Charles worthington's 20 years in business

The sale of his phenomenally successful product business four years ago netted him a cool £37 million, and his longstanding slot on ITV's This Morning has made him a household name, but 20 years in the business and Charles Worthington shows no signs of slowing down. He laughs at the suggestion he could quit now and happily live off the proceeds in the lap of luxury. "When I get bored I'll know it's time to hang up my scissors and go and live in St Tropez. But, I'm having such a fabulous time I can't imagine that happening. Giving up the business would leave a huge void," he says.Worthington admits that hairdressing is his life and still feels grateful that having switched from architecture to hairdressing, he chose a creatively challenging and stimulating vocation. "It's a fantastic industry. I love hairdressing. Hairdressers know how to have fun and they know about fashion. It's great being surrounded by creative people who know how to make other people feel good," he adds. Charles is due to open his latest project, The House of Charles Worthington in Great Queen Street in London's Covent Garden, any day now. It's styled on the current vogue for boutique, townhouse hotels and although he aims to create a cosy, intimate feel in the salon, it has nine rooms on several floors so isn't small. "When we opened Percy Street it was a large salon. It started the swathe of super salons where people just opened bigger and bigger spaces," he says. "Having stayed at boutique hotels I value the intimacy of small spaces. I live in a townhouse in Chelsea and people comment on how you feel cocooned by the space but you can watch the world go by. That's the feeling I wanted to create." Charles has come a long way since the opening of his first salon, financed with just £9,000. Little did he know it was the first step towards creating a global brand that would put him firmly in the hairdressing hall of fame. "When the first salon opened we just wanted to break even, pay the bills and cover our overheads. Six months later we realised we were doing that and making a nice profit too. Only then did we start thinking about being commercially successful," he says. Ten years ago he and business partner Allan Peters launched the Charles Worthington product line. "We felt everything out there in the retail arena looked rather dull and boring. We used our professional expertise and we knew what to expect from good products." The business went from strength to strength, was listed in Boots and went global, supplying 11 countries. There are now nine ranges, including the signature range Results, the ever-popular Takeaways and Q&A for problem hair. Even Charles couldn't have predicted quite how big it would become. In 2003 the range was sold to PZ Cussons, maker of Imperial Leather soap, in a deal worth £37 million. "The brand needed a big global player to catapult it into the next league. We were employing more than 250 people worldwide and it became more about managing people than being creative," he says. Charles is still closely involved with the business - it's based next door to his Percy Street salon, allowing him to have a creative input in product development, without the hassle factor. He certainly has no regrets about selling out. "It has become enjoyable again," he says. "I now have all the fun of developing new products, with none of the stress. I feel energised to do things within the business. I don't have to spin 20 plates at a time." He has no plans for further haircare ranges but would like to branch into interiors in the future. He won't be drawn on details, but one thing's for certain, if he does launch an interiors range it's sure to be unique. However, he acknowledges it gets more and more difficult to invent something different. "It does get harder to be unique - you have to use your creativity to the maximum and keep pushing. That's what has made my career so exciting. I love the variety and the instant gratification you get from the creativity. You can create a great haircut in an hour, something visually wonderful to look at but something that's not permanent." His advice to anyone who craves his sort of success is to have the strength of character to believe in yourself. "It's also how you set out your stall that determines the clients you get - there's no such thing as a boring haircut, only boring stylists. If you give cool, great haircuts, you'll have cool, great clients," he says. "The key thing is to do it differently whether it's haircuts or salons. That's always my mantra and what I live by. Then when you're successful, you'll stand out."