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also to have a rapport with their clients and make them feel special and cared for during their entire salon experience. I spend a lot of time in restaurants and hotels looking at how they do customer service, and we take a lot from that for the team. As well as making the client feel special, five-star service also means, obviously, that the hair is perfect every time and always at the highest standard possible. It also covers all the other touchpoints of the business – the website, Facebook, Instagram, the look and feel of the salon... It always looks fresh, clean and professional, which is an essential part of five-star service.
HAS THE ADDITION OF BEAUTY SERVICES AND INJECTABLES BEEN WELL RECEIVED BY CLIENTS AND ANY MORE CHALLENGING THAN YOUR HAIRDRESSING OPERATIONS?
We’ve been running beauty for a couple of years now and we continue to be absolutely inundated with people who want the services. It’s a great service to be able to offer our existing clients, as well as helping us attract new ones. If they want botox, fillers, lip enhancements or just regular beauty services, they’re happy being in a space that they’re used to, with a team they know and service they can rely on. Time is a real luxury for most people, and it’s great to allow our clients to be more productive by getting their nails done as their colour processes, or get a pedicure or eyelashes done at the same time. It does take time and effort to launch new services and take on more staff, as well as running the existing salon – but again, it goes back to having the right people for the right jobs. Our receptionists can integrate beauty into bookings and all of our staff are trained in how long services take, so they can recommend them to their clients and know what’s manageable. We also have a prompt on all of our bookings – whether that’s in the app, online or on the phone – to add on a beauty service. It takes effort, but in our experience, it has absolutely been worth it and brilliantly well received.
DOES BRANDING AND PHOTOGRAPHY COME EASILY TO YOU?
Branding is definitely something I love to do, and for me, the brand has to encompass everything we do – how the salon looks, the shoots we produce, the work we do. It all needs to be one clear, concise brand. When it comes to the salon, I always knew exactly how I wanted it to look. I built on that initial idea with inspiration from hotels and restaurants I visited, as well as the salons that my friends own and work in. The building is Grade II-listed and
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in a very sleepy Shropshire village, but we still wanted it to be striking, and I think we managed to get that balance right. Our work is always beautiful but striking, and I think that applies to the salon, and the rest of our branding, too.
HOW DO YOU JUGGLE THE BUSINESS/OPERATIONS, FINANCIAL AND CREATIVE ASPECTS OF YOUR BUSINESS?
Well having a partner like Stephanie helps because she’s very good at managing the business side of things! I’ve pushed the salon since day one because I always wanted us to be well-known in the industry and to win competitions and participate in shows and art teams. That stuff all costs money, but it also helps grow your profile and, in turn, the business. I do private jobs on Sundays and Mondays when the salon is closed, which helps to pay for the big shoots. We actually used to get loans every year to do them, but they’re worth it. My photographer is my friend, Richard Miles and he took my very first photos- it was actually his first shoot, too. Since then, we’ve grown together and we do sometimes argue about what we can and can’t afford and plans do have to be scaled back, but the goal is always that the salon is our priority and at the forefront of what we do. You can get blindsided by the shoots and shows and other exciting work, but the fundamentals of the salon have to be there, otherwise you’re not running a good business.
YOU HAVE A VERY SPECIAL ASSISTANT IN MOO MO, YOUR SALON DOG. HOW DOES SHE ADD TO THE SALON VIBE?
She was the best thing we ever did! We actually have a second one now too, Luna, who belongs to one of our colourists. People love them and it helps make the salon feel like a friendly, welcoming place. And if people don’t like them, that’s fine – we just pop them in the staff room where they’re very happy sleeping. But really, who doesn’t like a cute dog?!
WHAT’S THE FUNNIEST THING THAT’S EVER HAPPENED TO YOU AT THE SALON?
There’s a bus stop outside the salon and one morning, there were two elderly ladies standing there in the rain and wind. I asked if they wanted to come in and have a coffee while they waited because the weather was so bad, but what I didn’t realise was that they weren’t just waiting for the bus… they were waiting for a coach. Before I knew it, we had 40 grannies in the salon, all wanting a coffee and chatting away to the team. It was hilarious, but it was early on in the business and I did worry that it looked a bit unprofessional, so I was relieved when their coach came along and took them off. They still all pop in now to bring us sweets and things, which is very nice!