WOW, where did the week go? OK, I will admit I finally took a few days off in sunny Mexico. I don’t have a laptop and my iPhone doesn’t have international access so when I’m gone, I’m gone. We stayed south of Cancun in the hot tourist area called the Maya Riviera nearby the new hot town Playa Del Carmen. Although Mexico is rife with drug, government and police issues, this part of Mexico is calm and collected. The weather is always good and the Mexican people are ultra friendly and love to take care of their guests.

What’s better than fresh guacamole and tortilla chips? Mexico is famous for their hot sauces and we had a variety to choose from. They have no such thing as “Pace” (the American version of salsa) as everything they make is fresh and homemade. I especially love the pablano pepper sauce, red sauce and Mexican salsa. But after a few days of eating it for breakfast, lunch and dinner (you can’t help it), you can’t wait to get home so you can stop eating it.

The Hospitality industry in Mexico is quite diverse and all of the major players are now situated in this part of Mexico (Four Seasons is working on taking over a failed Viceroy development). While most of the larger properties are all-inclusive, there are many properties that have opened in the past few years that are not. I will admit my days of standing in the swimming pool with a beer in my hand and a cooler of them poolside are long gone (actually they never happened although a good Peña Colada was my weakness). Add that, blaring music, non-stop activities and food that never stops either, all-inclusive resorts are quite hectic. The newer resorts are quiet and while they allow kids, you can relax if that is your goal.

With all the TSA precautions going on at USA airports, how is it the Cancun airport which is among the most ultra-modern in North America, not only allows you to keep your shoes on going through the x-ray, you don’t have to worry about being searched or going through one of those new scanning machines either. They are truly tourist-friendly.

I tried tasting Tequila one night with the BUB. We got the grand idea during the day since the resort put a small bottle in our room with limes and salt. We opened the bottle, poured a large shot and got the limes ready. But since it was a good quality Tequila (like Patron), we decided sipping was better than doing shots. We each took a sip and immediately had the look of disgust on our face like “who can drink this?” Of course we tried another sip but after that, the Tequila was tossed out. I decided you either do Tequila shots with lime and salt or mix it. But you really don’t want to taste the stuff.

Hopefully by now you have received both thebeautybook Spring 2011 edition and The Industry Source magazine Jan/Fed edition. So far the response has been great to both.

An interesting article came out today that L’Oreal is vulnerable to a take-over and that management is deciding what it can do to prevent it from happening. I know I mentioned this fact in 2010, but the more the rumors float, the more they come true. It is still hard to believe anyone could buy L’Oreal.

I’m ready to start my video blog next week and as promised will be focusing on new products. The video blog will feature Amy B. who will be my spokesperson showing off the products.

The Detroit North American Auto Show starts tonight with the charity preview. Compared to the past few years, this show will be splashier, more extravagant and a lot of players are back such as Porsche. Optimism in the auto industry is very high right now with all 3 American companies riding strong. The question is will they learn from their previous mistakes. Union contracts are due later this Fall and one thing is for certain, no company can afford any mistakes at this point. And for Michigan, let’s be happy the auto industry is improving but let’s still move forward with the grand plan to remake this state without auto industry boom and bust cycles.

Happy Friday!

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!

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!

Even after publishing catalogs for more than 25 years, it’s still very exciting when the new one gets through design, editing, proofing and sent to the printer. thebeautybook Fall 2010 Edition hit the streets over the weekend and as I blogged earlier, it’s the debut of our Hospitality division.

The Fall book is 30 pages bigger than the Spring book. Besides Hospitality, there are a lot of other new and fun items to peruse.

• Combs, combs and more combs. Is there any item in professional hair care that gets so little attention? Perhaps it’s time to bring the comb back and into the spotlight! Not only do we now have combs in many colors, styles, but we can add your logo, individually wrap and even come up with a custom color. Combs are also available case pack to pricing is amazing. All from American Comb.
• FHI irons and dryers are back after a brief absence. FHI is rated among the leaders in high end, quality-driven appliances.
• CHI ceramic nail lacquers contain silk and nano silver technology to deliver results. The Industry Source is the exclusive USA distributor.
• Epillyss has been expanded and now includes their ultra hot Novatherm Hard Wax.
• I love the new Black Granite and Stainless Steel pedicure bowls by Pedicure Bowls.
• Mentioned earlier, the new ProLinc Spa Gel Toe Separators can be cooled or heated for ultimate comfort.
• Jessie Steele has a new lineup of smart aprons and capes.

Even with the Internet, people still love catalogs they can hold in their hands and relax with. This one I am sure will be one you spend many hours with. Enjoy.

Happy Monday!

How come the period between Memorial Day weekend and Fourth of July weekend seems like two weeks? Is there a faster period during the year? I think it’s even faster than the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Why do we love to eat out of bags and boxes? Snack items, candy (no wonder M&M’s are #1), popcorn, Chinese take-out, McDonald’s French Fries while driving, and so forth. We can take a snack size bag of Oreo’s and dump it on a plate or napkin but it’s much more fun to grab out of the bag. Why?

Are you staying home or traveling? With only three summer weekends, I love to stay home but heading out to Chicago like a million others to see my oldest son and daughter-in-law (no grandkids yet).

Thebeautybook Fall 2010 edition is in the mail along with The Industry Source July/August magazine. WOW is all I can say. I’m sure you will say the same when you get your copies (that is if you are a customer).

Young love is true love. When was the last time you made out in a parking lot during the day?

I have no idea why, but I haven’t seen or heard anything about the BP oil spill all week.

June consumer confidence hit a skid and so did the stock market. Not a good omen for the next six months. But hey, Jimmy Buffett is live this weekend and thank god it’s 5:00 somewhere and that Larry King retired.

J.J. CND’s infamous VP of Sales ensured me Shellac Base Coat is on the way. Between that and the iPhone 4, not sure which is hotter.

Can you eat 20# of steak in 4 days?

Have a terrific holiday, Labor Day is around the corner.

Happy Thursday!

This weekend is the Chicago beauty show currently known as the ABS (America’s Beauty Show) but for most of us, it will always be the Midwest Beauty Show. And compared to other shows, this name is best fitted.

For years the show occupied the underground levels of the Hyatt on Wacker. It then went to McCormick Place where the costs were prohibitive and then settled at the Rosemont Convention Center next to O’Hare. Hotels had covered air walks so you didn’t have to worry about the weather. Rosemont itself is a pit but convenient for the show.

Now that it’s back at McCormick Place, the show seems like a grain of sand on the beach. And it’s expensive to participate in. Nevertheless, The Industry Source will be there featuring Forever Natural, Pavilion, and thebeautybook. Since most people come for bargains, we decided to have the best bargain of all: 25% all purchases. Just come by the booth, place your order and save a lot of cash. We’ll ship to your salon at no extra charge.

I’m very excited about Forever Natural. We will be demonstrating it all day and while we are sold out of FN lights, we will be offering an amazing price of $100 for both the light and kit. We expect lights to be in stock early April.

The Pavilion will be featuring its name plate items that have been its biggest sellers. And show pricing makes them more than affordable. As always, we will be selling the floor models below cost at the end of show.

Why the ABS show is still 3 days, no one has any idea. Saturday is dead and Sunday is still the best day. We’ll be there all 3 days so if you are coming, be sure to stop by our booth #3000 and say hello or stock up and save big.

Happy Wednesday!

 

Finally, 2010 is here. Memories of the previous year and decade will linger for far too long but at least it’s over. We can now focus on the next decade and especially this new year.

This is the year that we need to move our outer lips in the up direction instead of the down direction. This is the year in which we can’t wait for something to happen, we have to make it happen.

This is the year of renewed optimism. Consumers see the first half as still difficult but see the second half with bright eyes and the sun finally breaking through the clouds. If you were ever in Florida on vacation and all it did was rain, then you know the feeling the first day the sun shone bright.

thebeautybook Spring 2010 is filled with renewed optimism. We reinvented the book and the look. Early responses have been terrific. There are new lines such as Spa Ritual and Ceripil, perennials like OPI (new Hong Kong collection), CND and FPO. And there is a brand new product called Forever Natural that’s bound to be a major hit.

More importantly, thebeautybook Spring 2010 brings the arrival of a new year, new decade and new inspiration. This week I’ll write about more stuff we are doing to help make 2010 the year to remember on the "happy" side.

Happy Monday and welcome back!