Dream of opening your own salon? here's how

If you’re already dreaming of opening your own salon - and not just any salon: a much talked about ‘It’ salon – you’ve got a steep learning curve in front of you. Jason Cocking is living that dream at his very cool salon, Muse of London. Here’s his story. "I have always wanted to be a hairdresser, so I decided to do work experience at Goldsworthy’s in Swindon while I was still at school. "They soon took me on full time, trained me up and turned me into a hardcore hairdresser. Later, I followed my heart and moved to London where I continued to develop and learn. "When you learn your training on the job, one of the most invaluable experiences is that you have to do hair you do not feel confident with. You just have to get on with it. "This taught me that you have to keep doing your best even if you do not like the project you’re given – an invaluable lesson. "I’d always wanted to open my own salon, so when the opportunity came up to open a franchise, I took it. I really enjoyed the experience, but due to the financial climate, it didn’t work. "This was tough to give up as I had worked so hard to try to push the business. In the end, I realised that I had taken on too much with the business side and decided to stick with what I’m good at: hair and ideas. This is when Muse of London was born. "I had a vision that I wanted to make a salon that was approachable, affordable and creative with a really striking design that encourages clients to move round it rather than be sat at their station. "I looked at the location and realised it was surrounded by a lot of shops and business offices but also residents, so we needed to be open seven days a week. It was also important to be open late and offering no-bookings-required express services to girls and guys on the move. "Struggling as a franchisee also taught me about the importance of team work. You can’t do it by yourself. I had family and friends encouraging me to keep moving forward with my creative ideas. My salon team is also there to help me and guide me through things and it’s important to have the right people in place and play to their strengths. “Owning the salon is a very challenging, but rewarding job. One minute I will be with a client, the next I will be in the office catching up on emails or helping my assistants. "It can all be very stressful at times, but you just have to smile and get on with things. "To people imagining themselves owning an It salon, I’d say always have faith in yourself and follow your dreams. If opening a salon means so much to you, you will make it happen to the best of your ability."