MEET JANET
Meet Janet Whetston: Salon Owner, Business Coach and Creator of The Protégé Method™
Janet spent years in the chair and behind the front desk — discovering that lasting success comes from systems, leadership, and financial clarity.
Her salon journey
Janet has been a licensed cosmetologist since 2010 and has owned The Abode Salon & Spa in New London, Minnesota, a small-town market, since 2017. She learned hiring, training and profitability first-hand and documented what worked. Between 2021 and 2022 the salon grew sales from $299,000 to $430,000, a 43.8% increase, earning a place on the Salon Today 200 for Growth in 2024. In 2025 The Abode was named to the Salon Today 200 again, for Marketing.
Why she became a coach
The biggest challenge was never clients. It was consistent systems that let stylists thrive and the business become profitable. Once Janet built those systems, other owners kept asking how she did it. In 2021 she founded Janet Whetston Consulting to share them, and created The Protégé Method™, the 12-week training system she has used to train 30+ stylists.
Business philosophy
A salon should give its owner freedom, not just a job. Profitability, leadership, and repeatable systems make that possible.
Credentials and recognition
Janet combines hands-on salon ownership, professional education, and recognized industry experience to help salon owners build stronger, more sustainable businesses.
Licensed cosmetologist since 2010
Owner of The Abode Salon & Spa, New London, Minnesota, since 2017
Founder of Janet Whetston Consulting (2021)
2× Salon Today 200 honoree: Growth (2024) and Marketing (2025)
Creator of The Protégé Method™; 30+ stylists trained
Certified in IBE and EHP hair extensions
College graduate, AAS degree
In the press
Beyond the Technique podcast
Voyage Minnesota Magazine
SALON TODAY
MISSION & VALUES
What guides every coaching relationship
Leadership
Owners who lead with clarity build teams that stay.
Profitability
Beautiful work should also be a healthy business.
Education
Confident stylists come from real training, not luck.
Consistency
Systems create predictable, repeatable results.
Growth
Sustainable scale, without burning out the founder.
THE JOURNEY
How it all came together
2017 · The Start
Built a profitable salon
Grew a salon from the ground up in a small-town market — learning what actually drives revenue and retention.
2021 · The Shift
Created a coaching practice
Other owners kept asking how she did it. Coaching became the natural next chapter.
The System
Developed The Protégé Method™
A 12-week stylist training framework built from real salon experience.
Today
Helping owners nationwide build profitable, high-performing teams.
