Power Book 2018

Manage your way to business growth
POWERBOOK
GOOD TO GREAT
Next steps for your salon

SIT BACK. WE
WANT TO TELL
YOU A STORY…
AFTER SUCCESSFUL CAREERS as the owner of a barber shop, a
top-performing salesman and a national sales manager, Henry Meyers
found himself at odds with bureaucratic managers who had no idea what
was happening in the field. He had done everything else in the barber/
beauty industry – so why not start a new company, or better yet, buy one?
In late 1959, at the age of almost 50, Henry acquired a small
manufacturer in Indianapolis, IN, called Kenra Laboratories, which had
long been trying to make its way into the shampoo business.
Henry knew what it took to make shampoo and to sell shampoo.
He loved every aspect of the business and progressively grew his company
until it was regarded as producer of high-quality, professional products.
The staff of Kenra were his extended family. He relished pay-day, when
he would personally hand out every cheque, making sure to enquire about
everyone’s families, their troubles and their joys.
Henry remained active in Kenra until he was diagnosed with cancer
in 2000. He died on 6 March 2001 and the beauty and barber supply
industry lost one of its pillars, one of its very best. But we are all richer for
Henry Meyers having dared, shared and cared!
Under new ownership Kenra has continued to flourish, launching Kenra
Platinum in 2004 and Kenra Color in 2012. Kenra Professional is now
available in the UK exclusively from Salon Success and Salon Services.

(ADVERTORIAL)

KENRA PROFESSIONAL
For the true Kreative!
KENRA
Kenra boasts some of the most popular styling
products on the market – its iconic Volume
Spray 25 has won the Behind The Chair
Stylist Choice Award for Favourite Hairspray
an unprecedented 13 years in a row.
Moisturizing Volumizing Daily
Provision
Shine
Spray
Matte
Texture Putty
Volume
Mousse
KENRA PLATINUM
Launched in 2004, Kenra Platinum introduced
luxurious ingredients, premium fragrances and
innovative technology, fast becoming a firm
favourite of stylists and consumers alike.
Revive
Collection
Thickening
Collection
Color
Charge
Collection
Ker-ching!
KENRA AND KENRA PLATINUM
both have easy-to-follow hold factors on
all styling products making them even
easier to retail to clients

(ADVERTORIAL)
WINNER
STYLIST
CHOICE
AWARDS 2017
behindthechair.com
Curl Glaze
Mousse
Root Lifting
Spray
Styling
Gel
Design
Spray
Artformation
Spray
Thermal
Styling Spray
Non-Aerosol
Volume
Spray
Ultra Freeze
Spray
Featured
in
THE
DAILY
MAIL
Volume
Spray
Dry
Shampoo
Blow-Dry
Spray
Silkening
Mist
Thickening
Spray
Dry Texture
Spray
Hot Spray
Silkening
Gloss
“Volume Spray 25 is a great performer, leaving hair feeling luxurious without overwhelming it or
weighing it down. It’s a must if your client struggles with limp hair”
CARL BROWN, CO-FOUNDER, RUSSELL AND BROWN’S

For the convenience of shopping online and in store visit: www.salon-services.co.uk

NEW
& EXCLUSIVE
TO THE UK
FOR THE TRUE KREATIVE
#KREATE
Since it’s US launch six years ago, Kenra Color ® has become the brand of choice for
thousands of trend-driven stylists across America. With unparalleled grey coverage delivering
true to tone, natural looking colour and a consistency you’ll love; you can expect soft,
shiny results that your clients will crave.
Award-Winning • Performance Driven
Professional Only • Cruelty-Free
BRINGING YOU THE WORLD’S TOP SALON BRANDS
For preferential pricing, full salon support, launch kits and education call
salon-success.co.uk/kenra 0845 659 0011

WHY CHOOSE
KENRA COLOR?
Kenra Color by Kenra Professional makes it easier than ever
to achieve stunning results. This straightforward, easy-to-use hair colour
line produces consistent, reliable results that you can count on
Metallic Collection
Designed for pre-lightened hair with silver, violet and bronze shades in limitless permanent and
demi-permanent colour combinations
Permanent Coloring Cremes
With a gentle, low-ammonia formulation that delivers vibrant, long-lasting results and outstanding coverage
Demi-Permanent Coloring Cremes
Formulated without ammonia for improved condition and manageability with intense shine
Permanent Blonding Category
Includes a variety of offerings such as the Kenra Color Lightener Collection, High Lift Series and the
extremely versatile Blonding Creme
Demi-Permanent Rapid Toners
Formulated without ammonia, and designed to process and tone in five minutes or less

(ADVERTORIAL)
“Kenra is true to tone, gentle and provides
awesome grey coverage!”
SARAH CRACKNELL, HAIRDRESSER
“Absolutely love Kenra Color! As a
professional I look for products that are easy
to use and deliver great results. Love it!”
GABRIELA RODRIGUEZ, HAIRDRESSER
“It’s hands-down the best colour line I’ve ever used!
I love the versatility and easy-to-use formulation! I
can’t wait to see what’s coming next!”
ZANE DREESMAN, HAIRDRESSER
“Kenra has the best reds I’ve ever used, and I’ve
been a redhead for years! All other colour lines
I’ve used have faded so fast, but Kenra continues
to stay vibrant and actually stays red substantially
longer than any other line I’ve used”
JACKI CLAYPOOL, HAIRDRESSER
“I love the way the hair feels, the colour
lasts and the shine is amazing!”
ANNA MARIE DE ALMEIDA, HAIRSTYLIST

(ADVERTORIAL)
10 GOOD REASONS
WHY YOU SHOULD PARTNER
WITH KENRA PROFESSIONAL
1. LONG ESTABLISHED, REPUTABLE BRAND
Over 85 years of dedication to the professional beauty industry, salons,
stylists and their clients
2. PURELY PROFESSIONAL
Commitment to professional beauty and non-diversion, always
putting the stylist first
3. INNOVATION
High quality, performance-driven products designed to meet
the most demanding stylist needs
4. TRAINING AND INSPIRATION
A wealth of support and education available on demand, with a dedicated Kenra Salon
Business Consultant and professional log in website
5. RECOGNITION AND RELIABILITY
Multi award-winning products tested in independent laboratories for superior performance
6. CRUELTY-FREE
Kenra Professional is not tested on animals
7. PHILANTHROPY
Kenra Professional has been partnering with The Rapunzel Project since 2010 and has
donated more than $50,000 (£35,600) so far
8. EXCLUSIVITY
The UK is the first country outside of the US to have the Kenra brand, which is available to
salons exclusively through Salon Success and Salon Services
9. FAST AND RELIABLE SERVICE
Salon orders leave our warehouse with a 98 per cent success
rate of delivery within 24 hours
1 0. VISUAL MERCHANDISING
Support including free point-of-purchase materials to create
eye-catching window and in-salon displays
FOR LAUNCH KIT OFFERS AND TO DISCOVER HOW PARTNERING WITH KENRA PROFESSIONAL CAN HELP
TO GROW YOUR SALON BUSINESS, CALL 0845 659 0011 OR VISIT SALON-SUCCESS.CO.UK/KENRA

( CONTENTS )
Cover by Kenra Professional. This page, HD Brows
POWER BOOK 2018
04 SALON BOSSES UNVEIL
THEIR #SQUADGOALS
16 BUILDING A COLOUR BUSINESS?
SOPHIA HILTON SHARES INSIGHTS
20 HOW TO TURN AN IDEA
INTO A WINNING INNOVATION
32 RE:INVENTION HOUSE
STARTS ALL OVER AGAIN
36 GET AHEAD WITH PR
EXPERT, ALISON JAMESON
40 MELISSA TIMPERLEY ON HER
SUCCESSFUL START UP
EDITOR Amanda Nottage. CONTRIBUTORS Beth Davie. ART Graeme White. CHIEF SUB EDITOR Adam Wood. ADVERTISING Laura Tucker. PUBLISHER Catherine Handcock.
Power Book is a supplement of Creative HEAD. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the prior permission. All information correct at time of going to press. Printing by Buxton Press.
creativeheadmag.com POWER BOOK
03

GOAL DIGGING
LISA WHITEMAN,
WHITEMAN SOHO
GOAL: GROW MY COLOUR BUSINESS
I opened my new salon at the end of last year (pictured above), and I’m aiming to
successfully re-invent the way a client experiences colour in-salon and give them supreme
confidence. I’d like to grow my colour business revenue by 75 per cent – as a start-up
with a very high break-even monthly figure I need great results to continue in this
beautiful location. I also plan to start my own training and education programme for
up-and-coming stylists. I’ll be working on this throughout the year and hope to inspire
them with a programme that includes a client cut and colour programme and teaches
them about client retention and customer service.
04 POWER BOOK creativeheadmag.com

( BUSINESS PLANS )
Time to get laser-focused as salons identify their #SquadGoals for the months ahead...
TOM O’BRIEN,
BAROQUE HAIR
GOAL: GAINING BETTER
CONSISTENCY
We know happy clients are loyal
clients. So we’ve worked hard to
create new policies that ensure we
meet and exceed their needs. Our
biggest challenge is continuity –
when the bar has been set so high
to deliver a premium experience,
it has to be delivered each and
every time. If it isn’t, a decline in
rebooking and revenue is sure to
follow. So we’ve just launched the
Baroque Hair ‘Service Wheel’.
The experience begins as soon
as a guest enters the salon: they
receive a warm welcome at our
reception, a detailed consultation,
indulgent hair spa experience,
professional delivery of their hair
service, and finally, they’re given
a bespoke product prescription.
We recognise revenue can only
be generated through trust and
loyalty. We always encourage
our team to upsell only if needed
by the client. With the ‘Service
Wheel’ in motion, our aim will
be to ensure transparency and
customer care are at the top of
our business priority list.
ANNE VECK,
ANNE VECK SALONS
GOAL: WINNING A
MOST WANTED AWARD
Winning awards is a very
important part of our marketing
mix. Our salon clients love going
to an ‘award-winning salon’ and
talk about it, thus attracting more
bums on seats. Winning improves
our credibility in the industry,
which helps the artistic team and
I get more education and show
work. We aim to win at least
one major award each year as a
minimum, and as we haven’t won
a Most Wanted or It List yet –
though we have been finalised a
few times – this is our goal. We
love how much value Creative
HEAD gives to its winners, so
it’s a priority to win one! We’re
also looking to increase turnover
and profit at our refitted Bicester
salon. We would expect a 20 per
cent growth in turnover within
12 months as a reasonable return
on investment. However, the
new refit makes us a standout
destination salon, so we’re aiming
for 33 per cent! We also have The
Big Hair Do in September as well
to get the name out there further.
MARK WOOLLEY,
ELECTRIC HAIRDRESSING
GOAL: NAILING
EDUCATION
It’s all about education for
us, whether through our
comprehensive training
programme for stylists or our
intimate creative learning course,
Electric Sessions. Working with
my education director, Steve
Robinson, we’ve been developing
a collection of tailor-made
education courses that are aimed
not only at our stylists but also
stylists from salons that stock
the Electric product range.
Internally, we’ve also created a
development system called the
Magnificent 7, which covers the
key elements of hairdressing as if
it were a typical day in the salon.
At the end of the programme,
each trainee is tested by having
to create seven key haircuts,
seven key colours, and seven
key finishes, just as they would
on the salon floor. Every art
director works to that standard
with the salon trainees so we
can all deliver the same level
of education in the same way,
throughout the salon group.
LEAH DURRANT, LEAH
DURRANT HAIR SALON
AND BEAUTY RE:TREAT
GOAL: PERFECTING MY
WORK/LIFE BALANCE
I had my first child before
opening the salon in 2010 and
was pregnant with my second
child during the set-up and
launch. I literally did everything
on my own while breast-feeding,
it was crazy! With all this in
mind, my goal for the future is
to perfect my work/life balance.
Being a ‘mumpreneur’ can
be challenging and you can
sometimes feel guilty spending
a lot of time at your business
and not with your children. I’ve
appointed two managers, one
for the hair salon and one for the
beauty. They run everything on
the days that salon co-director
Andrew and I are not in. Having
these two members of staff
managing when I’m unavailable
is great, as it keeps my mind at
ease that the business is achieving
its goals when I’m not around
and that other members of staff
are completing specific tasks and
reaching the goals that they have
been asked to.
creativeheadmag.com POWER BOOK
05

NEW LEASE OF LIFE
Forget CPR – this is how you bring ‘Flatliners’ in your business back to life –
with the help of 3•6•5’s Ken West
AT SALON SMART THIS YEAR a salon owner
and friend of mine, Carolyn Sweeney of Creations in
Chichester, joined me on stage to share how we created
a special programme together. Why, you might ask? It
was to help the ‘Flatliners’ in her salon get back onto the
upward curve to future growth. Every salon owner I know
has Flatliners – people who, whatever role they are in, have
reached that point where they are just drifting along. They
may be achieving good results or poor results, but either
way they are not growing, and probably have not grown in
a long time. They are comfortable and content and no one
is rocking their boat so they just keep drifting along.
The biggest challenge is that often it’s the salon owner
that is drifting along. Unprepared, too afraid, or just
unsure of what to do to rectify it. One thing is sure though
and that is that flatlining will never rectify itself.
So, what are the warning signs? The key indicator, in
its simplest form, is sales. If sales are flat, whether for the
salon as a whole or for any single individual then, if not
addressed, profits will fall because costs will inevitably
increase. However, that’s a simplistic answer, as we know
sales are a result of who we employ, what services they
provide, the quality of those services and our ability to
attract and retain clients. Stylists need to understand
they are responsible for, and in control of, their results.
What I do is ask stylists to share with me their own key
performance indicators:
What are their average weekly professional sales?
What are their average weekly retail sales?
What is their average number of clients per week?
What is their average income per client?
What is their new client percentage?
What is their request client percentage?
What is their client retention percentage?
The first four should be ingrained in their brains, just like
their address or their date of birth, because they are the
numbers that will affect their earning potential. Sadly,
most stylists have no idea of these numbers let alone
understand why they need to know them.
Hopefully when you took them on you set minimum
performance standards for each of your team. Awareness
of these numbers and the numbers that they are currently
achieving gives you a perfect starting place to create a
plan of action for the future. As a business, you then
need a clearly defined strategy to support and help people
to achieve their goals. Before you start to manage the
Flatliners out of your business, you must provide all of the
education, coaching and guidance that they need.
You will have heard the expression: “You can take
a horse to water but you can’t make it drink”. But you
must provide the water, make it taste nice, put it in a
receptacle that is easy to drink from and then make the
horse understand why it should drink the water. Then if
the horse decides not to ‘drink’, you better find yourself
another horse because that one isn’t going anywhere!
If you do all of the above and are still not getting the
Flatliners to grow, then you have to use performancerelated
disciplinary action to manage them out. Some
people leave it so long that they think it’s too late to start
performance management. It’s never too late to draw a line
in the sand and start performance managing; it will just
take longer to reach a conclusion the longer you leave it.
06 POWER BOOK creativeheadmag.com

( MOTIVATION )
creativeheadmag.com POWER BOOK
07

LET’S TRY
SOMETHING NEW
You’ve built up a solid salon business, but it’s beginning to
feel a bit samey. Take a look at the myriad ways
you could be building new sources of revenue
BONDING ADDITIVES AND TREATMENTS
Never underestimate the power of add-ons,
especially bonding additives and service
enhancements such as smoothing treatments.
They tie in perfectly with what you’re already
offering clients and offer no-fuss applications and
instant results – two things clients always appreciate.
There are an abundance of smoothing services
out there and it’s always worth checking with
your brand partner to see what it offers, but the
most recent addition to the market is from a brand
already known for its smoothing services: Ultimate
Treatment and Ultimate Booster by KeraStraight.
The Booster is designed to deliver extra straightening
power for clients with resistant, very curly or
Afro-Caribbean hair.
Priced at the discretion of the salon, but
recommended to charge upwards of £150 by
KeraStraight, Nathan Walker, international
technical director for Trevor Sorbie, has found
Ultimate Treatment and Ultimate Booster to be an
easy and affective way of boosting a client’s bill.
“When you suggest something that could add
an additional £600 spend a year, a client needs to
get their head around it,” says Nathan. “We’ve
been able to put it to them by explaining that they
wear their hair every single day. Once they try
KeraStraight, enjoy the product and find it delivers
what they want, they will find a way to do it.”
KeraStraight
08 POWER BOOK creativeheadmag.com

( BUSINESS BUILDERS )
And then there’s the bonding additives – try not
to make these already included in your client bill or,
if you do, make sure the overall price is more than
what you’d previously charged as they’re simply too
good at making money.
Sophia Hilton, owner of Not Another Salon and
2017 Most Wanted Colour Expert, discovered
this when she took on Innoluxe and the recently
launched Innoluxe V2. “I had to start looking at
the money, because if I was charging £120 for a
balayage, by adding Innoluxe every time it was
actually £150. You can imagine the difference it
made to the money coming into the salon.”
Affinage has created a handy calculator for salons
that use ASP Vitaplex – the brand’s Biomimetic Hair
Treatment – revealing how salons can grow their
business with the treatment. It shows that if just 15
extra clients a week opt for ASP Vitaplex at £20 a
service, then the salon will make a weekly profit of
£191.25 and an additional annual profit of £9,180.
Meanwhile, Deep Hairdressing in Teeside has
made an incredible £24,000 in sales in the past
year with L’Oréal Professionnel Smartbond. The
team has sold more than 2,000 applications, so not
only does it clearly increase your colour revenue, it
also generates loyalty as your client’s hair becomes
stronger and looks healthier.
And don’t forget the retail opportunities bonding
additives afford, with most including a third
aftercare option. Deep Hairdressing has found
clients are rebuying Smartbond Step 3 conditioner,
while Innoluxe Elixir V2 is a leave-in conditioner
that can be used at home and has a recommended
price tag of £25, and Affinage says an additional
£6 per client is achievable if they take home the
Vitaplex 03 Bond Preserver.
L’Oréal Professionnel Smartbond
BROWS
Rebecca Judic, trade sales manager at iconic
eyebrow brand, HD Brows, believes brows are the
perfect additional service for salons as it offers a
range of options for salons looking to increase their
revenue and client offerings.
“No prior beauty experience is needed, training
your stylists in HD Brows is a great introduction to
beauty for any salon, with minimal cost, space and
equipment required,” says Rebecca. “What’s more,
it’s a great way to keep stylists loyal to you as an
employee as they see you investing in their skill set.”
Then there’s the added revenue stream it offers.
Training starts from as little as £1,395+VAT with
further discount available for additional stylists
to be trained. “As part of your investment, you
will also receive a kit with enough product for 60
treatments, a place on the HD Brows salon finder
and free marketing materials,” says Rebecca. “With
a recommended treatment price of £30, your initial
training could be paid back in a matter of weeks.”
Karen Brown, owner of Hair by JFK, found
adding brow services very effective in boosting a
client’s average salon bill. “It allowed us to add value
to our hair salon experience and get clients talking,”
she says. “Clients waiting for their hair colour to
develop are often interested in these quick services,
which is great for salon profit.”
HD Brows
HD Brows
creativeheadmag.com POWER BOOK
09

( BUSINESS BUILDERS )
Remi Cachet
EXTENSIONS
As with many additional services, extensions are
a great way of directly increasing both your profit
and customer loyalty. “For salons that don’t have a
huge budget, hair extensions are a great option as
you can start off with a small investment, but still
have the potential to earn big,” says Hair Rehab’s
Lauren Pope.
Extensions make up 60 per cent of business at
Wills & Parker salon in Harrogate. “Extension
clients spend anything from £100 to £1,000
depending on the amount used, and my advice to
any aspiring stylist is to always seek out a company
that provides great hair, fantastic training and good
customer service,” says owner Tracy Roche.
She uses Great Lengths and has found extensions
are a great way at growing a loyal client base as
they’re more likely to come to the same salon for
their colour and blow-drying.
Salv Mulé, salon director at Academy Salons in
Surrey, has found offering extensions to be quicker
than carrying out a colour service. “We now
facilitate a full head of extensions in 45 minutes,
which is quicker than a colour service and more
profitable,” he enthuses. “We can also introduce
risk-free colour to clients who are chemical-shy,
which is a real asset.”
Salv uses Balmain Paris Hair Couture, which
Great Lengths Great Lengths
offers education courses from £175 and complete
packages from £449.95 to train three stylists. The
brand also offers a six-month hair quality guarantee
on all 100 per cent human hair extensions (when
using the Balmain Paris Hair Couture aftercare
range) – a strong draw for clients.
Remi Cachet’s training courses are open to
hairdressers with minimum NVQ Level 2, Victoria
Lynch, founder of Remi Cachet, suggests looking
at either the Mini Tip and Ultra Tip two-day
course or Hot and Cold Fusion two-day course as
a thorough introduction to extensions. “The initial
investment for the two-day courses are £1,200+VAT
for one person, but additional stylists from the same
salon are just an extra £300+VAT,” says Victoria,
who says the stylist should break even after just four
full heads. Extensions are enjoying a boom period
and the service is now the norm in many hair salons
and with a wealth of extension brand suppliers to
choose from, you can find the brand that’s best
for your salon.
Balmain Paris Hair Couture
10 POWER BOOK creativeheadmag.com

TRADE
ACCOUNTS
APPLY AT
REMICACHET.COM
FORM A DEEPER BOND
WITH YOUR HAIR
PRE BONDED - WEFTS - CLIP-INS - TAPE - HAIR PIECES
Indian, Russian-Mongolian & Chinese Hair
#GorgeousHairIsAChoice
Ask your #RCStylist
remicachet.com

( BUSINESS BUILDERS )
Nioxin
SCALP SERVICES
You probably already know that more than 50 per
cent of people will experience hair thinning at some
point in their lives, but how are you catering to these
clients in your salon? Trichology and hair thinning
services are no longer niche sectors and aren’t as
expensive or as time-consuming to add to services
as you might think, but they’re worth investing in
as “you will have something new to talk about to at
least half of your clients”, advises Sophie Ruggiero,
commercial education manager for Nioxin.
You first need to consider if you have an area
in your salon that you could use for private
consultations, as well as available retail space,
while setting aside a certain amount for training is
also advised as stylists need to be able to sensitively
discuss the needs of clients who may be experiencing
hair thinning.
Nioxin starter packages are around £750 and this
covers treatments, backwash services, retail and
style, but salons can invest in Nioxin from as little as
around £300 – and all receive training as standard.
Philip Kingsley recommends its starter package,
which costs from £1,000, to provide the salon with
the brand’s key lines and best sellers and enable
them to offer the Hair & Scalp Spa treatment as
a service. And Hairdreams is offering a 20 per
cent anniversary discount on its Microlines hair
thickening system starter package (until 31 May),
which includes free in-salon training, marketing
materials and 20 per cent discount on the range.
HOB Salons has recently
launched a Hair Thinning
Clinics service and has found
that stylists typically add it on
as an additional scheduled
component to their client’s
regular appointment. “In
terms of the client’s bill, the
new service has had a direct
and very pleasing effect,”
says Natasha Grossman,
regional manager of
HOB Salons.
Aveda
Aveda
Redken Brews
RETAIL
Retailing make-up and supplements are a no-brainer
as they’re a relatively low initial investment and
don’t take up a lot of space. “Adding beauty services
such as make-up has become hugely popular with
clients, allowing us to grow our business, bring in
more clients and give existing clients an even better
service,” says Karen Thomson, owner of KAM Hair
and Body Spa in Lossiemouth.
Aveda has recently launched its Feed my Lips
collection, specifically designed to go hand-inhand
with hair services. “There are few beauty
transformations as powerful as a hair colour refresh
and update, but changing a client’s hair colour can
often mean they say goodbye to their favourite lip
shade,” says Janell Geason, Aveda global artistic
director for make-up. “As a hair and make-up
brand, Aveda makes finding a complementary shade
effortless and with Feed my Lips salons are now
in a position to find a lipstick shade that will best
complement a client’s bespoke hair colour.”
The collection is a four-step process and if clients
buy the whole package, it’s £64. So if you sell
just two collections a day, that’s an extra £896 a
week, just from selling make-up. When it comes to
supplements, anything with a celebrity endorsement
sells well and Viviscal is a celebrity and beauty editor
favourite. Viviscal Professional sells to salons at
£35.99+VAT a pack, but recommends you retail it at
£59.99 a pack. Sarah Morrissey, owner of Sarai Hair
and Beauty in Crowthorne, Berkshire, admits: “We
talked about Viviscal Professional so much that we
had sold half of the stock in just a few weeks.”
MEN’S GROOMING
Men are high-value clients who visit the salon more
frequently than women and are willing to pay for
expert advice and services.
“We offer a Beard Trim and Shape as well as
a Hot Towel Shave and we also have a Deluxe
Package,” says Ross Charles, owner of Ross Charles
Hairdressing. “Offering this alongside their cut
and finish is both convenient for the client and an
effective way to boost our average bill.”
If you’re not sure where to start, reach out to your
brand partner. Redken Brews offers a Cut & Camo
service for men, enabling you to upgrade your male
clients in just five minutes.
And Aveda has introduced an in-salon Scalp
Facial targeted at men. This £15 add-on is designed
to effectively deep cleanse the scalp and help skin cell
turnover using the Aveda Pramãsana range.
12 POWER BOOK creativeheadmag.com

STRIVE
TO BE
UNRIVALLED
TAKE YOUR PLACE AMONGST THE CRÈME DE LA CRÈME. BECOME A GREAT LENGTHS
EXTENSIONIST TO UNLOCK LIMITLESS LOOKS AND CREATIVE POSSIBILITIES.
Our extensions are 100% human hair. We have a global reputation for excellence and an inspiring team of expert educators.
Great Lengths is in a class of its own. Don’t you want to be a part of it? Find out how you can become a
Great Lengths certified stylist.
GREATLENGTHSHAIR.CO.UK/BECOME-A-CERTIFIED-STYLIST

16 POWER BOOK creativeheadmag.com

( COLOUR BUSINESS )
COUNTDOWN
TO COLOUR LIFTOFF!
Get in control of your colour business! Most Wanted Colour Expert and
Business Thinker winner Sophia Hilton of Not Another Salon – not to mention
It List Entrepreneur, too – has a few lessons on what NOT to do…
5
4
3
2
1
DON’T EXPECT PEOPLE TO BUY IT IF YOU’RE NOT SELLING IT
When colourists tell me they want to do more creative colour but complain that
no-one comes into their salon for that sort of work, I say to them: ‘Yes, but did you
tell anyone you do it?’ No-one came to Not Another Salon to have creative colours
until we started to share them on social media. You have to advertise what you do
– and if you don’t do it, you need to fake it, at least for a while! Get in models and
do their hair for free until you have enough images to show your salon can do it.
DON’T FORGET TO COVER YOURSELF
It’s boring, but skin testing and consultation sheets really do cover you, not to
mention save you a fortune in re-dos. We even have a sheet they sign that states:
‘bleach is the most damaging chemical we can legally use on your hair’, just to be
dramatic! Dot your i’s and cross your t’s and make sure everyone that’s having
your services knows what they’re signing up for.
DON’T LET YOUR SENIORS GO STALE
So often your senior colourists are the least inspiring people in your business.
Yes, their fully booked columns might be great cash cows, but be aware of how
these members of the team might damage the business in the long term. Young
staff need inspiration, they need someone to look up to, someone who loves
colour… not someone who has turned themselves into a money machine.
DON’T REPRIMAND YOUR STAFF FOR ‘TWEAKS’
No-one likes the anxiety of having to tell their manager they need to get a client
back in to re-do a toner. But as managers, if we make our team feel bad about it,
they’re more likely to just let the client leave, cross their fingers and hope it doesn’t
become a complaint. Now that’s going to cause some damage to your business!
I encourage my staff to re-book clients BEFORE they become complaints by
keeping the conversation about ‘tweaks’ very casual and comfortable.
DON’T MISS OUT ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Just because you’re not 20 years old doesn’t give you an excuse not to move with
the times. For colour salons, social media is a business tool that you have to learn
and it’s no different to learning how to work a spreadsheet. You don’t have to
love it, you just have to master it. On 2 July, I’m running a social media event in
London, so get down there and learn it – you will start really understanding the
value of free advertising…
FIND
OUT MORE
ABOUT SOPHIA’S
COURSE AT
notanotheracademy.com
and see loads more
from Sophia on
creativeheadmag.com/
paint
creativeheadmag.com POWER BOOK
17

Presented by
event
100
SALONS
ONE BIG
NIGHT
Wednesday
26 September
2018
GAIN NEW CLIENTS
SELL LOTS OF PRODUCTS
BOOST CLIENT LOYALTY
HOST A BIG HAIR DO!
Registration costs £75
Sign up at creativeheadmag.com/store
The Big Hair Do is sponsored by

Twenty years ago, the world
changed. The first Apple iMac
was introduced, the MP3
format was published – and
Paul Mitchell launched into
the world of colour.
In 2018 Paul Mitchell continues
to push boundaries with
outstanding vegan colour
products, marketing support
and education.
What hasn’t changed, however,
is Paul Mitchell’s commitment
to keep colour in the salon,
exactly where it belongs.

(ADVERTORIAL)
PERFORMANCE.
PURE AND
SIMPLE
Paul Mitchell the color XG is about so much
more than just tubes of colour!
YES, YOU GET ALL the
performance and reliability
your team could want – 90
intermixable rich, permanent
cream shades in an easy-to-use
system that achieves the results
you want, every time. But with
the color XG, Paul Mitchell also
wants to help you build and
maintain your colour ratio in
the long-term. That’s why you’ll
benefit from practical colour
education and events that teach
you creative, on-trend, salonready
techniques, as well as how
to market your skills and some
of the most beautiful point-ofpurchase
material on the market.
With Paul Mitchell the color
XG, the colour you envision is
the colour you achieve – always
predictable, always beautiful.
● Dyesmart system – allows
for maximum penetration,
greater colour longevity
and predictability
● Brilliant shades – unsurpassed
grey coverage, a rich red series
and an exceptional highlift series
● Pure XG Protection System
– easy to mix and apply.
Cottonseed oil and rice milk leave
hair shiny and healthy-looking

More power
to your paint!
POP XG, Paul Mitchell Professional
Hair Color’s semi-permanent line of
cream hair colour, is formulated to
deliver a bright pop of colour – and
no developer required. Choose from
a spectrum of 18 shades, whose rich
conditioning cream texture is perfect for
controlled, clean application and leaves
hair soft, nourished and super-shiny.

(ADVERTORIAL)
LIGHT
FANTASTIC
MARILYN MONROE once said: “I like to feel
blonde all over.” The scientists behind The Blonding
System from Paul Mitchell Professional Hair Color
couldn’t agree more. So create the perfect spectrum
of sun-kissed hues this summer and watch your
colour revenues shine. The Paul Mitchell Professional
Hair Color system has a full range of products
to grant all your guests’ blonde wishes…

THE DEMI:
THE PERFECT
FUSION OF SHINE,
CONDITION AND
COLOUR
THE
DEMI CONDITIONS hair while it colours,
providing incredibly rich, shiny results that last up to six
weeks. The gentle conditioning formula, mixing from
liquid to a gel-like consistency, is ideal for both bottle
and brush application, with 33 intermixable shades
allowing unlimited customisation and more varied
shade options with depth and/or translucency.

(ADVERTORIAL)
THINK INK
INKWORKS is a collection of six intermixable, semi-permanent and vibrant colours that work beautifully
as an overlay for an added pop of colour or to add flashes of brightness to pre-lightened hair. Choose from
Yellow, Red, Hot Pink, Purple, Blue and White (for clear results or dilution) – you control the intensity of
the tone, based on how much pre-lightening has been done.

CREATE EVERY
SHADE OF
GORGEOUS
● Complimentary colour education all year long
● Pigment Points loyalty programme ● Marketing support
● Colour care products to take home ● Cruelty-free
● Vegan ● Truly professional – no supermarket brands
COMMITTED TO
KEEPING HAIR
COLOUR IN THE
SALON, WHERE
IT BELONGS
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT PAUL MITCHELL PROFESSIONAL HAIR COLOR,
CALL 0845 659 0011 OR VISIT SALON-SUCCESS.CO.UK/PROFESSIONAL-HAIR-COLOR

#MWIT18
IT’S YOUR
LAST CHANCE
TO ENTER!
THE IT LIST CLOSES
5pm, Monday 21 May 2018
2018
MOST WANTED CLOSES
5pm, Monday 14 May 2018
event
CREATIVEHEADMAG.COM/MOSTWANTED
CREATIVEHEADMAG.COM/THEITLIST
@creativeheadmag #MWIT18
2018

Karly (left) and Abby Whittaker
NET WORTH
Discover how a little bit of netting (and its creators Karly and Abby Whittaker)
became a QVC star… and winner of the Most Wanted Award for Innovation
SAY HELLO TO The Scrun, a netted scrunchietype
accessory that’s fast becoming a client’s secret
weapon. It’s the winner of the Most Wanted Award
for Innovation, and it’s lighting up the phone
lines at QVC! This little tool has been designed to
create, shape and hold hair in an up-do, allowing
your clients to create more current looks than any
traditional hair doughnuts or sponges. Simple and
quick to use, reusable, compact, offering loads
of different looks from the every day to special
occasions – The Scrun can do it all for £12.50.
It’s all down to the sister act of Abby and Karly
Whittaker, directors of Sarah Hodge Hairdressing
in the West Country (and Karly is a previous Most
Wanted Hair Trend winner to boot!). At The
Clothes Show Live 2017, one Scrun was sold every
minute; one new salon a week comes on board to
sell it to clients and the sisters made their QVC TV
debut in June last year and have been asked back
again and again.
“Since winning the Most Wanted award, the
success has been immense,” admits Abby. “Once
you become an award-winning brand it accelerates
the speed you can move something forward. It has
given us the confidence to knock on doors that
were previously closed to us and give them a knock
again with our award in hand.”
With that award, The Scrun saw its second QVC
viewing moved forward (and the Most Wanted
trophy was televised front and centre) and received
an increased purchase order following the win.
Back at Sarah Hodge Hairdressing and sister
brand The Salon Group, the teams are all proud
to be from ‘the home of The Scrun’. “It isn’t just a
hair tool that we sell,” says Abby, “it’s embedded
into our services.” And it’s because of their clients
20 POWER BOOK creativeheadmag.com

( INNOVATION )
QVC
LAUNCHPAD
LESSONS
Abby sewing an early Scrun
For any hairdressers with a germ
of an idea, here are Abby and
Karly’s three top tips
IS YOUR IDEA VIABLE?
Work through it backwards: how much
would it be worth? What would be the
purchase price? If you’re aiming to sell it on
the high street or wholesale, take their margin
out, which can be anything from 40 to 60
per cent of the product price. With what’s left,
can you afford to make it, market it, send it
and store it? All the associated costs to
running a business will sit within your
product as well. Suddenly ‘margin’ will
become your go-to word!
that The Scrun even exists. “We wanted to help solve
challenges with hair up within our salons and for
our clients. Whether the challenge was time, a skills
gap, the cut and blow-dry regular who just wants
you to put their hair up quickly for a party, the
16-year-old for who wants half-up/half-down for the
prom, the six bridesmaids aged from 6 to 40 that all
want the same look – the Scrun has it covered.”
In their salons you’ll find The Scrun on the
Hair Up menu, so clients can now pick one of
six signature Scrun looks, each one possible in a
20-minute appointment. It has also meant the salon
group’s Hair Up service revenue increased by 39 per
cent year on year. With the UK sold on The Scrun,
the Whittakers are currently securing agreements
across Europe and are in talks to licence The Scrun
in the US. Expansion will also see session and travel
kits added. Not bad for a little netting…
FAKE IT BEFORE YOU MAKE IT
Don’t order thousands until you have
a buyer for thousands! These days you
can make an idea a reality digitally, and
with good organisation and a clear line of
communication, you can get great lead times
without high financial risks. Also, without a
backlog of stock, you can be flexible with your
buyer’s needs and if they need to make tweaks,
it can happen for you both.
KEEP YOUR EYES WIDE OPEN
Know the sacrifices you’ll need to make and
ensure you’re prepared to make them before
you enter into the financial, emotional and the
time concerns that are involved. We always
tell ourselves: “If life was meant to be easy,
diamonds would be cheap and you wouldn’t
have to try so hard to shine bright!”
creativeheadmag.com POWER BOOK
21

JOINING THE DOTS
Winning new clients and building revenue with existing guests requires a full-circle approach in
today’s market, says leading hair brand Paul Mitchell – because no single channel of communication
to consumers can win anymore. How many channels are you focused on?
PHILANTHROPY
Philanthropy is an idea, event or action
that is undertaken to better humanity and
usually involves some sacrifice in terms of
time or investment, as opposed to being
done for profit. John Paul Mitchell Systems
has philanthropic values embedded in its
business, supporting charitable causes on
behalf of hairdressers around the globe.
How can philanthropy help
grow your business?
● It connects you, your business and your
team to your community
● It embeds your name in people’s minds,
growing your profile in a positive way
● It’s an opportunity to share your activities
as part of your PR & digital marketing
● It creates consumer trust and boosts sales
● It boosts team morale and can help attract
future employees
EDUCATION
Invest in education to expand your business
or artistic skills and to provide continual
improvement for you and your team.
Paul Mitchell provides award-winning
education to keep salon teams confident
and inspired, and was named Favourite
Education Team at the Behind the Chair
Stylist Choice Awards!
How can education grow
your business?
● Acquiring new information and skills
helps you expand your business and
creative confidence
● You benefit from bouncing ideas off
like-minded peers
● You gain inspiration to bring back to
your business to help it grow
● Stay relevant in a fast-moving industry
● It keeps your team motivated
SUPPORT MATERIALS
Support materials are a means to amplify
your message, and should be implemented
at every opportunity. Paul Mitchell will
provide customisable and downloadable
business-building tools to support you
throughout the year.
How can support materials
help grow your business?
● They give you a louder voice by showing
you as part of something bigger
● They save you time and money as you do
not have to regularly create marketing
materials yourself
● They show you how to take national
campaigns and tailor them to your own
needs and activities
● By using the most current messaging and
images, your salon is linked to national
advertising and campaigns
22 POWER BOOK creativeheadmag.com

(ADVERTORIAL)
DIGITAL MARKETING
This growing area of your business includes
social media activity, blog creation, your
website, emails, e-newsletters and SMS
marketing. Working with Paul Mitchell
gives you access to digital tool kits and the
ability to use and share a variety of carefully
crafted social media content across your
social media channels, expanding your reach
and attracting new clients.
How can digital marketing help
to grow your business?
l An online presence provides a 24/7
window into the personality and
capability of your salon – clients are
actively seeking examples of your work
online when forming decisions about
your business
l Social media advertising is both targeted
and economical
l Most clients research goods and services
before making a booking – your website
can make or break that decision
l Digital marketing connects and engages
you directly with your customer base
PUBLIC RELATIONS (PR)
PR is about building a favourable reputation
for your business by sharing brand values,
stories and building relationships. Done
well, it can influence consumer opinion and
behaviour. The heritage, philanthropy and
product innovation behind the Paul Mitchell
bottle provide a constant stream of PR
stories, editorial coverage and advertising
to raise consumer awareness and help drive
traffic into your salon, building a favourable
reputation for your business.
How can PR help grow
your business?
l PR grows your profile and reputation,
making you famous locally and nationally
l It helps give you a competitive edge
l It attracts the right kind of clients
l It attracts the right kind of team members
l When local people think about hair,
Paul Mitchell wants them to think of you
TO-DO LIST
PHILANTHROPY
What can I do to connect to
my community and embed
my name in people’s minds?
EDUCATION
What’s my plan for improvement,
learning new skills and keeping
the team motivated?
SUPPORT MATERIALS
What does my manufacturer offer
and how can I use it to give me a
louder voice?
DIGITAL MARKETING
Am I channelling our news and
activities to connect and engage
with our audience?
PUBLIC RELATIONS
How can I spin all of these activities
to help grow our profile and give
us a competitive edge?
FOR MORE INFORMATION, IDEAS AND CASE STUDIES,
CALL PAUL MITCHELL ON 08456 590011 OR VISIT SALON-SUCCESS.CO.UK
creativeheadmag.com POWER BOOK
23

HIT THE
BUTTON
Is your technology working as hard as you are?
We identify the business hacks to make your salon and software work in harmony
BOOK SERVICES WHILE
YOU’RE ASLEEP!
Thanks to the proliferation of
online retail, TV on demand
and social media, consumers
now want to be able to book
appointments when it suits
them, not just when your salon
is open, and will expect you to
offer online booking. Just think
of it as having someone working
that reception desk while you
sleep… “Customers appreciate
booking from their desktop or
mobile device, as they can do it
from anywhere, at any time,”
says Charlotte Newton, senior
manager of EMEA marketing
at MindBody. “You can make
yourself available 24 hours a day
without lifting a finger,” agrees
Ophelia Horner, UK head of
marketing at Treatwell.
ROCK YOUR STOCK
“Stock can be a real challenge
for salon owners and one of the
last things they think they need
to keep on top of,” admits Salon
iQ ambassador Sam Kendall.
She suggests delegating this job
to a senior member of staff and,
along with using a software
system, get a handle on your
stock control. “You can say
goodbye to running out of your
best-sellers and stop re-ordering
dead stock,” she adds. “We
recommend using Salon iQ’s
stock app once a week to update
all your retail stock you have.
This will ensure you are keeping
a close eye on what’s on your
shelves and what leaves your
shelves each week.” It means the
time you spend monitoring and
reordering is cut down, too.
MAKE IT PAY
Once upon a time, the phone
and the diary would chain
reception staff to that front desk.
Now, thanks to clever mobile
technology, there are options on
the market that allow owners
and staff to function without
being tied to the front desk.
Hallelujah! “One thing that we
often hear from salon owners is
that they want to be able to free
themselves from the front desk
more often, so they have the
flexibility to take care of all other
aspects involved in running their
business,” explains Charlotte
Newton. “Our business app users
can run day-to-day tasks from
a mobile device, allowing team
members to move throughout
the salon and make updates in
real-time.”
24 POWER BOOK creativeheadmag.com

( TECHNOLOGY )
IF IT’S GOOD ENOUGH
FOR UBER…
Ever wished you could charge
more for appointments at key
times when everyone is looking
to get their highlights done?
Well, make like Uber with its
surge pricing and consider the
power of ‘dynamic pricing’ –
that’s a pricing strategy that
changes based on current
demand, and was recently
introduced by MindBody.
“It uses the same algorithms
that airlines or concert promoters
use, which adjusts each service’s
price based on a multitude
of different factors, such as
popularity, time before the
service, high-and-low thresholds
set by the business, and even a
few variables such as weather
conditions,” says MindBody’s
Charlotte Newton.
BRUSH UP YOUR HISTORY
Client history is a key customer
retention tool, but with GDPR
introduced this May, you need
to ensure you have it all properly.
“Client history is an important
feature in our software,” says
Treatwell’s Ophelia. “Safely
storing all of your client’s details
and history means not only can
you send them a note on their
birthday, but you also know
exactly what colour they like
to use on their hair. We will
soon be launching look books
on Treatwell, so our customers
can get to know salon stylists
even better, too! And with
GDPR coming into force, we’re
introducing more reminders and
prompts in Treatwell Connect to
ensure all our partner salons have
got the consent they need from
their customers.”
DON’T LEAVE
THEM HANGING
Dull or annoying ring tones?
Constantly engaged? Lousy
answer phone messages? All
client turn-offs. According to
Mutu, more than 20 per cent
of calls don’t get through. It’s
time to rethink reception. Mutu
offers Salon Call Manager,
where consumers are met with a
professional branded welcome,
whether you’re open, closed or
busy. If they don’t get through,
an automatic SMS can be sent to
their mobile to assure them the
salon will call them back. And a
live call data web view gives you
a single point of control, helping
reception to identify and return
missed calls, rescuing potential
lost revenue. It’s all about the
power of customer retention, says
Nick Pratt, director at Mutu.
GIVE NO-SHOWS
THE HEAVE-HO
The dreaded no-shows will
always be a salon irritation.
However, using a software system
does offer you some control,
giving you the chance to minimise
them. “Salon iQ has built in
an automated SMS and email
reminder that salon owners can
activate,” explains Salon iQ’s
Sam Kendall. “This means that
booked in clients will get an SMS
or email to confirm they can
attend.” As well as the automatic
triggers, Treatwell Connect has
a tool that has proved effective
in filling last-minute spaces.
“It allows you to discount
appointments if they’re about to
go unfilled,” explains Treatwell’s
Ophelia. “It matches the demand
we see from customers searching
on our site for last-minute offers.”
“More than 90 per cent of your clients
will leave a mobile number when
they book, giving you a great way
to promote what’s going on in the
salon. Not only can you remind them
of their appointment, but you can
also share offers, incentives and any
stand-by appointments. We’ve invested
in software that stores client data,
allowing us to offer bespoke packages
and identify a client’s preferred
products. It also allows us to send
personalised SMS. But remember,
with GDPR you must have your
client’s express permission to contact
them in this way, and always give your
customers a clear and transparent
‘opt-out’ option.”
JOANNA MACDONALD AND
JENNIFER LINTON,
LINTON & MAC, ABERDEEN
Joanna Macdonald (left) and Jennifer Linton
creativeheadmag.com POWER BOOK
25

26 POWER BOOK creativeheadmag.com

(ADVERTORIAL)
YOUR NEW
BUSINESS PARTNER
Think Treatwell is just a software provider? Think again. Here’s how the largest
hair and beauty website in the UK & Ireland can help grow your business
MANAGE
Treatwell will help you manage your business
more efficiently
Its Connect salon management software will allow
you to take bookings 24/7 and will reduce no-shows
with automated booking reminders via email and
SMS. You can also take bookings from your own
website using Treatwell’s widget – for free. Don’t
have your own website? Treatwell can give you one
of those, too. Reporting tools within Connect let you
keep a close eye on bookings and individual staff
performance, spotting opportunities where you can
grow your business. And as for filling those lastminute
slots, Treatwell’s smart pricing tools let you
discount certain treatments or stylists during quiet
times or due to last-minute cancellations.
ATTRACT
Treatwell sends you new customers
Its marketing team works around the clock to drive
new customers into your salon. Treatwell manages
all of your digital campaigns, building awareness
of your salon among its existing audience via email
marketing, onsite merchandising, editorial content
and social media. At the same time, it invests
heavily in advertising campaigns from the London
Underground to national TV. Worried how much
this is going to cost you? Don’t – Treatwell only
charges you commission on new customers that it is
paying to acquire for you. After that first booking
with you, they’re yours. For free. Every time they
book, within a year of that first booking, there is
no commission payable.
Treatwell’s software also helps you remind your
customers they’re due for a trim or a colour top-up,
enabling you to send highly targeted emails directly
to them. Finally, Treatwell encourages customers
to leave reviews of their service, stylist and salon
experience after an appointment. This helps build
your online presence as ratings and reviews are
the most important factor in guiding someone to
choose a salon, after a personal recommendation
from friends or family. And don’t forget – any repeat
bookings that come from you successfully retaining
your customers are all yours. Treatwell doesn’t take
any commission on these bookings.
Embrace Treatwell’s salon management software,
make use of its marketplace and install the free
booking widget on your own website today.
Clients love the ease of online booking, so help
make it even easier for them…
RETAIN
Treatwell makes it easier than ever to keep your
customers coming back
Its rebooking functionality makes it quick and
simple for customers to rebook their previous
appointment at the tap of a button. When customers
open the Treatwell App, they see a rebooking
reminder (for your salon) at the top of their screen,
which takes them straight to your venue listing.
JOIN TODAY AND START CONNECTING TO A WHOLE NEW CLIENT BASE. FOR MORE INFORMATION AND PRICING
STRUCTURES EMAIL HANNAH@TREATWELL.COM OR VISIT TREATWELL.CO.UK/BUSINESS-INFO/WELCOME
creativeheadmag.com POWER BOOK
27

BRAIN BOOSTERS
Don’t get stuck in a rut. Make every day a school day and
get you and your team ready for anything…
KEN WEST, DIRECTOR of 3•6•5 Education,
believes continual education is the key to ensuring
your stylists don’t get stuck in a rut, from both a
business and creative perspective – and it’s not just
about going on the newest course.
“Attending education isn’t always about learning
something new, it can be just as beneficial to
reaffirm what you already know and revisit courses
you’ve previously taken to refresh your knowledge,”
says Ken. “If you aren’t going, you aren’t growing.”
Anthony Mascolo, international artistic director
and founder of TIGI, agrees: “Our courses aim
to help the individual and the salon, leading to
enhanced skills, tighter and more motivated teams,
retail expertise, stronger customer service and
client loyalty.”
But it can be hard to decide on a course and
which team members to send. This is why 3•6•5
offers a one-day Salon Management Masterclass,
which provides an insight into the kind of education
that 3•6•5 can offer, with “tangible ideas to take
back and implement in your salon to improve your
results”, adds Ken.
For the already qualified hairdresser, Anthony
recommends the TIGI Creative Cut and Colour
course as a must-attend. “It helps hairdressers
progress their work, get inspiration and technical
information, and the course is based on the latest
TIGI collections,” he explains.
If you or your colourists can attend just one
course this year, Darren Oram, UK education
director for L’Oréal Professionnel, recommends the
brand’s Colour Specialist course. “This is still the
ultimate colour course for anyone wanting to take
their hair colouring skills to the next level,” he says.
“You will gain expert knowledge in colour and learn
how to grow the salon colour business.”
For Darren, it’s vital for your salon team to keep
28 POWER BOOK creativeheadmag.com

( EDUCATION )
AN EDUCATION LESS ORDINARY
MICHAEL VAN CLARKE sends his team on
a variety of courses they probably didn’t think
they’d ever go on when they first started out
as hairdressers, to teach them life skills and
confidence. “Building long-term relationships
with clients demands more than just technical
and creative ability,” argues Michael. “We teach
our stylists a range of life skills to enable each
one to mix with all levels of society.” Here, he
reveals some of the courses he sends his team
on and why…
Samurai War Games
TONY ROBBINS
“Entrepreneur and best-selling author, Tony
Robbins, is a master at opening people up to a
greater world of possibility, and we have been
sending the team to his events since his very first
seminar in the UK more than 25 years ago. Four
of our team will be attending his four-day Unleash
The Power course next month, which will include
the Firewalk – which is exactly how it sounds.”
DEBRETT’S ETIQUETTE
AND MODERN MANNERS
“This new addition to our syllabus is a two-day
course that helps our team mix fluidly with high
society. It ends with a late lunch at Claridge’s for
training in table manners.”
SAMURAI WAR GAMES
“This is a two-day event the whole team has
participated in. It’s designed to sharpen selfawareness
and teamwork. Developed in the ’70s,
it has been adopted by many Fortune 500
corporations as part of their executive training.”
up with the latest trends and digital innovations.
“Trends and technology move forward at such a
pace in our industry,” he says. “Today’s salon
clients are savvy and tuned-in to trends; they are
able to follow the industry leaders and instantly see
the latest product innovations, cutting techniques
and styling, so it’s paramount to remain at the fore
as an industry authority.”
But how often should you and your team go on a
course? Do you need monthly updates? Is once a year
enough? “It’s good to send your team on a course
at least once a year, however, our courses change
throughout the 12 months, so a twice-yearly course
is the absolute best,” advises TIGI’s Anthony.
If you’re on a budget, education and training aren’t
just about courses and face-to-face classes. “We are
lucky that we are living in an exciting time where we
have an abundance of education resources available
to us,” says L’Oréal Professionnel’s Darren.
“Of course, face-to-face courses are always
invaluable, but we can now also use e-learning.
With Access – L’Oréal Professionnel’s online
education platform – every member of the team
can decide when and where they want to learn,
from the palm of their hands.”
The TIGI App was created for this very reason,
too. “Today, everyone wants to have access to
knowledge every day, anywhere and at any time,”
says Anthony Mascolo. “TIGI App 24/7 gives
hairdressers access to new techniques, product
knowledge, colour formulas and mood boards with
the facility to create and save information.”
Ultimately, you want to build a successful business
and a motivated, knowledgeable team that includes
not just your stylists and colourists but the assistants
and receptionists – and the way you achieve this is
through education. Start planning now, for a better
business tomorrow…
creativeheadmag.com POWER BOOK
29

FAMILY VALUES
If you’re looking to partner with a brand that believes in you and your team, look no further
than TIGI. Let’s face it, any brand founded by the legendary Anthony Mascolo
is going to treat you like one of the family!
TIGI BELIEVES IN creating strong
relationships with its customers, providing
an all-inclusive package that encompasses
education, information, creative inspiration
and professional products. Founded on
Anthony Mascolo’s core belief to share
everything he and the TIGI Creative Team
create, TIGI guarantees total support in every
aspect of your business.
At TIGI the team knows first-hand the
challenges of running a salon, and has
developed tools to help you create services
tailored to your individual clients. For a start
you’ll get first-class education packed with
creative ideas because at the TIGI Academy
in London, the courses are regularly updated
to ensure stylists and colourists can progress
their work in line with new trends and
product innovations. Alternatively, if in-salon
education is more important to you, the
TIGI Regional Education Specialist team
is available to provide support and
information on TIGI copyright©olour
and TIGI product knowledge.
Second, your team will get motivation and
inspiration from TIGI Inspirational Youth
– one of the most respected and successful
youth-training programmes in hairdressing.
During a five-day ‘boot camp’, the TIGI
Inspirational Youth team members expand
their technical and creative knowledge,
enhance their presentation skills, learn about
fashion and photographic work and develop
as individuals and, ultimately, as a strong
team. The original UK concept has now
expanded into a global offering and, since
2014, participants in Germany and the US
are also able to take part in this exciting,
life-changing journey, competing to be the
best of their generation.
There’s more: Bed Head Studio is central
to the creative force that is TIGI. Used by the
world-famous TIGI Creative Team for its
award-winning, highly influential photoshoots
and events, TIGI partner salons have the
opportunity to shoot their own photographic
collections at the Studio, supported by
TIGI’s in-house photographers, make-up
artists, art directors, fashion stylists and
production team.
Finally, TIGI products are created for
professional hairdressers and their clients,
combining a professional in-salon experience
with retail products suited to the client’s
own hair needs. From the iconic Bed Head
to the breakthrough technology behind
copyright©olour, TIGI loves to push
boundaries and technical know-how, to
benefit you, your business and the hairdressing
industry as a whole.
30 POWER BOOK creativeheadmag.com

(ADVERTORIAL)
COMING SOON!
“This summer sees the launch of a new and exclusive
TIGI salon brand, created to enable salons to build client
loyalty with a specific care regime that starts in the salon
and continues at home.
“Designed to perfectly complement the TIGI
copyright©olour range, the new products will excite
hairdressers and inspire clients with personalised,
perfect results every time.”
Chris Miller, head of TIGI UK & Ireland
TIGI BELIEVES IN GIVING YOU THE TOOLS TO ENSURE BUSINESS GROWTH, TEAM STRENGTH AND CLIENT LOYALTY.
TO FIND OUT MORE, CALL 0344 844 0944 OR VISIT TIGIPROFESSIONAL.COM/CONTACT
creativeheadmag.com POWER BOOK
31

32 POWER BOOK creativeheadmag.com

( BUSINESS STRATEGY )
INVITATION ONLY
Clients at Re-Invention House must be personally invited to the salon.
Jak Bakewell explains why he feels it’s the best decision he’s ever made
Jak Bakewell (left) and Scott McKay-Wood
STAFF HEADACHES, employment red tape, VAT
bills. Ever fantasise about walking away from it all?
Jak Bakewell, co-founder of Re-Invention House
in the affluent Lincolnshire town of Louth, did
precisely that. However, he still has a business and
he’s still seeing clients. But now he’s doing it all on a
much smaller scale. Smaller, but grander.
“With changes to employment laws I felt it was
getting too difficult to manage a large salon and
team,” says Jak. “The decision was also built on
a massive saving in rent, having no employees or
payroll to deal with, and deregistering for VAT. So
even with a dramatic fall in turnover, I would be
better off each year, with far less stress and anxiety
and a better work/life balance.”
So, Jak closed his Reinvention salon, bought a
property two streets away and opened Re-Invention
House, a boutique offering that is utterly customerfocused.
With him is stylist Scott McKay-Wood,
and together they oversee an exclusive venue. Guests
from their original clientele received a handwritten
invitation including an access code for the house, a
map, the change date and what they could expect,
along with a bespoke price list.
Some owners might be concerned they wouldn’t
get enough clients. Did he ever consider it a risky
business move? “With the promise of more features
for guests and the excitement of something new, I
felt they would at least all try it once,” smiles Jak.
“We had teased people’s curiosity, and invited guests
referred to the invitations as ‘golden tickets’. We
calculated that we’d invite 20 per cent more guests
than we wanted. Fortunately, they all have visited
and all rebooked.” In fact, the salon is still oversubscribed
from its initial invitations, while future
guests are placed on a waiting list.
Beyond an oak door with a discrete brass plaque,
guests arrive at a private courtyard. They each have
their access code, which they use to let themselves
in, allowing Jak and Scott to stay focused on their
current guests. Arriving clients can take a seat on
the Jean-Paul Gaultier cinema seats – there’s no
reception desk anywhere, no barrier between stylist
and guest. With fresh flowers and luxurious décor,
the vibe is closer to an upmarket hotel or private
members club. Easels are used as workstations,
where the mirrors reflect the ‘artist’s work’.
“Guests love the private room,” says Jak.
“On the first day, my second colour guest had got a
panini from our partner eatery, made her Earl Grey
tea, sorted her daily newspapers and had Barbra
Streisand playing on the Sonos! It’s been great to see
people taking full advantage of all the touches we
have worked hard to add.”
Any teething problems? “The access code has
been interesting,” admits Jak. “Some people enter
it correctly, let themselves in and take a seat, while
others ring the buzzer, use the knocker or try and
break the door down!”
Plans for the future include encouraging group
bookings as Jak has seen best friends, mother and
daughter or sister combinations coming into the
salon. “They love having the room to themselves
and often enjoy taking advantage of the prosecco or
gin and tonic,” he grins. “Guests enjoy that they can
talk about whatever they like without anyone else
overhearing. It’s also helped me increase my turnover
by having guests in-between colours.”
creativeheadmag.com POWER BOOK
33

THE DANGERS OF
DISCOUNTING
Discounting may seem like a good idea to win sales and clients, but it can backfire on your business.
Two members of business coaching club 3•6•5 discuss their experiences
CASE STUDY 1
BLEND, DERBY
JOANNE PILBEAM opened Blend five years ago. “When we
first opened we believed that discounting was the best way to
get new guests through the door, so we offered 50 per cent off
for all new clients,” she explains. “We also offered a discount
of 25 per cent to all of our existing guests and to local traders,
NHS workers and students.”
After joining business coaching club 3•6•5 in 2015, Joanne
decided to halve the number of discounts on offer, but was
still too afraid to rule them out entirely. “As a result, the team
rarely hit their commission targets – every guest that came
through the door received a discount. We weren’t taking a lot
of money and were afraid that if we removed the discounts,
we’d lose guests to other salons,” she explains. “My talented
team didn’t know or understand their worth and were scared
to raise their prices.”
Business was a constant struggle for Joanne, and there were
some months when Blend failed to break even, which left her
team demotivated. “We couldn’t afford to buy nice extras
for the salon or invest in education. I had to work so many
additional hours to just make ends meet,” she says.
After the team attended a 3•6•5 Bitesize course, where
director Ken West discussed the pitfalls of discounting, Joanne
knew they had to make a dramatic change. “When Ken
explained how the price of a haircut is broken down into the
various overheads, he asked who in the room wanted to earn
more money. Of course, everyone raised their hand, and he
explained right there and then that the discounting needed to
stop tomorrow.”
In the two months since Joanne stopped discounting, the
team have seen dramatic results and are reaping the rewards.
“We’ve had the best month of takings for the past five years,
our team have had great results in commission and our
graduate stylist hit her CPP [Commission Pivot Point] for the
first time since she qualified.”
Joanne’s advice to other salon owners offering discounts?
“Stop them – don’t just reduce them! We tried that for two
years and more and more guests kept creeping through with a
discount. The team forgot who they gave discounts to and who
they didn’t. Ending discounts was one of the scariest business
decisions I’ve had to make but it’s changed the salon and team
morale for the better.”
Look at the difference it made to the Blend team when the
discounts ended (see table below)
CUT &
FINISH PRICE
AVERAGE BILL
WHEN DISCOUNTING
STYLIST
1 £45.00 £51.67 £61.17
2
3
4
5
£45.00
£42.00
£40.00
£35.00
£51.07
£59.87
£47.25
£34.11
£54.89
£70.32
£60.24
£46.29
QUALIFIED IN
JANUARY
AVERAGE BILL AFTER
DISCOUNTING ENDED
34 POWER BOOK creativeheadmag.com

(ADVERTORIAL)
GROW A
STRONGER
BUSINESS WITH
3•6•5
CASE STUDY 2
OBSESSIONS, RAMSGATE
JEN MORLEY opened Obsessions in Ramsgate in 2005,
but considers her business career only really began when she
joined 3•6•5 four years ago. “I first found out about 3•6•5 by
attending a Salon Management Masterclass and it blew me
away,” she says. “I went home after and crunched the numbers
and found that I was losing money on each and every guest. I
was essentially running a failing business.”
After a one-to-one meeting with 3•6•5 director Ken West,
Jen thought he was going to advise her to close down
her salon. “Instead he suggested I increase my prices, remove
all discounts and take a hard look at low-ticket items.
The next day I did just that – and unlocked the wealth
within my business.
“It was hard to explain the price rises to our guests, but the
majority were understanding,” she continues. “We did lose a
few, but they tended to be the price-sensitive ones and not who
we were marketing to.”
When it came to the team, Jen helped them to see the
WIIFM (what’s in it for me) by asking them what they would
like her to spend the extra profit on: training, an additional
apprentice or new equipment? As soon as they could see that
they were going to benefit from the new business practices too,
they were on-board.
Since following Ken’s advice four years ago, Jen’s bottom line
has increased by 50 per cent. Her advice? “Can you honestly
afford to ignore such a lucrative strategy, at a time when our
industry outgoings are changing so dramatically?”
IF YOU’D WANTED to go cross-eyed looking at
spreadsheets, formulate marketing campaigns and deal with
challenging team members, you probably wouldn’t have
chosen to be a hairdresser! 3•6•5 has been helping salon
owners take control of their businesses since 1982, with
systems that are simple to use, easy to understand, and leave
you more time for what really floats your boat.
l A history of successful business coaching for salons
l Personalised exclusive marketing materials
l Ongoing practical business education
l Online educational support
l Coaching for your whole team
l Bi-annual member conferences
l Advice from industry experts – Ken West (pictured above)
is a regular in Creative HEAD and at Salon Smart
With prices starting at just £197 plus VAT per month, the
only thing 3•6•5 doesn’t coach you about is how to cut hair!
IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN JOINING 3•6•5 OR SIMPLY WANT TO LEARN MORE,
CALL 0845 659 0015 OR VISIT 365SALONEDUCATION.COM
creativeheadmag.com POWER BOOK
35

( VIEW FROM THE TOP )
SILVER SERVICE
Leading hair industry PR Alison Jameson is celebrating the 25th anniversary of her agency, AJC93.
We ask her to share with salons the key business lessons she’s learned…
HONESTY IS ALWAYS THE BEST POLICY
“I would never say anything to a client that wasn’t
either truthful or achievable. It’s important to keep
expectations realistic. Sometimes being honest isn’t
always what people want to hear, but if you can
back up what you are saying and offer an alternative
option, most people will listen to reason. The same
applies to clients – never say you can do something
you can’t or that you’ve done something when you
haven’t – you always get found out.”
BE A RELATIONSHIP BUILDER
“Good working and business relationships can take
time to build and in our industry having strong
relationships is integral. Little things make a big
impression, just as they do in the salon – remember
names, little details about them and you’ll make the
right impression.”
HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY
“We often ask people what have they been doing
and they answer: ‘nothing much’. That isn’t going to
help build your profile or get you seen in the press!
Whether you use a PR or not, it’s important to have
something to say. Be active in your community, put
on client events, enter awards and competitions,
create inspiring photographic images – there’s so
much that you can do and a lot of it doesn’t cost
much, it just takes a bit of time and effort.”
CURATE AN AREA OF EXPERTISE
“Knowledge is power and expertise is your
calling card. There’s no point in saying you are
a long-hair expert when you do a couple of long
hair looks and that’s it. If you are an expert, know
everything there is to know about it and continue to
develop your skills.”
KEEP AN EYE ON TRENDS
“With the world being so fast-paced, trends come
and go in an instant so it’s important to know what’s
going on in the world. Know what’s happening in
social media, what the latest online tools are – is
your business missing out by not keeping abreast of
trends? Are you missing out on being able to provide
a new, profit-increasing service you’ve dismissed as
a fad? Not everything’s right for you, but in order to
stay ahead of the game – look to trends.”
36 POWER BOOK creativeheadmag.com

( INTERIORS )
PIECES OF GREAT
Whether you’re refitting your salon or looking for a little livener,
we have a few ideas to tszuj up your interiors…
Available with sliding seat and backrest, electric legrest and a nextgeneration
‘New Shiatsu’ massage system, the stunning Luxury
shampoo unit from Salon Ambience really lives up to its name.
You can choose from an array of Sky Colours at no extra cost.
FROM £1,169 UNTIL 31 AUGUST, USUALLY FROM £2,209
07554 990965 SALONAMBIENCE.COM
Want to create a relaxed vibe for your guests and your busy team?
Then peruse the Zen collection by Takara Belmont. It reflects the
Japanese art of Zen with its consciously minimalist furniture, offering
balance and calm. We love the Zen Mirror and KU Styling Chair.
CHAIR FROM £675, MIRROR FROM £1,150
020 7515 0333 TAKARAHAIRDRESSING.CO.UK
INTERIORS
No need go on a long hunt for mirrors when you have the Treasure
from Salon Ambience. With an elegant frame, LED backlighting, a
practical work shelf with hairdryer holder and a footrest, this unit will
be your jewel in the crown.
£609 WITH FOOTREST UNTIL 31 AUGUST, USUALLY £1,159
07554 990965 SALONAMBIENCE.COM
If you’re looking to maximise your space, consider the clever Yume
Oasis mobile shampoo system from Takara Belmont. It means your
client can stay in situ as you simply move your backwash station into
position – a perfect little touch of theatre as well as a practical solution.
FROM £4,000
020 7515 0333 TAKARAHAIRDRESSING.CO.UK
creativeheadmag.com POWER BOOK
37

NO MORE DRAMA
Founded by Ben Cooke and Jonathan Long 13 years ago, Lockonego has been a fixture on
London’s famous King’s Road for 13 years. However, everything can change in a heartbeat –
here, Jonathan shares his experience of keeping calm and carrying on in a crisis
“ONE MORNING, I found a note on the front
door of the salon. It said that there had been a
flood in the top floor flat and I was to contact an
electrician before entering. Looking through the
window, I could see that half of our suspended
ceiling had fallen down and there was about five
inches of water on the floor. My stomach flipped –
I knew we were in deep trouble.
“But instinct kicked in. I called our landlord,
insurance company and our electrician, who gave
me the go ahead to enter. Clients started turning
up and obviously we couldn’t offer services. I sent
a couple of my senior team to Duck & Dry, a
blow-dry bar over the road, to ask if they could
help us out in anyway. Luckily for us, they said we
could work out of their basement.
“Once we had raked out all the water from the
floor of the salon, the enormity of the flood hit home
– this wasn’t just cosmetic. I spoke with the manager
of Duck & Dry to see if we could continue to work
out of their basement longer term and we agreed to
a day rate.
“With Christmas fast approaching, I knew we
had to get back in to our own salon ASAP. With the
insurance company taking an age, we decided to pay
for our basement to be refurbished.
“My wife came up with the idea of a Winter
Wonderland theme, so we redecorated, creating
a walkway through the hoarding upstairs with
2,000 Christmas lights and willow branches to
make it look magical and festive, rather than like
a building site!
“We got through Christmas and really focused
on the redesign of the salon. We looked at the
flood as an opportunity to start from scratch and
we worked with interior designer Mustafa Afsaroglu
from Taner’s Sons Design Studio. We came up with
a concept: a private members club/gastro pub vibe,
38 POWER BOOK creativeheadmag.com

( INTERIORS )
with bare brick, parquet floor, wood panels, splashes
of colour... but, most importantly of all, a salon that
didn’t look like a traditional salon, a really light and
open inclusive environment.
“We worked with Salon Emotion by L’Oréal
Professional Products Division and the designer
to plan out the retail, backwash and mask bar
concepts. And through Redken we discovered
Derrywood Display shopfitters, which had
experience with salons. During the refit I made
sure I came in every day and worked alongside
the Derrywood builders, who came up with a
solution for every problem. Being onsite every day
was invaluable as I was there to make immediate
decisions. And now, four months later, we’re open
and looking better than ever. I feel better than I ever
thought I would and we’re all so very happy with
the result, as are the clients. Every cloud does have a
silver lining…”
SALON IN A JAM?
HERE ARE JONATHAN’S TOP TIPS
DO...
l Get a good team
l Be tough with your insurance company
l Communicate clearly to both the team
and clients
l Think outside the box
l Challenge your preconceptions
l See if another business can lend a hand
DON’T...
l Panic
l Be bullied
l Take first offers
l Get stressed – life throws you curve balls,
but everything happens for a reason!
creativeheadmag.com POWER BOOK
39

FIRST LOVE
Melissa Timperley opened her eponymous salon in Manchester’s Northern Quarter in December 2016.
Eighteen months on, the salon has won four industry awards and been voted the Talk of Manchester
Best Newcomer Business. Now thinking about the future and possibly expanding to a second salon,
Creative HEAD asked her what she would do again… and what would she do differently!
BUILD A BRILLIANT TEAM
I’m really lucky that we’ve built up a small team
slowly, one at a time – I started with just me, and
now we are five professionals who all get on, work
well together and have got each other’s back.
I did start out thinking that the way to generate
revenues would be to adopt a rent-a-chair approach,
but I soon realised after interviewing some
candidates that there was no way I could build a
cohesive team working in a similar way under the
Melissa Timperley brand. Everyone I interviewed
had their own ideas and individual way of doing
things, and I could see a major problem ahead if I
tried to control free-spirited creatives! If I did open
another salon, it would be even more crucial to
recruit professionals of like-mind and attitude as I
wouldn’t be there in a second business all the time,
and consistent client service is everything to us.
MAKE THE FINANCIALS WORK
“Know your costs and know your daily and weekly
break even,” my accountant said before I had even
cut a strand of hair. Not the most motivational
words, but probably the best business advice that I’ve
had! Really work out what everything costs from
the outset – I’ve got a good handle on the costs now
that we have a year under our belt, but I had little
clue when we started out. Now, I’d want to know
from day one how much we need to make before
we start making profit. I admit, it’s not my first love
to get the spreadsheets out, and I don’t know many
hairdressers who do love this aspect of owning a
business. But I know that to be a businesswoman I
need to have a good grip on what everything costs
and how we are doing against our budget – and to
make sure we have the cash to pay what’s required.
My recurring nightmare is thinking that we haven’t
40 POWER BOOK creativeheadmag.com

( PLANNING )
got the cash flow to pay a bill. I can hear my bank
manager’s words ringing in my ears: “turnover is
vanity, profit is sanity!”
MARKET TO ATTRACT NEW CLIENTS
Never assume your marketing is going to have an
immediate effect – or even that it will bring in any
clients at all. That’s my take-away from a year’s
worth of marketing effort every day! The experience
has taught me that marketing results take much
longer to achieve that you would hope – especially
if you are aiming to build a business from scratch.
We’ve tried all sorts – flyers, social media, ‘refer a
friend’ schemes, magazine articles, hair tips pages,
links with other businesses, entering awards, doing
shows and shoots and more – and all of it works
to some extent. I’ve realised building a client base
through effective marketing takes time and effort,
but the more you put in, the more results you get.
GET THE RIGHT PREMISES AT THE
RIGHT PRICE
My ‘mistake’ was to fall in love with a newly-built,
three-storey building – built on the site of an old
public loo would you believe! Then I badgered the
building owner to take a chance on me and let me
transform what was intended to be an office block
into a hair salon. He finally gave in… which was
great, until I had to start negotiating the lease, pay
the rent and the rates! The immediate shock for me
was how much everything costs. Being employed
previously, I hadn’t been exposed to any of the
necessary costs of running a business, and I soon
had to become more worldly-wise. It was all too late
when I’d signed the paperwork, and I swallowed
hard when I saw the running costs for my beautiful
building, but we’re over that now. Next time I’d
make sure I got all the financials in place before I
made an offer on any other premises!
THE
TIMPERLEY
TOP TIPS
ALWAYS
l Use a professional salon
designer to help you to create
the look and feel you want
l Get shopfitters who know
the hair industry and have
worked on salons before
l Find plumbers and
workmen who are reliable
and will turn up when they
say they will
l Build in some contingency
(for deadlines for opening
and so on) to take some of
the stress off you
l Check out all of the
regulations you need to abide
by before you get the green
light to start trading
l Get your salon software
running and tested so that
you don’t hit any unforeseen
snags that could affect
client service
NEVER
l Start trading before you
know that everything works
– we had a gas leak on the
first day!
l Use an expert who is
not on your wavelength.
They will make things
twice as stressful
l Sign up to the first utility
supplier who approaches
you. It’s likely to cost you
more, unless you’re lucky
l Hope that being a really
good hairdresser is the
same as being a really good
business person
l Get an internet service
that’s not the best, just
because you can get a
good deal
creativeheadmag.com POWER BOOK
41

( OPINION )
THE DEATH OF THE
HAIRCUT
What does the continued trend for long hair mean for salon businesses?
asks Michael Van Clarke
“MY PRIMARY FOCUS FOR almost 40 years has been the haircut
and, in that time, I’ve developed a unique method to get the very best
from any hair – The Diamond Dry Cut. It’s allowed me to charge
10-times the industry average and keep clients happily returning.
More than 100 clients have stayed with me for more than 35 years.
Across those decades, I’ve watched the ebb and flow of different
industry fashions and training methods, and seen the core training
around cutting slowly diluted.
“Starting in the ’50s, Raymond (Mr. Teasie Weasie), then Vidal
Sassoon and Leonard, initiated a wave of excitement, with Sassoon’s
revolution putting the haircut at the centre of a new monthly lifestyle
routine in exchange for the weekly roller set. But in the mainstream
of the industry, there was a lack of investment and development in the
training of this core service beyond what Sassoon had established.
As demand for new styles and shapes widened in the post hippy-era,
the industry did not develop cutting techniques to reliably give clients
the full range of shapes on offer. Most clients still got a blueprint for
one of a limited range of haircuts the stylists had been taught.
“Flat bobs became ‘deconstructed’, with thinning scissors, point
cutting or razors; shapes were promoted as being ‘disconnected’.
Connected shapes were never talked about! But the industry was still
leaning very heavily on the simple bob shapes and basic techniques
that Sassoon established. The product revolution of the ’80s gave the
industry more time as poor haircuts could be scrunched, dishevelled or
bed-haired to give a new look, but one that the client found very hard
to repeat at home. Long hair usually became a long A-line bob. Layers
were mocked up out of another mid-length bob sitting on top and then
chopped into to disguise the steps. It wasn’t proper layering... flat irons
came to the rescue next in the ’90s as the extreme flattening effect
could iron out distortions of poor haircuts.
“Salon chains started discounting aggressively to lure clients on a
merry-go-round of chase-the-voucher. Real average charges began to
tumble. Salon income for services flat-lined. Desperate for income,
salons built up other streams from retail, colour and beauty. Long
hair services like Brazilian blow-drys and hair extensions fed the trend
for clients trying to avoid or delay haircuts. The booming electricals
market helped them with homecare. Most cutting now has polarised
to the extremes of simple long cuts or short barbering. There is less to
be found in the middle, and capabilities are diminishing. If the money
is coming in through other streams, does it matter? I think it does.
“The limitless range of shapes that hair can hold requires a
sculptural precision that only comes from seeing and working with
hair in three dimensions. Almost all cutting training nowadays
derives from simplistic methods of treating hair as a two-dimensional
material, which it essentially is when wet and flat dried into bobs.
While it saves costs and training time, it’s no longer fit for purpose.
For what should be an incredibly skilled and valuable service,
mainstream hairdressers earn a pittance across a short career span.
The industry needs to rethink how it delivers training and can no
longer rely on outdated methods.”
42 POWER BOOK creativeheadmag.com

CREATIVE HEAD EDUCATION
"You all ready for this?"
e ducation
OUR
FEATURED ARTIST
IN MAY IS
SAM BURNETT
He’s the current Most Wanted Hair Trend winner, founder of
London’s gorgeous Hare & Bone and the star of The Coterie
In Session… now Sam is our man to share his world of
inspiration for your delectation this May!
e ducation
HEAD ONLINE NOW!
CREATIVEHEADMAG.COM/EDUCATION