>>BETTERBUSINESS
CORE CULTURE
Paul Labrecque Midtown
Located inside the exclusive membership-only Core: Club on East 55th Street in New
York City, celebrated hairstylist Paul Labrecque’s third and newest Manhattan salon
offers club members and nonmembers alike a range of luxury spa and salon services
in a relaxing, private atmosphere. The salon and spa, which opened in January 2009,
features several distinct areas. The third floor houses the 800-square-foot ladies lounge
and nail room, which boasts two hair stations, two pedicure stations and a manicure
station, in addition to the 500-square-foot men’s lounge and barbershop. Salon clients,
consisting mostly of fashion-forward businessmen and women, can also indulge in
spa treatments at the 2,500-square-foot spa, located on the sixth floor. The spa space
consists of five treatment rooms, a spa lounge and a spa terrace. Says Labrecque,
“Clients who visit us at Core: Club are treated to our signature brand of personalized
service in an atmosphere of privacy and comfort that is highlighted by the club’s
modern architectural design, contemporary artwork and urban luxury feel.” —N.P.
CHECK POINTS
With money from so many different sources—cash, credit cards, checks, gift certificates,
etcetera—coming into the salon each month, keeping your checking account balanced
is often difficult and can lead to overdraft fees from your bank. “Most salons open just
one account for both deposits and checking, and because certain types of payment aren’t
immediately available, it’s easy to lose track of how much liquid money you actually have,”
says Ron Mataya, president of Clien Trak! Software. To save salons frustration and money,
Mataya suggests creating three separate
accounts: a deposit account for all incoming
money; an operating account that you can write
checks out of for utilities, supplies, rent and other
expenses; and a payroll account. “When you
want to write a check for operating or payroll
expenses, electronically transfer the money
from the deposit account,” Mataya instructs.
“That way you always know that there is enough
money to cover the check.” —L.M.
WEB BROWSER
Search Savvy
A new Web site offers stylists an
innovative way to reach clients.
It’s all about the finished product on whatcutandwhere.com, a new Web site
where stylists can post photos of sample
hairstyles to attract clients. “Many sites
have a lot of text, but I wanted this site to
be very image-based and just about hair,”
says Lorien Olsen, who created the site to
solve her own frustrations of finding new
stylists without having seen their work.
Any stylist or salon owner can join
the site (there’s a 60-day free trial period
followed by either monthly or yearly fees)
and post hairstyle photos along with
contact, pricing and other information.
Each member gets a unique URL that
can be printed anywhere, from business
cards to Facebook profiles, and it also
prevents client loss if a stylist moves to a
new salon, as contact information can be
updated at any time.
Site visitors can browse the uploaded
photos, which are sorted into hair length and
gender categories, and search for stylists by
location or salon. While still in its infancy with
member stylists scattered geographically,
Olsen hopes the site will expand and
eventually become the go-to place for
consumers looking for new stylists.
To get the word out, Olsen mailed
brochures to salons across the country
and also created Facebook, MySpace
and Twitter accounts, which have proven
to be particularly helpful to connect with
users, potential members and other
people in the industry. “You used to
go see a new stylist and hope for the
best,” Olsen says. “Now you can go
to somebody who you already think is
great.” —B.F.
