HIGH SOCIETY

By Louise May

Samantha Jones grew up in a little country town in the southeast of the UK. Her passion was always dance and she trained in London, later working as a backing dancer for Simply Red and then later on Cruise Ships.

This was when Samantha had her first salon experience with a hair colour and cut. The stylists were also Australian, and she was mesmerised.

She kind of got into the hair industry by accident - as a qualified Nail Tech and Beauty Therapist, Samantha opened a Hair, Nail & Beauty salon in the UK in 2008. She signed up for her apprenticeship in 2009 to enable herself to understand her business better, and she was hooked from the first day.

Hair Biz Editor Louise May , chats with Samantha Jones about her journey in the industry and her stunning new Salon Space, Ms Monaco Hair Society.

What is your role at Ms Monaco?

I currently work week on week off on the floor. I travel to Adelaide on my week off to be with partner, where I work from home on all the back end.

Tell us about the Ms Monaco brand and how it all began?

In 2020 I had to undertake a rebrand due to some potential IP issues and it was the best thing I ever did! I wanted a brand that encapsulated quality, class, and grace! After brainstorming for some time and with a lot of help from some fabulous industry friends Ms Monaco Hair Society was born. I have always been a soft touch and believed in love stories and what better than that of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco.

You outgrew your last salon, and have just opened up your gorgeous new salon space, can you talk us through the process of you opening your stunning new salon and tell us what inspired you to create such a magnificent space?

This is salon number 5 for me. Every salon I have ever opened, I grew out of. The old space was 68sqm and with a team of 6 seniors and 5 apprentices we were struggling for chairs and for space. I heard about the opportunity of this space through a client of mine and signed in October 2021.

I initially signed for 180sqm but after much deliberation and just in the nick of time I managed to snag the extra 100sqm that would have made another space, because I was worried that I would outgrow again and have no option to expand.

Ms Monaco has always embodied amazing service and fabulous results, but I always felt the brand was not complete as the actual setting didn’t match. My vision for our new space was that of a Hotel reception or venue in Monaco. Heaps of Gold, soft feminine vibes, and a feeling of luxury.

The build was so extended due to covid and material shortages, we opened 6 months later, but now we are in our space, it instantly feels like home.

Tell us about the Ms Monaco guest experience, and what makes you as a brand unique to all of the other salons that surround you?

Ms Monaco is a brand - we give the air of being a franchise or much bigger than we are - we get asked all the time if there are others. This has always been my goal - I wanted to think much bigger than solo owner. Ms Monaco is my legacy, a place that makes a difference to people’s lives and how they feel.

We have designed our guest experience in detail. From the moment a client reaches out, to the time between appointments, we have touch points to help keep us front of mind. We now have an amazing full size cocktail bar and a private Members Lounge - this is the next level in guest experience, and I love to be the pioneer of new things.

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

I am a strong believer in 2 things. Karma, and never treating people how you wouldn’t want to be treated. I have always done my best to do the right thing and to do it with integrity.

Share with us your philosophies around staff selection and development. How do you find, keep, and grow high performing staff?

Every team member is different. It’s important to understand personalities and how they fit together. we currently have 13 on our team and I have spent a lot of time and money on ensuring our personalities fit together. We receive comments on the daily of how we seem like we all genuinely get along - as I am writing this the whole team is in doing each other’s hair. Three of us don’t need a service but we still come in to hang out and help get the job done quicker.

I think our reputation precedes us and luckily, I don’t have problems attracting new talent. One thing I do, is carefully listen and find out what the gaps have been in a career so far, and how I may help fill that space. I invest heavily in education both internally and externally, and block an afternoon once a month so the whole team can lunch and train together, couple that with 3 monthly team building, such as escape rooms and tree top challenges. I feel like we become so much more than just a job very quickly.

How do you develop your team to help them be the best they can be?

My apprentice team have training scheduled for 3 hours each week and spend the rest of the time assisting senior members. This grows them really fast. By 6 months we are foiling, colouring, blow drying and styling and practicing basic cuts on models. My senior team all have opportunities throughout the year and regular meetings with each person help identify any gaps and work out how to fill them.

What are your secrets to juggling the demands of running a busy salon and large team?

I don’t think there are any real secrets, I always look at other big salons and think they have it together and I don’t! I used to get highly stressed and didn’t realise how much it affected my team. now I just accept that there will always be something - another fire to put out. Having so much time dedicated to business duties and team management is a life saver.

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

I think to just take one step at a time. Plan out your time because if you are anything like me procrastination is easy. Take time for youit’s important not to make your business your whole life or there will be nothing left. I finally have quality of life now where I can love my business but also have time away from it.

What advice would you give others who dream of building an impactful brand?

Create a story behind your brand. It’s so much more than just a name and those that tell you the name doesn’t matter are wrong. My business has exploded since rebranding and that’s all I can put it down to.

What’s on the agenda for the future?

Who knows... every time I do it, I say I am not doing it again.