John Amico Jr.

President Story

Business perspective rooted in the beauty industry.

If you were a roommate of John Amico Jr. during his college days, you could get a beer and a haircut for $5 on Friday afternoons in his dormitory. He had already decided to make a career in the hair industry at an early age after growing up in the business with his father, John Amico Sr.

As a child, John Jr. worked in his father's salons selling Christmas ornaments, sweeping hair, stocking retail shelves, and helping with a variety of odd jobs. While in high school, he attended cosmetology school.

He later studied Marketing at Bradley College in Peoria, Illinois. Being active in the family business early gave him a head start: by college, he understood how business knowledge would apply to the industry he intended to join.

At Bradley, he received the Marketing Student of the Year Award, which came with a scholarship from Procter & Gamble. He later earned an MBA in Finance from DePaul University.

In 1989, John Amico Jr. began his full-time career in the professional salon business. He worked in his father's Hair Performers salon business for one year and helped move a location from zero profit to a high-performing salon, reaching $11,140 in sales during its top week.

He learned leadership through his father's influence and his own experiences. John Jr. has described his father as persevering, hard-working, and committed to giving back, someone who could make the impossible possible.

John Jr. then became Director of Operations for the national We Care Hair salon chain franchise, working on store designs, training, and lease negotiations.

Fred DeLuca, founder of Subway Sandwiches and co-owner of We Care Hair with John Amico Sr., became a role model and mentor to John Jr. He also credits entrepreneurs such as Marshall Field, Dale Carnegie, and Henry Ford as early inspirations.

John Jr. continued to work with his father in cosmetology schools and salons until they were sold in the 1990s, shifting focus to the John Amico Product Company and education.

He has focused on ensuring that new students and salon owners are successful through educational opportunities. He has also talked about being positive and motivated, including posting motivational messages for staff and emphasizing that life is a journey, not a destination.

For John Jr., the rewards of leading the John Amico Products Company and the John Amico School of Hair Design include seeing the school grow with new students and salons and watching salon professionals succeed in their own businesses.

His wife, Julia, and their children, Jenna, John Jr., and Joey, have all been involved in various aspects of the business, continuing the family connection that shaped his own path.

He has described business, personal life, family, and spirituality as ingredients in the same cake rather than separate parts of life. His view of the Share the Wealth Program is also broader than money: it is about creating wealth in life through family, spirituality, service, and growth.

John Jr. credits his success to the ability to grow, adapt to change, and give back to others. He has said that unselfishly giving to others is a foundation for success.

Share the Wealth has its own charity program called Sharing and Caring, which supports members who have experienced emergencies, from healthcare needs to salon damage. John Jr. also recorded a CD of Christmas music to help benefit the charitable cause.

Along with strong values, ethics, teamwork, and hard work, he credits his father with instilling a love of helping others. That spirit has helped drive his work with the school, students, and salon owners.

One lesson he credits to his father remains central to the school story: "People do not care how much you know; they care how much you care about them."