Sheona Will, owner of Bloom Group Salons, talks about her experience scaling back her business and redefining what success looks like
Around three years ago, I stopped actually doing my job and it took me a long time to recognise that. What I’d always been passionate about I wasn’t able to do anymore. So when I scaled back I was surprised by how powerful it became.
Looking back, there were definitely early signs that scaling up was costing more than it was giving me. But as a business leader, you ignore the signs – much to your own detriment. You start to believe, wrongly, that what defines you is the size of something.
All the clichés are true: quality over quantity, good things come in small packages. But the one that really resonates with me now is ‘it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog’. I’m hugely passionate about this industry and about hair and growing people, but I got to a point where I hated my job.
This industry celebrates growth, so stepping back felt frightening. I struggled to even use the word failure. But when I really looked at what we’d achieved, the picture changed. We grew a London business from zero to around £750– 800k turnover in three years. That’s a success story. The team remains
our biggest success but measuring success purely by size isn’t right. There are salons half our size with lower average bills that are more profitable. The equation is slightly wrong.
LOOKING BACK, THERE WERE DEFINITELY EARLY SIGNS THAT SCALING UP WAS COSTING MORE THAN IT WAS GIVING ME. BUT AS A BUSINESS LEADER, YOU IGNORE THE SIGNS.
Sheona Will
I loved the scaling-up process. What it gave me and Bloom as a brand was invaluable but to stay
in that space, I had to give up my job and hand it to other people. Leadership, culture, systems, all of that moves away from you. You start to think, I don’t actually like my job anymore - and I own this business!
Scaling back really only began towards the end of last year, after the London salon was sold back. And already, the difference is huge. I’m doing one-to-ones with my team of around 30 people in Scotland that I simply couldn’t connect with properly before. That’s my passion. Helping people analyse their business, set goals, get busier, do more colour, have their best weeks ever. I’m also back in the numbers. That whole system, marketing, education and tracking, that’s what excites me. During the scale-up years, I couldn’t get close enough to that.
If someone is scaling up now, my advice would be to really look at culture and leadership foundations first. In Scotland, that culture was built over many years. In London, starting from zero, it was much harder for the “Bloom way” to truly land. Stepping back and asking the right questions is critical. Who are the people in that next layer of leadership? Are they creative? Operational? And can your margins support the structure you’re building?
Do I regret scaling back? Not at all. It’s been one of the best experiences of my life. I feel re-energised and my impact is far greater now than it ever was. I feel like I’ve got my job back. Would I ever scale up again? Never say never, but only with the knowledge I have now. Sometimes you have to go back to move forward. And the lessons you learn along the way are invaluable. Most importantly, I love my job again.
