EXPERIENCE THE
DIFFERENCE OF
By Bernard Ory, Owner, The Profitable Stylist, Slidell, Louisiana After being in the industry for 30 years, I have been to many traditional “hair shows” with hundreds of vendors. I learned and experienced a lot, but there was a big difference when I attended last year's American Hair Loss Council, HairNow 2021 event in San Diego. I will admit, on the surface, I was a little apprehensive at the size of the crowd compared to the ticket price, but quickly realized how serious the attendees are about moving forward in their businesses. At a traditional hair show in the past, before our, “new normal,” and depending on what show you went to, there could be between 20,000 and 80,000 stylists attending, depending on what show and city you are attending. At the AHLC's conference in San Diego, there were fewer than 1,000 in attendance, but the level of professionalism and quality of education was completely different. Don’t misunderstand me, I love a huge show, but for different motivational and educational reasons. Meeting other business owners, and sharing ideas and experiences during the conference’s covered meals made the conference much more valuable. While getting muchneeded help from some who have been in the business much longer, I was also able to share with newer stylists who were just getting into hair replacement.
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THE LINK MAGAZINE
When I became a stylist about 30 years ago, I was always on this journey to grow and help more clients get the specialty services that cost a bit, so I could make more money. At first, it was more about making money to support my growing family, but soon after I realized that fewer stylists get trained in the higher end, specialty services and there is less competition at that level. That makes you more appreciated and valuable to the clients getting these services. What a great feeling! Hair extensions and hair replacement services changed my life and the lives of so many of my clients. The next big life changer for me was beginning to educate stylists on how to do hair extensions and hair replacement, as well as becoming a distributor of hair extensions. This put me in the position of seeing hair shows and education from a different perspective — the vendor side — as well. I was told by a friend, Jay Benjamin, with Jon Renau, that I needed to be at the AHLC conference. My first thought was that I’ve been to a few hair replacement meetings and educational events over the years and haven’t really been impressed. Sure, I always learn a little something, but I just wasn’t excited. I decided to attend and check it out and see what the conference offered and to see if I would want to also participate as a vendor in the future. A large hair show supports most of the things we learn in hair school, like cutting, coloring, some skincare, and all the products to support those skills. There would also be a
