HAIRBIZ Year 17 Issue 1

FEATURE 10-12 20 Minutes with Ira Pop Sage By Louise May

A Dream Come True

A Passion for Imagery – Michael Young By Louise May 22 Across the Ditch with Anthony Bayer 24 Across the Ditch with Shannon Dowd 26 Celebrating 45 Years in the Industry – Wayne Chappell 50 Dare to Challenge, Born to Educate By Louise May 52 A Journey of Determination By Louise May

SALON PROFILE

28 Hair Royalty By Louise May 30 Creating a Wellness Sanctuary By Louise May 32 shibui Sustainability By Louise May EVENTS 34 Next Level By Lyndal Salmon 43 Claudia Cataldo wins L’Oreal Professional Paris, International Style and Colour Trophy PROFILE

GLAM BOX 44 Cutting Edge Chemistry set to Revolutionise HaircareespresTM

Get set for the Liquid Hair Trend to Takeover By Sarah Nav Daalen

HAIR TRENDS

What’s On Trend For Summer with Anthony Nader 58 2023 Colour Trends with Kristina Russell EDUCATION 54 Be an Apprentice Builder By Anthony Gray 55 How do we lead our emerging GenZ workforce By Keira Maloney 56 Skill Shortages & Colour Education with Kristie Kesic HEALTH

& WELLNESS

64 Menopause on the Mind By Tina Winchester 65 Open Minded Magic By Angeli Maria Shaw BLOGSPOT 72 2023 Reset By Dario Cotroneo

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PUBLISHER

Linda Woodhead linda@mochagroup.com.au

GENERAL MANAGER

Jarred Stedman jarred@mochagroup.com.au

EDITOR Louise May louise@mochagroup.com.au

ADVERTISING MANAGER

Nina Barbara nina@mochagroup.com.au

ART DIRECTOR

Kellie Woodhead kellie@mochagroup.com.au

ADMINISTRATION

Jess Richmond jess@mochagroup.com.au

CONTRIBUTORS

Louise May

Lyndal Salmon

Sarah Nav Daalen

Anthony Nader

Kristina Russell

Anthony Gray

Keira Maloney

Kristie Kesic

Tina Winchester

Angeli Maria Shaw

Dario Cotroneo

Paul Frasca

Clive Allwright

Brodie Lee Tsiknaris

Gary Latham

Kerrie Di Mattia

Hayley Mears

Nicole Healy

Ryan Maddock

David Watts

Jenni Tarrant

Anthony Presotto Larissa Macleman

Kym Krey Phil Smith

OFFICE PO BOX 252

4212

07 5580

www.mochagroup.com.au

EDITOR’S LETTER

I think the most exciting part about sitting down to write this Editors Letter, is the welcoming of a brand-new year! One with a completely new clean slate, and of endless possibilities.

The stretch of bright shiny new months ahead of us, waiting to be filled with our various goals and adventures… However we choose to write the script.

2023 feels like a new beginning for me, after what feels like years of rules and regulations and the world shutting down, we can finally do life on our own terms again.. So, it’s time to grab 2023 with both hands and give it a red-hot go, and really enjoy the year ahead. Make sure you do things that your future self will thank you for, and that includes getting rid of the things in your life that don’t serve you well.

minutes with Vegas Superstar Ira Pope Sage, we chat with Paul Dare about his new education platform and we celebrate 45 years in the industry with Wayne Chappell. We head across the pond to New Zealand and feature two of our AHIA Creative finalistsShannon Dowd and Anthony Bayer, we cross over to the UK and meet recently crowned Avant-Garde Hairdresser of the Year at the British Hairdressing Awards 2022, Enrica Russo, and chat with the one and only Michael Young.

We also feature shibui in Melbourne and Royals Academy in Sydney, plus plenty more, including our other business writers and bloggers giving you ‘our readers’ as much advice, tips, and tricks as they possibly can to help you have the most successful year possible in 2023

OF HAIRBIZ, BEAUTYBIZ & BARBERSHOP

HAIRBIZ is published six times a year by mocha publishing ABN 65 091 846 189

No Part of the publication may be reproduced in any manner or form without written permission. HAIRBIZ does not accept responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, transparencies, original artwork or other material. The views expressed in HAIRBIZ are not necessarily those of the publisher.

No responsibility will be accepted if the publication is delayed or prevented by factors beyong the control of the publisher. No responsibility will be accepted for errors in copy, or for any loss arising from the failure of an advertisement or any part thereof to appear.

Make sure you get that new planner or diary out and spend some time planning out the year ahead, and start the year organised and with a plan of attack. Remember that a goal without a plan is just a wish, so if you are wanting to smash those goals out of the park this year, you will need a plan of attack mapped out, to ensure you give yourself the best possible chance of achieving success. Don’t just wish for it, work for it!

Face to face education and events are back in full swing this year, and we have an insane amount of education on offer, and some very cool industry events coming up... The first of those being our Hot Shots ‘3-day House event! With such a great line up of Industry Icons who will be mentoring over the 3-day period and lots of fun and exciting activities will be taking place! Bring it on!

We seriously have so much in this fabulous first issue of the year! We meet another one of our Hot Shot winners Louise Graham, we spend 20

We are also very excited about the Launching of Mocha Village! The Village is an online space, that resides within the mocha group website and is unique to the hair, beauty, and barber industries where information can be shared by all. The village will be separated into 3 areas for Hair Beauty and Barber.

Whether you are looking simply for contact details, paid or free education, business connections, industry links, resource library, staff, business courses and more... Mocha Village is where you will find it.

I hope you enjoy this issue as much as I have enjoyed putting it all together for you, and I hope that the year ahead is a good one!

Louise May, HAIRBIZ EDITOR louise@mochagroup.com.au

The Zelda styling chair is a new addition to the Joiken collection. Inspired design and style to enhance any space! The seat is made from polyurethane that is available in White and Latte The Zelda is also available in a high grade Tan colour upholstery The Zelda range also includes a Waiting Area Chair option suited for your client, visitor, meeting, dining or beauty space

20 Minutes with

IRA POPE SAGE

By Louise May

Ira Pope Sage is a Las Vegas-based hairdresser who first began his professional career in his hometown of Michigan back in 1994. A former stylist at a Robert Cromeans Salon until 2012, Sage joined Paul Mitchell and travelled all over the world as a Global Educator, specialising in haircutting.

Throughout the years Ira’s work has been awarded and recognised by prestigious publications. He was named top hairdresser by Vegas Life Magazine in 2002 and 2003, listed as a top 50 Platforms Artist by Be Mag in 2007, and was featured on a Winn Claybaugh Masters CD. In 2021 Ira became a Southwest Hairstyling Awards Finalist for Asian Hairstylist of the Year and Hairstylist of the Year, and was honoured with the Uncensored Beauty Icon Award by Midwest Hairstyling Awards, that same year as well.

Ira has captured the industry’s attention for his expressive and functional shapes, which he gives credit to his “Clock Cutting Method” – his signature approach to haircutting, which explains why the foundations of creativity begin with thinking inside the box. Inspired by the idea of time, clocks and measurement, Ira’s visual approach simplifies the haircutting process and opens up the mind to a whole new perspective of haircutting.

“Do everything with happiness, passion and love” are words Ira lives by and which are guiding his present trajectory.

Our Editor Louise May spends 20 minutes getting up close and personal with the legend Ira Pope Sage himself…

Tell us what you do in the industry today.

Currently as I’m sat answering this question, I am a booth renting, behind the chair hairdresser and I’m at chill quaint off the Strip salon here in Las Vegas. I teach 1on1’s here at the loft I live in, I do in-salon classes and share my perspectives at hair shows.

I guess now a days I’d have to add that I create haircutting content, and will soon have subscription education available.

To help us get to know you a little more, would you share a little about your upbringing?

I was made in the Philippines, yet born and raised in Greenville Michigan. I was raised with an older sister (Erlinda) and a younger

sister (Samantha), by my factory working parents (Alicia and Ira). Being the only boy and middle child, I was given decent freedom to explore and find me along the way.

How did you first get involved in the industry?

When I was 11-12 years old, I was into the white kid skater look, which kinda had emo bangs, side part with spiky textured hair on the part. I’d go to the hair salon in my small town and ask the pretty hairdresser girl for that skater look, it never quite looked like I wanted, but the pretty lady would ask if I liked it, and I would smile and say yes thank you pretty hairdresser! I’d then go home and cut into my haircut and make it what I wanted... I did that about three times until I decided I’d do the cut from beginning to end all myself. I also then switched my hair goals from the white kid skater look to a more black kid ethnic look. Fun fact, my siblings and I were told our grandfather was a black Ethiopian man, so I felt I was getting to my roots. Only four years ago I find out nope no Ethiopian grandfather, he was Filipino.

Either way, I have always been very attracted to shape, so I was very inspired by Johnny Gil bi level shapes and Bobby Brown Gumby shapes. Also, like 3rd Base, shaved graffiti in hair was very cool to me! So that all said, by 13 years old I were cutting my own hair regularly pushing the wicked faded shapes and Jordan Jumpman, or football helmet with my numbers carved into my hair. I’d use paper harder than writing paper yet softer than cardboard, draw the image, cut it, put two side tape on it and then put it to my head as a stencil! My friends couldn’t believe I did my hair myself, so by 14 I started cutting their hair to prove I did it all myself! I loved cutting their hair, but I wanted to be a lawyer when I grew up.

I lived just off a lake and the house between my lake and the next lake was amazing! It had the pool, full court basketball/tennis court, a Porsche, and pretty girls at their pool! They were lawyers and I wanted that lifestyle, so lawyer me up! My sophomore year of high school, this salon owner (Jeff Hall) saw my girlfriend and I at a gas station,

he complimented me on my hair, and my friends hair and asked if I was planning to be a hairdresser and told me what school to go to if I did choose hair. Fast forward to my senior year of high school, I had to decide if it was lawyer or not. Which meant running cross country due to scholarship offers or simply having fun playing football with my friends! Cross country started two weeks before football, so I started up too! Then first day of football practice I gave a buddy a ride home. Stopped at a stop sign, saw this beautiful home with two beautiful cars and a boat parked in the driveway. Said to my friend check out that beautiful place and he said oh that’s Jeff Hall’s house, the hairdresser that saw me at the gas station. It was at that moment I decided I was going to play football with my friends, become a hairdresser and have fun for the rest of my life!

What achievement are you most proud of in your life or career?

I am most proud that I’ve accomplished a big goal for me, have the respect of my peers! Last year the Midwest Hairstyling Awards honoured me with the Uncensored Beauty Icon Award, which is, “For the artist who follows the road less travelled; the one who paves their own path. This artist knows no boundary and is willing to break the rules to tell a story with their art. They make it possible for others to go against the norm. This artist will not be out in a traditional box; they won’t be censored. They are the epitome of Uncensored Beauty. This category will not accept submissions and will be nominated by Hair Awards USA Style Council members.” So, was so grateful to be awarded for my weirdness and always just being me!

If you weren’t doing what you do now, what alternative career would you consider?

I love plants so maybe I’d do something plant related! If I could simply pick what I want, I’d choose music, as it was my first love!

Three things you’re passionate about:

A = practicing. I practice being nice when no one’s looking. I practice finding the positive out of things. I practice cutting hair regularly in hopes to accomplish more knowledge, understanding to put me in the path with the least amount of resistance.

B = making me proud of me. I feel it’s super important to focus on making me proud of me! Since July 3, 2022, I have only taken cold showers. Since I have no filter on my shower, hot water opens pores in our skin and all the harmful chemicals in the water

being passed into our bodies. There are many benefits, but for me the biggest thing is the belief in me it gives me! I need as many reminders that I can, as much as possible!

C = music. Music was my first love. I love how it allows and ignites emotions. I love how much watching live music inspires me in so many ways! It can often open my mind to see things different than I did before hearing and feeling it!

Describe your ideal Sunday:

Wake up like 8am next to my girlfriend (Missie) and dog (Mr uncle Louie) . Share, express and practice loving activities with Missie. Go to the park and get my walk and workout sorted. Come home shower, go get brunch and come home to watch my Chicago Bears beat the packers! Have a delicious dinner with Missie, and then go to a concert with Missie and friends! Oh, cannabis is legal here so the whole-time bong rips would be sprinkled through that glorious day.

What’s on your bucket list?

Honestly as corny as this sounds, to teach and vacation in Australia is on my bucket list!

I love seeing places I’ve never seen before and sharing my perspectives with new people! Makes me feel I’ve had purpose and I’ve done good with my time.

Craziest, funniest, or most unusual thing/s you’ve ever done? Wow so many things to pick from to answer craziest, funniest, or unusual things I’ve done... I’ve certainly had sex in most places you could think of to be crazy, including on top of a random Prius downtown Las Vegas since Missie doesn’t like Prius drivers. Ok it’s Halloween, I’m going to go with when I was 38 my best mate D.J. Muldoon (Geeza) and I were at a Cut Copy concert at a theatre. I noticed there were steps to stage on the side, so I decided to run up them, jump on stage give Dan Whitford a high-five then continue to stage dive to spread open crowd. Funniest part is months later I checked hashtags and found footage that someone filmed and posted of me saying “no he’s not part of the band!”

“I AM BORN ON FEBRUARY 29TH SO I’M A UNICORN! CURRENTLY I’M 11.5 YEARS OLD!

I THINK THIS IS WHY AT 5’7” I DON’T HAVE SHORT MAN COMPLEX CAUSE 5’7” AT 11.5 YEARS OLD IS PRETTY TALL TRULY…” IRA POPE SAGE

Pets or no pets?

Funny story about pets! In 2015 I was single and thinking maybe it was time for me to get a pet! I saw a dog on Instagram that looked super cool, so I screenshot the dog two different times saying to myself I want a dog like that! Then I kind of started to switch from wanting a dog to a Sphynx (hairless cats). then in 2017 Missie comes into my life accompanied by this adorable Chinese crested yorkie mix dog, named Louie! he looks a lot like the dog I took pics of if he was mixed with the hairless cat, since Louie is a hairless dog!

What’s playing on your Spotify right now?

The Chemical Brothers - Electronic Battle Weapon 7... Lcd Soundsystem is my favourite band ever. I have an exploding disco ball tattooed on my chest and it says “Dance yrself clean.” Lcd Soundsystem aways has a disco ball on stage and “Dance yrself clean” is my favourite song from them.

What was your nickname as a child and how did you get it?

Well, my full given name is Ira Pope Sage Jr. Yeah technically I’m the third... and the second would have been cooler than junior but whatever... So, my dad would call me poop or pooper since I was a kid. So, you can imagine when I was running track and my dad was yelling go Poop! Or you can do it Pooper, it was very confidence building as a teenager.

If you could leave this industry having achieved just one thing, what would that legacy be?

If I could leave anything with this industry it would be my Clock Cutting Method properly in schools for new students to be able to learn this “hooked on phonics” like way. I created my own method utilising time as the guidance for cutting hair. It helps many hairdressers gain a different perspective on how to cut hair.

What’s something interesting or quirky we might not know about you?

I am born on February 29th so I’m a unicorn! Currently I’m 11.5 years old! I think this is why at 5’7” I don’t have short man complex cause 5’7” at 11.5 years old is pretty tall truly…

If you could invite 4 people, living or passed, to a dinner party at your place, who would you invite?

Nikola Tesla for answers. Dr Sebi for answers. James Murphy for music. Dave Chapelle for laughs.

Do you have a motto or signature life philosophy?

Be like electricity, find the path with the least amount or resistance. When I heard that is why electric bolts go left right left right again, that blew my mind! That’s what I want, I trust I will work 24/7 365 to get it, so it’s not about lazy it’s about ease and enjoyment!

What does contentment mean to you?

It’s mega to me! It’s something I’m always chasing after! When I’ve experienced moments of it, it seems so mentally relaxing !! I guess it’s like the frosting on the cake, most of the matter is cake, with a little frosting! So much time and practice(cake) doing the right things return little bits of contentment (frosting.)

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I would have fallen in love with myself sooner! I think it would have made lots of my years easier and more purely pleasurable!

What makes you laugh?

Laughing is one of my favourite things to do! I love watching stand-up comedians, I’m not the sensitive type and I think comedy has no boundaries!

What’s your greatest fear?

To become dependent upon others to live. I have trust issues, so the thought of being dependent on someone is scary!!

What is your greatest indulgence?

My greatest indulgence is getting high and eating sweets! I love dark chocolate!

“I PRACTICE CUTTING HAIR REGULARLY IN HOPES TO ACCOMPLISH MORE KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING TO PUT ME IN THE PATH WITH THE LEAST AMOUNT OF RESISTANCE.”

IRA POPE SAGE

A DREAM COME TRUE

Enrica Russo was recently crowned Avant-Garde Hairdresser of the Year at the British Hairdressing Awards 2022. We find out how the determination of this bright, ambitious hairdresser led to her bagging one of hairdressing’s biggest honours.

Growing up in Sicily, Enrica Russo knew that London was her destination if she wanted to reach the top of the hairdressing world. Packing her kit bag eight years ago at the age of 22, Enrica arrived in the UK speaking barely a word of English. “I came to London because it was the best place to find people with the same passion for hair,” Enrica explains. “It’s something about the way they work, the way they speak. London has a competitive edge. I felt that if I could get over the language barrier, I could reach anything.”

Enrica got her first job at a well-known London salon and began to learn the language on the salon floor by speaking to clients and colleagues. While the conversations were coming along, Enrica was hungry for more hair opportunities and decided that if she wanted to progress her career, she had to seek out her next challenge.

Meeting fellow Italian Danilo Giangreco was a pivotal moment and Enrica credits him for opening up the path to her success. “Danilo gave me courage. He believed in me,” Enrica says. “I give thanks to him every day.” The pair clicked immediately and Enrica joined the close, mainly Italian team at Danilo Hair Boutique in Chelsea. “It just feels like home, we’re from southern Italy so our dialect is the same, and we support each other like a family.”

Danilo signed up Enrica to training at the Joshua Galvin Academy and gradually, she started to perfect her skills and grow in confidence. When she’d finished the two-year course, she describes it as “the real game beginning.” It was the unwavering encouragement of Danilo that led to the remarkable debut of Enrica’s first photographic collection –fiercely supportive of his team, Danilo encouraged Enrica to have a go and follow her dreams. The admiration she has for her boss and mentor is clear. “To watch Danilo work is hypnotising,” Enrica explains. “Every day, I ask him questions and he always takes the time to explain how, why, what.”

An expressive hairdresser, Enrica is fascinated by the possibilities of hair and makeup so it was no surprise that Avant Garde would be an area where she could really show off her talents. “When I started to plan the collection, I didn’t have to think twice about it,” Enrica claims. Through playing with hair – touching it, feeling it, exploring it, Enrica found her inspiration.

The eight looks she created combined the techniques she’d carefully perfected in her years of training and she let her imagination run wild. “For five of my looks, I used a hot wax 3-D pen to create a net of colours,” Enrica explains. “One of my favourite things is braids – I took the concept of one simple, neat, tidy row of pipe braids and evolved it to make it more intricate. I’m obsessed with colour and for another look, I used acrylic colours to paint the hair. I had a small budget and I had to be really creative with how I did things.”

While her budget was small and the collection was shot in the salon rather than a fancy studio, Enrica couldn’t have asked for more of a dream team around her. In particular, she praises photographer Chris Bulezuik for bringing her vision to life. “It was like he was reading my mind with how I wanted the shots to look,” Enrica says. “Every frame he took was perfect and he was so knowledgeable and experienced. He was able to guide me and advise me even in the smallest details. What he does, it’s magic!”

The resulting collection speaks for itself. As well as winning The Up and Coming One – for hairdressers under the age of 30 at the Big One Awards 2022 presented by Tribu-te Magazine, Enrica also scooped the main, coveted trophy The Big One Creative Image at the same awards. She won Creative Image at the Salon Awards and was a finalist at the Alternative Hair Show Visionaries. And then, of course, to top off a stellar year, Enrica took home the title of AvantGarde Hairdresser of the Year at the British Hairdressing Awards 2022.

Enrica describes this recognition as being beyond her wildest dreams. “It means everything, I put my heart and soul into this collection and to win is just incredible. To be among so many heroes in one room and to reach the finals was enough of an achievement but to actually win. Well, I don’t know what to say. Once I got on that stage I forgot my English… And my Italian! I will never forget this experience and I wish everyone to try, experiment, take risks. Because efforts always pays off!”

There’s no stopping Enrica now. Whether inside the salon or outside, hair preoccupies her thoughts and she’s excited to see where it can take her next. She looks up to greats of the Avant Garde world such as Sylvestre Finold and Angelo Seminara as her idols and still has to pinch herself that her name now sits alongside these heroes in hair’s hall of fame. No one can deny this girl from Sicily has big ambitions. But she couldn’t have got off to a better start.

A Passion for Imagery

MICHAEL YOUNG

By Louise May

Michael Young has always been driven by creativity, constantly searching for new ways to express himself. From as far back as he can remember he always had a passion for beautiful imagery.

As a young hairdresser Michael would buy British and Italian VOGUE - studying the pages. In retrospect he was looking at so much more than the hair, it was composition, light and shade, and the emotion of a picture.

After many years of working on shoots as a hairdresser it was inevitable that his passion for photography would take him down a new creative path, that of capturing his own imagery.

Editor Louise May chats with Michael about his tremendous success in the industry, and the spreading of his wings outside of the UK.

Congratulations on taking out BHA Artistic Team of the Year! How do you achieve your balance between the creative and the commercial needs of your business?

I feel like everything I do is all part of one big melting pot, whether its creative or commercial - ultimately, it’s about hair, and how we can best use our skills to generate and grow new business. Photographic imagery has always been integral to the identity of the Hooker & Young salon brand, in allowing my team to explore different creative avenues whilst

promoting the salons through multiple award wins - they really go hand in hand.

Tell us a little about how your love of hair started, and how you got to where you are today in the industry.

From a very young age, I’ve always been drawn to creativity but never really knew where that would lead me. I jumped straight into hairdressing right out of school and never looked back, it had everything I was looking for - creativity and a platform to express myself, all wrapped up in an industry full of likeminded people. As much as loved the salon work, I was massively drawn to the competitive and creative side of the industry and set my mind on the British Hairdressing Awards which has remained a passion throughout my career picking up many awards along the way.

You have had tremendous success with your photography and the collections you have shot for, what do you attribute this to?

I love exploring different creative genres - pushing myself creatively into new and exciting territory. I like photography to tell a story, where the picture transports you somewhere - makes you think about the story behind the image.

When you flick through the pages of a fashion magazine, there’s often a theme that connects the images, not necessarily through words describing what’s happening, but more the subtle detail that grabs your attention, making you focus on the narrative of the story. A cohesive concept / story will always compel people to look at every single image within a collection.

A photograph is a memory, a snapshot of someone’s life – you’re capturing a moment in time.

A great image can be a combination of many different things or sometimes it’s the simplicity that creates the beauty. When we look at an image, we naturally follow lines and curves so it’s important to remember this when creating a picture. If your surroundings or background have these features, you can use them to direct attention to the model –alternatively graphic clothing or clever use of light and shade can work to similar effect.

Can you talk us through the process of what a hair stylist needs to prepare in order to create a beautiful collection in terms of prep?

I guess it all starts with that light bulb moment - your concept / story. From there on in, you need give yourself a realistic budget and pull your team together which will consist of : hair assistants, clothes stylist - makeup artist and photographer. I always say “surround yourself with great people and great things will happen”

Good models are imperative to the success of your shoot - it can elevate the images to a whole new level. It’s so important to choose a hair direction that is within your comfort zone and not put yourself under too much pressure. I always like to story board with the whole team to ensure everyone is on the same page.

Collaborating with other hair artists is a real thrill for me, sharing someone else’s vision to help visually communicate their ideas is something I love.

I like to fully immerse myself in each and every shoot - it’s all part of the creative process for me. Quite often I’ll suggest a concept that I feel fits the individual or salons identity or will brainstorm and develop ideas with the hairstylist or team until we get it right. There can be many phone / zoom calls that take place prior to the shoot, so when we all arrive on the day the whole team knows exactly where we’re heading and what we need to achieve. Every shoot is a stand-alone project with different requirements and needs from my part - I’ll help / advise as much as I need to for each individual shoot. I’m always 100% invested to ensure the results are incredible.

Would you say that having a background in hair has helped you with your photography and if so, how?

I 100% precent feel that my background in hair has given me a better eye for what I see through the lens - it’s the same perspective of what the hairdresser is looking for. On any shoot, communication is key and that is what I bring as well as my eye for detail, shape, and balance. It’s that understanding of knowing what the hairstylist wants and together how we can achieve it.

How much would you say you steer the direction of a shoot and how do you assist the stylist?

Every shoot is unique with a different set of needs and requirements - team work is key and as such I love to bring a creative high energy to the shoot ensuring not only amazing results, but that the shoot day itself is an incredible experience for everyone involved.

My background in hair definitely allows to give hair direction when needed to help elevate the looks - I work closely with my partner Gary Hooker who offers for hair direction on shoots that require it. This can be invaluable on a busy shoot where there are a lot of models, allowing the hair stylist to work more efficiently knowing that there is an experienced director on set to keep an eye on the detail seen on screen.

What is it that makes you see a winning shot?

The million-dollar question! A winning shot can be attributed too many things - it’s that special something that sets your pictures apart from the rest. Instant connection - feeling - emotion - and great hair are all contributing factors. I honestly believe that a great energy on the day really helps create the magic.

We have heard you may be planning to come to Australia to shoot a few collections. What is it about Australian Hairdressers that excites you about this?

Yes! We love Australia and have huge respect for Australian hairdressing. Although Australia is the furthest place from us here in the UK, it’s also the closet to us in terms of aesthetic and taste levels - we have huge admiration for the work we see coming out of Australia. Over the years we’ve visited on several occasions and always had the best time. We plan to visit in the early part of 2023 to collaborate and work with some amazing hairdressers in creating beautiful imagery for the AHIA’s. The hair industry is full of passionate creative people who love coming together to create wonderful imagery - to be able to do this in Australia is super exciting!

If you would like to reach out to Michael to shoot for your AHIA CREATIVE collection please contact him at youngmichael1@me.com

What role do you play in shooting for others in terms of your mentorship, influence, and recommendations both before and on the day?

IN AWE EDUCATION UNVEILS 2023 CALENDAR!

as of Monday August 29.

“When you’re cold, hungry, scared, and don’t know where you’ll be sleeping, your appearance isn’t a high priority,” said founder and CEO Craig Hollywood. “But positive connection and enhanced appearance are integral to your selfconfidence, mental health, and well-being.

“It could be the confidence boost someone needs to apply for accommodation or for a job.”

Hairdressers and barbers are the accidental counsellors of society and it’s the meaningful connections through conversations that help the volunteers at SBSW make a difference to some of the most marginalised community members in Australia.

“One of the common things we hear from our haircutting community is that they would love to volunteer their time, but aren’t sure where to start,” said evo’s head of brand Nina Junin.

As they move towards a goal of 15,000 free haircuts per year across Australia by 2025, SBSW is partnering with global hair care brand evo through connection with salons and hair cutters, plus ensuring all services are equipped with evo products and tools.

www.shortbackandsidewalks.com

The successful launch of In Awe Education in May 2022 has led the company to deliver a diverse and inspiring Education Calendar for the hairdressing industry in 2023.With seasoned and impassioned educator, Megan Evans, continuing to spearhead this education force, In Awe Education promises something for everyone, with a particular focus on industry leadership and inclusion, alongside cutting and colour education.

Megan also welcomes Bayleigh Swan to the In Awe Education team In 2023; Bayleigh is now the Manager of In Awe Salon in Adelaide having been with the company for 9 years and is just as passionate about education as Megan! Says Megan, “The launch of In Awe Education was a dream of mine, and Bayleigh & I are looking forward to not only continuing to deliver our bespoke cut and colour salon education that is salon-focused, but also to focus on improving the customer experience, learning to lead while managing, and embracing and supporting the LGBTQI community more fully.”

In 2023, In Awe Education is offering 6 courses/classes to Salon Owners, Salon Managers, and hairdressers of all levels, and these include:

• Back To Basics - Creating exceptional customer service for an incredible customer experience

• Razor Cutting - Texture is BACK…and so is one of the industry’s oldest tools!

• Fast & Effective Colour - Fast colour techniques to save time & make money!

• Salon Leadership - Learn how to not only manage, but to lead for better outcomes

• Rainbow Leadership - Creating high fashion colours with a side of LGBTQI understanding & inclusivity within the salon

• Photoshoot Bootcamp - Learning the secrets to creating an award-winning image/collection.

For more information and to experience, learn from and be wowed by the In Awe Education team’s education skills, please send enquiries to: info@inawesalonofficial.com.au

7000 HAIRCUTS DELIVERED TO THOSE IN NEED

2022 BRITISH HAIRDRESSING AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED

The

On Monday 28 November

Judged anonymously by over 100 leading hairdressers (including celebrity stylists, session stylists, salon owners, previous winners, and Hall of Fame members), HJ’s British Hairdressing Awards are a celebration of hairdressing excellence. The awards recognise the outstanding achievements of stylists from England, Wales, and Scotland, as well as standout talent in specialist categories including Afro, Men’s, Avant Garde, and Colour Technician. The biggest award of the event – British Hairdresser of the Year – is by nomination only and considered as the greatest accolade in the hairdressing industry.

HJ’s British Hairdressing Awards drew 1,300 of the best dressed, and best coiffed, industry guests to the Grosvenor House, a JW Marriott Hotel in London’s Park Lane. The glittering event – now in its 38th year – was hosted by comedian Katherine Ryan, who took on presenting duties alongside Jayne Lewis-Orr and General Manager for Henkel Beauty Care Professional UK & Ireland, Julian Crane. During the ceremony, guests were treated to a spectacular performance by singer Professor Green.

The stellar title on the night, HJ’s British Hairdresser of the Year 2022, was bestowed on Global Creative Director and Head of Education for worldrenowned TONI&GUY salon empire, Cos Sakkas which saw him put together a winning photoshoot representing his aesthetic, skillset, and visionary look.

Short Back & Sidewalks partners with leading Australian hair care brand evo to reach mammoth goal

lives of 7000 people experiencing homelessness have been positively impacted through receiving a free haircut from Short Back & Sidewalks (SBSW)

2022 the brightest and most brilliant stars in British hairdressing were celebrated at the British Hairdressing Awards, sponsored by Schwarzkopf Professional.

Megan Evans & Bayleigh Swan, Awe Education

Born and raised in London to Greek-Cypriot parents, Cos trained in TONI&GUY’s acclaimed Oxford Street Academy and has spent the last 26 years progressing through the ranks to achieve his current role overseeing the creative direction and education offering of the hairdressing super brand. He’s also a regular face backstage at London Fashion Week and an acclaimed editorial stylist.

East London born Eugene Souleiman took home the coveted gong of Session Stylist of the Year 2022. Session styling has become one of the most desirable and renowned careers in hairdressing with many now household names with books, exhibitions, and best-selling products – not to mention millions of followers on social media.

2022 British Hairdressing Awards, sponsored by Schwarzkopf Professional Winners

- Midlands Hairdresser of the Year – Tim Scott-Wright

- North Western Hairdressers of the Year – Laura and Ria Kulik, The Hairbank

- Scottish Hairdressers of the Year – Caroline Sanderson and Paul Ralph, Ego Hair Design

- North Eastern Hairdressers of the Year – Rick and Zoe Roberts, Rick Roberts

- Southern Hairdresser of the Year – Andrew Smith, Andrew Smith Salons

- Wales and South West Hairdresser of the Year – Steven Smart, Smartest 73

- Eastern Hairdresser of the Year – Rebecca Jacques, Daniel Granger

Hairdressing

- London Hairdresser of the Year – Jordanna Cobella, Cobella

- International Collection of the Year – Viktoriia Vradii, Le Salon VRV

- Trend Image of the Year – Jo Lomax, Smartest 73

- Avant Garde Hairdresser of the Year – Enrica Russo, Danilo Hair Boutique

- Men’s Hairdresser of the Year – George Smith, TONI&GUY Salisbury

- Afro Hairdresser of the Year – Stephanie and Ashley Gamble, Ashley Gamble Hair

- Newcomer of the Year – Emy Roccabella, Danilo Hair Boutique

- Artistic Team of the Year – Hooker & Young Art Team

- Eugene Souleiman – Session Hairdresser of the Year

- Schwarzkopf Professional Colour Technician of the Year – Daniel Spiller, Marc Antoni

- British Hairdresser of the Year 2022 Cos Sakkas, TONI&GUY

Cut like a Master-Class

TO BECOME A WORLD-CLASS STYLIST, YOU NEED WORLD-CLASS EDUCATION.

Join multi-award-winning hairdresser and precision cutting master, Paul Dare, with rare education and cutting techniques in this comprehensive and content-rich master-class. To access this phenomenal opportunity to take your career to the next level, visit pauldare.co

ghd RECOGNISED FOR BREAST CANCER CONTRIBUTION

bringing our innovations to life through inspirational and creative education that continues to elevate the professional and empower the consumer,” Hayley says.

Thanks to her background in creative hairdressing, Hayley will bring her vast experience in content production, hairdressing events and fashion week management to ghd. She is also passionate about nurturing and developing artistic talent to realise their best potential.

This new role will see Hayley developing and delivering training and education courses across traditional and digital platforms for ghd. Hayley will aim to support the hair industry with inspiration, creativity, trends, and techniques unique to the brand for the ultimate good hair day.

2022 ANNUAL BRITISH FELLOWSHIP LUNCHEON AND HAIR AWARDS

A ghd campaign raising millions for breast cancer research while urging women to ‘take control now’ by regularly checking their breasts has been recognised by the national peak body for Australian health and medical research.

With a consumer base heavily skewed towards younger women who may not be aware of their breast cancer risk, ghd created a bespoke campaign empowering women to be “breast aware” and to take action now with regular self-checks. The company’s strong support for the National Breast Cancer Foundation has seen the ‘Take Control Now’ reminder for breast awareness emblazoned on its hair care tools and spread through social media, and money from sales donated to cancer research over the past 18 years.

Recognising this long-term commitment and impact, Research Australia has announced ghd as a finalist in the Advocacy category of its national Health and Medical Research Awards.

The Advocacy Award, sponsored by AbbVie, recognises exceptional contributions by an individual or team who has supported Australian communities through championing and raising awareness about the importance of health and medical research. ghd has raised more than $4.5m for the National Breast Cancer Foundation in Australia, and over US$22m for breast cancer charities globally. Ludovid Dellazzeri, ghd’s Managing Director Australia and New Zealand, said the brand actively sought to correct the misperception that breast cancer was a disease affecting older women.

“Our mission is to empower women, and giving them the confidence to take action for breast checks is an important part of that,” he said.

“Speaking to our large community of younger women, we encourage them to take control now of their own health and their own destiny by self-checking, because that’s the best way to catch breast cancer early and ultimately have better health outcomes.”

Research Australia CEO Nadia Levin said ghd’s campaign showed the leading role that brands could play in supporting lifesaving research.

“We congratulate ghd for its ingenuity in its long-term commitment to breast cancer awareness and research, and are excited to be recognising this in our 2022 Awards.”

MEET ghd’s NEW EDUCATION MANAGER

ghd recently announced the appointment of its new Education Manager for Australia and New Zealand, Hayley Pullyn.

Hayley is a multi-award-winning hairstylist who brings her more than 20 years industry experience to ghd, having held senior roles at L’Oreal Haircare and Matrix, plus she has previously run her own salons. Most recently, Hayley headed up the education team for L’Oréal’s French Division in New Zealand, where she led the digital transformation of their ANZ education strategy.

“I am thrilled to join the ghd team, a brand that I have so much heart for, that has had an integral part of my own hairdressing journey. I look forward to collaborating with our community,

The good and the great of British hairdressing came together for the glittering Fellowship Luncheon & Hair Awards this week, recognising the best of creativity and business acumen in British hairdressing.

Held at The Londoner in the heart of London’s Leicester Square, some 400 industry greats, peers, and ones to watch came together for a three-course lunch followed by special Hair Awards to celebrate the creativity and successes of its membership, including the presentation of the Fellowship’s highest accolade, Fellowship Hairdresser of the Year.

Hosted by President Robert Eaton and Chancellor Karoliina Saunders, Robert Eaton said: “It was an honour to become your President and from the moment I came on board there’s been a seismic shift in the industry. But whatever you decide to do with your career, the Fellowship will be there to support you.

A special thanks went to the Project leaders for 2021-2022who have inspired their teams during the most challenging times the industry has faced – ClubStar Art Team leader Karoliina Saunders, Project Colour leader Paul Dennison, Project X leader Sam Burnett and leaders of the F.A.M.E. Team Gary Hooker and Michael Young.

The new F.A.M.E. Team leader was announced to a standing ovation as threetimes British Hairdresser of the Year and former Fellowship Hairdresser of the Year, Sally Brooks. She will be mentoring the new team who have an incredible year of amazing opportunities in front of them – Stephanie Gallagher from Wonderland; Stacey Wright from McKoy Hair Company; Edd Moss from Headmasters and James Parr from Nashwhite.

As well as the old favourites, members were also recognised for going above and beyond throughout the past 12 months, giving up their time to mentor, lead and help at events.

2022 saw a slew of new awards launched – Educator of the Year and Session Hair Stylist of the Year was joined by Hall of F.A.M.E. Award, celebrating the successes of former F.A.M.E. team members.

The biggest award Fellowship Hairdresser of the Year was presented to TONI&GUY global creative director Cos Sakkas to a standing ovation, the second major award he has clinched in the last week.

THE #BOOTLEGPROJECT BRINGS SOME SERIOUS STAR POWER TO THE COMMUNITY OF LISMORE!

connection, community and change within in the HAIR industry.

“In regard to the Event It’s an ongoing Project.” Says Nathan and Jake. “The idea is to completely shift the paradigm in which hairdressers connect, communicate, and learn. Essentially it is an unplugged open mic night, no stages, no big production just an aim to blur the lines between hairdresser and barber, break down constructs in technique, gender and pricing and get people into the same room to invoke strong positive conversations that will progress the industry forward!”

This event was a follow on from one they held earlier this year in Coffs Harbour where they raised nearly $3k with which the support of Excellent Edges were able to supply more than 30 stylists in the region with new scissors and hot tools from GHD.

“The day Hanna and I delivered all the scissors and tools to all the salons and stylists in the area was so emotional,” says Nathan, “as we saw firsthand how they were affected and how resilient they were in bouncing back we decided we needed to bring an event here to help the Community”

The event in Lismore was everything they hoped for with salons coming from all over the region, to have a beer, watch some great hair cutting and styling and build Community! There were some great convos around technique, consultation, pricing, and the use of technology. The night ended with some tunes on the decks and everyone walking away with a goodie bag with a Comfortel brush and comb, Xmas cocktail from Timely and Richard Kavanagh who supplied boxes of his signature paddle brush for each attendee but also for salon owners to sell in salons to recoup some revenue.

Special thanks to all the sponsors who generously donated prizes for the raffle, silent auction and goodie bags: Comfortel, Timely, The ANTI Collective, Excellent Edges, Delorenzo, Richard Kavanagh and Pretty Vacant and to Peta and Lazuli for hosting and promoting it!

WINNER!! 2022 AUSTRALIAN WOMEN’S SMALL BUSINESS CHAMPION AWARDS

Cobelle Creative

The Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards is a prestigious and comprehensive program that supports and recognises small businesses owned by women across Australia.

Offering a unique opportunity to highlight Australia’s most outstanding small businesses, the awards seek to recognise the hard work that women business owners contribute to the local community in generating employment for millions of Australians, as well as their commitment to the Australian economy.

The awards are set to become the pinnacle of business success.

The Australian Small Business Champion Awards originated in 1999 to recognise the achievements of outstanding small businesses from all states and territories across Australia.

Developed and managed by Precedent Productions, the Australian Small Business Champions Awards have grown into the flagship program recognising small business excellence throughout Australia.

On the 25th of November a wonderful collective and collaborative hair event was held in Lismore in the heart of the flood affected Northern Rivers of NSW. Lismore played host to a group of talented and passionate hairdressers who are committed to not only helping the broader hairdressing community but especially our industry kin that were affected by the floods earlier this year.

The likes of 5 x Session stylist of the year and tech CEO - Richard Kavanagh, independent educator, and stylist for Pretty Vacant - Nathan Yip , Barber/NFT artist/wellness and mindset coach - Jake Putan, Salon owner and educator for Outpost hair and education in Moonee beach - Hanna Lynch and salon owner and host Peta Tillet from Lazuli and Co in Lismore.

The #bootlegproject is the brainchild of cofounders Nathan Yip and Jake Putan, both independent educators with an unconventional commitment to create

In 2022, the Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards was launched to acknowledge the women who are contributing, influencing and leading their sectors and industries. Launching with 2500 applications, 750 finalists and 60 award winners.

Presenting partner CommBank along with Precedent Productions, ambassador Collette Dinnigan, and the Master of Ceremonies for the evening was media personality Jessica Rowe

Kristie Kesic from Cobelle Creative in Toowong is thrilled to accept the win in the hairdressing category and is honoured to see the hairdressing industry represented on a national business platform like this.

ANTHONY

Across the Ditch BAYER

By Louise May

Antony Bayer left school when he turned 15 and started a Hairdressing Course! “I was horribly bullied at school and really wanted to leave so my older sister gave me the idea to become a hairdresser, she had a friend that was the manager of a Salon, so I did work experience there and was given an after school and Saturday job.”

By Louise May

He completed his apprenticeship and qualified, moved to Melbourne for a few years, worked for Toni & Guy then returned home and worked for Toni & Guy Auckland NZ. “I got so inspired and a hair salon felt like home for me. I felt like I could relax and be myself.” He says.

“I was very lucky to have some great opportunities over these years such as doing my first photo shoots for magazine editorials, and competing in Awards such as Wella Trend Vision, as well as working backstage at New Zealand, Melbourne, and London Fashion Weeks.”

In 2015 Anthony went out on his own as a contractor/rent a chair, then took the big leap and opened his own salon - Anthony Bayer Hair in 2016! Since opening the Salon, they have been finalists for over 30 different Hair Awards across NZ and some Australian, with some big wins along the way such as NZ Gold Winner for Trend Vision

Color Artist, NZ Salon Team of The Year For the Industry Hair Awards, plus, Affinage Apprentice and Senior Award Color winners and more!

Currently Anthony is the New Zealand Ambassador for PHB (Professional Hair Brands) for the homegrown brand Lust Haircare NZ, a role that has already given him great opportunities to educate other hairdressers, direct fashion shows and work on Campaign Shoots for NZ leading Fashion Brand Stolen Girlfriends Club.

We spoke to Anthony to find out more…

What excites you most about your work?

Being creative, entering hair awards, doing fashion work, editorials and making clients feel and look beautiful! Also, now I have staff and just seeing them grow and watching them learn new things makes me so very happy. I love it all!

If you had to name one skill that got you where you are today, would it be?

I think as a hairdresser, colour was what I picked up easiest when starting my career. It was my bread and butter and that gave me confidence to focus on other aspects of hair I wasn’t as strong at the time and to keep working on my craft.

Can you share with our readers a time when you overcame a challenge?

I think moving back to New Zealand, into a new city not long after my Dad passed and trying to start a new life is what put a lot of weight on my shoulders. But with the support of family and close friends I was able to stay focused on work and push forward.

What’s the best piece of advice you have ever been given in your career?

“Just be yourself Anthony nobody does that better than you” from my amazing friend and ex-boss Zowie Evans xx

Where do you find your creative inspiration for your collection work?

Originally when I first started shooting a collection, I was always inspired by another hairdressers collection, and I actually think that can be a good place to start because you can start to learn the formula for a Hairdressing Collection shoot.

But now it comes from anywhere: artists, Fashion designers, Architecture, colour palettes, you name it!

Who do you look to for inspiration, or who has guided your career?

I think with Social Media we are so lucky with all the hair art we get to see!

I do love Vidal Sassoon as a whole. I’m inspired by his beautiful work and inspiration that shaped our industry. I’m a big fan of Sam McKnight, his session Styling work is incredible!

I think a person who guided me personally is Zowie Evans. Zowie is one of my previous managers and whilst working under her she was no doubt an amazing teacher. She taught me when I was doing my Toni&Guy Vardering, she was so positive and encouraging.

Also, Bronwyn Illingworth was the reason why I wanted to join Toni&Guy in the early years of my career. She was New Zealand Hairdresser of the Year and I remember looking in Hairdressing magazines of her thinking wow!

One day that’s what I want to be!

And of course, my mum. Growing up my Mum was a Bridal Dressmaker by trade, having our house filled to the brim with lace, silks, and all different kinds of fabric. Getting to watch her do what she loves and sharing her creativity. She’s been a huge help in creating and Styling my outfits for most of my photoshoots and collections.

What are your top tips for the planning and execution of a collection?

Creating a team of Makeup, Styling and photography that really understands what you are trying to achieve and understands your taste as a creator. You all need to work together and be on the same page to understand the outcome that you are wanting to achieve.

Also, model choice is so important to make sure the hair work you create works well and fits the model’s look. I really think colour, shape, texture are the three key points I think of.

Kept cohesiveness in the collection so it works not only as 1 image but 6 images that tie in beautifully together.

Do you find the Hair Trends in NZ different from what’s trending here in Oz?

I think NZ can be a bit more organic/natural and textured when it comes to styling and having a more lived-in hair has become more of a trend.

Australia can be a little more luxurious, polished, and glamorous.

I do think it’s different but as a but both countries are moving closer together with social media and what influences certain styles throughout the year. Colour/cut work is very similar, but it all comes down to the styling of the hair after which I think is different.

How do you achieve your balance between the creative and the commercial needs of your business?

I think I have learnt that creative work is a totally different aspect of hairdressing and I look at my creative work as a hobby and a passion I do in my own time outside of the Salon. That way I can keep my Salon and client/commercial work separate from the creative. So, they don’t interfere with one another.

What’s on the agenda for the future?

In 2023 I have dates set and will be working closely with PHB’s international brand Paul Mitchell and teaching other Salons around the country how amazing the colour is and what magic you can create with it. The brand is growing a lot in NZ now with new Salons coming on board so that’s super exciting! Working towards growing my Salon and hopefully inspire my team to grow in Salon both professionally and creatively. Plus of course I Dream of winning the AHIA New Zealand Hairdresser of the Year one day, a big goal for me!

“I HAVE LEARNT THAT CREATIVE WORK IS A TOTALLY DIFFERENT ASPECT OF HAIRDRESSING AND I LOOK AT MY CREATIVE WORK AS A HOBBY AND A PASSION I DO IN MY OWN TIME OUTSIDE OF THE SALON.”

ANTHONY BAYER

SHANNON Across the Ditch DOWD

By Louise May

Shannon Dowd started her career nearly 24 years ago at the age of 15 working in a salon during her school holidays as a salon assistant. A year later she started studying at Waikato school of hairdressing and from there she went onto an apprenticeship.

Shannon admits that she did work at a few salons until she bought Zibido Hair in 2006, like many hairdressers it was a struggle to find a salon that fit her and her values. So, she created her own environment, Shannon wanted a space that was about creativity, personal growth and being your true self.

We caught up with Shannon and got to ask her about her journey in the industry this far…

What excites you most about your work?

In 2012 I got back into competing, after taking away my first trophy I got the bug and every year since then I have competed in both live events (pre covid) and photographic competitions.

It wasn’t until 2015 when I was lucky enough to get picked to do an online course Mastered with Sam McKnight. This course taught me how to work from a brief, how to create a vision and reined in my crazy creativity to create a more cohesive image. This course gave me the selfconfidence to challenge myself by upskilling myself and passing my knowledge onto others, creating collections, and also putting myself out there by entering not only editorial but business and training awards. I’ve had so many incredible opportunities in my

career and met so many talented stylists that I am proud to call my “hairy” friends. Highlights of my career are finalist HITO trainer of the year 2014,2019,2022. Finalist industry awards colourist of the year 2017, finalist workplace of the year 2019, 2022 and winner 2021.Winner of regional competitions 2012,2016,2017,2018,2019 And of course Finalist AHIA NZ Hairdresser of the Year 2021,2022.

I’m looking forward to what 2023 has to bring, more creativity, growing myself and my team and hopefully more presentation opportunities. Nothing excites me more than nailing the brief, whether it’s a client consultation or a photoshoot. Seeing the agreed vision come to life and it coming out better than what was in your head. I’m my own worst critic so when I create something that gets those excitement bubbles going, it’s just the best feeling.

If you had to name one skill that got you where you are today, would it be?

Being a strong leader. To get the best out of anyone you need to inspire, encourage, motivate, and challenge your team.

I’ve got a team that backs me 100% and they know I have their backs. Having these strong relationships has given me the confidence to grow both my business my personal career.

I’ve faced many challenges as a business owner, but we all can agree covid has been the biggest by far. The stress of is my business going to make it on the other side, the mental stress and the unknown of lockdowns. This is how we survived, during lockdowns I made sure we kept busy, daily check-ins with my staff I created little challenges to keep my team motivated and connected. We would do daily training thanks to ghd, Biba and haircare group. Once we got out of lockdown, we split the teams to protect the business, which was a blessing as the team went down with covid weekly and this made it easier for us to cover shifts. It definitely made us look at our business differently and we made changes. The staff wanted a better work life balance so we changed up some hours and can say the salon is back to running smoothly and we have plans in place if we get another wave.

What’s the best piece of advice you have ever been given in your career?

The best piece of advice I ever got was from a tutor when I was stuck in a job that I was unhappy in. She said “this is your career, your future. You do what you need to do to become the stylist you want to be”. I’ve used this throughout my career, not only on myself but my staff and giving advice to other hairdressers. But I add in what can I do to help you find the pathway to your goal.

Where do you find your creative inspiration for your collection work?

This may sound weird, but I get insomnia and my brain just doesn’t stop. I will be lying there and literally will come up with an idea. I’ll draw it up the next day and that’s when the investigation starts. I start googling images that relate to what I’ve drawn up to get ideas on makeup, outfits, photography, the feel of what I’m trying to portray. It just all evolves from there. It’s always fun getting mood boards together and planning a shoot with your team.

Who do you look too for inspiration, or who has guided your career?

My biggest inspirations creatively during my career have been Anthony Muscolo. I learnt to cut from his videos and worked with TIGI for years. Editorial, I lean towards Avant-garde so Derek Elvy, Angelo Seminara are my idols, both have created such iconic looks, showing us the beauty in avant-garde.

In my personal career I’ve been so lucky to have the most amazing “Hairy” friends they are people who I’ve looked up to and have advised me with collections or business matters. I’ve got 2 people who have stood by me throughout my

career both encourage me to keep doing what I love. My hubby and work wife Pip Grundy. Everyone needs these people in their lives.

What are your top tips for the planning and execution of a collection?

Build a team that you trust to get your vision. We all have different budgets when it comes to a shoot, but the most important people are your photographer and makeup artist. These are the 2 people that will make your vision come to life. You can style on a budget by hiring outfits, making them, or seeing if a shop or local designer will collab.

I’ve been working with my team both photographer Kate Ryan and makeup either See Aan or Lauran Bryant for 8 years. We’ve built a friendship and have grown our skill together. The most important part is have fun. It’s about you creating something you love.

Do you find the Hair Trends in NZ different to what’s trending here in Oz?

I’ve recently become part of the evo family, and what I love is being able to see the collections and trends coming directly from oz. I feel NZ is definitely on par with Oz. The one thing I’ve noticed lately is the shift in our blonde clients. They are slowly stepping away from super ash to warmer creamy, honey blondes.

How do you achieve your balance between the creative and the commercial needs of your business?

I’m so lucky to have a team as passionate and creative as I am. We take any opportunity to unleash of creative side. We shoot at least 3 times a year and work backstage fashion week, present on stage or work on a film. Our clients love hearing about what we are up to and get just as excited as we do. We’re known for our colour work and are lucky enough to have lots of clients that let us get as creative as we want. It’s easy to balance the commercial side and creative side of hairdressing when you love both.

What’s on the agenda for the future?

I’ve got 2 major goals; I’m currently working with my haircare group rep Holly on how to make my business a $1million business in the next 2 years. We’ve set goals and how to achieve them.

The second is to one day win that title of AHIA NZ Hairdresser of the year. So, building my personal profile and using the feedback I get to better my collections.

I will always be creating something, keeping that passion alive.

Can you share with our readers a time when you overcame a challenge?

“I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO WHAT 2023 HAS TO BRING, MORE CREATIVITY, GROWING MYSELF AND MY TEAM AND HOPEFULLY MORE PRESENTATION OPPORTUNITIES.”

SHANNON DOWD

Celebrating 45 Years in the Industry

WAYNE CHAPPELL

By Louise May

It has been an incredible journey... from the first employer, who told Wayne to find a new career ‘you’ll never make it in hairdressing’... to awards and shows and ownership of one of Tasmania’s most successful and enduring Salons.

Wayne Chappell’s career has seen him named Tasmanian Hairdresser of the Year three times; working with performers like John English and Marcia Hines at Wrest Point; partnering creatively with DARK MOFO; mentoring star stylists who have made a mark internationally; and establishing two iconic salons.

Wayne represented at Australian Hairdressing Titles and studied horticulture part time with a view of switching careers. But... well-known Hobart hairdresser Kevin Donovan introduced Wayne to Mark True- man and one of Tasmania’s largest and most successful salon brands was established under the name Picasso. The brand went from strength to strength over the next 20 years, opening two very successful salons; employing dozens of staff; and winning awards locally and nationally.

Wayne took sole control of the Picasso brand which he re-invented as Sfumato... and took the brand and staff on a ride that saw a huge step up, with the salon and individual staff making an impact nationally as well as receiving international recognition.

45 years after Wayne Chappell first stepped into a salon, his brand is still strong, and Wayne’s vision continues to evolve.

We caught up with Wayne recently and chatted with him about his incredible career journey…

How did you first get into hairdressing?

I was dobbed in by my mother to her hairdresser that I was doing her better than hair setter at the time, so they said bring him in and we’ll see how he goes. The rest as they say is history.

What drew you to the industry and what do you love most about business.

I knew nothing of hair. I was taken to a salon to do work experience, and from there I grew. Business I didn’t find until I had completed 10 years of hair, from an apprentice up to year 10 of being in the industry. Then as I was going to move over to Perth in Western Australia, to be stopped and asked would I consider buying into a salon that needed help with the existing owner and from there my business life began, from 1987 up until now.

What has been a career highlight of yours? And what has been your biggest challenge?

Well, a lot of awards have been won by myself, but never got the success of Australian Hairdresser of the year at Hair Expo myself, but I never really wanted to strive for that either. I’ve succeeded in everything else, but best of all is being 36 years success of keeping a business alive and strong for all that time, that is a great achievement in itself.

Awards are good and build your self-confidence, but it doesn’t live forever, but a business can. What has been my challenge over the years ?

Well, the big recession that we all had to have, scared the hell out of me until nothing happened as such , what a hoax!

Then Covid hosted the world, this was different… and fear, anxiety, and the unknown of it all was NEW and no university manual was there to grab and quickly learn how the hell do we do all this. Boom, the starting line of the vulnerability of the unknown and being told how to close or open our businesses began. Then we had to learn how to finance the unknown of tomorrow…boom! It kept coming and coming and staff dropping off for many reasons, not working, not wanting to pay respect to yourself as a business owner, you were left out there on your own to work out the invisible plan. I truly hope we never have to experience this again.

Motivating a team 20 years ago was a pleasure, they were hungry! Now they struggle to understand why a wealth of experience has value, but each day when I do something on the floor someone will always say, can you show me how you do that…bang! Gotcha- we have a role to motivate right there. So, for me its silence of action and subtly show why you are who you are. Training is and has been weekly in my salon every Wednesday regardless of the pain, moans, and groans of young ones, but they thank you ten years later after they say they hate you (always make me laugh)

What’s the best piece of advice you have been given during your career/ time in business?

- Believe in yourself, believe in the dreams you have and don’t always do what others think you should do, it takes you off the road.

- If you don’t take the risk, you will lose the chance in life.

- Always say YES first and workout No later.

Honesty, loyalty, passion, belief, empathy, consistency, Quality over Quantity on everything you do and believe in!

Who inspires you in our industry today?

Simply Consistency of everything I believe in… myself, my gut feels, and finding a team behind the sense that you can trust to hold your castle together, that was, is hard every day but keeping focused on the prize you set for me was the base, no university can teach a lot of that, human management is a game of consistency of operation, honesty ,integrity , empathy, and trust of one another. Lead talented team members to the start line of their own dreams and support them, even on the day they decide you are not needed anymore, there is always a day they want your advice again.

Angelo Seminara, Benni Tognini, Vidal Sassoon, love the energy of Joey Scandizzo, Brad Ngata... LOVE! and Jamie Furlan. A lot of the young ones coming through today that have that rare energy to strive, love them!

What’s next for Wayne Chappell?

Retirement!!! Well not quite… hand over some of the salon to a chosen passionate person who will take sfumato to another level…hopefully. Finding my next mission hasn’t really hit me yet, but I’ve been pondering over that for five years, but time is narrowing.

Sharing my knowledge of all my experiences is always worth a listen and sharing, so who knows, it could be that, or I start teaching all my conference dance floor moves, apparently they are a high request each year!

You are celebrating 45 years in the industry - to what do you attribute your success?

You have long standing staff and clients; how do you keep your team motivated and passionate and retain clients?

What would you say are the core values or philosophies which define your business or leadership style?

HAIR ROYALTY

By Louise May

“To be honest, we really didn’t know what we were doing when we first started,” says Mary. “We were just young and stupidly courageous, so we dived in headfirst. The reason we succeeded was because we kept evolving and improving. We knew if we kept at it and didn’t give up, we would eventually get it right…or kind of right lol.

We’re still learning and improving, and I think that’s a never-ending process. As all business owners know, it comes with a lot of rewards and challenges and there are moments you question whether it’s worth it. The key for us was to continuously adapt while keeping our focus of our vision. We also knew that we needed like-minded people around us that also had passion, resilience, and a desire to grow. We’re very proud to say they we have so many team members that have been with us for over a decade, and they have personally achieved so much while being a part of the team at Royals”

Editor Louise May caught up with Mary recently to chat about the Royals Brand, The Royals Academy and what is on offer for our industry.

How many salons do you have now?

Are there plans for more?

There are currently 4 Royals locations covering Sydney’s Northwest (Hills District), Sydney’s North Shore and The Northern

Beaches plus the Academy in Castle Hill. At the moment we are looking at other business ventures that would complement our salons but for the time being we’ve put a pause on opening further locations until the skills shortage situation improves a little bit.

When did you open your Academy and what inspired you to create it?

The Academy opened a few years ago and exists as a separate business to provide education to hairdressers and members of the Royals team.

As an apprentice I invested so much of my own money into educating myself and attending courses outside of the salon that I used to work in. I knew that I wanted to strive to be the best at my craft so when we opened the first salon, I knew that education was going to be the foundation of Royals.

I wanted to share my knowledge and experiences with my team, and I felt greatly rewarded seeing them grow and develop their skills. We designed the workshops based on what was in demand and a necessity to maintain a high standard in the salon. I had attended so many classes and when I started educating for companies, I could see what hairdressers really enjoyed and what they didn’t. I knew that my workshops had to have an easy and simple approach and teach skills that were relevant while still giving hairdressers that creative edge they are hungry for. I wanted students to walk away

and be able to use what they’ve learnt at our academy, on their salon floor instantly. I also knew it had to be inspiring and creative at the same time.

We realised straight away that most salons needed practical education that provided real results that they could immediately see on the salon floor. After developing our workshops and calendar we decided to open it up to salons and their teams that were interested in up-skilling.

Coming from a background of education in the hairdressing industry and from working on the salon floor, running my own salons, winning creative hair competitions, Directing hair at Sydney and New York Fashion Week, and working on editorial shoots I could really say I’ve done it all. It gave me a lot of insight into what makes all the different hairdressers tick and gave me the skills to understand and be able to bring out the best in people.

What training do you offer through the Academy. Let’s delve into some of the courses.

Our classes are all bespoke and are designed with an easy approach so that the hairdresser can walk away and be able to utilise their new set of skills immediately on the salon floor. Over a decade of educating, I have seen what works and what doesn’t, and our approach gives the hairdresser the skills and teaches them the techniques they need to create any colour, cut, or style their clients are after.

Royals Hair first opened in 2007 in Castle Hill in Sydney and at the time owners Mary and Adam Alamine were among the youngest local business owners. Both Mary and Adam came from families that owned businesses including restaurants, jewellery stores and hair salons so you could say that business ownership was in their DNA.

The techniques they learn allow them to have the ability to incorporate that with what they know and give it their own twist. It’s important for us to keep up with the trends and also predict future trends so our hairdressers know exactly what their clients want before they even walk into the salon. This has been key to our success.

Examples of our classes include Balayage Masterclass, Cutting Vol 1, 2 and 3, Tape Hair Extensions, Styling, Consultations, Bridal Hair & Make Up, Men’s cutting and of course a Social Media Workshop is incorporated in all the hands-on classes.

Next year we will be offering a look and learn component to most of our classes for those that love to just come along and watch. We are so excited to be offering some new classes with new techniques and trends to share. We will be releasing all our dates shortly so stay tuned!

Is the Academy designed to train, educate, and grow your own stylists or open to anyone to visit and gain industry knowledge and upskilling?

The academy is open to anyone to visit. We release a calendar each year in January, and we run courses throughout most of the year. Hairdressers from across Australia can book in and come to our courses. You can enquire online or email academy@royalshair.com.au

We are so excited to share our latest calendar for 2023. Stay tuned for all the details and some of our guest artists.

What certification do you give for those completing your training?

We’re not an RTO so while our certificates are not officially recognised, our courses are carefully designed to cater to hairdressers, salon owners and their real needs. We don’t design courses to sell products or promote anything.

Each student receives a certificate after

completing each workshop that they can add to their portfolio.

What’s important to us is what each hairdresser gets out of each class and giving them the tools to use this on the salon floor.

Tell us about your Royals Awards platform, what inspired you to create your own internal Awards, and how does the process work with criteria, judging etc?

We designed the awards to create a platform where we could recognize and show appreciation to our talent. The team love it and it’s an excuse to have a party. What’s not to love? This year we had it around Halloween and decided it would be vampire themed.

It was a lot of fun and we got to thank and reward people who worked their butts off in 2022.

It’s always a fun night and a great excuse to dress up and party with our team. We always try and do something a bit different each year and make it a fun and special night for our team. This year we had sparklers, awesome prizes by O&M, ghd, Kevin Murphy and Eleven. We also had a DJ and not to mention great food! Definitely a night to remember.

Royals offers an extremely attractive Career path with potential to partner with you in new locations as you have already done. How did this come about and what do you look for in potential business partners?

The most important thing we look for in a team member is a great attitude and vibe. Most of the times you spend more time with your team than you do with your own family and basically your team ends up being like your family which is how we see it. If a member of our team are interested in a partnership, there is definitely a process that we follow.

Business ownership is not easy. We never sugar coat it. It has great rewards, but it

also has its challenges, so we always look for honest, trustworthy leaders who possess great people skills while also being immensely resilient. Usually, we would’ve worked with them for years, so we know them quite well by the time we become business partners. It’s sometimes funny when I think about some of the reasons, I wanted to start my own salon. I used to think I want to dictate my own hours and have the flexibility, so I opened a salon and now I feel like I work 24/7 lol. It’s not unusual for me to send emails at midnight or be planning our next marketing campaign on a Sunday. Worked out exactly as I planned ha-ha. I guess the real reward is building something of your own and elevating others to succeed, not just yourself. That’s the real reward.

How important are industry awards and competitions to Royals such as AHIA Creative and Business as well as Hot Shots.

The AHIA Awards and Hot Shots have been instrumental in developing some of the Royals staff’s careers but as you know even, I learned a lot and greatly enjoyed being a Hot Shot, State and Australian Salon of the year Winner as well as a finalist for Australian Hairdresser Of The Year not to mention the huge marketing benefits associated with winning a category in the prestigious AHIA Awards.

It was one of the biggest highlights of my career and really shaped me as a hairdresser as well as the salons.

Where do you see the business heading in the next 5-10 years?

We’re hoping the skills shortage will begin to ease which will potentially allow for further expansion. We do have some ventures that we’re working on but it’s all hush hush at the moment. When we get closer to fruition Hair Biz will be the first to know

Creating a

WELLNESS SANCTUARY

By Louise May

Enough Studio was founded in 2018 by Lisa Nguyen to champion a low-tox and sustainably focused hair and wellbeing experience.

After years of exposure to harsh chemicals and fumes, Lisa set out to create a wellness sanctuary in Hyde Park, South Australia, to focus on delivering a holistic approach to all thing’s hair, and an experience that is safe for both you and the environment. Whilst Enough Studio functions primarily as a hair salon, they also focus on physical and mental wellbeing. Nurturing mind, body, and spirit.

Lisa and her team focus on you, all of you, inside and out. By curating the best in natural, organic, chemically reduced, low tox and sustainable salon and hair products; Enough Studio is committed to helping you begin, continue, and evolve your self-care journey in and beyond the studio.

Hair Biz Editor Louise May chats with Lisa about her journey in the industry and her newly launched Haircare Brand, George.

Tell us about yourself, where did you grow up? How did you get started in hair industry?

I received a private school education and come from a strict Asian background, but I became a hairdresser anyway! I had always been fascinated with beauty from a young age, and I was lucky to begin my career in an amazing salon that a friend of mine was working at. I have had really supportive and talented stylists to learn from who helped shape the hair stylist I am today! I’m grateful that it has become something I enjoy and worked hard to be good at. I feel like this line of work chose me!

What drew you to the industry in the first place?

Beyond the creativity of styling is the ability to create and foster relationships and meet new and inspiring individuals.

Tell us about your business and what makes it unique. ENOUGH was created to foster and nurture a community of like-minded individuals and businesses. I didn’t want to start another salon in Adelaide - there are literally hundreds in Hyde Park and Unley alone. The intention was always to create a studio space that was minimalist and multi-functional - to fulfill its primary function as a working eco-ethical, chemically reduced salon by day, and a space for community, education, mindfulness, and movement in the times between.

At ENOUGH, we believe that by eliminating harsh chemicals from the salon environment, we can help support the health and wellbeing of our clients and educate them on ways to incorporate self-care and healthy living into their daily life. We all know that a haircut is more than just about how we look; but can also affect how we feel. We’re committed to delivering attentive and conscious hair services in a supportive environment, and we try to see one client at a time to create a true retreat experience so our clients can rest their bodies and mind when they are with us.

Additionally, in 2022 we’ve launched the next pillar of this vision, ‘Enough Wellness’ and integrative wellness sanctuary located on level 1 of our studio. Our vision is that Enough Wellness creates a space for our community to nurture wellness and access up-to-date holistic health education and services.

Was business ownership always a priority for you?

Yes, I’ve poured my heart and soul into my job and knew that I wanted to one day invest this time and energy into something personal and nurture and watch it grow. This burning desire to have the freedom to build my business vision became apparent, especially after I came close to leaving the industry due to my dermatitis from using conventional hairdressing products. It made me more aware of the world around me and my health in all physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects. I wanted to create a space where you can come to be just that.

What inspired you to create your own range of haircare? From running Enough Studio and talking with my clients, I developed a thorough understanding of what clients want from their haircare routine and what is lacking within the haircare market. Many products out there look clean and pure at first glance, but upon closer inspection, they are filled with nasty ingredients. George started off with a question - how clean can a formula be and not compromise on the performance and results, and my curiosity made me want to go deeper. I also wanted to support more sustainable brands, but even though the market is so crowded, there were only some that did both well.

What is unique about the George Haircare brand and who is it for?

George strips things back to basics. You don’t need hundreds of different hair products clogging up your vanity or lengthy routines taking over your life. Just clean and hardworking ingredients that are kind to your hair. George is for anyone craving no-fuss, multitasking formulas that allow you do to do more with less. We are for all hair types, and we’re here to make haircare fun again. We don’t stop at taking care of your hair, we care for the planet too, we’ve sourced our packaging from market leaders in the ecofriendly space and continue to look for ways that we can do bet ter. We are proud partners of 1% For the Planet, donating 1% of our annual sales to a crop of thoroughly vetted and extremely worthy environmental charities.

What do you consider your own top 3 pillars of success to be?

Develop a growth mindset - get comfortable being uncomfortable. Work hard - Always keep running and be on the move, stay focussed. Believe in yourself - overcoming self-doubt gives you the confidence to keep working towards your goals.

What’s given your business strength over the years?

Community. Enough would not have gotten to where we are on our own. Our health and wellness community has helped us grow our network by spreading love, being our support system through challenging times, educating us with their knowledge and wisdom. And we are so grateful for our beautiful connections with our community, our cheerleaders, and our friends through trust and shared values.

What has been your greatest lesson or piece of advice along your business journey? Surround yourself with the dreamers and the doers, the believers, and the thinkers but most of all surround yourself with those who see greatness within you.

What’s on the agenda for you for the future? We were building the range of multitasking hair staples for George as we keep listening and growing with our Enough community.

shibui SUTAINABILITY

shibui salon in South Yarra, Victoria is an award-winning salon that has been leading the way in ‘low fuss’ hair for over three decades. Their freehand/dry cutting, natural approach, and a preference to use hands rather than a brush became the essence of the brand.

“Kao Salon Australia is so thrilled shibui has been recognised globally for their outstanding commitment to sustainability in salon. Brent and shibui lead the way in incorporating best practices in the way they run their salon. From employees, clients and salon partners, sustainability is at the core of all business decisions” said Rita Marcon, General Manager Kao Salon ANZ.

Sustainability is at the forefront of shibui’s business partnering with Sustainable Salons Australia since 2017 as well as opting into a carbon neutral energy provider. Employees are encouraged to invest their superannuation in ethical funds and clients are invited to return their empties (of salon brands) for recycling for a 10% discount on retail sales.

“When I first embarked on my hair path 30 years ago, I remember thinking that in its essence, hairdressing is a pure pursuit; needing only scissors and comb to ply the craft. And that was a very attractive prospect for me. Now the commercial realities are inescapable but the ideal of the pure hairdresser is still within our capabilities and that‘s what I want shibui to be” says Brent Barber, owner shibui.

Editor Louise May chats

Tell us how the shibui salon and philosophy were born? How did it come about?

I’m told that it was in part due to a trip Rob Hastie made to Paris years ago. After having worked at Sassoon’s in London he was a bit disillusioned with the structured methodology and saw something interesting in the way the Parisian’s went about managing their hair. It was more about little tweaks here and there, on dry hair as needed and worn in the effortless way the French do so well. Another pivotal moment happened in New York where he saw a salon practicing dry cutting and the seed of the idea was planted. Rob eventually returned to Melbourne with his experiences ruminating around in his ever-curious mind and when shibui was born, this was the beginning of the evolution and journey into what it became.

shibui is renowned for a low-fuss approach to hair, with a free hand, dry cutting approach. What inspired this? After seeing different approaches and working overseas for years, Rob wanted to bring something new and interesting to the industry and it had to be authentic and purposeful. After lots of experimenting and collaborating with his partners, Tracey Colebrook, and Dean Halcome,

with owner Brent about his 30 years in the industry and the Shibui brand.

Melbourne’s shibui salon has been recognised for “Salon Sustainability Leadership” in Australia at the Kao Salon Global Experience held in October in Amsterdam. Kao Salon has

a

strong

foundation of

existing sustainability activities and ethical business operations.

A

focus

on a

sustainable future forms an integral part of Kao Salon partnerships.

Brent Barber

they worked out that dry cutting allowed the cutter and client to see the hair in its real and everyday state. This was quite different to the traditional way of working which put as much emphasis on the styling of the hair as it did the cutting. Cutting hair in its natural form and removing weight in a clever and considered way, created space for the hair to move. It freed it up allowing it to find its way. No more hiding behind stylingcutting was the key

You are personally celebrating 30 years in business, and shibui 40 years what milestones! what’s been your secret to success and longevity?

A true love for the act of cutting hair, I guess. I still get a kick out of helping people realise the worth and intrinsic beauty of their own hair type. Also working among so many different and interesting people helps keep it interesting. But I’ve also deliberately made moves and taken steps to challenging myself and keep it interesting - Like taking on a partnership with an emerging salon group in India! I never thought that would be part of my story when I started my apprenticeship back in February 1993.

Your Biggest challenge so far?

Grappling with the cultural and workplace differences in India and the shifting dynamics of our workplace culture here in Melbourne in the past 12 months, have both been hugely challenging times in my career. I know enough now to know that there will be more challenges to come. It’s about how you view them, and I think that’s also one of the benefits of longevity; you get a broader perspective on things.

Proudest achievement?

Geez - where to start… Finishing my apprenticeship? Moving to London? Winning British Men’s Hairdresser of the year? Taking the plunge in India and building the business?

Taking on shibui and all that that meansparticularly as we enter into the 40th year of shibui? There are so many steps on the journey that are so pivotal and important at the time

How do you keep your team striving for excellence?

I’m super lucky to be working alongside some great people. It’s all about maintaining your own personal and professional standards so that others can see what it takes

What and who has inspired you over the last 30 years in the industry?

There have been so many… My wife and business partner Rejoice is a constant source of inspiration. Her positivity is amazing. The city of London was an inspirational place. So much diversity and creativity. What Rob and Tracey did to make shibui what it is, took so much belief and determination and that’s so inspiring. Working on the floor with Simon Farrelly day in day out is always inspiring. He has such an open way of looking at the world and brings that to his cutting practice in a beautiful and holistic way.

shibui is leading the way in sustainable practices in the hairdressing industry, what motivated this?

Just an innate sense that we have to change our ways. We can’t just keep taking from the very thing that sustains us without some serious consequences - which we are now seeing in real time. It’s a journey that’s for sure. Whilst we’ve taken some steps in the right direction, there are plenty more to take. We’re currently looking at ethical banking as another way we can do our bit.

How would your team describe you?

Hmmm… depends on who you ask and on what day!? I’d like to think that most would say I bring a certain kind of calm, consistent focus to the team

KMS has been part of my hair story since before I started my apprenticeship. The salon I went to as a teen, and where I subsequently started my apprenticeship, stocked KMS and the smell of the KMS Styling Gel takes me back to those early days.

These days, I can’t go past KMS Moist Repair - Revival Creme. It’s so good as a soft natural styler for so many of our cuts and the Goldwell Dualsenses Rich Repair 60 Second Treatment is another go to for our colour clients.

You’ve been a long-standing salon partner with KAO, what are your favourite Goldwell and KMS products?

By Lyndal Salmon

The brief for the day is simple—create an amazing (and flattering) head-to-toe look on your model that demonstrates both your technical skill and your creativity. The models are then judged live—first seated so that our judges can have a close look and then again as they stomp down our outdoor runway on Gore Street. Holding a live event means that BIBA Next Level is accessible to juniors who may not have the budget or support for a photographic competition. But our entrants are also able to craft their vision on their own terms without the stress of creating the style in front of the judges under time constraints. It’s an exciting opportunity and especially so now that live hair competitions are becoming rarer.

The BIBA Academy building and Gore Street itself were both transformed into a creative’s dream on the competition day with colourful murals on the wall and a DJ spinning tunes. Everyone was in high spirits and generously assisting other participants where they could. It was a very special opportunity for our students, many of whom have only been studying hairdressing or barbering for a short time—these competitors brought the fearlessness of youth and a fresh perspective to what hair can mean. Those entrants who are more established in the industry really appreciated the opportunity to break out of the everyday of salon and barbershop work to flex their creative muscle. The standard from everyone was amazing and left the crowd completely inspired. As always, the street filled with spectators who danced along as our models paraded down the catwalk. The energy was electric!

This year’s prizes were also thrilling. The entrants of the Master Cut and Master Colour categories competed for the educational trip of a lifetime including flights, accommodation, and a week’s hairdressing course in either Paris, London, New York, or Santa Monica. But the entrants from all categories also had the chance to win cold hard cash and some brilliant prizes from our wonderful sponsors Wella Professional, Dyson, Amazing Hair, Colortrak, K18, Exclusive Shears and Andis.

This year, the entrants from BIBA Academy and the BIBA Professional Salons across Victoria were also joined by participants from salons and barbershops that send their staff for training with us. It was wonderful to see the stunning creations from our much-loved friends at Analog Hair, Telleish, Stache, Wieselmann, Flipped, Xiang, LNDN, MAMAWEST, Vantage Barbers, Alchemy, Razorsmiths and many more. And it certainly kept the entrants from the BIBA Group on their toes! Our amazing judging panel this year was stacked with industry leaders and creative professionals including Sheridan Shaw (MAMAWEST), Jarred Stedman (Mocha Group), David Wieselmann (Wieselmann Salon), Biftu Gudina (AREA Studio) and Anthony Capon (Et Al). By having a different mix of judges each year, we keep things fresh for our entrants and benefit from each person’s unique point of view. It’s impossible to predict what will happen based on the winners from previous years which makes it even more exciting.

BIBA Next Level returned to the streets of Fitzroy with traffic-stopping looks for a huge sixth year of competition!

We offered six categories for our sixth year of competition—Apprentice, Full-Time Student, Master Cut, Master Colour, Barbering and Session Styling. We had over 80 entries in all which was an amazing result for our first year back since 2019. We have missed BIBA Next Level and, clearly, everybody else has, too! The number of exceptional looks on the day made our judges’ lives very hard but not so hard that they couldn’t come up with some winners!

BIBA Academy RTO Apprentice Award

Winner: Taylor Frangi of BIBA Richmond

Second Place: Sam Bulmer of Flipped Hair

Third Place: Jaimé Henderson of Analog Hair

Encouragement award: Jade Ward of AZARI.HAIR

BIBA Academy Full - Time Student Award

Winner: Bridget Forbes

Second Place: Hayley Lewis-Howlett

Third Place: Aisha Rizig of BIBA Moonee Ponds

Encouragement award: Annie Woodward of Alchemy Hair

BIBA Master Cut

Award

Winner: Bridget Beaton of BIBA Moonee Ponds

Second Place: Teagan Cousins of Telleish Hair Studio

Third Place: Jay Blitsas of BIBA South Yarra Encouragement award: Mia Nicolson of BIBA Warrnambool

BIBA Master Colour

Award

Winner: Jay Blitsas of BIBA South Yarra

Second Place: Masina Iva of BIBA Moonee Ponds

Third Place: Robert Watson of Wieselmann

Encouragement award: Krystal Appleton of Stache

BIBA Barber Award

Winner: Lucky Milham of Lords of the North and Agencie

Second Place: Moe Taraghi of Vantage Barbers

Third Place: Jack Osborn of Razorsmiths

Encouragement award: Moe Taraghi of Vantage Barbers

BIBA Session Styling Award

Winner: Maddi Rogers of Wieselmann

Second Place: Harry Donovan of Stache

Third Place: Noa Jablonski

Encouragement award: Lucky Milham of Lords of the North and Agencie

A very special thanks to all the people who have helped record the day and the amazing hair on display—Elizabeth Kinnaird who captured lots of special memories on film and Elton Chong who created some incredible video of our competitors and their work. Thanks also to our major sponsor Wella Professional and all our fabulous partners for this event including Dyson, Amazing Hair, Colortrak, K18 and their distributor Ozdare, Exclusive Shears, Andis and, of course, the wonderful Mocha Group. And a final thank you to our brilliant team of judges and all the entrants who participated—we couldn’t do it without you!

The Judging Panel with some helpers!

A Personalised Hair Hub for Dream Regimes!

By Louise May

Zorba Hair was established in 1965 by Peter Kotis, who brought to the business his expertise as a European hairstylist. Zorba has been a great influence in the Australian hairdressing industry ever since with a proud history of providing professional hair services for the entire family.

Serving Carindale locals since 1979, Zorba Hair is one of the original tenants of Carindale Shopping Centre in Brisbane. Owner-founder Peter Kotis developed Zorba Hair as a salon for the whole family, delivering all your haircut, style and care needs. Since then, Peter’s daughters Anna and Kaliopi have taken the lead in the family business, building upon its legacy with vast training and experience with the best professional hair care products on the market. The result? GLAM BOX! Solutions for every hair goal, type and budget. Featuring a deluxe range of products hand-picked for performance and offering the same caring, personalised and diagnostic advice that you’d expect from visiting a family salon. Glam Box exists to eliminate the need to visit a salon, blindly follow a recommendation or even trawl through Google for one hundred and eightyfive years.

With Glam Box Shop, clients can shop by hair type or goal, alternatively fill in a quick quiz and be matched with perfect products. Or book a complimentary virtual hair care consult for a live online consultation video call with a member of Glam Box’s caring team.

Glam Box makes discovering your dream regime easier than ever before, rinsing worries away with personalised solutions, from wherever you happen to be.

Hair Biz Editor chats with Anna about the family business and how Glam Box was born.

To help us get to know you a little more, would you share a little about your family. Born and bred in Brisbane- we have been brought up to be very loyal and stable. We are a no fluff kind of family; we make the best out of every

situation and have been taught to work hard to achieve our goals

Can you tell us about your career paths in the industry and where did it all begin for you and your sister?

We have both lived/worked in the Salon all of our life, it’s all we’ve lived and breathed so it was inevitable that we would both be a part of it. We’ve both completed our Business, Commerce and Marketing Degrees at University and used our knowledge and skill to alter the typical salon model.

What inspired the creation of Glam Box?

Glam Box was inspired by our beautiful clients at Zorba. Every day we help them create the perfect regime for their hair. Zorba is so much more than an average salon because we have access to such a huge variety of professional brands and, over the 40 years we have been in business, we have tried and tested every single one of them. Our depth of knowledge comes from experience and that’s something our clients really trust and appreciate. We know professional haircare inside out! It’s our passion and we are really good at it. Our belief is that a good hairdresser makes a client look good for a day, but a great hairdresser (and retailer) keeps their client looking amazing until their next salon visit!

Problem was that our Carindale location only has so many clients that we can reach. Glam Box was born out of the desire to take our knowledge and brand affiliation to a wider audience nationally. We wanted to infuse our salon ethos into a professional, hairdresser driven online platform. Glam Box is absolutely unique in the way that we focus on our visitors and their hair. The site is designed to create the most personal interaction with our clients, even from thousands of kilometres away.

Anna and Kaliopi with father Peter

We want our customers to achieve their ultimate hair goals and know that we are always here for them whenever they may need a little hair care advice. We don’t just sell hair care, we live it.

What are your roles with Glam Box, do you have separate areas you focus on?

Kaliopi’s primary focus is at Zorba and mine is at Glam Box, but we are a family business (Father, daughters, Son in laws, brother in laws-you name it!) and we all do everything we need to get the job done! Everyone helps everyone and there are no job descriptions in sight!

What challenges have you faced along the way? how have you overcome them?

There have been many challenges that have met us along the way. We knew the site we were trying to create was innovative and intricate, but the online world is truly something else- like speaking a foreign language. We have had to learn a whole new industry within our industry and compete with so many sites who are choosing to harm our professional industry with discounting and price slashing. This has never been what we stand for. We are a salon group first and foremost and would never create a business that would hurt businesses like ours, or compromise the brands that we recommend and believe in. Being competitive whilst doing the right thing can be difficult, but we value add, we create promotions and incentives to thrill our consumers instead of harming our industry and what we stand for. Our other largest hurdle we had to overcome were the brands we were affiliated with. Although our relationships stem back as far as 43 years, Glam Box was a new entity and like any new business we had to prove ourselves. This was definitely a difficulty we hadn’t anticipated.

What has been your greatest lesson or piece of advice along your business journey?

That nothing worth achieving is easy (or fast) I feel like so many people are in it for the quick dollar, for the today. Every decision made should be for the future dollar, concentrate on caring about every client, sincerely and genuinely and the money will come. My favourite quote is if you always do what you’ve always done then you’ll always get what you’ve always got.

What’s on the agenda for the future?

So many new and exciting things headed for Glam Box! New brands, new innovations and new ideas headed this way... watch this space!

LOUISE GRAHAM

Louise Graham was at uni studying fine arts when she decided to re-evaluate where she wanted to head in the future, sitting down at the time to figure out what she thought she needed in a job.

“I needed a creative platform that was hands on and dealt with people in one-on-one situations. I also wanted a career that had the ability to progress and the opportunity to go in multiple different directions until I decide exactly what I want to do. I landed on hairdressing, and it was the best decision I’ve ever made I found my passion.”

Let’s find out more…

What kind of hair work is your favourite and why?

Honestly, I have two different favourite types of hair work and they are the complete opposite, I love Avant Garde hair its creative artistic and can be as refined or outlandish as you’d like it’s like creating an artwork. I also love lived in hair for my clients balayage work that grows out softly and simply creating a beautiful look that can make a client feel confident and represent their true selves and their lifestyles.

How do you manage life and work balance?

Honestly, I’m still trying to figure that one out, I love hanging with my friends and family, but I do spend a lot of my free time working on hair projects. I think the main thing for me is deciding what a balance looks like for myself rather than trying to fit into what someone else’s balance may appear like.

Who inspires you in the creative field of hairdressing and why?

I have so many different inspirations, from Errol Douglas, Sharon Blain and Benni Tognini to Lyndal Salmon, Danny Pato and Kobi Bokshish this industry has so many incredible talents

I think what I love most about these is that they not only are talented in their own right, but they also inspire and educate the next generation. They inspire me to make sure the impact I have on the industry is that of encouragement and support to those around me.

If you could spend a day with anyone from a business or lifestyle mentorship perspective, who would it be and why?

Lyndal Salmon the reason being she is always writing articles and having conversations about how we can improve on different areas and elements within our industry. I think the only way to progress, and love is to be open to having the difficult conversations and challenging both yourself and those around you to reflect and upon reflection change or evolve when necessary. We might not have all the answers to the difficult questions, but I believe it’s only with open conversations that we can start to figure them out and I believe Lyndal is a great advocate for this.

How important are competitions and awards to you?

Competitions are important to me but not in because I want to win but rather because I believe it’s important to challenge myself to have parameters set and to push the boundaries when it comes it my skillsets. I also think competitions can be important because you get to see the amazing finalists and the work they create. What better way to see how creative this industry can be and it’s also a great way to support those creatives around you.

Can you tell us a little about what you are most looking forward to being a member of the Hot Shots team?

I’m looking forward to getting to be a part of a create team of young hairdressers I think the best part about this incredible mentorship is that we get to do it alongside 3 other up and coming individuals. it is great to have support from without our own teams and companies but the opportunity to work alongside creatively likeminded individuals from other companies is an amazing opportune for me and I can’t wait to get to be a part of it.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time?

Hopefully in 10 years’ time I’m made an impact in this industry I have yet to decide exactly how I’d like to do that but as long as I’ve inspirited and helped people in this industry, I think I’d be happy with whatever role achieved that.

FUN SNAPSHOT:

Worst fashion moment For a tennis comp at home growing up mum made us all matching 4 patterned shorts, they were very well made but weren’t quite the best fashion moment.

Worst Hair day I rocked a very interesting side fringe for most of grade 10 Fave Destination Paris amongst the artworks of the great renaissance artists. Fave Drink Coffee I’m always caffeinated.

FOR SUMMER

What’s On Trend WITH ANTHONY NADER

Summer styling is all about looking like salon clients have just stepped out of an editorial photo shoot or better still… just off the beach 100%. Here’s my take on what you can offer your clients to stay on trend!

THE SHAG

In every length and shape as well.

Are you vibing a long shag with a micro fringe? A short straight shag? Or perhaps the ever-present wolf shag haircut?

This cut is going to be seen everywhere for the summer months and not just a hairstyle once deemed only for the counter-culture crowd, truly enter the mainstream.

Iterations of the shag have been spotted on everyone from Zendaya to Miley Cyrus, further cementing its versatility on how you can rock it.

THE BOYFRIEND BOB

Boyish as the name suggests, this bob haircut is short, sharp, and a little bit floppy. The inspiration behind the cut is all your favourite 90’s heartthrobs and celebs. Think Nick Carter meets Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic with a sprinkle of our very own Natalie Imbruglia in her “Torn” music video…. Welcome to your new boyfriend HAIRBIZ readers.

LAZY WAVES

One length manes are getting a re-vamp and more energy to hair strands are to be celebrated and seen.

My absolute go-to inspo is Alexa Chung, I’ve always been such a fan of her understated cool girl vibe.

The secret here is all in the haircut as I’m sure you all agree, a beautiful strong baseline, a few shorter seamless interior layers, a casual centre part line and keeping the top flatter (which is key) and then letting the natural texture quietly move.

ON THE LONGER SIDE

Model and bestselling author Emily Ratajkowski is the perfect example of

having a longer mane but also showcasing #ModelOffDuty intentionally longer curtain bangs.

This hair has length which speaks loud to all the long-haired Summer rejoices but adding bangs so you can have the versatility of shifting it in different directions.

Also works beautifully for when you’re going from the beach to the bar, securing the length into a low pony-knot and letting baby tendrils frame around your face delicately with focus on your cute bangs.

And finally… QUICK AND EASY SUMMER STYLING

EMBRACE THE LO-FI AIR DRY

Check your hair strands out in these warmer months and give them a vacation as well and don’t feel guilty about it either!!!

Hailey Bieber, Kaia Gerber, Lou Doillon and of course Alexa Chung are your trophy winners here of #SoftPower styling of flat-at-the-top and wavy through the middle section and the ends left natural which suggests you’re not trying too hard overall.

My go-to hair products for this runway look are your hydrating creams, nourishing oils, and your UV protector.

I’m such a fan of this styling method and besides, do salon clients really want to look like they’ve just stepped out of the salon in a big cloud of hairspray?!

Anthony Nader

CLAUDIA CATALDO announced as

the

L’Oreal Professionel Paris, International Winner of the Style and Colour Trophy!

Third times the charm for Australia! Making hairdressing history, Claudia Cataldo has claimed the third global title for Australia, as the iconic international competition ‘La grand’ reveals 2022 global winners. Jarred Stedman, GM of mocha group, was in Canberra, exclusively, to share the excitement!

Third times the charm for Australia! Making hairdressing history, Claudia Cataldo has claimed the third global title for Australia, as the iconic international competition ‘La grand’ reveals 2022 global winners. Jarred Stedman, GM of mocha group, was in Canberra, exclusively, to share the excitement!

This year L’Oréal Professionnel Paris presented its legendary hair procompetition, Style & Colour Trophy returning to an in-person competition post-pandemic. Finalists travelled to Paris to compete for the title on the world stage.

The Grand Winner was announced in a live stream being none other than Claudia Cataldo from Australia, Cataldo’s Salon, Canberra!

2ND PLACE: Lisa Saccio, Germany

3RD PLACE (tied): PinHui Chen (Mino) –Taiwan & Kelly Manu – New Zealand

Claudia from Cataldo’s Salon (est 1965) in Canberra has been a part of the industry for over 17 years, residing in Canberra, ACT –Claudia’s dedication and commitment to her hairdressing craft is evident through her tenure at Cataldo’s Salon and now, the world stage!

Claudia Cataldo Winning Look for 2022

In a special interview with Jarred Stedman, GM of mocha group, Claudia shared how important her mentors and family had been through the entire process making special mention of her dad and uncle Emilio and Angelo as well as Karen Spradau, owner of Cataldos-Woden.

friends and clients gathered early in the morning at Cataldo’s to await the result!

Australia has continuously highlighted some of the world’s best talent and now boasting the last three International Colour Trophy Winners: Claudia Cataldo (ACT, 2022), Massimo Tirimacco (SA, 2021), and Wendy Gunn (QLD, 2019).

Claudia added, “Knowing Massimo and Wendy has really helped along the way and I wanted to win this as much for them as for myself.”

She spoke about the phenomenal experience she had with all of the other finalists overseas and how she almost didn’t enter… “I had just finished treatment for Breast Cancer back in April and wasn’t sure if I was going to enter, but my love for hair and this competition as well as those around me pushed me to do so and thank goodness they did!”

L’Oréal Professionnel Paris Style & Colour Trophy showcases the world’s brightest

hairdressing talent, turning the best among them into internationally known stars of the world of hair. Celebrating the creativity and skill of hair artistry, the contest brings incredible excitement and energy to the industry, inspiring hairdressers around the world to strive to push the limits of what is possible not only in the salon, but on the world stage.

For the second year in a row, the iconic competition was available to everyone within the hairdressing industry, no matter their level of expertise or years of experience. This year’s participants were judged on their French Edito: Gloss and Balayage looks.

The international finale of Style & Colour Trophy was highlighted by a special episode of Run Le Hair Show, the international web series by pros, for pros and all hair lovers. The episode, that went live from Paris in the early hours of Tuesday 13th December, was entirely dedicated to the legendary contest, expanding on the show’s primary purpose, to shine an even brighter spotlight on some of the most talented hairstylists in the world today.

L’Oréal Professionnel Paris invites hair pros and hair lovers around the world to keep up to date with all things hair and Subscribe to the L’Oréal Professionnel Paris YouTube channel to stay tuned for the upcoming episode of Run Le Hair Show, and other inspiring content from inside L’Oréal Professionnel Paris and from hair pros around the world.

www.youtube.com/user/lorealpro Photography by Jarred Stedman Copyright mocha group

Family,

Cutting Edge Chemistry set to revolutionise haircare CREDIBLE SCIENCE.

INCREDIBLE RESULTS.™

Dr. Eric Pressly, the scientist behind Olaplex, looks to disrupt the hair care industry yet again, with a one-step bonding treatment for damaged hair. epres is a revolutionary, next generation of bonders which is simpler and quicker to use with superior results at a far lower price for salons.

DR. ERIC PRESSLY

“I was the scientist behind Olaplex,” says Eric Pressly. “It started in my garage! We have already been introduced to the idea of “bond-building” haircare with products that can prevent or repair damage and now, I am so very proud to be able to launch the next generation of bonders – epres – which I believe to be the best bond builder ever.”

“We are a trustworthy, science-led brand. So, what we say we can do, we have proved it. And we do it,” says Pressly. “We make claims about being the best in the space, and you can back it up with the performance of the product.”

Dr. Pressly, holds more than 100 patents in bond-repair technology, but he considers epres to be his best invention yet: a unique bond-repair treatment that re-bonds the structure of hair with maximum efficacy, working to repair chemical, thermal and mechanical damage—all in one simple, acid-free step.

“I wanted to re-enter the haircare space and continue to create products that are accessible and easy-to-use as well as being innovative,” added Pressly.

epres’ patent-pending molecular technology repairs disulfide bonds, which form the internal structure of hair. Rebuilding these bonds with epres technology during your professional service leads to softer, stronger hair with less breakage and frizz—and no change in development time or desired colour effect.

epres Professional Bond Repair was developed for anyone with damaged hair. Whether you colour, bleach, straighten, blowout or perm, the technology repairs broken bonds to increase strength and softness, and decrease breakage and frizz.

“EPRES IS THE FUTURE OF HAIR CARE, SPECIFICALLY FORMULATED FOR BOTH PROFESSIONALS AND CONSUMERS.”

So, what other products are in the epres range? The new range will include 1 x salon/professional product & 1 x retail product, each containing just four ingredients that work together to deliver professional-grade results for all hair types. ‘Biodiffusion’ technology also features, in so far as repairing hair even after it has dried.

First up is the Professional Bond Repair, a salon-only product that helps keep hair strong during chemical services—such as bleaching, perming, and relaxing— without disturbing the pH levels. epres Professional Bond Repair is perfect for all hair types and it works perfectly with all services. Whether used with colour, bleach, straighteners, blowouts, perms, detanglers, relaxers, in-salon treatments or on virgin hair, epres’ patented formula delivers incredible flexibility and performance. As a vegan, acid-free, zero-quat technology, Professional Bond Repair does NOT affect the pH of the chemical service—resulting in less damage and better bond repair without unwanted side effects. Unlike other bond builders that use solid actives, epres’ liquid actives and Biodiffusion™ technology continue to work even when hair is dry.

“A lot of damage that people have is from bleaching in the salons,” says Pressly. “And if you can stop it before it starts, then you’re in a much better position to deal with it going forward.” The Professional Bond Repair is also formulated without acid, which means professionals don’t have to be too concerned with precise measuring when they use it during chemical treatments.

Secondly, this breakthrough technology is also available to the at-home consumer with epres Bond Repair Treatment: a simple, one-step spray that actively rebonds hair structure. This innovative spray-on hair treatment delivers deep, lasting repair for chemical, thermal, and mechanical damage. Its acid-free, patent-pending formula actively rebonds hair structure. The formula continues to diffuse repair through each strand for hours after application using Biodiffusion™ technology.

For stylists, epres innovation helps you deliver the best possible results every day. For clients, epres have created another reason to go back to the salon where an easy, at home spray-on treatment is available.

epres is acid free, Quat free, vegan, cruelty free, phosphate free, gluten free, paraben free, phthalate free, preservative free, nut free, PEG free, formaldehyde free, sulphate free, thiol free and fair trade.

Available

“THIS PRODUCT IS AMAZING! I LOVE THE SIMPLICITY AND ECO-FRIENDLINESS OF THE PRODUCT AND PACKAGING, AND THE RESULTS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES. MY HAIR FEELS BETTER THAN EVER.” ELLE

‘’LIQUID HAIR’’

trend to takeover!

By Sarah Van Daalen

To find out more about this latest hair trend and the process to achieve it, milk_shake Educator Sarah Van Daalen interviews milk_shake Australia Ambassador, Kirsty Richey to find out about her experience in Salon.

Before we talk to Kirsty, about her early access experience, I want to talk hair lamination or also known by it’s Hollywood name – Liquid Hair. As the name suggests the lamination treats and seals the cuticle layer protecting the hair stem from humidity and environmental stressors.

With the Milk_shake lamination service, your cuticle scales are more nourished and smoother, colours are more vivid and protected and, with the film forming action, the hair has an iridescent polish and shine.

So, now I have your attention, let’s talk the key active ingredients inside this pretty pink bottle.

You’ll find:

• hyaluronic acid – this balances the hair stems hydration levels and boosts colour radiance

• sweet almond proteins – these will treat, form, protect and seal the cuticle layer whilst improving elasticity & softness

• milk proteins + lemon + blueberry fruit extracts to gift the health of the hair and of course create the unbelievable shine like never before.

LET’S DIVE IN!

SARAH VAN DAALEN: As a technician I am so excited for Milk_shake Insta.light to hit Australian shores and I wanted to give an example of how it can be offered in salon. I know milk_shake has had your heart for so many years now Kirst, so how do you feel about introducing this new service to your clientele?

KIRSTY RICHEY: I feel absolutely fabulous about it. Definitely a great addition to our Milk_shake family. To be keeping up with the trends of Silky soft “ Glass Like hair” or ‘’Liquid Hair’’ who wouldn’t be excited?

Love it! And as we know, milk_shake provide such an amazing portfolio of in-salon services, do you feel your clients could be confused with this in comparison to all the other in-salon exclusive treatments we offer? We both know how important education is for us on our products, so no, there will be no confusion. Insta.light will be marketed as a Cosmetic Treatment in my salon, as opposed to a reconstructive or moisturising treatment. It gives results like the Integrity Reconstructive System, but the Reconstructive System is purely focused on Rebuilding the hairs natural structure, working on the inside. The Insta.light service literally takes only 10 – 15 mins on top of a styling service, and results in that Silky, Incredible Shiny hair lasting up to 3 washes. I’m confident

Jumping off que a little, can we just take a minute to share to those reading this, just how impressive the shine is on the hair after this service! Globally they are saying it’s a “glass like trend.” How would you describe the finish it gives to the hair?

Exactly that! The hair is amazing, you really notice it once you start blowing it out, but if you follow through to the ironing stages …….. WOW!!! Just wow. Clients have been like…“ My hair has never felt or looked like that “

So, we know eyebrow lamination has been a huge trend to the beauty industry would you say this is going to be the next staying trend in the hair world too?

Eyebrow lamination has definitely been hanging on in the trends and I do believe this will be up there to. We have all seem those red carpet & celebrities flicking those shiney locks around and now we can give our guests the opportunity to do the same! I think it will be a great service be offered to our guests who have their “ BIG DAY” or “ SPECIAL EVENT “ coming up. Insta.light would prep the hair to the glossiest state it could be. One of my fav styles is silky straight with a middle part and the little ear tucked sides haha! Insta.light will just send that style off the charts with its super Glass like effect it has on the hair!

I’ve seen your appt schedules & I know how busy you and the team are … how much time are you dedicating to offering this service & would this be something apprentices would be capable of offering? 100% fit for our hard-working apprentices!!! Its super easy, and for those apprentices on the styling tools first, its perfect for them. We are offering it as an addition to the Styling world, adding it to a blow wave service literally taking no more than an extra 10mins.

So there we have it creatives! If you’re wanting to offer a mirror finish to your colours and styles, milk_shake insta light is the name you need to know !

Ready to try the milk_shake Insta.Light in your salon?

Contact your local milk_shake distributor for a Try Me kit and SAVE 35% off list price. SP $119.95

The Try Me Kit includes: milk_shake insta.light shampoo 1000 ml milk_shake insta.lotion 250 ml milk_shake insta.light potion 300 ml

DARE TO CHALLENGE... BORN TO EDUCATE!

By Louise May

Paul was a precision guru, totally absorbed with teaching; then along came the WOLFMAN, which turned his education upside down. Trevor used a razor which was not allowed in Paul’s early education. Paul went out and bought his first cutthroat razor; no guard and super sharp. He acquired Trevor’s educational video cassette (a tool from the dark ages - no online streaming) and taught himself how to cut the WOLFMAN. “If Trevor could do it, so can I” said Paul. After much blood and not so great results, he finally mastered the tool.

Editor Louise May chats with Paul Dare about his journey in the industry, his love for cutting and education and his desire to awaken the artist within all hairdressers.

It was a lightbulb moment! WOW! A tool I wasn’t allowed to use in my apprenticeship now gave me a new focus and creative approach to hair cutting, shape and texture all in one go. I questioned that my beginnings, albeit solid, were also narrow. I went on to purchase texturizing scissors and clippers, also an early no-no, and applied

them to my foundation philosophy. Cutting with these tools made me understand that it doesn’t matter what tool you use but how to create shape and understand the different finish each tool gives you. Enter the new and revised Paul Dare! Challenge became my middle name; wet, dry, freehand, blunt, texture, razor, or clipper cutting, the more I pushed the boundaries the more I grew, both creatively and emotionally. With an insatiable appetite for travel, I covered Europe and eventually came to Australia, securing a position with SA’s top salon group, Clip Joint. I chose them above Sydney and Melbourne salons because they made me prove my ability to cut hair. Other State offered me work just because I was UK trained. I worked my way up in the company handling all photographic images, structuring the educational curriculum for the new academy while also working behind the chair. In 1989 I set up my own salon, Dare Hair. It was a beautiful minimalistic environment where the hair was always the STAR. In this creative environment I went on to win 3 Schwarzkopf Australian hairdressing

was a runner up in the 1991 Avant Garde category. I relocated in 1994 to a main road location

doubled the salon size, also picking up Best New Salon Design at the Sydney

Can you tell us a little about how learning this new method changed things for you?

awards and

and

Hair Expo. I continued to pick up awards

Paul Dare’s love for hair began in 1980 after seeing UK hair legend Trevor Sorbie’s WOLFMAN haircut. His journey started in 1978 as an apprentice to a South London hair group, being taught the Vidal Sassoon method of precision haircutting known today as the ABC system. It was an extremely strict and disciplined pathway, it taught him how to create and build shape utilising the three core principles; Solid, Layers and Graduation, and learning how to combine them all using straight blades.

in 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004. A huge highlight was receiving the Legends Award in 2008. This recognition prompted the major manufacturers to utilise me as an educator and showman. This was another lesson to learn as I had no formal training with public speaking. I was growing as a platform artist and loving it. Performing in front of large audiences became comfortable as I presented shows in Europe, Scandinavia, Asia, and the Americas. My true love comes from teaching small workshops of 12 students at the most. It is so exhilarating to see the light bulb come on when a hairdresser sees their potential as I did when watching Trevor’s Razor cut WOLFMAN. I challenge all students to tackle tools they have never used; our mannequins are not the most attractive when we have finished but there is an appreciation of a new tool and technique. To challenge hairdressers with my philosophy I needed a tool that was outside hairdressing but used creatively. I chose a woodworker’s chisel from my garage. I wanted to illustrate that it doesn’t matter what you use if you understand the fundamentals of cutting. Then I perfected a technique of how to cut hair using a wood chisel. THIS created a massive stir and hairdressers in the classes or when I was on a platform thought I was a wanker, but after performing a haircut they were amazed at the result and asked if chisels were available for purchase, which of course I supplied! The late Tim Payne found me the most exquisite Japanese craftsman chisels, which I sold. The problem with this tool was the balance and non-changeable blade so another journey started; industrial design and manufacturing. What a journey this became! In collaboration with an industrial designer, we came up with the Dare Chisel, beautifully balanced with disposable blades offering the same textured finish I was getting out of the old woodworker’s chisel. Wow! My $70,000 project blew out to $250,000! My heart was still in it, and I believed I could recoup the money. Selling out at our first expo, I went on to recoup after the first year, phew! I continue to take this Australian product to the world and have just launched the new Dare Chisel website, darechisel. com. The next journey is taking my Cut Like a Master-Class to the world with my years of knowledge condensed into an online master class now available at pauldare. co. I cover all the tools and techniques to expand the mind and allow full creativity. Fashion is a cycle; short, long, straight, and curly will always be around and having a solid foundation to cope with all of this is paramount. My masterclass will deliver this. My journey continues and I am still loving it.

Did you always know that education would be your lifelong passion?

NO! I set out to be the best hairdresser I could be, and it wasn’t until I started teaching workshops that I realised there was a weakness in the education system. I now love sharing my knowledge and get a huge buzz when I see the light come on. It takes a strong individual to realise they do not know everything and are prepared to take a few steps back before taking a huge leap forward. The positive feedback I have received over the past 20 years shows appreciation from those who have taken my class.

Looking back over your career, what have been some of the most significant changes that you have witnessed to the methodology of training with hairdressers?

The most significant change is the absence of exposing the apprentice to ALL the industry has to offer, all the techniques and tools. Some institutions do, the majority do not.

What effects have these changes had on industry stakeholders, such as salon owners, colleges, and the stylists themselves?

The majority of the industry are all fighting for the same client as there is a lack of knowledge to look outside the square, the same cuts and styles are being repeated. Challenge your client, take them out of the mainstream into a new direction! Push your boundaries and theirs. I run a tight ship where all stylists can work with all tools and techniques giving us a diverse client base looking for unique bespoke looks. This makes for a fun day with different challenges. Limited skill means boring clients walking out with the same look. Looks that everyone else produces, hence everyone is fighting for the same client.

Why do you feel that quality education is so important to the future of our industry?

We are all artists and to reach your full potential you need to understand all techniques and tools. Repetitive haircuts will eventually bore the hairdresser who will eventually leave this amazing industry way too early. Art students do not go to art school and learn painting by numbers. They learn technique and how to work with multiple tools and different mediums. With this knowledge they can be true artists. This is no different for hairdressers.

What education do you offer through your platform? Let’s delve into some of the courses.

There are eight modules: 1. Foundations

and the Paul Dare journey. 2. Solid form. 3. Uniform layer 4. Graduation 5. Application 6. Freehand (Dry Cut) 7. Breaking the rules 8. The chisel. Each lesson is broken down in easy to follow steps. How to fully understand the 3 core angles, how to merge them together to create shape. How to use all the hairdressing tools and how to apply them. How to break al the rules to further create.

What do you feel is unique about your methods and programs?

I am not trying to teach a haircut but how to cut hair. There is a formula to follow, but an explanation as to what each angle will achieve and what shapes you can build. I have broken all the rules to be the hairdresser I am today; my class will show hairdressers the same pathway.

Who are these programs for and how will it benefit these individuals?

All hairdressers from first year to qualified, anyone that wants to expand their knowledge and grow. We cannot know everything and must always keep our minds open to all new things.

You have designed the Chisel; can you tell us about this and why it is unique?

The chisel is the only cutting tool that allows you to stab the hair off, giving a unique texture that cannot be achieved with any other tool. It gives the hairdresser limitless sculptural freedom, allowing the hairdresser to slice, chop, and shatter, giving amazing texture. It has a revolutionary ergonomic design, perfect balance and reduces fatigue. It is manufactured to exacting standards. The Dare Chisel is lightweight and durable. In the hands of a stylist, it’s designed to be an extension of the human form, providing fluid mobility but without the muscle fatigue associated with the long-term use of scissors.

What is the most rewarding aspect of what you do?

Expanding the minds of clients and students alike. Teaching all how to create to achieve the perfect balanced look. Taking away blinkers and watching the smiles.

If you could leave the industry at some point having achieved one goal or legacy, what would that be?

To have turned the tide on mediocrity and awakened the artist within us all through the Paul Dare Master-Class. Truly making the Dare Chisel the 5th element in the hairdresser’s tool bag and to be known as “A Cut Above From The Land Below”.

A Journey of Determination

By Louise May

Tinealle Davis grew up on the Gold Coast in the 80’s in a split family but carefree with her 3 siblings, family and friends with Bon Jovi and Guns N’ Roses blazing. With a keen passion for sport, she played netball from age 6, which bought out her ambition and determination to succeed, dreaming clearly of one day playing for the green and gold!

Tinealle fell in love with doing hair at the very young age of 7, remembering braiding the neighbour’s hair on the front porch steps feeling it was the greatest thing in the world. The Footy Mum’s where her Stepfather played AFL asked her to do their hair regularly and she just loved it! In 1992 (30 years ago) at age 12, she worked casually as a tea and tidy which sparked her dream of becoming a Salon owner one day.

“I remember feeling a little jealous of my friend’s having more freedom on a weekend while I went to work, but I had big dreams and I wanted to succeed,” she says.

She went on to represented QLD and eventually made the Australian U18 Indoor Netball Team, touring New Zealand in 1997.

In her gap year she worked at Chucky Doll’s Hair Studio with a supportive boss and an apprenticeship, loving the people, responsibilities, opportunities, and experiences it created. A few years later she moved to Melbourne and transferred and completed her Cert 3 at Masci Hair.

“I remember Malisa Masci very fondly, her passion and skill, and her communication was like no other. Masci Hair are still inspirational to me. Malisa taught me so much about hair and service and I still use these techniques to this day, especially cutting textured hair, with so much precision in every skill.”

On returning home to the GC a few years later, Tinealle found herself employed by the two “most down to earth, skilled Barbers and brothers,”, Mr. Lino and Joey D’Adderio from Luigi’s and Son’s, learning from the best in the business and after 12 months or so she returned to mainstream Salon life, in Surfers Paradise.

In 2005, Tinealle researched and bought her very first business and named it Salon Sass, hosting education in her Salon with the likes of Lino and Joey to upskill her staff.

Was business ownership always a priority to you?

Yes, I always dreamed of having my own business and was confident it would be a success. I was determined to grow the business and in a short time was able to reach the need for two other Senior Stylists and an Apprentice. I was also raising my baby girl solo and when approached to sell the business, I sold it to pursue education in Interior Design whilst contracting on weekends doing Wedding Hair and Makeup with Industry Bridal Specialist, Jess Mcleod.

I fell in love with my husband, Mitch, who is a country boy from Bundaberg and eventually in 2015, with two kids we moved there to live more simply and build our dream home and start a fresh life together near his family.

I always felt connected to helping people and Mitch is a Physiotherapist, so we often talked about health and the human body, so I applied as a mature student and studied at CQU Uni for one year in 2016 to be a registered nurse, also hairdressing at home whilst our new home that we designed was being built.

In May 2017 our baby boy London, was born critically ill with a rare, genetic, endocrine disease, Hyperinsulinism and this was life changing for us.

He spent over two months in ICU at the Children’s Hospital in Brisbane with us by his bedside having multiple operations and infections. When we finally got home, I was a nervous mess with constant monitoring not to mention a week before his first birthday, when he fell very sick again being misdiagnosed with gastro for 3 days in hospital requiring another emergency plane trip to Brisbane with

We got through that time, but I had no intentions of becoming a nurse anymore, finally confident to concentrate on my business and branding, designing my whole business based around my passion and strengths, wanting to contribute financially to our family doing what I truly love, hair.

So, I created what I didn’t know at the time was to be an amazing service and business in March 2018!

Just when I thought things were getting on track, in January 2019, I had open heart surgery to repair 5 holes in my Atrial Septum wall. I had symptoms my whole life and ‘a’ hole apparently, but no knowledge of the extent of having five holes damaging my heart.

There are no victims here however! Every challenge has been a massive life lesson for us, and we are now reaping the benefits of living a more purposeful and present life, full of gratitude and both working from home in purpose-built studios and clinics serving people and living our best lives together.

We all do what we love. My husband and kids supported me to return to netball after over a decade of not playing and fulfilled my desire to play for Qld again, recently attending the National Indoor Netball Titles in Adelaide, Oct 2022.

As far as the business was concerned, I decided to be strategic seeing as I could only work one day a week to begin with. I wanted to help people with their hair texture and so The Straightening Studio was launched. It wasn’t a mainstream salon; it is a studio, in our home,

We spoke to Tinealle to find out more…

a double bowel obstruction caused from scar tissue from previous surgeries. Thankfully, he recovered from his double bowel resection and has been medically stable since.

What has been the most rewarding aspect of salon ownership?

Helping my clients feel amazing and creating beautiful, custom, healthy hairstyles for them is the most important and rewarding part of salon ownership. Contributing financially to my family from creating a successful business is a direct result from working from a client centred perspective.

What’s the best piece of advice you have ever been given in your career?

Quality over quantity in anything you do has been the best advice given to me and I naturally resonate with this mindset and way of living. When did you first decide to educate and what does it mean to you to share your passion and knowledge on to others?

I had my first A-HA moment about giving education when driving in my car in 2018 and sat on it for about a year whilst growing and building my business.

I have always enjoyed education and learning but truly identified the need to contribute to helping our Industry standards whilst on my own research and development path. I have spent nearly three years connecting with overseas and Australian Industry Specialists and Educators and completed my Cert. IV in Training and Assessing in 2022 to attain the ability to work alongside the AHC platform and educate in future.

I want to help and educate Hair Professionals to build awareness and simplify Texture, To realise the importance of custom Texture services and the value and impact possible for their clients and their business. I am obsessed with healthy hair and can be a little unconventional at times and love to test new and innovative products and tools to help create the healthiest hair possible.

I believe this will change lives and create more fulfillment and freedom for them, like my business has created for me.

I recently read Tim Duggan’s ‘Killer Thinking’ recently and realised that my belief and passion to help is a ‘Killer’ idea because lots of parties are impacted - Kind-Impactful-Loved-LastingEasy-Repeatable

Tell us all about Tinealle Davis Education.

Tinealle Davis Education will be about empowering the industry through education and community connection. I never give up and know in my bones this will inspire and help a lot of people and am committed to creating this.

I plan to provide education and build awareness through creating an online community of likeminded people who want to improve their lives:

*Offering monthly subscription with support through Q+A sessions, technical sessions about skills & blueprint of how I approach service, business and why

*Online Signature Course teaching specific texture skills and services with resources such as videos and instructional manuals that will improve with feedback each time.

*In-Salon training, hands on workshops

*1:1 Coaching

*Podcasting

*Eventually live events and sharing my story to empower others

What changes have you seen over the last 23 years in our industry and what would you like to see moving forward.

I believe our Industry has become more connected through the pandemic with online platforms creating the ability to provide support through online connection and live education.

I see stylists value having a more flexible lifestyle and an increase in home businesses due to this.

I see Salon owners taking staff satisfaction more seriously and adapting to this by changing the way they operate their opening hours.

I see environmental sustainability as a leading and very important Industry consideration.

What’s on the agenda for the future?

Family, living with purpose and empowering others through Education.

I feel passionate about health and continuing to grow, research and use the safest products and tools available and am excited for this space and future possibilities.

I have so much to give and love to help. Life is about living and being, chasing your dreams and surviving the storms doing so.

“

QUALITY OVER QUANTITY IN ANYTHING YOU DO HAS BEEN THE BEST ADVICE GIVEN TO ME!”

TINEALLE DAVIS

Be an Apprentice Builder!

By Anthony Gray, MIG Training

As we all know rates of cancellation for apprentices sit at approximately 50% and cancellation rates for those in the first 12 months are even higher. In line with this data the workforce development research can be a little confronting as well. Employee surveys suggest that 44% of the people you currently employ are actively looking for another position and another 34% while not actively looking would jump at the right opportunity if it were to come along.

With this as a backdrop filling roles and building a team boils down to a combination of three choices:

• To buy

• To Build

• To Rent

While going to the market to “buy” longer term employees or to “rent” short term contracted team members is always an important part of any ongoing workforce development plans for a salon, I don’t need to tell anyone that going to the market in the current environment is borderline impossible. This reality sharpens the focus on the option “to build” and grow your team from within. And as such retention, engagement and development of apprentices is a critical investment and key component of any new year business plans and strategies.

To support this planning process there are a number of insights we can offer from the perspective of a training organisation when it comes to the engagement and development of apprentices. At its core an apprentice who is provided the opportunity to develop skills quickly, who is offered are plenty of professional development opportunities and who feels that their developing skills are contributing to the success of the salon are the ones that stay. If these needs are met the lure of additional financial rewards and greener pastures becomes less appealing and apprentices are more likely to stay committed to you and your business. This investment in developing the skills of the apprentice has a cascading effect and is the fastest way we have seen to build trust between an apprentice and their place of work. This trust means that the workplace quickly becomes a safe place to share, learn, contribute, challenge and above all to make mistakes for an apprentice.

One piece of evidence that we see that supports this assertion is the completion and cancellation rates of the Barber apprentice we train in comparison to the Hairdressing apprentices we work with. The cancellation rate for the Barber apprentices is significantly

lower than the cancellation rate for the Hairdressing apprentices. While there are many nuances and generalisations are fraught, the one thing that Barber apprentices on a whole have to their advantage as opposed to their Hairdressing counterparts is the rapid uptake of skills training. Barber apprentices on the whole progress very quickly and are cutting on the floor and working with clients within months of starting an apprenticeship. This leads to the connection, growth and sense of contribution that are so important to retention. This does not mean that Barber apprentices are perfect students when it comes to their apprenticeship training, quite the contrary, often the formal training and assessment provided by the RTO comes in a distant second to the skills learnt in the Barbershop. But what it does highlight are the advantages that can be gained with a focus on training and skills development in terms of work satisfaction and therefore retention. A hairdressing apprenticeship on the other hand can often be focussed on providing support to a senior stylist. This can have the effect of slowing down skills development and training. The unintended consequence can be an employee who becomes disengaged from the workplace.

Therefore, when planning for the coming year with your apprentices there are a number of ways you can help your apprentice to feel they are moving forward and developing the skills. Creating an in-salon training plan that goes further than just completing Certificate III units is the best first step. Secondly the insalon training identified needs to concentrate

on skill that add value to the salon to ensure there is a feeling of achievement and contribution on the apprentice’s behalf. This could be amazing basin rituals or exceptional styling skills for those in their first year of Hairdressing followed by long and medium length cutting skills as they move through their second year.

This fast-paced skill development also needs to be linked to professional development opportunities outside of the salon environment. Education from product suppliers, independent educators and RTO’S that complement the skills learnt in the salon provide a number of benefits. They serve to hasten progression of the skills learnt insalon. They also allow the apprentice to return to the salon with new or alternate techniques that they are then able to contribute to the workplace. And finally, it provides validation for all the wonderful training you are providing in-salon as the apprentice spreads their wings and gets a broader Industry view.

Therefore, a new year’s plan developed for your apprentice that includes the elements outlined above will provide the opportunity to develop skills quickly and provide tangible professional development opportunities. These factors are key components that lead to a feeling of value and contribution. An apprentice who feels valued and is making a real contribution on daily basis to the success of the business is an apprentice who is more likely to have a strong connection to you and your team.

After surviving the silly season, a new year can bring, new energy and a time for putting new plans and strategies in place. Importantly any strategy and planning, needs to extend to the education and training of your apprentices.

How do we lead our emerging GenZ workforce?

By Keira Maloney, HeadHunter Recruitment

Gen Z, born between 1995 – 2015, are now our emerging workforce, making up a huge portion of the beauty and hairdressing students, trainees, and apprentices right now.

Known as ‘digital natives’, Gen Z have little to no memory of life before smartphones and this has shaped much of their outlook and perspective on things. They are predicted to be the most educated generation in history, and the most racially and ethnically diverse.

So how do we lead them?

In a study that was done to predict the future working habits of Gen Z, it was found that above all else, they will value career growth and fulfilling/meaningful work. There will be a major emphasis on authenticity, equality, and proper business ethics. Work/life balance will be almost non-negotiable to this generation.

If you intend to still be in business in 10 year’s time, it’s definitely wise to start embracing the needs and expectations of the next generation of employees with open arms, especially if you want to welcome the next generation of clients, too!

Here are our tips on how you can keep this generation of people engaged.

1. PAY TRANSPARENCY

In small businesses, much of the time team members negotiate their own wages and wage increases and it’s not in formation. There are also times of desperation where employers are forced to compete for a candidate to accept a position, though offering a higher wage. This all results in differing wages across a business and more often than not –a lack of pay transparency. Having a structured and uniform pay offering in place that is fair across the team will ensure there is complete pay transparency and in turn, equality and fairness across the board.

2. MEANINGFUL WORK

Money is important, but the emerging workforce are looking for more meaning and purpose in what they do. As a business, having a clear structure and understanding around your vision, mission and your ‘why’ will mean that purpose driven people will

be more attracted to and engaged with your business.

3. BRIGHT FUTURES

It’s not enough to ‘see how things go’ with someone’s career anymore. Allowing your employee to have a voice when it comes to the direction of their career and making an effort to mentor and nurture those goals, will ensure that a clear path is able to be set –within your business specifically.

Don’t be surprised if you have employees that have a goal to run their own business one day; this is completely normal. If you can teach them as much as possible, nurture their growth, develop them and help them achieve that goal, there is more likely to be respect and transparency shown to you throughout their transition to running their own business. Check out the HeadHunter blog on work life balance and how you can also make this a priority within your business!

https://old.headhunter.org.au

SKILL SHORTAGES & COLOUR EDUCATION

Why can I employ a colourist that does an amazing balayage but cannot and does not want to do a full head of foils? Why can colourists do a freehand colour flawlessly, but they can’t apply a regrowth tint without overlapping onto the previous colour?

There is so much education out there and in fact 2022 saw the most amount of independent education launched, (which is amazing for our industry) so again, why do we have such a skill shortage?

That’s when I realised…. It’s all the same! All colour education seems to be covering the same thing. Lived in blondes. Now don’t get me wrong I love this, we need this education, I educate this in my own classes and there are some incredible educators out there, but the market is so saturated with it, the other skill set of colouring is being forgotten. Lived in blondes have been the trending colour over the past few years. It’s the colours people want to be doing, so it’s the education people are drawn to and paying the money to go and see.

As someone who invests a lot of time and energy into the belief of you need to learn the fundamentals first to know the rules and techniques to know how to then push boundaries and break them, it really hits home when a colourist applies at my salon and my apprentices have more colour skills then them. I had a new senior last year not be able to do a certain colour because I quote, “I have never been taught that”. HOW… how did their boss let them go through a whole apprenticeship without training them in a basic skill and furthermore how did they get signed off if they can’t do these colours.

I’ll tell you how, it’s because owners want to keep staff happy. It’s becoming a mentality of, I need to keep staff so I will let them do the colours they only want to do, or I need people on the floor I’ll just sign them off and let them do the colours they only can do. It’s because staff only want to be doing these lived in colours, owners are focusing all the time on this one skill. I know people who have left salons to go to others because they only want to do lived in blondes. It’s this trend that’s dropping the skill set of our industry.

Owners are extremely time poor trying to catch up from previous years, so they are having to send staff to education outside of salon hours and their options are lived in blondes or tafe and product companies. They are relying on tafe to teach their staff the fundamental colour skills such as foils. This is a very basic level, and it’s what’s needed to get them signed off, and for some that’s enough. Get them signed off so they can be on the floor. Some have the mindset of its ok if the foils bleed or aren’t close to the root because I’m going to cover it with a root stretch, regrowth applications are seen as, oh anyone can apply a regrowth colour you just slap it on, and the skill of creative colour placement and application is being completely overlooked.

I’m all for specialists, I am a colour specialist for 15 years, I am a blonde specialist, but that means every type of blonde, and yes FOILS! But I’m also a creative specialist, a colour correction specialist, in fact you put any colour in front of me and I’ll be able to do it, and so will all my staff. WHY…. Because my trainers believed in variety. They invested time in me, I invested time in myself, and I

wasn’t content in being placed in a very small skillset box.

For any colourist reading this that is only confident in one style of colour, or any owner that is only supplying one style of education, let me ask you this.

“What happens if you leave that one salon”?

“What happens if your staff leave staff leave and they go to another salon that requires them to have a broad skill set”?

“What happens if lived in isn’t such a huge thing in the future”?

“How

employable are you”?

I completely support specialties and appreciate you can’t be good at everything and there’s a salon for everyone, I’m not expecting everyone to be at the level of Australia’s best colourists, but if we don’t change the way we view colour as a whole and educate colour, we are going to become an industry of very skilled one hit wonders. Lived in blondes.

I’m so passionate about raising our skill set for the longevity of our industry and I respect this topic can get very heated (it’s probably a great topic for a podcast) because I have been having these conversations among the industry for a good while now and brain storming ideas for 2023. So, to help me out I’ve called upon 2 owners and creatives who have a passion and purpose to elevate our industry.

It’s about time we sat down and had an honest conversation about skill shortages and colour education. Any salon owner will tell you for years now we’ve been struggling with staff shortages, but what I really struggle with is why there is such a skill shortage amongst the hairdressers we do have!

Brodie Lee Tsknaris. Owner of Rokstar one of Australia’s most successful salons, educator, brand ambassador, winner of more awards than you can name but most importantly one of the biggest supporters of education and supporting growth of her salon team I have ever known.

Sandy Chong. Owner of Suki, AHC CEO and let’s be honest, the most important, influential, and supportive person in our industry.

I asked them the following two questions.

In ordered to elevate the colour skill set in our industry, as an owner, and one of the industries most respected what do you want to see more of when it comes to colour education in 2023.

Sandy: The focus of the AHC Industry Day this June was on what does the best learning experience look like for an Apprentice. The attendees were salon owners, product supplier educators, teachers and RTOs and independent educators. Apprentices joined the conversation via prerecorded video stating what training is important to them.

The outcome of the day was the need to collaborate and recognise all stakeholder’s contribution to training.

Now training and education is fragmented. Most salon owners train when there is time versus scheduling weekly. Lack of communication between a salon owner, apprentice and college means skills are missed. And then we rely on the colour companies to also train our apprentices.

Brodie: To elevate our industry skills that I believe strong foundation education for all essential colour is vital, I personally would love to see the art of foiling and not over lapping come back, seamless hairlines and no breakage I think is something that is getting skipped a bit too often in our education portfolio.

Do you have any advice for salon owners when it comes to what part they can play in making sure their staff have a strong all rounded skill set right from the start of their apprenticeship.

Sandy: Collaborating together with all stakeholders ensures quality training and better skills. A planned training schedule that captures core skills but covers all skills and experience needed for a salon’s clientele and brand.

Our industry is so diverse and has so many layers to it. Let’s make sure we exposure our hairdressers to as many skills as possible from the very start of their apprenticeship. Let’s make our apprentices appreciate the skill of foiling and not allow them to become reliant on a root stretch to cover a bad foil job. Let’s help our hairdressers harness their talent and eye for creative colour, let’s make hairdressers appreciate it’s not just a matter of slapping on a regrowth colour and in fact a regrowth colour client in every 4 weeks is just as valuable as a lived-in blonde in every 12 weeks. If we do all this and collaborate with staff, independents, tafe and product companies we will have a strong colour skill set again among our industry.

Brodie: Start at the beginning right from basics colour fundamentals the how the why and the most important. I feel that what happens when balayage goes away and blondes come back to bright and to the root? Empower our younger hairdressers so they know the basics to break the rules and the why behind everything.

Be sure to look out for more on this topic and a variety of education and collaboration in 2023.

NEW OPPORTUNITY AND FUNDING FOR BARBERS AND HAIRDRESSERS

A lucrative opportunity for individuals who are interested in the hairdressing industry is here! Thanks to the Box Hill Institute and Jobs Victoria partnership, students will be supported through a Certificate III in either Barbering (SHB30516) or Certificate III in Hairdressing (SHB30416). Box Hill Institutes ‘immersive training’ program will help students earn while they learn, with masterclasses offered from the likes of Charlene Fernandez, Area Academy and Dee Parker Attwood.

In the most recent masterclass, Dee Parker Attwood hosted a demonstration of 4 of the latest hair looks straight from Brisbane’s fashion week runway. 37 students then attempted to recreate 1 of the 4 looks each. Both Dee Parker Attwood and Charlene Fernandez chose 8 students to participate in the October Box Hill Institute Showcase Event where Melbourne’s best of the best salon owners, stylists, apprentices, and various industry stakeholders came together to celebrate the achievements of this fantastic program and partnership.

This program is of no cost to either student or salon owner. Moreover, student’s course fees are covered, additional resources including a hairdressing kit, uniforms and Pivot Point Educational materials are provided. Each apprentice will obtain around $15,000 value in funding. This partnership will also give students full wrap around support by being connected with a respected mentor to help them get jobready and placed within the industry.

The program will finish in June 2023.

Hairdressing and Barbering employers who are keen to be part of the program should visit www.boxhill.edu.au/course-areas/hair or call Vittorio Piccolotto on 0417 038 230.

Brodie Lee Tsknaris

Sandy Chong

How to Attract Dream Hair Colour Clients with Social Media: THE EASY WAY!

By Kristina Russell

Are you or your salon team in need of some major inspiration? Do you wanna have those engaging conversations with your clients to inspire them with a new look that is in trend right now? Look no further. This is the colour trend forecasting article for you!

Discover the hottest hair colour trends for 2023 in hairdresser lingo and client descriptions to help you attract new dream colour clients with your messaging on social media, and to inspire your current clients with new ideas for blondes, brunettes, redheads, and creative tones.

Not sure if trending face-framing or moneypiece hair suits a style with bangs? Think again!!

Customisation is what clients are looking for in their hair colour services. They want to know what’s hot and what’s not and what suits them within these trends.

Would you agree it can be hard to suggest hair colours in the salon without a photo reference? I totally agree and suggest always using photos to ensure you have a shared vision with your clients.

Copper hair colour is still one of the most popular colours that clients are requesting. I recently shared a 3-part podcast series about how to transform your blonde, balayage and baby lights client to copper and back again. Let’s face it! Sometimes clients want to mix things up with their colour and then request to return to their former colour. Make sure you check out the Colour Kristina Talks Podcast available on iTunes, Spotify, Google and all your favourite apps with new episodes shared weekly!

I’ll be sharing with you, not just colours that you can be suggesting to your clients, but also specific tones in this article for Hair Bis magazine to help you navigate trends suitable for your clientele.

I recently teamed up with the crew at CrozNest creative agency in the UK led by stylist Jason Crozier for their brand new curated social media content pack – so I have been busily researching and

forecasting trends with it all figured out so you don’t have to!

Carry on reading to see an in-depth forecast of the latest AW22 seasonal tone trends so you can stay one step ahead and educate your clients with forecasting for 2023’s hottest hair colour trends to try!

We all want the ideal client that lets us do whatever we want, but as a creative hairdresser that can be running a very busy day it can sometimes be nerve-wracking if we don’t know what is in fashion or what to suggest, so let me help you with that.

2023

BLONDE TRENDING TONES:

● Billie Blonde inspired by Billie Eilish

● Raw Bright Blonde and creamy blondes will be strong for scalp bleaching and classic foil highlight clients

● Sun bright is the colour de jour! It is a pale gold that is buttery and “onpurpose gold” for light to medium blondes sick of dull drab ash blonde that are seeking a glossy & luxurious haircolour

● Champagne toners for bubby blondes seeking elegant shine

● Wheat tones that appear natural

● Creamy Vanilla

2023

BRUNETTE TRENDING TONES:

● Rich glossy delicious tones inspired by indulgent chocolate, red wine, and coffee tones that are moving away from high contrast ombre and balayage

● Light Chocolate with mauve (cool iridescent mauve-gold) Brunettes for Balayage clients or sunkissed light brunettes seeking a high-gloss colour

● Chocolate Brown - lush, shiny, throws a hint of violet

● Coffee Bean Brown - dark and lush with no red

● Cherry Mahogany - warm cool red tones suitable for darker brunettes

2023 RED & COPPER HAIR COLOUR TRENDS:

● Reds will be solid with dimensionthings are getting spicy in this category and deliciously warm!

● Classic Copper with Sunkissed gold pieces around the face frame

● Cinnamon Copper - chestnut melts with classic orange copper

● Pumpkin Spice - it’s a light and bright twist on a classic

● Warm Medium Earthy Reds, including bright and muted Auburn

● Earthy Magenta

● Titian Blonde - Golden Copper Blonde can be worn in light or dark variations

● Honey Copper

● Watermelon Copper

● Just Peachy

2023 CREATIVE HAIR COLOUR

INSPIRATION:

● Cool Pinkish Peach (a progression from the recent trend of yellow-based Peach or citrus-toned pastel/vivids)

● Pink Champagne

● Coral Pink

● Lavender

● Creamy Blonde Pastel

● Curly Hair with block colouring panels in tricolours for enhancing intentional tizz

● Hi-contrast colours with lighter or brighter bands/zones like moonbeams (think rainbow unicorn hair techniques pastelised into pearly moon beam tones)

SOCIAL MEDIA CAN BE EASY AND SHOULD BE AUTHENTIC

Would you love help in promoting your hair colour services to attract dream clients on social media? The easiest way to do this is to inject curated posts into your original content.

In the visual industry, your salon or personal hair brand’s messaging is now more important than ever. CrozNest UK Creative Agency is the perfect partner to nurture your social media and digital marketing.

Whether you need curated content for your social media, or complete digital marketing services to see your brand take flight, CrozNest can ensure your brand’s exposure and client growth. Their content packs for hairdressers and salon owners are phenomenal and super easy to use!

They provide you with the right support to decipher key trends, create brand strategies, and build amazing client experiences. The captions provided in their content packs help you speak to your existing clients and attract new ones. It can literally be that easy to use social media to attract dream colour clients.

I‘ve teamed up with the talented team at Croznest Creative Agency to bring you a formidable social media pack! We’re all about making Hairdressers’ and Salon Owners’ lives easier! We have created a collection of 25 digital media assets formatted 9:16 suitable for all vertical video social media platforms. All videos are expertly curated to promote colour services through digital marketing for Salon Owners and Hairdressers.

The link is in my Instagram @colourkristina bio.

Life just gets busier and busier and running a salon and a client column is full-time job. So how do you keep up with the commitment required for effective digital marketing?

CrozNest Curated Content collections can help you boost your digital presence, each pack contains trend-driven visual assets and moving images formatted for vertical social platforms such as Reels & Tik Tok.

This is a game-changer for hairdressers and salon owners seeking fresh content to slay their socials!

All the important links mentioned above can be found on my Instagram @ colourkristina bio and the podcast blog, plus my education offerings are all on my website www.kristinarussell.com.au

Sun Bright Blonde

Magenta Ombre

Coral

Raw Bright Blonde

Curly Copper

Viva Magenta

Menopause and the Mind.

By Tina Winchester

Menopause has long been a topic that women lie about. Post-menopausal female family members tell us that it’s something that you just have to go through, discreetly, and that we must simply get on with it. We’re told that the stages of menopause are a natural part of life. Older female friends and family members, when recounting their own experiences, say things like “it’s not that bad! It’s just a few hot flushes”. This simply isn’t true!

Let’s start with peri-menopause. This is the transition women go through before they are officially considered “in menopause”. Perimenopause symptoms can surface up to five years before any physical symptoms of menopause. The myth is that menopause begins when periods begin to change, or stop. Psychological symptoms during perimenopause are most often the first to emerge, and can be debilitating.

When women experience anxiety, depression, memory loss, brain fog, panic attacks, hot flushes, insomnia – these are neurological symptoms. They start in the brain. Perimenopause and menopause is a restructuring of the brain, much like a renovation. The brain is telling sufferers “I’m under stress”. Brain energy levels can actually drop by up to 25% during this transition.

Dramatic changes in your hormones during menopause can impact your mental health as well as your physical health. You may experience feelings of anxiety, stress or even depression.

Peri-menopausal and menopausal symptoms may include, but aren’t limited to:

- Anger and irritability.

- Anxiety.

- Forgetfulness.

- Loss of self-esteem.

- Lowered confidence.

- Low mood, and/ or feelings of sadness or depression.

- Poor concentration – often described as ‘brain fog’ and/or “lost words”.

Many women experiencing perimenopause or menopause will also experience insomnia, or problems with sleeping. Lack of sleep and fatigue can also make symptoms, including irritability, ability to concentrate or anxiety, much worse. In fact, it’s often these sleep changes that are the first symptoms of the menopause cycle a woman might experience.

A symptom that is rarely, if ever talked about is that women may also experience intrusive and negative thoughts, and for some sufferers, even suicidal thoughts, or suicide itself.

Building on your knowledge of even the basics of how the brain and the process of menopause are so heavily interlinked goes a long way towards seeking treatment, and simply understanding what’s happening.

Estrogen production is central to reproduction, but did you know that the hormone is central to the brain’s operation too? Brain function is heavily governed by reproductive hormones such as estrogen, so a dramatic decline in estrogen levels during peri-menopause through to post-menopause will, of course, affect mood and cognitive ability.

Hormone levels are often at their lowest around 3am, and as peri-menopausal and menopausal women are already combatting a dramatic drop in hormones, they may experience intrusive, paranoid, or even suicidal thoughts in these early morning hours, but improved mood in the afternoon when hormones are at their highest. This variation goes through cycles throughout the day and night, and certainly throughout the month.

If you are going through these changes, the first thing to do is to start listening to your body.

If you’re over 40 years old and you start to feel not quite yourself or experience anxieties that aren’t normal for you, start monitoring this. Women have cited anxiety symptoms that are often unique to them, such as not wanting to drive at night, feeling overwhelming worry, experiencing paranoid thinking, or even simply feeling a bit “down”.

Monitor when these symptoms occur, on which days of the month and if your periods or menstrual cycle are changing at all. Go online and research symptoms of menopause, as they can be very wide ranging. Heart palpitations, aching joints, burning mouth, itchiness, electric shock sensations and other physical symptoms you wouldn’t necessarily attribute to peri-menopause are often a direct result of the process. Physical

symptoms, such as changes to periods, may also not occur for some years after the onset of psychological symptoms.

Consult with a doctor and don’t allow yourself to be dismissed with the old adage that “this is a natural stage of life women go through”. There is nothing natural about suffering. If symptoms persist and begin to affect your life, medical intervention may be required.

Menopause has an unfortunate social stigma associated with it that was and is contributing to irreparable damage to many women’s lives. This sadly increases the risk of mental health decline and even suicide. Menopause isn’t just about “suddenly feeling hot” or “the odd mood swing” - it’s so much more than those often-superficial societal understandings. Peri-menopause and menopause is a health issue that affects everyone – whether you’re a woman over the age of 40, a husband, a son or a co-worker of a woman undergoing these biological changes.

Mentally Well Workplaces is proud to be launching our new “Menopause and the Mind” campaign, and subsequent new training offerings to end the stigma around menopause in the workplace, and to support women going through this natural process. Make sure to sign up to our newsletter and follow us on social media to stay up-to-date.

Tina Winchester Mental Health Director - Mentally Well Workplaces Principal Master MHFA Instructor www.mentallywellworkplaces.com.au

Open Minded Magic. Finding Your Groove in Heading into 2023.

By Angeli Marie Shaw

Here we are again. Another year coming to an end, bringing in another new year. Most use this time for reflection, a way to ponder what was, what has happened and even what we could’ve done differently, but here’s your reminder…. You did FANTASTIC! No matter where you’re at in this very moment, you made it here because of YOU. Your decisions, responses, actions are what has led you to this very moment. You may have expanded your business, or even downsized, completely restructured or for some, finished up your salon journey. Regardless, no one knows your journey like you, so if you find you’re being hard on yourself or taking outside critique to heart, stop it, and focus on the things that you have achieved, great and small.

’Now I know, what I’m saying is easier said than done, but it CAN be done! I know, I’ve done it, and you can too!

So how can we create ‘open minded magic’ heading into the new year? Here are my tips….

1. Live like a child – as you go about your life in the lead up to and into the new year, try to imagine everything you hear, see and feel is happening for the first time. Sometimes we tend to switch off because we think we know a situation, or because of past experience we feel we already know what’s going to happen. Having this way of thinking can makes things feel and appear boring and mundane, even stressful, so I suggest keeping this phrase in mind, ‘not always so’ to remind yourself that each situation is unique!

2. Drop the ego – it’s a common trait to need to be right in certain situations or justify why things are or have turned out the way they have. If you find yourself making excuses for the year gone, it might be time to ponder whats behind this inclination. Is it because you feel that you aren’t where you wanted to be? Perhaps your set goals went out the window or your business plan took a sharp turn? What if I asked you to put those aside and focus on what you have done? What you have achieved? I mean honestly, if the last few years have taught us something it’s that we really are resilient beings and can overcome some huge hurdles! So no matter how your year panned out, celebrate you and what you’ve achieved!

3. Ask questions – It can be a natural impulse to give immediate answers. It could be regarding a work issue, or perhaps a friend that’s needing advice, but try holding back that impulse to answer immediately. As leaders you may feel that it’s your job

to provide the answers straight away, but first, ask questions and gather more details. Practice listening and observing and try to watch and hear with curiosity. Doing so will help you grow, provide a more rounded picture of the situation and make the person you are dealing with feel more heard. It may even lead to more effective dilemma/problem solving. This not only applies to seeking answers from within yourself but also when replying to others

4. Practice empathy – Practicing empathy helps us regulate our emotions, connect with others and feel less isolated. It allows us to think of others and look for ways to help. Imagine if all of us thought like this! Building connections is hugely important for our wellbeing and is the very basis of human relationships. We feel valued, loved and cared for and recently, this was especially needed during times of rapid change, like the recent pandemic. But did you know empathy can also serve as an organisational superpower? Empathy is linked with effective team collaboration, increased morale and more inclusive attitudes at work; industry wide if you look at the bigger picture. It’s a skill that can be cultivated and developed and allows us to relate to each other across three dimensions – cognitive, emotional and behavioural. It’s never too late to practice empathy, so start now!

5. Operate from a clean slate – This doesn’t mean that everything that happened in the last year is going to disappear but treat the new year like a bit of a reboot. Reboot your thoughts, your actions, your business plan and personal goals. You now have an opportunity to turn previous wrongs into rights, do things that you wish you had of

done, take the things you have learnt and apply them and move forward in your attempt to build a happy life for yourself!

When we fall into cramped mental spaces of frustration and dissatisfaction, it’s easier to become depressed, go into denial, or become disconnected from the amazing world around us. The true nature of our minds is still there, even in the background, vast, spacious and totally open to possibility. Imagine putting space around your thoughts, allow your mind to breathe and allow this to help you see things from a wider angle, beyond any limiting thoughts, opinions and beliefs. Make your happiness a priority this coming year. Be welcoming of new experiences, stay curious, ask questions and allow yourself to evolve.

“In the beginners mind there are many possibilities; in the experts mind there are few” – Shunryu Suzuki

Wishing you all the best as you see out your 2022. Enter the new year with an open mind and open heart. Hold space for others just as you would like space held for you. Teach, don’t preach and always consider yourself a student so you remain open to learning and growing. And remember to always BE KIND! Every action, every word, can make the biggest difference to someone’s day. Make sure your impact is positive!

Love & Bliss, Angeli xxoo

Angeli is a Holistic Empowerment Coach, Mindset Mentor and founder of The Bliss Coach. To get me to work with you and your team in 2023, get in touch by visiting www. theblisscoach.com.au or follow us on our socials @theblisscoach to find out more.

IMPORTS

PLANT POWERED COLOUR CARE

100% vegan haircare for colour protection. Bokka BOTANIKA harnesses the world’s highest quality botanicals to extend the longevity and vibrancy of all colour treated hair. Mindfully created, clean beauty.

UNPARALLELED POWER

The most powerful clipper and trimmer ever made. Silver Bullet HeadLiner Clipper and Trimmer are powered by a super high torque 11,000 RPM motor for unbeatable performance. Cord/cordless, lightweight and ergonomic.

ABSOLUTE STYLE

More reasons to love Australian-owned 12Reasons. 12Reasons Absolute Styling is a collection of amazingly affordable, professional styling products, including dry shampoo, texturiser, amplifier and more.

LOOK GOOD, DO GOOD

A better world with Zenz. It’s time to create a more sustainable beauty industry. Made in Denmark from nature’s finest ingredients, Zenz is premium, eco-friendly, organic hair care.

INSTANT COLOUR WITH IMPACT

Colour this fast and easy? It can only be Keracolor Colour + Clenditioner. Instant, temporary colour which you can paint on. Intermixable range for endless colour combinations. 100% vegan.

GO BIG WITH KERATIN

Amp hair up to the max with Keratin Complex. New Keratin Volume Amplifying Shampoo and Conditioner are ultralightweight to boost body and fullness with the strengthening power of keratin.

SCIENCE MEETS LUXURY

Created in Denmark. Built on experience. Made for professionals. This is the world of HH Simonsen haircare, brushes and electricals. A luxurious combination of the best performance, science and technology.

PERFORMANCE GOES

PLATINUM

Perfection in platinum. The Silver Bullet Platinum collection is an unbelievable blend of superlative performance, advanced technology and sublime style. Includes curling iron, hot air brushes, straightener and hair dryer.

BODACIOUS, BOUNCY CURLS

New look, new products. DesignME BounceME Curl Collection gets a makeover. Curl Balm: new scent, same amazing performance. Introducing new Curl Spray Gel, Shampoo and Conditioner for bodacious, bouncy curls.

FOIL WITH FLAIR

No-fuss foil with style! Brand new, limited edition Robert de Soto iFoil. Embossed, pop-up foil featuring four stylish prints, including Flower, Butterfly, Bunny and Kiss Me. Fast, easy, 100% recyclable.

MASTERFUL ALCHEMY FOR HAIR

The most powerful combination of nature and technology meet in Theorie haircare. Head-turning fragrances blend with highend formulations, creating benefit-forward, personalised botanical beauty. Beloved by beauty editors and celebrity stylists.

AFTER SWIMMING TLC

Malibu C Swim Spritz Crystals is the after swimming must-have. Freshly activated Vitamin C instantly neutralises Chlorine and by-products from skin and hair, eliminating harmful effects. 100% vegan.

CASCADE INTO COMFORT

Classic design meets incredible comfort, balance and lightness. Brand new Brushworx Cascade brush collection is a sleek, professional styling range featuring texturised, rubberised handles

COLOURFUL WORLD OF CREDO

Pedicures and manicures with colour. Since 1924, Credo has been crafting professional quality tweezers, nail files, foot files and nail clippers. Made in Germany, bright colours are a Credo signature.

HAIR SHOP

#SAVED SHAMPOO, CONDITIONER AND MASK BY INNOLUXE’S

The bond-builder brands first range of home care products that are designed for all hair colours. The #SAVED range protects and enhances your colour, PLUS it means that anyone, anywhere can now relish in the much-raved-about INNOluxe shine and luxurious softness from the comfort of their own home!

All three products Protect, enhance and save colour from fading. Pack a punch with nourishing ingredients such as amino acids and glycerin, which turbocharge the hair’s condition and give any look a boost by adding that unmistakable healthy shine and sumptuous softness.

www.smithscollectivebrands.com.au

BC BONACURE RANGE BY SCHWARZKOPF

The iconic BC Bonacure range has been updated, featuring refreshed 100% vegan and clean formulas enriched with advanced technology and skincare actives, along with more sustainable packaging, ticking every box when it comes to professional hair care.

Bonacure Clean Performance has seven colour-coded ranges, each with high-performing skincare-inspired ingredients designed for your specific hair needs.

• Repair Rescue – For damaged and distressed hair

• Colour Freeze – For coloured and highlighted hair

• Moisture Kick – For normal to dry, wavy or curly hair

• Volume Boost – For fine hair

• Time Restore – For mature and fragile hair

• Clean Balance – For all hair types

• Frizz Away – For coarse, unruly, and frizzy hair www.schwarzkopf-professional.com/au/en.html

POPPY, A CURVACEOUS ACCENT SALON CHAIR AVAILABLE BY COMFORTEL

Fall in love with Poppy with its scalloped, rounded shape. A curved, cocoon style hairdressing salon chair for a sophisticated look, while a decorative touch is created by the Classic scallop shell back seat design to enlighten your salon interior. Customise the look of your salon chair by choosing one of Comfortel’s various Base & Lift options in a wide range of colours and sizes www.comfortel.com.au

PURIFY EXFOLIATING SCALP SCRUB BY NATURAL LOOK

Natural Look Australia’s Purify Exfoliating Scalp Scrub is a pre-shampoo scalp treatment formulated to purify and detoxify the scalp, combating product build-up, flaky scalp, dirt, oil, dryness and itching, leaving the scalp, renewed and revived.

Blended with Natural Micro Granules, Cooling Peppermint and Nourishing Jojoba Oils to exfoliate, cleanse and soothe the scalp, promoting healthy hair growth. Purify Exfoliating Scalp Scrub primes the hair and scalp for all Purify Treatments, Anti-Hair Loss, Anti-Dandruff or Clarifying.

Purify Exfoliating Scalp Scrub is the latest addition to the Purify family, a targeted hair and scalp therapy range created to treat and prevent dandruff, hair-loss and eliminate excess sebum.

Formulated using an exclusive blend of, Active Botanical Extracts, to gently cleanse and restore the natural pH balance of the scalp and increase the overall health of the hair.

Purify products are made with the finest natural, organic plant-based ingredients, including pro-vitamins, quality herbal extracts and essential oils and does not include Parabens or ingredients that may harm or deplete the planet’s natural environment.

All Purify products are tried, tested and developed by a team of hairdressers and our Cosmetic Research & Development Chemist, not only are these products a sheer pleasure to use, but they’re sure to give results that delight. www.naturallook.com.au

COLORDESIGN BY JOIKEN

What’s colours are HOT this summer! Dirty Blonde. Call it the blend of a Dark Blonde, Honey Blonde and a hint of Brunette. It’s the in-between of a blondish shade not quite as light as a platinum, or as warm as honey blonde or quite as dark as a brunette, but has all the element’s of all those things to create your perfect Dirty Blonde.

Dirty Blonde Colordesign COLOUR COMBINATIONS:

Ash Natural Dark Blonde: 6.01

Light Ash Natural Blonde: 9.01

Bronde. Is it Blonde, Is it Brunette... It is merging the two tones together to blend the perfect Bronde! This versatile hair colour is low maintenance and ideal all year round. Bronde is the most universal shade, for brunettes who want to go slightly lighter, blondes who want to look less bright, and first-timers who are a little uncertain about jumping in the deep end. Bronde Colordesign COLOUR COMBINATIONS:

Natural Light Brown: 5 Ash Natural Dark Blonde: 6.01 Light Ash Pearl Blonde: 8.12 www.joiken.com.au

JOEY, FOR THE LOVERS OF ALL THINGS BLACK BY COMFORTEL

Designed to be minimal with clean lines and a slimline silhouette, the Joey salon chair shows us keeping it simple, works. Kept simple with a structural matte black frame with padded armrests, the detail diamond stitch provides the interest. This salon chair will be a favourite amongst the minimalists. Customise the look of your salon chair by choosing one of Comfortel’s various Base & Lift options in a wide range of colours and sizes www.comfortel.com.au

GLOSILK

Beautiful, healthy and radiant skin and hair starts with your silk pillowcase. High quality silk pillowcases will be the best investment for your hair and skin you will ever make. We use only the BEST quality 100% Mulberry Silk that is 22 momme 6A grade silk thread, and has been infused with Hyaluronic Acid.

- Pillowcases in both standard size and Oxford with the trim. Comes in white and dusk pink.

- Scrunchies that comes in 1cm and 2cm, in Dusk Pink

- Eye Masks. Get the best kind of beauty sleep with our gorgeous 100% mulberry silk sleep eye mask. We made our sleep eye mask bigger to give better coverage! With a wider strap than any other for extra comfort and security. www.glosilk.com.au

ANGEL BY JOIKEN

Re-create the hottest hair trend this summer with Angel En Provence. Whether you hang by the beach or you simply want a hairstyle that looks like you have, beach waves are everyone’s fav.

To achieve a natural effortless tousled beach hair-do aim for imperfection…volume, texture, dimension & definition.

ANGEL Beach Wave Product Styling Tips:

Firstly, towel dry and scrunch through the Angel Grapefruit Styling mousse from mid-lengths to ends

Next spray in the Angel Body Making Spray to the root area for the ultimate root lift.

Before using your hot styling tool apply Angel Verbena Setting gel for heat protection and shine.

To hold and lock in the style without weighing the hair down simply spray Angel’s Iris Styling Medium hold hairspray

ANGEL Beach Wave product combination

Angel En Provence Grapefruit Styling Mousse 200ml

Angel En Provence Lavender Body Maker Spray 200ml

Angel En Provence Verbena Setting Gel 200ml or 400ml

Angel En Provence Iris Styling Hairspray 200ml www.joiken.com.au

2023 Reset - How to Maintain Strong Interpersonal Relationships

By Dario Cotroneo

People need people! Human connections are often what makes our life so damn special. Interpersonal relationships are the strong connections we feel towards others. It can be with your partner, loved ones, close friends, acquaintances, coworkers, clients/guests, and many others who make up the social connections in your life.

As hairdressers part of being successful relies on our relationships we form with coworkers and our clients/guests. Here are 8 top tips to maintaining strong interpersonal relationships.

1. BE OPEN

All strong relationships need to have the willingness to be open. This means the ability and desire to share what you’re thinking. When you are open and willing to share, it shows the other person that you care about the relationship; that you are wanting to create a close connection by being truthful and receptive to the other person’s thoughts and feelings. This creates a strong bond.

2. SHOW EMPATHY

Here’s a saying you may have heard before: “People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. People will never forget how you made them feel.”

Powerful words! One of the deepest human desires is to feel understood. When you show empathy towards someone else, you are showing that you care enough to understand how they feel, and that goes a long way in maintaining strong relationships.

3. BE RESPECTFUL

It goes without saying that in order to help build and maintain strong relationships, you need to be respectful — respectful of the other person’s time, opinion, feelings, and so on. This is vitally important in one-onone relationships.

The same really holds true in close relationships that involve a group type dynamic. If you work within a team, things will go so much better and the friendships will develop stronger, if you are respectful to others in the group. One of the biggest reasons, besides being the right thing to do, is you want others to be respectful of your time and opinions also. It helps develop a sense of bonding and trust.

4. BE AVAILABLE

Giving your time is like giving a gift. Time is the one thing we all have the same amount of — same 24 hours in a day, same amount of days in a week, etc. How you choose to spend that time says a lot about you. Being available to someone shows that you value them enough to spend your time with them.

Giving of your time shows the other person that you care enough about them and the relationship to share your most valuable commodity. Being available to someone will do wonders for maintaining strong personal relationships.

5. ESTABLISH BOUNDARIES

Boundaries are critical for healthy relationships. A boundary is a belief, or way of life. It involves your beliefs, values, and limits. It’s important to be clear to other people in your life, especially the strong interpersonal relationships, about what your boundaries are. It helps to create selfesteem and respect in the relationship. It’s basically showing others what you stand for and what you will and won’t allow in your life. A quick example for context that is probably helpful here: Make it clear to each client/guest in the consultation, how long it will take and how much it will cost prior to starting. This is essential that each of your salon clients/ guests know exactly what it will take to execute the agreed look. This is a healthy, well-established boundary.

6. BE A GOOD LISTENER

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Something most people tend to forget is that listening is half of all communication. When we get good at listening, it becomes more than half of our communication, because being a good listener will do wonders for your strong relationships.

Showing that you are actively listening will help boost the other persons self-esteem because it shows that you truly care what they are saying. This makes them feel important and shows that you seek to understand how they are feeling. It’s like the silent form of flattery to the person you are interacting with. It makes them feel supported and most importantly, valued.

7. OKAY TO DISAGREE

It is beneficial to strong interpersonal relationships to know that it’s okay to disagree. We are all different and have different feelings and opinions. Strong relationships actually thrive on some disagreement and conflict. The alternative is not speaking up when you disagree with something and suffer internally.

We all know what happens if you stuff your feelings and opinions inside for a long timeResentment will eventually explode in a way that’s not good for anyone.

I believe I have a strong relationship with both of my teenage daughters. We tend to disagree and argue a fair amount, which is fine. I always let them know that whilst I don’t always like what they are saying or doing, I love them and am there for them 100%. They are free to say the same back to me. Having the ability to disagree with the other person fosters a much more open relationship where everyone feels comfortable sharing how they think and feel.

8. BE APPRECIATIVE

This one makes a lot of sense. Showing you are appreciative of another person in a good relationship only makes the relationship stronger. We all like to feel appreciated and understood. When someone thanks you for something you did or said, it makes you feel good. You feel good because it’s nice to know that your efforts not only make someone feel better or supported, but also that they noticed.

Final Thought

Never forget how important strong and close relationships are, to lead a happy and fulfilling life.

Dario

Cotroneo is the Founder and Educator DCI Education www.dcieducation.com

Are you Sustainable? It’s Time to Start Shouting it from the Rooftops!

By Paul Frasca

If there’s anything I’ve learnt in the years since I co-founded Sustainable Salons, it’s that companies that embed sustainability in their business practices win big. This is because today’s consumer understands the value of sustainability, and their values inform their behaviour.

You might still associate reducing, reusing, and recycling with the daggy, rinsed-out Ziplock bags of your childhood, but it’s having a renaissance in the most significant way possible.

Thankfully, sustainability’s glow-up means it’s no longer incompatible with the hustle and bustle of a hair salon.

As part of its glow-up, sustainability has gained in popularity, and, in my opinion, it should be the number one thing you advertise to your customers. In the same way your marketing focuses on the big results you get your clients when it comes to their hair journey, you should also focus on the big results your sustainability initiatives have for the planet.

And if you’re not engaged in any sustainability initiatives? Well, it’s time to get on board.

Your clients have changed. Maybe you’ve noticed it, or perhaps it’s slipped under your radar, but your clients are picking up on what you’re saying about yourself, and your salon’s business practices.

An excellent place to start is with your website and social media. Given that this is where new clients will come to find out more about your services and to get in touch with you, it’s the perfect place to start telling the story of your salon and using your ecocredentials to stand out from the crowd.

If you’re already a Sustainable Salon, your salon is already listed in Australia’s biggest directory for hair and beauty salons. But even if a customer has found you through that database, they want to see you walking

the walk when they come in.

And if you’re not already a Sustainable Salon? Well, what are you waiting for? You can do good for your local community, for our shared planet AND your bottom line. More customers will find you, they’ll appreciate that you’re about more than gorgeous highlights, and they’ll come back again and again (and again).

Even if you’re not ready to become a Sustainable Salon, I’m sure you’re doing something good for the planet and your community. Whether it’s phasing out plastic or recycling, these are all things your community and your clients want to know.

In the 1980s, the United Nations defined sustainability as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It’s not just about environmentalism but also social and economic needs.

That’s why at Sustainable Salons, we’re not just keen to get people recycling. We partner with hair, beauty, barber, pet, and dermal industry professionals to offer free services to people experiencing job loss and homelessness. We employ people of all abilities or those who are otherwise underserved by traditional employment structures.

Think about what you already do and what changes you can make to boost your credibility in the sustainability space:

Do you get your electricity from a renewable provider?

Do you support a local charity?

Do your staff participate in an annual fun run for a good cause?

Do you stock eco-friendly haircare brands?

Do you partner with charities to provide free consultations, advice or treatments for people going through cancer treatment?

This list is far from comprehensive, but if you stop and think, I’m sure you’re engaged

Sustainability is no longer the domain of the ultra-crunchy; everyone is getting into it, from family-owned grocery stores to multinational companies.

The hair industry is becoming more and more aware of the impact they are having on the planet. They are realising that the products and equipment they use are impacting the environment in a negative way, however, they are also realising that they can be a part of the solution. So, you can keep cutting, keep foiling and keep creating, while also keeping these materials in circulation and out of landfill.

Clients aren’t interested in slogans and greenwashing; they want to know precisely what the businesses they support are doing.

Your clients understand that every single one of their actions has an environmental consequence, right down to the salon they choose. Effectively communicating your dedication to keeping the planet habitable will put your clients’ minds at ease. They’ll know you’re the ones they can trust, and you know they’ll come back next time they’re in need of a cut.

You don’t have to start washing out your used Ziplock bags, but you do have to start talking to your clients about what’s important to them, and there is no better new year’s resolution.

Keen to join the movement? Scan the QR code to learn more

in community-building or environmental initiatives of some sort.

By Clive Allwright

I’m sure some of us started the New Year with some resolutions based on wealth, health and happiness.

Maybe some of those resolutions may have involved making changes in what we choose to eat, watch, or do with our free time?

I recently made the decision to deactivate my Facebook account, delete Twitter along with all my other news style apps on my phone.

I’m certainly not anti-social media. There is a time and a place for everything. It’s just not how I want to spend my free time at the moment.

If I want to know what’s happening in the world, I now have to allocate the time and go search for the news.

You could say I am drifting out there, completely oblivious to world events. On the dark side, along with all my leaked personal information on the dark web stolen from my LinkedIn, Medicare, and Optus accounts. If these organisations can’t keep my information secure what chance would I have with my 10-year-old MacBook Air.

Recently in the UK most of the country has been glued to the TV and feverishly texting on their phones. Getting D grade celebs voted out of the Australian jungle. I must be one of the few people over here trying to work out how to move back there.

I am so grateful for when I arrived here in the UK. I started handwriting a journal of our day to day events, my feelings and inner thoughts. I am documenting my time here while organising some help for my Dad. It’s a daily account of our laughs, fears, wins and challenges. All documented in my own scribbly handwriting, in a large moleskin book.

I really want to remember this time Dad and

I are spending together as accurately as possible. Also, how I was feeling at the time I was writing it. It’s been a very cathartic experience. Instead of scrolling on my phone at the end of each day, I revisit my day and my emotions in my journal.

I am creating a detailed account of our journey here together. Maybe one day my children or even grandchildren would like to read it, when they are maybe caring for me.

I can never remember what I was thinking when a picture is taken of me for a social media post,

But I can recall what the weather was like on my wedding day, or the colour of my school uniform. But I have no recollection what I did on January 31st.

I recently listened to an incredible interview on Australian ABC radio show “Conversations” with Richard Fidler and one of my ever-favourite thespian of the arts Richard E Grant. Richard E Grant explains how he has kept a diary, since he was 11 years old. I would highly recommend listening to this episode. I won’t spoil it, but Richard has recently released a new book called “A pocket full of happiness” A personal memoir through one of the most challenging chapters in his life.

Dame Judi Walters wrote “Fascinating, funny and heart wrenching. Ultimately uplifting because it’s a beautiful and honest celebration of a deep, deep love”

Our lives could be measured by the many different chapters we have experienced. Not by our reels and stories on social media. The real chapters of our lives have most probably influenced our personalities that made us who we are today. Most of our characteristics or character defects have been created through the different chapters of our lives.

This chapter in my life has helped me write down my feelings and emotions into words, by using words instead thoughts, I now think about my choice of words so much more.

I now prefer to say, “I get to help my Dad’ instead of “I have to help my Dad” It makes a big a difference in the way I have approach this chapter in my life.

May I suggest, you try swapping the word from “got” to “get”. For example: Try saying “I get to go and pick the kids up from school or I get to go into work today”

You’ll be amazed how you will approach everyday stuff in a more positive manner, just by changing one word in a sentence. Remember, there may come a day when that privilege could be taken away from us, so try to enjoy it!

Because I now have more free time from not being on my phone, I have made more spare time for things like reading. I will leave you with this beautiful quote I recently came across.

“Today I will open my eyes to all the possibilities before me. My potential is limitless and powerful as the god of my understanding. Today, I will act upon my potential.”

Wishing you all a little pocket full of happiness in 2023.

PS: I still have my IG account to watch some reels before bedtime.

Short Haircuts - The Forgotten Hair Trend

By Brodie Lee Tsiknaris

One of the most crucial yet undertrained areas of our industry. I mean for so long it’s been long and lob but now the pixie is back short, precise, and texturized and unless you were trained in a salon with a strong focus on cutting or short hair, chances are the word pixie gives your staff anxiety.

How many senior stylists do we come across that are terrified of anything above bob length. I know most that I interview these days, say they need more training before they feel confident to cut short hair. I’m happy to do it and have the knowledge to enhance their skills and help bring their skillset and confidence up so that they are

ready to 100% nail any short haircut, but there are many that don’t have the time or confidence themselves to do so. Therefore, we end up with a gap in the market, a grey area where short hair, instead of exciting stylists creates anxiety in the column AND ANXIETY in our stylists is the number one reason for Hairdressing burnout.

How empowering for our industry if we can bring back the art of short hair and how fun! There is so much amazing education out there now. If you don’t have time, then you have an abundance to choose from between workshops or getting an artist for your space Our industry has some amazing Educators pick one that suits your brand and what you want to upskill and invest a day, Your stylists and Business will thank you.

I am so excited to roll out our Rokstar Academy Super Star Senior workshops this year, Designed to empower stylists to walk away confident in short hair. Short hair is a passion of mine it’s all about understanding shape and balance, but creating a style that makes your clients feel beautiful and Feminine theres no better feeling.

I have loved cutting and maintaining Ellie Gonsalves - Loreal Ambassadors, pixie cut, and even more so how with her presence on social media, it has empowered a lot more young woman to do the big “Cut”.

Along with understanding shape there is some important expert tips that I feel obligated to share:

Consultation is key like everything with all aspects of Hairdressing this is crucial, But understanding your clients wants and needs and why for short hair and using reference photos are so important here, checking in with your client and dose this suit their lif estyle.

-Sustainability; anyone can wear short hair its true but is it the right shape for their bone structure, does it suit the client.

Education - Whilst some think short hair is easy to wear it still requires our clients to know how to style their hair and maintain their new style Product education and expert styling tips are essenti al.

Brodie x

Rokstar Academy

For more dates and workshops please see the website Rokstaracademy.com.au or email info@rokstar.com.au

To Lose Patience is to Lose the Battle!

By Gary Latham

The other morning in an attempt to fill the silence as I waited for my morning coffee, I asked the manager of the shop if the latest round of covid had much effect on his business and staff sick days. The answer wasn’t the one I expected, while short, his answer was much more big picture.

“Staff have changed since covid” he said shaking his head in frustration. After a pause to reset he said, “But, I’m not complaining”, he said fighting to harness his last remaining drop of positivity. I know just what he meant and how he felt, as I’m sure many salon owners and managers out there understand it crystal clear. It’s in the second half of his answer however that the real gold can be found. It reminds me of the 90’s Australian cricket team that set out for elusive success in India. “To lose patience is to lose the battle”, was their mantra as they fought searing temperatures, a totally foreign diet and unfriendly pitches. Wise words for all be they staff, managers or owners in this post lockdown period.

At times the new world seems like a different country and a new culture permeates the workforce. For the first time in decades interest rates and inflation are rising putting people under financial pressures unseen before. Pressure does funny things to people and financial pressure is one of the most powerful. While many are struggling their feeds are full of people blessed with the gift of easy success and shiny lives. Why should they bust a gut at work when success is a picture that breaks the internet. Lockdowns, working from home and flexible hours are being held onto by workers as a right… I could have sat with the café manager for hours whining about staff and the roll call of negative changes

that the covid storm has brought but “to lose patience is to lose the battle.”

I recently was asked by a salon owner in South Australia about mental health and dealing with it. While professional help is usually my first recommendation, I’ve been put through a life lesson over the past six months. While Parkinson’s is mainly seen as a motor function disease it has its cognitive components high on its list of nasties. Following the initial boomtime after my operation I have been searching for an even mood. The past six months have been really tough to deal with for all with the complexities of the new work cultures but for me it’s been a real minefield. Without the support of my beautiful partners Jayne and Phil I could have spiralled to much darker depths. When you have an aliment that is invisible to the eye it takes a true friend to spot it and a special one to act. It is time though to remind myself “to lose patience is to lose the battle.”

Staff have always been a challenge, but it is what I do, what I’ve always done, what I take most pride and satisfaction in and suffer the most heartfelt disappointments. My intentions have always been to develop staff into better hairdressers and more importantly better human beings. Judging by my staff I think I have scored a big pass mark. For those that I have failed I’m sorry if advice has been too direct to accept or if a joke has missed its mark. My motives have always been your best interest. It would be very easy to blame the faults of others for their failures or lose my patience over the short falls of a fledgling generation, after all experience is a priceless commodity. But that would be losing my patience and hence losing the battle.

NEW YEAR - NEW YOU!

Time to Ditch the Clutter that Weighs You Down!

By Kerrie Di Mattia

2023 is well and truly here and to be honest I should have been putting these thoughts on paper for the last edition in 2022 to get you all looking ahead with fresh eyes at the possibilities & opportunities a New Year can bring.

But like most of you, I had my head down & arse up just trying to get through Christmas in a busy salon!!

So better late than never, right? So, let’s get into it!

Sometimes it can be tough to figure out where to start when you know there are things that need to be addressed & changes that need to be made within your salon, & I’m not talking about the big picture either here guys, I’m talking about getting the small shit sorted!

The small crappy issues that like “Ground Hog Day” just keep happening over & over again, you know the ones, that don’t seem a big deal on their own but when added to the pile can not only weigh you down personally but cost you big time in terms of efficiency, effectiveness & ultimately Money!

Yet you ignore them, or worse, repeat them over & over again because you always do what you’ve always done, always put up with what you’ve always put up with, always made do & hoped for the best because change is hard or expensive or complicated.

Where do you start? How do you start???

The overwhelm can be real & one of the greatest reasons we choose to do nothing & stay where we are because it feels easier - But is it?

We all know the feeling of decluttering our homes or our shed…its liberating! So, let’s start 2023 in our salons with the same feeling & declutter the STUFF we keep ignoring or putting a band aid on.

I find a good place to start going into a fresh new year in the salon is to start by writing down what I could cheerfully leave behind in the previous year!

This doesn’t have to be anything major, just picture your day from the moment you walk in the door each morning, write down what frustrates you, What grinds your gears, what

makes it hard to start your day out right & what constantly needs your attention?

It can be anything from a cluttered & disorganised backroom, unorganised Desk or Reception area to your POS system or Customer service systems needing a revamp.

If it stops you from being your best self at work daily no matter how trivial, write it down but also write how it makes you feel and what flow on effect it has it on you, your team, clients, or family?

And when you got your list & that old familiar feeling of overwhelm rears its ugly head just remember, you don’t need to climb the whole staircase at once, just take the first step & then another - make a plan to tackle one issue at a time, you will feel the weightlifting with each box you tick!

x

Email: kdimattia@westnet.com.au

Kez

Kerrie Di Mattia is Stylist, Salon Owner & Coach for Total Coaching Academy

What I have Learned about Leadership and Team Culture

By Hayley Mears

I’m the first to admit I am a flawed human. There are so many things that I don’t do well and a heap of areas that need improvement. Perhaps my biggest strength is knowing and acknowledging all my imperfections. It’s confronting and at times makes me feel super vulnerable to admit all my flaws so openly. But at the same time, it’s really liberating to know that it’s me that has the power to change my weaknesses and by owning this awareness, making mistakes is less scary.

Some weaknesses are just a part of life. I’m terrible with numbers, I tend to get distracted easily and I’m inherently impatient. Other weaknesses of mine have been less obvious to me, as though they were hiding from my consciousness. It wasn’t until recently when I was on the receiving end of some unrealistic expectations that I was able to reflect… Do I do this? What does my tone sound like when I’m stressed and under pressure? It was a real aha moment.

The thing about leadership is, most of the time we need to use our intuition and our values to teach us how to be leaders. While there are plenty of courses and programs designed to teach you how to be an effective leader, the only things that really teach you authentic leadership are time and experience. What we first learn about leadership is what we have loved from people that have led us, and what we hated. The way we have been treated in the past totally shapes the way we approach leadership for better or for worse.

Although I have always known how important boundaries are, implementing them is such a huge challenge. The goal post can shift with every situation being completely unique and when you’re a people pleaser, this is treacherous terrain. The incredible Pauline McCabe from Rock Paper Scissors once said to me “I just lead with kindness.” This simple, yet poignant quote has always stuck with me. If I addressed every problem, issue, or

concern from a place of kindness and empathy (regardless of how frustrated, disappointed, or even cranky I am about it), I would inevitably have a more receptive team member on the other end. It’s easier said than done because if I have one of our clients not happy about something, they are taking it up with me because it’s serious and I need to fix it. My default mode is to tell the team member how serious their mistake was and what the consequences may be. Usually, it’s us losing the client which is always devastating. The idea that we lose a client relationship, or reputation and suffer a financial loss is a HUGE deal as a business owner, and therefore emotion comes into it.

BUT… If I only look at the emotion of the team member instead of my own emotion, I will get a better outcome. It’s HARD, especially if it’s a repeat offender, but the growth of a team can’t just be about everyone who reports to you. It’s growth as a collective unit.

So, what have been my lessons and takeaways after this epiphany?

· Really check your tone. Yes, especially in emails. Sometimes I write things so matter-of fact because I’m short on time and I don’t add any pleasantries, which makes the tone come off as curt and aggressive. It’s never my intention, BUT when you receive an email like this you understand why it’s important to check how you might sound rather than how you think you sound.

· My new approach is “how big is this mistake really” … Sometimes we totally blow out an issue and make it so much bigger than it actually is. Find something that gives you REAL perspective and do a quick comparison

· If you feel like you’re going to react or there are any emotions brewing just STOP. If you have the option to park the problem for a moment and come back to it later, it is always so much better. Maybe write the email, but don’t send it. Allow plenty of time for reflection.

· Remember that EVERYONE is entitled to make mistakes and have an off day. A lesson I learned a long time ago is what it feels like to have your confidence taken away. Your ability and talent are put into question. This takes a long time to rebuild. Sometimes years, so remember that when you’re addressing an issue that maintaining the personal and professional confidence of your team members is paramount.

· Acknowledgement and praise are like giving someone a pay rise without parting with any money. Don’t underestimate the power of a compliment. Don’t just make it a short and sweet “good job”, but really invest in telling the story of why someone was outstanding and what that means for everyone around them. It’s a gamechanger.

@sixundergroundmedia www.sixunderground.net.au

5 Social Media Engagement Tips to Kick

Start your 2023.

By Nicole Healy

If you’re ready to kick start your 2023 with a social media bang, then you need to keep reading this! 2023 is going to be a reboot for many, with the pandemic officially over *phew* we are leaving that part of our biz life we never want to remember behind - see, you, never!

It’s time to create your engagement strategy for your socials, have your content to be seen by brand new people, who, we hope, will turn into new clients, that the thing with social media, especially platforms like Instagram & TikTok you can organically land in-front of new people, with amazing, engaging content and being social on social media.

Let’s face it, to stand out in the sea of salons on socials, your content has to be epic, and I mean the best of the best, you’re literally completing with hundreds of thousands, if not a million other salons in the online space to be seen, your content cannot be just half arsed, it can’t be about just ‘chucking something up on Instagram, because I have to’, it’s about having knowledge in content creation, a strategy and a bit of a plan to really succeed in this over saturated space, and no, it’s not too late to start, it’s about starting, posting and being consistent at it.

If you’re the salon owner without a social media strategy, well it’s time to start thinking of having one! I’m sure you have a business plan, you have a business blueprint, so why not a social media, for Instagram, Facebook & TikTok. Without advertising on Socials in 2023 and beyond, I can assure you, that you’ll be missing out on potential new clients, there is some salons out there who are fabulous at doing hair, but they’re not confident at creating engaging content for their salons social media, and they just don’t post.

You may be a salon owner who has had their salon for 20 plus years, you have a team of amazing hair stylists, but they’re not tech people, don’t care for socials, don’t really take photos or videos of their work, this is where you fall into the problems of not having content to create a strong presence online.

If this speaks to you, and you are thinking, YES! This is us; this is my salon, I have great staff with great skills, but we aren’t really online or being visible, it’s time for you to step it up this year.

Check out my 5 tips below on how to can improve your engagement and visibility on socials:

1. Use Hashtags that help people discover your content and business.

Think of searchable phrases / words that new clients may use to find you (yourlocation) #hairsalon (your location)

2. Use an Engagement Call to Action in your caption headline (this is the top line of your caption heading)

SAVE THIS REEL IF YOU FOUND THIS HELPFUL, LIKE & FOLLOW TO LEARN MORE, SHARE TO YOUR STORY IF YOU AGREE

3. Use 10 Trending Audios on your Reels for the month, this helps you be more visible to others who are enjoying this audio and using it too (you’ll see if an audio is trending by seeing a small arrow next to an audio on a reel) - save these audios when you see them, it’s easier to find them when you go to create your engaging reels - BONUS TIP: you’ll be able to send reels trends too that are great to get involved with.

4. Post your photos or reels at your peak engaged times - this means you have the best opportunities to be discovered by people that follow you and by new people too!

You can find you peak times to post by heading into your insights, which are now found inside your professional dashboard on the Instagram interface. Tap on where it has Total Followers, scroll down to the bottom until you see “Most Active Times” it will have

a blue graph, with the days of the week and hours, you’ll be able to tap on the blue graph, and it will give you numbers of how many of your followers were approximately online at that time, the week before - you can check these stats every Tuesday afternoon, that’s when they reset for the week, being that it resets Monday in LA time.

5. Be Social on Socials! This is KEY for social growth, is to be active on socials, not just posting by engaging too. Engagement = Engagement. This is networking, it’s helping you to build you community online and have an engaged audience who also interact with your account and profile on Instagram. You cannot just sit back and wait for people to come to find you, you have to start interacting. This may be finding 10 new people once a day to engage with, say howdy in the comments, or compliment them, leave meaningful interactions, not just a “Stunning” or “Love” or “Goals” - it needs to be so much more than this!

If you would like to work on your salons social media strategy in 2023 - let’s work together! I offer online and in salon education to help you be amazing at your socials!

You can find out about my services at www. melbournehairblogger.com.au/allmylinks

An Interview with a Tenant Representative, FAQ’s and what’s in it for me?

By Ryan Maddock of Maddocks Accounting & Advisory

Ryan Maddock of Maddocks Accounting & Advisory took some time to chat with Kelly Cunningham from Your Leasing Co, a well known commercial property Tenant Representation firm, known for getting amazing results for their clients and put some direct questions to her that all Tenants want to ask.

Ok, let me get straight to the question we all want to ask… How much money do you typically save your clients?

Thanks Ryan, straight to the heart of it. Our current average saving is $102,000 per client over the length of the lease term. This result varies client to client for a number of reasons, such as the length of time a tenancy has been occupied, the amount of rent being paid and the length of lease being entered into to name a few.

What is the most you have saved a client? Our biggest saving for a client was just over $2m. In the last 24 months, we have saved just under $6.5million for our clients, which we are incredibly proud of.

What does a Tenant Rep’ actually do? We specialise in representing commercial tenants in negotiating their leases on their behalf, with the sole objective of getting them the best deal we can, which results in us saving them a heap of money as well as making sure that all of the fine print clauses within the lease are in the best interests of our clients.

Is this a complicated process? It’s like most things, we are all good at what we specialise in. We have been doing this work for 25 years and completed over 1,000 deals. We have a set 12 point list that we negotiate every time. Most business owners just focus on the rent, which is important, as it is often one of the top three biggest business expenses. These 12 key points result in savings and benefits in a number of areas.

Why do most Tenants end up with a raw deal?

It is important to remember, that Landlords are typically the much stronger party in a negotiation. They employ expert property specialists as their agent, they have access to all the current market data, it’s their lease document and they have more than likely negotiated hundreds more leasing deals than the Tenant they are up against. We call this the “The Tenants Dilemma”.

Using a firm like ours, eliminates that Landlord power imbalance.

Where do you start when helping a Tenant?

Landlords are always looking for growth in their investment, so will always seek an increased rent, however, this doesn’t necessarily reflect the market conditions at

the time. Landlords increase rent annually by 3%, 4% or 5%, which often takes it out of line with the market. Over 5 years at 5% increases, the rent will have increased by 28% compounded. Most business owners profit probably hasn’t increased at the same rate.

• We review the lease from the Tenants perspective.

• We determine an opinion on the market rent for the tenancy. We have access to the same information that the Landlords do, so we use that information, as well our market contacts, look at recent leasings, space on the market as well as off market opportunities to form an opinion on the market rent. We can then compare that to the asking position of the Landlord and set about negotiating with them, based on our evidence.

• We go through all of the 12 key points and make recommendations on how we would like to respond to the Landlords offer on each one, maximising the tenants position

• We then continue the conversation with the Landlord, aiming to get as much of the offer agreed or close as possible.

• We handle all of the uncomfortable conversations, we handle all of the Landlords objections and negotiate through the whole process, until we have reached the best possible position agreed.

What is the process for a Tenant to work with you?

It’s a pretty simple process.

1. We will obviously send through some paperwork to complete, which will outline the whole process and what you can expect, while outlining the associated costs.

2. Then we gather some information, such as the current lease, current rent, size of the tenancy etc, as well as the contact details for the Landlord or their agent.

3. Then we will have a conversation to confirm a. what the Tenant wants to get out of the new Lease.

b. What are the plans for the future?

c. What is the age and stage of the business?

4. Once we know all of that, we will ask to be introduced to the Landlord, so that they know

we have authority to act on their behalf.

5. Then we will get stuck straight in, determining the market rent and negotiating with the Landlord. We will handle everything, from end to end!

We will look after the entire leasing process, keeping the Tenant informed along the way.

Thank you, Kelly, for your candid feedback. It was really interesting chatting to Kelly about how she adds value to her clients in a very specialised professional service to Tenants. I think she could help anyone getting a better outcome negotiating with their Landlord! If you have a lease renewal coming up or are looking at a new location and need help negotiating the deal, call Your Leasing Co, speak to Kelly or one of the team to get a no obligation assessment of your leasing situation.

You can find Kelly at kelly@yourleasingco. com.au, www.yourleasingco.com.au or on their social media pages on Facebook, Instagram or Linkedin.

Interview conducted by Ryan Maddock, Partner

Maddocks Accounting & Advisory www.maddocksaccounting.com.au

– The Year of the Amazing Team

By David Watts

We have all laid awake at night thinking about how to get the dream team in our salon. Frustrated about the way things are playing out currently and wondering what on earth you will do next. You have done training, held meetings, changed the processes yet everything stays the same, you are exhausted and it’s likely your team are too.

In your business journey you have probably had moments where you have put your head in your hands and said where did I go wrong. The bills are rising, the team want more money and you haven’t got enough time in your day to get everything done.

A lot of owners tell me they cannot be away from the salon without the wheels falling off or their phones ringing 10,000 times in a day to answer basic questions. They feel like their team is pulling in the opposite direction to the course they want to take.

You need to remember that you are not alone, even the most confident of salon owners have had challenges when it comes to their teams. It’s not just attracting and retaining team but building a culture that is fun to be in, supports high performance and delivers exceptional service to your clients.

DEVELOPING YOUR TEAM STARTS WITH YOU!

Things can be different; it will take a fresh approach, a new attitude, and your commitment to success. There is no time like the present to rip the band-aid off and get a little uncomfortable. If you make the changes required and show up consistently you will be playing a winning hand.

You need to take responsibility for where you are now. Accept that what you have now is not as good it gets. Ask yourself what you are going to do differently? Create a plan not just for you but for every individual team member and then execute on it.

LEADERSHIP

In these pages many times has been one of our favourite sayings at ZING “You are the problem, and you are the solution” and this is how you are going to tackle your team this year, with extreme ownership.

You have a choice on the leadership style you bring to the table. When you role model good behaviours you are setting the tone for the entire salon. How you show up physically and emotionally is critical. When your team know that you truly have their back, they are more likely to have yours too. It is inconceivable to

expect them to do things that you wouldn’t do yourself.

You know how to be an amazing stylist; you have experience and importantly the technical skills to face anything a client throws at you. You need to work on your leadership skills and style to be a MASTER at this side of your business too. This will help you eliminate the sleepless nights.

COMMUNICATION

Are you giving your team members any time? Not a quick conversation in the back room, but scheduled time individually for them? Start this today if you’re not. Set a regular 1:1 meeting with all your team members that are sacred (cannot be moved in the book,) this is critical to improving morale, culture and importantly performance. Best practice would be to have these meetings weekly.

How do you share other important information? Are things just sent in a messenger chat or text? Do you provide clarity on your expectations when you implement something new? Knowledge is power and giving your team the what, the why and the how are critical when sharing information.

Ask for what you need and want, stop avoiding the courageous conversations.

Sometimes problems get worse when we avoid or ignore small issues. Of course, it can be uncomfortable, but something addressed quickly and kindly generally doesn’t fester or explode. Conversations are often delayed to avoid confrontation when in reality waiting is more likely to create conflict. You want to foster a growth mindset in your team and honesty is always the best policy.

STRUCTURE

This does not have to boring, but you do need to outline expectations to your team on how things are to be done. When your team is always running their own race it translates to inconsistent results, frustration, and confusion.

Set your team up for success by giving them guidelines. If you don’t have anything in place for them, it would be an ideal exercise to involve them in developing resources. Think about it as the way things are done around here. If everyone is singing from the same hymn book the sound is always better.

You will see a turnaround in other aspects of the business too when you start to develop more processes. Your client experience will be better, your sales will improve, and your team will be a lot calmer along the way.

ACCOUNTABILITY

It’s a pointless exercise to implement structure in your salon without ways of tracking it. Accountability is not about micromanaging, in fact it’s the opposite. It is a way for your team to track what they are supposed to be doing consistently.

Whenever we implement a process, it is natural for the gloss to wear off it and old behaviours to creep back in. This is not just for your team members but for you too. For every action you put in place to happen, ensure you have a way to track and measure it is being delivered as expected.

TRAINING

Develop an environment centred around growth for your team members. You should be conducting regular training in your salon that is stimulating and relevant. Your team are one of your biggest assets and you need to nurture and upskill them. Like a seed you plant in the garden, without care it will not flower.

Your training plan should be well rounded and focus on more than your technical services. There are endless topics you can work on but

think about consultation, client journey and soft skills like communication.

The other area that will connect your team more to you and the salon is to work on them as people. Think about how you (or using your network) could help them develop skills in self-mastery, self-care, mental health or fitness and nutrition. Keep it interesting and involve them in mapping out the year ahead.

FUN

Are you having any fun? Nobody wants to be serious 24/7, do they?

Think about the vibe of the salon and is it conducive to some fun and frivolity along the way. Obviously, you need to match the vibe to the client experience, but if it’s like walking into a morgue there’s a problem.

Make sure you plan (and execute) on some fun social activities with your team throughout the year. You do not need to break the bank to do this but allowing opportunities to relax and enjoy each other’s company is important.

SEEK HELP

Stop winging it and get into some professional development on these areas. Read some books, listen to podcasts, work with a coach or professional. When you want to learn a new technical skill you jump in the deep end, be the same when it comes to leading your team

There is a lot to be gained by asking for help and knowing this does not make you a failure, it is how you make yourself a success. I work with salon owners every day who have been scared to make the required changes and together we have overcome their barriers, I know you can too.

Oh, and PLEASE stay the hell away from social media groups (you know the ones) that feed into the myths and false stories that this is a generational problem and there is nothing you can do about it… they talk crap!

Happy New Year!

David XoX

A salon owner and support coach on Team Chrissy – The ZING Project. David has a diverse background in sales, marketing and operations and is passionate about improving the professionalism of the industry. Contact David via email davidsc@zingcoach.com.au or DM on Instagram @davidwatts_zing

Making Hard Decisions… And Then Getting On With It!

By Jenni Tarrant, Bond Hair Religion

As a businesswoman of 18 years and a veteran of nearly 40 years in the industry, I have been asking myself: What brings me joy? What are the unnecessary stressors I can eliminate by thinking of the bigger picture - the one beyond the ‘big picture’? And how can I make the years until I retire as fulfilling as possible?

I sat myself down some time ago and looked at what I had achieved. I then turned my attention to what I still want to achieve over the next six and a half years. Yes, my exit date of 60 years of age is looming. Over six years seems a very long way away for some, but this is how to stay on top of your game. Plan far ahead and then adapt to challenges and opportunities along the way. Keep your eye on the prize, as they say, which doesn’t mean just six months goals. Big goals are set years in advance and will guide many of your choices and actions in the present.

The biggest question I asked myself was, where will my focus be beyond my time as a salon owner? Even though I have the energy and determination to keep going, I have made the choice to fulfil a long-held dream: to open an orphanage and school for vulnerable children living on the streets in some of the poorest areas of Africa.

So, what’s next in terms of my commitment to my business? The only way for me to feel truly ready to move on to my next goal is to make Bond, myself, and my team the very best -

in all areas. This may not be how everyone would like to retire but for me, bowing out at the peak of my success will complete my hairdressing career. Once I made this decision it was time to start breaking down the business sector by sector so I can focus on success in each one of them.

The first step was the sobering decision to close my beauty salon. The last day of trading was just prior to Christmas and ended a four and a half year journey. It is difficult to convey to you how difficult this decision was and how long I wrestled with it, primarily because I had a great group of people and had created a beautiful space. I had to assess my energy, my ability to stretch myself, and differentiate what really gave me joy. So many tears were shed. The old fears about being a failure crept in and the disorienting doubt in my abilities threatened to take hold.

It is really challenging to let go of things even when you know they are not serving you. It takes courage, determination, and a clear vision. Spreading yourself too thin makes everything suffer, including yourself. Once I made the decision and let go of the negative emotions, I shifted. I connected into higher energy levels and pinpointed my focus on Bond Hair Religion.

Step two… the team. I have some of the most incredibly talented and loyal team members. Some have been with me for 16 years, and others have been at Bond for over ten years.

Incredibly, they are all still fresh, enthusiastic, and passionate about their craft. With this in mind, it was important for me to include them in a discussion about Bonds future plans. Hard work and loyalty should be rewarded so I have invited them to buy into Bond Hair Religion. They will all have an opportunity to purchase shares over the next six years with a view to one of them taking over ownership.

This decision was easier than it might seem because these four people have the same values and beliefs as I do. I will also use my remaining years educating and mentoring them in business success. My dream is for them to take the Bond brand to the next level. I am really excited to share everything I have learned and help this trusted group of humans to be their very best.

Step three… breaking up each year ahead with specific objectives for every business area to maximise our achievements. A critical element of our future success will be for me to keep our team excited in the present and for the future. I will make sure each individual gets to contribute and have their goals taken seriously and am very mindful that they have confidence in having workplace stability for their futures.

Your retirement shouldn’t be something to be fearful of, planning your exit strategy is the key for an easy transition and a celebration (in a good way!) for your team and clients.

When is it time to start creating a succession plan? When should you start making choices to expand your focus and increase the joy in your overall life, rather than specifically focusing on your business?

LAS O N SPACES/ INSPIRATION

soft, pretty, with loads of blush

7 Lesson from Bruce Lee that made me a Better Hairstylist.

By Anthony Presotto

The name Bruce Lee is almost synonymous with martial arts cinema, modern popular media, and pop culture in the 20th century. The best-known martial artist of all time for sparking interest in Chinese martial arts in the West during the 1970s, he is considered one of the most influential martial artists of all time. In American films, he changed the way Asians were portrayed.

When Bruce met Hollywood hairstylist Jay Sebring (the inspiration for Warren Beatty’s character in the 1975 film Shampoo) at a tournament in Long Beach, he was introduced to television producer William Dozier, who was interested in bringing the Green Hornet to the big screen.

Anyone can achieve the same heights of their chosen profession with the same dedication, determination, and willpower that Bruce Lee had. The goal of my career is to become an influential and inspirational figure in this industry.

Along this journey of life, 40 years of which have been spent in this wonderful industry, I have gained wisdom and insights that apply not only to our business lives but go deeper and affect our personal life as well. I want to share with you just some of those insights, with the hope that you might find they apply to your life and your journey towards abundance and happiness.

1 LIFE PURPOSE

“The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering.” - Bruce Lee

You only live this life once; well, you only die once but you live every day. So, make sure you make the most of it by creating something that adds value to the people and community around you.

“The meaning of life is that it is to be lived, and it is not to be traded and conceptualised and squeezed into a pattern of systems.”

-Bruce Lee

Our world has become full of distractionstelevision, movies, social media, podcasts. Add to that our work lives and family commitments we have become a society that is always busy. In Fact, being busy did become the new status symbol. Covid-19 did teach us to slow down, but on a daily basis working with salons I unfortunately see us returning to a “busy” normality. I don’t feel this is as positive as we think it should be.

But as salon professionals there are few things as crucial to us as creating. Sure, running the business is always a concern, but our main focus is to express ourselves creatively and follow our innate need to create.

For us, the amazing by-product of our art is that we can bring happiness to people. We have the ability to change people physically, and psychologically. It is our ability to create and improve the lives of others that helps give us a satisfying purpose and meaning to our lives.

I have spent the latter half of my career working with environmental projects, HairAid, WasteFree Systems, Supporting domestic violence victims and aid for the homeless on the streets of Brisbane. As hairdressers we have the opportunity to touch so many people in such a positive way, more than any other profession I believe.

2 HAPPINESS

“Be happy, but never satisfied.” -Bruce Lee

We often hear people say they will be happy when…. Things will get better when…. We are in the habit of delaying our happiness until we reach some arbitrary goal. It is vitally important to find happiness in everything we do. Life is a cycle of growing or dying, it is up to you to choose which you would prefer your life to be.

We can become so discontent in our lives, constantly pursuing more. More stuff, more things to replace what we have given up to our busy work lives. Yet the easiest way to find contentment is in gratitude. If we only realised how much we already have. Being grateful for the simple pleasures, our loved ones, our health, the amazing gifts we’ve been given, of nature and beauty and the ability to create and everything in between. Gratefulness leads to happiness.

3 LEARNING

“Use only that which works and take it from any place you can find it.” -Bruce Lee

Our profession is one of constant learning. We should try to learn everything we can, it makes us better hairdressers. But always be open to the lessons around you no matter where they come from. We easily fall into a style or school. But just as Bruce Lee found when creating Jeet Kune Do, all systems and styles have holes and flaws.

“Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own.” -Bruce Lee

In my role as an educator, this is a message I try to convey to participants as early as possible; take what you know and put it aside, take in what I present, and then incorporate what works into what you already know and do.

Every system and school of hairdressing has valid points and flaws. My personal system is to have no system. Rather, I have an eclectic and hybrid philosophy, taking what works for me from the many and varied systems that I have studied over many years.

Rigid forms can become polarising, creating an ‘us and them’ elitism. I hope no one in one of the workshops I facilitate feels judged, I try my hardest to make them a judgement free experience. I sincerely believe that we really are all in this together - expressing our art as individual creations for the one person in our chair at that time.

4 TIME

“If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is made up of.” -Bruce Lee

We all start each day with 24 hours in the bank; the difference is what we do with it. Our business is selling our time. Make sure you are compensated justly for the time you are not spending with family, friends and loved ones. You can always make more money but time, once it’s gone you don’t get it back.

If your family asks for your attention, try to always give it freely. Give your family your full attention, and don’t become annoyed that they are interrupting what you are doinginstead be grateful for the reminder to spend time with someone you love.

Earlier in my career I did whatever it took to get ahead, retain every client, I remember working until midnight in the dead of winter, going home so exhausted and ill that I wondered if tonight was the night I might die in my sleep. It still took another 15 years for me to realise nobody comes to the end

of their life wishing they had spent more time working.

Also, rest is more important than you think. The past couple of years have definitely proved that. As a society we just try to do too much and often forget to rest adequately. We fill our lives with checklists rather than bucket lists. If you let them, clients will demand more and more of your time. We then try to crank out our work like machines and risk becoming burnt out. As a result, our creativity suffers, and we often begin to hate our jobs because we haven’t struck that work/rest/play balance. Stop trying to be a machine, focus on what you love and do it lovingly.

5 PERSEVERANCE

“Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.” -Bruce Lee

No matter what your social or financial position in life is, you are always going to face problems and challenges. For me, the secret to success in any area of life is learning to overcome those challenges. As we do, they can often lead to bigger and bigger challenges.

Doubts and fears about your ability will creep in and try to hinder you. You may turn away from doing great things or embarking on new adventures. You may not want to share the awesome work you are creating and put it out there for the world to see because of selfdoubt or fear.

This doesn’t even have to be a conscious decision; it can be something playing out in the recesses of your mind. The solution is to become aware of these doubts and fears and do it anyway.

6 FLEXIBILITY AND ADAPTABILITY

“Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves. Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle, and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow, or it can crash. Be water, my friend.” -Bruce Lee

Perhaps my most favourite quote from Bruce Lee. Learning to become flexible and adaptable when it comes to your work, your approach with clients, and life in general, and problems will begin to roll off your shoulders. I don’t mean you should compromise your values and beliefs but understand there will be grey areas around them. We create excessive tension in our lives when we become rigid and regimented and then society, family and clients don’t meet our expectations and perceptions on how things should be.

For me this is and always will be the greatest lesson I have learned from Bruce Lee, along with the 4 agreements by Miguel Ruiz, which

if you haven’t read, I suggest you do, are the foundational philosophy of my life now.

7 LIVE IN THE MOMENT

“Take things as they are. Punch when you have to punch. Kick when you have to kick.”

-Bruce Lee

Make sure you remain focused and attentive in the present moment. Rather than allowing the past to dictate your future, let what you do now determine what happens next.

As stylists, we need to remain focused in the present, as we never really know what is going to be walking through our door today. Even your most staid, dependable client might throw you a “let’s go blonde today!” curveball!

No matter how out-of-control your day is, no matter how stressful your job or life becomes, being present can create a feeling of peace. This will change your life, and it’s incredibly simple, though not always easy.

So, in conclusion what have I learnt from Bruce Lee? That I have a lot to learn still, and life has many lessons left to teach me. And for that I am grateful, I believe learning in all forms is what maintains our youthful enthusiasm for life.

As I pass through this current phase of my life, remembering the good times, trying to forget the bad, and thinking about my future, I am reminded that life is fleeting and while there is still so much time ahead of me it will pass much faster than I think. What hair I have left is turning grey and I’ve only just started to get my bearings on life. But one thing is for sure I am going to appreciate every damn minute of it, and when it comes time to draw my last breath, I want to be able to sum my life up in one word, “SPECTACULAR”!

Avoiding Team Explosions!

By Larissa Macleman

Sometimes it feels like you can’t catch a break with your team! You are constantly putting out fire after fire, and you are exhausted by the emotional rollercoaster that is managing humans. Well, I get you, and you are not alone.

I was recently talking to three of my favourite Salon Owners that I work with, who had all been through what you might call, ‘team explosions’!

I call them that because let’s face it, that’s what they feel like...

The first owner had her top senior stylist (who had been working at her Salon for 3 years) come up to her one day and share, out of the blue, that she was considering handing in her notice. She was too overwhelmed and burnt out after all the disruption of Covid and decided that she needed to live a different lifestyle… in the outback of Australia!, She wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life.

The second owner had spent the lead-up till Christmas covering her ENTIRE team whilst they were sick (with Covid, of course). She was the last man standing in her Salon… and she was exhausted, as I’m sure you can imagine!

Finally, the third owner was in the middle of a daily huddle with her team, leading change in new ways to serve the clients better and more effectively, when she was verbally attacked by her team for her new ideas. “How dare she suggest such radical change and expect her team to try new things”? She, of course, felt alone, frustrated, and like her team was working against her.

Have you ever experienced anything similar? This is something that I experienced many times over in my early Salon Owning years and it can leave you feeling unappreciated and vulnerable; like you are giving everything to your team and getting nothing in return.

It can make us resentful and will eventually lead us to our business-owner-breaking point.

But eventually, I figured out some pretty fool-proof ways of navigating these team explosions… and for most of my Salon Owning years, things ran like a well-oiled machine. Now, I want to share with you the strategies I utilised to prevent this from happening.

Let’s dive into why these team explosions may be happening, and how to breathe life and love into your Salon’s Culture, without stepping into overwhelm yourself.

“My team hates change”

When you bring up new strategies or new ways of “doing things around here”, it can feel like your team is against you. Like when you suggest a switch in product brand, a change in opening hours, or new consultation strategies, they don’t want to hear it. It feels like an uphill battle… and you are right at the bottom of it.

But while it may feel like everyone is against you, they aren’t.

Remember, our team is human too, and most of the time when they explode or don’t act the way you expect them to, they are simply projecting their worries and fears onto you.

This can feel like they are mad at you, but in reality, it’s normal for your team to reject change straight away. Something new is an adjustment for everyone. They need to consider the impact it has upon them. You have to give them time to come to terms with new things and how they will impact them. Remember you took a while to decide and plan the new strategy…give them a chance to catch up with your thinking process.

Give them the why!

Ensure you have given them the ‘why’ for what you’re implementing and how you see it impacting the business, the clients, and of course, the team as a whole. Then allow them space for it to soak in, think it through, and then get them involved in the process of change. Remember, they aren’t the Salon Owner, you are. You can’t always expect them to see it from your perspective, or to think about the problem and change as a Salon CEO would.

For those who find change more difficult, and maybe express it in a public way (e.g.: in your morning huddle!), take the time to work

with them in private, to explore the change process out of the public domain. You’ll have an easier time leading your people through the change process step by step. Plus, you’ll enjoy the rewards of change as a team, more seamlessly.

“My team just don’t care enough”

As a Salon Owner, we are often empathetic people, it’s why we got into this industry in the first place. We care deeply about our business, our team, and our clients. We love our Salon, so we throw everything into our team, and along with this, their emotions. However, this can come back to bite us, especially when we are faced with a team explosion.

I’m not saying I want you to change how much you care and love your Salon or your team, but I want you to think about being more mindful in these situations; stepping back and viewing the situation more objectively first and removing your attachment and emotion from the explosion that is unfolding in front of you.

Sometimes, having a team is like raising a child, right?

You can give love, guidance, and growth to your child, but you can’t expect them to always return the same understanding and feeling back towards you. The same applies to your team and your salon growth strategies.

Kids (aka some team members) often don’t know how to manage their emotions like you might want and hope. It may just mean they don’t have the skills to manage their own emotions. It may very well, not be about you

or mean that they don’t care. Like the stylist who wanted to move to the outback - the expression of an idea for life change need not be set in stone at that moment.

But what you can do, is provide a safe space for them to come and let you know how they are feeling (even if it’s disguised as an emotional explosion). A team member being able to come to you and be open and sharing allows you to be proactive with them to find an effective solution for all parties.

Opening your communication lines and managing their growth and subsequent “tantrums” will help you build trust with even the most difficult team member.

“The perfect team does exist…right?”

When you opened your Salon doors and started hiring employees, if you were like me, I’m sure you had the picture of the perfect team in mind. A team of the “perfect employees” who are not only incredible at their work but are hard-working, technically great, and produce great results. Together, you envisioned that you’d create an amazing culture in your Salon.

I used to strive to have the perfect team, but I realised that it was near impossible to have a full crew of perfect people on board all of the time.

During my 20 years of Salon Ownership, I had so many amazing team members that worked for me, (one even ended up being my bridesmaid!). I had a Rockstar team that supported me through and through. In saying this, I learned that I could only keep 80% of the people happy 80% of the time. If

I could achieve that, I was doing a great job. And it was up to me to build, and then rely on my systems and business processes to support the remaining 20% shortfall.

Systems and processes will set you free from operational drama, client complaints, and team explosions, and will help hold your business up to a high standard even if team members let us down.

Your team is human after all and ‘life happens’, so if you are prepared for when things do happen by having tools and systems in place to keep your business productive, clients happy, and your team loving their work, then you are doing a great job already.

Progress over perfection always!

Podcast- The Salon Owners Collective Podcast Website- www.salonownerscollective.com Facebook- Salon Owners Collective Instagram- @salonownerscollective

Larissa Macleman is the CEO & Founder of the Salon Owners Collective

Are you suffering from ‘Superstar Syndrome’?

By Kym Krey

So, what’s this all about?

I’m guessing that if you’re currently a business owner, or in a management or leadership role, you were once a pretty hot performer yourself, right?

You consistently smashed your targets, nailed your KPIs, and excelled at all-the-things. You were a highly capable high performer. A real Superstar. Am I right?

And then one day, you either decided that it was time to take the plunge and do this for yourself, or someone tapped you on the shoulder and said, “You do such a great job. Would you like to become the Manager?”

It all sounds positive, right? What could possibly go wrong?

Well, interestingly, the better you were as a solo performer, the more likely you are

to have challenges when it comes to your expectations, explanations, and delegation to others.

When you’ve been doing it yourself so flawlessly for so long, the specific processes involved become almost muscle memory. You’re not even thinking about it anymore.

So when it comes time to explain it to someone else, we tend to leave out the important, specific details that would allow someone else to learn the process for the first time. We also assume that because we did it, they naturally will too.

We give instructions that would work for someone at our level. But you’re not employing people at your level of experience and expertise. You’re usually trying to train someone with far less experience than you, so you need far more detail to fill in the gaps.

In fact, it’s your specific systems and processes that are going to support your team to grow from where they are now to where you need them to be. Your systems need to be designed for someone at their level to follow, not your level of expertise.

A common saying in management is, ‘If you can’t explain it to a 12-year-old, it’s not clear enough!’

Get it out of your head!

Former high performers, in my experience, are also the worst culprits at not writing anything down when it comes to systems and procedures. Everything is in their head. Why would they waste time writing it down when they know what to do? (And yet you’re often complaining that you have to do everything, right?)

If everything is in your head, no one else can see it and follow it, and you have nothing to measure against, so you’ll be constantly relied upon to fix problems, put out fires and answer your phone a thousand times on your day off as your staff constantly call with their questions.

So if you find yourself constantly reminding your staff to ‘do this’, or ‘focus on that’, and you can’t understand why it’s not happening, one of the pieces you’re likely missing is….. how!

The reality is that as leaders, we cannot expect our team to do anything that we have not:

i. Clearly explained

ii. Checked for understanding

iii. Gained their commitment to Let’s begin with ‘clearly explained’: You need to have a ‘this is how we do it here’ step-by-step process for each important

procedure in your business, from the way you answer the telephone, to the way you consult and quote, receive a stock order to exactly what needs to be done at the end of the day before anyone leaves.

Black and white. No vague, grey areas. No ‘they should just know’. No ‘it’s just common sense’

Not only does this start to get all of that valuable knowledge out of your head and into a format that can finally be used to train others and lighten your workload, it will make your life so much easier down the track when they eventually cut corners or get a little slack.

The process is clear. It’s either followed or it’s not. There’s no emotion. There’s no doubt.

If it’s not followed, your responsibility is to restore accountability and bring them back to your original expectation – your ‘This is how we do it here’.

Checking for understanding:

How many times have you invested time explaining a procedure and assumed that because you’d explained it, they’ve understood it? You’ve likely said something like, “Does that make sense?” “Do you understand?”

Of course they’re going to say ‘Yes’ but are you really on the same page? Chances are that you’re not.

Your job is not done when you’ve finished explaining. Your job is done when they clearly understand and can do it, and these can be two very different things.

The only way you know if they’ve truly understood is when you see/hear evidence, so try finishing your explanation with:

“So that I know I’ve explained that clearly, just repeat back to me what you think I’ve said.”

And listen.

If you’re showing them how to do something, you can finish by saying: “OK, your turn. Show me what you’re going to do”

In doing this, you’ll hear straight away if their explanation is different to your intention, and you have the opportunity to correct it.

You’ll see immediately if they don’t get it right and you can correct and guide them or demonstrate it again until they do get it right.

So now you’ve documented exactly what you want them to do, you’ve explained or demonstrated thoroughly, and you’ve actually seen or heard them get it right, so you know they know how to do it.

If it doesn’t happen from here on, you know it’s not because they don’t know how to do it. It’s because they’re choosing not to. That’s a behavioural issue, not a training issue, but if you don’t get this right, you’ll waste time and money training and retraining (and retraining…) over and over again and not getting any closer to the outcome you need. You’re just spinning your wheels and getting more and more frustrated. Get this clear before you move on.

The final step is to gain commitment to your expectations.

Just because you’ve trained someone in how to do something, doesn’t mean they have any intention of actually doing it!

This is another trap for new managers. Assuming that just because you would do it, they will do it. (You’ll know if you’ve fallen into this one when you hear yourself saying things like ‘What’s wrong with this generation? “In MY day….”)

Once you’re confident that they understand (because you’ve seen evidence that they’ve got it), finish by asking for their commitment to do this every time.

“Great! I can see that you’ve understood what I need. Am I going to be able to rely on you to follow this process every time?”

Don’t move on until you get a ‘Yes’.

When they drop the ball (and they will at some stage), you don’t retrain, you have a conversation about accountability.

“Susie, do you remember when we spent that time training you how to ABC (follow this process)? And do you remember when you gave me your word that I could rely on you to follow this method every time? Well….. today I’ve seen XYZ… and that’s not quite what we agreed, is it? Is there a reason why that process was not followed?”

Can you feel the energy of that conversation? There’s nowhere to hide. You’ve closed the loopholes.

There is a clear expectation that can be easily measured, and you will follow up continually to ensure that there is accountability to that commitment.

So, to get yourself off the slippery frustrating slope of Superstar Syndrome, you’re going to:

• Get your knowledge out of your head.

• Create a clear ‘This is how we do it here’ process for everything you expect them to do

• Write that down (or capture it on video and create a training library)

• Explain and demonstrate it clearly and thoroughly

• Check for understanding (don’t move on until you’ve seen evidence they’ve understood)

• Ask for commitment

• Address it immediately every time it isn’t followed. (If you see it but do nothing, you teach them it’s OK)

In summary, leadership 101 is….. Make it CLEAR and then make sure it HAPPENS!

Kym Krey, The Salon Mentor, is an industry business specialist helping business owners and managers nail the skills of leadership and managing their team for exceptional results. She’s the gal you’ll want in your corner when things get tough or when you’re ready to take that next big leap. Get in touch @kymkrey or grab your FREE leadership tools and resources at www.kymkrey.com.au

The Art of Brand Building

By Phil Smith

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In the fourth of a series of masterclasses, one of the biggest success stories in British hairdressing, business mastermind Phil Smith tackles the subject of keeping a team motivated

When you look up ambition in the dictionary, it’s defined as a ‘desire and determination to achieve success’. The salon where I started out had a strict, old-school dedication to discipline. How diligently you scrubbed the toilets was the manager’s benchmark for quality in your work. A commitment to small details would translate to how well you cut hair. Even today, it’s a philosophy I live by.

There’s nothing I would ask anyone to do that I don’t do myself. I sweep floors, shampoo hair and make the tea. If you ever think you’re too important or too powerful to do the little jobs, you’ve lost it. Today, I have a policy of recruiting new talent from grass roots. But rather than assessing potential team members on technical skill I always, always look for the characteristics that will breed the qualities I think are more important – commitment, motivation, and loyalty. And once they’re on board, it’s my duty to keep those qualities shining.

Studies show that when an individual’s work is valued by others, it means their job satisfaction rises and they feel a sense of achievement. Productivity increases with more likelihood to perform well in future tasks too. And while you want people around you who can self-motivate, you also have a part to play in feeding huger and ambition in your team.

These are the ways I keep my team inspired and motivated…

Create opportunity

We’re a close-knit, hardworking collective at my salon. I never rely solely on financial incentives to increase retention. Instead, I’ve created a culture of commitment and purpose, going the extra mile for my team, promoting from within, and investing in their future. My aim is to help others achieve their goals and also grow a stronger, more successful business in the process. I keep the team motivated with opportunities for growth and development such as awards, photoshoots, celebrity work and experiences outside of the salon. Ever since my franchising days, I’ve believed, if you create an opportunity in which nobody can lose, everybody wins.

Someone to look up to If you can see someone in your field you aspire to be like, it makes you work harder to get there. Every salon needs a hero and I believe that creating role models within your business is another way to retain and motivate a team.

Remember, that’s not always you. Having stylists compete in competitions and win awards has sparked huge ambition in almost all of our other team members. They see how hard work and determination can pay off with big rewards and it make them hungry to follow.

Keep them curious

The best way to keep someone inspired is to educate. My team are most fired up when they’ve learnt something new. They’ll bring their excitement back to the salon and it feeds the whole team, not just one individual. Equally, I make sure that as a team, we travel to industry events as much as possible, such as awards, shows and seminars so that we can get inspired, network and learn new skills. Everyone comes back buzzing with ideas.

Be an open book

The more information you reveal about your business, the more invested your team will be in it. Include them in everything that’s going on and share knowledge with them – it will serve them well in the future. Schedule regular catch ups where you all get together and discuss where you are with everything. No areas off limits. It’s important to communicate the reality. Be present and available for staff concerns. Sit in the staff room, eat with them, chat with them, keep up a regular conversation and invite feedback.

Positive praise

Recognition is usually ‘invisible’ in nature – a gesture or kind word, for instance. But this kind of acknowledgment can be priceless in value and just as effective as a cash reward in increasing engagement and motivation levels. If you treat your team well and make them feel valued, that goodwill will come back to you. It can be as simple as a small thank you or by organising a team trip that everyone looks forward to. The bottom line is, telling someone they’ve done well shouldn’t just be about a pay rise, it’s about acknowledging small things every day.

If you can keep up your side of the bargain with these small measures, the motivation and ambition it inspires in your team will elevate your salon. Everyone wins!

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