Tanning businesses were split on whether April was a better business month than last year, with just over half reporting better-or-similar results as compared to April 2011, according to a SmartTan.com poll conducted in May.

According to the poll, 38 percent reported a stronger April in 2012, with 17 percent reporting results about the same as last year. Forty-six percent of salons reported weaker results in 2012. The poll was not scientific, but is directional and closely matches other SmartTan.com polls conducted this year.

“More than a third of tanning businesses are finding ways to outpace 2011 results,” Smart Tan’s Joseph Levy said. “That keeps showing up as the bottom-line of these polls”

An Australian news report this week encouraged Australians to ease up on sunscreen usage as the down-under continent heads into its winter — yet another indication that the country that gave us “slip, slap and slop” has finally learned that its vitamin D levels are slipping.

“Our modern lifestyle has plunged us back into the dark ages — putting us at risk of vitamin D deficiency,” the Herald Sun reported. “One in three Victorians were in the dark about winter sun exposure, a Cancer Council survey has found. They falsely believe they needed the same amount of sun as in summer to get adequate vitamin D intake.”

The story quoted Australian Cancer Prevention Centre Director Craig Sinclair admitting that indoor lifestyles are leading to lower vitamin D levels. “More people are spending a lot more time indoors and it makes it difficult for them to get adequate vitamin D, particularly if they are working through lunch,” Sinclair said.

The article’s advice: Fair skinned people need up to three hours of sunshine spread over the week, equal to about 20-30 minutes a day. People with darker skin need 3-6 times more sun exposure.

“In Victoria from the beginning of May right through to the end of August, the vast majority of Victorians shouldn’t need to use sun protection unless they are working in high risk environments such as the alpine areas, because the UV levels are so low during the winter months,” Sinclair told The Herald Sun.

To read the story click here.

“Skin is not plastic. Those sunscreens have all been well-tested in laboratories to make sure that they’re safe and that they’re effective.” — Dermatologist Dr. Rutledge Forney, as quoted by Atlanta’s WSBTV, which reported that a woman claimed a chemical sunscreen sprayed on the back of her Nook e-reader damaged the plastic casing.

A growing number of people are concerned that over-use of chemical sunscreen products exposes the skin to active ingredients that may interfere with the skin’s normal functions and may introduce the body to toxic chemicals. But Georgia resident Jodie Brookfield believes that chemicals in her sunscreen product damaged her Nook e-reader.

“I got my Nook out of its case and the whole back of it was melted,” Brookfield told Atlanta’s WSBTV Channel 2. The station reported, “’Brookfield said the chemicals in her spray sunscreen damaged her Nook e-reader. She said she used the spray on her vacation but later realized it ate away at the device, right where she picked it up.” The news report claimed the warning label on the sunscreen said it could damage some fabrics, materials or surfaces.

So what about dermatologist Forney’s explanation: The product may harm plastic, but is safe for your skin? The Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org) might take exception to that. EWG has led the call for more rigorous product safety testing for most sunscreen products.

Here is WSBTV’s story.

To read EWG’s sunscreen report click here.

Yahoo! Small Business Advisor posted “8 Signs of an Extraordinary Boss” by Geoffrey James. It’s an excellent article for owners and managers to affirm the things they’re doing well and take note of areas that need improvement.

1. Business is an ecosystem, not a battlefield. According to James, “Average bosses see business as a conflict between companies, departments and groups. They build huge armies of ‘troops’ to order about, demonize competitors as ‘enemies,’ and treat customers as ‘territory’ to be conquered.”

Friendly competition between co-workers is always a fun, motivational exercise, but turning your teams against one another only creates chaos for your business. Extraordinary bosses see the value in creating partnerships and create a diverse environment to promote a wide range of ideas for the greatest successes.

2. A company is a community, not a machine. This has always been a disparaging characterization of big business, but it seems to be gaining momentum in smaller business characterization today as well. “Average bosses consider their company to be a machine with employees as cogs. They create rigid structures with rigid rules and then try to maintain control by ‘pulling levers’ and ‘steering the ship.’”

Exceptional bosses realize the value of each individual employee. They find out what goals their employees have and work together to achieve them. Inspiring your employees creates a sense of loyalty, not only for them but also for your customers and community.

3. Management is service, not control. “Average bosses want employees to do exactly what they’re told. They’re hyper-aware of anything that smacks of insubordination and create environments where individual initiative is squelched by the ‘wait and see what the boss says’ mentality.”

None of us want to be micro-managed: It’s a time suck and it actually hinders productivity and progress. Allowing employees to govern themselves to an extent promotes responsibility and a sense of self-worth.

4. My employees are my peers, not my children. “Average bosses see employees as inferior, immature beings who simply can’t be trusted if not overseen by a patriarchal management. Employees take their cues from this attitude, expend energy on looking busy and covering their behinds.”

Attitude reflects leadership. Don’t treat your employees like children unless you want them to act like children. James says, “Excellence is expected everywhere [by an exemplary boss], from the loading dock to the boardroom. As a result, employees at all levels take charge of their own destinies.”

5. Motivation comes from vision, not from fear. Picture Alec Baldwin in “Glengarry Glen Ross” or Gary Cole from “Office Space,” two of Hollywood’s all-time worst bosses. Cutting employees down or assigning extra work on the weekends is just too cruel. “Average bosses see fear – of getting fired, of ridicule, of loss of privilege – as a crucial way to motivate people. As a result, employees and managers alike become paralyzed and unable to make risky decisions.”

Trying to scare employees will only work in the short term because they’ll eventually find work opportunities elsewhere. In the words of Geoffrey James, “Extraordinary bosses inspire people to see a better future and how they’ll be a part of it. As a result, employees work harder because they believe in the organization’s goals, truly enjoy what they’re doing and (of course) know they’ll share in the rewards.”

6. Change equals growth, not pain. Change is a part of life, so having a staff that’s willing to change and grow will find more value in their career. “While they don’t value change for its own sake, they know that success is only possible if employees and organization embrace new ideas and new ways of doing business,” says James.

7. Technology offers empowerment, not automation. In this age, computer technology has become like another limb. While average bosses see technology as “a way to strengthen management control and increase predictability,” they ultimately “dehumanize and antagonize employees.”

Take the time to find out what technology actually makes your staff’s job easier. “Extraordinary bosses see technology as a way to free human beings to be creative and to build better relationships. They adapt their back-office systems to the tools, like smartphones and tablets, that people actually want to use.”

8. Work should be fun, not mere toil. “Average bosses buy into the notion that work is, at best, a necessary evil. They fully expect employees to resent having to work, and therefore tend to subconsciously define themselves as oppressors and their employees as victims. Everyone then behaves accordingly.”

Expecting your employees to hate their everyday tasks is just like a self-fulfilling prophecy: They will eventually hate it. While most tasks have some unappealing element, a great boss tries to make every day enjoyable so those tedious, unlikeable tasks are overshadowed by a great boss and generally awesome atmosphere.

To read the entire Yahoo! Business article, please click here.

Yet another study suggests that natural vitamin D levels may help slow the growth of prostate cancer tumors.

“In a new study, men with the highest levels of vitamin D in their blood were 57 percent less likely than men with the lowest levels to succumb to prostate cancer,” Fox News reported of the study conducted at the Harvard School of Public Health. “Prostate cancer is a very heterogeneous disease,” Harvard researcher Dr. Irene Shui, told Fox. “Some tumors progress quickly, spreading to other sites in the body and causing death, while others stay within the prostate for years and never affect a man’s health or life.”

“There is abundant laboratory evidence that vitamin D may have anticancer properties,” Shui said. But while studies conducted on prostate cancer cells growing in lab dishes have shown that vitamin D may thwart cancer’s progression, studies in people have shown that high levels of the vitamin don’t lower a man’s risk of getting cancer of the prostate, the gland surrounding a man’s urethra. That may be because so many men have prostate tumors, but the tumors do not progress in many cases.

To read the Fox report click here.

Breast Cancer Natural Prevention Month is underway, and hundreds of Smart Tan members in the United States and Canada have joined a coalition of businesses supporting the Breast Cancer Natural Prevention Foundation’s major fundraising effort.

BCNPF (www.PreventBC.org) promotes natural breast cancer prevention strategies — including getting vitamin D levels tested and raised to natural sufficiency levels — as the most prominent of natural prevention strategies to cut breast cancer risk in half. As a breast cancer charity, focusing on prevention rather than detection sets this group and this effort apart. That’s why Smart Tan encouraged its members to get involved.

“Most tanning businesses support breast cancer charities at some point in the year, so why not support a charity that is actually promoting a message that is in line with what we know about vitamin D — that natural levels are associated with a significantly lower risk of breast cancer,” Smart Tan Vice President Joseph Levy said. “This is just an excellent non-profit program for you to support through your tanning business.”

“The bottom line is simple: You don’t need to cure or detect what you can prevent. And the BCNPF is unique among cancer charities today because our mission is to teach natural and proven breast cancer prevention strategies that your friends, neighbors and customers can begin right now — today,” says Breast Cancer Natural Prevention Foundation supporter Dr. Marc Sorenson. “Where other cancer charities pour billions of dollars into detection and treatment programs, which are important, we feel those are secondary to what should be obvious: Detection isn’t prevention, and when you can prevent something, detection is a lot like closing the barn door after the horses are gone.”

Click here or call 800-652-3269 or 866-795-3755 in Canada to order your salon fundraising kit.

Click here to read more about the program in Smart Tan Magazine.

Entrepreneur.com’s article, “5 Tips for Surviving Your Startup’s First Year” by Carol Tice, offers great advice to help any new business navigate the murky waters of their beginnings.

1. Talk to customers. Find out what people are looking for. Not just products, but prices, packages, deals, etc.

2. Choose your location carefully. This is more than just your physical location. These days, your cyber presence is key.

3. Keep expenses down. This is a no-brainer, but the ways to keep expenses down are not. Sometimes going it alone until you’re turning a profit is the way to go, even if that means spending 80 hours a week at your salon.

4. Plan for problems. If something can go wrong, it will go wrong. The best way to avoid a disaster is to be prepared for it – make a list of all the things that could possibly cost you big your first year and find the best ways to resolve them before they happen.

5. Analyze how it’s going. This is harder than it sounds, since many startups don’t have the free time of larger, more established businesses. But this is essential to your growing business to ensure you’re heading in the direction you want. Don’t feel like you’ve failed if you have to change direction multiple times either – you’re taking control and making sure your salon is getting into a natural rhythm.

To read the full article on Entrepreneur.com, please click here.

Another study is showing that ‘the sunshine vitamin’ — already linked to risk reduction for heart disease, autoimmune disorders and most forms of cancer — may play a role in melanoma risk reduction. A Stanford University study has shown that vitamin D and calcium supplements — in women who were at-risk for melanoma — cut their melanoma risk in half.

HealthDay.com, in conjunction with U.S. News & World Report, covered the study. Lead author Dr. Jean Tang wants further research into the explanation for the connection, but HealthDay spoke to vitamin D expert Dr. Michael Holick, the Boston University professor of medicine, physiology and biophysics who is at the forefront of vitamin D research world-wide. According to HealthDay, Holick said a lot of sun exposure early in life increases the risk for non-melanoma skin cancer, but may actually lower the risk of developing melanoma. Sunlight is a source of vitamin D.

“Melanoma is a different story. Being exposed to sunlight, making some vitamin D may very well be protective of melanoma,” Holick said in the HealthDay story. “The thinking is, improving your vitamin D status, whether by supplements or by exposure to sunlight, you are providing your skin cells with a mechanism to prevent them from becoming malignant.”

To read the story click here.