“I just finished comparing our 2007 Clinic and Retail numbers to our 2006 numbers. The results are amazing!”

Susie Carder, founder of the online salon and spa business support service Your Beauty Network (YBN), has grown accustomed to this kind of client praise and attributes such success to the growth and implementation of technology.

“In our industry, salon owners and operators are primarily stylists, not necessarily savvy business people,” says Bert Carder, YBN’s CEO and “Chief Technology Wiz,” as wife Susie likes to call him. “Providing our clients with easy-to-use, cost-effective online tools like client relationship management, e-marketing, online appointment booking and business builder archives, we can help their businesses grow at unprecedented rates.”

Building on her 15 years of experience as a professional speaker in the salon and spa industry, Susie founded YBN in 1999 during the infamous DOT.com craze. Out of dozens of competitors, YBN is the only business of its kind still standing today. YBN credits its competitive advantage to embracing technological and industry changes, like the insight to change to a subscription-based service model. “We have to always be two steps ahead of change that comes our way,” said Susie, “to not only stay ahead in the industry, but also maintain our technology knowledge base to successfully counsel our clients.”

In addition, with only 6 employees, YBN has learned how to act like a big business to help other small-business salons and spas act and look big too. “93% of the beauty industry is not profitable, but once we consult our customers on what technology can do to increase revenues, they are amazed, said Susie. “ They begin to see exactly why they are not profitable and what changes they can make to see real profit gains.” Especially when it comes to mom-and-pop type beauty salons, YBN’s mission is to help them integrate technology to raise the bar and better compete against larger, more technologically advanced salon and spa chains.

“The beauty industry is a sleeping giant full of truly talented individuals,” said Susie. “By helping our clients implement technology they never thought they’d need, we are able to see many business owners meet their full potential while enhancing the reputation and caliber of the industry overall.”

If you are in the beauty salon or spa industry and have questions regarding how to implement technology in your business, please comment here or contact YBN directly. Dell also offers point-of-sale solutions you may want to check out.