The Beauty Agents

How Do I Become the Next Vidal Sassoon?

Brent — August 01, 2012

It seems that the reality TV world we live in today provides many people with their 15 minutes of fame but few with the lifelong status of being recognized as a game changer or shift master.

Most of us won't do the due diligence of self-invention like Vidal Sassoon did including some difficult tasks such as learning to speak "proper English" in a manner that was inviting, enthralling and over many years respected. It was not just his vision and hairdressing skills that made him the Icon we all admire ,it was his charismatic approach and authentic style that forced people to follow him. Sassoon said it best, "if you don't share your knowledge, you lose it."

My other favorite quotes include "When the student is ready the master (or teacher) appears." Buddhist Proverb

Or Bruce Lee's , "a teacher must never impose this student to fit his favorite pattern, a good teacher functions as a pointer; exposing his students vulnerability and causing him to explore both internally and finally integrating himself with his being"

I can't promise that you will become the next iconic leader like Vidal Sassoon, but here is the opportunity to attend the STAGES program that can bring you closer to developing that version of you who is inviting, respected and authentically becoming the next leader in our industry.

Let's take his legacy to the next STAGE......

Check out my latest venture...the one where I vow to bring authentic talent to a stage!

Becoming Inspired by the Uninspired!

Brent — August 01, 2012

Becoming Inspired by the Uninspired!

My title this month may seem like a pretty severe statement and just to cover all the bases and get to the heart of the matter, there are many wonderful and passionate people in the industry with very big hearts but not very good stage manners, educational content, professional facilitation skills and just plain enthusiasm. SO... At what point do we continue to believe that we are inspired by others or inspiring others? We keep showing up to the major shows and events each year and like me, find that we only gain inspiration by the uninspired? And what does that mean anyway, it means the glass may be half full to some or half empty for others, but the fact remains the glass is only at half filled, the illusion of thinking we are getting something that fills our cup and we keep waiting for our cup to runneth over but it still seems empty, unfulfilling and void of something pure, organic, truly innovative, educational or inspiring!

It is like waiting in line at a coffee kiosk, they serve you coffee in a Starbucks cup but it tastes nothing like Starbucks, We have shifted to a new paradigm of coffee, we won't accept the lousy cup of coffee anymore, that is evidenced by the lines we all wait in to get a good cup of coffee. We have raised the bar, developed a sophisticated palette for quality coffee and there is no going back..... It is now time to develop a new paradigm shift with education and expectations for our industry. Speak up, show up and ask for what you want! Don't tolerate mediocre, unprofessional or uninspiring! I promise from the bottom of my heart to advance this mission and bring solid, valued and inspired people to provide training and education that elevate and expand the heart of the industry, which has always been based on the passion we each possess and that is what keeps me inspired everyday!

Join our vision...

and connect to the power of beauty for 2012!

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So we can keep you front of mind and heart and grow inspiration!

The TA DA Moment….continued!

Brent — May 26, 2011

This year I will be celebrating 30 years of being a licensed hairdresser. I have never stopped doing hair; you know what I mean…. A couple of family members and a few friends that just can’t find a good hairdresser…..really… I know thousands of them. Although, instead of referring them to my many friends I selfishly do them just to get my hands back in hair. It has always been something meditative to me like holding a tree pose in yoga with my arms up, weaving the hair, the white noise of the blow-dryer circling and spinning the chair around like a choreographed dance, I loved the transformation it provided for both me and my client. I was one of those stylists that talked very little while cutting unless it was to clarify something further about the cut and style, I noticed the client was more uncomfortable with this than I was but it didn’t matter, I am in my moment, to create, to sculpt to bring something to life that is actually dead. The instant and self-gratification was always the juice, 10-12 times a day you got whip off the cape and say TA DA! Even, if it was just saying it to yourself or silently in your head.

Being in this industry for this long and playing many diverse roles throughout the years I realized the most important skill is confidence. You can’t say “TA DA” if your first thought is “OMG, I hope they like it”. Of course, there is always the chance that you say“ TA DA” and they say “OMG it’s too red or too short”…. But when you are confident, they trust, when you act like the expert, they believe, and when you are passionate, they know that you know what is best for them. You have chosen the perfect look based on all probable options available to you. You are a hairdresser.

I was recently hired to produce and direct events called Beauty Changes Lives for the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS). It was easy for me to find and showcase great talent, the heartwarming stories of why people chose beauty as a career and the many diverse opportunities and roles this industry has to offer for someone. I can say for fact that you can make a great living in this industry and it doesn’t matter who you are, we don’t discriminate. With all that said, I do believe we deserve to be more recognized as a viable, creative and worthy profession. So the final TA DA is yet to come.

Thirty years later I can say that Beauty has changed my life and although I am no longer whipping off the cape and saying TA DA, I am stating in the clear- com headset to the crew who has followed my minute by minute instructions of calling the event Beauty Changes Lives for students, potential students, consumers, and all of the industry. “Great job everyone, It’s a wrap” and as the credits roll, the curtain closes and the lights fade. I whip off my head set and say to myself TA DA!

To find out more about Beauty Changes lives or share your story click here

The B Word....

Brent — January 03, 2011

I spent most of the holidays cursing myself for having to work only to find out that my boss (the diligent master of keep going…there’s no time to stop) was willing to give me time off. Now, here’s the funny part…. I am my own boss! Oh, everyone told me. Just wait until you have your own business, you will be working 24/8. Somehow, I missed that memo to enjoy the holidays. Truth is, we may still be working and half heartily at best but I am happily merrily along now and not resenting “Working for the man”. We all need time to regenerate, be grateful and appreciate the people in our lives who take a back seat to our careers, work and passions! So don’t expect any new year’s resolutions from me, but I will proclaim a moment of patting myself on the back for a year well done to the best I could do.

Here’s the review:

Speaking up when passionately charged, biting my tongue to the point of tears but knowing it is the right thing to do…in that moment. Paving a road that does not exist yet and wondering if I have the right equipment to be doing the job in the first place. Taking the big leap of faith to control my own destiny and realizing that my destiny is destined! Asking for forgiveness, measuring success with a new measuring cup and as my dear friend said, Feeling like a millionaire based on ”your freedom to choose” not the net worth of those choices. My 2010 was my year with no fear…my 2011 will be a peaceful surrender to just BE!

The Shift

Brent — November 23, 2010

We have all heard the old adage of defining insanity, doing things the same way and expecting to get different results. Apparently, this statement will hold more truth as we progress into the future. 2012 is around the corner and although Hollywood has glamorized this at the Armageddon and the end of the world, scientists claim, that is not the case. I learned, after attending a very profound event this past month, that the shift to 2012 has some eminent changes in store for us. It will require a level of awareness to survive this new era or paradigm of time, an awareness that as always been available to us, but one that we may have lost touch with.

This shift is asking us to be more heart drivenand to believe "the gut"is still our best barometer in helping us make the best choices. We use the phrases" I know in my"heart of hearts"and"trust the gut"but are we really doing this or are we shaking the magic 8 ball or googling our way to the answers we need? When did we lose the knowing we all possess inside? We are lucky to live in a dynamic time of technology but we have to get back to appreciating and respecting our "gut feeling"?

If we stop and look at our life or our business and we know in your " heart of hearts"what we need to do to improve our personal health or business culture including finances and or service, then what is it that stops us from moving forward. Fear or lack...lack of time, lack of finances, fear of training staff and then losing them to a walk out? If we know there are only two emotions, fear or love to live by, this new paradigm shift is asking us to make decisions from the heart with love and not fear. As human beings, we are often fearful that are emotion based choices are just that emotional, but take that one step further and determine; does the desicion feel right in gut, is it based on love or fear. Let's stop and listen to our heart, let it guide us to make the right choices to grow and let us all begin this new paradigm with courageous love for new opportunities, new learning and knowing that there are abundant resourcesavailable for us to shift to our destined levels of success.

Bonnie Bonadeo, President & Founder The Beauty Agents

Beauty Changes Lives

Brent — November 12, 2010

How did BEAUTY change your life?

The Mission Possible

Brent — May 21, 2010

First things first, Who are we, what do we do and why are we doing it?

The Mission Possible!

We all have learned skills, techniques and strategies which make our lives easier, more successful and more profitable. Some of us learned from the school of hard knocks, others in structured classes, and many times just our daily lives are lessons learned. At time, being a student is a refreshing change from being the boss, service provider, sales person, mom, dad etc… etc…. etc…. Our industry will always be strengthened by education from a beauty school to learning technical skills and business training on marketing, sales and operations.

The world is at our fingertips, literally a click away from the next latest and greatest ideas, technique and solution. We understand that the true artist will learn by doing, by feeling and by creating from what is within. The Beauty Agents will bring education, talent and skill to life whether, in your business or at your event, and these attributes will transform you, your business and your bottom line… through the connection of people.

We are the beauty industry’s leading source for customized talent in booking, producing, managing, and designing events and classes. Whether you want a keynote speaker, one day in-salon program, an industry event or a major show, we will connect your business to the world's best in beauty. This includes pulling from our exclusive directory of star talent, many of whom are famous faces and icons in the beauty industry, as well as up and coming talents.

Our mission is to connect people to the power of beauty and create the possibility for education to be a valued investment that expands our industry to the next level. This is our Mission Possible….join the revolution and lets get educated by the people! Click here to connect to the power of beauty.

To Success,

Bonnie Bonadeo

The Selling of YOUr Real-ality

Brent — August 11, 2011

Once upon a time......at this point you probably think there will be a prince on a white horse coming to the rescue of the princess but the truth is our lives are not a fairytale but we are our own reality show. We know that most reality shows bank on drama, the extreme and what gets the attention of the viewer, so that companies will pay money to advertise and the ever elusive viewer ratings will increase, which means more advertisers will want to participate. All in the name of, out of control bad girls, killer cupcakes and nasty housewives.

If you look closer at the success formula of reality we could say that other people's lives are interesting to watch, to read about and to see their struggles, or what choices they make to succeed. No matter how much we say we don't like reality TV we are all watching it to some degree.

So let's look at the formula more closely.

Unique Selling Position USP| What makes you special that the camera and post production can make you bigger than life. It's called your winning formula! Think Snooki....ok stop thinking Snooki, but you get my point. Think Kim Kardashian and the Kardashian clan
Strategic PR| Kim gets hired to make club appearances, photo shoots for covers, and product endorsements all with the intent of meeting her desired demographics, it is not an afterthought it is the strategy. It brings in the buyers.
Market Demographics | Who are your buyers, be very clear on your demographics and you too can become an overnight sensation. Kim's angle is she covers both the male and the female demographics, The sex appeal for men and the "oh poor me, I am not married with children yet" for women.
Shifting and Tweaking| Be flexible and nimble when necessary to accommodate opportunities or niche demographics, as long as you stay within your USP. Kim may be getting too old for club appearances so mom Kris is already pimping (I mean PR-ing) the son and two younger daughters to be the next chapter of this franchise which brings us to our final point.
Act like a Franchise| What are you doing to duplicate yourself and your USP! Duplicate your Passion like it's the latest fashion.

You don't need to throw a girl punch, carry a Chihuahua, have a total body surgical transformation or hire paparazzi to follow you around to get noticed. Follow these 5 steps to develop your real life winning formula with the intent that other people may find You, Your Life, Your Product or Your Skills interesting.

Share your real life authentic story to your clients by focusing on what you offer, what you do best and how it can help them, if it is interesting they will share it with others and build your franchise for you!

TwiddleStic's

Brent — May 26, 2011

DOLL TWIDDLESTIC MAKES EVERLASTING CURLS A REALITY

Introducing an end to curling drop outs, disasters and disappointments. Introducing the revolutionary new TwiddleStic from Doll - where everlasting curls are no longer make believe.

TwiddleStic is a brand new concept and the brain child of Oliver Sunderland, son of Gary Sunderland - the award winning British hairdresser. The revolutionary curling rod is designed to work with straightening irons to create perfect curls that last and last and last – until you wash them out in fact!

And they’re healthier and less harmful to hair than just using a straightening iron or tong on its own. The TwiddleStic’s unique CoolCurl™ heat absorbing technology cools the hair while it curls, creating long lasting curls in excellent condition. This leaves naturally shiny, bouncy, defined hair, with absolutely no need for hair products to set in the curl. There is no other product anywhere in the world that can achieve the same finish as the TwiddleStic.

How does it work? It’s easy – it’s just WRAP, TWIDDLE and SLIDE:

WRAP - Simply take a section of hair and wrap it around and down the TwiddleStic, keeping the hair close together
TWIDDLE - Apply heat with straightening irons for 3-4 seconds to all the hair on the TwiddleStic. Rotate the TwiddleStic backwards and forwards as you go
SLIDE - Slide out the TwiddleStic to reveal perfect curls and shine. It’s easy.

The Twiddle Stic is available in 3 sizes to create any size of incredible, long lasting healthy curls. Bouncy Belle gives soft curls and LA waves, Lucy Locks creates spiral curls and salon hair and Twisted Tallulah provides tight curls and catwalk looks.

And Doll will be launching more products that bring hair to life throughout 2011, including straightening irons, brushes and a wets range.

Like all the best fairytales, this one is very real! Take a trip to www.dollhaircare.com for more.

-the end-

Further information (notes to editors)

Who is Gary Sunderland? A prominent figure in the professional hairdressing industry for over 30 years, Gary has owned a number of salons in the north of England and as a professional stylist and salon owner he has worked with the major professional companies in the industry. This includes Wella Professional as a guest presenter, presenting educational classes on 'The best of British Cutting Courses', Sebastian Professional as a SDA (Sebastian Design Artist) working and travelling internationally to educate and demonstrate hairdressing techniques and product knowledge, and he is currently a guest educational presenter at the L'Oreal Professional academy in London.

Gary was a finalist for the BHA's (British Hairdressing Awards) for 2 years running in 2006-2007 and is the only international judge for the prestigious NAHA's (North American Hairdressing Awards) each July In Las Vegas. He works internationally as a platform artist demonstrating and educating on the international stage at industry events and his work appears in many of the international trade magazines.

He is now helping his son realise the value in his IP protected products being delivered to the professional trade with Doll Hair Care limited.

How fishing has saved curls. The TwiddleStic was invented during a father and son fishing trip. Gary Sunderland and son Oliver were fishing a lake near their home, in Wakefield in the north of England, when Oliver lost a large fish and watched as the line sprang back and twisted around the end of his rod.

Being slightly aggrieved at losing the prize fish, Oliver threw his rod down and went for a walk around the lake to calm down. It was a hot summer day and when he returned to his pitch, his carbon fishing pole had heated up in the sun. When Oliver pulled the twisted line from the end of the pole the nylon fishing line had curled to the exact diameter of the pole section it had twisted around.

Now with most people this would have ended as a rather typical and largely uninteresting fishing story. Not Oliver Sunderland. Intrigued by the effect the combination of heat and carbon had had on his now perfectly curled line, and with the nature of his father’s business foremost in his mind he went to work on proving the theory he had just discovered.

He cut down an end section of one of his father’s fishing poles, wrapped some hair from a doll’s head, around the carbon pole and applied heat to it from a hair straightener.

Theory proven, he shouted for his Dad: “I think you better come and look at this", being the immortal words Gary remembers:

“At first I was fuming that he had cut up my most expensive fishing rod”, recalls Gary. “But when he showed me what he’d discovered, I knew he was onto something special”.

So, how dya like them apples, Newton?

The result is a new product that isn’t just a minor evolution, but a revolution in an area of haircare that has consistently let down its consumers. Curls. The look that everyone wants, but can never achieve, or rather never lasts.

After a full patent search process, it’s now an internationally patented product and is set to take the world by storm.

So how does the Twiddle Stic work? It’s a wonderfully simple piece of technology that will change curls forever. It’s just WRAP, TWIDDLE, SLIDE.

All hair curls with heat. But when straighteners or curling tongs are used directly on hair they transmit intense heat directly into the hair thus removing all the moisture, and damaging it.

Wrapping hair around a TwiddleStic allows the user to get the perfect curl wrap before applying heat.

Once the hair is wrapped, heat is then applied to the hair around the TwiddleStic with a straightening iron and the TwiddleStic is rotated backwards and forwards to set the curls.

The TwiddleStic instantly absorbs the heat applied to the hair from the iron, keeping the moisture content in the hair and cooling it down during the process. And, because the TwiddleStic doesn’t get hot it allows the user to wrap the hair for the desired curl without the risk of burning their fingers.

The cuticle is smoothed and curled exactly to the profile of the TwiddleStic being used. Hair then slides off the TwiddleStic completely cool, even when using a high heat hair iron.

The result? Curls are defined like never before. The cuticle is smooth and polished in the desired curl and all new growing hair or layers are exactly curled to the desired shape. No other product on the market can achieve this.

The hair is curled with CoolCurl™ heat absorbing technology, making curls last far longer without product needed to SET in the curl. The curls never drop and last as long as you require. And with 3 different sizes of TwiddleStic creating 3 different styles there’s something for every occasion.

What about the brand?Gary and Oliver Sunderland realised they were onto something and knew they wouldn’t stop at one product no matter how special that product would become. So a brand needed to be created that would not only reflect the special nature of the first product, but be true across a potentially massive range of similarly special haircare products to come.

Dollwas born. Capturing the magic, the fairytale, the enduring image of a toy that every girl in the world has brought to life through their own individual style of play. And now a haircare brand that in turn promises to bring hair to life. And it’s already got some rather influential friends. Clive Arrowsmith, world renowned fashion photographer and Gary Cockerill, make up artist to the stars, volunteered their services to produce the beautiful campaign images for the Doll Twiddle Stic.

What’s next for Doll? Watch out for new straightening irons, curlers, carbon brushes, a wets range and many more exciting products that will bring hair to life.

And the fairytale finish? Doll hails from Leeds, England and more specifically, Beechwood House, which just happens to be the ancestoral home of the new Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton. And fairytales don’t get any bigger than that now do they?

For more information, please contact Gary Sunderland on +44 7767 411 785 or Bonnie Bonadeo on 877-319-2403.

www.dollhaircare.com

Brand New Year, Brand New Door

Brent — February 01, 2013

Have you ever walked into a room with for a specific reason, only to completely forget what that was and you went in that room? It turns out that doors, themselves, are partly to blame for these strange memory lapses! Psychologists at the University of Notre Dame have discovered that passing through a doorway triggers an "event boundary" in the mind that separates one set of thoughts and memories from the next. Their studies show that the brain literally files away the thoughts you had in the previous room and prepares a blank slate for the new room. Now we know why we walk back in the room where we came from to remember why we went there in the first place.

So imagine that today, you can walk through your business door and it is a blank slate for you to let go of all the past and recreate a new future. Look at your business with a whole new approach, decide that this year is the year to learn and be trained on the skills to be a better leader or technical professional to believe that you can rebrand your vision that you had years ago as to why you wanted to be an entrepreneur or a beauty professional. To release past hurts or feelings about the people you work with and make extra efforts to create a prospering culture that thrives in 2013. Imagine you can walk through Brand New Doors and create the BRAND new U. Check out the blog on Modern Salon