OK, with the Final Four this weekend, I am very sad on one hand that MSU is not involved. They have been at 6 of the last 12. But I am kind of happy too since they haven’t won the championship in a decade.

It would be something if the #11 seed wins it all. That would be a statement.

In the end when it comes to college sports, it boils down to which college you went to. Without a doubt, universities figured out a long, long time ago how to get graduates engaged in the university long after graduation. Alumni, endowments, gifts, named buildings, scholarships, sport tickets and so much more bring in billions of revenue each year. Not to mention TV rights, heck, the Big Ten has its own cable network.

And what alumni doesn’t walk around wearing  a T-Shirt or cap on football Saturday’s? I even have a S on my license plate and pay an additional $35 a year for that Go Green!

One day I hope to have a building on MSU’s campus with my name on it. With Eli Broad already endowed in the business school, I was thinking what building would make sense. A few ideas that came to mind:

• Gaynor building of Cosmetology. Why not institute a 4-year program on campus? This way hairdressers and nail techs can really party without having to deal with commuting. Not only will they earn their license and undergrad degree, they will have two years of apprenticeship in hand. Who cares that it will cost $60,000- that’s what student loans are for.
• Gaynor building of Failures. It’s a proven fact that humans learn more from failure than success. As Spartans, we know first hand the agony of failure when it comes to our sports teams and many of its players. Enrolling in this program will ensure that students learn failure first hand from professors, coaches and others that are experts on losing. Just think of the opportunities graduates will have after this curriculum. Most likely it will be oversold in its first year.
• Gaynor building of Gambling. More money is spent on gambling than perhaps any other activity known to man. It’s time to have experts in this field and why not have MSU be the first to issue degrees in gambling? Students will learn about odds, book makers, participate in casino games, lotteries and understand more about the vig, bookies, Vegas and street gambling. And if possible, the program could be a dual-degree, Gambling and Failures. WOW!

Until then, I have say I am a Spartan and love going to the games. I am thinking of moving to East Lansing because for as long as I have been going the games, the players, marching band and cheer squad never get older. Now I know why universities have such a large alumni population, gee, I should have figured that out long ago.

Oh, there is one more reason. There is nothing more satisfying than kicking the Wolverine’s ass.

On a serious note, here is a two minute video highlighting MSU’s 2010. You will note that the Spartan’s were BIG 10 champions in football. What you won’t see are clips of the bowl game: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTnZgfpT6M0

Go Green! Go White!

Happy Thursday!

What was the PBA/NCA thinking when they decided to do an ISSE show in Chicago two weeks after ABS? The powers to be that lead the pro beauty industry thought they could exercise their power and relationships like they did in Long Beach. The only problem is that this became a political issue instead of a business issue. The results were predictable but after attending the fiasco, the results were downright dreadful. There was not a single major hair care company, OPI did not have a booth and only CND braved the weather to exhibit. The rest of the show was a collection of circus acts desperate to do any business they could. You know when the bartender is looking around with no customers the show is D-E-A-D. Instead of moving it to the Fall as they are talking about in 2012, how about if they just forget it and move forward to more important issues at hand.

I did have the pleasure of sitting down with George Schaeffer (OPI CEO) and Bill Halfacre (OPI VP of everything) for coffee. It was a riveting meeting and I will share details a bit later. All I can say is this right now: Come July, the real fireworks will be not be July 4, but shortly thereafter with two stunning acts that will bring the pro nail industry to yet another level. Stay tuned.

If you use a wooden salad bowl, chances are that it retains an odor. Here’s a tip to get rid of it: Use vinegar and/or coarse salt and rub all over with a cloth. Then seal with mineral oil. The difference is amazing. Now what this has to do with beauty, I have no idea except that a clean bowl sure looks good.

With Walgreen’s buying drugstore.com (and beauty.com), look for more online business and lower pricing to come at retail.

Over the past few months, I have stayed at Holiday Inn Express, Marriott, Hilton, Aloft and others. They all have featherbeds, multi pillows on the bed and a great shower. The Westin started it all. Now what’s the Westin going to do to differentiate itself once again?

Why is it when we are on an elevator with other people, the floor number being displayed on the elevator becomes so riveting? Has anyone written a book on “elevator behavior?”

The tease brush is all the rage. Just thought I would toss that in.

I’m off to SPATEC tomorrow for the rest of the week. The program takes place at the beautiful Chateau Elan resort and winery 45 minutes outside Atlanta. The forecast? Rain, thunder and cool. The day I leave the sun comes out and 70 degrees. How come that happens more times than not?

Both Kodak and Nokia are suing Apple for patent infringement. Looks like if you can’t sell your own products, might as well sue the company that sells theirs.

What’s the difference between Diet Coke and Coke Zero? Marketing. Diet Coke appeals to women, Coke Zero appeals to men. Only Coke.

Looks like Harry and David is going under and filing bankruptcy. Perhaps too many rotten apples?

Happy Tuesday!

I’m still adjusting to daylight savings time. Oh, not in the sleep deprived sense although the first day was a killer. I’m speaking in the clock sense.

On my desk alone I have computer time, phone time, and clock time. It only took me two weeks to get those times in sync. In my car, I have iPhone time and car time. One minute off and I miss the weather or listen to another commercial.

In the kitchen, we have phone time, microwave time, and oven time. I think that took at least a week to get right.

And then I have watch time which is always off by a minute.

Now I admit I’m a bit anal when it comes to stuff like this. And I know I’m not alone. Sad but true there are those that can care less about one minute.

When it comes to meetings, there are always those that are very early, early, on time and a minute late. Those that are late always have an excuse.

When it comes to meeting others at the elevator, pool, restaurant or at your home, same rules apply. There are those that are always late. Just one minute please.

Now a minute is a long time if you think about it. It’s 60 seconds in length and you can get a lot done in 60 seconds. Just use the microwave and heat something up. Is there anything longer than a minute? When you are are on hold waiting for someone to answer the phone, is there anything longer than a minute? And when you are waiting for a drink or meal to be served or even a server to come to your table, is there anything longer than a minute? And what do we do when we are waiting? No doubt, looking at our watch.

But when you are having fun, is there anything that goes by faster than an hour? When on vacation, is there anything that goes by faster than a morning, afternoon, or evening? Heck, is there anything that goes by faster than the day?

Life is about what we do with each minute. We miss a traffic light by a second and have to wait a minute. We make a traffic light by a second and smile about the poor soul behind us that had to stop. We run to the airplane gate to make it on time and know a minute later the door is closing.

Cooking too is about minutes. The difference between hard boiled eggs and not is a minute. Baked goods are perfect or overdone within a minute. Chicken is pink if cooked a minute not enough.

Gel nail polish has defined not only minutes but seconds.

Fact is we run around with our smart phones looking at the time constantly. Radio and TV announcers are always telling us the time. Clocks are everywhere (except casinos and funeral homes).

OK, so you got to this point and now you want to know what the point of today’s blog is. Just one minute please. . .

Happy Thursday!

OMG! I don’t think anyone is as excited to open a new salon as Beth Jesse is. Her new salon opened yesterday after months of pain, hard work, costs overruns and mucho patience.

The results? Well who better than Beth to let us know, “There is NOTHING in the world that feels better….than a job well done!! The compliments have sent my heart soaring, and I feel SOOoooo privileged to have my dad here with me today to hear them all!!! His hard work, determination and sheer willpower is what saw this project to fruition…..God BLESS you Glenn Eldon Richard, you are my heart and my soul…..”

Good old DAD came to the rescue and helped to make Beth’s dream come true. As the first Tiffany Michigan Hairdresser of the Year winner and among the first Kemon coaches, I have seen Beth grow up quite a bit over the past 8 years. She is unwavering when it comes to this industry and her loyalty to her clients, staff, and products. Needless to say, this industry can use a lot more Beth’s.

Congratulations to Beth and continue to make it happen!

Happy Wednesday!

Leave it to another 20-something to figure out human needs. The endgame is that humans are either hungry, bored, or hungry and bored. Teenagers and the 20-something crowd can attest to that.

But it’s the truth and universal. When I play poker, there are poker players actually watching videos on their smartphone. They listen to music with ear buds. They eat at the table.

Drivers eat, listen, and do stuff in addition to driving. Even watching TV has become a challenge. We can’t watch just one channel, we need multi-view! Why watch one game when you can watch 5? And with every commercial for beer, chips and pizza, why not eat too?

Groupon is driving the world nuts. Salons and spas are now part of the “bored” part of their strategy and they are waiting up to 6 weeks to give away their services for 25 cents on the dollar. In many instances, they are giving repeat clients 75% off. But it’s the new clients everyone is looking for.

How about this? Offer 75% discounts on services and products to new clients. Hey, offer 50% discounts and keep the vig for yourself. The deal remains the same, one time deal, new clients only and you can even limit the days the deal is good for.

But it’s not as sexy and not as much fun to click on the “sold” tab to see how many Groupons you sold. You get the money instantly and some customers don’t show up.

So who is the winner in this game de jour? Groupon of course. Their valuation is now up to $25 Billion, and that’s dollars not pesos. And this with a company that started in 2008.

How many Groupons have you received from Starbucks, McDonald’s, Domino’s, Great Clips and MGM Immerse Spa? Try booking a $120 50-minute massage at Immerse on the weekend less than a week in advance. Yet there are plenty of massages available elsewhere for $29 and $49 with no appointment necessary going unfulfilled. And with Groupon, those are half price.

Groupon is yet another social phenomenon. Will it last? Perhaps. My guess is that people will get tired of receiving hundreds of daily coupons and the next phase of social media will kick this up a notch. Already Groupon is working on that phase as they learn what consumers are buying so they can pinpoint more stuff at them.

I would love to hear from those that have tried Groupon or other coupon ventures. What I am most interested in is the repeat business generated, percentage of customers who redeem their Groupons and if it’s worth doing again.

Oh, one more thing. Perhaps clients are bored in salons getting their haircut and colored hanging out for up to two hours. And for sure they are hungry. Hmmm. . . .

Happy Monday!

70 and sunny, spring comes Sunday and the snow is melted. Life can be glorious after all.

Unless you are Tom Izzo. What is he thinking this morning? What is Lucas thinking this morning after “walking” with 3 seconds to go to tie or win the game? What a tragic end to his career. And the Spartans #2 pre-season are one and done. OUCH! (U-M fans best to keep quiet).

The ABS show was last weekend and met with the usual slow response. The ISSE show is next week and I think it will be even slower. The real show continues to be at the ULTA stores. Lynn Kirby has done what Wal-Mart, CVS, Walgreens and Target couldn’t figure out: How to buy salon products at distributor pricing in unlimited quantities and sell at retail price occasionally and discount 33% most of the time and still make huge margins. No diversion needed and huge market share. ULTA has what salons will never have and they are riding the wave big time. It’s only a matter of time before someone snaps them up.

Finally some good news coming out of Japan. Of all nations, Japan is at the top of its game and if anyone can pull this off and rebuild quickly, it is Japan. Our hearts and wishes go out to them.

And more good news coming from the U.N. regarding Libya. Just like in the movies, it’s always best when good trumps evil. This just in, Qaddafi just issued an immediate cease-fire. More good news.

NYC OC61 salon and celebrity salon owner Louise O’Connor were filmed live on location for Associated Press TV yesterday. The video shoot was to highlight the look of Kate Middleton’s hair using black 15in1. I’ll keep you posted on syndication.

How many pounds of pizza does the average person eat a year? 23. An average large pie has 12 slices and weighs about 2 pounds. So that’s about 12 large pies a year or one a month. I would agree with the number, pizza is my favorite food. I like mine without meat although when I was in school, pepperoni was pretty good.

OPI’s Katy Perry Black Shatter is on the way to us. We should be able to ship all backorders and have a few left over.

What’s up with Essie? Terrible out of stocks due to L’Oreal closing down their NY warehouse and moving to Ohio. Hopefully L’Oreal will learn that one aspect that made Essie Essie is they were never out of stock.

Shinso skin care imported from Japan of all places is on fire. I cannot tell you why women pay $350 for an ounce of magical potions but somehow, someway, they find it worth it if it works. Apparently, this small line of 3 items works beyond imagination. More stock is on the way.

What’s better than a clean car? A clean garage. I think the power compressor is one of the best inventions of all time.

Daniel got an internship at Amazon for the summer and they are paying his way to Seattle. Good thing he spent at least $25 to get free freight. Mark took his STEP last Thursday and is already planning the opening of his sports medicine office. And Michael celebrated with AFLAC yesterday doing the St. Patty’s thing at 7AM. Oh, I’m trying out for the duck’s voice.

Happy Friday!

March 16, 2011, Farmington Hills, MI

For Immediate Release

Shellac is attacking the USA and it appears both nail techs and consumers can’t get enough of it. “This is a good thing,” states Jacquie Johnson, VP of Sales for CND, “With all the bad news around the world these past few weeks, we’re thrilled that our Shellac Attacks are good for job growth, consumer spending and enhancing innovation.”

Shellac Attacks! are two hour events sponsored by CND that inform nail techs how to properly apply Shellac, answer questions and give tips to make Shellac the best consumer experience possible. The Industry Source has been holding Shellac Attacks at The Academy for months and has now expanded them to our new Dallas Academy.

“It reminds me of the days that we did Solar Nail classes,” explains Larry Gaynor, President & CEO of TNG Worldwide. “Back then, we had sold out classes upon sold out classes for manicurists looking how to do acrylic nails. The smell was awful but at the time, it was the smell of money. Not since those days have we seen such demand from nail techs for classes. All our classes have been sold out and we keep adding more dates.”

Perhaps the best reason for attending a Shellac Attack class is to learn the secrets of using Shellac properly. One of the secrets explained was to shake the bottle vigorously prior to use. Unlike nail polish, this actually blends the components inside the bottle for thin, consistent application. Another secret was for French Manicures, use a gel brush to create the smile line and if you make a mistake, do it again. One great thing about Shellac is that it doesn’t set until under the light so you can do whatever you want prior to. In all, more than seven secrets and tips were uncovered.

On a side note, we have all Shellac colors in stock and demand is soaring. Enjoy the short video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8Ra74yrt_I

Happy Wednesday!

Last week Libya was in play. Oil went over $100 a barrel, gas was heading to $4 a gallon. Qadaffi was turning back rebel forces while the U.N. pondered its next move.

Wisconsin was also all over the news with protestors storming the capital building over Gov. Walker’s latest plan to trim the budget.

And then the earthquake hit Japan followed by tsunami’s that leveled so much of their country. All of a sudden, media had no time for anything but Japan. Qadaffi is dancing in his mansion happy as a pig in s__t.

What is going on in Japan is scary. Worse, we have no idea what is really going on. This is the worst natural disaster in world history. And Japan is no third world country, it’s perhaps the most advanced behind the USA in all the world. They planned for earthquakes well in advance as they have among the most stringent building codes. But as we found out painfully in Louisiana, when mother nature wants to do its thing, there is nothing we can do.

We saw the devastation from Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath. To this day, they are still rebuilding the levees and neighborhoods. And yes, while New Orleans had a huge Mardi Gras celebration and Jimmy Buffett is no longer doing charity concerts for the fisherman from the BP oil spill, the region is still hurting plenty.

With the Chilean coal workers rescue to the BP well ordeal, we have seen more energy related events in the past few months than ever before. But what is going on in Japan is the worst. Most of the world believes in nuclear and nuclear has been on a huge upward trajectory for new reactors being built (not in the USA). China is building more than 15 alone. Now this. Can you imagine millions without power and running water? We still don’t know about the nuclear reactors and if the seawater is going to cool them down. I know what it’s like when we lose power for a day or a few hours. It sucks.

The media is all consumed with Japan. Suddenly, we are listening to nuclear experts. Weathermen and weatherwoman are showing us graphs and charts of the nuclear plants like they are experts. Videos are being uploaded and downloaded ferociously. Anything going on elsewhere is simply not important. And as humans, we quickly lose focus of what’s not in front of us.

Japan of all countries will deal with this efficiently and properly. They will have a huge project ahead of them once things settle down. But they have experience in such matters and this will bring the small island country together just like it did back in 1945. But it will be a painful process, one that no one would want to deal with on their own. Natural disasters are truly disasters. I was told today that Japan actually moved 13 feet closer to the USA since the earthquake. Can you imagine, an entire island moved 13 feet?

And can you imagine if this happened in LA? Experts say it will, it’s just a matter of when. And when comes, it will be horrendous. One of every seven people live in CA and CA is responsible for a huge percentage of our GDP. But right now, we have to be optimistic that Japan and company will solve the reactor crisis in time and they can start the rebuilding process. Until then, it’s fear at its maximum level.

I don’t know about you, but we really should start to focus on what’s really important and let so many of the trivial matters that people relentlessly focus on whither away. Japan is yet another wake-up call. But as all natural disasters, once this passes, life will return to normal. Whatever normal is.

For those in Japan, we hope normal comes quickly.

Happy Tuesday!

In more than 30 countries, Coverderm is finally in the USA. Distributed exclusively by TNG Worldwide, Coverderm is the best line of camouflage cosmetics in the world.

What makes Coverderm so special is that the line comprises several categories for face, body and legs. Further, they incorporate SPF 16 in most products, and some even include advanced skin care.

The Vanish line deals with facial redness, dark eye circles and leg spider veins.

The Luminous line specifically for lightening skin and erasing hyperpigmentation and age spots.

The Botumax line attacks anti-aging, photo-aging and expression lines without injections.

TNG will start distributing the line to med spas, select doctor’s offices and specialty retailers later in 2011. Select products are available at retail through bebeautiful.com.

This will be a very important line in the cosmetic industry; women with special skin care needs will be clamoring for Coverderm. And for good reason.

Happy Tuesday!

When you are stopped at a traffic light, do you ever spend time to look at drivers passing by you going the other way? Try doing this a few times a day and you will be amazed at what you see.

Who is going to win the battle of email hype for the upcoming Chicago shows: ABS or ISSE? Right now ABS is winning by a 2-1 margin and doing everything they can to get people to their downtown venue.

Are you a pessimist or optimist? I have been reading a fascinating book called the Rational Optimist. Most people say that life was better in the past and are pessimistic. The author talks about all the negative statements made by experts as far back as the late 1700’s. As early at 1980, Jimmy Carter declared that we would run out of oil by 1990. Other claims that have been made include running out of food, water, and land. The author rightly claims that ethanol is a huge reason for the food shortage and spike in food costs we are experiencing. Made of corn, ethanol is subsidized by the government and has taken 10% of all corn out of production. Worse, actual energy from ethanol is negative compared to the energy it takes to make it. Still other areas the author explores is the difference if you were living in the 1950’s vs. today. The differences are staggering. And more yet: Population growth is actually declining and unless the birth rate starts to increase, there will be worldwide shortage of people to take care of the current population. After reading this book, you will be more optimistic.

Cobo is getting a $221M facelift. How did that happen and where is the money coming from?

Whatever happened to CVS’s 360 Beauty concept?

With Sunday liquor now available in restaurants, brunch will become even more popular. Do you define brunch with bacon and eggs or hot cakes and pure maple syrup? And are you into “bloodies?”

Remember when gas hit $3 a gallon the first time around and all sorts of businesses were paying for gas for their employees? I can’t recall one such instance this time around.

Star Nail soak-off gel colors is gaining momentum. They just launched a revolutionary brush that makes gel application even easier.

Sorry but I have to brag about black 15in1. We just got our scientific reporting back and among one of the findings is that using black 15in1 after getting hair color increases color retention up to 40%. Proof is in the secret ingredients.

Happy Friday!