Embrace the
Salon Education
Who doesn’t love a new look? Sharing tips, tricks and techniques is the heart of what drives a stylist’s passion, and hands-on, in-person classes have long been the gold standard. But advanced education for salons looks dramatically different than it did a year ago. Did you adapt? The education experts at Ulta Beauty demo how they navigated change in 2020 and are helping stylists be ready to grow, beautifully, in 2021.
flexible
With the COVID crisis, salons had to pivot hard and fast to keep stylists engaged to maintain and grow skills virtually. But with resilience and innovation, learning new ways to learn is a beautiful thing.
inspired
Over 60 personalized online classes from a team of services district educators and regional services education managers brought the Ulta Beauty curriculum direct to stylists in a creative, safe and effective way.
Flattering Foilayage
Brittany Prater
Picture Perfect Face Framing
Meghan Holland
Waves for Days
Lindsay Gibson
Flattering Foilayage
Picture Perfect Face Framing
Waves for Days
ready for what comes next
An industry-wide education makeover is the silver lining that salon professionals can embrace to thrive and grow forward, suggests Ulta Beauty Chief Artistic Director Ammon Carver. Ulta Beauty will continue to be a strong leader in making change happen, he says.
“Our field education team did an amazing job reinventing to support our Ulta Beauty associates last year,” he says. “Soon, we’re unveiling plans to ensure beauty professionals can unlock the potential to be your best and still be you.”
the best of both worlds
At Ulta Beauty, we saw an opportunity to be bold in delivering digital education,” says Sarah Dahl, Director Education, Services. “We were fortunate to have our team of 98 field educators continue to work from home, relearning how to best support our salon professionals, even while salons were shut down.”
Early digital trainings were heavy on operations, providing everything associates at 1,200 Ulta Beauty locations needed to be successful and safe, Dahl says. “Then we leaned into our internal education and how we could best deliver our Ulta Academy sessions virtually across our three levels:
supported
Getting from how virtual education started to how it’s going was a group effort, explains Services District Educator Marlanea Guidotti of Baltimore.
“First, Ulta invested in massive interactive training and digital tool kits for us,” she says. “The best part was the teamwork. Educators came together quickly to find a virtual solution, and really ran with it.
To ramp up to support stylists in their districts, educators partnered to practice virtual teach-backs of hands-on techniques from Ulta Academy courses.
“With the skills we’ve developed, it’s so easy now to set up virtual one-on-one trainings with any stylist who might be struggling with a technique or service. We can support exactly what they need, right when they need it. “
Ulta Beauty education promises:
Success in the salon comes from blending precise technical skills with your own unique flair and creativity. At Ulta Beauty, we help you master both.”
“Ulta Beauty education has pushed me out of my comfort zone, driving me to be my best self.”
Whitney Palmer
—Whitney Palmer, Services District Educator, South Carolina
Nicole Dove
Brittany Prater
Sami Osborne
—Nicole Dove, Regional Services Education Manager, Central West
“Ulta Beauty education is a safe place to grow, a place where success is built.”
—Brittany Prater, Services District Educator, San Diego, CA
“We welcome diversity and inclusion and walk in it every day. We want you to be proud of what makes you uniquely you.”
“Ulta Beauty education builds confidence. And when you’re confident, it shines through everything you do.”
—Sami Osborne, Services District Educator, Kentucky
Sami Osborne
Brittany Prater
Nicole Dove
Whitney Palmer
Listen to our educators around the country
—Ammon Carver, Chief Artistic Director
diverse platforms
easy, flexible access
inclusive, customized content
While digital options open up new possibilities, enthusiasm for in-person education hasn’t waned, Dahl clarifies. “Once it is safe to do so, we can’t wait to return to that environment in a big way,” she says. “In the meantime, Ulta Beauty will continue to hone our approach to delivering the very best virtual and blended learning experience.”
Mastery
Elite
Essential
prepared
LEARN MORE ABOUT CAREERS AND EDUCATION BENEFITS AT ULTA BEAUTY
For salons or stylists interested in going virtual to share your own Zoom, Teams or livestream demos, Salon District Educator Marlanea Guidotti and her Ulta Beauty educator peers offer these tips.
Mind your space
Choose a good background
Invest in digital tools
Set up the shot and preview it
Be clear, organized and concise
Think through
Record, watch, listen
Be brave!
Take the plunge and dive in, Guidotti encourages stylists on both sides of the screen. “Whether you’re creating content or experiencing it, virtual education is definitely here to stay in the beauty industry.” The more you do it, the more possibilities you’ll have to be your best.
Makeover
Learn From the Pros
Ulta Beauty educators are beyond excited about the future of salon education and the new blended approach they are developing. Listen and learn!
The Power to
“
—Sarah Dahl, Director Education, Services
From hair color to cutting, hair styling to extensions, texture to business building, there is so much value in a blended learning approach. Imagine, if before a stylist attended in-person education, they had already experienced a customized video prep.”
“
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Mannequins matter
Choose a good background, whether an affordable pop-up or an actual wall. Guidotti’s signature is an exposed brick wall, and she finds gray works well, too. Avoid glare, and colors that will compete or distract from your “work.”
Invest in digital tools: a ring light that holds your phone, a tripod, mics or headphones to ensure good sound.
Mannequins matter—make sure you have what you need to demonstrate your technique, plus a spare.
Set up the shot and preview it. Make sure what it looks as good on screen as it does in person.
Be clear, organized and concise. What works well as a 20- to 30-minute demonstration in person is better condensed down to a 5- to 10-minute segment for video.
Think through how you will interact to gauge comprehension without an audience present. Chat box check-ins, unmuting for Q&A, etc.
Record, watch, listen to and critique yourself, constructively.
Be brave! Get started and learn by doing.
Mind your space: keep it consistent and comfortable, with good lighting, room to move and easy access to the tools and props you’ll need.
Here’s what they had to say
Be
Be
your best
Be
Be
Be
Be
Be
(fundamental)
(advanced)
(highly creative)
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Services District Educator, San Diego, CA
Services District Educator, Minneapolis, MN
Services District Educator, Pittsburgh, PA
what comes next
both worlds
ready for
the best of