LEADING FROM THE HEART

By Louise May

In the ever-evolving world of the hair industry, where creativity, skill, and entrepreneurship intersect, Martha Kourtidou has carved an inspiring path from being an ambitious intern to becoming the visionary salon owner of BODA and an entrepreneur.

With an unwavering passion for her craft and an innate drive for success, Martha has risen through the ranks, overcoming challenges and seizing opportunities along the way.

In this exclusive interview with Hair Biz Editor Louise May, Martha takes us on a journey through her remarkable career, sharing the pivotal moments, strategies, and philosophies that have propelled her to the forefront of the industry.

Can you share with us your journey from being an intern at a hair salon to becoming a successful salon owner and entrepreneur?

I definitely think I have always had the characteristics of an entrepreneur. Growing up, the majority of my family were business owners so seeing how to problem solve and make processes better was my everyday normal.

I sadly didn’t last very long as an intern as I kept trying to excel and grow faster than my boss was willing to let me. I went to a salon and told her I was ready to be a manager even though I had just qualified as a hairdresser.

I was confident in my ability to connect with a team and inspire them. Two years later she made me a business partner and whilst our partnership only lasted 3 years, I knew I was only at the beginning of my career. Fast forward a few years, I bought my first BODA salon and quickly built an amazing army of strong leaders.

The next problem we faced was that too many strong leaders under one roof wasn’t going to work for much longer, so I moved a key person into our second salon. The expansion of the BODA brand and the salons has since seen many years of success.

Can you share some insights into the strategies or approaches you have used to expand your business and establish multiple salons across Victoria?

It’s been a dream watching them grow in multiple areas around Victoria. I think my main approach has always been culture and people of profit. If you look after the people in your team, they will look after your salon.

My strategy around people has always been to lead from the heart, understanding what motivates them and most importantly how can I assist them in their goals and growth.

What challenges have you faced along the way, and how have you overcome them to achieve your goals?

There are two challenges that come to mind, the effect COVID-19 had on our salons and now, more recently, the potential recession we are heading towards.

When COVID-19 hit in March 2020 I automatically went into survival mode. I jumped straight onto Alibaba and bought 3000 tint brushes and bowls for a very low price. I knew this wasn’t a flu that was going to go away in a month and knew I needed to pivot. We sold thousands of home colouring kits and made a great margin on each unit. I had so many messages from other hairdressers saying they couldn’t buy bowls or brushes at a low price to make the kits affordable.

I was able to act quickly and create a product that was marketable and profitable. And of course, with every pandemic a recession follows so this is the challenge we are facing now.

With price increases, we are seeing more clients worried about spending, so we are having many more gaps in our appointment books. After analysing the data, I realised we need to focus on bringing up our average dollar by removing some of the small, ticketed items as well as some of the more expensive services.

The middle point is where the profits lie so I have just launched affordable colour packages that will see us servicing the same amount of people at a better average dollar spend. I’m super excited to be able to introduce new clients to our space as they will struggle to keep up with hair maintenance if salons keep raising their prices.

What are your future plans for further expansion?

I want to focus on education and a place where we grow the best talent in Australia. Secondly, I’d like to build a business mentoring website, right now I’m running Zoom mentoring sessions and I love having the opportunity to share knowledge.

I would also like to see more BODA salons open up nationally and internationally, with our first International salon in Bali (BODA Bali has a nice ring to it).

And lastly, I’d like to create affiliated businesses that branch off from the BODA umbrella, for example, a salon media agency, product development and business mentoring for all businesses (not just salons).

How do you see the online aspect of your business evolving in the future, and what steps are you taking to stay ahead in the digital space?

We live in a digital world and it’s only going to get more prominent. Setting up an online store was a direct reflection of COVID-19 however I would like to learn more about

AI and how to use that software in our online experience. Digitally I want to focus more on social media and creating a content agency. I enjoyed building the online store however I see more profit coming from products we one day produce ourselves and that will override the online store we have currently.

What led you to launch Kourtside Coaching, and how do you aim to inspire and lead people to live their best possible lives?

Salon owners are the leaders in their business, and I believe leadership is 90% self-development and 10% management. I personally embarked on a self-development journey over 10 years ago and have gained a lot of insight and skills. I hope to be able to pass on these skills, so we see our industry be led by a group of positive, self-aware, and motivating owners.

On a micro level, I aim to help salon owners build themselves. into inspiring leaders. On a macro level, I want to inspire all my followers to live their best lives possible and hope to set a change in themselves and the people around them.

Do you have any plans to diversify your business ventures or explore new opportunities within the beauty or self-care industry?

I have invested in property and that’s worked well for me. I have been building my understanding of finance and business over the last decade and have many plans to diversify into other areas. There is a saying that says, “stick to what you know” and whilst I believe this to be true and also easy, I am an entrepreneur so if an opportunity presents itself, I will run with it.

What role does continuous learning and self-development play in achieving long-term success as an entrepreneur?

It’s the most pivotal part of success. ‘Knowledge is power’ I’ve read many times however knowledge without self-development and action is just information stored in your brain. I think is extremely important to continuously push yourself out of your comfort zone and set goals for yourself.

I run self-development classes with everyone in my company on a regular basis (from apprentices to managers). I enrol myself in courses at least every quarter to ensure I’m learning something new. Only last month I pushed my body to climb a volcano in Bali and at the peak, I meditated and had this insight to create packages during a recession. I

think pushing your body and mind outside your comfort zone honestly brings creative insight that would otherwise be dormant. My business and all future businesses will always have self-development programs running, especially for our leadership team.

Next month I have planned a full day for all our managers to learn some new skills from me in hopes they inspire their team. I have done this for many years, and it truly makes me proud to see how so many people in our company have grown.