PhorestFM: Building a Stronger Industry, Together

Phorest Software
  • 5.0 (27)
  • Marketing
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The professional hair, beauty, and medi-aesthetics industry has a lot to be proud of. Phorest has always been in awe of it. The energy. The camaraderie. The creativity. Being a business owner takes courage, but it can sometimes become an isolating, all-consuming reality. Amidst the daily whirlwind of tasks, there’s still the challenge of thinking ahead, of carving a path forward. The PhorestFM podcast celebrates innovative ideas, methods, and bold perspectives on business management and growth, marketing, leadership, and building great teams and cultures. Launched in 2017, it is hosted by Alex Bélisle-Springer (he/they), Global Education Content Lead at Phorest Salon Software. New episodes every second week, with occasional bonus drops on ”off” weeks.

  1. 2d ago

    Building a Beauty Business: Alec Neville on Knowing What You Bring, Who You Need on the Bus & How You Want to Grow

    [340] Building a beauty business calls for more than a compelling idea. It takes an understanding of the market, people who can turn ambition into action, and a clear-eyed view of what growth will demand. Alec Neville has worked at the intersection of ideas, markets, and execution. In this candid conversation and through the lens of his various experiences, he reflects on the business lessons he's learned along the way: the importance of getting the right people into the right roles, building trust alongside desire, differentiation, and more. This episode is an honest look at recognizing the strengths and limitations that shape you, turning conviction into practice, and understanding not just how quickly you could grow, but what that growth will cost. Connect with Alec Neville on LinkedIn Learn more about Joanna Czech's luxury skincare products and studios & follow @joannaczechofficial on Instagram Love Letters to the Industry & Its People: contribute to our Season 10 finale Who in your community or network deserves their flowers? Write a letter for someone at Phorest to read, book time to record it with Alex, or submit your own recording. Share your love letter here by November 15, 2026. Need some inspiration? Listen to last year’s Love Letters to the Industry and Its People episode. All things Phorest Find out how Phorest helps top salons & aesthetic clinics steer their businesses toward happier clients, more productive teams, and greater growth. Say hello to life with Phorest! Learn more about the Phorest Summit & secure your tickets: https://www.phorestsummit.com/ Enjoyed the episode? Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts! Click here to subscribe to the PhorestFM email newsletter. This episode was edited and mixed by Audio Z: Montreal's cutting-edge post-production studio for creative minds looking to have their vision professionally produced and mixed. Great music makes great moments.

  2. Oct 21

    From Stats to Story: Lou DeCola, Stacey Steffes and Danielle Moniz on Building a Strong Salon Today 200 Entry

    [339] A Salon Today 200 entry is more than a chance to earn recognition. The process can help you take a step back, see what’s working in your business and spot where you want to grow next. In this episode, past honorees Lou DeCola, Stacey Steffes and Danielle Moniz share what it's really like to submit an application. They delve into how to choose the story and category that fit your salon, bring data into your essays, and move past the feeling that your business isn’t “special enough” to apply. From Stacey and Danielle’s 48-hour application sprint to Lou’s many years of entries, you're left with a reflection on the growth that gets uncovered in the process and a reminder that honest, heartfelt storytelling matters. The 2027 Salon Today 200 application deadline has been extended to November 15, 2026, and 46% of last year’s honorees were first-time applicants! Want help building your entry? Watch the on-demand webinar, From Stats to Story: Building a Strong Salon Today 200 Entry, for practical application advice, Phorest reports to explore and a weekly action plan. Apply for the 2027 Salon Today 200 Connect with Lou DeCola, Stacey Steffes & Danielle Moniz Learn more about DeCola Salon and connect with Lou on Instagram @lou.decola Learn more about Envy Studio / Drift Spa and connect with Stacey & Danielle on Instagram @stacey_steffes @danimonizmua All things Phorest Find out how Phorest helps top salons & aesthetic clinics steer their businesses toward happier clients, more productive teams, and greater growth. Say hello to life with Phorest! Learn more about the Phorest Summit & secure your tickets: https://www.phorestsummit.com/ Enjoyed the episode? Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts! Click here to subscribe to the PhorestFM email newsletter. This episode was edited and mixed by Audio Z: Montreal's cutting-edge post-production studio for creative minds looking to have their vision professionally produced and mixed. Great music makes great moments.

  3. Oct 5

    Every Yes Comes at a Cost: Michelle Tanner on Building a Business for the Life You Want

    [338] Michelle Tanner is an Australian multi-salon owner, business coach and international speaker based in Switzerland. Driven by an appetite for learning, problem-solving and building better systems, she’s turned lessons from growing her own businesses — from profitability and team development to leadership and life in and out from behind the chair — into tools to help other owners build stronger, more sustainable businesses. Through the lens of her ambition and evolution as a business owner, this unfiltered, meandering conversation, underpinned by an understanding that every “yes” has a cost, explores what it means to build a business in service of the life you want. A business that can eventually carry you, rather than one you have to keep carrying. Connect with Michelle Tanner Learn more about Tanner Consulting: https://michelletannerconsulting.com/ Connect with Michelle on Instagram @michelle_tanner_consult and check out her podcast, The Shift (on pause indefinitely, but still available on all podcast platforms)! All things Phorest Find out how Phorest helps top salons & aesthetic clinics steer their businesses toward happier clients, more productive teams, and greater growth. Say hello to life with Phorest! Learn more about the Phorest Summit & secure your tickets: https://www.phorestsummit.com/ Enjoyed the episode? Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts! Click here to subscribe to the PhorestFM email newsletter. This episode was edited and mixed by Audio Z: Montreal's cutting-edge post-production studio for creative minds looking to have their vision professionally produced and mixed. Great music makes great moments.

  4. Sep 17

    10 Years of the Phorest Summit: A Retrospective & Look At Where the Event Is Headed Next

    [337] When Phorest announced the 2027 Summit earlier this year, it marked a major shift for the brand: next January 24th and 25th, the flagship event moves from its long-time home in Dublin to the breathtaking landscapes of Killarney, County Kerry. Formerly known as the Salon Owners Summit, the transition to the Phorest Summit marks a milestone in the event’s identity, reflecting the inclusive community Phorest serves and bringing together hair, beauty, and clinic professionals under one unified banner of innovation. Both a look back and a look at what's next, this episode revisits the event's origin story, all the while featuring stories from the people who've shaped it along the way. Learn more about the Phorest Summit & secure your tickets: https://www.phorestsummit.com/ All things Phorest Find out how Phorest helps top salons & aesthetic clinics steer their businesses toward happier clients, more productive teams, and greater growth. Say hello to life with Phorest! Enjoyed the episode? Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts! Click here to subscribe to the PhorestFM email newsletter. This episode was edited and mixed by Audio Z: Montreal's cutting-edge post-production studio for creative minds looking to have their vision professionally produced and mixed. Great music makes great moments.

  5. Sep 3

    What We Make Possible Together & For Each Other: Scott J. Buchanan on Purpose, Connection & Community

    [336] From the salon floor to industry leadership, Scott J Buchanan has been a dream builder for over 35 years. He is the president and owner of Scott J Salons and the current president of Intercoiffure America/Canada, but he’s held leadership positions in other industry organizations, such as the Professional Beauty Association, and is also recognized for his philanthropic support for numerous charities, in and outside the hair and beauty industry. Throughout his career, he has built businesses, teams and industry relationships around a belief that what we make possible for each other is ultimately more powerful than what we build for ourselves. In this open and warm conversation — and through the lens of what Scott calls one of the most underutilized business strategies available to business owners — we discuss creating salon cultures rooted in communication and care, having the conversations fear sometimes keeps us from having, developing people through opportunity, and raising the industry through service and collaboration. Connect with Scott J Buchanan Connect with Scott on Instagram @scottj_dreambuilder_ Learn more about Intercoiffure USA/Canada: https://intercoiffure.com/ All things Phorest Find out how Phorest helps top salons & aesthetic clinics steer their businesses toward happier clients, more productive teams, and greater growth. Say hello to life with Phorest! Learn more about the Phorest Summit & secure your tickets: https://www.phorestsummit.com/ Enjoyed the episode? Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts! Click here to subscribe to the PhorestFM email newsletter. This episode was edited and mixed by Audio Z: Montreal's cutting-edge post-production studio for creative minds looking to have their vision professionally produced and mixed. Great music makes great moments.

  6. Aug 11

    Jordan White BSN, RN, LSO, CNI on Building Medical Aesthetic Practices That Last Beyond Trend Cycles

    [335] Jordan White, known on Instagram as The Murse Injector, is a pioneering leader in aesthetic medicine and the founder and owner of URBAN Medical, a practice that has earned an impeccable reputation for delivering safe, natural, and effective results. A highly sought-after provider with a celebrity clientele, Jordan is renowned for his expertise in advanced injectable techniques and cutting‐edge laser modalities. He serves as an international trainer and speaker, sharing his innovative approach with aesthetic professionals around the globe.  Through the lens of his background in critical care and trauma, and his holistic approach to medical aesthetics, this conversation explores what med spas must get right to build high-patient-satisfaction, sustainable businesses that deliver on trust, safety and results. Jordan also shares candid reflections on navigating unrealistic expectations in the age of social media and AI, raising industry standards through education and mentorship, and reveals what he loves most about the sector. Connect with Jordan White BSN, RN, LSO, CNI Click here to submit a provider training request. Follow Jordan @the_murse_injector and URBAN Medical @urbanmedicalgroup on Instagram. All things Phorest Find out how Phorest helps top salons & aesthetic clinics steer their businesses toward happier clients, more productive teams, and greater growth. Say hello to life with Phorest! Learn more about the Phorest Summit & secure your tickets: https://www.phorestsummit.com/ Enjoyed the episode? Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts! Click here to subscribe to the PhorestFM email newsletter. This episode was edited and mixed by Audio Z: Montreal's cutting-edge post-production studio for creative minds looking to have their vision professionally produced and mixed. Great music makes great moments.

  7. Aug 2

    Results May Vary: Ildi Arlette on Receding Trust and the Capacity to Keep Going

    [334] Ildi Arlette is a business consultant, certified coach, and former clinic owner with 24 years of experience working with over 450 medical aesthetics clinics, spas, salons and wellness businesses across Canada and the US. She's known for helping owners go from second-guessing and making it up as they go to building profitable, in-demand businesses with strong systems and confident, service-driven teams. In this conversation, we explore the quiet erosion of trust that’s changing how people make decisions, the danger of all-or-nothing thinking, the power of simple human gestures, and what it actually looks like to build capacity — for uncertainty, discomfort, leadership, service, and growth.  Connect with Ildi Arlette Learn more about Results Continuum Inc: https://www.resultscontinuum.com/ Connect with Ildi on Instagram @ildi_arlette and/or book your 30-Minute Clarity call with her: https://calendly.com/ildi-arlette/30-min-clarity-call All things Phorest Find out how Phorest helps top salons & aesthetic clinics steer their businesses toward happier clients, more productive teams, and greater growth. Say hello to life with Phorest! Learn more about the Phorest Summit & secure your tickets: https://www.phorestsummit.com/ Enjoyed the episode? Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts! Click here to subscribe to the PhorestFM email newsletter. This episode was edited and mixed by Audio Z: Montreal's cutting-edge post-production studio for creative minds looking to have their vision professionally produced and mixed. Great music makes great moments.

  8. Jul 22

    What's Next: A Dialogue on Facing Industry Shifts and Opportunities in the UK & Irish Markets

    [333] Hair, beauty and aesthetics businesses are built on the promise of transformation, and today, the industry at large is being asked to evolve in ways that more than just grit, demand creativity, collaboration, community and intention. In this episode, we explore the foundational shifts occurring across hair, beauty, and aesthetics in the UK and Ireland. Together with industry voices Nicky Pope (@nickytribute), Ellen Cummings (@ellen_cummings), Jennifer Paxton (@jenpaxtonevo), and Sophia-Fai Roche (click here to reach out), we unpack the challenges facing our markets today. But more than just a breakdown, I hope it feels like an invitation: to lean into collaboration, to expand our horizons, redefine what growth and success look like, to trust the unknown and what we weave into it! We can choose to live in someone else's vision of the future or take an active role in shaping it. What role, in this changing landscape, are you feeling called to step into? Stay up to date (and/or subscribe) with the industry bodies/magazines/media mentioned in this episode: Professional Beauty Group Aesthetics Journal Salon EVO & Barber EVO Tribu-te Magazine British Beauty Council All things Phorest For all sources that made this episode possible, click here. To watch the Lessons From the Salon Floor video series, click here. Find out how Phorest helps top salons & aesthetic clinics steer their businesses toward happier clients, more productive teams, and greater growth. Say hello to life with Phorest! Learn more about the Phorest Summit & secure your tickets: https://www.phorestsummit.com/ Enjoyed the episode? Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts! Click here to subscribe to the PhorestFM email newsletter. This episode was edited and mixed by Audio Z: Montreal's cutting-edge post-production studio for creative minds looking to have their vision professionally produced and mixed. Great music makes great moments.

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The professional hair, beauty, and medi-aesthetics industry has a lot to be proud of. Phorest has always been in awe of it. The energy. The camaraderie. The creativity. Being a business owner takes courage, but it can sometimes become an isolating, all-consuming reality. Amidst the daily whirlwind of tasks, there’s still the challenge of thinking ahead, of carving a path forward. The PhorestFM podcast celebrates innovative ideas, methods, and bold perspectives on business management and growth, marketing, leadership, and building great teams and cultures. Launched in 2017, it is hosted by Alex Bélisle-Springer (he/they), Global Education Content Lead at Phorest Salon Software. New episodes every second week, with occasional bonus drops on ”off” weeks.

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