Beauty industry veteran, George Miller, has a notable resume: a salon owner with a high profile clientele for more than 20 years, a beauty trade magazine editor/writer, and a beauty industry educator with lifetime professional teaching credentials from UCLA Extension. In his latest (and perhaps greatest!) incarnation, George Miller (everyone calls him Coach) is thoroughly enjoying his role as a Salon Success Academy instructor of the "Life Skills" module of Pivot Point's Cosmetology curriculum.

Coach Miller has been teaching the "Life Skills" module for more than a year at Salon Success Academies, a five-campus beauty school located in California's Inland Empire. "I've been in the beauty industry for a long time, and at this time in my life, I feel I know what the industry needs - well-trained students who care about what they're doing," says Coach Miller.

Coach Miller continues, "I have a passion for helping students understand the vital importance of communication skills. In fact, 80-85% of achieving financial success as a beauty professional is based on communications skills. Of equal importance is the need for students to respect themselves as professionals. We all need to respect ourselves first, or nobody else will. It's not arbitrary that the first word in the Pivot Point Life Skills book is Respect."

Coach Miller is clearly thrilled to be teaching at Salon Success, because "I share the same value system with Bob and Susan – to help students as much as possible, to teach them to care, not just go through the motions. (Bob Gross is the owner and Susan Turner is the Director of Education for Salon Success Academies). The facilities and equipment are exceptional; I have state-of-the-art tools and a grand ballroom to work in. Bob and Susan have created a very supportive, professional environment - for the staff and instructors - but most importantly, for each and every student that they consider part of their family. I love coming to work."

Coach Miller continues, "I've seen stylists that were very creative, nice people, but they didn't have the critical communication skills necessary to build and maintain relationships with their customers. And, the first step to communicating effectively with people is self-respect. The first chapter of the Pivot Point Life Skills book is titled "Respect, Integrity and Commitment. I tell my students these are not just words, but part of an arsenal of personal characteristics on how to present themselves as professionals to the general public. Once you've developed a relationship with people, they respect you and what you do."

"If you provide quality, extraordinary customer service and sincerely care about each and every client that sits in your chair, you're going to make money. If you view your job as a way to get through the day, talk about your personal issues, or talk negatively, you won't be successful."

"I try to instill in my students the importance of learning to listen - that listening is not waiting for your turn to talk. By combining the outstanding curriculum provided by Pivot Point, along with my personal experience, my daily objective is to build each student's self-confidence and self-respect. Without the appropriate "life skills", students won't know how to handle a difficult client or co-worker."

"The Pivot Point curriculum gives students a lot of information and they think it's hard work, continues Coach Miller. I say to them, how are you going to work in a salon when you're behind the chair and dealing with different clients and personalities six, eight, or even ten hours a day? Think of it like working out in a gym; you're developing yourself to be a professional."

"Technical skills are certainly the foundation, but even though you can know something, until you understand what you're doing behind the chair, you can't reproduce it... and that's what a professional needs to do. Understanding builds self-confidence leading to self-respect, add communications to the mix and you have the life skills to be a successful professional."

"My teaching philosophy is actually based on a seminar I attended many years ago given by the famous and gifted architect, Buckminster Fuller. Fuller said that nurturing is the only way people learn; just like a child learning to walk. They need praise, encouragement and positive feedback every time they fall."

"My rules for the classroom are simple, but structured. No cell phones and no 'dishing' with classmates. I teach my students how to work successfully in the beauty profession, not how to get through the class."

Coach Miller concludes, "I love my profession. Many prospective and current students don't understand how truly great this profession is. That's my challenge -- to show them just how great the beauty profession is!"

About George Miller
George Miller has been in the beauty industry over 40 years. He has owned salons, developed products and curriculum and worked with high-profile clientele. Throughout his career, he has been an advisor to multiple beauty colleges, like Salon Success Academies, as well as an advisor to the State Board of Barbering and Cosmetology. Miller is also an independent consultant and inspirational speaker to the beauty industry. He is the author of "Seeds of Inspiration" and a contributing writer to Hair's How Publications.

Salon Success Academies have five campuses located in California's Inland Empire: Redlands, Fontana, Upland, San Bernardino, and Corona. SSA's philosophy is to treat each student as a part of the family, providing them with every opportunity to complete their studies at the lowest cost possible. SSA combines hands-on practical application with cosmetology, skin care, or nail technology concepts. The school partners with the beauty industry to enable students to graduate with technical excellence in their profession as well as strong customer service skills.
To learn more and request free information, visit www.gotobeautyschool.com.

PR contact: Robert Gross or Susan Turner
Tel: 909-982-4200