Could Our Industry Do Better in 2022 By Sandy Chong, CEO of the AHC

Are you one who has commented in the last 12 months that you can’t find staff? Do you advertise and get no applicants? Has your 1st year apprentice left the industry or moved on to another salon?

Were you upset that your suppliers could not deliver all of your Christmas orders in 2021? Does seeing professional only products sold at discount outlets upset you when you are a loyal account?

As an industry, could we do better this year? Could salon owners be better business leaders? Could apprentices be better apprentices? Why are staff leaving to be self-employed? What would make a difference besides one great haircut every time? What about we all try to be a little bit fairer on each other and consider the following….

EMPLOY AN APPRENTICE

Apprentices deserve a lot more respect! For the salons that do well with apprentices, they understand that apprentices are their business’s future sustainability. They’re an investment of your time, energy and yes, money. Their role is not to clean all day, every day. Their role is to learn from day one and your role is to provide all the training they need to be your most productive and best future senior stylist. Yet our industry loses 65% of our apprentices in the first year. Why? The most common reasons are the way they were treated, the way they were spoken to, and incorrect pay. (AHC survey 2021)

EDUCATION & COLLEGE

Work with your apprentice’s college. Align your salon training with their college training and communicate and engage their college teacher. You’re paying for your apprentice to attend college, so negotiate, communicate, and make it a relationship that works best for everyone. When did you last engage with your college or Tafe?

WAGES

Our industry is under the Hair and Beauty Award. This is the minimum amount of pay for an employee, however the most successful salons pay much higher wages to reward productive stylists. Commission is profit sharing. Our industry is known for low pay and the only way we can change this image and attract more staff is to pay more in line with other trades and careers.

RECRUITING

Change your ads. With Headhunter Recruitment we see ads that say, “We’re hiring”. Your reputation is not enough to attract a new staff member. They’re only interested in what you’re offering them. WIIFM is the formula ….What’s In It For Me. Write your ad with a list that covers lifestyle, work, and balance. The AHC surveyed sole operators and homebased hairdressers. Many miss the salon culture, tribe, and vibe of a creative salon. They miss team training, ventilating clients for new clients… and they hated clients knowing where they live. There’s thousands of potential qualified hairdressers wanting to return to salon life. What would your ad say to attract them to your salon?

POACHING

Don’t do it! It’s fair to employ an applicant that is replying to your ad. But blatant poaching in our industry shows a lack of integrity. Some may say “that’s business”. I say let’s do the right thing and have each other’s back, especially with the industry skills shortage. Employ an apprentice and train your own staff, versus poaching from someone who has put in that time and effort.

SUPPLIERS.

Build a relationship with your product suppliers. Why is it that the first question asked to a supplier is “What discount do I get?”. How would you feel if your salon guests asked this? Build relationships with suppliers. Look at what support they provide you with education, marketing and building your business.

DISCOUNT OUTLETS

Misleading advertising on online platforms is common. It’s predatory pricing used to undermine the value of a professional only product and company. Professional products are advertised, but at checkout they’re “out of stock” or there’s only one available. This kind of advertising of professional only products is frustrating and a constant battle for many professional only suppliers who do not supply these discount platforms. Parallel importing is accepted by the Australian Government to the detriment of our supplier businesses. They see it as fair competition. Our industry doesn’t see it this way and many a reputation is damaged.

AWARDS

Enter as many awards as you can. Writing a submission gives you clarity on your roadmap to success. You recognise what you can do better and what you do well. Often the result is a good pat on the back! And if you win, there’s no greater feeling than being recognised by the industry for your hard work.

COACHES

Choose wisely! There’s many a complaint that comes to the AHC, often too late with many thousands of dollars lost on a coach that does not deliver what was promised. In fact, if their offer sounds too good to be true - that’s probably right! There’s some amazing coaches in the industry. The AHC is happy to recommend credible coaches who have helped hundreds of salon owners. We all need a little bit of help sometimes!

AND FINALLY...

The last two years have been rough. I’ve watched the most resilient business owners crumble with the uncertainty of their business’s future. Financial and mental stress wore many down. The thought of losing staff or letting staff down were very real and debilitating. The concerns around Covid and health decisions around vaccination divided many.

My belief is to live with hope. Work with hope. Let’s hope 2022 is the best year for all of you and our industry.

Be the change you want to see.

Mahatma Gandhi