan:

• Government: Islamic Republic
• Population: 33 million
• Life expectancy: 44 years
• Religion: Muslim 99%
• Location: Land-locked (no water ways) touching borders with China, Pakistan, Iran and Tajikistan. Mostly mountains, less than 15% of land can be used for farming.
• Economy: Among the world’s poorest; 53% live below poverty. #1 export is opium; 40% unemployment rate
• Control: Warlords ruled from 1989 to 1996 when Taliban took over. Taliban ousted by U.S. led troops in 2001 for its support of Osama bin Laden

Clearly, Afghanistan is not a place you want to take your annual vacation. Yet, some 94,000 U.S. troops live there doing battle not only against the enemy but the severe weather conditions.

One U.S. troop that will be in Afghanistan by year end is one of our own talent, First Sargent Dave Folsom. Folsom has already spent time in Guantanamo Bay detention camp and Iraq for one year periods. Now he is going off once again in support of the U.S. to defend our freedom among other things.

With so much discontent among U.S. citizens (civilians), why do military experts such as Folsom go and risk their life? Folsom rattles off many reasons such as “It’s my duty; we need to make a difference; to support the troops; we got a job to do and I’m going to do my part.”

At the end of the day, we are lucky to have such individuals among us. Another one of our talent, John Nichols, also served in the U.S. military and did his honor to serve our country. Nichols is back at work as a civilian but will always be a military guy at heart.

Today is Folsom’s last day at TNG. He will spend the next few months preparing for his departure. He won’t be back at TNG until late 2011. That’s a long time to be gone. But if there is one thing I know about Folsom, it is this: He will work hard everyday, command his troops with authority, demand results and be back a stronger person. We will certainly miss him.

Happy Thursday!

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John Tarro has a nice business. He is a master stylist and owns his signature salon in Bloomfield Hills, MI. He loves to educate, cut hair behind the chair and grow his business. One would think he would be lucky as a pig in slop.

But not John. When movies first came to Michigan, John was approached by a studio and he jumped in feet first. The rest is history. If you want to make an appointment with John, good luck- he is too busy on movie sets.

Which brings me to my thought for the day: Why are we so entrenched in movies, TV shows, celebrities and most importantly, why do we aspire to be involved even for free?

I spoke to one movie stand-in who had to show up on the set for 3 consecutive days, was used at most for 10 minutes a day and was paid $84 in total. When the movie was shown on the big screen, his scene was 10 seconds. I asked him if it was worth it and if he would do it again. He had to think about the answer.

I know hairdressers, manicurists, makeup artists who do NY Fashion Week for free. In fact, if you want your products to be used, you not only have to donate them but provide the guest artists to apply them and that is after paying a sponsorship fee. Is this a racket or what?

No doubt You Tube is an outreach of this. What we do for 15 minutes of fame is mind numbing. We have all seen the ridiculous, the “can you believe it?” and the “are you kidding me?” videos.

I think back to the TV show, Candid Camera. Remember that? The camera crew took secret videos of people doing silly things which they didn’t know they were being taped. We should credit Candid Camera for this innovation.

One thing I’m happy about is that our industry is behind the scenes in virtually every entertainment venue to the public. Now I wonder how we can get more notoriety for what we do instead of it being taken for granted. John Tarro might have the answer: Get your name on the credits and that’s good enough. It’s worked for him.

Happy Wednesday!

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Like a wedding, graduation ceremony and other life evolving events, you plan and plan and plan and next thing you know, the event is here. And then poof! The event is over. Funny, we spend our whole life planning for things that come and go poof!

DREAMS featuring Tiffany is less than a week away. Although this is our 8th year doing this event, it never gets easier and the amount of detail that goes into it is amazing. Luckily I have Liz handling so much of it.

I know that the three Hairdresser of the Year finalists are frantic because this truly is one of their biggest days of their life. They grow up real quick and learn what it takes to multi-task and produce a 3-minute live segment. It’s scary, it’s nerve racking, it’s free flowing adrenaline.

New this year is the salon team competition. This event is very cool since it allows the salon to utilize their best talent to create the look instead of a single hairdresser. It will be interesting to see who places in this one.

Most importantly, DREAMS is a fund-raiser for the American Cancer Society and this event has raised more than $1.7 million. A few tickets are still available for purchase. $75 ticket includes full dinner and program; $125 tickets includes full premium dinner, valet and program.

Five days and counting. Who will the winners be? Please join over 500 guests on Sunday night to find out and if you can’t join us, visit thetiffanyawards.com on Monday.

Happy Tuesday!

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One of life’s ultimate luxuries is a one hour massage. Left alone in a tranquil room with soft spa music playing, the massage therapist engulfs your body into a relaxing and rhythmic chorus of strokes.

As you move from conscious to unconscious, you lose track of time. Until the dreaded moment comes when the therapist actual speaks and says “It’s time to turn over.” All discombobulated, you slide down the warm massage bed and get ready for round two.

Then back to the unconscious state until the therapist starts doing the ending ritual like spraying some essential oils in the air. You walk out wondering where the hour went and feel “different.”

Now after all these years that “different” has been researched by the National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine, a division of the National Institutes of Health. They found that a single session of massage caused biological changes.

According to their research, volunteers experienced significant decreases in levels of the stress hormone cortisol in blood and saliva, and in arginine vasopressin, a hormone that can lead to increases in cortisol. They also had increases in the number of lymphocytes, white blood cells that are part of the immune system.

And there is more. They are also experienced greater increases in oxytocin, a hormone associated with contentment. Aha, now I know why I always feel “different.” Got to love that oxytocin!

For more information, the study was published online in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. The article also appeared in the Tuesday issue of The New York Times. I don’t know about you, but a massage sure sounds good right about now.

Happy Friday!

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No single disease has more attention of the general public than cancer, with breast cancer leading the way.

Why has this disease caught our attention so much? Why do millions walk 60 miles over 3 days; walk 5 miles routinely; beg, borrow and steal to raise money; attend events and rally around this disease?

A story

Being friends with “ABC” for more than 20 years, we have celebrated life many ways. Traveling for milestone birthdays, barbeques in the summer, toasts at New Years, enjoying time on the boat (well, that one is a stretch), and for the most part, having fun.

Five years ago ABC felt a lump on her breast and yes, it was cancer.

ABC walked through the cancer door.

I don’t want to get into the details but ABC did everything the doctors told her to do. ABC remained in good spirits, went on with her daily life and we had more good times. ABC worked hard and took care of the family in recovery. As the American Cancer Society would say, ABC was celebrating birthdays. After all, the 5 year survival rate went up to 90%.

One day ABC felt pain in her back. The cancer door led down a corridor.

The news wasn’t good and in doctor’s terms, it metastasized. More radiation and chemo, ABC continued on in good spirits. More fun times, more celebrating birthdays.

One day ABC felt more pain. ABC was diagnosed at stage 4. The cancer door led down a stairway.

ABC knew the odds were against her but with all the research and experimental drugs, she kept optimistic. If you saw her, you would never know. She lost her hair twice but it grew back each time. She kept on smiling, kept on working, kept on celebrating life.

One day ABC felt more pain. The stairway led to a room.

ABC had to quit work. There were times that she couldn’t do treatments because she was so weak. So tired. And even, ABC was still smiling and optimistic. ABC is one strong woman.

One day ABC experienced headaches and they lasted for days. She told the doctor and more bad news.

Today ABC is struggling but not out. She is a fighter and one thing that the folks at the American Cancer Society and everyone she comes in contact with that knows about her, it’s about hope. It’s about day by day and doing what it takes to celebrate another birthday. ABC is now doing gamma treatments and is excited about the prognosis.  And if she is excited, so am I and so is everyone else.

Today, ABC is coping and our fingers are crossed. We don’t want her to open the door to the next room. If anyone can pull through this, it is ABC.

Stories like this are the reason why cancer research is of #1 importance for most people. We have made great strides yet need to make even greater strides. Stories like this are also the reason why TNG does DREAMS and STRIDES and why so many of its talent participates.

No one should have to walk through the cancer door. We need to continue to do everything we can for those that do.

Happy Thursday!

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After signing the deal with J.D. Wright, owner of Salon Source, it was a whirlwind tour of Houston, Ft. Worth and Dallas.

Houston is home to Salon Source (SS) where I got to meet most of the SS employees at our inaugural announcement meeting. Cleverly, J.D. had everyone, including himself, don MSU shirts with “Rebels 2010” on the back. In the background Jimmy Buffett was playing “Margaretville.” It was a class act all the way and luckily MSU beat Notre Dame.

[Good thing JD went into beauty supplies instead of modeling!]

Afterwards, I took everyone to a celebration dinner at Pappadeux which seems to own the Houston restaurant scene. J.D. even bought a bottle of Dom for the occasion.

[J.D. was still upset over the $20 corkage fee]

The next day I visited the Houston store and met up with Richard, the store manager. Rich is quite the hoot and knew his stuff. It was then off to Dallas and Ft. Worth (about 5 hours away from Houston, 40 minutes via Southwest).

Ft. Worth is about an hour from Dallas and is quite the impressive city. I met up with Tonya, the Ft. Worth store manager and she shared her insight. Like all of Texas, people are starving for personalized service and she was so happy to be part of TNG.

Dallas is a sprawling city (third largest in Texas) and I visited the one store on the outer edge. The store manager, Will, was on top of his game with over 30 years experience. This location will serve as our Dallas Academy.

I met up with a few salon owners in the stores and they too were geeked about what was coming their way. Texas is the land of opportunity and it was quite evident during my short visit.

J.D. and I are both very excited and look forward to bringing the TNG world to Texas. I may even have to buy me a pickup truck and start eating donuts and barbeque! Or better  yet, bring a little Michigan down to Texas.

Happy Wednesday!

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Someone once said you either move onward or downward. I prefer to move onward and in one of the biggest moves in TNG’s 26 year history, we are moving into TEXAS in a real TEXAN way: Big time.

Here is an excerpt of the press release sent to media and trade publications. Now you know why news is instant these days!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TNG Worldwide announces acquisition of Salon Source, Houston, TX
TNG Worldwide announces opening of new distribution center in Dallas, TX

Farmington Hills, Michigan/USA- September 20, 2010

TNG Worldwide has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Salon Source, a full-service beauty distributor based in Houston, TX. The acquisition will be effective October 26, 2010.

“Texas boasts three of the top ten cities in the USA and continues to attract people. Texas is underserved when it comes to professional beauty distribution and we are excited to do in Texas what we accomplished in Michigan,” states Larry Gaynor, President & CEO, TNG Worldwide.

Texas has approximately 27,000 salons servicing its population of 24 million. Salon Source has store locations in Austin, Dallas, Ft. Worth and Houston. “This is an extremely good fit between companies and I’m excited to continue to grow the Texas marketplace with TNG’s immense resources and dedication to its customers” comments J.D. Wright, Founder of Salon Source, who will stay on as VP of the Texas division.

To accommodate the growth, TNG is opening a new 30,000 sq. ft. distribution center in Coppell, TX, a Dallas suburb. “We will have everything in place for our opening November 1,” states Gaye Wanner, VP Logistics, TNG Worldwide.

In addition to the brands Salon Source sells, TNG will add many of its Michigan brands to the fold. “This is a very exciting time for our employees, our customers and suppliers,” adds Gaynor.

Happy Monday!

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Huge announcement coming from TNG Monday morning at 9AM. Huge. That’s all I can say for now. Come back Monday to read it.

Last barbeque of the season is today at our World Headquarters from 12 noon – 1:00PM. If you are in the neighborhood, stop on by. Today’s menu features marinated flank steak sandwiches off the grill and yummy apple slices with hot caramel topping.

Big game at Spartan stadium tomorrow night. Will the old Spartans show up and lose the game in the final minutes or the new Spartans? I’m not convinced Dantonio has done anything in his 4th year to make a difference. We will see. On thing for certain, we better hope Robinson gets injured before we play U-M in the big house.

Is it the month or the temperature when open toe shoes go into the closet and closed toe shoes come back out?

You know it’s fall when the cider mills are open. What’s better than a glass of cider and a few hot donuts? Best cider mill is Yates in Rochester.

Another disappointing season for the Tigers. Another disappointing opening loss for the Lions (they can’t catch a break). The NFL had to extend the blackout another 24 hours so the Lions could sell out today. And that’s with NFL viewership up 11% over last year. Pathetic.

One of my recent polls on where people get their hair color done was very interesting: The majority did it at home instead of the salon. With salons with extra capacity, what can be done to get more color done in the salons?

Today at our quarterly meeting we will be presenting Aflac. They sell supplemental insurance. You know them from their famous duck and his infamous call, “Aflac.” I heard if you sign up you get a little plush duck for your desk.

AM traffic sucks with all the schools now open. Does every high school student these days have their own car? I don’t think school parking lots are big enough. And when it rains? OMG, the traffic backs up for miles. Since when did a little water hurt anyone?

OK, I’m being called to the grill. I have 24 steaks to cook and slice up. One last thing. Did you know that when you are excited or anticipating something good your mouth automatically produces saliva? Interesting.

Happy Friday!

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Quickly- what do you do when you approach a yellow light?

In a split second, you have several variables to think about before making that answer. In most instances, the outcome to your answer is correct (safe) but in a relatively few, it can be wrong (disastrous).

Most of us confront Yellow Light Syndrome (YLS) on a daily basis. What is YLS? It’s the “yellow” area that our mind falls into to make a decision to move forward or step back.

A classic example of YSL is when we decide to go swimming in a lake or pool. The first thing we do is test the water. If the water is too cold, YSL will prevent those from going in the water quickly and perhaps not at all. On the other hand, some with YSL will dive in or run in to avoid the cold shock.

Another classic example is at a traffic light. The light turns yellow, what do you do? How many times have you been behind a driver in that situation where you have already made the decision to go through the light but the driver in front of you brakes hard and decides to wait for the next light? How many times have you driven through the yellow to see it turn red before you get to the other side?

Business owners confront YSL all the time. They get comfortable with doing business a certain way and then when an opportunity arises that makes them think twice how to move forward, YSL pounds their brain: Should I or shouldn’t I? The comfortable solution is always to brake but those that brake risk losing out and perhaps even failing. Those willing to take a risk have to press the accelerator to the floor and know their instincts are spot on.

Here is yet another classic example of YSL. You buy a stock. That’s the easy part. The hard part is when do you sell it? When it’s up? By how much? When it’s down? By how much? How many times have you sold a stock only to see it zoom up afterwards?

YSL is mysterious as it affects each individually differently. But over time, the results are predictable for most people: They either put on the brake or press down on the accelerator. In times like this, if you want to get out of the comfort/been there, done that zone, you only have one option.

Happy Thursday!

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Just in time for the holidays (yikes-Thanksgiving is only two months away), OPI has done for the professional industry once again what no other company has accomplished: Tied in products with Hollywood.

Burlesque the movie premiers Thanksgiving weekend and stars Christina Aguilera in her film debut and long time favorite Cher and Kristen Allen. It’s a musical, it’s sexy, it’s fun.

OPI taking full advantage of its licensing agreement with Sony has launched two collections featuring Glitters and Shimmers. You got to love names such as Slimmer & Shimmer, Rising Star and The Show Must Go On!

I know it’s tough to think about holiday now, but these collections and colors will dance out of salons and spas. Collections and open stock colors are now available at The Industry Source.

Speaking of hot, CND Shellac Base Coat and Top Coat are finally in stock! We have very limited quantities so order quickly. French shades will be in stock later this month.

Happy Wednesday!