Rush hair directors share the secrets of their business success
Published
22nd Apr 2011
by rachael
Maintaining standards across a chain of salons can be difficult, but to do so when you are growing as rapidly as Rush Hair is a momentous challenge. The group now comprises 32 partnership salons and 28 franchise salons, and there are plans to open 15 more this year.
HJi spoke to chairman Andrew Phouli and creative director Stell Andrew about their business success.
HJ: You were recently named as one of the 100 best places to work in Britain by The Sunday Times - why was it important to take part in this?
AP: Stell, George (George Phouli, operations director) and myself are extremely proud of achieving this status and being the first hairdressing salon or group to do so. Credit must go to our head of human resources, Claire Aitken who managed the whole process. It's important to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the whole team at Rush. We have a great team spirit, and to be recognised alongside multi-national, blue-chip companies is a real honour. No other hairdressing company has achieved this. We were told it usually takes at least three years to make the Top 100, but to have entered this year at number
60 is fantastic.
HJ: How do you think you have maintained Rush as a great place to work while experiencing rapid growth?
SA: We have a great team - or, should I say teams? - and we all support each other and work towards the one goal. Training is vital to ensure everyone works in the same way, and we train each team member internally, ensuring everyone understands and delivers the Rush values. Our highest score in The Sunday Times Best Place to Work appraisal was for personal growth, which was bettered by only two other companies.
HJ: What criteria do you use when selecting a new franchisee?
AP: Selecting a franchisee needs to be an intuitive process as well as a business one. Whether we are taking on a new employee or a new franchisee we look for passionate individuals who believe in providing an excellent level of service to the client. A new franchisee does not necessarily need to be from the hairdressing industry - we take into consideration people from all walks of life who have strong business minds.
HJ: What criteria do you have when looking for new potential Rush outlets?
SA: Location is important. We take into account a number of criteria, including the footfall of the location, whether it is on a major high street, has good transport links, and if it offers facilities such as car parking.
HJ: How did it all begin? Take me back to the first salon - where was it and how did you decide this was the right place?
SA Andrew and myself were already friends before we started working together and before we opened our first salon close to Baker Street. This salon wasn't a success and taught us a huge lesson, but at the same time encouraged our entrepreneurial skills, and we turned a bad situation into something good. The true strength of a partnership is tested when the chips are down and you need to ask if you should run and hide or fight together. Rush was built on this and we still live by this today.
HJ: Where did the interest in hairdressing come from?
SA: From the age of 14, I always knew I wanted to be a hairdresser.
AP: I was always fascinated and intrigued by the service industry and I felt retail had such huge potential. Hairdressing allowed me to combine my passions.
HJ: You describe the opening of Rush Sutton, Surrey, as a major turning point - why is this?
SA: Our salon in Sutton was the third to open, and by this time we knew we were doing something right. We realised that training our own team internally was the way ahead. I was also told to keep branding consistent, and this has been a key factor in our success.
HJ: When did you form the first Rush artistic team, and who were the original members?
SA: The Rush artistic team was formed in 1999. We built this team with the best, resulting in a strong art team bursting with creativity. The first art team members were artistic director Andrew Heasman, editorial director Tina Farey, and Brett Ryan.
HJ: How has the team helped grow the Rush brand?
SA: The artistic team has created the Rush look. Our philosophy of fusing strength and movement can be translated into every haircut we do.
HJ: Your team are obviously at the heart of what you do - tell me how you invest in staff.
AP: We train every one of our team members in the Rush Advanced Academy to ensure that every individual provides a high standard of service and hairdressing. We recognise success from all areas of our business at our annual awards, the Rush Oscars. Strong channels of communication with the team are vital - it's important that they know how much we value them and that each team member is integral to the company's success.
HJ: Tell me about how Rush views its clients.
AP: We view our clients as God.
HJ: What are the basics of good customer service?
SA: Treat others as you wish to be treated yourself.
HJ: What recent initiatives have you introduced to improve the client experience?
AP: We are always looking at ways to improve the Rush experience. The client's journey is important to us. In our salons, the spa areas are key; relaxation being a priority with luxurious backwash and dimmed lighting. We have also introduced café bar areas with baristas and, of course, excellent front of house and managers ensuring everything runs smoothly.
HJ: Tell me about your growth strategy - how have you managed to grow while still maintaining the values that make you Rush?
AP: We focus on having the right business strategies in place for all eventualities. When the recession was looming, rather than let it demotivate us, we
re-grouped, changed tactics and have exceeded our goals. We spent more money than ever on training, ensuring our standards are never compromised.
HJ: How would you sum up these values and the Rush ethos?
SA: Creativity, passion, quality, professionalism.
