A ROYAL DOMAIN

BY REX A.C. SILVER

Joe Kurdyla started working at Toni&Guy in Bradford, UK on a Saturday when he was still at school at around 15/16 years old which soon resulted in the offer of a full-time apprenticeship

“I loved music, played guitar and was obsessed with the likes of Elvis and Buddy Holly which I guess looking back is pretty strange for an 8-year-old from a working-class city in the north of England.,” says Joe. “I was really into their look just as much as the music. Then as I got a bit older, that evolved into the British music scene and growing up in the UK in the 90’s and 00’s, I loved the looks similar to Liam Gallagher and the whole Indie/ Britpop music scene.

I always copied these haircuts at school and then started doing a few of my mates’ hair. I didn’t have a clue what I was doing but people would still ask me. I remember when David Beckham first shaved his hair off, I shaved my best mate’s hair off with his Dad’s beard trimmer in his bathroom. He wasn’t happy!”

Things pretty much snowballed from there and so fast forward to today, we find Joe a business partner in Kings Domain, Prahran still loving everything about the Barbering industry here in Australia.

What do you love most about our industry?

I love my clients and the social aspect of the industry. I moved to Australia nearly 8 years ago and didn’t know anyone. Doing this job made it so easy to settle in Melbourne and make lots of mates. I feel lucky to be able to do something creative, and just have a laugh all day. There are much more stressful jobs out there, right?!

What does Barbering mean to you?

For me barbering has given me so much. I’ve been able to travel the world, start businesses and meet some amazing people. I also love that you can always challenge yourself. Whether it’s the haircut, your service or the way you manage/influence others. I try to work on small aspects within those things every day.

When did you start or open this shop?

I started with Kings Domain in January 2015, I got on really well with my bosses (now business partners) and opened Kings Domain in Prahran in December 2016. I opened the shop with the founders of Kings Domain, Aaron Chan and Joey Scandizzo in December 2016.

Kings Domain was still just one shop when I started, and I could see straight away that if I worked hard then there would be plenty of opportunities. I was originally planning on moving back to the UK and opening a shop, but Kings Domain aligned with everything I wanted to do, and I was loving living in Melbourne so why not get the best of both worlds!

The interior design of our shop reflects a blend of classic elegance and modern sophistication. We always aim to create a warm, inviting atmosphere and a space where clients can relax and enjoy some time to take care of themselves.

Our team is the heart of the shop. We have talented barbers; skilled apprentices and we strive to provide the best service possible. In Prahran we have 6 chairs and 10 staff members, we’ve built a community that is passionate about barbering and tries to have as much fun as possible along the way.

I’m incredibly proud to be part of Kings Domain. It’s not just a business; but also, a big part of our local community, this allows us to connect with our clients on a personal level.

What makes Kings Domain stand out?

At Kings Domain, we put a real focus on the service and for me that starts the moment you step foot in the door. Trying to create that perfect experience from start to finish is something that we can continuously challenge ourselves to do. For us it’s more than just a haircut, it’s the way you make someone feel by providing a superior service that will help ensure clients leave the shop feeling much better than when they came in.

What products do you love, use and sell to your clients?

My go-to is Kings Domain Melbourne Sea Salt Texture Spray, it smells great, it has a good hold and plenty of grit. My clients love it.

Kings Domain Melbourne is our men’s haircare range. We wanted to have a product our barbers and client community could feel was their own. This stemmed from doing something for ourselves and then taking the time to refine it and make sure we’re doing it properly. Our line of high-performing products is accessible to the wider community now, in price and location. The Kings Domain Melbourne products are also now stocked in over 800 Coles stores across Australia.

Tool Talk

I’ve just started using the Gamma+ Boosted clippers & I think they’re great. They’re a good solid clipper and they’re nice & light. I always used Wahl before that. It’s nice to switch it up a bit! Scissors – Excellent Edges. Pete and the guys do a great job and I’m a massive fan of their Crocs (scissors not slides!) I would 100% recommend them to anyone, I always tell the apprentices when they start with us to put a little bit of money to one side each week and when they finish their apprenticeship, they should treat themselves to a pair. They’re a game changer!

And further business goals?

In November 2021 myself and a couple of business partners opened Saint Domain Barbers in South Melbourne. We streamlined our barbershop offering to a more classic barbershop approach and so far the business has gone from strength to strength. I don’t cut hair at Saint Domain, so it’s been both challenging and fun working in a less operational role and more just focusing on the business side of things. I’ve also gained a qualification in Digital Marketing which is coming in useful!

I’m also involved in Kings Domain Melbourne which is our men’s haircare range. So between the businesses and having an 18-month-old son – I’ve been keeping myself pretty busy!

In terms of my future goals, I’m really enjoying the digital marketing side of things and I feel I’m at a stage in my career where I want to use my experience to help other small business owners in this field. From my own personal experiences, the digital marketing industry is a minefield of jargon and unfulfilled promises. I want to change that and create something where I can work with business owners, teach and help them master their own digital marketing. With a specific focus on managing paid ads on social media and Google, I want to help them create a more straightforward & cost-effective approach to their digital.

I’ve been cutting a lot of my client’s hair since arriving in Australia so even though I’m pretty busy, it’s important to me to carry on doing that. I still really enjoy being on the shop floor cutting hair and catching up with my clients.

@kingsdomainbarbers