Meet the 2023 AHIA Business Team of The Year. TONI&GUY Cronulla.

Nestled in the heart of the Sutherland Shire, the TONI&GUY Cronulla salon, led by Louise Blake, has evolved into a celebrated hub of style and community connection since its inception in 2004.

Beyond the establishment’s brand recognition, Louise and her team have diligently crafted a distinctive identity, seamlessly blending global standards with a locally resonant experience.

Their commitment extends far beyond hairstyling, evident in innovative community engagements such as the Mardi Gras Balloon Pop and impactful fundraising initiatives. Recently honoured with the 2023 AHIA BUSINESS Salon Team of the Year award, this salon stands as a testament not only to its exceptional styling but also to the unwavering unity and kindness embodied by its team.

We recently caught up with Louise Blake.

Can you tell us a bit about TONI&GUY Cronulla?

We opened in 2004 in the beautiful Sutherland Shire and are proud to be a TONI&GUY Australia high-performing salon and top commercial performer for the last 5 years. However, whilst an iconic brand name frames our salon window, we also know that we must provide our own unique experience.

Our salon clientele is diverse, but the geographical catchment is 90% within a 15-kilometre radius. There’s a real local feel, and often our clients will know one another during their visit. We offer tailored colour, cut and styling services as well as specialist hair extensions, keratin smoothing, and chemical straightening services. Plus we also have a strong barber and bridal wing to cover all bases.

How have you focused on setting yourself apart and creating your own identity?

The big brand name is a big deal but so is the time we spend brainstorming with other local businesses or being part of social initiatives that matter to our local clients. We believe we have to value add at a local salon level if people are going to choose us as their hairdresser.

Our clients want to support small businesses, they want to ‘shop local’, so we have tried to authentically be the ‘local hairdresser’ by creating and resourcing lots of additional activities and initiatives beyond what we have access to us as a TONI&GUY salon.

What have been some of your most successful local initiatives?

A few recent ones have been the Mardi Gras Balloon Pop, a retail promotion that saw us erect a huge rainbow balloon arch in the salon, with retail promotions inside each balloon and an invitation for all clients to pop the balloon to retrieve a special retail offer.

The activation delivered record retail results and a clear message about our salon being a safe space. We have also just raised a whopping $290k for the National Breast Cancer Foundation with a high-end local business collaboration and giveaway of over $110k of prizes that opened us up to a fresh and new, but like-minded, potential clientele. We love to look at unique ways to engage with our community and have some exciting plans in the mix for 2024.

Congratulations on your AHIA win as Salon Business Team of the Year 2023! What does the competitive arena mean to you?

Thank you! Entering awards has been a massive highlight for the whole team as each stage of the process has provided so much opportunity to learn about ourselves and each other.

This win in particular was really important to me though as it recognised the work we put in as a team both on and off the floor. It covers everything from photographic work to successful salon figures to team personal development to education to local community and everything in between! It is a true testament to what we were able to achieve together over the awards period, and it isn’t often you get the chance to reflect and celebrate together in that way.

We have been so proud to support the AHIA’s for four years now and we are proof that it can take time to take home the big wins, but, if you keep at it, you can absolutely get there.

What do you think is the definitive element that set you and your team apart?

Consistency isn’t a super sexy word, but it’s what sets us apart and makes us worthy of the team award. Our team are consistently kind to their clients and to each other and have each other’s backs when they are sick and need to cover columns.

They consistently raise their hands when there is an opportunity to be part of a hair event before they know what it might involve which might be early starts, late finishes and limited recognition. Our team is also growing but constant with a joint tenure of 36 years, we are one of the leading TONI&GUY salons for staff retention.

Recruitment is always to expand, never to replace. In the limelight, we have collected numerous accolades and yet it’s during the Iess ‘lit’ everyday salon life that we see how special our team is.

How do feel apprentices play a role, both for your salon team and the wider industry?
I really work incredibly closely with our apprentices and truly go above and beyond. Having qualified 11 apprentices in 14 years, I can say, hand on heart, that I’m committed to treating them as makers of our future in the industry.

Sustainability and evolution are impossible without our apprentice hairdressers! I’ve recently been proud to see through the completion of two apprenticeships 8 and 10 months early, via dedicated after-hours practice. This generation are much more confident than I was but still need scaffolding and support to thrive and I am here for it.

What is your approach to leadership?
Taking time to understand who the team are outside of hairdressing is really important to me. I want to captain an inclusive and safe culture and create a judgment-free space with plenty of focus on valuable and considered team bonding.

I want staff to feel a sense of belonging where they are valued and motivated because they are happy individually but also invested in the bigger picture and each other. Having each other’s back is a big one for me, and I believe a huge contributor to our success.

Education is a key part of the TONI&GUY Cronulla salon experience, what level of autonomy do you give the team with their training?

The only way is bespoke, so each team member receives an annual $4k personal development budget to enable them to customise. This money can be used on a wide variety of pursuits including photographic shoots, education specific to their individual up-skilling needs, or broader business seminars.

The allocation is provided in conjunction with annual goal setting in January and tracked within monthly one-on-ones. This is on top of total access to TONI&GUY, Wella, GHD, and label.m education and our extensive internal and external training calendar including, for example, having the amazing Dario Cotroneo in-salon recently to cover incredibly interesting topics like attachment styles and motivational impulses.

What are your thoughts around the future of the industry?
We are all facing so many challenges with the changing digital world, security concerns (thanks Optus!) as well as watching as the recruitment pool seemingly dries up before our eyes. But I can also recognise the brilliant opportunities within the industry and the capacity for growth.

I am determined to leverage the confidence of the next-gen and focus on the impact of training our own staff in-salon for the benefit of the hair community. I also want to champion the fluidity and flexibility of a hairdressing life, using my own team as a compelling case study.

I take my responsibility in the training and development of the next-gen in terms of hair and humanity really seriously. I love it and I’m excited for what’s next!

@toniandguycronulla