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"Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success? Tenacity – I intend to do as I have for over 30 years – to explore everything the beauty and fashion world has to offer for as long as I can -with luck I will drop dead just having captured a sublime beauty image at a photo shoot!" -Charlie Price from his VoyageDenver interview
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We sat down to what looked like a pretty normal dinner.
Opened the menu, started doing the usual thing - scanning for something that sounded good, checking the price, moving on.
But then something stopped us.
Because next to each dish, instead of just a number, there was a breakdown. Not the ingredients. The cost. The actual, honest cost of getting that plate to the table.
The farm down the road. The person who woke up that morning to harvest it. The relationship the chef had spent years building with that farmer so that what arrived in the kitchen was the best of what was growing that week. The hands that prepared it, the knowledge that shaped it, the care that decided it was ready.
We read it once. Then we read it again.
And something made us pause, because the number hadn't changed, but suddenly it made sense. It didn't feel like a price anymore. It felt like an answer.
We couldn't stop thinking about it on the way home. Because once you've seen a menu built that way, you can't quite look at one the same way again. And honestly? You start seeing it everywhere.
Because hairdressers might be the most invisible-cost profession there is.
A client sees a finished color, a perfect cut, a transformation that took six hours and forty-five minutes in the chair. What they don't see, what almost no one sees — is the years of school, the midnight hours on mannequin heads, the Sunday workshops, the portfolio built shoot by shoot, the consultations that went nowhere, the clients you had to lose before you found the ones who stayed. None of that shows up on the service menu. But every single bit of it is in the room when the work happens.
And that's exactly what should be reflected in what you charge — the actual price you put on your menu, whether you show the cost breakdown to your clients or not. Not as a message, not as a justification — just as an honest accounting of what it actually costs to do this work at the level you do it. Just starting out or 10,000 advanced education hours later, we all have a very real number we need to start from and grow from. And it was never a $5 haircut.
There's also something worth naming here, because it often gets flattened in this conversation: there is a real difference between choosing to trade your skill for something that holds genuine value to you — a collaboration, a connection, an opportunity that actually means something — and simply being told your work isn't worth paying for.
One is a decision made from a place of knowing exactly what you have - skill, craft, know-how. The other is someone else's misunderstanding of what it took to build it. Both get called "exposure." They are not the same thing.
And the conversation about that misunderstanding is already happening — just not always where we'd expect. In music, it's gotten loud enough that the general public is paying attention: artists asked to play weddings for exposure, to hand over tracks for a shoutout, to give the work away on the promise that visibility will eventually make up the difference. People are forming opinions. Taking sides. And what's surfacing underneath all of it isn't really about music — it's a broader reckoning with what skilled work is worth, and what it means when a trade gets told, quietly and repeatedly, that the craft should be grateful just to be seen.
That reckoning belongs to hairdressers too.
This issue is about making that cost visible. Not to make the work feel transactional, but to make it undeniable.
-The salonMonster team |
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If this resonated with you, we built something that might help:
It's a free pricing calculator that does for your menu what that restaurant did for theirs. You put in what it costs you to be in business and what you want it to pay you. It gives you back a minimum price for every service — the line below which the appointment costs you money to perform —and a recommended price that accounts for your experience and your demand.
No sign-up. The numbers stay in your browser.
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Once you see your real numbers, you can decide what to do with them. But you'll have seen them. And once you've seen a menu built that way, you can't quite look at the old one the same way again.
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Refund a sale in seconds—without messy workarounds.
Running a real business means the numbers have to be right, not just the ones going in, but the ones coming back out too.
If you've ever processed a refund with a workaround, a manual note, a credit you tracked somewhere else, a conversation you hoped nobody asked about later, this one's for you. salonMonster's refund flow is built to keep your books clean without the headache. Locate the sale, select what needs to come back (one item or the whole thing), confirm the amount, choose the return payment method, and you're done.
Accurate records, correct inventory, smooth client experience. No mess.
We put together a quick walkthrough so you can see the full flow start to finish. No jargon, no complicated steps, just the thing working the way it should. |
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Tools
Color charts, color fans and traditional color wheels are flat, as are maps. However, just like with earth, color is more correctly understood in a globe; Kolormondo. The Kolormondo color globe come in different sizes and with or without color codes. All of our color spheres are uniformly designed and constructed to enhance the effectiveness of color learning. The three dimensional construction on our color globe is meant to engage people in the exploration of colors in a hands-on and immersive manner, fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of the world of color. |
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Distractions
Nine episodes examining why Dolly Parton is one of the few people in America that everyone agrees on. It starts as a music story and becomes something much bigger — about craft, identity, and a woman who always knew exactly what she was worth and never let anyone else decide for her. |
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Behind the software is a team that genuinely cares about independent hairdressers. The Independent Chair is where we get to say so in long form. |
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Exposure Isn't a Currency. Unless You Decide It Is.
There's a conversation happening in the music industry right now that's gotten loud enough for the general public to start paying attention. Artists being asked to play weddings for free. Producers being offered a shoutout in exchange for a track. Session musicians, the invisible hands behind some of the most recognized songs on the radio, still not receiving royalties or credit for work that drives commercial hits.
The ask is always the same: do the work, give it away, and trust that the visibility will eventually pay off. |
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"Check your Ego at the door! The biggest mistake you can make is thinking you know everything. Be open to learning, be open to asking questions and never be afraid to make a mistake! It’s the only way to grow. "
- Anonymous salonMonster User
"SalonMonster gave me that push to go out on my own after doing hair for 20 years, it gave me the simplicity of making appointments and having clients be reminded. Best decision ever!!"
- Amy Guyer
"A few words of reflection I would tell my younger stylist self ~ after over 3 decades behind the chair:
Don’t burn yourself out to prove your worth. Don’t loose sleep over it , it’s not worth your health. Trust me it will work out my dear . Working hard is admirable. Working yourself into exhaustion is not sustainable. Pace yourself — this is a lifetime career , not a sprint.
Save money early. Financial peace brings freedom — freedom to choose, to pivot, to rest when needed. Stay in your lane and hire a professional
Celebrate the small wins. Not every victory is a milestone award. Most are quiet moments — a solved problem, a grateful client, a job well done . slow and steady one brick at a time , a strong clientele isn’t built overnight
Remember why you started in the first place. When things get difficult, come back to your original love for the work, the art . Purpose will carry you further than ambition ever will , focus on the part that drew you there and everything else will become background noise."
- Autumn Le Stage |
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Thanks for being here
Whether you've been with us for years or just found us at 2am in a scheduling spiral — welcome.
Running a salon is no joke. We're just here to make it slightly less chaotic. — Liam, Stephen, Annie, Denber, Layla & Niku |
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Cure Nailhouse hits like a Detroit debut album: part salon, part gallery, part late-night ritual. Founded by nail artist Cyndia Robinson and shaped with Tiffany Thompson of Duett Interiors, the Sugar Hill space rejects beauty-parlor polish for something moodier and more electric: chrome flashes, glossy concrete, cabernet and oxblood reds, blue lime-washed stations, inflated-metal stools, curtained soak bays, rare magazines, art, coffee, cocktails, and a forthcoming nail-craft program. It is a manicure studio with backstage energy, doubling as an experimental artist-residency studio and educational space for Black women — a place where the appointment feels less like maintenance and more like a scene. |
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Ctrl + Stephen Random thoughts on business and tech |
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The Cost You Don’t See
One thing I’ve learned from talking with stylists over the years is that pricing is emotional.
Even when the numbers clearly say it’s time. Even when your costs have gone up. Even when you know you’re undercharging.
Raising prices still feels uncomfortable.
You worry about your clients. You worry about seeming greedy. You worry someone will leave.
At the beginning of 2025, we went through that same experience at salonMonster.
We raised our prices for the first time in quite a while, and honestly, we put it off longer than we should have. Not because we didn’t understand the math, but because we care deeply about the people using our software. We know many of you are independent business owners trying to make things work in a world where everything keeps getting more expensive.
But eventually we had to sit down and have an honest look at our own business.
And what we realized was very similar to what many stylists eventually discover in their careers:
If you don’t charge enough to sustainably provide your service, eventually you won’t be able to provide it at all.
That’s a hard truth for caring people.
Because most independent businesses don’t start from greed. They start from passion. From wanting to help. From loving the craft. And sometimes that means we absorb rising costs far longer than we should because we don’t want to negatively impact the people we serve.
But invisible costs are still real costs.
For salons, clients don’t always see: the education, the product waste, the emotional labour, the wear on your body, the years spent refining your craft, the hours outside the salon answering messages or thinking about your business.
And software honestly isn’t that different.
People see an app on their phone. What they don’t see are the support conversations, hosting costs, security work, infrastructure, staffing, legal bills, accounting, text messaging fees, maintenance, and constant behind-the-scenes work required to keep everything stable and running smoothly. That’s the part of business that’s easy to miss when it’s working well.
One thing we’ve been intentional about at salonMonster is staying independent. We’re a small bootstrapped company, not a venture-funded startup trying to grow at all costs. That means we have to run sustainably — just like many of the salon owners and stylists we serve.
And honestly, we think that alignment matters.
Because it changes how you make decisions.
It means we’re focused less on flashy growth and more on building something stable, useful, thoughtful, and genuinely valuable for the people using it every day.
I often remind stylists that charging appropriately isn’t about “taking more.” It’s about creating a business healthy enough to continue showing up well for your clients long term.
We’re trying to follow that same advice ourselves.
Not because we want to charge more.
But because we want salonMonster to be around for the long haul: stable, independent, thoughtful, and built by people who genuinely care about the professionals using it.
And sustainable businesses — salons included — are what make that possible.
— Stephen |
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Got a hairdresser friend? That's $100 waiting to happen!
Refer a friend to salonMonster and earn $100 when they sign up for a paid account.
Simple as that. |
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Talking Shop with Liam
Video interviews with our amazing community |
For Ricardo Vacas, the answer is simple: repetition, discipline, humility, and real practice on real people.
In this conversation with Liam from salonMonster, Ricardo shares how he went from cutting his own hair as a teenager in Spain to becoming a Vancouver barber, shop owner, and educator. He talks about the kind of hands-on training that shaped him early on, including the difference between knowing the theory and having enough repetition to trust your hands. |
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Saved for Later...Interesting links that crossed our path
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image from hairsalonpro.com article |
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Salon Pricing Formula: The Exact Math to Set Your Service Prices
Eighty percent of stylists set their prices by looking at what the salon down the street charges. That is not pricing strategy. That is organized guessing. And it costs the average stylist over $10,000 a year in income they should be earning. |
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image from whatamimaking.com article |
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The Real Cost Of Music
While booking my summer tour, I chatted with a brewery that was considering booking me for a Sunday afternoon show. The booker inquired what my fee for a four hour set would be. I replied that the regular rate for a four hour show was $400. I also said that I would be happy to do a three hour show for $300 or a two hour set for $250. For several days, I didn't hear a response. |
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image from hellohairco.com article |
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How to Raise Salon Prices the Right Way
The most reliable way to raise salon prices without losing clients is to use a strategic percentage increase (typically 10–20%+), tied to your numbers, demand, and positioning—not arbitrary $5 or 3% bumps. Communicate one-to-one at checkout or with confirmations, and reinforce value through hospitality and consistent service.
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This industry has been arguing about its own worth for as long as I can remember. I've had a front row seat to a lot of convos about it.
And honestly? It's complicated.
Because the answer isn't just "charge more." It's not a number. It's not a script you memorize for when a client pushes back on your price.
Some stylists are doing some really interesting things with that space in between. Pulling back the curtain a little online or in their client convos. Showing clients what actually goes into the work... the training, the hours, the cost of staying current in an industry that moves fast.
And for some of them, it's landing beautifully. Not because transparency is a trend, but because it's consistent with everything else they're already doing.
That's the thing though. It has to be consistent. A luxury salon built on mystique and elevation can't suddenly start showing its math without breaking the experience they've already built, overnight. But a stylist who's already human-focused, already community-driven, already talking to clients like people - that person can do something really powerful with that kind of honesty. It doesn't change the number. It just finally explains it.
I built Full Price because this issue needed a playlist that felt like it understood the assignment. Not a hype playlist. Not background noise. Something that actually carries the feeling of knowing what you're worth and showing up anyway.
Fleetwood Mac is on here because they never needed to explain themselves. The Chain isn't asking for your approval — it just is what it is, and you either feel it or you don't. That's the energy.
Christina Aguilera is on here because she might be one of the most technically gifted vocalist of her generation and spent years being underestimated anyway. Fighter didn't come from nowhere. It came from someone who did the work, took the hits, and came out the other side knowing exactly what she was made of. If that doesn't resonate behind the chair, I don't know what does.
And Debbii Dawson... most of you haven't heard of her yet. Independent artist, building something real, doing it before the spotlight finds her. She's on here because that's exactly who this playlist is for. The ones putting in the work long before anyone thinks to ask what it cost.
Keep it on all day. You've earned every hour of it. |
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Monster SightingsEvents to check out |
Toronto Barber Expo: Hairfest Chapter IV Sunday, June 28, 2026
Iconic Men proudly presents the Toronto Barber Expo Hairfest Chapter IV powered by BabylissPro on June 28th, 2026 at the Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto.
Get ready for over 40+ influencers from all over the world under one roof! Full education – competitions, private classes, over 120 vendors, cash bar, top-notch restaurants, hotel & casino.
The Contessa Awards November 8, 2026 - Toronto, Ontario
Canada's most prestigious hair awards — the Canadian Hairstylist of the Year Awards — are back. The 2026 gala is happening November 8 at the John Bassett Theatre at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto, with the cocktail party at 6:15pm, red carpet at 6:45pm, and awards at 8:00pm. Entry period for submissions opens in May 2026, so if anyone has been sitting on the idea of entering — now is the time to start shooting. Worth noting: this year introduces a new combined Prairies Hairstylist category covering Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, and the Sustainability Achievement category is free to enter.
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Honestly? We love making this newsletter.
The feedback we get from this community keeps us going, and putting the Digest together every two weeks is one of our favorite things we do.
Thank you for reading — it means more than you know. |
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