october 008 - Stylist and Salon Newspapers

Apprenticeship Program is Reaching Out
One Business Owner Commits to Community Responsibility
Gracie Young, an East Bay entrepreneur for more than 20 years brings her Greater East
Bay Barber/Cosmetology Apprenticeship program to Marin County, San Jose and San
Joaquin County.
After 12 years of success and service in Contra Costa, Alameda, San Francisco, San
Mateo and Solano Counties, the program now makes its unique opportunity available in
Marin, San Jose and San Joaquin County.
“The apprenticeship program is a two-year collaborative between salons and apprentices,
Pittsburg Adult, Cal Works, PIC, vocational rehab, youth incarceration programs and school
to work programs,” explained Young.
The program’s system is based on a simple and practical concept, “founded on practical
on-the-job training, and related academic instruction,” Young demonstrated, “to provide
an efficient, cost effective method for employers to use in getting skilled, industry trained
employees.
What makes this program stand out is it gives all people an opportunity. “Our mission is
to reach out into the community, targeting young adults to offer them viable alternatives [in
order] to [achieve legitimate] lucrative incomes as opposed to falling prey to street corner
[drug] sales, becoming victims of the lottery dream, or recipients of state allocated funds,”
asserted Young. “We do have an open door policy to all interested apprenticeship candidates
or salons owners seeking approval to start satellite programs in their county.”
What does Greater East Bay Barber/Cosmetology Apprenticeship program ask licensed
barbers and cosmetologists already working in licensed establishments to give back? Young
wants them to become a master trainer and employ or train young adults in the community
so that they can become future licensed barbers and cosmetologists.
Instructor Certification Programs are available. For more information, call 510-267-0617
or write GEBBCA Training Facility 1908 Telegraph Ave. Oakland, CA 94612.
GEBBCA is an approved state-certified apprenticeship workforce-development program
for barbers and cosmetologists. Classes taught by licensed credentialed instructors.
Reach the Recession-Proof Client
The Mane Objective
Marco Pelusi
Has your business been slower lately? Has
it been a quieter summer than usual? Does
it feel like everyone is complaining about the
economy, inside and outside of your salon?
Well, to some degree, I’m quite certain
we’ve all experienced some version of that
scenario not just in recent months, but also
throughout our careers and we all need to
find a way to adapt and succeed.
One way to start is to become a specialist.
Learn to accentuate your uniqueness, or
your specialty, as a hairdresser, every day. Ask
yourself, what do I offer? What services can I
perform that make me stand out distinctively
from every other hairdresser or hair salon in
my area? If you can’t answer these questions
definitively or easily right now, that’s OK,
but it’s time to take a good, hard look at your
work, and figure out the answers.
Begin with an honest list of your
strengths and weaknesses as a stylist. Don’t
worry about the weaknesses, though. Focus
on the strengths and focus on what makes
you exceptional. Once you discover your
individuality, tell everyone, starting with each
client in your chair. It doesn’t matter if it’s a
client with whom you’ve worked for twenty
years, or a new client—he or she may not
even realize you have a specialty.
A great example is that recently one of
my hairdressers had a male client that did not
realize she could color his hair—until she
told him that she specialized in color. Now,
she has a new color client.
The goal of identifying your specialty is
to leave your thumbprint, or your signature,
on your work. The idea is to give your clients
a service he or she cannot replicate anywhere
else, or at least, anywhere else within your
vicinity.
Once you’ve acknowledged your expertise,
it may take time to believe in yourself
as a specialist. For me, it’s always been about
color, after working with chemists and manufacturers
in their color labs for so many years.
For you, it may be that you outdo everyone
else in the area with wedding hair, which is a
very special skill.
So if it’s weddings or something else, tell
everyone about your unique service—advertise
it, market it, put it on your business cards,
and do as many of them as you possibly can,
over and over. This repetition of your newly
branded skill will only build your confidence
and a common belief in your community that
you are the best. That’s the goal.
And finally, the long-term objective is to
attract that particular client who will come to
you for the rest of your career, regardless of
what is happening in the economy, the country
or their personal life or finances, because
you are so good at what you do. Achieving
this goal will create the recession-proof client
who will always learn to make room for you
in their budget, even in tough times.
Make the transition from a Jack or Jane of
all trades, “master of none” as the saying goes,
to becoming a specialist and you will attract
lifelong clients.
Marco Pelusi is globally recognized as a haircolor trainer and platform artist.
Marco Pelusi Hair Studio, Inc. was named Best Hair Color in Los Angeles
2007 by KTTV Fox11’s “myfoxla Hot List” competition. Pelusi created
the Marco Collagen Color Guard HairCare System, the collagen system
developed for color and chemically treated hair. For more information, visit
www.marcopelusi.com.
16 | OCTOBER 2008 | CALIFORNIA STYLIST & SALON
14th Annual Hair Design and Beauty Expo Returns
to the Historic Cocoanut Grove Santa Cruz
The 14th Annual Central Coast Hair Design and Beauty Expo, “Beauty at the Beach”
returns to the historic Cocoanut Grove in Santa Cruz on Sunday, October 12, 2008. The
expo includes great platform artistry, educational presentations, demonstrations, and new
products including nail art, cosmetics, jewelry, and skin care. The oceanfront Cocoanut
Grove adjoins the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, and is within short walking distance of
hotels, restaurants, and shopping.
Featured platform artists include Yosh Toya, named one of the top educators of the
century by Modern Salon Magazine; Nicolas, a master cutter and the owner of Nicolas Studio
in San Francisco and his own product line; Madrid Johnson, a motivator and dynamic platform
artist; Isaac Antonio from L’ANZA; master designer Jon Richards; John LeFreniere,
a chemical and straightening specialist; Marc Reid, a Scruples platform artist and color
specialist; Mike Stevens, an expert in clipper cutting and hair design; and Gloria “GiGi”
Ford, a hair replacement expert and author of Don’t Lose Your Clients Because They Are Losing
Their Hair.
Combining a top-notch education with a beach vacation, the Hair Design and Beauty
Expo starts at 10am on Sunday, October 12, at the Cocoanut Grove in Santa Cruz. Tickets
are $25 in advance or $35 at the door. For more information or to order tickets please
call 831-423-2053.