Brooke Evans: Five things I've learnt from my first years in business

It List ‘The Business Builder’ finalist, Brooke Evans of BE Ironbridge, reflects on her first years in business and what she has learnt along the way

As director of BE Ironbridge, Brooke Evans has created her dream hair home – with a little help from her parents. What started as an old mechanic garage has been transformed into an inclusive, safe space for everyone to come and relax. An award-winning salon driven by sustainable values and a love of colour, it’s no wonder Brooke has finalised for this year’s It List Awards in The Business Thinker category! At under 30, Brooke is already achieving great things, but what has her first years in business taught her? Let’s find out…

You’re only as good as your team

“If one person in the team’s qualities let the team down, or they’ve come from another salon and they’re maybe not up to the same standard as your team are in terms of skillset, you need to educate them to bring them up to the same standard, or else your overall standards will slip. Whether that’s internal training or external courses, it’s worth investing in your team. This will ensure consistency across your brand. Everyone should be at the same standard regardless of the price that’s being charged.”

You can’t do it all

“As a business owner, you can’t do it all. It’s taken me a long time to work this one out, but as a business owner you need to make yourself less available. At the start I would take on everything – full-time hairdresser, full-time business owner, admin assistant and social media. As a business owner there’s so much you need to cover off, so don’t be afraid to take a step back from day to day salon life. Sometimes there’s not enough hours in the day and you can end up burning yourself out. It’s ok to take a step back. If you over work yourself, you’ll end up hating what you do. If you take a salary for all the hours you end up doing, would that equate to minimum wage? Even if it does, you’re still doing too much. What’s the point in running a business if you’re working yourself to the ground for minimum wage?”

Learn to delegate

“It’s such a loose term. Everyone at BE Ironbridge has their own jobs to do, but the team get involved with everything. When I first started, I did everything, but now I get the team to help out with things like social media. It also gets the team on board with the business and gives them an understanding of how running a business works. For the team, it gives them ownership too and an understanding of what the business needs to produce. If the team has an understanding of how the business runs, they’re more likely to dedicate themselves to running the business and helping it grow.”

Keep it social

“Social media is a huge factor in our business. Yes, we’ve got a website and word of mouth is a great driver of business, but social media is a free tool with an unlimited reach. It’s important for the individual stylists to have their own social media too. Examples of work etc. can lead to brand partnerships and new clients.”

Don’t accept the bare minimum

“As an industry, we’re so used to everything being at a minimum. Minimum wage, minimum pricing… everything at minimum. It’s counterproductive for us as an industry, and I think this is a problem across the board. People are leaving the industry or going self-employed and renting chairs, so treat your team wisely. Give them an extra week off, take them on holiday, give little gifts and incentives along the way, as well as a good commission structure, pay structure and opportunities to progress. If there’s no progression then they’ll leave. Make sure there’s a ladder that they can climb, whether that be financially or within the industry. It’s about having a degree of flexibility, as what works for one stylist might not motivate or incentivise another. A happy team makes a happy life.”