One of the fun things about doing guest television appearances for the networks is getting your hair and make-up done by professionals. Most of the stylists are solo entrepreneurs so in addition to picking up tricks of the trade from them, I also like to ask: "How's business?" Does the beauty business hold its own in a sluggish economy? Most say, "So far so good." The reason they say, is because typically their customers aren't living paycheck to paycheck so they aren't likely to skimp on personal care services.

To further my research from the network make-up chair, I asked my friend Pete, who owns several salons and has been in the industry for more than 35 years. He concurred with my findings. However, he noted that some customers may stretch the time in between salon visits a little longer when times are tight. For example, if you regularly book salon appointments every four weeks, you might decide to go every five weeks instead.

My informal research reflects the national data on the salon-industry's vitality. There are some 75,000 beauty salons in the expanding beauty business – a $16 billion industry. When you add an additional 5,000 men's hair salons and barber shops to the picture; hair care and personal services equals a lot of small business jobs!

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