After waiting hour and after hour impatiently, Mom Jen finally did her thing. The first excitement was when Michael came into the waiting room with that “shit ass” grin on his face and I’m not sure he even knew what he blurted out but we knew the baby was born. Naturally we didn’t waste any time celebrating. Mark brought along a fine 21 year old single malt and then was the perfect moment. Come to think of it, why is alcohol part of every tradition, holiday?

Holding Carter for the first time brought back memories. In fact, it was nearly 26 years ago I held a newly born baby and now he is in Med School. That is how fast time zips by. But for now, Carter has black hair, my ears, changing blue eyes and is the attention of focus. He farts at will and doesn’t get yelled at so you know he has certain privileges. It was exciting to be in Chicago for 3 days enjoying and it was also exciting leaving Carter behind knowing that Mom and Dad will tend to his daily needs while we stroll into town on a whim. Hey, that’s the best part about being grandparents.

Thanks everyone who sent us email and text messages. The first one is always the special one. Upon arrival at work today, marketing got their little creative minds together, very cute:

Once we get “permission” to post photos, I will. In the meantime, life moves forward.

Happy Friday!

But Apple is not normal in any meaning of the word and just moments ago announced numbers that are impossible to believe.

This comes right from Barron’s:

Apple (AAPL) shares this afternoon have been halted ahead of its fiscal Q1 report.

Analysts are modeling $39.14 billion in revenue and $10.16 per share in profit. Apple’s own forecast, offered back on October 18th, had called for $37 billion in revenue and $9.30 per share.

Update: Apple reported revenue in the three months ended in December rose to $46.3 billion, yielding EPS of $13.87 per share.

The company sold 37 million iPhones in the quarter, 15.4 million iPads, 5.2 million Mac computers, and 15.4 million iPods, it said. The Mac and iPod numbers seem to be in line with Street expectations, but those iPhone and iPad numbers are way, way above even the most bullish expectations.

CEO Tim Cook remarked, “We’re thrilled with our outstanding results and record-breaking sales of iPhones, iPads and Macs. Apple’s momentum is incredibly strong, and we have some amazing new products in the pipeline.”

For the current quarter, Apple side-stepped its tradition of “conservative” forecasts, projecting revenue of $32.5 billion, and EPS of $8.50 a share, above the Street consensus is $32.07 billion and $8.01 per share.

37 Million iPhones. That is 12.333 million a month; 3 million a week; 440,000 a day; 18,000 per hour; 300 per minute.

15.4 Million iPads. About half the above numbers.

Yes, the world is officially Apple-ized and as you know, so am I and so is tng worldwide. We are not alone.

It’s a good day to be Tim Cook.

Happy Tuesday!

ULTA on the other hand with the backbone of Lynn Kirby fought and fought in the same battlefield and came out the ultimate winner. First known as Ulta 3 when they started in 1990, ULTA now commands the market, has upwards of 450 stores and plans on adding another 550 over the next few years. Each store is 10,000 sq.ft. and offers a 950 sq. ft. salon for services. Read more about ULTA here.

It wasn’t too long ago that their stock was less than $10 a share. Today you can’t buy it for less than $75. So what is the compelling story that made ULTA succeed when so many of its contemporaries failed? Kirby understood consumers.

Think back to the late 70’s and early 80’s when the first real wave of retail salon products arrived. This was the period of Paul Mitchell, Matrix, Nexxus, Aveda, Redken so many other brands. These brands were developed by hairdressers and sold exclusively to local salons. It was the birth of salon retailing. Soon salons outside their local markets wanted the products and the expansion of full service distributors evolved. Those lucky enough at the time to land one of these brands was set for life. Nexxus distributors ended up owning private jets they made so much money with the brand. Distributors couldn’t hire enough salespeople and open stores fast enough to satisfy the demand. It was a feeding frenzy.

This drove other hairdressers to develop their own lines and we saw the likes of Sebastian, ARTec, and dozens others. Money and profits were free-flowing and the party was huge.

But alas in the 1990’s and early 2000’s, like so many other industries, greed and market domination took hold. But the overwhelming trend that no one spotted was that salons didn’t focus on retail products even with their monopolistic position. Sure they loved the brands they used but it wasn’t their focus to sell them. As manufacturer’s grew along with marketing and promotional campaigns, consumers demanded salon products more than ever. But they weren’t happy with their choices where to buy the brands they wanted since salons focused on the brands they wanted to carry instead of the brands consumers wanted them to carry.

Most likely this is what caused the beginning of diversion. Manufacturers said to themselves, “Hey, we got a huge market and we need to position our goods so consumers can buy our products.” Retailers such as Target, CVS and Walgreen’s craved salon products because consumers came into their stores looking for them. One innovative company understood all this and became the pioneer in the diversion movement and to this day, continues to be the leader (no, not ULTA). Diversion suddenly became a huge issue but the uncanny thing about this was that salons cared but they continued to carry the same brands that were diverted. As manufacturers learned this, they thought, “Heck, if salons complain but still carry my brand, why not continue?” And they did.

During all this, ULTA strategically decides upon its business model. Kirby learns from Trade Secrets that if we have a working salon in our retail space, we can sell EVERY professional brand to consumers that we want. Unlike salons who chose brands that they had to personally like to use or retail, ULTA knew firsthand that was nonsense. The only thing important to ULTA was to carry brands consumers wanted to buy. That was the thinking that changed everything.

Today while diversion is alive and well, it’s not the key subject in the industry. ULTA changed that.

Walk into an ULTA store today and you will be amazed at the number of professional brands they carry from hair care to nail care to appliance and everything in-between. They are now getting into “Sephora” type goods which will make them even more of a powerhouse. And with their superior marketing strategy including daily email blasts, discounts, loyalty programs, free shipping and much more, how will anyone compete with them moving forward?

Salons can no longer carry all the brands consumers want, there are too many and ULTA owns the market. Listed are some strategies salons have adopted:

• Focus on services and maintain a non-commitment to retail
• Focus on “exclusive” brands such as Kerastase, Bumble & Bumble, and Oribe
• Focus on niche brands new to the marketplace not sold at ULTA

Believe it or not, even when ULTA does get to 1000 stores, they will only represent less than 1% of the salon universe. This suggests that salons still have a competitive advantage much like a locally owned restaurant has over a chain. But like the locally owned restaurants that compete with chains, even though the owner/chef may not eat burgers, fries and pizza, they know their customers can’t get enough of it. Salon owners as well will need to change their mindset and start offering brands that consumers want to buy regardless of what their likes or their stylists likes are.

Two brands that are perfect examples of this include Morocannoil and black 15in1. Morocannoil is not sold at ULTA. Demand from consumers is intense. Every smart and savvy salon using the new paradigm should sell Morocannoil and become a Moroccanoil Loyalty Salon. The opportunity for salon owners is limited and they must jump on the bandwagon when they can and cash in.

It took industry pioneers to launch salon retail products. It will take industry pioneers in 2012 to rethink salon retailing philosophy and in doing so, they too will make a killing. The landscape is set and ready for take-off.

Happy Thursday!

black 15in1 is prominently featured in the current issue (January 16, 2012) of People magazine. And Nina Dobrev is the latest actress to fall in love with the product.

How about those Spartans? 15 game winning streak is magical. But we got the short end of the stick finishing 11th overall in football. However we are ranked 9th pre-season. Who decides this anyway?

The news in Wayne County is getting worse and worse. And looks like billionaires go to jail just like everyone else, what was Moroun thinking?

On vacation, I finally read the first two Stieg Larsson books. The first, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was over the top good and coincidentally the movie is out this weekend. I have the original Swedish version with subtitles that I look forward to watching this weekend. The Girl Who Played With Fire is just as good and at over 600 pages, reads very fast.

Monday is already the second holiday of the year, MLK. Hard to believe how fast January is going. Could it be the mild weather?

The North American Auto Show kicks off tonight at Cobo Hall. Can the Big 3 keep their momentum in 2012? Ford certainly looks very strong in its new offerings.

Detroit Piston’s attendance the worst in decades. The bigger question is why does anyone care about pro basketball?

Have you played the hot word game from W.E.L.D.E.R.? If not and you like word games, this is the bomb. I am on level 12 with 40,000 points. This game is addicting as hell.

Our Discovery Center in THE INDUSTRY SOURCE Ann Arbor location has bit a huge hit, so we are adding to our Maumee and Grandville locations. The Discovery Center allows hairdressers to try our exclusive products risk-free in a comfortable setting complete with shampoo station and styling stations.

Speaking of stores, our new store program for Nailco Rewards customers kicks off next week or so. Very exciting with special pricing throughout the stores.

The tng worldwide Facebook page has been changed over to THE INDUSTRY SOURCE Facebook page. So if you haven’t “liked” the new page, please do so.

Happy Friday!

It started out ugly enough. Who calls a screen play in your own end zone? It had to be a first for a college or pro team. And will most likely be the last. 2-0 Bulldogs. And just like the Lions-Packers game start, another touchdown after the punt and it was 9-0. How many 3 and outs did State endure? While our defense was outstanding, so was the team in red. And just when you couldn’t believe another long pass could be made, it was. 16-0 and halftime.

As a Spartan enduring 8 consecutive bowl losses and coming off that dreadful loss to another team in the inaugural playoff game, the last thing we could endure was yet another loss especially after another 10 game winning season. Dantonio was motivated to win his first bowl game in five and while he was the most winning MSU coach in his first five years, another bowl loss would have spelled d-o-o-m.

The second half didn’t start much better, but again, MSU defense was spot on. What was better than the pick 6? It rallied the troops and engaged the team. It was the catalyst that won the game. But after a couple missed two-point conversions, the Bulldogs performed yet another feat of magic and scored with less than five minutes to go, 27-20. Could State rally back? Nope. Punt, couple time outs and a really big stop and one more chance to tie the game. Ball on our own 15 with less than 2 minutes to go. MSU didn’t have one drive all game long, how could they manage one now?

Kirk Cousins did what he had to do, even dash for a long gain. With 16 ticks on the clock, touchdown for MSU!

In the end, MSU beat the Bulldogs 33-30 and how fitting that a blocked field goal was the difference. Special teams made plays all game long but none bigger than that one. The seniors had something to celebrate, a big feather to add to their helmet and a reason to look forward to the upcoming NFL draft. It was a sweet victory, one that took some four-and-a-half hours. I was exhausted watching the game, could you imagine playing it?

With all the BIG TEN teams losing (1-4), perhaps the pundits will finally give MSU their due. If anything, they should put us #10 or higher on the charts. Even if Michigan wins tonight, and that is a big “if”, MSU must be ranked higher than any other BIG 10 team.

The spoils go to the victors. No one deserves it more than Mark Dantonio, Kirk Cousins and the entire MSU team. Thank you for finally bringing the GREEN back to Michigan. Now that is the way to kick off a year.

Happy Tuesday!

Think about this for a moment. We live our lives based on a 24 hour day, 7 day week, 12 month year. Who decided all this for us?

As 2011 comes to a close, rather than reflecting on all the good and the bad, why not just focus on what’s good on the horizon?

For tng worldwide, 2012 is going to be a swell year. We have put a lot of changes into place along with some very exciting developments:

• Completely updated THE BEAUTY BOOK
• Completely updated THE INDUSTRY SOURCE logo
• Completely updated THE INDSUSTRY SOURCE magazine
• Completely updated Nailco Gold and renaming it Nailco Rewards
• In an effort to increase our 99.1% fill rate, will beginning shipping any backorder items from our Coppell distribution center (if they have in stock)
• Completely new uniforms for THE INDUSTRY STORE store talent
• The much anticipated launch of black 15in1 TWICE A WEEK Miracle Hair Shampoo and Conditioner
• The launch of the new black 15in1 marketing campaign
• The launch of Ginger Lily Farms Botanicals
• The launch of the new Kemon NaYo marketing campaign and salon loyalty program
• An all new charity event to replace Tiffany to be held Sunday, October 7. The new event is super exciting and will feature many celebrities.
• The update of our websites. Look for a completely new look for black15in1.com as well as theindustrysource.com.

2012 is an election year and perhaps the year we will see unemployment drop to 8%, more consumers headed to salons and spas and even some optimism. We are ready for a fabulous new year and cannot wait for the fun to begin.

Healthy, happy and prosperous new year to all. Thank you for your “eyes,” comments and support.

Happy 2012!

Speaking of the last few days, I think this past Friday to yesterday were the fastest four days in history. With another long weekend coming up, will that go by any slower?

2011 will go down as the year for Michigan sports. Even the Lions made the playoffs. If those miserable Lions fans who went to every game over the past 10, 20, or 30 years, what are they like today? Giddy beyond giddy.

Speaking of giddy, Daniel (my Duke soon to be graduate) played in his first poker tournament and came in 5th place. He was the chip leader until he ran into A-K while holding A-Q. No doubt A-Q is one of the cruelest hands of all.

It looks like Santa didn’t come for Sears. Sales down 4.5% and they are closing 120 stores. Who shops at Sears anyways? Or Kmart? Look for some big changes to come.

The iPad was the hottest gift of the season along with the iPhone 4S. But other than a few toys, there wasn’t anything that was must have. No pet rock item this year.

Max and Essie called us at the home to wish us happy holidays. It sounded like Max was drunk but he hasn’t had a drink in his life. Perhaps he was just giddy realizing he has no bullshit to deal with anymore.

Starbucks is loaded with Christmas merchandise after Christmas. Don’t feel bad for them, they sold on average 42 gift cards every second.

I love the Christmas holiday season but the day after Christmas I don’t want to see or hear a single Christmas thing. Is there anything more sickly than a Poinsettia plant after Christmas?

What a great time of the year to eat, drink, eat, drink, and eat and drink. Burgers, fries and pizza still rank at the top.

Love winter so far. Sunny days, warm weather and easy driving. I had a great 10 mile outdoor run on Sunday. Heck, if winter’s stay like this, Michigan will become a growth state once again.

And yes, Michigan finally recorded its first growth in employment since 2002. But until the level of education and lifelong learning increases, future growth will be dubious.

How many apps have you downloaded that you never use?

Is Ron Paul the real deal?

I’m ready for 2012. More on that next time around.

Happy Tuesday!

We all give back something when we die through inheritance. I think it’s best to give back when you are alive.

As a company, tng worldwide has been giving back since its inception. More importantly, it’s not the company giving back but the people within the company. Our people love to give back.

Just yesterday, a huge donation was made to the Baldwin Center in Pontiac. tng worldwide talent donated enough clothes, toys and gift cards to assist 1200 families. And this was a side project if you can believe.

This month our talent and customers have focused on Forgotten Harvest, one of the largest food collectors in Michigan. We feel good about collecting $10,000 for their efforts.

Our organization of choice for more than ten years has been the American Cancer Society specifically targeting breast cancer research and assisting those in need. Great strides have been made during this time period and we see our dollars at work each and every day. We are close to $2,000,000 raised since we have been involved.

It’s not easy to give back especially after all the taxes the government takes from us for each dollar we earn. But in the end, that’s what makes the world go round and that’s what makes companies like tng worldwide an important part of our eco-system.

I want to thank each and every person who has been part of our cause in 2011.

Happy Friday!

Personally, I do not celebrate Christmas, but love to partake in many of its traditions. However, this year and this season has gone by in such a blur, I now have to decide which priorities take place. Perhaps my readers can help me out since most likely they are in the same predicament.

Candy and treats: I still haven’t had my first candy cane. I love gingerbread houses, they are so festive. And while Starbuck’s and others are promoting hot chocolate, I have yet to have my first cup. Now mind you, the first cup can’t be at a McDonald’s. It has to be in front of a roaring fire with Christmas music playing in the background along with plates of cookies. Have you heard of the latest hot chocolate fad? In a blender, with the milk and chocolate, add a chocolate cake donut and blend. Then heat up to temperature. Can you believe?

Things to see: I did get in Disney’s Scrooge and it was OK. But still need to see Charlie Brown, Grinch, Miracle on 34th Street. The Rockettes are playing live along with 10 other live shows at this time of year. Oh, the light shows are still going on at Wayne County Festival of Lights, I think anyway or perhaps the lights have been strung around Ficano and he is now a live Christmas tree.

Gifts and such: Why is it men still call fragrance “perfume?” When was the last time anyone bought perfume? For those that don’t know, perfume is the highest concentration of fragrance. Next comes EDT (Eau de Toilette) which is the most popular. And then comes cologne. No one really buys cologne anymore. At least I hope not. Outside of perfume, electronics are always popular and looks like tablets will be ultra hot. Remember when we bought CD’s and DVD’s as gifts? And here is the thing I want to know, what percentage of gifts are regifted? 50% or more? And what percentage of gifts are retuned? 25% or more? Clothes seem to be high on everyone’s list but is there anything worse than buying clothes as a gift?

Giving back: At least I got this so far. We made our goal to ACS for $100,000 and working hard on making our goal to Forgotten Harvest for $10,000. Some say this really is the time of the year to give back. But then there are those that complain that people only give back this time of the year and forget about the other 11 months. It’s tougher than ever to give back.

Music: Ah, nothing like having two top radio stations playing all Christmas songs. How many hours of Christmas songs can I listen to? About the same number as you. Some of them are really good though.

Cards and such: I sign way fewer cards than ever before. I hate getting pre-signed cards, in fact, I don’t even open them up. With society becoming less social than ever, I think this is one tradition that is dying off. And YIKES, I still haven’t bought a box and need one!

Family fun: Ho, Ho, Ho. The family is getting together and what more fun can that be? I think there are more family arguments in December than the other 11 months combined.

The company party: Oh, we use to do this big time. Rent the Ritz, give them the AMEX card and everything was perfect. Oh, so security called me at 4AM and wondered who this person was that crashed in the men’s room. Oh, what about the employee who passed out in his room before the party started? No big deal. And what happened in the parking lot? Now we have our Annual Meeting (this Saturday) and indulge in breakfast and lunch. That’s lots of fun.

Mistletoe: Always wondered about that and still do.

Christmas tree: When does that go up and is it real or artificial?

Eggnog: Now that is not a candy or a treat. Who invented this concoction? It’s one thing that will not go down my throat so this is certainly not a priority.

House fragrance: It’s not Christmas without some potpourri bubbling in a pot on the stove vaporizing and spreading throughout the house. Let’s not forget candles too. Way down on my list although I do like live fires.

Cookies: I know, part of candy and treats but Christmas cookies are so festive. I also think they are the worst tasting. I don’t recall any other cookies in which one takes a bite and doesn’t finish the rest of it.

Shopping: What more fun than going to mall and checking out all the decorations? And what more fun that dealing with the throngs of people, strollers and people pushing you to get the item you want. The Christmas spirit is alive and well and this is a must tradition. Somerset does it best.

Please, prioritize for me, time is running out and there is far too much to do. I say let’s simplify the whole thing and make Christmas a two-day celebration and do everything in those two days. Now that would be real fun!

Happy Thursday!

OK, a little bragging rights. I ran the Turkey Trot on Thursday and came in 2nd in my age group out of 273. Time was 42.40, about 10 seconds quicker than 2009 and 2010.

OK, a little more bragging rights. Spartans win yet again clinching the Legends title outright and going to the championship game this Saturday against Wisconsin. One more victory and we are headed to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1988. Eat your hearts out Michigan (even though you got very lucky that you beat OSU, the QB missed 3 wide open touchdown passes).

I read an interesting thought over the weekend and that thought is that we have a deficit of wonder right now. Everyone now has the answer to any question within seconds. Before we go to a restaurant, we search their menu. Before we go to a resort or hotel, we search their site. We know everything yet we really don’t know much of anything. Personally a little wonder is a good thing.

I also liked this thought: Is there anything more annoying than the sound of a helicopter? Unless of course you are drowning and hear a helicopter coming to save you. How is the sound then?

Thanksgiving Day sales hit a record and it looks like stores will be open all day long in 2012. Soon it will be just another shopping day. Good news: Record sales so consumers are spending.

I was in Venice the weekend before last on business and it was my first time there. The city is just like you would imagine it with all the canals and bridges. To get to your hotel from the airport, you take a 50-minute water taxi and the taxi pulls right up to your hotel. Walking around is very interesting with the throngs of tourists snapping photos and dealing with the thousands of pigeons. Overall, nice place to visit for two days.

December is three days away. Really?

You know Christmas is coming when the classics on TV start showing up. I still love Charlie Brown’s Christmas story the best although The Grinch isn’t far behind. And how about those radio stations that play Christmas music 24/7?

Time is going by so fast that I’m already thinking about November 2012. How about you?

Speaking of which, it will be Obama vs. Romney. The winner will be based solely on the economy at the time voters go to the poll. YIKES!

black 15in1 is launching its first ever sweepstakes on Facebook starting this Thursday. The sweepstakes will be showing off their newest products and will be loads of fun.

Speaking of Facebook, 250 million “friends” are added each day and 100 million people “like” something each day. What computer system keeps up with all this?

I would be remiss not to mention the exploits of Ndamukong Suh this past Thursday. Sure he will get at least a two game suspension. But the real story is who triggered his behavior: Ndamukong Suh or the Lion’s coaches?

The iPhone 4S battery life goes quicker than a $20 bill in a slot machine.

It’s going to be a long time before I eat stuffing, sweet potatoes and unlimited desserts. Come to think of it, it will be Thanksgiving 2012.

Happy Monday!