Getting personal at Salon Smart LIVE 2021
Jordanna Cobella
Opening Salon Smart LIVE 2021 with a presentation based on research for her book, The Mindful Hairdresser, Jordanna Cobella, owner of Cobella salon, highlighted the importance of emotional intelligence (EQ), which she described as the ‘hidden intelligence’ of the hair industry.
“Your vibe attracts your tribe’ is no longer enough,” Jordanna explained. “You need to market yourself and appeal to everyone. That takes high emotional intelligence to do well, and very few companies manage to communicate the ‘why’ behind what they are selling.”
But why is the ‘why’ so important? How does that resonate differently with clients? Jordanna revealed that providing a reason for your business’s ethos and actions communicates directly to the limbic areas of clients’ brains, powering a strong emotional connection between them and your business.
Speaking about her pre-hairdressing career in the police force, Jordanna told the audience that during law enforcement training, they were taught the importance and value of the same social skills that hairdressers employ without a second thought. “But when do we even consider fine tuning our social skills?” She asked.
“Particularly in the earlier stages in our hairdressing career, we’re so fixated on doing things ‘right’ and devoting so much of our attention to honing our new skills that we tend to overlook all things EQ,” she added. “We should make social skills part of the NVQ level training, as they constitute 50 per cent, if not more, of our daily skills as a hairdresser.”
“So I urge you all to build on your emotional intelligence,” she added. “Consider your ‘why’, as that is what will empower you to take your hairdressing skills to the next level.”
Ricky Walters and Stuart Whitelaw
As the reigning The It List ‘Entrepreneur’, Ricky Walters is an expert at client-pleasing EQ, and has so much business intelligence. The city-sleek chic of his space, Salon 64 in Soho, attracts many but Ricky and his staff offer so much more than just a hair experience. With areas to work, champagne on tap, and a bar after dark, the unique salon concept draws on all his experience in top-tier service.
His MWIT20 win is proof of his out-of-the-box thinking, and Ricky is only just getting started. He’s relentlessly pursued opportunity, from his first job sweeping floors to his first major step at John Frieda in Mayfair, before searching out more opportunity Daniel Galvin at the Corinthia hotel.
Fast forward a few years and Salon64 is the end result of that drive and determination. “You can’t just find your USP, you haven’t lost it,” he told the Salon Smart LIVE 2021 audience, explaining how the questions he continually faced in the hotel salon helped to shape his own space. “Don’t pluck ideas out of thin air; solve problems in your working salon life,” he explained.
Ricky implored viewers to never get too distracted by the ‘Hollywood’ version of your salon concept, comparing it to the reality of seeking out derelict shop spaces and cold-calling land registry offices. “Be relentless, be ruthless, keep knocking on those doors. That speaks far louder than being a bigger brand name.” He added. “And when you doubt yourself, or lose sight of what you’re doing, never forget to keep asking ‘why’ to go deeper, to go further.”
On the other end of the spectrum, Glasgow salon Mesart is an expansive space with a raw feel. Part art-gallery, part hair salon, combining pure bliss and escapism, Stuart Whitelaw has created salons that feels like no other. It’s no surprise he scooped the Most Wanted Awards ‘Best New Salon’ 2020 title for his second Mesart salon location, which has been revamped and re-launched.
Stuart joined Ricky on stage and credited the culture that he has built with his team as being vital to the brand’s success. While the salon name combines elements of his first and middle names to give it meaning, he was keen to avoid naming the salons after himself. ‘It’s ultimately all about our clients and what they have to say,” he explained.
Every journey has its hurdles, whether it’s jumping through hoops for building regulations or facing a roadblock the size of a pandemic, but Stuart credits his team for supporting him every step of the way – not just their encouragement, but also their interaction, their thoughts and ideas. His team have a say in everything. “It’s a shared vision, not just my vision,” he insisted.
Harriet Stokes
The last slot in the trio of morning sessions at Salon Smart Live 2021 belonged to Harriet Stokes, self-employed artist and now co-owner of Humankind Hair. “The world is changing, and so is the way we work,” she stated as she gave her point of view on the pros and cons of salon versus self-employed life. A thought-provoking reflection on our industry and the way we’re working, Harriet spoke about how the world is changing post-lockdown, further confirming why salons should adapt to changing needs and wants of staff members.
During numerous lockdowns, some in the industry used the time at home to reflect on their careers, Harriet included. In one such lockdown, Harriet asked her Instagram following on Stories ‘has the pandemic got you thinking about the direction you want your career to take?’ Over 2,500 people responded, with over 94 per cent replying ‘yes.’ Harriet said that when she asked what direction people had considered, most people said to go freelance, shut their salon or start working in a whole new way.
An incredibly honest account from Harriet, who is continuing to tread new paths since becoming self-employed, during the session she explored the reasons why many make the decision to go freelance, along with how salon owners can support their staff long-term. “Train people well enough so they can leave but treat them well enough so they don’t,” she said. “There will always be salons and there will always be apprentices coming through in those salons, while freelancers are paving their own way for what is possible in the future. It shouldn’t be a competition, there is room for all of us. Embrace the change and work together.”
The team from Nashwhite
Nashwhite co-founders Rob White and Lee Nash-Jones were joined on stage by three of their team – Lauren, Molly and Sophie – as they shared some interesting insight into building a successful business, along with the hurdles they’ve overcome. “Whether building a team of three or 38, it’s not always plain sailing,” said Lee. “We are two guys who set up a brand and have grown a team, with endless challenges along the way. Fundamentally, we wanted to create an environment where clients want to be, and staff want to work.”
Having joined the salon 11 years ago as its first apprentice, stylist Molly is proof of why it is vital to nurture relationships with team members in order to develop their career journey. “Rob and Lee allow us to have freedom with what we feel are our strengths,” she said. With Lauren now running the Stratford Upon Avon salon, the team also spoke of the importance of having three pillars within the business to keep things running smoothly.
With the way we work changing, Rob and Lee also discussed supporting staff with shifting needs and reiterated how key it is to adapt. “Many salons right now need to listen to what their team are saying. We identified at least two years before COVID-19 that time was precious, and we had it in our minds we needed to adapt to have a work/life balance,” Lee explained. “Listen to what staff need and adapt where you need to.”
As well as talking about their strengths, the team also spoke openly about mistakes they’ve made – addressing everything from growing their salons to dividing time between different locations. “With those challenges, it’s only ever a failure if you don’t learn from it,” said Rob.