PhorestFM: Stories From the Salon Floor
The salon 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 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. As of Season 9 (2025), new episodes air every second week, with occasional bonus drops on ”off” weeks.
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Episodes
Monday Jan 21, 2019
Monday Jan 21, 2019
[101] After last year's hugely successful live recording of a Phorest FM episode at "Inside Phorest" (a Summit attendees exclusive event hosted at Phorest Salon Software HQ), Killian and Zoe are back in front of an audience, only this time to discuss lessons learned from over 20 years of salon marketing.
On this episode, the co-hosting duo is joined by Kristian Tognini (TOGNINI's Hair Skin Body, Brisbane), David Linde (Headlines The Salon, Encinitas), and last but not least, Connor Keppel (Phorest Salon Software VP of Marketing).
Links:
TOGNINI'S Hair Skin Body, Brisbane
Headlines The Salon, Encinitas
Salon Owners Summit Website
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.
Tune in every Monday for a mix of interviews with industry thought-leaders, roundups of our most recent salon owners marketing tips & tricks, all the latest in and around Phorest and what upcoming webinars or events you can join. Feel free to let us know who or what topic you'd like to hear on the show!
Leave a Rating & Review: http://bit.ly/phorestfm
Read the transcript, or click here to request a personalised quote from Phorest Salon Software.
Monday Jan 14, 2019
Monday Jan 14, 2019
[100] To quote Stacey Soble of Salon Today magazine, "approximately 600 salon owners and managers kicked off the New Year with a powerful day of business education at the 2019 Phorest Salon Owners Summit at the Convention Centre in Dublin, Ireland, on January 7."
Now in its fifth year, the Salon Owners Summit has become one of the most talked about event in the hair & beauty industry - in Europe and further afield. Tune in for this week's celebratory 100th episode as Killian and Zoe put on their journalistic hats to deliver exclusive interviews and vox pops!
Links:
Jo Fairley On Building A Beautiful Business: Top Insights
Ryan Holiday On Stoïcism & Working Through Obstacles: Top Insights
Christina Kreitel On Building A 'Personal' Brand: Top Insights
Albie X Cortes On The Future Of Retail In Salons: Top Insights
David Barnett On Salon Culture & Recruitment: Top Insights
Heather Yurko: Building A Great Salon Team Of Elite Performers
Melanie Icke: 'Getting To Know You' Workshop, Using The DiSC Method
Steve Gomez: Interdependent Leadership To Improve Team Culture & Profits
Salon Owners Summit Website
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.
Tune in every Monday for a mix of interviews with industry thought-leaders, roundups of our most recent salon owners marketing tips & tricks, all the latest in and around Phorest and what upcoming webinars or events you can join. Feel free to let us know who or what topic you'd like to hear on the show!
Leave a Rating & Review: http://bit.ly/phorestfm
Read the transcript, or click here to request a personalised quote from Phorest Salon Software.
Monday Dec 31, 2018
Monday Dec 31, 2018
[099] The year 2018, done & dusted! What a year full of surprises and good news. It started strong with the podcast getting nominated and winning Silver in the category ‘Best Podcast’ at the 2017 Digital Media Awards! Then, Phorest FM got shortlisted another two times throughout the year, at the Sockies Irish Social Media Awards and the Podcast Awards (supported by iTunes’ Podcast Connect).
All in all, Killian & Zoe produced about 18 hours of discussions, hosted live recordings, went out for interviews, had guests from all around the world connect and really refined the show’s mission statement. Based on what you’ve listened to this year, here’s the best of 2018: Phorest FM’s ten most popular and downloaded episodes of the year!
Links:
Phorest FM, The Salon Owners Podcast: The Best Of 2018
Tune in every Monday for a mix of interviews with industry thought-leaders, roundups of our most recent salon owners marketing tips & tricks, all the latest in and around Phorest and what upcoming webinars or events you can join. Feel free to let us know who or what topic you'd like to hear on the show!
Leave a Rating & Review: http://bit.ly/phorestfm
Read the transcript, or click here to request a personalised quote from Phorest Salon Software.
Monday Dec 24, 2018
Monday Dec 24, 2018
[098] The Phorest Blog: your trusted resources for all the latest salon marketing & management tips, trends & best practices. This week on the show, Killian and Zoe discuss the top 10 most popular Phorest Blog articles published in 2018, based on how much traffic each post got over time. Cheers to another great year ahead!
Links:
The Most Popular Phorest Blog Articles Of 2018
Tune in every Monday for a mix of interviews with industry thought-leaders, roundups of our most recent salon owners marketing tips & tricks, all the latest in and around Phorest and what upcoming webinars or events you can join. Feel free to let us know who or what topic you'd like to hear on the show!
Leave a Rating & Review: http://bit.ly/phorestfm
Read the transcript, or click here to request a personalised quote from Phorest Salon Software.
Monday Dec 24, 2018
Monday Dec 24, 2018
[097] Another year essentially done and dusted! It feels like 2018 has come and gone in the blink of an eye. What a year it's been. In this episode, Killian and Zoe welcome Phorest Salon Software CEO, Ronan Perceval, and Head of Operations, Rob Norton, to discuss what has gone on in and around the company, what new features were released and more importantly, what’s in store for the company and product in 2019.
Links:
Phorest Salon Software, Software Updates
Tune in weekly for a mix of interviews with industry thought-leaders, roundups of our most recent salon owners marketing tips & tricks, all the latest in and around Phorest and what upcoming webinars you can join. Phorest FM is produced every Monday morning for your enjoyment with a cup of coffee on your day off. Feel free to let us know who or what topic you'd like to hear on the show!
Leave a Rating & Review: http://bit.ly/phorestfm
Read the transcript, or click here to request a personalised quote from Phorest Salon Software.
Monday Dec 17, 2018
Monday Dec 17, 2018
[096] "At the heart of receiving feedback is a clash of two core human needs. We’re wired to enjoy learning and growing [...] but human beings also need to feel accepted, respected, and safe -- just the way we are now. And that’s why feedback is such a conundrum." - Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen, Q&A on Feedback
You might remember Louis Grenier from past Phorest FM episodes "The Art Of Effective Marketing Focus" and "Humanising Your Brand Through Marketing." Back on the show for episode 96, Louis discusses customer feedback: how to get it, use it, but more importantly, what to ask and not to ask. TL;DR, you cannot afford not asking for feedback. The more the feedback, the better the client experience.
Louis Grenier also hosts a podcast of his own, Everyone Hates Marketers, which you can check out here.
Links:
Survey questions 101: the ultimate guide with 50+ survey question examples for you
The beginner’s guide to website feedback with 10 practical use cases
Customer experience guide: trends, strategies and examples for improving your customer experience in 2019
Tune in weekly for a mix of interviews with industry thought-leaders, roundups of our most recent salon owners marketing tips & tricks, all the latest in and around Phorest and what upcoming webinars you can join. Phorest FM is produced every Monday morning for your enjoyment with a cup of coffee on your day off. Feel free to let us know who or what topic you'd like to hear on the show!
Leave a Rating & Review: http://bit.ly/phorestfm
Read the transcript, or click here to request a personalised quote from Phorest Salon Software.
Monday Dec 10, 2018
Monday Dec 10, 2018
[095] More than 450,000 people in Ireland experience depression (1 in 10) at any one time but many hide their condition and never get help. Aware’s message is one of hope: recovery is possible. Early intervention, as well as ongoing support, are very important.
Recently, a few employees in Phorest arranged for a speaker from Irish charity AWARE to walk the company through the importance of looking after your wellbeing in work. Off the back of that, this episode features AWARE Director of Services, Bríd O' Meara, to discuss the topic of mental health and wellbeing in the workplace, but also, in life in general.
Links:
Aware.ie
F.E.S.T.I.V.A.L Acronym (Depression Information)
Aware Adult Programmes
About Aware
Aware (Support)
Tune in weekly for a mix of interviews with industry thought-leaders, roundups of our most recent salon owners marketing tips & tricks, all the latest in and around Phorest and what upcoming webinars you can join. Phorest FM is produced every Monday morning for your enjoyment with a cup of coffee on your day off. Feel free to let us know who or what topic you'd like to hear on the show!
Leave a Rating & Review: http://bit.ly/phorestfm
Read the transcript, or click here to request a personalised quote from Phorest Salon Software.
Monday Dec 03, 2018
Monday Dec 03, 2018
[094] Just because everything we know is taking a digital turn, it doesn’t mean that technology is infallible. Sometimes, outages happen. As a consumer, it’s important to know what causes these disruptions and what you can do to protect your business when a system you rely on temporarily fails.
This week on the show, Killian and Zoe sit down with John Doran, Director of Engineering at Phorest Salon Software. You'll get a better understanding of what outages are, their possible causes and what happens behind the scenes when a system goes down.
Links:
Phorest Salon Software, The leading appointment and CRM software company according to Forbes
Tune in weekly for a mix of interviews with industry thought-leaders, roundups of our most recent salon owners marketing tips & tricks, all the latest in and around Phorest and what upcoming webinars you can join. Phorest FM is produced every Monday morning for your enjoyment with a cup of coffee on your day off. Feel free to let us know who or what topic you'd like to hear on the show!
Leave a Rating & Review: http://bit.ly/phorestfm
Read the transcript, or click here to request a personalised quote from Phorest Salon Software.
Monday Nov 26, 2018
Monday Nov 26, 2018
[093] This week's episode discusses everything that's happened on the Phorest Blog and Phorest FM over the previous 30 days. From the most popular blogs to snippets from previous Phorest FM episodes and announcements in regards to Phorest's Salon Owners Summit, you're sure to get all the marketing advice you might have missed.
Links:
Introducing Phorest’s Email Marketing Editor Complete Redesign
Failing Salons: 5 Warning Signs & Fixes For Continued Success
7 Tips To Increase Profits In Your Salon Or Spa This Winter
Salon Owners Summit (Website)
Tune in weekly for a mix of interviews with industry thought-leaders, roundups of our most recent salon owners marketing tips & tricks, all the latest in and around Phorest and what upcoming webinars you can join. Phorest FM is produced every Monday morning for your enjoyment with a cup of coffee on your day off. Feel free to let us know who or what topic you'd like to hear on the show!
Leave a Rating & Review: http://bit.ly/phorestfm
Read the transcript, or click here to request a personalised quote from Phorest Salon Software.
Monday Nov 19, 2018
Monday Nov 19, 2018
[092] A few months ago, Phorest Salon Software's CEO, Ronan Perceval, and Director of Product, Paddy Monaghan, spent a day working in The Space salon in Dublin, co-owned Nadine Quinn and Carla McQuillan. This week on the show, Killian and Zoe welcome both Nadine and Carla to discuss salon culture.
The Space hosts regular soulful events like yoga workshops, art classes, poetry reading, movie nights and all things good for the soul. With their wealth of experience from the industry, Nadine & Carla have been leveraging their salon culture to elevate their staff and create a positive work environment. Building a strong company culture isn't an easy feat though. So the question is, should we be investing more time into developing a ‘salon culture’? What impacts can it have on a salon or spa?
Links:
The Space, Dublin (Website)
Register for the SMS Money-Back Campaign Here (Phorest Clients Only)
Contact Phorest's Grow Team at
Tune in weekly for a mix of interviews with industry thought-leaders, roundups of our most recent salon owners marketing tips & tricks, all the latest in and around Phorest and what upcoming webinars you can join. Phorest FM is produced every Monday morning for your enjoyment with a cup of coffee on your day off. Feel free to let us know who or what topic you'd like to hear on the show!
Leave a Rating & Review: http://bit.ly/phorestfm
Read the transcript, or click here to request a personalised quote from Phorest Salon Software.