Phorest FM Bonus Episode 024: Live From the Salon Owners Summit 2026 with Calvin Stovall

Episode Transcript

[00:00:00] Paddy Monaghan: If we actually start to use the data that we have here in this kind of way, I think we could really drive this forward. And as Ronan opened the day, I think that’s how together we’re gonna build a stronger industry.

[00:00:13] PhorestFM Intro Music/Theme: We have an obligation to the industry we serve that we serve it in the right manner. Being a business owner ain’t for the weak. The expectations are just different. It’s always a way. 

When you’re born into something this special, you can’t help but fight for it.

[00:00:26] Phorest Summit 2026 Announcer: Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the stage Phorest founder, Ronan Percival.

[00:00:33] Ronan Perceval: Welcome to the 10th edition of the Phorest Salon Owner Summit. 

[00:00:38] Alex Bélisle-Springer: You’re listening to the PhorestFM podcast. My name’s Alex Bélisle-Springer, and this is a live from the Phorest Salon Owner Summit 2026 bonus episode. 

[00:00:47] Dr. Lollie Mancey: Little did I know at the start of 2025, I would out myself on national television on RTE by saying I had an AI boyfriend.

[00:00:57] Sinead Norman: We’ve got so much in store for you with some of the most incredible speakers. 

[00:01:01] Paddy Monaghan: It is transformational, game-changing. 

[00:01:02] Caroline Hirons: Community is so important in our industry because that’s how you get word of mouth, right? It’s customers. 

[00:01:07] Dr. Lollie Mancey: Getting people together in real time is incredibly important.

[00:01:13] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Céad míle fáilte, Irish for 100,000 welcomes. It’s both an honor and a privilege to be back behind the mic and celebrate more of the industry’s, well, your stories in 2026. I am buzzing with excitement for what we’ve already recorded, ready to get stuck in, and profoundly grateful for the support and engagement poured into the podcast all these years and ahead of this 10th season.

I’ve been getting messages and seeing comments, reviews come in since the end of season nine, our finale, and they’ve not only been very touching, but also a beautiful reminder of why we set out to make this show. And I mention this because every bit of engagement, whether it’s throughout the season, you know, on a specific episode, or through the rating and review of the podcast in general, whether it’s a DM you send us, uh, during the off-season, whether you’re contributing a submission to an episode like the season finale from season nine, it really just helps the show reach that many more folks in the industry.

And if we’re going to explore and shape what’s next together, we need as many voices as possible into the conversation. So yeah, I wanna encourage you to rate and review the show if you haven’t already, and also give a big shout-out to Peter Borg from Queen Bee Luxury Nail and Beauty Lounge, Greg Clark from Amika Eco Hairdressing, David Campbell from House of Color, Fiona Bayliss, Nina Tulio, Stefania Rossi.

All you guys were super quick to react to the trailer drop last week and it means the world. And honestly, I’m just still on such a buzz from all the moments meeting or reconnecting with new and old friends at the Salon Owners Summit this year. To quote Steph Fernandez, Marketing Copywriter at Phorest, who wrote the very first of many recap blogs about the event, from the opening keynote to the closing remarks, the atmosphere was electric. Electric is the word.

You could see people buzzing with ideas, taking notes, talking practical strategies, and being in that room was one of those special opportunities where you get to see the future of the beauty and wellness industry unfold. And that’s exactly the energy we’re kicking off this season with. So to complement the summit recap blogs which are making their way online, this is the first of two bonus Live From episodes we’ve recorded from the Salon Owners Summit 2026.

This year’s event, our 10th and biggest edition yet, with over 600 attendees, featured a mix of world-class speakers, hands-on master classes, and interactive sessions, proving once again why it’s a can’t miss event for anyone serious about thriving in their business. On day two, we welcome [00:04:00] to the main stage Calvin Stovall, Chief Experience Officer of Iconic Presentations LLC, a speaker who I had the utmost pleasure of catching up with in the Phorest Media village after his talk, and his mission was simple.

In fact, shortly after he began his talk, he asked attendees: 

[00:04:16] Calvin Stovall: All right, how many of you wanna learn the art of the WOW experience. All right, that’s good 

[00:04:24] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Now, Calvin Stovall specializes in delivering dynamic customer experience and leadership keynote presentations and workshops for organizations. In addition to running his own business venture, he serves as the director of executive programs at the Advanced Leadership Institute based in Pittsburgh.

Calvin has nearly 30 years of experience in the hospitality and nonprofit service industries. Um, and for the second consecutive year, he’s been voted one of the 50 most inspirational people in travel and hospitality by the International Hospitality Institute. I could say so much more about Calvin, but I also want you to dive into this catch-up I had with him in the Phorest Media [00:05:00]Village.

So I encourage you to look him up, read our recap blog, buy his book, which we’ll be talking about in this conversation. To quote Stefan Nades again, because they said it so perfectly in the recap blog, “Calvin’s talk had the entire hall on its feet, chanting key lessons, reflecting on their role as hype leaders within their business, and committing to bringing renewed energy back to their teams.

His closing message reminded attendees that innovation, curiosity, and positivity are essential to staying relevant in a rapidly changing industry.” For the full breakdown of Calvin’s WOW framework, stories, and actionable strategies, make sure you head over to the Phorest blog. Without further ado, 

Calvin, thank you so much for joining me on PhorestFM.

It’s such a pleasure to have you on. I mean, we’ve been chatting now 

[00:05:43] Calvin Stovall: for- Yeah. … a few, few minutes, but- It’s been cool. It’s been cool. 

[00:05:46] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah. You’ve been here the whole weekend. Tell me about your experience. Like tell me about how you feel. 

[00:05:50] Calvin Stovall: Oh man, I, I feel, I feel phenomenal right now. You know, one of the, you know, I’m, I’m all about inspiring people and making them feel great and, you know- Yeah

[00:06:00] helping people, you know, make their businesses better. So, you know, leading up to getting that opportunity to do that is kind of, you ki- I’m in this weird space, you know. I’m really focused, you know. Yeah. And, and but I’m having a great time and, um, yeah, I just, I just love it. It’s been great. It’s just been…

Weather’s not been too great. 

[00:06:17] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah. That’s to be expected in November. 

[00:06:20] Calvin Stovall: But, but that’s supposed… Yeah. But that, but that’s okay. I had me some great fish and chips from, was it, uh, Birdocks or something? I can’t remember the name of it. 

[00:06:27] Alex Bélisle-Springer: That’s possible. 

[00:06:28] Calvin Stovall: The taxi driver told me to go there. Oh my God. Cool. And he said, and he said, yeah, he said get them with salt and vinegar on them and I walked up.

It’s about maybe three blocks away from here or so. Okay. I walked up there the first day I got here and, um, and I took them back to my room ’cause it’s n- it’s a takeout spot. Right. Can’t sit in there. 

[00:06:44] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah. 

[00:06:44] Calvin Stovall: I took them back to my room man and man, killed it. It was so- They were good. They were really good.

[00:06:50] Alex Bélisle-Springer: I’m glad. 

[00:06:50] Calvin Stovall: So yeah. And what was so funny, what was so funny, I love people that’s got a real good sense of humor. Mm. So when I went in the place I told the guy that was working there, I was like, “Yeah, [00:07:00]the, the taxi driver told me to come here.” He said, “You guys have great…” He said for me to get some fish bites And put salt and vinegar on ’em, blah, blah, blah.

So he, he didn’t really say anything, and so he packaged them all up, gave them to me, and then he said on my way, he said, “And if you don’t like it, you can blame the taxi driver.” I started cracking up. I was like, that was pretty good. That is 

[00:07:21] Alex Bélisle-Springer: good. 

[00:07:21] Calvin Stovall: That was pretty good. But, but, but it’s, it’s been, yeah, it’s been good so far, man.

[00:07:24] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Amazing. 

[00:07:25] Calvin Stovall: Thanks for asking. Yeah. 

[00:07:26] Alex Bélisle-Springer: So happy you had a good experience. Yeah. And, uh, on stage today you spoke about the importance of finding, understanding, embodying your why. I guess my first question really is, like, what is your why, and, like, when did you find it? How did it come to you?

[00:07:42] Calvin Stovall: Wow. That’s a… Ooh, wow, what a fantastic question.

Um, my, my why is, is, I’m… Like I said, I, we talked about earlier, I’m all about trying to help people reach their full potential. Yeah. I know I’m here to serve. 

[00:07:58] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Mm. 

[00:07:58] Calvin Stovall: I know that. [00:08:00] Um, and, and so, and I, I found out… It’s funny how you find out things. Um, I believe everybody has a gift. Mm-hmm. You know, once you find that gift, and you’re passionate about that gift, you’re gonna go very far, and if you, especially s- if you s- spread it, you know?

Yeah. And so when I used to be a vice president for Hilton Worldwide, and we used to do conferences every year, um, just something just like this. Yeah. And you have all your general managers and directors of sales there, and you’re there to talk about the brand and the industry and, and I was a vice president of marketing, so I would get up and talk about, you know, market segmentation, stuff that shouldn’t be exciting.

You know? Yeah. I mean, I like doing it, but, but the reaction from- Yeah … the audience was always, like, it was just always so positive. And, and so, and I can feel my energy, uh, their energy and mine while I was on the platform. And so I saw there was a guy, um, [00:09:00] he was a motivational speaker. His name was Keith Harrell.

I’ll never forget him. 

[00:09:04] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Mm. 

[00:09:04] Calvin Stovall: Um, he’s, he’s gone. He’s not here, you know, he’s, he passed away. But he spoke about, uh, attitude is everything- Mm … was his, was his thing. So he came and spoke at one of the conferences, and I was just like, “Wow, I can do that. I wanna do that.” And so after w- after it, um, I, I met him and we talked.

Just a great guy. He kind of told me the ropes of how to get into the speaking business. Yeah. And I’ve been in it ever since. And so he helped me really understand what the speaking business is about. Mm. And really, when you realize- That it’s not about you, it’s about them. That’s, that’s it. Changes everything.

And then once he told me that, it changed everything. ‘Cause you know, you get a lot of speakers, they’ll get on the stage and it, and it’s all about how great they are. 

[00:09:55] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah. 

[00:09:55] Calvin Stovall: You know, and y- and, and that’s good. I think you should have a great background. It gives you [00:10:00] credibility. But at the same time, you’re there to serve the audience.

And once you realize you’re trying to help them, it changes your whole perspective. 

[00:10:09] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah. 

[00:10:10] Calvin Stovall: And so that’s what I really 

[00:10:11] Alex Bélisle-Springer: focus on. Changes people’s reactions too. 

[00:10:13] Calvin Stovall: Yes, it does. It does. I want, I want people that listen to me… ‘Cause man, time is a currency you can’t get back. 

[00:10:19] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Facts. 

[00:10:20] Calvin Stovall: So I don’t take that for granted.

So if you’re here sitting here listening to me for an hour, I wanna give you something that’s gonna help you. You know, and I’m having fun doing it. Yeah. So I’m getting the best out of both worlds. But all of, but my, my primary goal is to at least, um, give you something you can take back to your business that can help you professionally or personally- 

[00:10:40] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah

[00:10:40] Calvin Stovall: and take things to the next level. And, and, and when you have an audience like here- Man, you can’t help but do it ’cause they, they’re, they’re giving you back what you’re giving. And it’s, it was, it was all love 

[00:10:50] Alex Bélisle-Springer: I  mean, I was-

[00:10:50] Calvin Stovall: It was all love today … 

[00:10:51] Alex Bélisle-Springer: listen, I felt the electricity in the air.

[00:10:53] Calvin Stovall: Oh, it was… Man, I told them, you know, when they…

We were doing some chants and stuff in there, and it was… [00:11:00] It’s, it’s, it’s such a different perspective when you’re seeing it from the stage- 

[00:11:03] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah … 

[00:11:04] Calvin Stovall: looking out. 

[00:11:04] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah. 

[00:11:05] Calvin Stovall: You know? It just gives me so much joy when I see people having a great time. Yeah. Mm. You know, I just appreciate, um, Phorest reaching out to me, and I mean, ’cause it was, like, out of the blue, you know?

And they just called, “We want you to come and…” I- And then when they said Dublin, Ireland, I was like, “What?” Yeah. This is my first international keynote. Oh my God. So now I can say international keynote speaker. They got me, got me to the next level. Wow. So thank you, Phorest. 

[00:11:31] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Well, thank you for being here. 

[00:11:33] Calvin Stovall: Yeah.

[00:11:33] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Um, I also wanted to talk about, take the time to talk about your book ’cause, uh, that is one of the first things that I noticed when I started following you on Instagram. Uh-huh. And I was like, “Wait, hold this, hold up a second.” Yeah. “This is a very cool topic.” 

[00:11:44] Calvin Stovall: Yeah. 

[00:11:44] Alex Bélisle-Springer: You released it in the later half of 2025.

Oh, yes. Yes. Um, titled Hidden Hospitality: Untold Stories of Black Hotel, Motel, and Resort Owners from the Pioneer Days to the Civil Rights Era. 

[00:11:56] Calvin Stovall: Yes, sir. 

[00:11:57] Alex Bélisle-Springer: How did that come about? 

[00:11:58] Calvin Stovall: Wow. 

[00:11:59] Alex Bélisle-Springer: What was the process? 

[00:12:00] Calvin Stovall: I’ma try, I’ma try to shorten the story. It actually started in graduate school. I went to grad school at Cornell, uh, hotel school, and, um, there was another gentleman, he was an undergrad, uh, his name is Evan Frazier, who I actually work with now as well.

Yeah. And he, him and I think it was three others, they were actually launching an organization called the National Society of Minority Hoteliers. 

[00:12:24] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Okay. 

[00:12:25] Calvin Stovall: Okay? And so he was a chairperson, and they were having, like, one of their first conferences. I can’t remember, you know, first, second, third, I don’t know, but it was one of the earlier ones.

And he asked me to do some research on Black hotel ownership from a historic perspective. 

[00:12:39] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Mm. 

[00:12:39] Calvin Stovall: And so for their conference. And I said, “Okay, I’ll, I’ll, I’ll do it.” I love Black history anyway. Yeah. I love hospitality. So I was, I was looking at stuff, and I know your, your listeners might… I was looking at stuff on microfiche.

Now- … people that’s listening to this- I’m sure- Probably young listeners- Yeah, probably don’t … probably have no idea what I’m talking about. 

[00:13:00] But it’s basically, it’s like a, it’s like a film in a machine you gotta look at periodicals with. Yeah. So it’s like, it’s pretty old school. But I mean, but what ended up happening, I created, uh, I got really into it.

I did their presentation. 

[00:13:13] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yep. 

[00:13:14] Calvin Stovall: But I got so intrigued by it, it became my graduate monograph that you have to put together before you f- for you to graduate. Yeah. It’s not, it’s not as nearly as intense as a thesis, but it has to be pretty good. 

[00:13:26] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah. 

[00:13:26] Calvin Stovall: So it was a 100-page document that I put together. And so that once you graduate, they give you one in a binder.

They give it to you in a binder, a black binder with gold lettering on it. Looks beautiful. Fast-forward 30 years 

[00:13:43] Alex Bélisle-Springer: 30 years 

[00:13:44] Calvin Stovall: 30 years. I was cleaning out some boxes in my house. 

[00:13:49] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah. 

[00:13:50] Calvin Stovall: I found the monograph, and a friend of mine was there at my house. I pull out the monograph, and I was like, “Whoa.” And she was like, “What is that?”

I was like, “Oh, it’s my monograph.” She’s like, “What is it about?” I was like, “Back- Black hotel ownership.” ‘Cause at the time it was called Hospitality Historiography. And she was like… So she’s like, “Really? We had hotels back then?” I’m like, “Yeah.” So she takes the monograph, and she’s reading through it, and I could tell she was intrigued.

And she looks up at me and says, “Is, is this a book?” And that was it. I was like, “You know what? It’s gonna be now.” And I called, I called a couple of people and said, “Man, what do you think of this?” Like, “If you could pull that off, that would be incredible.” So I found me a publisher. Yeah. Which is Brown Books Publishing, and, um, I sent them the monograph, the original monograph, and said, “What do y’all think about this?”

And they said typically when you s- when you submit a manuscript, they were like, they c- they call you back within four to six weeks or something like that. Three days passed, and they called me, and they were like, “Calvin, we wanna do this book.” 

[00:14:56] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Wow. 

[00:14:57] Calvin Stovall: This is… There’s no- we did research. There’s nothing else out there like this.

[00:15:00] Alex Bélisle-Springer: I was gonna say, I’d, I’ve never seen anything like that. 

[00:15:03] Calvin Stovall: It’s a… And then, you know, it’s a coffee table book. Oh. So there’s like 150 photographs in there. 

[00:15:08] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Wow. 

[00:15:08] Calvin Stovall: So I had to source all that, get permissions for all that. It took me probably almost close to five years to get that thing done. Incredible. But, but it is…

I’m so proud of it. I mean, the work of… It just looks fantastic. I wish I had a copy here to show you. Oh, 

[00:15:23] Alex Bélisle-Springer: my God. Well, I w- I will purchase a copy. 

[00:15:25] Calvin Stovall: Good. Thank 

[00:15:25] Alex Bélisle-Springer: you. Yes, 100%. 

[00:15:26] Calvin Stovall: Thank you for your support. Yeah. 

[00:15:27] Alex Bélisle-Springer: I mean, well, like, you know, my dad’s side of the family is Black. There’s a lot of me leaning into, like, trying to learn more about, you know, that side of the family.

Yeah, 

[00:15:35] Calvin Stovall: yeah. 

[00:15:36] Alex Bélisle-Springer: You really gotta ask the questions if you wanna learn about, like- Yeah … what they were up to and stuff. Yeah. And I just recently learned that, like, the house that my dad and all of his siblings lived and grew up in, in Montreal, where I’m staying at right now, actually- Right, 

[00:15:50] Calvin Stovall: right … 

[00:15:50] Alex Bélisle-Springer: um, they, they’ve…

It’s been in the family since 1959, and I was like, “What?” 

[00:15:54] Calvin Stovall: Wow. Wow. See? Like- History is, it’s wonderful, man. Yeah. History is [00:16:00] just… That’s why, I mean, people just really need to look at their history. Yeah. You just… It’s been wonderful. I mean, uh- The 

[00:16:05] Alex Bélisle-Springer: things you find. 

[00:16:05] Calvin Stovall: Yeah. That’s right, but you have to be, like you said, you gotta be curious.

[00:16:09] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah. And 

[00:16:10] Calvin Stovall: you have to wanna ask questions and learn it, you 

[00:16:13] Alex Bélisle-Springer: know? Yeah, exactly. 

[00:16:13] Calvin Stovall: Um, the world moves so fast-paced, you know. It’s so much distractions you have, but when you sit down and think about, “Man, let me find out what my family is about,” man. Yeah. And that’s, it’s… You just never know what you’re gonna find out.

[00:16:24] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Honestly, yeah, truly. It’s so cool. 

[00:16:26] Calvin Stovall: Yeah, it is 

[00:16:26] Alex Bélisle-Springer: cool. I’m so curious, though. Like, of all those stories that you’ve uncovered,  is there anything that, like, surprised you more than, like, that, like, jumped out to you, and you’re like, “Wait, this is incredible”? Man, I, I- I mean, I’m sure they’re all- 

[00:16:37] Calvin Stovall: Well, well, they’re all incredible stories. Uh, what I, what I, what I found incredible is that, um, you know, from the original monograph, that was probably, I would say, close to, uh, I think she said 10,000 words or something like that. 

[00:16:55] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Mm. 

[00:16:56] Calvin Stovall: So when I gave it to the publisher- Um, she was like, “Well, Calvin, we need you to get to, like, the 18 to 20,000 words to make it a real book.”

[00:17:05] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Right. 

[00:17:05] Calvin Stovall: And then I said… She said, “Do you think you can find some more information?” Okay. So thinking, I was thinking back in my mind, it’s like, man, it was hard to find the ones I found. 

[00:17:15] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah. 

[00:17:15] Calvin Stovall: You know, but, but, you know, progress is, it’s gone so f- I mean, a lot of stuff is digitized now. 

[00:17:21] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah. 

[00:17:21] Calvin Stovall: You can find stuff.

So I went back, and by the time I was done with the next round, I had, like, 90,000 words. Oh my God. 90. So the surprise for me was that it was that many hotels out there- Yeah … and motels. I, I… And the more stories I found, the more I got hungrier to learn more and more and more. But, and so the hard part was when we went to the editing process- Oh, gosh

and they were like- You needed to cut … “Calvin.” They were like, “Calvin, you can’t… This’ll, this’ll be too big. You have to…” So I had to get rid of, like, 30,000 words. Wow. So it was almost like removing some of your favorite children, you know? 

[00:17:58] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah. 

[00:17:59] Calvin Stovall: Uh, but it [00:18:00] was, it was cool. So the biggest surprise to me was how much information that was out there, how many hotels we actually, and resorts we had, we actually had.

Mm. Um, and another surprise w- for me was, uh, and, and maybe I was- Not really thinking about it in the, in the right way. ‘Cause from a historic perspective, I knew women didn’t have a lot of f-freedom. They couldn’t vote, stuff. I mean, it was just- Yeah … I never thought that they had so many hotels. It’s quite a few, it’s quite a few women in that book that ran their own businesses, had their own hotels, had their own resorts, and also, um, when…

There are some that, you know, they had their husband, their husband died. Yeah. They would keep it, keep the business going. 

[00:18:44] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Wow. Incredible. 

[00:18:45] Calvin Stovall: So it gave me a really, uh, uh, that opened my eyes, too, that how many Black women were, were out there doing their thing. And we’re talking, like… ‘Cause the book starts in the late 1800s.

[00:19:00] So it goes through, you know, um, you know, the segregation era, Jim Crow era, civil rights. Um, and then the last chapter is, um, current hoteliers today. Um, you know, like Sheila Johnson, who runs Salamander, and some of the others that are out there doing their thing. So, um, it, it was a true learning experience for me, and the reception has just been so favorable because the informa- 95% of that information in there, people have probably never heard.

[00:19:23] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Pro- yeah, honestly, probably. Or seen. Yeah. 

[00:19:25] Calvin Stovall: Um, you know, but I, I felt like it was so important to put that out there because, I mean, we know the Marriotts, we know the- Yeah … you know, Kemmons Wilsons and the Hiltons and, and so grateful that the, the, the, you know, their contribution to the industry, but- Mm-hmm

Blacks had a lot of contribution too. 

[00:19:42] Alex Bélisle-Springer: 100%. You know? 

[00:19:44] Calvin Stovall: 100%. So I just felt like, “Hey, let’s put this out there too, and, and change the narrative a little bit.” 

[00:19:49] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Mm. ‘

[00:19:50] Calvin Stovall: Cause most of us, you know, from a historic perspective, we’re only seen as working in service roles. 

[00:19:55] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah. 

[00:19:55] Calvin Stovall: You know, housekeeping, kitchens. 

[00:19:57] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yep. 

[00:19:58] Calvin Stovall: This right here, we were entrepreneurs.

[00:20:01] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yes. 

[00:20:01] Calvin Stovall: Full-fledged hotels, resorts, motels, and so it’s, it’s just gonna, it’s gonna change people’s perspectives a little bit. 

[00:20:08] Alex Bélisle-Springer: I’m, I’m very excited to dig in, honestly. 

[00:20:10] Calvin Stovall: Yeah, yeah. 

[00:20:11] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Um, I, I guess, like, I- I’m gonna wrap up with one, one question really that maybe is multilayered, but I feel like you’re probably up for the challenge.

[00:20:21] Calvin Stovall: Bring it. Bring 

[00:20:21] Alex Bélisle-Springer: it. So I wanna essentially, like, use the ICONIC framework that you presented. 

[00:20:27] Calvin Stovall: Mm-hmm. 

[00:20:27] Alex Bélisle-Springer: And I wonder if within that framework, you mentioned, you know, y- be unique, authentic, passionate, and consistent. Is there one story that you uncovered in the book that kind of encompasses all of that, that salon, spas, clinics can learn from?

[00:20:44] Calvin Stovall: Yes. There is a guy in that book- called, his name is Joseph Lee. Um, I like Joseph Lee’s story because it’s a story of, um, innovation- 

[00:20:57] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Mm … 

[00:20:58] Calvin Stovall: ingenuity and perseverance, um, because he, uh, uh, he did su- he, he was so successful in what he did. I mean, he, he started restaurants. He had h- two hotels, lost them both in the Depression.

[00:21:18] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Oof. 

[00:21:19] Calvin Stovall: Then came right behind the next year, opened, like, 130-seat restaurant. Now, then came back aga- and then he was so smart, he actually… You know, he had a catering business, too, and, and here’s where the t- the twist comes in He, he, he, you know, since he had a restaurant, he made bread, right? Mm-hmm. So he had, like, f- about five people on his team, and they were kneading bread by hand and it…

but it was too slow ’cause his business was really successful. 

[00:21:50] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Right. 

[00:21:50] Calvin Stovall: So he actually created a bread kneading machine, got a patent for it. 

[00:21:56] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah. 

[00:21:58] Calvin Stovall: And the thing was work- It was, he was, he was killing it. Then he was making too much bread. Then he said, “Okay, what am I gonna do with all this extra bread?” Then he made a breadcrumb-making machine, got a patent for it, and that’s what really took off.

Wow. He ended up using that breadcrumbs to coat fish and chicken for his, for his restaurants, and it just became… He became super wealthy with it because he ended up selling the, the right, you know, the rights to it. Yeah. But it ended up being in restaurants and hotels across the nation. So he became very, very wealthy.

So my thing is that every single thing, everything about that iconic framework, he demonstrated. He was definitely unique. People really didn’t come to his place to stay in his hotel. They came to eat- Hmm … ’cause his food was so good. So he had the uniqueness. 

[00:22:50] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah. 

[00:22:50] Calvin Stovall: Right? He was of course his authentic self.

You know, he did what he, you know, what he, what he was inside of him, right? 

[00:22:57] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yep. 

[00:22:58] Calvin Stovall: So and then the la- He had the [00:23:00] passion, of course. He lost everything, but he kept staying in the industry, kept pushing. Yeah. And then the last thing, he was innovative with the bread things. I mean, he was the perfect example- That’s incredible, honestly

of a iconic frame- He did all of them. 

[00:23:12] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah. 

[00:23:13] Calvin Stovall: And he did it consistently. So as far as an example is concerned- He’s the one … that’s my man Joseph Lee. And his wife, I don’t wanna leave his wife out, ’cause his wife was just as, just as wonder- I think her name was Katherine. 

[00:23:25] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Katherine. 

[00:23:26] Calvin Stovall: And she- Katherine … actually, when he died, she actually built a inn called Lee’s Inn in his honor and ran that with his daughter.

So they were just… They were killing it. It’s a wonderful story. 

[00:23:39] Alex Bélisle-Springer: And I feel like there’s so much that we can learn from each other’s, you know, different sectors. At the end of the day, it’s service. It’s connecting with people. 

[00:23:45] Calvin Stovall: Yes. 

[00:23:46] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah. 

[00:23:47] Calvin Stovall: Yeah. 

[00:23:48] Alex Bélisle-Springer: So. 

[00:23:48] Calvin Stovall: You see, I love, I love this, Sutton, ’cause you, you’ve been listening today.

Yeah. I can tell. I can tell. You have my framework down. You got the book title down. Man, I like you. 

[00:23:58] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Thank you. Thank you. Well, [00:24:00]thank you so much for the time. Really appreciate it. 

[00:24:02] Calvin Stovall: Thank you. 

[00:24:03] Alex Bélisle-Springer: Yeah. 

[00:24:03] Calvin Stovall: Thank you very much. It’s been a pleasure chatting with you, and I really appreciate the opportunity. Thank you.

Absolutely. All right. All right. Thank you. You’re welcome. Bye-bye. The 

[00:24:11] Sinead Norman: world is uncertain, but your skillset and your expertise are not. You’re the experts. Go own it. And you’re the soul of 

[00:24:18] Calvin Stovall: this 

[00:24:19] Sinead Norman: industry. 

[00:24:19] Naomi Cartwright: My name’s Naomi Cartwright, and I’m from the Farmhouse Sanctuary.

[00:24:23] Daria Michalik: Summit day one, how are the vibes today?

[00:24:25] Naomi Cartwright: Good vibes. Amazing vibes. Um, game-changing vibes. 

[00:24:32] Flo Mack: Hi, I’m Flo from 101 Barbers, and the first day is amazing. So many amazing people. Um, you should be here. 

[00:24:39] Marjorie Cusack: Hi, my name is Marjorie Cusack. I’m from Zero Hair Removal Solutions. We have three salons here in Dublin. And today was just full of energy as normal, from 8:00 this morning when you don’t wanna get up on a Sunday morning.

Uh, but I also learned an amazing things about the salon software that I use every day that I didn’t know was there that’s really gonna be helpful for me in the [00:25:00] future, and I thought Caroline Harons was fantastic.

[00:25:04] Laura: Hi, my name’s Laura, and I have Dogobees Eco Hairdressers in York. 

[00:25:06] Daria Michalik: What brought you to the summit today?

[00:25:09] Laura: I’ve never been. I’ve only been with Phorest, um, for a year, and I wanted to see what it was all about. Everyone always said it’s really good fun and, like, you learn loads, so thought I’d check it out and see what w- what it was all about. 

[00:25:21] Fiona Jackson: I’m Fiona Jackson, and I’m from Diva in Lanark in Scotland. So I’ve only been with Phorest since March.

Um, so it’s my first opportunity to come to a summit, and I’ve been told by fellow salon owners that it’s not to be missed. It’s an amazing opportunity to find out what’s next with Phorest, up-and-coming ideas. And we’ve only done day one, and I’m blown away by what Phorest are doing, both for the industry, for us as salon owners within industry.

It feels supportive, it feels inclusive, and it feels like you’re brought back. And as a business [00:26:00] owner, that means a lot. So I’m so excited for tomorrow.

[00:26:04] Alex Bélisle-Springer: And to cap this bonus episode off, I’m gonna go ahead and say it. We’re dialing up the craic and taking the summit to one of Ireland’s most iconic and breathtaking destinations, and we want you with us.

Next year, 2027, same magic, new stage. Our next stop is in Killarney. For all the information about the event, to stay up to date with announcements, and to get your ticket, visit phorestsummit.com. We’ll have the link in the show notes as well, phorestsummit.com. Otherwise, thank you for listening to this bonus episode.

This was one of two of the episodes recorded live from the Salon Owners Summit 2026. And before you get that second one, next week, we’re kicking off our regular season schedule with a conversation featuring Salon Owners Summit workshop speaker Heather Harris. And remember, what’s next is up to us.

Together, we grow. Or if we were to say it in Irish, le chéile táimid [00:27:00]ag fás.

The PhorestFM podcast is brought to you by Phorest Software. More than software, we’re on a mission, together with our community, to build a stronger industry. 

[00:27:12] Alex Bélisle-Springer: This episode was edited and mixed by Audio Z, Montreal’s cutting edge post-production studio for creative minds looking to have their vision professionally produced and mixed.

Great music, makes great moments.