Ah, nothing like the start of a new year. But this week is very special. It’s the start of not only a new year but a new decade.

Do you remember Y2K? Does it seem like it was 10 years ago? Then think about how fast 2021 will be here.

Truthfully, the thought of entering a new decade is exciting. After all, with the average life expectancy of adults who live past 60 around 80, that means we only  have 7 or so decades to celebrate.

What’s exciting about this decade is that we saw so much tragedy, war, economic famine and other “bad” stuff in the previous decade. If we are truly going to turn the corner, now is the perfect time to lay the foundation, think differently and understand that what we did in the past is for the history books only. This decade will bring changes like we have never seen.

For instance in this decade we can see the demise of:

• Laptops
• Printed books, CD, DVD’s, computer programs
• Ammonia-based hair color
• Cables for connecting anything to anything
• Land phones
• Fax machines
• Menus
• Catalogs
• What else?

Sure, people thought network TV would disappear due to cable. That hasn’t happened. And although Sirius/XM is a game changer, AM/FM radio is as popular as ever. But make no mistake, we will see advances in health care, technology and the way we do business in this decade that will be historic to previous ones.

As expressed earlier, I am most excited about:

• Kemon NaYo: This is the game changer that will move all hair color in this decade to ammonia-free. Being launched this month, demand has been incredible.
• Shellac: CND has created a new category that others are rushing into. Best of all: Women are paying $40 and up for a manicure and are driving salon business up. There is plenty of room for growth in this category.
• Customization: Ginger Lily Farms is more than a brand of wet goods; it’s about customization and giving consumers their choice of goods. There are more than 150,000 apps for the iPhone with more on the way each day. People will continue to love custom.
• black 15in1 Miracle Hair Treatment: The buzz is buzzing.
• Moroccanoil: They have mastered the art of line extensions and continue to build an amazing brand. They are the Apple of argon oil, competitor’s can’t touch them.
• Our industry: Luckily, we don’t sell widgets like the ones I listed above. No matter how much global companies gobble up distributors, manufacturer’s and the supply chain, people still will need their hair cut and nails done. The best part is that hairdressers, manicurists and spa therapists are independent and will continue to enrich the lives of millions.

I look forward to an optimistic 2011, better decade and bringing the personal back to the personal care business.

Happy Wednesday!

New Year’s Eve is in two days, wasn’t it just New Year’s Day 2010? I’m celebrating by having a few friends come over for dinner and watch the Time’s Square ball drop at midnight. That is of course I can stay up that long!

Do you know why it’s called Times Square? In 1904, the New York Times opened their new offices and pleaded with New York to change the name from Longacre Square to Times Square.

What are you doing for New Year’s Eve? Most likely eating. Favorite foods include crab legs, lobster, steak and shrimp.

I’m not sure what I’m going to remember about 2010 five years from now. There were plenty of disasters, a sick economy getting better, the rebirth of GM and Chrysler, the Spartans winning the national championship, OPI and Essie being sold, and the end of the occupation of Iraq.

Gas is $3.18 a gallon and going up even more. Isn’t it strange that the media isn’t commenting on this like the first time it surged past the $3 a gallon mark? I know GM with its Volt and Ford with its Fiesta is smiling all the way to the bank.

Did you make your New Year’s resolutions yet? Forget it, 95% of them are broken after the first week.

What were your favorite new products introduced in 2010? For sure the iPad is #1 followed by the iPhone 4. I can’t recall any beverages that got hot like Red Bull or Vitamin Water in years past.

It appears credit cards will be the next item to disappear. Smart phones will have all the credit card info and you will line up the smart phone at the cash wrap to pay for transactions. No signature required.

I read that the next technology to hit ereaders will be paper. Paper is the perfect medium for electromagnetic particles that when configured a certain way, appears just like ink on paper. And like paper, the reader can be rolled up and once used, can even be disposed of. Apparently this is 3-5 years out.

2011 will be another interesting year. Growth will continue in third world countries (Vietnam for example is booming); Europe will still be constrained by its debt while the U.S. will continue its recovery. Unfortunately, housing will remain weak and unemployment will most likely stay above 9%. With commodities at all time highs, and continuing higher, one wonders if and when prices will start to go up. Pressures to keep prices down and increased productivity will remain powerful incentives to keep prices in line. At the salon and spa level, look for more of the same. Hospitality will see more occupancy at the higher end properties as businesses open their purse strings to more travel and events.

TNG is ready to rock in 2011. thebeautybook Spring 2011 edition and The Industry Source magazine are both in the mail and we have plenty of new initiatives ready to go. One of the most exciting ones is our new capability to customize and fill 8 oz. and 16 oz. bottles for the salon/spa/hospitality industry. Another exciting area is the launch of black 15in1 which has had numerous press mentions from its celebrity launch event. Also, we just updated theindustrysource.com to show real time inventory so when customers order online they will now see stock on hand.

And last but not least, thanks for being part of my blog in 2010. I’m excited to launch the video blog in 2011 and have some fun with technology. Have a safe, healthy, and successful 2011.

Happy New Year!

LA is LA for a reason. Just like NY is NY for a reason. There are no words to describe the vibe when you are living and breathing it.

The LA scene is unlike any other. No where else does one spot have the celebrities, parties, press, paparazzi and Pacific Ocean to boot. And this my friends is where pretty girls and pretty boys come to live, work, play and survive waiting for their big opportunity.

One thing for certain is that hairdressers are in big demand and smart salon owners rake it in. One such salon and owner is Andy LeCompte in West Hollywood. This ultra cool location features wood timbers in the ceiling that after being painted, were scraped off to look “aged.” Celebrities come for their blow-outs, cut and color and walk out FAB.

Andy LeCompte salon was the venue for the LA launch of black 15in1. For the launch, the production company emptied out all the furniture and equipment leaving plenty of room for the Hollywood DJ’s to set up and spin vinyl all night long. They used the shampoo bowls as ice coolers for free-flowing champagne. They added black 15in1 logos and benefits using magic decals to all the mirrors. And the coolest thing was they created a blackboard and provided big chalk to all to write down the one thing they wanted to fix about their hair.

The bartenders, guys out of GQ, made sure the champagne (with a blackberry at the bottom of the glass) and red wine was flowing. The servers, girls decked out in short dresses with a salon belt holding hair clips and donning wigs passed out tasty finger food.

One highlight was the instant photo booth. It was busy all night long as guests stood in front of the camera to pose and the camera took 4 shots about 10 seconds apart. Within seconds, the photo appeared with all 4 shots sporting the black 15in1 logo.

The doors opened at 7PM and everyone was ready. Over the course of 3 hours, more than 300 people came and went. Each time a celebrity came in, cameras flashed, b-roll ran and people watched. But with so many celebrities and cool people coming through, the scene was more like a night club with an occasional “look who just came in.”

It was truly a great experience meeting the guests. Jessica Stroup was very engaging and couldn’t stop talking how much she loved black 15in1. She was so nice and accommodating, it was refreshing to see regardless of her stature, she just wanted to have fun and blend in.

Ashley Simpson looked better live than in magazines and I was a little nervous putting my arm around her; she is that little but very adorable. Nevertheless, she loved her bottle of black 15in1 and enjoyed herself.

The list goes on and everyone was having a great time and some were even dancing. I felt at least 30 years older than anyone in the salon and thought back to my 20’s and if this was a life I would had loved to live. Us Michigan people are very sheltered from the LA’s and NY’s of the world. I recall partying but never during the week. So in retrospect, I didn’t miss anything although there is a lot be said about living the dream in LA.

For one magical night at Andy LeCompte’ s salon, I did just that.

All photos, press releases and video will be uploaded daily on the black 15in1 website, Facebook and Twitter. Be sure to visit and see all the fun and people loving black 15in1 for yourself. I have shared one quick video featuring Jessica Stroup that is very amazing.

Happy Friday!

By all accounts, it’s beginning to look like 2011 isn’t going to be much better than 2010. If you listened to Ben Bernanke’s remarks on 60 Minutes a couple Sunday’s ago, then you know he is suggesting 3-5 more years before we get to 5-6% unemployment.

The salon/spa/hospitality industries thrive on full employment. And now it seems the party isn’t going to start until 2014 at the earliest. So what do we do in the meantime?

S.T.O.P.

S.T.O.P. is an acronym for Step back, Think, Organize your thoughts, Proceed.

Step back: It hasn’t been business as usual in a very long time. Step back is the ability to know it’s time to make changes.

Think: Meet with employees. Meet with business associates. Read current books. Thinking takes time to strategize and this is mission critical to future success.

Organize your thoughts: Make a list of all the ideas you accumulated. Implement them in short, mid and long term priority.

Proceed: Take action

Here’s the thing about the economy: While unemployment is close to 10%, nearly 90% of people are still working and spending money. Those businesses that attract those people will continue to move forward.

We’re ready for 2011. It’s been painstaking to get everything done, but the groundwork is set and we are excited about the opportunities. Here is a glimpse:

thebeautybook 2011 Spring edition: Updated look, plenty of new items such as NSI Polish Pro, Gellac, Shellac 12 new shades, Thermasoft gloves (they are back!), and new lower pricing on Hospitality items. We have also lowered our backorder policy from $50 to $25 (effective Jan. 2)

The Industry Source magazine: Updated look, same great business articles. New for 2011 is that the magazine will be sent to Nailco Gold members only. If you are not a Nailco Gold member, please sign up at nailcogold.com (membership is free).

black 15in1 Miracle Hair Treatment: Official launch date is 1.1.11. Celebrity VIP launch is this Wednesday in West Hollywood. Updates to come.

FRINGE 2011 Dallas: The first really cool hair event in Texas will inspire hairdressers from all over the Lone Star state. January 23 at the Granada Theater, tickets now on sale.

Ginger Lily Farms: New for 2011 is in-house filling, bottle customization, blending bars and so much more.

theindustrysource.com: Coming soon, full integration into SAP. This will give you live inventory, review of past orders, account balance and quicker order entry.

We are ready for 2011. And that means we are ready for you.

Note: I will be in LA the rest of the week.

Happy Monday!

I am proud to say that tng worldwide (TNG) is once again a Detroit Free Press Top Workplaces to work in Southeastern Michigan. TNG has won this for the three consecutive years the program has been around and we are very fortunate to have valued talent to earn this prestigious award.

The annual ISPA show starts tonight at the Baltimore Convention Center. TNG will be showcasing its hospitality division along with OPI and Lytess shape wear. We will be debuting many products from the Ginger Lily Farms lineup which is finally arriving in our distribution center. More on ISPA later in the week.

Do drivers use turn signals anymore? I cannot believe how many don’t use them when making a right turn at an intersection.

And speaking of drivers, I don’t think the cops have to worry about speeders like they used to. Now they have to worry more about drivers going below the speed limit since so many of them are on their smart phones.

black 15in1 Miracle Hair Treatment officially launches 1.1.11 to salons but consumer interest has been growing at unprecedented levels due to early PR and You Tube videos. Now one lucky winner and a guest can win a free trip to the VIP Hollywood launch event December 15 held at the well-known Andy Lecompte salon. To enter, click here.

Can you believe Thanksgiving is less than 2 weeks away? I found most people either love or hate turkey. But when it comes to dessert, it must be pie. My favorites: Pumpkin and Apple Crumb (Grand Traverse Pie Company makes an awesome one with coconut).

What is going to be the hit gift item this year? Flat screen sales are way down (everyone has one) so my guess would be Apple products and gift cards.

Have you visited an Aldi supermarket yet? The same German giant that owns Trader Joe’s is out to give Walmart, Target, and other supermarket chains a run for their money. Is anyone safe anymore?

Interesting how gas is back at $3 a gallon and no one talks about it. I recall the first time it crossed the $3 gallon mark, that was all the media and everyone talked about.

Happy Monday!

New York City.

There is nothing like it in the USA. 8 million people of virtually every nationality living and/or working on an island. There are more people walking on Fifth Avenue in the morning than people walking in the entire state of Michigan.

New York City.

You want food? Walk a block and you will find a mobile cart dishing out hot coffee, fresh pastries, giant pretzels, roasted nuts, egg sandwiches, subs, you name it. And within the block, you will have passed at least 10 diners, restaurants, carry-out places, markets with fresh O.J. Here, the options are unlimited. Immigrants abound and they know how to cook.

New York City.

Need to get somewhere? There are more yellow cabs zooming in one city block than the state of Michigan. But when it rains, there isn’t one to be found. That was the case with us on Monday afternoon. With only 23 city blocks to walk (20 blocks to a mile) to Rita Hazan’s salon, we did what NYC people do, walk. Sure there was a threat of rain and yes, it was drizzling. No big deal. That was until 5 blocks later, the rain came down in sheets. We ducked into one of the 3 million gift shops in NYC and grabbed a $1 umbrella for $8. We were dry afterwards but had to navigate umbrella chaos every step of the way. Everyone has an umbrella in NYC.

New York City.

NYC is home to the finest of everything including salons. Rita Hazan salon is ranked in the top 100 salons in the USA. Rita charges upwards of $500 and more for a haircut, color extra. Minimum haircuts are $150. For this, you get star treatment in a delightful setting right off ultra-prime 5th Avenue & 56th St. For the black PR event, we had 3 top stylists working all day long.

New York City.

All the beauty directors and editors live and breath NYC. They know beauty before anyone else. Ultimately in many instances, their love or hate of a product determines its success or failure. You give it your best shot.

In all, more than 30 beauty directors came to Rita Hazan to get a blow-out using black exclusively. All I can say is that all the editor’s pretty much summed up what Maggie Mulhern, Beauty & Fashion Director for Modern Salon Media had to say, “That was/is the best blow out I’ve ever had. I haven’t washed my hair yet because i just LOVE IT!!!!”

New York City.

The land of opportunity. You can sense it, smell it, live it, feel it. It’s alive. No wonder it’s the fashion, financial, culinary and cultural center of America. You see people of all nationalities working hard day and night. If you can make it in NYC, you can make it anywhere. And I couldn’t think of a better place to launch black.

For photos and highlights, visit black15in1.com on Monday.

Happy Thursday!