On this bonus episode of The Walk Of Life podcast, Cheryl Thibault is joined by Doug Schoon of Schoon Scientific and contributing author to the Milady Textbook as well as authoring his own books and holding many patents. The pair talk about his chapter in the book ‘Career In The Beauty Industry: Discover If It’s For You’ as well as his distinguished career.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
I’m a scientist focussed on chemistry. I worked in a few industries, but after getting into the beauty industry I’ve never looked back. My focus now is writing, educating and formulating products for the beauty industry, specifically in hair, nails and lashes – I like keratin.
Developing a patent is nowhere near as developing a product, because I get to work directly with the people in the salons. And that, to me, is so much fun. Largely because I enjoy people who work in salons, they’re a unique kind of people – very creative and artistic – and most times they want to learn more about their products. But the main reason is because I learn so much, it’s a great opportunity for me to get in the salon and learn from these people do this work day in and day out, find out what their troubles and struggles are, what they love and what they don’t so I can make better products and make their lives and services better.
I said I’d never write a book again after my last book, but then I got really involved in Facebook and I started doing some videos and started a video blog series for 4 years called ‘Face to Face with Doug Schoon’ which were 15 minute videos where I answered people’s questions. There's probably 250 videos out there. Then I thought, people don’t want to sit around watching videos all the time, you need books too, books can do so much more. For a start you can find specific information much easier. So I split the scripts into 3 books.
You can create the need or you can address the need. Both are valid ways to go. The first is the harder row to hoe, because they may not know they need that, and there is value in that, believe me, I’ve done that too. You have to convince people they need that product or service. Fulfilling an existing need or solving an existing pain point is where the real value is. That’s something people can use right now to improve their services, customer relations and their bottom line.
BEST MOMENTS
‘I quit counting how many years I’ve been in the industry after 25 years.’
‘No one can ever know everything and nobody ever stops learning.’
‘Nail technicians are someone who can answer their questions and give them a credible answer that makes sense. And it’s so hard to find credible answers that make sense, are believable and are fact based.’
‘No one invents anything in a vacuum. You’ve got to have input from people.’
ABOUT THE GUEST
Doug Schoon is an internationally-recognized scientist, author and educator with over 30 years experience in the cosmetic, beauty and personal care industry. He is a leading industry authority, known for his technical and regulatory work that has helped shape the beauty industry. He is Co-Chair of the Nail Manufacturers Council (NMC), and as Creative Nail Design's (CND) Chief Scientist, was head of the R&D laboratory, QA, and Field Testing/Evaluation departments for almost 20 years.
Schoon has authored several books, video and audio training programs, as well as dozens of magazine articles about salon products, safety, and best practices for salon professionals. Schoon is well known for his captivating presentation style and his unique ability to make complex concepts easy to understand.
In 1986, Schoon founded Chemical Awareness Training Service (CATS) – the beauty industry’s first safety training company. This was followed by his book, Nail Structure & Product Chemistry, 1st and 2nd Edition, which has become essential reading for nail salon pros. Schoon is a chief contributor to Milady’s Standard Nail Technology and Standard Cosmetology, as well as several medical reference books s