HERE’S WHAT WE LEARNED

AT CREATIVE HEAD’S NETWORKING EVENT FOR BUSINESS OWNERS AND MANAGERS, A RANGE OF EXPERTS GAVE A GLIMPSE INTO THE FUTURE. SO, KNOW THIS: YOUR CLIENTELE WILL CHANGE AND TECHNOLOGY WILL PLAY A GREATER ROLE IN YOUR BUSINESS, BUT HUMAN CONNECTION SHOULD REMAIN AT THE HEART OF EVERYTHING YOU DO.

Winnie Awa

Amanda Nottage

Alison McRitchie

Monica Teodoro

Iona Brown

Samantha Cusick

First things first: Salon Smart 2024 was an absolute belter – packed with people and packed with new ideas for how best to run a hair business now. Tickets for Creative HEAD’s networking event for salon and barber shop owners and managers had sold out weeks in advance, so it was a lucky crowd of 200 first-past-the-post hair pros who descended on the Chain and Buoy Store in East London for a day of insight, learning and inspiration delivered by industry experts and innovators. And what did they learn? With no fewer than 22 awesome presenters and panel members taking to the stage, expertly managed by Creative HEAD editorial director Amanda Nottage, the agenda was diverse and wide-ranging.

But as the day played out, some key themes emerged:

• It is vital now to embrace technology within your business, whether that’s using best-in-class software for client bookings, stock management and marketing; creating AI bots to improve specific areas of concern; or harnessing the power of social media to find new clients (let’s face it, social media is the only place young humans are looking for a hairstylist nowadays). Tech is not only changing the game in-salon, it’s something your clients expect to experience within their salon visit, too. We can learn from beauty retail, suggested Iona Brown, communications director for L’Oréal Professional Products UK & Ireland, where brands are using technology-led experiences to drive client engagement and spend. L’Oréal Professional Products is already on the ball with its My Hair [iD] virtual try-on app and digital screens, and coming soon, the K-Scan hair and scalp diagnostic probe from Kérastase.

• However, smart tech should not come at the cost of human connection. We heard a lot about the powerful role hairdressers play in the lives of their clients beyond a cut and blow-dry, whether that’s as an adviser, a listening ear or as a business within the community that’s genuinely making a difference. (Most Wanted Best Local Salon 2023 winner Alison McRitchie, owner of The Head Gardener in Inverness, delivered an incredibly moving showcase of the work she does with the Highland Hospice, where she provides joy and happiness to terminally ill cancer patients). This human connection is unique and valuable and should lie at the heart of your business long into the future.

• Your client base will change dramatically over the coming years. According to keynote speaker Monica Teodoro, general manager of education and professional development at L’Oréal Professional Products UK & Ireland, by 2035 your clients will be older, more male, even more urban, more ethnically diverse and also more culturally and religiously diverse. “Whatever you did before will not be enough for tomorrow,” warned Monica, noting that businesses will need to invest in education, in order to stay one step ahead of new skills and trends as they emerge, and they will need to be significantly more diverse.

This latter point was also made in compelling fashion by textured hair campaigner Winnie Awa, who revealed that only one per cent of the UK’s 35,000 salons currently cater for textured hair clients (emphasising what an incredible opportunity this remains for today’s business owners). “We need to upskill collectively, in terms of the knowledge and skills we have around textured hair,” she said. “Textured hair has been added to the training curriculum and that’s a great thing, but it needs to be implemented across the board. We need to understand better the needs, the behaviours and motivations of this consumer because when we do, we will be able to serve them better.”

• Don’t be afraid to delegate. As a business owner you’re probably attempting to do the work of five full-time jobs. Keep hold of the parts where you know you bring value but ensure people with different strengths take care of the rest. As serial entrepreneur Samantha Cusick stated: “Take steps to work on your business, not in it. That includes delegating tasks, in order to create the time you need to work on your plans.”