I know what you’re thinking: What could I possibly have to do with CIDESCO, the world’s major international beauty therapy association headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland? Well, in the Kevin Bacon game of separation, I’m closer than you’d realize.

This was just a quickie project for Cengage Learning where I made a table out of the 108-page CIDESCO syllabus (”The prestigious CIDESCO Diploma is awarded to candidates who have passed the CIDESCO examinations and given proof of having gained at least 600 hours work experience in a beauty center/salon.”) and filled it in with page numbers corresponding to information in three Cengage esthetics and anatomy textbooks. This way, Cengage could ensure that students using its texts would have all the knowledge needed to pass the CIDESCO test.

As an aside, are you aware that in order to pass this test, beauty therapists (aka estheticians) not only have to know the obvious (hair, skin, nails, hygiene), but also chemistry, biology and physics? Can you identify the superficial lymph nodes of the face and neck? No? Well, maybe that lady who runs the footspa place in your local strip mall can. Respect!

In creating a custom textbook on Music Appreciation, I was given Charles Hoffer’s Music Listening Today to use as the basis for the new book. I aligned the content of Music Listening Today with the objectives for a college course on Music Appreciation, which resulted in a custom textbook of 43 chapters. The real pièce de résistance of this project is the 600+ quiz questions I created to correspond to the course’s learning objectives. I enjoy making assessments. Perhaps I got that from my mother, who is a teacher. I’ve made a few sample quizzes from Music Appreciation available below.

Writing is obviously a subject I enjoy, so putting together this book came naturally. In this case, I worked with The Decisive Writer and its author, Kathryn Raign, to create the custom textbook. Kathryn provided 30+ Learning Outcomes which I used to align the content and craft 10 chapters worth of quiz questions (three samples below). To complete this package, I selected useful multimedia to match and enhance the core content.

Milady is an imprint of Delmar Cengage Learning. I hadn’t realized this, but Milady has been around for 80 years. Milady U and Salon Training International (STI) make up the training division of Milady. The online university provides continuing education courses to salon and spa owners, technicians and stylists.

I worked with Susie Carder, founder of Your Beauty Network, to create 5 online courses for Milady U. Based on information provided by Susie, I wrote all the content, speeches and presentations. I also created the quiz questions and final exam. Course descriptions follow. Scroll down for screen shots. PowerPoint presentations are here.

How to Work Smart & Make More Money

In this course, you learn how to work smarter, not harder. We teach you a step-by-step system that the top salon professionals in America are using to make a six-figure income. You will learn information to immediately grow your salon sales, as well as how to increase the amount your clients spend with you. You’ll also find out why it is good business to recommend retail products!

Getting Retail Results!

In this course, you learn a step-by-step system for increasing your retail sales. You learn how to service your clients – NOT sell them- with retail recommendations. You will get information you can immediately use to grow your retail sales. Find out how to increase your retail purchases by 50% or more. This is a three-step system that anybody can use to increase retail return.

Double Your Day with No Additional Clients!

In this course, you learn techniques that the most successful professionals are using to increase their add-on service sales, keep their clients happy, and make more money in less time. These are skills a hairstylist, esthetician, nail technician, or massage therapist can use to double their day. You’ll learn how to increase your service sales by at least 50%, improve your client satisfaction, and increase your income.

How to Find and Hire the Staff That’s Right for You!

In this course, you learn a system for recruiting. You learn how to set up a recruiting strategy that attracts the right people and creates a waiting list of applicants. It’s all about how to recruit the right team, and we’ll show you the pros and cons of experienced technicians vs. new technicians. You also learn how to effectively advertise for and interview new recruits.

Salon Profitability – How to Find It and Keep It!

Did you know approximately 74% of the salons and spas in the U.S. are NOT profitable? In this course, you learn how to create a salon or spa that is profitable. You also find out the biggest profit mistakes most owners make. You will learn how to effectively advertise for your unprofitable salon or spa.

Each course includes:

• 4-5 sections of information
• 20-25 quiz questions and a final exam
• 4 PowerPoint presentations
• 10 avatars spoken by an industry professional