Success in mayfair

Walk down Mount Street in London’s Mayfair and you’ll find three famous hairdressing salons brushing shoulders with each other: Nicky Clarke, Jo Hansford and Steven Carey. Mayfair may well be an incredibly affluent area, but you do have to question how they all flourish in such close proximity.Commenting on his chosen location and the competition it creates, Steven says: “Nicky, Jo and I were all looking for property at the same time and nobody was established in Mount Street then. I relish competition and challenge as it keeps you on your toes. We opened on 23 September 1993 and I had a strong clientele who followed me here.” Steven made his name at Michaeljohn. He joined the salon in its heyday in the late 70s at 21, and stayed for 15 years. “Michaeljohn was the place to be and many of the big names in hairdressing today learnt their skills there. I worked my way up and, through night school, began working in Michaeljohn’s masterclass doing cutting, long hair demonstrations and courses. “This led to hair shows worldwide and magazine work, which I pushed to the limit. At one stage I was averaging 16 pages in Vogue every month in editorials and promotions. This also meant I got to work with some fantastic photographers including Terence Donovan, Clive Arrowsmith, John Swanell, David Bailey, Antony Quickmay and John Bishop,” he says. But it hasn’t always been plain sailing. After his long tenure at Michaeljohn, Steven did make one false start – setting up with two partners in a business he left after two years. Although he now feels that he went into business with his eyes closed he quickly realised that being good at hairdressing doesn’t automatically give you the right skills to run a business, and this made him cautious about his next project. Steven took his time – two years – to find his current premises, but once he did there was no stopping him and the first job on his list was to find a good accountant to help. This professional assistance has been vital to the success of his operation. “Hairdressers are creative people, not mathematicians,” he says. Good business acumen coupled with Steven’s honesty and openness are the foundations on which the business has been built. “Our salon is a success because we have kept things simple,” says Steven. “We are friendly and approachable, honest and professional with clients and only do what a client’s hair will do.” He strives to ensure that his staff work with the hair’s natural strengths and has built his customer base on good customer care which, in turn, creates recommendations. “Word-of-mouth recommendation is very important and there is no better PR for salons. A happy client will recommend friends who will recommend more friends,” he explains. Keeping his staff happy has also been a good move. He employs 35 people, 23 at a senior level. This includes several session stylists. “The staff are all motivated by being kept busy, being involved in shows, seminars and in-house photoshoots. I have always kept a one-to-one relationship with my staff, so they feel that they can talk to me if they need to.” A list of celebrity customers, which includes Rod Stewart, is also good for PR and staff morale. “Our celebrity clientele is good for our other clients and staff to see. For me, it’s nice to think that of all the salons in all the world, they walk into mine.” Perhaps, like Steven, they know a good business when they see one.