Fellowship for british hairdressing holds first business masterclass

The Fellowship for British Hairdressing held its first Business 2 Business Masterclass on 3 November, with some of the industry’s most inspiring business brains sharing their knowledge and experience. Presenting at the event, held at the Library Space in London’s Battersea Park, were Amanda Dicker, co-owner of The Chapel, Tunbridge Wells; Kerry Mather, owner of KJM Salon in Fleet, Hampshire Paul Simbler, director of HOB Salons; and consultant Ryan Fox of Umbrella Marketing. Ryan kicked off proceeding with a presentation on the importance of having a team training plan in place. Ryan stressed that a training plan should be decided on a year in advance to ensure education actually happened, and that training should be offered to all team members, not just trainees. As well as motivating the team, a structured training plan would lead to a consistently high standard of service being offered to clients. Amanda Dicker shared her journey from disillusioned school leaver to award-winning salon group owner. The success of the Chapel has been based on the group’s ethos of offering every client the perfect salon experience from the welcome as they arrive to the check-out as they leave. The Chapel has been a lot of time and resources researching what salon clients want from a visit and built their business around these desires. Kerry delivered an impassioned presentation about her incredibly successful single salon business. The biggest asset of the business was her team, she said, and shared some of the ways she ensures team members are motivated and on-board with the company ethos. From day one, staff are encouraged to attend industry events and enter industry competitions to make them aware of the incredible opportunities offered by a career in hairdressing. Paul offered the perspective of a major salon chain, with HOB Salons employing some 600 team members across 24 salons, including 95 assistants. Education is a major focus for HOB, which has its own academy offering training to staff at all levels. The event proved a huge success, offering an insight onto three very different businesses, each offering an inspirational snapshot of their journey to success.