The Sola Difference

There are a lot of salon models out there to choose from. And there's a perfect home for everyone. Maybe you feel more comfortable in a traditional salon environment as a commission based employee. Or maybe you are ready to carve your own path as an independent salon owner and take your future into your own hands. Nearly 20,000 stylists have discovered the Sola difference and have taken the next step towards creating a business they can call their own. But why Sola?!

There is this common phrase often heard amongst Sola salon owners: “I came to Sola to take control of my life and future." But we wanted to go even deeper and ask, out of all of the salon suite models and companies out there, why choose Sola over another salon suite? And more importantly, how does Sola make a difference in the personal and professional lives of our stylists?

It comes down to four important words—you simply get more. Since 2004, when the first Sola location opened in Denver, Colorado, Sola has been changing the game for independent salon owners. We have listened, watched, and most importantly learned from our community to adapt to changing trends and remain innovative in our beautiful studios, education and technology offerings.

How Do We Make the Transition to Salon Ownership Seamless?

• A comprehensive Start-Up Manual with everything from licensing documents, tax information, marketing tips and more
• Professional liability insurance to make sure your business is protected
• SolaGenius technology to help you run your business like a #BOSS
• Sola Pro: a free app offering exclusive deals from major industry brands alongside tons of video education and recorded webinars
• Your very own Sola website on www.solasalons.com, manageable in the Sola Pro app 
• Sola Sessions: live events to connect you with top artists and educators and your Sola community
• Free webinars covering topics ranging from marketing and social media to KPIs to How To Raise Your Prices (with recordings available in the Sola Pro app)
• The Sola Blog, chalk full of business and marketing tips and success stories shared from the Sola community
• Extensive franchisee and manager training to ensure you are always taken care of
• A community of nearly 20,000 salon owners to learn from and grow with

But don’t just take it from us! We asked a few Sola stylists how exactly Sola gives them more — more time and flexibility in their personal lives and more of everything they need and deserve for their professional success.

“I chose Sola because I was ready to change how I wanted to live my life. I heard of Sola a few times from conversations I had with other people and I just decided to take a look at how a place like this could put me in a path where I’m in control of how creative I can be as an entrepreneur.”

Julie Nhi

Cosmic Nails LLC, Charlotte, NC

Sola Breaks the Mold

It’s a realistic opportunity to get away from that traditional, commission-based salon environment and have the opportunity to be your own boss, create your own brand, and design your own studio without the risk and financial responsibility of building a salon from the ground up. 

“My choice to leave a traditional, commission-based salon was based on my need to completely control my own working schedule and create an enjoyable experience for my clients. At first, I chose Sola because they were turnkey ready, which was important for my peace of mind considering it was my first time going independent. I quickly realized that I was gaining so much more than an easy transition!”

Ashley Lantz

TressPassing Salon, Avondale, Arizona

Sola Support YOUR brand

As kids, we often hear phrases like, “Be you. Everyone else is already taken.” That’s kind of hard to do as an adult when you’re working hard to help build someone else’s brand and business identity. At Sola, not only do you get to proudly display your business name and logo, but you also get to decorate your studio the way YOU want it to look.

“I chose Sola because I wanted my clients to have a consistent brand experience. I didn’t want to manage multiple personalities and try to get them all to mesh and support a consistent vision, especially with the turnover of most barbershops. I’d almost never seen a shop that maintains its brand over time because it has to fill seats with clients as well as new barbers."

Chris Matthew

Dillinger’s Hair Company, Long Island, New York

We Do It For You

To put it simply, our Sola managers care. They want you to be successful, and they want to make sure you have the tools you need to thrive.

“My Sola landlord, Kevin, wants to make sure we are successful. It's not just about whether we make our rent. Never once have I felt unworthy or belittled. The company and the founders are generous and just thankful that they can play a part in your life.”

Alex Sylvester

Edge by Alex Sylvester, Birmingham, Michigan

Technology Uniquely Made For Sola, By Sola

A big standout difference between Sola and every other salon suite or traditional commission-based salon is our technology created strictly for Sola professionals. Sola has developed two exclusive apps, Sola Pro and SolaGenius, to keep the Sola community connected to the industry and inspired to elevate their businesses. Sola Pro is free to all Sola professionals and is a one-stop-shop for business and marketing education, artistic inspiration, exclusive deals from the industry, and much more! SolaGenius is a cutting-edge scheduling and payment processing app designed to supercharge Sola professionals’ businesses by providing a full suite of business support tools in addition to the salon management tools built into software.

“Sola Pro was introduced to me right away and I still use it weekly to see what education is happening in my area and what’s new within the community. Another reason Sola sits on a higher tier than other studio salons is the option to use SolaGenius for all of my online scheduling needs. It tracks my analytics, saves my client notes, sends my clients text/email reminders, creates a beautiful website that my clients can seamlessly book through without creating any sort of login, and is a complete and total checkout system for me to process transactions. Having SolaGenius really brings everything full circle!”

Ashley Lantz

Set Your Own Prices

When you work for someone else, you allow them to dictate your value. But at Sola, you set your own prices! YOU charge what you are worth. YOU raise your prices. YOU keep the profits from what YOU choose to retail.

“The private suite life lets me create a genre that my clients literally cannot find an alternative to, and build an experience that allows me to charge more. I just raised prices again. I get to do all this while keeping my overhead reasonably low.”

Chris Matthews

A Supportive Culture & Community

Be in business for yourself, not by yourself. That’s a standout difference with Sola. When you need help, you are never alone. There are almost 20,000 independent salon owners in the Sola community who are building a brand, setting and achieving business goals and enjoying the freedom to live the life they love. Being part of a community means building relationships with other stylists in your Sola salon as well as across North America, whether that’s in person at one of our Sola Sessions or virtually on social media.

“To have the opportunity to completely create your own business model but to have the support and guidance of a brand whose main goal is to help you be successful is truly magical. All the while to belong to a community of 20,000 like-minded, courageous beauty professionals that took that leap and can share their triumphs and stories with you is the best gift! If you want to be inspired, have mentors and learn from the best doing it every day, there is nothing like the Sola culture and community. It is the best example of living the life you love professionally and personally!”

Kim Bennett

Kim Bennett Studios, Denver, CO

Making a change that affects your livelihood and financial stability can be scary, and Sola completely understands that it takes trust, patience and a support system to make the transition successful. The difference between making the leap to become an independent stylist on your own and doing it with Sola is that you’re not alone! Join a company that loves you back.

Are you ready to discover the Sola Difference for yourself? And if you already have, help our #SolaFam grow by sharing in the comments below how Sola has made a difference in your life.