Vagaro Stories: Jack Mead on Building His Brand Legacy with Jack & The Wolfe
Over the last few years, renowned hair stylist and salon owner, Jack Mead, has built a brand legacy that echoes his expertise, artistry, and passion for hairdressing. Here, Jack shares how he carved his career path, established his distinctive brand, Jack & the Wolfe, and leveraged social media to make his mark on the UK hair industry.
From Humble Beginnings…
“I spent my early teens in Cyprus with my mum and stepdad. When I was 14, I left school and started working at a Turkish hair salon in my local neighbourhood. I was young and didn’t know what industry I wanted to work in but became fascinated with hairdressing. We moved back to England when I had just turned 16 and at this point, I knew hairdressing was a career I wanted to pursue. Since then, hairdressing has given me a strong sense of purpose in life which I am super grateful for, and I haven’t looked back.”
Becoming a Salon Owner and Opening Jack & the Wolfe
“The idea of becoming a salon owner and having my own creative space was a big dream of mine from day one. I set myself the goal of turning this dream into a reality by the time I turned 26. By the time my 26th birthday came around, I was officially a salon owner.
“The first step to opening Jack & the Wolfe was writing up my business plan. Next, I had to find the perfect location and space for the salon. My wife, Lydia Wolfe, who is also my business partner, and I, scoured the whole of the South Coast of England to find the right salon space. It had to feel like the right fit for us and be within our budget of 10k.
“We eventually stumbled across this incredible three-story building that was about 350 years old in Lymington, and we renovated the entire space on our own. There was a massive gap in the market for creative colour and cuts that many people were travelling up to London for, so we were able to take full advantage of this opportunity.”
Creative Muses and Staying Inspired
“I am inspired by many things. I use social media as a resource for inspiration and follow a wide range of people from my peers to photographers and other creatives. Nick Knight is a fashion photographer of whom I am a huge fan. I am also inspired by the latest trends in fashion, as well as nature and art, but most importantly I am inspired by the creativity of my colleagues. It’s super important for me to continuously challenge and educate myself which is why I’m keen on doing things that are outside of my comfort zone.”
Hair Education and Nurturing the Next Generation
“Education never ends, there’s always something new to learn – a new technique, trend, or simply improving your personal style. While traditional hairdressing courses are a great starting point, it is important that seasoned stylists pay it forward by training and sharing expert tips with the next generation.
"Unfortunately, we live in a time now where many newly qualified hairdressers are going down the self-employed route because they struggle to find work in a salon. I’m dedicated to taking apprentices on at Jack & the Wolfe and paying the team fairly. In the long run, I believe that training the next generation will only help raise the profile of our industry as a whole and help showcase just how credible hairdressing is as a career path, while amplifying our contribution to society. Education is the most incredible gift you can give someone, and giving back makes me feel like I’m doing my part for an industry that I love.”
Building a Brand Legacy
“When Lydia and I started working on the concept for Jack & the Wolfe, we knew that we wanted to add our own twist to it and create something different from traditional salons. We want the Jack & the Wolfe brand legacy to be as much about the team, our creativity, and atmosphere, as it is about us. Lydia spends a lot of time working on ensuring that our brand identity is consistent on our website, all digital platforms, and in the salon. I think that having a strong digital presence is an important part of our brand legacy, as it has really helped us to stand out from the crowd.”
Technology
“As part of our brand strategy, we have always been open to using technology to streamline our business in order to give us more time to do the creative work that we love. Choosing Vagaro as our salon software has done just that for us. We use Vagaro to book customers in, manage our staff schedule, process payments, send out marketing campaigns, and more. What I love the most about Vagaro is that it is an all-in-one salon software solution that can be easily accessed by myself and the team, on any device, at any time. We also wanted customers who book with us online through the Vagaro Marketplace, or Instagram to have a seamless experience that positively reflects our brand.
“It's important to choose the right salon software for your business because, a lot of the time, it’s the first interaction a customer has with your brand, so it must look good, be easy to use, and be reliable. As a business owner, it’s also important that I can access business reports and analytics all in one place so that I can regularly review what is working well and what needs to be improved. That is essentially what helps us stay ahead of the game as we are constantly changing and adapting based on this data.”
Importance of People-Driven Leadership and Employee Equality
“At Jack & the Wolfe, we’re very lucky to have such a great team, so we make sure that we always respect each person’s individual goals and what motivates them. We have an equal team culture in our salon to ensure everyone is valued at Jack & the Wolfe – whether you are an apprentice or the highest-earning stylist, we treat everyone the same. I really don’t believe you can succeed in life without amazing people around you, so Lydia and I are incredibly fortunate.”
Jack’s Top Tips on Building Your Brand Legacy
- Define your Brand: Get granular on who you are, your brand values, vision, and overall long-term purpose. When you’ve figured this out, write it down in a short brand blurb and always refer to this to speak clearly on your brand and its mission.
- Education: Sign up to courses to help you bring your brand to life. The more skills you can pick up as a creative, the easier it will become.
- Create your Visual Identity: Take time to think about your visual identity as a brand and if it matches your overall brand vision. Choose colour, fonts, and other branding elements to use consistently in your marketing or in your creative space for a signature look and aesthetic.
Follow @vagaro.uk on Instagram for the latest Vagaro news and updates. To see what Vagaro’s salon software can do for your business, visit them here.
This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Vagaro.
