I love this town…but it’s a much better place when I’ve got my team by my side.
As a Salon Today 200 Honoree, I have been invited for the past three years to New Orleans, Louisiana for a three-day conference called Serious Business. This February marks my third year to attend this amazing event.
As the team leader on a small budget, the first two years that I attended the conference, I traveled alone. I had never been to New Orleans before and I fell in love with this amazing American city. I learned so much and was blessed to meet so many amazing, successful salon professionals.
Some of these industry leaders have since become my own personal mentors. Their wisdom and knowledge has allowed me to continue to steadily grow my business while I continue to develop and mentor my salon team.
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The Hotel Lobby of the incredible Roosevelt Hotel. Beautiful!
The culmination of the event is an awards ceremony. The Salon today 200 honorees attend a fabulous cocktail party at which time the salon owners (and in some cases their teams) are photographed receiving their award. It is a beautiful event held in the historic Blue Room of the Roosevelt Hotel where Billie Holiday used to perform.
Those first few years, though I was thrilled and proud to be honored, I was lonely for my wonderful team. Without my team the honor would not be possible. Last year I made myself a promise; If I were fortunate enough to be honored again, I was taking my whole team to experience the pride and wisdom gained from attending.
So I set a budget and began to save. In late 2012 we were announced as honorees for our third year in a row! The whole team brimmed with excitement for our upcoming trip to New Orleans. Five of us boarded the flight bright and early for the conference. (Having a newborn infant at home, our dear Roxanne stayed behind for two days.) She and my husband, Sam, joined us for the awards ceremony and a team celebratory dinner on Monday evening.
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It’s us! We are so grateful!
NOLA and Serious Business did not disappoint this year. The weather was the best I’ve seen and this beautiful city showed her best side in preparation for The Super Bowl and Mardi Gras. We enjoyed fantastic live music, unbeatable local food and true southern hospitality.
The team culture we gained from the speakers and presenters at Serious Business is irreplaceable. We learned, we became inspired, we cheered, and we were so inspired, we even cried. Together we took away fond memories and a sense of togetherness that will bond this close-knit group in a way we had not yet experienced.
It was everything I had hoped for and well worth the wait. Working together moving forward into 2013, we cross our fingers for a fourth win. We are already using what we learned to provide a superior client experience that will benefit every person that walks through our salon door.
We flew home exhausted but know that we had a sense of gratitude that was shared by all of us. Thank you New Orleans, Serious Business and Salon Today Magazine. We are humbled.
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The team having a blast!
A few words about Serious Business:
Serious Business is one of the most celebrated business education events in the beauty industry. It combines inspiration, education and wisdom from some of the world’s most innovative thinkers and gives us all an opportunity to re-evaluate our destiny and the importance of the work that we do.
The purpose of Serious Business is, and has always been, to invoke thought and insight and expose people to new ideas and thinking on self-development and business resulting in helping people and businesses reach their full potential.
Each year, the event is held at The Roosevelt Hotel, located in the heart of New Orleans. Originally one of the South’s first grand hotels, a $145 million restoration has returned the Roosevelt to its place as the premier luxury hotel in New Orleans.
Blog by Lauren Hart[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
We had such an amazing time! I feel blessed and so honored to go and cannot wait till the next time! Hard work really does pay off and we will continiue to work just as hard using the knowledge gained in this expierence in 2013!!!