L OC AL P EOPLE
A Cut Above Catherine Varney spoke to Thomas Potts, the man behind the rapidly-expanding Thomas Hairdressing group
F
OUR years ago when I walked into Thomas Potts’ newly-opened Oakham salon, one of the first things I noticed was how smart it was – the decor, obviously because it was all shiny and brandspanking new but the man himself was dressed in a three-piece suit. I wondered whether this was simply the case of making a good first impression? Apparently not; as now with three salons across the region and his sartorial standards as high as ever, I went back to find out the key to Thomas’ success.
In the beginning:
I assumed for a man with such obvious passion for his profession, that hairdressing had been a lifelong dream? “Not at all”, Thomas laughed. “I left school with A-levels in Psychology, Art, English Literature and Graphics and although I’d always had an interest in hairstyles, I had never considered it as a career.” But having decided he needed a job, he applied to be a stylist’s apprentice, and in what would become typical Thomasstyle, he decided to learn from the best, in London’s West End. Thomas secured a spot in Michael Van Clarke’s salon (the brother of famous hairdresser Nicky Clarke) and commuted there from Market Harborough every day: “My apprentice’s wages were so low and my train fare was so high that I was making a loss every month. In fact, I had to make £108 a week in tips just to break even; thank goodness the salon was frequented by lots of wealthy and very generous clients!”
Wise words:
Following the completion of his Apprenticeship, Thomas got his own assistant in the salon and took his inspiration from his revered boss: “He was excellent with the customers and nothing was too much trouble. He wasn’t a great talker but he would really listen – and remember the tiniest detail about a client so he could ask them about it when they came in next time. He once said to me ‘from the moment you qualify, that’s the best you’ll ever be. How you maintain your standards after that is up to you’. And I’ve definitely lived by that mantra. When I made the decision to open my own salon in Oakham, I only wanted to attract the very best staff to the business to continue our good work and good name.”
A few hair-raising moments along the way....
Even though Thomas’ transition from Apprentice to salon owner appears seamless, it hasn’t been without problems: “We didn’t have chairs for two days when we first opened the Oakham salon so had to make do with cutting stools, computer chairs and anything else we could find for the customers to sit on. Plus my plans of serving fresh coffee out of a topof-the-range machine went out of the window when the supplier went bankrupt the day before we opened. We ended up using an Argos kettle to make the customers’ drinks so it wasn’t quite the auspicious start I was hoping for.” And have there been any hair-related disasters? “Well, I have to reluctantly admit that one time I was cutting a young lad’s hair when he moved his head and I accidentally cut his ear. I was mortified as I’d never done anything like that before – but to my horror, I then managed to do exactly the same thing on the other side! Fortunately, his mum was very good about it and the lad is 16 now and still one of my most loyal customers.”
62
Future plans:
So hard work aside, does Thomas have much time to relax with wife Claire and daughter Ava who will be 2 in August? “Fortunately Claire owns her own business too so is very supportive of the long hours I work. And actually I am spending even less time at home at the moment because I’ve started training for an amateur sponsored boxing match called Ultra White Collar to raise money for Cancer Research UK. There are 20 of us, trained up by professionals over 8 weeks ready to take part in the big finale on the 11th June.” Yikes! And when Thomas walks away (hopefully) unscathed from his bout in the ring, are there further plans afoot for more salons? “I’m in no rush to open any more right now, as I would just end up paying bills and organising stock rather than cutting hair. Instead, I’d like to develop the Thomas range of hair care products which we’re already putting into independent hotels across the country, and I’m looking at the possibility of selling to a wider audience through QVC, the home shopping channel.” And with drive and determination like this, certainly anything is possible. • Thomas Hairdressing, The Maltings, 15 Mill Street, Oakham, Tel: 01572 756561; 2 High Street, Melton Mowbray, Tel: 01664 566812; 13-14 Churchgate, Loughborough, Tel: 01509 211010, www.thomashairdressing.co.uk To sponsor Thomas in aide of Cancer Research UK, text TUWC99 and the amount to 70070.
RUTLAND & MARKET HARBOROUGH LIVING JUNE 2016
62 POTTS.indd 1
19/05/2016 12:47