PhorestFM: Building a Stronger Industry, Together
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.
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.
Episodes

Monday Feb 22, 2021
Inside Phorest: Unleash the Power of Staff Performance
Monday Feb 22, 2021
Monday Feb 22, 2021
[196] Working in a super-engaged, high-performance environment can be one of the most rewarding goals for all salon teams today. Salon managers want to keep staff motivated, engaged and focused on their performance metrics. In turn, their team members want to be challenged, empowered and inspired to achieve their potential. Yet, one of this year's biggest challenges will be motivating staff and teams on furlough, part furlough, disengaged, bored, scared or struggling with their own mental health.
The staff feedback process just got so much easier. Your team can now check on their key performance metrics, such as revenue and transactions for services, product retail and client booking numbers in their PhorestGo app — at any time, anywhere. Spend your time coaching and empowering your team instead of reading through long reports and big data tables.
On this week's episode, we're joined by Phorest Product Lead Cillian Moloney to discuss the latest Staff Performance feature release. Are you ready to get your team to peak performance?
Links:
Watch this episode on YouTube & get more visual insights into the Staff Performance feature: https://youtu.be/mGBvST_4MVU
Learn more about the feature: https://bit.ly/3uA8Hoi
Click here to subscribe to the weekly Phorest FM email newsletter: http://bit.ly/2T2gUj1
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.
Leave a Rating & Review: http://bit.ly/phorestfm
Read the transcript, or click here to learn more about Phorest Salon Software.

Monday Feb 15, 2021
Stefanie Fox on Leadership & What Staff Want From Their Salon
Monday Feb 15, 2021
Monday Feb 15, 2021
[195] When running a business, the need to drive both performance and business often comes with thinking that dangling a carrot or motivating somebody to do something is the way we're going to get there fastest. Yet when you look at human psychology, and you understand what makes people feel both interested and capable of doing something different, it requires that they work hand-in-hand with someone that's going to help them.
Founder of Talent Match, a recruitment and team building agency specialising in the beauty industry workforce, Stefanie Fox is a generational leadership expert whose work is rooted in research. She believes that speaking directly to the beauty industry's workforce is the only way to move forward and build teams that thrive. Therefore, she regularly surveys today's talent to understand what they want and then acts as the liaison between salon owners and salon talent to discuss and navigate hard conversations.
In this episode, we look at the differences between leadership & motivation, dive into Stefanie's recent research on staff's wants and needs, and discuss what responsibilities a great leader has in today's industry & workforce changing landscape.
Links:
Follow Stefanie Fox on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stef_fox_jaxn
Learn more about Talent Match: https://talentmatch.biz
US/CA "Charging Your Worth" On-Demand Webinar: https://bit.ly/3aN21de
Click here to subscribe to the weekly Phorest FM email newsletter: http://bit.ly/2T2gUj1
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.
Leave a Rating & Review: http://bit.ly/phorestfm
Read the transcript, or click here to learn more about Phorest Salon Software.

Monday Feb 08, 2021
April & Nikki Dominguez on Growth, Community & Chasing Your Dream Career
Monday Feb 08, 2021
Monday Feb 08, 2021
[194] Beauty professionals and beauty careers are highly impactful industries. Yet, what's not talked about is that beauty service careers are often seen as frivolous — and not taken seriously. They've been underrepresented in professional advancement and career tools.
April and Nikki Dominguez, respectively CEO & President of Handsome, share the same vision and values: to provide resources and tools to an industry and community of people who've been overlooked. As such, in this episode, we discuss community and networking, the industry's current need for connection, what all people with successful careers have in common, and of course, Handsome — a platform supporting barber & beauty professionals in charting a course for themselves, challenging norms, and reclaiming a term of authority.
Links:
Follow Handsome on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/handsome_app
US/CA "Charging Your Worth" Webinar Registration: https://bit.ly/3aN21de
Click here to subscribe to the weekly Phorest FM email newsletter: http://bit.ly/2T2gUj1
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.
Leave a Rating & Review: http://bit.ly/phorestfm
Read the transcript, or click here to learn more about Phorest Salon Software.

Monday Feb 01, 2021
Ashleigh Hodges on Navigating Wellness, Career Goals & Salon Life
Monday Feb 01, 2021
Monday Feb 01, 2021
[193] For many of us, 2021 will be a year of rebirth — a year in which we find new ways to connect and take care of both ourselves and our communities after grief and loss left several of our wellbeing spheres in distress. The hard thing about wellness is that we must find what works for us and our journey.
Whether that's making our routine more like self-care, getting better sleep, prioritising our happiness, eating cleaner, or learning how to wind down, we need to accept that we might not always get it right (at least not at first).
Davines Global colour ambassador, director of the HAIRDOTCOM Art Team, and Chancellor of The Fellowship for British Hairdressing, Ashleigh Hodges, is sought after the world over. In this episode, we dive into how she's dealt with wellness throughout her life and career, discuss how it can look different for each of us, the implicit weight of the word "should," and question whether salons do enough to support staff wellbeing.
Links:
Follow Ashleigh Hodges on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleigh_hodges_hair/
Learn more about UpLift! powered by Phorest: https://bit.ly/2YxEDuv
Click here to subscribe to the weekly Phorest FM email newsletter: http://bit.ly/2T2gUj1
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.
Leave a Rating & Review: http://bit.ly/phorestfm
Read the transcript, or click here to learn more about Phorest Salon Software.

Monday Jan 25, 2021
S05 Launches on February 1st, 2021
Monday Jan 25, 2021
Monday Jan 25, 2021
Learning how to grow and develop your salon business shouldn't feel like a chore but a process that blends into your day-to-day. That's why Phorest FM, co-hosted by Zoé Bélisle-Springer & Killian Vigna, aims to answer all of your most pressing business, marketing, and growth questions by sharing insightful and inspiring conversations with salon business leaders and experts. Tune in for the fifth season of the show, which launches on Monday, February 1st. We're ready to make 2021 a year of choice, passion, readiness, and determination. Are you?

Monday Dec 21, 2020
The Most Popular Phorest FM Episodes of 2020
Monday Dec 21, 2020
Monday Dec 21, 2020
[192] Season 4 is officially a wrap with 1587 minutes of inspiring stories and conversations you can now catch up on! A massive thanks to all of the wonderful guests worldwide, giving their take on topics that can help the industry shine and grow, but also to every one of you who's tune in this year. In this very last episode of the season, we give you the top ten most downloaded episodes of the year!
Support Closing Days:
USA: December 25th and January 1st
IRE/UK: December 25th, 26th, and January 1st
Links:
Get your ticket for UpLift! our Virtual Event on January 25th, 2021: https://linktr.ee/phorest_uplift
Click here to subscribe to the weekly Phorest FM email newsletter
This episode was edited and mixed by Audio Z: Great music makes great moments. Montreal's cutting-edge post-production studio for creative minds looking to have their vision professionally produced and mixed.
Leave a Rating & Review: http://bit.ly/phorestfm
Read the transcript, or click here to learn more about Phorest Salon Software.

Monday Dec 14, 2020
Phorest’s 2020 Year in Retrospect With Ronan Perceval & John Doran
Monday Dec 14, 2020
Monday Dec 14, 2020
[191] This week on Phorest FM, Killian and Zoe welcome back to the show Phorest Salon Software CEO Ronan Perceval and CTO John Doran for the annual "year in review" episode. Expect discussions around resilience, feature releases, and more importantly, things to look forward to in the coming year.
Links:
Get your ticket for the UpLift! Virtual Event on January 25th, 2021: https://linktr.ee/phorest_uplift
Click here to subscribe to the weekly Phorest FM email newsletter
This episode was edited and mixed by Audio Z: Great music makes great moments. Montreal's cutting-edge post-production studio for creative minds looking to have their vision professionally produced and mixed.
Leave a Rating & Review: http://bit.ly/phorestfm
Read the transcript, or click here to learn more about Phorest Salon Software.

Monday Dec 07, 2020
Beat 2020: Strategies for Salon Success in December & Beyond
Monday Dec 07, 2020
Monday Dec 07, 2020
[190] James Davis, Sara Cheeny, Hellen Ward, Gavin Hoare, Jen Baudier, James Alba, and Stefanie Fox Jackson know that sharing is caring and that there's nothing easy about building, owning, and growing a salon. Invited to feature in Phorest's most recent educational series on Facebook, they each shared some of their key strategies, tools, and tactics going into December.
Featuring highlights from the Beat 2020 conversations hosted over the past month, this week's episode aims to provide you with the inspiration and motivation to max out the last of this year's opportunities and start 2021 with a new mindset.
Links:
Watch the Beat 2020 UK/IE episodes in full: https://bit.ly/3ovpLYx
Watch the Beat 2020 US/CA episodes in full: https://bit.ly/3lXRiAi
Click here to subscribe to the weekly Phorest FM email newsletter
This episode was edited and mixed by Audio Z: Great music makes great moments. Montreal's cutting-edge post-production studio for creative minds looking to have their vision professionally produced and mixed.
Leave a Rating & Review: http://bit.ly/phorestfm
Read the transcript, or click here to learn more about Phorest Salon Software.

Monday Nov 30, 2020
Inside Phorest: Embracing the New Virtual Reality With Video Consultations
Monday Nov 30, 2020
Monday Nov 30, 2020
[189] COVID-19 has created a considerable shift in consumer behaviour, forcing salons and spas around the world to adapt quickly. Whether you're facing a temporary closure or not, there are various ways video consultations can help you stay connected with clients and generate revenue. This week's episode features recent podcast recaps and an interview segment with Aisling Scolard, Product Owner at Phorest, discussing the latest Video Consultations integration and how some salons have embraced the new virtual reality so far.
Links:
Beat 2020 Educational Series (UK/IE): https://bit.ly/38YuiOX
Beat 2020 Educational Series (US/CA): https://bit.ly/2UGX2Dx
Watch the US "This vs. That: A Leadership Conversation" on-demand: https://bit.ly/2JDLw9K
Click here to subscribe to the weekly Phorest FM email newsletter
This episode was edited and mixed by Audio Z: Great music makes great moments. Montreal's cutting-edge post-production studio for creative minds looking to have their vision professionally produced and mixed.
Leave a Rating & Review: http://bit.ly/phorestfm
Read the transcript, or click here to learn more about Phorest Salon Software.

Monday Nov 23, 2020
Jen Baudier on Operating Salons With a Profit-First Mindset
Monday Nov 23, 2020
Monday Nov 23, 2020
[188] Pre-COVID-19, it was estimated that seventy-five percent of businesses had less than a month of money in the bank. Wild and scary, right?
What if your business served you, not the other way around? What if you knew exactly what you could spend and when? Or had the power to guarantee profitability?
Following the principles of Mike Michalowicz's Profit First system, Jen Baudier (@jenbaudier), Phorest US Brand Ambassador, Owner of Bella Style Salon, and PIP University Professor, was able to transform her business and help peers do the same through the Rich Life CEO graduate program. Get insights into the required methods to achieve such results and take your shot at long-term growth and sustainability.
Links:
Learn more about Bella Style Salon: https://www.mybellastyle.com
Learn more about PIP University: https://pip-university.com
Get Mike Michalowicz's Profit First free resources: https://profitfirstbook.com
Beat 2020 Educational Series (UK/IE): https://bit.ly/38YuiOX
Beat 2020 Educational Series (US/CA): https://bit.ly/2UGX2Dx
Click here to subscribe to the weekly Phorest FM email newsletter: http://bit.ly/2T2gUj1
This episode was edited and mixed by Audio Z: Great music makes great moments. Montreal's cutting-edge post-production studio for creative minds looking to have their vision professionally produced and mixed.
Leave a Rating & Review: http://bit.ly/phorestfm
Read the transcript, or click here to learn more about Phorest Salon Software.










